nICE isn't it?

So guess what?  I don't live in Michigan anymore.  The hubs finished all of his law school learning and now we are back in the desert.  I'll admit that moving to Mesa, AZ in the middle of August is pretty bad planning.  We had to get the kids back in time for school and besides, the weather surpasses the 100's well into September.  And once it gets past 105 degrees, it's just hot.  So hot is hot and if you're gonna move when it's hot, you may as well move when it's convenient for you and not let the weather dictate scheduling.

There are so many differences between Michigan and AZ that I could write a book on them.  I doubt anyone would really be interested in them.  But, as an Arizonan (by transplant from Northern CA) there is one difference that has really stood out int he last month or so.  That difference effects me everyday. The difference is the ice and the value of it.

Michiganders take ice for granted.  Can you believe that at the soda fountain some people don't even put ice in their cup.  And if they do, it's maybe 1/3 full of ice.  Blech.  They may as well be drinking coffee.  I can understand where they are coming from.  I haven't always been an "ice" person.  But for the last 10 years I have  been observing and learning the value of the perfect beverage.  The perfect beverage is in a Styrofoam cup (sorry tree huggers), crushed ice filled to the very top, with a sturdy straw about 5 millimeters across.  The liquid placed inside has little to do with the quality of said beverage.  The major component is the ice, the rest is just filler.

In this heat, the local convenience store is the suburban watering hole.  It is here that one can usually determine the perfect ice for themselves.  Usually, the options are either "crushed" or "cubed".  The variations among each category compare to the variations of the word "snow" in the Eskimo languages.  The variations usually drive different folks to different watering holes in order to find the perfect genus of ice.  This picture of  "cubed" ice may demonstrate what I mean:

Yes, we desert dwellers care that much about our ice.  I am personally a fan of crushed ice (preferably Sonic) because it cools the drink quickly, and also melts at the perfect rate.  It waters down my drink just enough.