IT’S ALL ISSAC !!!

 

It has started. During the night. Issac’s precursor. Forty mile winds and rain.

Issac is not scheduled to hit till sometime tomorrow evening or early Monday morning. By that time it will be a 1. Possibly a 2. Winds around 75-85 miles per hour, if a 1. Around a 100,  if a 2.

A pain in the ass! A bit of fear and trepidation is starting to set in. It is the unknown.

Complacency is evident. Reflected by all of us who live in the lower keys. It has been six years since the last hurricane hit. There have been numerous since, but none that affected us. Most hurricanes start out heading directly for Key West. People are told to evacuate. Hotels and businesses close down. Then the path of the storm deviates and it does not hit.

We thought Issac was going to be another one of those misses. Does not look that way at this point. Headed directly for Key West! Passing right over us!

No problem if Issac is merely a tropical storm or 1. A bit of a problem if a 2. But we will survive. If a 3, we are in trouble. A 4 or 5 and we could be dead.

Issac is projected to become a 1 before it hits Key West. Hurricanes are fickle. They change swiftly. Direction and speed. Could be a 2.

I started preparing yesterday.

Water is important. The water system breaks down or gets contaminated. Publix had little water left. I should be ok. I have about 60 regular size bottles and 2 gallon jugs. I will fill the bathtub with water tomorrow morning. If the water system breaks down, the toilets do not flush. That is the reason for the bathtub water.

I bought all kinds of goodies to eat that do not need to be refrigerated. The electricity is sure to go. If down a substantial time, everything in refrigerators and freezers spoil. There are few stoves, etc. run by gas. Electric is generally used. Cannot cook.

So it is peanut butter, crackers, cookies, tinned fruits that need not be refrigerated, bananas, apples, cakes, canned sodas, etc. Neither a normal not healthy diet. But hurricane time is sort of party time, so what the hell!

Today the windows must be boarded. The wind at the moment will not make it easy. I never purchased hurricane shutters. I have sheets of plywood I have used for years. They are marked as to which window or door. Adam will screw them in. By some point this afternoon, every window and door in my home will be covered, except for a small door leading to the deck. There has to be  a way in and out. It will be dark dark inside.

I purchased two additional flashlights yesterday at Home Depot. I have a ton of candles. Again, the electricity will probably go. Which means no TV also.

All deck furniture will be thrown in the pool. That is how it is done. Garbage pails and other incidental items will be stacked in the garage.

Then I will be ready!

Oh, I forgot. No air conditioning if the electric power goes. Very uncomfortable!

I have a party tonight. Though the one I am attending was planned, there will be many pre hurricane parties. That is how locals react.

Tonight is Lobsterfest at the Yacht Club. I am throwing a small party. Ten guests. It was supposed to be outside. Has been moved inside. Should be fun. I will bitch big time as I drive in and from the Yacht Club. Because of the rain and wind. It will be…..Louis. you are stupid…..you should have stayed home!

One other comment of note. Yesterday’s show was terrific. People are very much into the Todd Akin rape controversy. I spent about 20 minutes on the issue. Revealed the “doctor” authority Akin was relying upon. There are two. One is a medical school professor who takes the position rape sperm and the woman’s egg do not unite. He says generally ovulation does not occur in a rape situation. His authority are Nazi studies done during World War II at extermination camps.

Women were grouped together who were due to ovulate. They were placed in gas chambers. Everything was as if they were to be executed. But they were not. They screamed and reacted as if it was the real thing. They did not know. They were then retested and most had not ovulated.

Sick.

Ok…..this is it! Bring on your worst Issac. We are ready for you!

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

TRUTH BEHIND CREDIT CARD MISUSE

 

I advised yesterday that one of my credit cards had been used in London. Not by me. I have not been to London in six years.

The bank told me they were cancelling the card and to come in to sign for a new one. I did yesterday. Chatted about the credit card misuse with my bank representative. I was under the impression my computer had been hacked and the credit card number obtained in that fashion.

I was wrong.

While talking with the bank representative, I was told the bank had had a lot of London problems over the past few days. All similar to mine. Which meant…..The bank’s computer system was hacked. Not mine.

The card replacement fee was waived. However, I have to wait 7-10 days for a new card.

My big out of the house experience yesterday was lunch at the Yacht Club with a friend. Good food and good company.

Saturday night the Yacht Club is having its annual Lobsterfest.  It will be outside on the dock. I am putting together a party of friends. Should be a good time.

I felt out of sorts last night so stayed in.

Football is around the corner! College and professional. I love college ball. Find pro ball exciting since  it means Sundays at Don’s Place.

I am a liberal at heart. Generally watch the political talk shows on MSNBC. Occasionally I switch to FOX. Want to see what the other side is saying.

Last night was shocking! Each station said its party was ahead and how terrible the opposing party was. Both sides could not be ahead. Each side was finding evil in everything the other did.

Fair and balanced did not apply to either MSNBC or FOX.

Occasionally, I trip across a piece of interesting information. Taxes and how much a person or company pays is much in the news these days.  Vikram S. Pauht is President/CEO of Citigroup. He earned $14,857,103 last year. God bless him! We should all do so good! It is not his salary that is the point here. It is the taxes Citigroup paid. Zero. None. To make matters even worse, Citigroup received a tax refund of $144 million.

Only in the United States!

Todd Akin has to be the most recognized Congressman today. Whether for good or bad, his name is out there. Rape, forcible rape, and legitimate rape have made him quite identifiable.

Something is wrong when women’s rights are in the forefront of Presidential debate. Rights that were defined and settled in most instances more than fifty years ago.

When are the respective campaigns going to talk about Afghanistan and jobs?

American troops are being killed by Afghan military and police. Our friends. We should get out of Afghanistan and fast. These people bite the hand that feeds them.

Unemployment and the economy in general is killing the very essence of our country. The candidates are bogged down in rape. Even Medicare. We have heard both sides of the Medicare issue in exhausting depth. Enough is enough. Move on. People understand Medicare issues better today than ever before.

Enjoy your day!

 

LONDON CREDIT CARD PURCHASE…..NOT ME

 

Received a call from my bank yesterday. Did you make a credit card purchase last night in London? Such and such a place for x number of dollars?

Not me. I have not been to London in six years.

Someone uses my credit card and now I am inconvenienced. My card is cancelled. I have to wait seven days for a new card. The bank will permit me to withdraw cash. But cannot give me a new card with a new number for a week. Does not make sense to me. Lisa’s credit card number was hacked a month ago. Her bank gave her an immediate temporary card good till the new one came in. I must be doing business with the wrong bank.

Talk of hurricanes has begun.

There is a tropical storm out there. If it reaches hurricane speed as anticipated, it will be named Issac. TV started reporting yesterday that Issac could hit Tampa just before the Republican Convention next week.

I checked Issac out on the National Hurricane Center site. No one yet knows where the storm/ hurricane will hit land in florida, if at all. The present projected lines take it over the keys and south Florida. However, all projections mean little at this point. It will take five days more before somewhat valid projections can be made.

I suspect the news media embellishes a bit. Issac hitting Tampa and the Republican Convention is newsworthy. Reality is not.

Key West natives will start talking a bit. Will it hit? The same conversation for each hurricane. No one panics in spite of the projections. We are getting porky the last couple of years. No Key West hurricanes the past six years. Ergo, all foul weather news is received with a cavalier attitude.

I was involved with a fender bender last week. The construction on the Boulevard being the actual cause. Had to take my car to to a body shop. Every one told me to go to Cooper’s on Stock Island. I did yesterday morning. An impressive operation. Large and efficient. Staff whether office or garage smiling and gracious.

I have a rental. A Chrysler convertible. Nice!

The grandkids came over to swim after “school.” School was to have commenced yesterday . They attend Montessori. Two weeks ago it was discovered some walls and windows were defective and could fall. The building could no longer be used. A new facility was found directly across the street. It needed outfitting for class rooms. School has been delayed a week. Actual school. Instead, the kids are being taken to Botanical Gardens to spend their days. I asked Robert if he really went to school or played. He smiled…..played.

Went to the movies last night. Had a light dinner at home so I could enjoy a bag of popcorn.

The movie was Hope Springs with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. A must to be seen by all couples married more than 25 years. Tommy Lee Jones played a different part for him. An Academy Award nomination performance.

Phyllis Diller died yesterday. Ninety five. A comedian from the 1950s through 1970s. Eccentric hair and an unusual laugh. Referred to her make believe husband as Fang.

Diller became a hit while doing 23 shows with Bob Hope. Shows that were performed in war zones. This activity was followed with numerous appearances on The Jack Paar show. She became big time! Every one in America knew her.

May she rest in peace.

Missouri’s Todd Akin…..What can I say? What can any one say? What is important is that every one understand there are many people who believe as he does. The religious right has twisted and demonized some truths regarding abortion. The result is the lie becomes the fact. And a prominent citizen and Congressman  believes it and mouths it.

That’s it for today.

Have a good day!