Interview: Moving out of Florida
After 10 years of trying to make it in South Florida, Mim Tartin, 32, has called it quits.
“I’m done, bro. Florida $^&^ beat me. Florida kicked my a$$. I’m out,” Mim said via his parent’s telephone.
Mim came to Broward County in 1999 from St. Louis, Missouri, after living with his parents for all of his life. Why Florida, of all places?
“I don’t know,” he chuckled. “The weather? Missouri gets real cold, gets covered with snow.”
When Mim first arrived, he had problems finding work until he went on an interview at a microfilm scanning company. Although his only previous experience was managing a small pizza parlor, the company have him a chance.
“Damian Hospital hired me. For that I am eternally grateful to him for giving me the opportunity to make it. Granted I eventually dropped the ball, but I had a good run, and no one can take that away from me,” Mim said.
“Looking back, working there was probably the best time of my life, but I squandered it…it’s the one major thing I regret in my life there. Just wanted a second chance to prove myself again. I know I was a f__-up, and that I backstabbed the company to go to their competitor- who turned out to be a liar and sucked @$$- and came to work high when I was under a sh!t load of f__ stress because of money and my wife at the time. But I totally blew it man. And I’m sorry,” he said sincerely.
Mim eventually met his future wife at that workplace, although that ended in a painful and bitter divorce.
“Would rather not talk about it,” he said.
After leaving the company, Mim bounced around other microfilm scanning companies, tried going back to school, worked as a shoe-salesman, a well known Florida call center, ran up debt, and moved from town to town- Pompano Beach, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Margate, North Lauderdale, and even up to Port St. Lucie. He even set up an online dollar store, but didn’t even get one sale. He has had numerous roommates to help pay rent, and most of his money went to fixing his car, school loans, and just existing from week-to-week.
“Life sucks, man,” he mused. “I mean I am good with computers, I’ve had pretty important jobs and responsibilities…I learn pretty fast…but I just had no luck down there, man.”
What does the future hold for Mim Tartin?
“Just trying to survive, brother. I’m gonna get my sh!t together and maybe come visit Florida some day. My parents are helping me out, and I have a girlfriend who is awesome, but I’m just trying to survive, man. Florida sucks, bro. Anyone who is reading this- DO NOT MOVE TO FLORIDA.”
And thus ends the tale of Mim Tartin. Or is it the beginning?
Good luck, old friend.
Similar Posts:
- Microfilm scanning
- Microfilm Scanning
- Microfilm Scanning and Microfilm Archiving
- The safe place to buy Kodak Microfilm
- Microfilm Scanning
DailySkew RANDOM Posts:
- Second Coming: REAL Messiah Killed TWICE: Shark (no joke)
- DailySkew Interview with Remy Ma and Papoose
- Spanish Comedy: QUE LOCURA
- Michael Moore’s Cuba Lie
- Lincoln Wheat Pennies
eyyyy…everybody love Florida!!!…eyyyy!!!!
Vahl here.
I spoke with someone yesterday who is also thinking of leaving Broward, to pursue a career in photography. He said South Florida is "Dry." You'd think there's tons of opportunities down here, but not for the independent artist.
***
I wish Mim the best of luck. I enjoyed working with Mim — I always believed in his work ethic and ability to learn new things.
Mim was one of the few people to handle fiche and rollfilm scanning — and one of the rare few who started in the Mekel area and transitioned to the Sunrise's. He overcame natural shyness to be one of the best supervisors I've worked with.
I'm sad that Mim's bridge to Tashman was irrevocably burned — but leaving South Florida is probably for the best. Broward County is like a gravity well — very few rise above to succeed here, and very few escape once they've landed here. Congratulations on being able to go back home!
Whats happened to "mim" is common experience among many.
Ive lived in south fla most of my life and people stay here for a year or two and finally end up saying "florida sucks!" and end up moving.
Its like they come here after looking at some florida postcard with a palm tree on it thinking they are going to come to "paradise", or gonna go party with some models in south beach thinking that theres both excitement and money down here and when they get here they find out the hard way about the darker side of this place, almost like the people who come to L.A. to be movie stars but end up having to bus tables instead, the image of florida is a lie meant to attract tourists who have money to spend.
I know many others with skills and degrees who came here for something better, but are stuck at some low paying job because what they want to do is just not out there or available to them, especially now.
Many people would like to go back to where they came from but are stuck here because they cant afford to leave.
I remember mim as a laid back guy who was trying to go back to school and "make something of himself".
His experience in florida matches what most people have gone through.
Its very common.
Its not his fault and he will probably be better off someplace else.
Unfortunately Im from here so there is no home for me to go back to.
This is a transient place where the makeup of people who live here is always changing.
everybody is from somewhere else, everybody comes here with big ideas in search of greater opportunities, almost all of them end up reciting the mantra that "florida sucks" and most get out after a few years.
Like I said, common experience and not his fault.
My family comes from the violent world of NY in the 1980's and early 1990's [sick!!!], and we had a family friend in Fort Lauderdale By The Sea, who said the crime rate was low, and the weather was great, and it would be a great place to start a new life.
Of course the irony is that we couldn't afford Fort Lauderdale By the Sea, and would up in Lauderhill and Boyd Anderson High School.
Should be interesting to see why other families moved down here.