SONGS OF MY TIME

At dinner friday evening, Joseph told me about Forever Plaid. He had seen the show at the Waterfront Playhouse the night before. All he said was, it made him feel happy.

Enough of a sales pitch for me. I went to see Forever Plaid last night. It was easy to understand why Joseph felt as he did.

Four young male singers. On their way to their first major concert. An automobile accident. All four killed. The good Lord revived them for one last performance. Forever Plaid.

Songs of my time. My day. Like Three Coins In the Fountain, Catch a Falling Star, Love Is a Many Splendored Thing, and Lady of Spain.

Feel good music!

The show runs through May 27. See it if you can.

Spent a couple of hours yesterday afternoon continuing my rewrite of Growing Up Italian. Will I ever finish? I seem to be fighting myself.

The Preakness. Yesterday’s, one of the best horse races anywhere anytime. Cloud Computing came out of the pack to pass the two favorites on his way to the win. You could see Computing Cloud in the background as he made his move. A terrific horse! A terrific jockey!

Remember Lawrence of Arabia? We now have Donald of Arabia. The only thing missing in pics and videos of his Saudi Arabia visit was the flowing white gown and headpiece Laurence wore on top of the train. The wind majestically blowing his gown behind him.

Trump was enjoying that type day.

The man is a hypocrite. He beats Muslims up during the campaign and since he has become President. Regs adopted barring /limiting Muslim immigration. Calls Muslims all kinds of names. Criminals, rapists, etc.

Now he goes to Saudi Arabia. Our friends! They gave us $4 a gallon gasoline. Seventeen of the terrorists on the planes on 9/11 were residents of Saudi Arabia.

Even today, we are not on the same ground as they. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia support opposite sides in the Syrian conflict.

I am an old man. Eighty-one. I do not recall any President ever being treated in any country visited as Trump was in Saudi Arabia yesterday. It was as if he were a visiting monarch.

Honored with a gold medal. I wonder if he can keep it.

He and Tillerson danced with Saudi royalty. I think it was a dance. They were lined up shoulder to shoulder. Sort of continuing short jumps into the air. Some sort of black sword (?) in their hands.

A disgrace. In spite of when in Rome do as the Romans do.

The Saudi’s appealed to Trump’s ego. They do not care about the Muslim bans in the United States. They got more planes, Trump more jobs. Both sides winners.

The losers, those affected by the muslim ban in the U.S. and the American people themselves. Our country was not intended to be lead by a narcissistic duplicitous bully.

Yesterday was a mutual admiration one for Trump and the Saudis. They kissed each other’s asses!

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

KEY WEST PEACE

Strange as it may sound, Key West is a very peaceful place to live.

Most think it is Duval Street night after night. Once for me. No more. The once being when I first started coming to Key West 26 years ago. After a few years, I had it with Duval. Too much for me. The excitement gone.

I still hit a bar or restaurant occasionally. That’s it. Don’t do one bar after another anymore.

Some things I did yesterday and will do today reflect the peaceful existence I enjoy.

Researched and wrote all day yesterday. Chart Room last night. Only the Chart Room. Sat at the bar and chatted with John. For a while with Phil from Minneapolis who sat next to me.

Phil only 36. A hard worker. Ha already made his mark and a bit of a fortune in an intellectual property firm he founded and sold. He is on vacation with an absolutely lovely lady friend. They are staying at the Pier House.

Enjoyed my time with John and Phil. Stimulating conversation.

A tough day ahead today. A haircut and manicure. Several hours apart. I will read and write in between.

Tonight, bocce. Though I no longer play because of my heart, I am still carried on the team roster. I sit on the players’ bench and cheer my friends on. Enjoying a couple of drinks at the same time.

I had to stop playing a couple of years ago. When I bent over to pick up the ball, I fell over. My  team mates began doing he bending and handing me the ball. Kind of them. Made me foolish.

Then I started losing strength when I threw the ball. That definitely was the end. I was of no value to the team.

I retired from bocce.

Conch Republic Days begin tomorrow. A many event weekend. Adults playing like children. I will watch some of the activities.

The carrier fleet heading for North Korean waters a continuing fiasco. No one assumes responsibility.

The USS Vinson was more than 3,000 miles away heading for the Indian Ocean for war games with Australia. Has been turned around and is now heading for Korean waters. Still around 3,000 miles away.

An obvious screw up. Trump and his people take the position that they were correct when they said the carrier fleet was heading for Korean waters. They never said when, however. Now that the Vinson has turned around, the fleet is heading for Korean waters.

Ergo, no one was misled.

We all make mistakes! Own up to them when they occur.

Trump came out with another beauty yesterday. He said Korea “actually used to be a part of China.” Truth searchers say no.

Tillerson announced yesterday he is seeking an exception for Russia from certain sanctions. Russia and Exxon-Mobile discovered what may be the largest oil deposit ever in Arctic waters. Saudi Arabia’s deposits minuscule in comparison.

Russia and the oil company are engaged in a joint venture/ownership in drilling for the oil. Work stopped because of the sanctions.

Tillerson says let the work proceed. What is he thinking? Here we are investigating Russia for tampering with our elections. Consider also Tillerson was CEO of Exxon-Mobile for 15 years.

Tillerson forgets he now works for the people of the United States.

Enjoy your day!

 

TWEAK NOTHING

Redoing South Roosevelt Boulevard on the stove top. Things heating up.

The Florida Department of Transportation wants to redo the Boulevard. One item, reducing from 4 lanes to 2. Ridiculous!

I fear the City Commission might support the move.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

A public meeting was held last night at Sheraton Suites. Called a Workshop. To hear from the citizens what they thought. Standing room only. Except for state and some local officials, most attending were opposed to doing anything. Bullshit was up front. The state and local officials saying the intent was to merely tweak the Boulevard.

The attempt is based on a 1999 study. Updated 2014 to pay more attention to bicycle riders.

The age of the study bugs me. Seventeen years to get to this the last step. A very unpopular one. An attempt to foist an unneeded plan upon us.

Another idiotic consideration is that a center turn lane is required. No one is going to turn towards the ocean side. Nothing there but sand and water. The other side does not have enough construction to warrant a center lane. The entire Boulevard does not have sufficient traffic to require one.

My fear is that eventually the 4-2 lanes thing is going to become a fait accompli. Nothing like a public servant with allocated monies to see that the dollars are spent. Regardless of need.

Did my podcast show last night. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Enjoyed doing it. Russian hacking and robots/artificial intelligence two items discussed.

Rex Tillerson is Trump’s designee to be Secretary of State. I got into him a bit. Not as to his qualifications. As to his hypocrisy. Texas hypocrisy.

Tillerson is CEO of ExxonMobile. World’s biggest oil and gas company. Fifteenth richest corporation in the world.

Fracking produces gas. ExxonMobile is the largest natural gas producer in the U.S. Tillerson obviously a major supporter of fracking.

Tillerson and wife live in Bartonville, Texas. On an 83 acre horse farm worth $5 million.

Tillerson is opposed to anything having to do with fracking near his home.

A fracking company wanted to erect a 160 foot water tower near the properties of Tillerson and his affluent neighbors. Tillerson and his wife joined in bringing a lawsuit to stop construction of the water tower around February 2014. Prior thereto, Tillerson appeared at a public hearing and said the water tower would ruin the view from his outdoor patio.

When the media picked up that Tillerson and his wife were involved in an anti-fracking lawsuit, the news spread. Two months later in April 2014, Tillerson and his wife withdrew from the lawsuit.

Tillerson’s position interesting. Fracking ok anywhere, except near his home.

Self-serving and hypocritical.

Lighted Boat Parade tonight. Finally. High winds cancelled the parade saturday night.

Christmas and Larry Smith go hand in hand. Every Yuletide Season, Larry does a Christmas show. This year saturday night at The Studios of Key West. 8pm. Called Christmas with Larry. A jazz Christmas show.

I have not missed one of Larry’s Christmas shows for I don’t recall how many years. That long. I will be there. You should. The show is worth seeing.

Today, a sad one in the history of the United States.  Several years ago, 20 first graders and 6 school employees were shot to death by a gun wielding nut at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.

If anything should have changed attitudes re gun control, the 20 little ones killed should have. For shame! It did not and has not.

We are a screwed up country.

Enjoy your day!