Hello world!

Welcome to Key West!

A nice morning. Sun shinning. Blue sky sprinkled with some white clouds. No wind. Water moving, but slowly.

It is going to rain!!!

We are into the rainy season. It has poured the past two days. Yesterday not a break in the clouds. No sun. Pure humidity.

No one is complaining about the rain. We need it. In due course, the rain will temper down to about an hour a day around one in the afternoon. Till then….. pour, pour, pour!

The lack of sun yesteray was a blessing for me. My air conditioning was still broken. My bedroom was minimally bearable. I just received a telephone call. The compressor is in and the repair man on his way. Great!

I received additional Happy Birthday greetings via email yesterday. Never before have I received so many.

Thank you, one and all.

One of the emails was from Cindy and Tom from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Cindy, the one legged and one breasted woman I love. Cindy’s birthday is July 6, also. Cindy wrote that she and Tom were celebrating her birthday on a Mississippi river boat cruise. At 8 in th evening of the sixth while having dinner on the boat, she and Tom toasted me. How nice! She wanted to know if I felt the moment. This is an example of why I like these people so much.

Dentist time again yesterday morning. Not bad. We are making progress. Took a couple of hours. No more cutting. I was tired from the experience, however. And a bit sore. I decided not to do today’s Key West Lou Legal Hour at 9 this morning on http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/. I was not up to completing my preparation for the show. Instead a rerun of last friday’s show can be seen and heard. If you missed it, watch it! The show was good!

Such modesty. It was, however.

Bocce party last night! Big time!

This is the second bocce party in two weeks. The first was for the entire bocce league at Cowboy Bill’s. Last night’s was limited to four teams from the thursday night portion of the league. We play thursday nights. Thursday has 14 teams. Three years ago, four of the teams, including mine, decided to have a side bet limited to our four teams. Each team throws in $150. The winning team pays nothing. We have a big party at the end of the season. We are the money teams!

The food is always outstanding. Russ plays on one of the 4 teams. He is a New Yorker and St. John’s fan. A Big East man! He presently is Chief Chef at The Strip House. The best steak in Key West! Russ cooks at the restaurant and then brings the food over to Don’s Place.

A Strip House meal! Sliced tenderloin, creamed spinach, creamed corn and a special mashed potato. Oh, my God! That good!

For the first time in six months, I was able to enjoy steak. I could chew! Easy. The meat was so tender. And the sides were easy. Russ told me he cooked the sides with me in mind. He knew if I could not chew the steak, I would be able to enjoy the sides.

Thank you, Russ!

As part of last night’s festivities, we also have a pool table bocce competition. Third year for the pool table bocce competition. Fun! I played and lost in the first round. I have no athleticism.

Don makes a speech at the end of the evening. Compliments to the winning team, comments regarding the other teams and finally the presentation of the Larry Smith Award.

We all know Larry Smith. Musician supreme. Terrific golfer. Good bocce player. And…..the world’s most obnoxious individual! We all love Larry. But he can be difficult at times.

Relax, Larry is not offended by this type banter. He is proud he is obnoxiouis. I sometimes think he needs a psychiatrist!

The Larry Smith Award has been given for three years. Larry won the award two of those years.

The Committee deciding this year’s winner thought Larry had toned down. So he was out of the running. They could find no one obnoxious enough to win this year. Rather than not make the award, the Committee decided to award it to some one for whatever reason. That’s Key West.

I am embarassed to report I won! The Larry Smith Award. What a shame!

There was a speech by Don. He explained the basis for the award this year. Instead of a trophy, it was decided to give me three cartons of cigarettes.

Let me put all this in perspective.

I stopped smoking 30 years ago. Started again 5 years ago for 3 years. Stopped 2 years ago for 15 months. Started again in the last 6 months.

Bad you don’t have to tell me. I know.

I have been half heartedly fighting the urge to smoke. I refuse to buy my own cigarettes. I figure buying them is a commitment. Bumming them, there is still hope.

At bocce, I smoke the cigarettes of three team mates. Don, Erika and Jenn. Forunately, they all smoke menthols which are my favorite.

The three cartons were special. All white. A colorful picture of Don’s Place on each side. The brand name: Other People’s Cigarettes. Don, Erika and Jenn’s names appearing one on each carton.

The Surgeon General’s Warning appeared also: Mooching cigarettes from your teammates may make them cranky…..Be responsible, buy your own pack.

A mesaage!

As pleased as I am to have won and to have been the brunt of a humorous award, I cannot smoke these cigarettes. I will be doomed! I intend to give them to those already so damned.

This does not mean I am stopping smoking. Not yet. Soon, however. In the meantime, I will continue mooching!

I was curious where the specially packed cigarettes had been purchased. No where. Erika and Herschel did the tedious work of designing and making the cartons up.

Thank you Erika and Herschel.

Enjoy your day!

5 comments on “

  1. Hi Lou,

    Happy belated birthday!

    Here's a dose of reality, albeit not popular in Key West, but here it is anyway.

    I held my dying father in my arms watching him die from smoking. A vibrant wonderful man reduced to a living gasping skeleton. Don't do that to your kids. It's never too late!!

    Enjoy your day.

  2. Love the blog! Sorry I missed the banquet. Glad to hear you dentistry woes are almost behind you. Hopefully soon you can toss the blender on to the highest shelf in the closet. Accessible for frozen cocktails but nothing else. Congrats on the award!

    Jules

  3. Lou –

    Saw on the news tonight your children were disbarred. Lord I am so sorry. Not your way. I know.

    K

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