KEY WEST SCHOOL SEGREGATION

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I came across an item concerning Fats Navarro this morning. The world famous trumpeter. He had a Key West connection. I checked it out.

Fats was a Conch. Born in Key West. Resided here through high school. Then departed for what turned out to be an exciting career.

He attended Douglass High School. I thought the name strange. Had never heard of a Key West high school by that name.

There was. It no longer exists.

It was the high school for blacks. At a time Key West, as much of the South, was segregated.

Today, there exists the Frederick Douglas Gymnasium in Bahama Village. A gym and community center. Serves the youth of Bahama Village. Many of whom are African-Americans. I could not ascertain whether the gym today was the building that housed the segregated high school of yesterday.

My yesterday a lot of running around. With little accomplished.

Tried to get an appointment for a manicure and pedicure. Tammy was all excited on the phone. No appointment till next week. I could not understand. I always get a timely appointment. I have been a weekly customer for years. Plus, this is not season.

I suspect something must be wrong at her end. I will find out next week.

A doctor appointment at 1. Then to the Cuban Coffee House for lunch. It was 2. A Cuban cheese toast and large Cuban coffee.

No way.

All the tables were occupied. The line waiting to place an order several deep.

I decided to go to the Pier House Beach Bar. Enjoyed fish and chips while observing the lovely ladies in swim attire. Never tires me.

On this day in 1945, Dachau was liberated. Hitler had killed 6 million Jews. It was supposed to be the last genocide. The world deceived itself. Genocides have been frequent since the end of World War II. Especially in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Dinner tonight with an old friend. Suzan Hebditch. A Canadian true and true.

I met Suzan many years ago. At Virgilio’s. She was vacationing here. As she does every few years.

I have not seen Suzan in 6-7 years.

She owns a guest house in Nova Scotia. The Bailey House Bed and Breakfast.

We are dining at Hot Tin Roof. I am sure it will be a fun time.

Enjoy your day!

 

I DON’T WANT TO BE YOUR GUINEA PIG

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Last night was the first major battle in the war. The war to keep genetically modified mosquitoes out of Key Haven. A meeting was held. Monroe County Mosquito District and Oxitec representatives in attendance. And tons of Key Haven residents. The residents furious over the proposed use of GM mosquitoes on the island. The natives properly incensed.

I am a resident of Key Haven. I could not be at the meeting because of my blog talk radio show.

My voice was not required. My neighbors did the job well. Especially neighbor Ed Swift.

Ed is a nice guy. A tough business man. An important figure in our area. He spoke out loud and clear: “I don’t want to be your guinea pig.”

He went even further. Members of the mosquito control district are elected. Swift swore he would work to defeat each of them in the next election. Properly so. What they have connived to do is dangerous and with out thought.

This morning’s Key West Citizen reports something that came up at the meeting I did not know. The chemicals used to screw up the male mosquitoes contain fragments of E-coli and herpe viruses.

There is another meeting scheduled next week.

My face was still a mess. Only the second day. I had it covered with Neosporin. Three quarters covered. I looked strange.

Ergo, I stayed in, except for a manicure appointment with Tammy.

My blog talk radio show was scheduled for 9 last night. It is a half hour show. It ended after 15 minutes. Automatically ended.  Screw up again. Sloan is looking into it with the station.

It did not take long for listeners to contact me. Within minutes, I received four e-mails and several telephone calls wanting to know what happened, did I know, etc.

One of the items in yesterday’s blog concerned breakfast clubs. Bars that have drinkers waiting for the doors to open at 7 in the morning. Several readers e-mailed me. From outside the Key West area. They had never heard of a breakfast club. Neither had I till I moved to Key West.

Bebe Clark. My friend of many years who I do not see enough. Bebe is to be congratulated. Her granddaughter Allyssa Nicole Sawyer is running in the Boston Marathon on April 18th. She is an experienced runner. Will come in under four hours.

This week’s KONK Life hits the stands today. My column this week is Shakespeare Incidentals. One of the items discussed is Shakespeare’s contribution phrase wise to today’s speaking culture..

“Knock, knock! Who’s there?” I thought something the grandkids came up with. Not so. It was Shakespeare. How about, “It’s Greek to me.” Shakespeare again.

There are similar phrases outlined in the column.

Tiger Woods won his first Masters on this date in 1987. Seems like yesterday.

Enjoy your day!

 

BUSY BUSY SATURDAY

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My yesterday was too busy. All screwed up. Never got to do what I wanted my way.

My plan was to watch the Syracuse/LSU game and research this week’s KONK Life column. I got to watch half the game. Had to move my ass to get the research done.

Let me explain.

I have a new TV. Comcast said I needed a new box. An updated one. Mine was ancient. I had to return my old box and modem and get a new box. Modem part of box now. I went to Comcast with both items in tow at 10 am. Comcast opens at 10.

I expected a miserable Comcast staff. Comcast is not customer friendly. I was shocked. Comcast rep Liana could not have been nicer. She explained everything to me in detail 2-3 times. I do not absorb mechanical info easily.

Thank you, Liana.

Rushed over to Tammy for a 10:30 manicure. Tammy always good company. Lovely in appearance. If I were 50 years younger and she unmarried, I would be chasing after her.

Then home to watch Syracuse/LSU at noon. Leave me alone! I wanted to enjoy the game!

It was not to me.

The exterminator showed up. Fifteen hours late. He spent two hours doing what he had to do and constantly interrupting me with questions, see this, etc.

While this was going on, Tim Reynolds showed up. He was going to hook up the new TV. He wanted to talk.

I was ready to yell screw everybody, screw everything! I want to watch the game!

I only got to watch the first half. Syracuse has a team. Proved it yesterday in spite of losing 34-24. A couple of missed touchdowns at the end of the first half might have resulted in a Syracuse win.

After many years, I was proud of a Syracuse football team. A once again moment.

The flies are gone. Maggot flies from the dead rat. Ugh! The exterminator knew exactly what to do.

I had a couple of hours to kill after everything settled down. Time to research this week’s column. I decided to write something about Pope Francis. Something off the beaten track.

The column yet to be written will be titled Man To Pope. The history of Francis’ transition from man to Pope. The odd ball human things in his younger life that molded the man we saw this past week. Like his three love affairs. The third and last while he was in the seminary. Also, his bouncer job in a night club while working on his graduate chemistry degree.

It is starting to thunder and lightening. Going to storm!

Dinner last night at Latitudes. I had one drink too many. Required after my day.

What can I say about Latitudes. Fine food, fine presentation and perfect service. Manager Susan visited a while. Met Olga the reservations person in person. Our previous relationship had been via phone. Olga is a tiny lovely young lady of French extraction. Met another staffer named Andrea.

Everyone attentive to make sure the evening was no less than perfect.

I like Rick Boettger. Unfortunately, we only became friends this past year. Rick used to write for KONK Life also.

Rick wrote his last KONK Life column three weeks ago. Wrote he was going to die. Cancer had gotten the best of him. No one knew.

This morning at 11 at United Spiritual Center, Rick is going to speak to his friends for the last time. I will be there. In church, to listen to a friend.

Rick is deserving of credit. He is going out his way. Not just writing his obituary as some do, he is planning his good byes step by step.

God love you, Rick!

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

RAINBOW DELIGHT

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I got out a bit more yesterday. Day time only. Not ready for night action yet. I have not had a drink in two weeks. Soon, though not today.

I went downtown. Wanted to see the Rainbow cross walks the City had painted at the intersection of Duval and Petronia. A sight! A lovely one! Key West!

Key West is a gay/straight community. The cross walks are painted in hues of the rainbow. Light purples, orange, yellow, pink, etc. The location perfect. Key West’s two most famous gay bars on opposite corners. 801 and Bourbon Street.

Earlier, I visited with Tammy at Lee Nails. Manicure time. The nails were extra long because of being laid up.

Tammy always a pleasure to see. I admire her and her husband. They came from Vietnam about 12 years ago. Today, the owners of a flourishing business employing a number of people. The American dream existed for them. They purchased a lovely home with pool last year. They work. Six days a week. From 8 in the morning till 8 at night.

They deserve it all!

Then to the new parking lot behind Antonia’s. I once again have a parking place mid-Duval.

One parking meter. Sufficient. I walked over and there were six people huddled around the machine. A set of older parents and two 30ish couples.

One of the ladies was trying to figure out how to work the pay machine. It can be confusing.

As I approached, she yelled…..$38!…..I am not going to pay $38! Obviously, she did not know what she was doing. I was five feet behind and said not to worry. Hit the cancel button. She did.

She only wanted three hours. She again was confused. I walked up behind her and quietly asked if I could help. Without even turning, she yelled…..No!…..Get out of here!

So much for being helpful to tourists. Why let something so stupid spoil a vacation.

An item in this morning’s Key West Citizen claimed we could expect a less active hurricane season. Our last hurricane was Wilma ten years ago.

I am a bit superstitious. I wish it had not been said. It could be an invitation for a black cloud to hover over us.

Fellow came to fix a crack in my pool yesterday. He got all dressed in his black water suit, air tank, etc. He appeared to know what he was doing. The whole job took all of ten minutes.

It is 10 in the morning. I am about to take my last anti-biotic. Twelve days of them.

Enjoy your Sunday!