George Washington has nothing on me! He could not lie about chopping down the cherry tree. I cannot lie about last night. I stayed home. In bed. Never went out.

My plan was to do 801 and watch Sushi come down in the red slipper. The eleventh time that I would have seen it. When it was time to shower and dress, I thought why go? Parking will be a problem. I have already been towed twice on special occasions. The crowd will cover several blocks. I will not be that close to 801. During all of this time, I would not even have been able to buy a drink because of the crowd size.

Screw it! I am going to bed was my thought. I poured myself a healthy Beefeater on the rocks and climbed into bed. I fell asleep. A phone call wakened me. Only 11 o’clock. Fell back to sleep. Another phone call woke me at 11:30. Otherwise, I would have slept through midnight.

I flipped between NBC and CNN. NBC had class. I thought CNN sucked. Kathy Griffin does nothing for me. I did not consider her funny. She detracted from Anderson Cooper, also.

I stayed mostly with CNN. Wanted to see 801 and Sushi in the shoe drop. I did. At 12:15. Exciting, as usual. The crowd several blocks deep.

John Zarrella is an old time CNN reporter. He has done 801 and Sushi for 11 years. Last night was his last. He retires tomorrow after 20 years with CNN. I wish him well.

One observation. We who live in Key West are lucky. Every evening is New Year’s Eve!

I was content. Wished myself a Happy New Year, closed the light and went back to sleep.

I wish each of you a very Happy New Year!

A complaint. Probably caused by old age. Perhaps not. My complaint is one every person probably has. The cost of drugs. I went to Walgreen to pick up my new prescription for Effient. A blood thinner. I get the pills in a 90 day supply. The cost to me was around $340. The fine print told me my insurance company saved me around $650. If no insurance, roughly $1,000 for a three month supply. $330 for a one month supply. Legalized thievery! An abuse of the American public. Think of the people who do not have insurance and/or cannot afford even the discounted price. They go without. Obamacare is not going to solve the drug problem any time soon. It is a weak spot in the Affordable Care Act.

I decided to walk Duval in the afternoon from the Atlantic to the Gulf and back. Only made it half way. Had to turn around. Too many people on Duval. It was impossible to walk at a normal or fast clip. The holiday week has turned out to be a good one for the merchants. A lot of families, a lot of children. Contrary to Bill O’Reilly’s comment that Key West was not a good place for children.

Yesterday was the anniversary of John Denver’s birth. Most of you will remember him. A great singer and entertainer. He died in 1997.

Many years ago when Lisa was small, I was in New York with her mother, sister Lori and Lisa. It was a hot summer day. You could fry eggs on the sidewalk! I took the family for lunch to the Brasserie. One of my favorite N ew York City spots. Lisa was somewhere around the sixth to eighth grade. She did not want to go! Made an issue out of it. Her conduct cemented that we were going.

I told Lisa that many movie stars went to the Brasserie. She looked at me as it to say oh, ya.

Dad was correct! John Denver sat at the table next to us. He started  chatting with us. Especially Lisa who was closest to him. He even asked if he could have some of her French fries which she gladly shared with him. When his order arrived, he shared something off his plate with her.

A lesson to be learned. Always trust father!

I learned something new. Yesterday’s Key West Citizen had a note as to how West Virginia was formed. Turns out that when the Civil War began, not all counties in Virginia wanted to secede. The ones that wished to remain with the Union formed a new State. It ultimately became known as West Virginia.

A new year, a new league for Syracuse basketball. The league is the ACC. Syracuse at this point is ranked #2 nationally and is 13-0. ACC play starts this week. Syracuse opens against Miami on saturday. Now we will see if Syracuse is as good as the numbers reflect and as good as I think they are this year.

Enjoy your New Year’s Day!