TAPED A TV SHOW

I taped a TV show yesterday. Jenna interviewed me for her TV show. Good Morning Florida Keys with Jenna Stauffer. I am not sure when it will air.

The show was taped at a lovely private home in the Casa Marine area. Assisting Jenna with the filming, etc. were Iris, Leo Martinez, and Austin Svedjan.

Iris is the Boston University student who interned with Jenna this past summer. She is working on her Masters which she expects to receive early next year.

Leo and Austin are seniors at Key West High School. Impressive young men. They have been getting work time with Jenna. Both enthusiastic media people. Tomorrow’s giants in the industry. Both headed off to name colleges to study various aspects of television and radio.

They functioned as professionals. I was impressed. They obviously had a background in TV. I asked where, how?

Turns out the Key West High School has a TV Production department. Key West teens are exposed to television and radio as part of the curriculum.

There is a significance to the program. It is ranked 4th in the nation. Yes, Key West has an apparently excellent media program which worthy of national recognition. Leo and Austin spoke proudly of the program.

Key Westers should be aware of the program. It is a shining star!

My evening began at the Chart Room. Initially, it was me and Emily. Then Che showed. Che and I went at it for more than an hour. He is argumentative and intelligent. Extremely well read. A good person to have a give and take with.

Che asked that I convey a message to Marty. He says he was born in Philadelphia. However spent most of his life in New York. Even though he lost a $100 bet to Marty at one time as to the location of a New York City hotel.

I was on my way home. It was around 7. Stopped at Don’s Place. Ended up going to dinner with John. John mentioned he wanted a steak. I said let’s go to Michael’s. He agreed.

I do not know why I do not go to Michael’s more often. It is a fine restaurant. The ambiance special. A great outside bar to sit at and have dinner. The food outstanding.

Suzette working the bar as usual. Suzette is reason enough to become more of a regular at Michael’s. A charming person.

Syracuse football at noon. It is like sitting in a war zone and knowing that shortly the bombs will fall. Syracuse plays Florida State. #1 in the nation. The spread is three touchdowns. The actual score could be more.

There is always hope. I can remember sometime in the 1980’s, Syracuse was playing #1 Nebraska. That Syracuse team was not as good as the current one which respectfully is bad. Syracuse beat #1 Nebraska!

I will be watching the game at John Lukas’ Big Ten sports Pub.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SLEEP!

I finally got a good night’s sleep last night. Thank you, Dr. Jackie Lefferts!

My back had been killing me for upwards of two weeks. Prior to last night, the previous two nights had been hell. I got very little sleep each night. I could not lie in any fashion in bed, sit in a chair, stand, walk, etc. I was in constant pain from my back down to my ankle.

Dr. Lefferts says sciatica. I will be taking an x-ray to make sure it is nothing worse.

She put me on steroids. First time ever for me. Will I get muscles?

She said…..Drop your pants! I did. A shot in the butt to start. Now pills for 5 days. She also gave me a painkiller, if I needed it. I did not last night. The steroids are to decrease inflammation.

It worked last night. Not one moment of pain. A great sleep. I had forgotten in a short time how it is good to sleep soundly and peacefully.

Let’s hope the steroids continue to work.

I missed TV last night and the bombings of Iraq and Syria. I was sound asleep early. Caught up on the news this morning.

I am glad five Arab nations joined us. I do not know what will come of this. An air of uncertainty.

I fear heads may role today. Perhaps more.

Visited Tammy at Lee Nails for a manicure and pedicure late morning yesterday. How tired was I from lack of sleep? I fell asleep three times while getting my manicure. Not the pedicure. My head dropped and I would pull up suddenly. Like when you start drowsing at a movie.

Did lunch at a strange place for lunches. Outback started a new program and is providing lunches, also. Glad I did! It was good. And cheap!

Robert was bartending. He wanted to know where I had been. I have not stopped by for dinner in a while. He showed me the new luncheon menu. Simple. Only 3-4 items, but in a mix and match fashion.

I had a cup of onion soup, a huge hamburger, and glass of diet Pepsi. Outback now gives an AARP discount. Robert wanted to know if I qualified. Was he kidding? I am 79 years old.

The entire bill was $10.23. You can’t beat it!

There were very few customers. More should try it. The lights are kept down. There was a peacefulness with the lights subdued.

I spent the afternoon working on tonight’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou and on next week’s KONK Life column. The KONK column will concern itself with bank robbers. With a special twist.

The show will cover a multitude of sins. Like, it is now Constitutional to take a cell phone and shoot up a woman’s skirt IF she is wearing panties. Plus, the bombing, the US now leading developed nations in low wage jobs, a SWAT team used to investigate a barber shop to determine if the barbers were licensed, a shocking revelation re generals who appear on TV talk shows recommending war, and more.

Join me at 9 my time for the show. A quick half hour of dialogue. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

I visited Walgreens at dinner time to get the steroids and painkillers. I spend a ton of money on prescription drugs. It still costs a lot and I have the AARP super dooper drug program. It is the donut. I am in the donut. The steroids and painkillers were cheap. It cost me $128 for my blood thinner. A 30 day supply. Terrible!

Dinner at Hogfish at the bar. Chatted with a couple of local fishermen while enjoying a lobster roll.

It rained big time during the night. Raining now. Will rain all day.

I love rain by the ocean. Ever since I was a kid. It comes in  buckets. Loud. Sometimes so thick a person cannot see very far ahead. There have been times I cannot see the MTV house across the water.

Syracuse plays Notre Dame at the Meadowlands saturday. I am concerned. Prior to last week’s game against Maryland, I thought Syracuse would crush Maryland. I obviously was wrong. I expect the opposite this saturday. I see Notre Dame killing Syracuse. At the moment, Notre Dame is an 11 point favorite.

My friend Bob Marks vacationing at the Cape, what do you think? Bob is a Syracuse fanatic as I am.

I never read the comics. Have not dome so in 60 years. For some reason yesterday, my eyes caught a comic strip called SHOE. It was penned by a Robert MacNally. There were three pictures. An elderly man sitting in a classroom as a student. He was taking a quiz. The question was…..What is Plutonium? His answer…..The name of Mickey Mouse’s dog in Latin.

Mickey Mouse was everyone’s friend in my age bracket. We who attended Catholic high school took three years of Latin. The elderly man taking the quiz could have been me.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

I AM CONFUSED

There has been a recent increase in the cost of gas. We are told it is the Russia/Ukraine confrontation which has caused it. I do not understand. We get very little, if any, gas from the pipelines running across Ukraine.

As usual, the oil companies are taking advantage of a crisis. The price of gas has been gone up everywhere, including the United States.

Louis’ confusion arises from a local situation.

I live outside Key West on an island referred to as Key Haven. A Shell station sits at the entrance at US 1. For two days, the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has been $4.07. I noticed yesterday the cost at the Shell station at Kennedy and the Boulevard was $3.89. I was by the Shell on Geiger Key at lunch time. The cost $3.89. An $ .18 per gallon difference. The Boulevard Shell station is 5 miles from the Key Haven Shell. The Geiger Key one 7.5 miles.

Do you blame me for being confused? Rip off time. At least as regards the Key Haven Shell.

Haircut with Lori yesterday morning. It now takes longer to trim my beard that cut my hair.

Then visited with Lisa for a while.

I planned on writing next week’s KONK Life column in the afternoon. I stopped at Subway to grab a sandwich to take home. I needed to conserve time. The column would take most of the afternoon to complete.

Buy stock in Subway! I walked in at 12:15. The line was backed up almost to the door. Fifteen persons. No way was I going to wait. Besides being in a hurry, I hate lines.

I do not know what possessed me. However, I said the hell with it and headed up to Geiger Key. Several miles past my home. That is how I discovered that the Geiger Key Shell was selling gas $.18 a gallon cheaper.

I thoroughly enjoyed my fish sandwich lunch. Geiger Key is a relaxing place to eat.

Next week’s KONK Life column did not take as long as I thought. The title is Muslims Taking Over Sweden. I had researched the topic thoroughly prior to yesterday. I was able to complete the article in two hours.

I have not written a KONK Life column for several weeks. I took a few weeks off. Next week marks my return. With a new column title. The Key West Lou COMMENTARY. Over the years, I drifted away from a legal column to commenting on events in general. Ergo, the COMMENTARY.

Bocce last night. Horrible! Horrendous! I obviously played poorly as I expected. I had not played in five weeks. Overall however, we were not with it. Lost the first two games 16-2 and 16-1. I participated in the 16-1 defeat. The third game was close. However, we lost 16-13.

What has happened to us?

Someone asked in a Comment received this morning if bocce being played in Key West meant there was a robust Italian community. Quite frankly, I doubt that many Italians reside in the Key West area. The large number of people playing bocce come from all ethnic and economic backgrounds. The bocce courts are a United Nations unto themselves.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

ONE HUMAN FAMILY

Today’s Key West Citizen editorial is out of line. Its author appears uniformed.

The subject is One human Family. The term being representative of Key West for many years. The words painting an accurate picture of Key West’s people.

I have been a part of Key West for more than a quarter century. The term has always meant to me a binding together of the heterosexual and gay communities. One loving community.

The editorial lumps every today malady into the term in an effort to portray Key West as no longer that one loving family. It applies One Human Family to bicyclists screwing up traffic, Duval bars making too much noise, and so forth. None of which in my opinion fall under the umbrella of One Human Family.

A unique morning. The wind is strong off the ocean. A bit cold, also. It carries with it a clean smell. The only way the experience can be described.

One of the wonders of Key West is that on any given day we can watch the sun rise and set over water. Very few in this world are blessed with the experience.

Yesterday was a wild one! From 10 to 2, I was running around. Six separate stops in my travels. Dealing with necessary things that somehow all got lumped into yesterday. The traffic problems caused by the boulevard construction did not help. I was exhausted when I returned home.

I enjoyed a light dinner at Roostica. Ten chicken wings covered in a lemon oil and broiled.

Last night was my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. I reviewed the weekly sins of the world. Post show comments indicate two the most popular.

One had to do with the dramatic rise in the cost of gasoline the past three weeks. Thirty seven cents a gallon! Yesterday alone, twelve cents. The  station near my home was $3.95 in the morning and $4.07 in the evening.

The other with Afghanistan’s opium trade. It was next to nothing when the U.S. went to war there 13 years ago. Today, it is a thriving $68 billion a year business. Thank you, Uncle Sam.

Watched the women’s NCAA final game last night. Another Connecticut  team the winner. The ladies are the Final Four Champions. Amazing! Connecticut! Both in men’s and women’s basketball!

Chamonix is in France. I have mentioned it in recent years. Chamonix is just over the border from northern Italy. A tiny village. An international ski resort. It sits in  a small valley half way up Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc is Europe’s highest peak.

I have visited several times. Only in the summer. Each time I enjoyed sitting at an outside cafe, drink in hand, enjoying the view. The gigantic mountain surrounding me. Awesome!

The earth moved yesterday in Chamonix. An earthquake. A 4.8. No damage or injuries fortunately.

I did a little home work regarding Chamonix and earthquakes. Turns out there have been tons going back to before Christ. Many in the last five years. All I can think of is that there is going to be big time devastation if a larger earthquake hits. Portions of Mont Blanc could come tumbling down on little Chamonix.

Monday afternoon Stephanie Kaple telephoned. To invite me to join her for dinner. How nice! She even gave me my choice of three evenings. We will be dining together friday night.

Enjoy your day!

CINDY

I woke to bad news this morning.

Tom and Cindy are dear friends. Key west friends. They are from Iowa. Used to spend three months a year in Key West during the season.

They both read the blog. We arranged to meet on one of their trips. I remember our meeting distinctly. It was this time of the year. I was watching basketball at the Sports Page Bar when they showed up.

We became instantaneous friends. And have been so for many years.

I noticed Cindy only had one leg. I soon discovered she had had something like eight surgeries for five different cancers. Her leg was gone right up to her body. A couple of operations involved brain tumors.

The woman never complained. Always a smile on her face.

Tom is not only the husband of husbands, he is totally in love with Cindy. His care and concern are obvious.

Tom and Cindy stopped spending three months a year in Key West several years ago. Instead, they are spending their time in Largo. Fortunately for me and many others, they take one month out to travel to Key West from Largo each season.

We are at opposite ends of the spectrum politically. Being from Iowa, they are true 100 per cent conservative Republicans. We never the less get along.

I love them both.

I woke to an e mail from Tom this morning. Cindy fell on a wet floor at a restaurant in Largo. She broke her one and only leg and shattered her hip. Tom says he has never seen her in such pain. It has to be bad!

Recover swiftly, Cindy! Your many friends in Key West miss you. We will be cheated this year. I doubt you will be able to spend a month this with us.

Interesting revelation yesterday. I was getting a manicure with Tammy at Lee Nails. It dawned on me that many Vietnamese who have come to the United States are nail people. I asked Tammy where and how they learned in Vietnam. I was surprised to learn that the talent is not native Vietnamese. They do not learn it in Vietnam. It is when they come to the United States and are looking for work, that they join with the many who have come before them. They go to school here and learn how to do nails.

Great game last night! I watched it from my bed. Stayed up too late. Enjoyed the talk shows afterwards.

Connecticut was the best team! The best team won. Plain and simple.

The Connecticut players are lucky. How many have the opportunity to be #1 and a champion in something. Anything. These young men will remember the rest of their lives the victory. The high point in their lives.

My blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time. Join me. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include interesting Ukraine updates, China in trouble economically, an Atlanta bishop giving up his $2.2 million retirement home, Iceland arresting more big bankers, Venezuela really in the toilet, and more.

Enjoy your day!

30 for 30

Two weeks ago, I mentioned I had seen a brief show on TV concerning the Big East. I  only caught five minutes of the show. It was called 30 something. Last night, I saw the entire show.

The title: 30 for 30. I still am no sure how the title fits. However, it is not material. It was the show itself that counted. For me, a two hour emotional trip down memory lane. The story of the Big East.

The Big East started as a college basketball league in 1979. In 1980, Syracuse opened the Carrier Dome. Seating for 35,000 plus for basketball! I described the Dome at the time as the eighth wonder of the world!

I was 45 years old. My law practice was flourishing. I was making money. I made enough around that time to do something foolish…..big. I spoke with my accountant. There were three things I wanted. An airplane, a home in Florida, or a box at the new Carrier dome. He decided for me. It was the box. From his perspective, a wise investment tax wise. It was also the least expensive of my three desires.

The cost was $50,000. Good for 10 years.

Two things stand out in my mind regarding the box acquisition.

The first game was a football game. I could also watch football from the box.

Carrier is a big name in upstate New York as well as internationally. Carrier made air conditioners. Its home was Syracuse. Carrier made a sizeable donation to the University. The Dome was named after Carrier.

There were a number of boxes. The boxholders all dressed for the game. I was in a sport jacket, slacks, shirt and tie. Classy, sporty.

I died that day! So did everyone else in the Carrier Dome. We quickly learned the Carrier Dome, named after the world’s most famous air conditioning manufacturer, was not air conditioned. It was to be cooled with blown air. The blowers were not working the day of the first game. The entire Dome was a sweat box. I was soon down to my shirtsleeves and loosened tie.

I sat there thinking…..I paid $50,000 for this?

By the way, the boxes were opulent. Private, sat 16, had a bar and server.

The cooling problem was resolved by the second game.

The other thing  that sticks in my mind is the number of big East coaches I got to meet and know on a personal basis. Several of then traveled to Utica to speak at charity fundraisers for me. Not one wanted a penny. Just cover my expenses, they said.

If you have the opportunity to watch 30 for 30, do so.

Staying with basketball, tonight is the night! The Championship Game of the Final Four. The king of the hill gets crowned tonight.

It is Kentucky and Connecticut. Either team can win. It will be exciting.

Connecticut was one of the original Big East members. As with Syracuse, no more. Connecticut is now a member of the new American Athletic Conference.

Since my back kept me indoors for most of the past 10 days, my pallor was drained of color. I was pale! Decided I needed some sun. I headed for Higgs Beach.

I enjoy Higgs Beach. I can watch the female tourists in their bikinis and get a bite to eat at Salute’s.

Yesterday, Higgs Beach was special for another reason. It was all about children. Autistic  children. A heart warming scene.

An organization called Surfers for Autism sponsored the event. Autistic kids 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the water with volunteers watching over them. Whether kneeling or standing on the boards, smiling and expressing themselves with shout of joy. Some parents on the beach crying as they watched their child become motivated to express themselves perhaps for the first time.

This morning’s Key West Citizen has an excellent article on the event. I recommend it to you.

Enjoy your day!

COW KEY BRIDGE RUN A SUCCESS

The first time was yesterday. The Cow Key Bridge Run. More than 1,000 participants. A hundred plus dogs. Most humans and dogs costumed. The racers started in groups because of the large number number. The last participant crossed the finish line one hour fifteen minutes after the run started. Everyone completed the 360 foot route.

Jean and Sheila were dressed in some sort of short dress costume with hats and shoes. Saw them on FB. Looked Dutch to me. I don’t know. Twenty five Golden Cows were given as awards. Jean received one. The Golden Girl added to her gold collection.

US 1 was never closed. The runners/walkers used the concrete path on the left side of the bridge going north.

A new Key West tradition has been born.

I never made it. The thought of the race alone tired me. I stayed home in bed and watched TV.

Great basketball last night! The big guns went down. Such has been this basketball season. Unique!

I was at the Chart Room last night. Sean and I discussed the games. They were yet to be played. He was confident Florida was going to win it all. I told him I thought so, but this has been a topsy-turvy season and anything could happen. It did.

#1 Florida went down to defeat by #7 seed Connecticut. Florida had won 30 games prior to last night. Kentucky eked out a win over Wisconsin with a three pointer in the last seconds to win by one point. Kentucky was a #8 seed. My condolences to John Lukas.

It should be a terrific game Monday night!

I did not see the Connecticut/Florida game. I was having dinner with Jean Thornton at Hot Tin Roof. I did see the second game, however. What excitement!

Shane and Jessica came by while Jean and I were having dinner. Bocce friends. They had stopped for desert. A terrific couple.

Stopped at Don’s Place on the way home. Chatted a bit with Don. The topic was the basketball games. Bocce came into the conversation. One of the best bocce teams is Hell’s Rangers. A fearsome group! They beat everyone! We beat them thursday night. Two games out of three. A major win!

Enjoy your Sunday!

HOW DID MAGELLAN DO IT?

Magellan sailed around the world hundreds of years ago in a boat constructed of wood.

A 75 foot replica of the ship Magellan sailed broke its rudder near Cudjoe Key. The Coast Guard came to the rescue. Minimal repairs were made. The ship is now docked at the Outer Mile Pole for further repairs.

How did Magellan make it without a Coast Guard? What did he do if and when a rudder broke? Did any repair facilities exist in the parts of the new world he explored?

You must admit. Quite a feat Magellan accomplished!

I finally got out yesterday!

Lunched at Geiger Key. Sat at the bar. Enjoyed looking at the people and view. In between sightings, read the newspaper.

Dinner was at Roostica. The last time there, I noticed the ladies at an adjoining table consuming an antipasto. The ladies and the antipasto both looked good! I ordered the antipasto last night. I suggest you order it the next time you are at Roostica. Beautiful to look at. Tasty to eat. Much too large for one person.  I took more than half of it home.

The Keys History section in this morning’s Key West Citizen contained an interesting note. Fifty years ago this March, total house sales for the month were $1,638,250. Today, many of the larger homes sell for that amount and more.

I am on my soap box again. Two short comments.

History does repeat itself. Many fail to recall. George Santayana said it best: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The Supreme Court decision this week triggered much discussion re the financing of political campaigns. There is a simple solution. Have the government finance campaigns and limit the time for campaigns. It bothers me that the wealthy are able to exert so much influence in a campaign. Additionally, limit campaigning in a Presidential race to two months. We now are into a two year cycle for Presidential campaigns. Too much!

My book! My book! My book! Available for purchase on amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. The World Upside Down.

The Cow Bridge Race at noon today. My enthusiasm is waning. It is not the distance. It is the parking. I will probably have to walk a mile each way from where I park and return. Too much!

Enjoy your day!

COW KEY CHANNEL BRIDGE RUN

The 1st annual Cow Key Channel Bridge Run is scheduled for Saturday. The race begins at noon. Registration is at 10. The post race party is at the Hurricane. Alcohol will be served. There are a number of friday night spaghetti parties all over the island.

The race is unique. Whereas most races/marathons are the full 26.4 miles, some are less. Five and 15 K races are popular all over the United States. The Cow Key Bridge race is of a lesser distance. Zero K. Zip.

Cow Key Bridge is 360 feet long. That is the length of the race. It is assumed most will walk. It depends on each participants’ athleticism. A water station will be located mid way on the bridge.

The Cow Key bridge is the last bridge into Key West and the first one going out.

I hope to participate. Depends on my back. I was getting in shape by walking Publix and Home Depot.

Perhaps Robert and Ally will be with me. If I falter, they can carry me across the finish line.

Lunched at Schooner Wharf today with KONK Life’s publisher Guy de Boer. At Guy’s suggestion, we ate upstairs in the open. A great view of the harbor! First time up there for me. I was under the impression the new part was the restaurant upstairs. I went up. Special stairs. It was enclosed. I thought how nice. Air conditioning! No food and drink. It was Schooner’s offices.

Took care of the food problem. Did some grocery shopping at Publix. In anticipation of the Cow Key Bridge race, I walked the aisles pushing a cart two times!

I intended to play bocce tonight. My back is/was better. Around 5, I fell in the garage while taking out the garbage. I missed the one step in the garage. A step I have traversed several times a day for 16 years. My back is twitching. I am not gambling. Telephoned Captain Dave and told him the team would have to win without me.

I seem to have a sense of humor this morning. Good!

Love my Italian friends. They have seen my TV show, read the blog and KONK Life column, and listened to the archived portion of my blog talk radio show. They think I am big time! I explain not, but they do not listen. I am their American celebrity.

They email or Skype me when something newsworthy occurs in Italy. A couple of days ago, it was Venice. Home of the gondolas.

Economically, Italy is in the toilet. Unemployment is sky high. Real property taxes have been increased several times a year for several years. People are getting desperate. Desperate people do desperate things.

There is a group in Venice who wish to secede from Italy. They are serious. This is not a Conch Republic thing. The group has been preparing. They created/made a tank. A bulldozer covered with metal plates with a phony cannon on the front.

The Venice police became concerned. Especially with the arms they were gathering. The arms were for real as opposed to the tank. The police concluded they had become terrorists. Twenty four were arrested.

After Greece, Italy is in the worse financial shape in Europe. The police fear real protests, fights, physical confrontations, etc. as have occurred in Greece.

Parliament is seriously considering a new child abuse law in England. Parents who drink alcoholic beverages in front of their children will be guilty of child abuse. The thrust is the children would be learning a bad habit. A similar law in Key West would find most parents in jail charged with child abuse.

Benghazi seems susceptible to fights and war. We know what occurred a couple of years ago. On this date in 1941, the Germans conquered Benghazi.

Enjoy your day!

 

KANSAS’ RAYLENE AND GARY

Today’s blog going out very late! Sorry! I had a big morning. I had to tidy the house up. Realtor showing it this morning. Then had to get out early because the first group was arriving. Walked around Duval for an hour before my hair appointment. Then walked Duval some more. People watching. By the time I returned home, it was after noon and I was tired!

Began last night at the Chart Room. Glad I did. Met a couple I met sometime last year. Raylene and Gary from  Kansas. Dorothy country. They were staying for four days at the Pier House with their two young adult children. Good looking kids!

Raylene and Gary return to Key West early every October for two weeks. To celebrate their anniversary.

Nice people. I hope I get to see them before they leave this trip and definitely in
October.

Raylene is extra special. She she told me bought my book and read it! Also mentioned she was looking forward to my next book, Growing Up Italian.

The season is in full bloom. I walked the first 3 blocks of Duval. Jam packed! Walking impossible. Everyone moving at a snail’s pace.

Ended up at Kelly’s. Jennifer and Amy working the bar. Two lovely ladies. I enjoyed an order of wings and read the newspapers.

Two fellows sat near me at the bar. They appeared to be Europeans. Speaking English. Jennifer asked if they were from Holland. Yes, they responded. She could tell from their accents. Jennifer’s grandmother was from Holland, also.

The new Netflix TV series I mentioned earlier this week  will start shoting in the next few days in Islamorada. As previously mentioned, Academy Award winner Sissy Spacek stars. I discovered her co-star last night. Sam Shephard. What a combination!

This has been a spectacular lobster season! Not the most lobsters caught in a season. But the most dollar wise. Prices per pound wholesale are up. The Asian market has opened big time. Daily flights take the lobsters live packed in ice to Asian markets.

I find it amazing how the Florida lobster trade has grown world wide.

Frankly, I do not enjoy Florida lobsters. I am a Maine lobster snob. I rarely eat a Florida lobster. They are good. However, once you have tasted Maine lobster, it is  difficult to enjoy local ones.

An American tragedy occurred yesterday. The NLRB announced that scholarship college athletic students are employees and accordingly have the right to unionize. I disapprove of the ruling. The fallout is going to be fantastic. It will in effect be similar to 9/11. Change will take place in college athletics. Big time!

Northwestern was the university involved.

President Obama has been in Italy the past two days. Surprisingly, my Italian friends wish he had not come. They are not happy with him. Much of Europe is not.

Bocce tonight. I am going to cheer my team on. With a glass of gin in my hand, of course. I will not be playing. My back. Besides the pain,  I fear that one of the times I bend over, I will not be able to return to a standing position.

Enjoy your day!