MMR: The Oil Spill is Affecting My Life...

So, if you haven't heard, there's this oil spill out in the Gulf of Mexico. It's pretty bad, or something. Lots of oil, lots of political posturing over it, and lots of ineptitude on BPs part. All in all, not a fun situation for those in the Gulf area.

Unfortunately, this isn't just affecting those along the Gulf Coast...it is affecting many other people as well. Namely, ME!

I've been trying to figure out what I wanted to do this summer for some sort of vacation. Should I go visit a great American city? Should I chill here in the state? Should I go abroad? Eventually, I decided I wanted to lounge around on a warm, tropical beach for a week, getting tan, staying drunk, and basically enjoying the crap outta myself. Besides the obvious of how awesome tropical beaches are, this was something I wouldn't feel bad doing alone...and since I couldn't find anyone willing to travel this summer with me for a week, that was looking like a good solution.

Where I wanted to go was Clearwater, FL. I had been there once before for work, and really liked the beach there. And the Tampa Bay area seems interesting enough...it could be a fun place to spend a week. But then the oil spill hit...and didn't go away. Oil kept spilling into the Gulf, and as it did so, the slick got closer and closer to the shore. Now it's affecting the beaches of the Gulf, and I really don't want to risk it.

If I'm going to go to the Caribbean/Gulf area...I want to be able to enjoy the warm water and the sand. Can't do that if there's oil everywhere. So, this sucks...the one place I wanted to go this summer is in danger of being, or is already, covered in oil. Shitty.

So, yes, this is a tangible example of the oil spill affecting tourism in the area. Sucks for the economy down there that relies on that kind of thing. Also sucks for me...since Hawaii is probably too expensive, and I don't wanna go somewhere out of the country by myself, I'm stuck once again pondering what to do with myself this summer.

Looks like lots of work and no fun for me. I miss having real summer breaks...