A NIGHT AT THE CHART ROOM

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Yesterday began with an early morning visit to the bank. Then immediately home. I spent the entire day inside working on tomorrow’s TV/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour.

Great topics! With all the foolishness going on world wide, how could it not be! Stories like a tiny Eurasian country that announced its Presidential election results the day before the election, the shut down, Catholic Bishops out of line, and an update regarding the Vatican bank corruption scandal.

Plus, ATM changes, additional government waste examples, chemical weapons destruction in Syria, Greece considering grabbing personal bank accounts (shades of Cyprus), the great Social Security theft, global warming and walruses, and more.

The show airs 10 in the morning my time. It can be seen from Key West all the way up to Boca Raton via television on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Worldwide via the internet. www.weyw19.com.

My first stop last night was Don’s Place.

A new bartender/barmaid. I am not sure which is the politically correct designation. A lovely young lady. I am embarrassed to say I do not recall her name. Next time.

Spoke with Jimmy. Where is Joanie, I asked. In Colorado. Her only son is getting married. Have a wonderful time, Joanie! For the past year, she has spoken to me on several occasions about the type and color of dress she should buy. I listened.

Hershel, Stan and Frankie at Don’s, also. Bocce discussed. We play tonight.

The Chart Room was the hit of the evening! I met and chatted with old friends and new friends. David, Peter and Emily friends of old. I am always happy to be with them.

Several of the new friends were women. No disrespect to the others, but Raylene  touched my heart! She was waiting to meet me. She told me she reads my blog every day and watches my TV show on You Tube. Thank you, Raylene!

Raylene and her husband Gary are from Garden City, Kansas. Five children, five grandchildren. They visit Key West once a year. This trip they rented a small private home in Old Town.

Raylene has been a county treasurer back in Kansas for 27 years. Gary is a general contractor. He builds the big ones. Hospitals, colleges, schools, office buildings, etc.

Gary is on his way to being a true Key Wester. He has not shaved since he arrived. He is half way to a beard.

After Raylene and Gary left, I chatted with Sarah and Chris. From Nashville. Sarah is a librarian in a middle high school. Chris, a corporate pilot. Interesting people. They are staying at the Casa Marina.

It seemed like I was moving down the bar. I finally got to talk with Dave and Nadene. Parrotheads! Obviously love Key West and Jimmy buffet. They have visited Key West many times. They hail from Columbia, Maryland.

Dave is a retired printer. Nadene is employed by Liberty Mutual as an administrative assistant. They have two boys.

Dave’s time if filled with the Parrothead world and the PT Cruiser world. Dave paints cars to reflect Key West. Air brushes most of them. His private vehicle is a 2004 PT Cruiser GT Turbo. He drives it around Columbia and all over the country to PT Cruiser events. Dave custom air brushed his personal PT Cruiser to reflect his passion for the Jimmy Buffet/Parrothead life style.

Dave has a website re his car and Buffet/Parrothead activities. You may want to take a look. www.HemisphereCruiser.com.

For me, it was a long night. Went directly home from the Chart Room. Had something to eat and then to bed.

Enjoy your day!

 

STAY OUT OF MY BEDROOM!

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Two years ago, I wrote a KONK Life column entitled Stay Out Of My Bedroom! It had to do with the morning after pill and politicians who were against it.

I find the need to write a brief bit bearing the same title. Stay Out Of My Bedroom! This time regarding the Catholic Church.

One of the topics discussed last night on my blog talk radio show involved Bishops and birth control. It was revealed monday that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops had written a letter to the House of Representatives requesting THE GOVERNMENT BE SHUT DOWN, unless religious employers were given a special right to deny birth control coverage to their employees. In effect, an alteration of certain provisions of Obamacare.

I was confused. I am confused. Just two weeks ago, Pope Francis said the Church had been too obsessed with gays, birth control and abortion. Too doctrinaire. The issue required a new look.  The Bishops apparently did not hear the Pope. The U.S. Bishops are involved once again politically with regard to the birth control issue.

The Good Book says…..render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, to God the things that are God’s. Sounds like separation of Church and State to me as set forth by Jesus himself centuries ago.

I am willing to listen to my priests preach whatever they like from the pulpit. That is their venue. I am adamantly opposed to the Church becoming involved in the political arena, however.

Another part of this whole thing that bothers me involves food. The House of Representatives recently passed a bill removing $40 billion from the food stamp program. A program that helps feed the poor, old and young alike. Free breakfasts for children are on the way out. Milk for babies  whose mothers cannot afford the sustenance is being denied to babies at this very moment because of the government shutdown.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is the President of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. A very humorous man. A very fat man. Extremely. His body structure suggests he is eating. And eating well. Though many in his flock are not.

Somewhere along the way, Cardinal Dolan forgot two things. First, the Pope is his boss. How can he come out so forcefully against an item that the Pope recently said was subject to review? Second, how can he support a government shutdown that is contributing to the poor having less food available, especially milk fed babies?

Cardinal Dolan and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are wrong, wrong, wrong! They are the Tea Party of the Catholic Church.

Enjoy your day!

ANTS

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When you live on a semi-tropical island such as Key West, you become accustomed to an occasional bug invasion. Over time, one becomes knowledgeable as to cause and effect. It helps to diminish the number of invasions.

I screwed up last night. I was preparing something to eat and spilled some olive oil. Extra virgin. On the counter top next to the sink. I cleaned it up. Apparently not well.

When I came downstairs this morning, they were there! Ants! The tiny little ones. Appeared to be in the hundreds. On the counter, in the sink, on the cupboard doors and on the floor.

I looked for repellant. I had none, except for a mosquito one. With a West Nile repellant built in. Obviously to rub on the body. Not for ants in the kitchen. But, I made do. I sprayed the stuff all over. It worked! Terrifically! Though I did not use it as the manufacturer intended.

The ants died in their tracks. Now I have all this sticky stuff on the cupboards, in the sink, on the floor, etc. I am leaving it stand for a while to deter further ants from entering.

The last ant invasion I had was four years ago. Home Depot sells the right stuff to eliminate the problem. I cannot recall its name, but will recognize it when I see it. So when I am done with the blog, it will be off to Home Depot.

Cleaning up the mosquito repellant  later on will be a pain!

My blog talk radio show tonight. Nine o’clock. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

The topics I will hit on include the government shutdown, Supreme Court Justice Scailia, and what the banks started doing with ATM machines this week in anticipation of a disaster next week. An interesting show. Join me.

Yesterday was a simple one. A bank visit, lunch at Blossoms, and research and writing the rest of the day. I had intended to have dinner at Hogfish. Wish I had. If so, I would not be dealing with an ant problem this morning.

Yesterday was the second time I have been to Blossoms under the new management. I ordered my usual cheese toast with tomato and Cuban coffee.

They do not have it down yet!

I have spent 20 years eating the same combination. Under three different owners at Paradise Café and now into my third owner at Blossoms. All made the cheese toast the same till the new owners.  The last Paradise owner moved to Blossoms and carried the knowledge as to how to make the sandwich with him..

The bread has been changed. A big difference! Cuban bread is made with pig fat. I do not think the new bread is. Affects taste and texture. The bread being used is also smaller.

The sandwich is not being cooked correctly. It should be lathered in butter and pressed down to a quarter inch. The one now being served does not have sufficient butter and is served about one inch thick. The difference being comparable to a thick bread pizza and a regular one.

The coffee has been luke warm both times. Like dish water.

I was going to tell the new owners yesterday. Politely, of course. As I was getting ready, the door opened and about 15 young men came in to order sandwiches. Tourists. All appeared new to Blossoms.

The young men were making the new owners’ day. I did not want to affect it. The next time I will tell them, however. If I cannot get the sandwich I have enjoyed for 20 years, I will stop going. I will also rarely stop at any Cuban sandwich place. The former Paradise Café/Blossom’s sandwich was unique.

Enjoy your day! I am off to Home Depot.

 

 

GRAVITY

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What a picture the sunrise created this morning! The sun came up behind a bank of stretched out gray and white clouds. The sun radiating its brilliance through the openings. Multi colored! A sight to behold!

A good day yesterday.

Watched Meet the Press in the morning. Did this week’s column for KONK Life. Enjoyed a drink with Jenna. Went to the movies to see Gravity with Jenna. Enjoyed a drink and lite fare at the Marriott Beachside Bar afterwards. With Jenna, of course.

Gravity is one of the finest movies I have ever seen. Without question! A work of art!

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star. Sandra Bullock is outstanding! An Academy Award performance. I will be shocked if she is not nominated and does not win. The movie itself could very well get the Best Picture award.

Tense! The only way to describe the film. Every moment of it. Bullock plays an astronaut lost in space. Outside her space ship!

Gravity normally is not my type movie. Space ships, science fiction, etc. This one excited me no end, however.

The movie is in 3D. Try to watch it in 3D. We caught an afternoon showing which was not in 3D.

Jenna and I were together from before the movie till long afterwards. I picked her up at the TV studio at 3:30. She was working. Said she had some catching up to do. We drove to the Regal. We were an hour early for the film. My fault. I read the time table wrong on the internet.

Not one to waste a moment, I suggested a drink. We walked down to Outback. It was empty mid afternoon  on a sunday. Maybe three customers. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a drink as well as each other’s company.

Then the movie. Again, a WOW!

After the movie, we drove to the Marriott Beachside. Sat at the bar and ate some kite fare.

A good late afternoon and early evening!

I spent my morning into the early afternoon writing this week’s KONK Life column. Columbus Needs A Pied Piper.

Columbus, Ohio has a big time rat problem. An even bigger problem is Columbus does not have the money to deal with it. My suggestion was Columbus find a Pied Piper.

I had been considering writing about the Columbus rat situation and mentioning the Pied Piper. I mentioned the story line to several people the past few days. I was interested in what their reaction might be. No one knew or had ever heard of the legend of the Pied Piper. The people ranged in age from the mid 20s to 50.

I read the Pied Piper when I was in grammar school. Is it still read? If not, sad.

To make sure everyone understood the Pied Piper’s involvement in the article, I told the story of the Pied Piper in the first half of the column.

Tomorrow night is blog talk radio time. My internet show at 9. The shutdown will obviously be discussed. Also the U.S.’s recent raids into Libya and Somali. I question the wisdom and propriety of these raids. The issue will make for interesting talk. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Today is a significant day in history. My history. My Mother, were she still alive, would have been 99. Happy Birthday, Mom!

She died 24 years ago at the age of 75. I still miss her terribly. She continues to be in my mind almost daily. I talk with her. She was a wise woman. I generally ask her Why? when something not to my liking occurs.

Enjoy your day!

 

BREAKFAST AT SCHOONER WHARF

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I was up early yesterday morning. I had to be at Lisa’s by 8:30 to babysit. Robert, Ally and Jake were waiting when I arrived. Jake went in the cage. Robert and Ally in the car.

We discussed where to have breakfast. I decided to give them a special treat and take them to a new place. Schooner Wharf.

About fifteen members of the breakfast club were at the bar. My friend Angus bartending. I called over to him. We waved, including Robert and Ally.

We sat at the row of small tables with white plastic chairs next to the boardwalk. Docked boats were less than 10 feet away.

The closeness to the boats and the large number of boats blew the grandkids out. They got excited each time one pulled away from its dock.

Robert and Ally had pancakes. I, eggs benedict. Screw the diet!

The pancakes came with bacon. Robert asked if it was the real stuff. Their mother Lisa is all health foods. She serves turkey bacon.

Robert was on a one week trip for cancer survivors last summer. The one sponsored by Miami Children’s Hospital. Kids 6 to 16 make the trip. About 30 of them. Some as Robert are cancer survivors. The others still in treatment. The purpose of the trip is to celebrate life by those who are cured and give hope to the others that they too can be cured.

On the trip, Robert had real bacon for the first time. Pork bacon. Loved it! Lisa will not buy it. It is still turkey bacon at home. however when out, Robert wants the real stuff. He asked me, is it for real? Yes, I told him. Go for it!

Robert has Ally hooked on it also. She too had bacon with her pancakes.

After breakfast, I took them home. Showed them Poppa on TV via You Tube. One segment. Eight minutes. Had them listen to one 30 minute blog talk radio show. They were good about it. Asked a few questions. When the showing were concluded, Ally asked if they could go play now. I realized they were being kind and humoring me while watching.

Interestingly, Jake sat there watching and listening also.  Perhaps he liked it.

My afternoon and early evening were spent watching the Syracuse/Clemson game. A disaster! Clemson won 49-14. Not worth going through the details. Except to say the Syracuse defense was impressive in the third quarter. They held Clemson to 6 rushing yards most of the quarter. Then the roof fell in again!

The Vegas line was 14 points. I write earlier this week that if Syracuse lost by 14 points, it would be a victory. I projected a 30 point defeat. I was close. It turned out to be 35.

Clemson deserves to be ranked #3. A fine team. A great quarterback. The team could end up #1 in the nation.

I am glad Syracuse moved into the ACC with its football program. There are several good teams in the league. Top 10 and top 20 teams. Syracuse will have to up its game to play at their level. which is good. Syracuse will and some day we will be ranked #3 striving to be #1.

One final observation. Syracuse’s quarterback is green. Only a sophomore. He will be much better next year and dynamite his senior year.

The ankle pain came back last night. Horrible! Again this morning. I am sitting here with the big black boot on.

A reminder. My Friday TV/internet show The Key West Lou Legal Hour is available on You tube. In case you missed the show, it can be viewed there. Go to You Tube and enter Lou’s Legal Hour.

I telephoned Jenna this morning. No answer. She is a big Church goer. Left her a message to call. I would like to see Gravity tonight with her.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

GOVERNMENT WASTE

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People want to know! They should know! Where their government is wasting taxpayer dollars.

I decided to talk a bit each week on my TV/internet show about tax dollar waste. Provide a few examples.

Yesterday was the first day of this new portion of the show. Besides the story I enjoy repeating about the U.S. Senate’s private barbershop which loses $500,000 a year, I threw in three other juicy morsels. One had to do with the House of Representatives approving a $2.6 million study to determine how to teach Chinese prostitutes to drink more responsibly on the job. A winner!

The House is the outfit that recently voted to cut $40 billion from the food stamp program.

Feed back following the show indicated the waste examples garnered the most interest. Easy to understand.

The Chart Room first last night. Emily bartending. I enjoy her company. Even more, her popcorn. The best!

Chatted with Peter and Sheila. Sheila will be off to the Mexico/Cancun area wednesday for a few days. Good for her!

Sean and Katherine came in. They have been traveling frequently of late. I told Sean enjoy it. When the first baby comes, it is all over! He laughed.

Met an interesting couple. Ian and Kaylin from Scotland. Actually, the Island of Erin. It is off the west coast of Scotland. Ian is a builder and his wife works with him in the office.

Scotland. He must play golf, I thought. I was wrong. Ian does not play golf, even though there are seven golf courses on his island.

Ian, Kaylin, and their family have visited Key West often over the years. They are Key Westers at heart.

I sat a while in the Pier House lobby. Reading the newspapers. A comfortable setting. I have done it several times lately.

The next stop was Don’s Place. Bocce partner Frankie was there. He looks good. You will recall he had a couple of heavy heart surgeries several months ago. Died on the table during one of them. He just returned from three weeks in Mexico. The trip did him good. He looked like the Frankie of old.

Chatted with two of the guys from the team we beat thursday night. Good people. We agreed the water soaked clay decided the match, not talent. It was throw the ball and hope it gets somewhere near the polina. In some instances, three feet was a victory. We were luckier than they were. They drank more Polish brandy than we did, also. A contributing factor to our victory. A planned one. Hershel deserves the credit. It was his idea.

Decided on Outback for dinner. No room at the inn. Including the bar. I figured at least a 1/2 hour wait. Not my cup of tea. Instead walked down to the Chinese restaurant nearby. A mistake.

I enjoy Chinese food on occasion. I ordered the wrong dish. I wanted orange chicken. I got screwed up and ordered lemon chicken. A disaster!

Lemon chicken consisted of thin slices of white meat buried in fat. The final product resembled small pancakes. A similar color, also.

Awful! I ate half the meal before giving up. The lemon chicken did not give up. I was uncomfortable till 4 this morning.

I am interested in seeing the new movie Gravity which opened this weekend. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. Sandra is an astronaut who breaks way from the outside of her ship or something while fixing it in outer space. The story is about her floating around and what experiences she had. The big question being did she survive. The movie is in 3D. Has to be terrific! The reviews all say it is a winner.

Saturday evening is not the right time to go to the movies. Too many kids. I am going to shot for tomorrow night. Probably will invite Jenna to join me.

Syracuse/Clemson this afternoon at 3:30. On ABC or NBC. Hope the game is aired here in Key West.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

HOLE DRILLING

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I have reached the age where I realize how little I know. A very recent discovery was drilling holes in bocce courts to enable the rain water to run out.

It was around 2 yesterday afternoon. It had been raining heavy since sun up. The bocce courts had to be flooded. I got a call at 1 that the water was up to the top on each court.

The sun was very hot after it stopped raining. Perhaps we might play, I thought. I drove over to the courts at 6.

No water to be seen anywhere! We were going to play. How, I asked. The courts were flooded 5 hours ago.

The City of Key West apparently now has a drill to remove the water.

Bocce courts are made of clay. Clay is hard. It does not absorb water easily. Beneath the clay, lies a bed of stones. The drill was used to make several holes on each court through the clay and into the stones. The water drained down and out.

One problem remained. The clay was still wet. A bit heavier than wet sand. Such meant the courts would be slow. They were.

The bocce ball had to be thrown three times as hard to reach the polina. Skill was out the window. Luck played a great part.

We won all the three games! We were very lucky, indeed!

It was a money match. Hershel brought a bottle of Polish brandy. Our opponents were known to enjoy shots. Hershel liquored them up. Whether it had an effect on the outcome, I cannot be sure.

I had one shot. Too sweet for me. It affected me in the middle of the night. I woke at 2 with a splitting headache. It took me till 7 to get rid of it. I attribute it to the brandy and not the gin I consumed.

Spent yesterday afternoon fine tuning this morning’s TV/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. I did the show this morning. This blog is being written after the show.

I spent a lot of time on the government shut down. I did a segment on cause and effect. The long range causes which led to the shut down. Things like two wars, American businesses moving overseas, permitting banks to become too big to fail or prosecute, etc. Nothing just happens. It is a series of events over a long period of time which have lead to today’s problems.

May Deasy works as bookkeeper at the TV station. A nice person. I have known her for years. She served me with a new cup for my coffee at the station this morning. Mary had a cup made with the station’s logo and Lou’s Legal Hour printed on it. Thank you, Mary!

Tomorrow, Syracuse/Clemson. I hope! What more can I say?

Every few years a less than adequate Syracuse team beats a top 10 school. I recall some 25 years ago. I used to attend every Syracuse home football game. That particular Saturday, I could not. I was sitting in Mount Carmel Church in Utica at a family wedding. The game was  going on during the ceremony.

Many people had small radios pressed to their ears. I was one of them. Go Syracuse!

Syracuse beat Nebraska that day. Nebraska was ranked #1 in the nation.

It has been a long week. A lot of reading and writing. In addition, the Polish brandy last night. I am tired.

I am going to spend this afternoon in bed watching golf. The Presidents Cup.

Enjoy your day!

 

STACKING GROCERIES

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It was 1951. I was 16 years old and worked in a super market after school.

Baseball was the big sport in the U.S. at the time. The National League season had ended in a tie. The New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers. On this date in history, the one game that would decide it all was being played.

I was wearing my working attire. A large white apron. Quietly replenishing Campbell’s Tomato Soup on the shelve. The radio was playing. We were all listening to the game. The whole world was.

It was the top of the ninth. Brooklyn winning. Bobby Thomson at bat. He hit a 3 run homer. Everyone went crazy. It was not that we all were Giant fans. It was the excitement of the moment.

I have never forgotten that day.

A supermarket. The one I was working at was called McHarris. Two Syrian brothers owned and operated it. They taught me a lot.

Supermarkets in 1951 were not as they are today. What was large then, is small now. The McHarris store was about three times the size of the Fausto’s off Duval.

Two other things come to mind. The Campbell’s Tomato soup was 3 cans for $ .10. My salary was $ .16 2/3 an hour.

It is overcast this morning. It rained extremely heavy for about 20 minutes. Bocce is tonight. Unless the sun comes out soon, I doubt we will be able to play. The courts will still be wet. The best that can be hoped for is that there are no puddles. Then we will play. However, the courts will be very slow. I do not like slow. I prefer a fast court.

Tonight’s bocce game is a money game. The side bet we have with four other teams. If we play, it will be a drinking fun time. A bottle of Polish gin is involved. If we proceed, I will tell you the purpose of the Polish gin and how it played out.

I walked again yesterday. Just around Key Haven. There is no question about it. A little exercise goes a long way in reducing weight. I started another diet Monday. Just cutting back and walking. The scale this morning indicated minus 4 pounds. It is a combination of the two that is responsible. I am eating about 25 per cent of my normal diet. Not easy. Plus walking on a more regular basis than normal. A bit farther each day, also.

Yesterday afternoon was spent preparing for tomorrow’s TV/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. I have more work to do this afternoon.

The topics are coming together. The government shut down obviously will be one. I have decided to add on a weekly basis for a while examples of government waste. Generally interesting and in some instances so bad they are funny.

Greece and the Nazi party a must. The heads of the Nazi party are being arrested and thrown into jail. Instead of killing the movement, I fear the arrests have planted the seeds for revolution.

Other topics include a Key West price war, Lancaster, Pa. as capital of the United States for one day, a U.S. militarized internet, Venezuela maltreating the U.S., and more.

The more will include the story of a man who is terminally ill. Cancer. No chance for recovery. Grows his own marijuana to kill the pain. He and his family were raided by the police. He was thrown in jail for 42 days. He was released from jail because the drugs he needed to control the pain were costing the county too much money. He was sent home to do what he had been doing.

The show is at 10 in the morning my time. Available on television from Key West through Boca Raton on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Available on the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com. The show is You tubed and can be seen anytime. Enter Lou’s Legal hour.

Last night was my Duval crawl. I was out on the road.

Stopped first at Captain Tony’s. Always loved the place. Old and dingy. Always packed with tourists. Rarely a local. The customers all acting a bit crazy.

Then to Sloppy Joe’s. Packed, also. Tourists. Not having as much fun as those at Captain Tony’s.

I walked upstairs to the clothing optional bar on the roof of the Bull. Advertised as a place for people who like to party without their clothes. At least 5 years since I had been up there. It too was quiet. It has always been quiet when I am there. The only nudity I saw was the bar maid’s bare breasts. I cannot win.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

CONCH REPUBLIC ANNEXES USA

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Marty (the other one) is a loyal blog reader. He emailed a suggestion apparently motivated by the government shutdown and American life in general.

Words of wisdom.

Marty suggested the Conch Republic annex the United States. His reasons were simple. Leadership would be easier. People’s attitudes lighter. Americans would start enjoying life for a change.

Right on my friend!

The vote has been tabulated. The people heard. The ballot question yesterday as to whether Key West participate in a free study to determine the feasibility of dredging the channel to accommodate larger mega cruise ships went down to defeat. Significantly! By 3-1. 74 per cent of the people voted against it.

Hooray for democracy!

There is a lady named Anna who once a week comes by. She cleans the house and washes and irons. For the past eight years. Anna is not responsible for the outside. A task in and of itself. I either hire some one to do it or do it myself.

Yesterday morning, I felt energized. I was in a work mood. I did a bit of clean up of the deck.

Palm trees can be a pain. Fallen coconuts and palm branches. Took care of them. The deck at one end was covered with what looked like berries. I do not know what they really were. Living on the ocean, you never know what is going to be blown in. I swept up the berries. I finished by hosing the deck and furniture.

An ambitious undertaking for Louis!

I was still full of energy. Sex would have been good. Decided to walk. Drove to Duval Square and parked the car. Walked towards the Atlantic Ocean. Past La Te Da. Down to the Southernmost Complex. Through the Southernmost grounds. Across the street onto the Reach’s grounds. Through them. Then did the return trip the same way.

Took all of 25 minutes. Felt like an hour or more. The humidity was heavy! Very heavy! My tee shirt soaking wet. I did not think I was going to make it back to the car.

Stopped at Publix on the way home. Needed bananas and strawberries. They are staples to me.

Spent the afternoon fine tuning last night’s blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Made a sandwich for dinner.

Afterwards, went upstairs to lie on the bed and watch Chris Matthews. It was 7 o’clock. I fell asleep. I woke at five minutes to 9. The radio show begins at 9. I ran downstairs, turned on the computer and did all the things necessary to get on air. As I connected, I heard…..Your show goes live in 10 seconds.

A close call.

It was an easy show to do. What with the governmental shutdown and governmental waste. I threw a little Greece in and the half hour was over.

I have stayed in the past few nights.  I have to get out tonight. I will get out tonight.

Enjoy your day!

ELECTION DAY KEY WEST

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Key West dances to its own tune even as regards elections. Local elections have their own day. Separate and apart from that early November voting time.

Today is election day in Key West. The mayoral race and other local offices.

This election day is particularly important. There is a question on the ballot. It has to do whether Key West should go forth with a study to determine if the channel could be dredged, its expense, etc. The study will cost Key West nothing.

There is a major move underway to dredge the channel. The reason is so the channel can support the mega cruise ships constructed and to be constructed. At this time, Key West channel cannot.

Money comes into play if the channel is dredged. It will cost Key West millions of dollars to do it.

I am opposed first on environmental grounds. Leave nature under the water alone! Additionally, I do not believe the cruise ships sufficiently support Key West’s best interest. Yes, some benefit big time. However, I am one who would like to see the tee shirt and other seedy establishments leave the port area. Return Key West to its natural habitat!

Birthday party last night! Lisa’s. Happy birthday dear daughter once again!

The best laid plans…..Lisa planned a dinner from Syboney’s. Cuban food. When she telephoned, the line was disconnected. We ended up eating two large pizzas. I am not a fan of Cuban food. I was happy.

Blowing out the candles and singing Happy Birthday! is always the best. The grandkids are into it big time. Especially Ally.

You all know I am enamoured with Greece having spent two summers in a row there. You will further recall my writing at length over the past year regarding Greece. I was especially concerned with the Nazi party. The Golden Dawn Party. I wrote a column several weeks ago about how scary it was and my fears for the future of Greece.

The Greek government in the past 48 hours has been arresting leaders of the Golden Dawn Party.  The arrests are an attempt to rid Greece of a political party that does not support the party now in power.

An Araminta Wordsworth wrote an article today in the National Post regarding what is going on in Greece. I am going to repeat one paragraph. It is right on with what I wrote in my recent column, though she says it better and in fewer words.

“Economic collapse, mass joblessness, uniformed paramilitaries, street violence, political assassinations and, now, a round up of opposition MPs–euro wracked Greece is beginning to feel eerily like Weimar Germany.”

Clemson at Syracuse saturday. Big time football. Clemson undefeated and ranked #3 nationally. Syracuse unranked and 2-2. The Vegas line is 12.5 points. I will consider it a Syracuse victory if we only lose by two touchdowns!

I hope I have to eat my words and Syracuse beats the hell out of Clemson!

On this day (10/1) in 1890, Congress passed a bill authorizing Yosemite National Park in California. On this same 10/1 day in 2013, Yosemite National Park closed because Congress failed to approve spending that would have kept it open. Part of the governmental shut down.

Blog talk radio tonight! My show! Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou.

Join me at 9 for a fast moving half hour of current commentary. I definitely will be discussing the government shut down and government waste. Plus more. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

If you miss the show tonight, it is immediately archived and can be enjoyed to at any time. www.blogtalkradio.com.

Enjoy your day!