Still dark outside. I am up early. My Internet show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am my time. Can be seen and heard world wide. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/.

Join me. A well prepared show ready to go. Can’t wait to get into Romney and Gingrich a bit.

Yesterday mucho busy.

I started the day with an 8 am dentist visit. Still at it. Another 3-4 months. Hopefully.

Then a haircut with Lori. Nice girl. She has been cutting my hair for well over 10 years. I have aged. She has not.

Lunch was a high point! At Salute’s with neighbors Andrew, Jazz and Kai.

Kai the center of attention. Eighteen months old. He has a well developed personality. Knows what he wants and screams till he gets it.

Mother Jazz. Comes to us from Switzerland. A beauty. Intelligent. I enjoy conversing with her.

And then there is my good friend Andrew. A father anew at 50. God bless him!

I spent a portion of the afternoon fine tuning the material for today’s Internet show.

I had two things I wanted to do last night. Have a drink and dinner out. Watch the Republican Presidential debate at 8.

Squeezed them both in.

Ate at Hogfish. Looked for Pati. No Pati. Sad.

The soups are the best at Hogfish. They have a daily lobster bisque. To die for. Last night’s special was bean and sausage. I had the bean and sausage. Outstanding!

Good debate! It firmed up my opinion that the Republicans are not offering their best this year.

Gingrich looked terrific! However, I dislike his moral fiber. He is not the type of person I want leading my country.

Romney is supposed to be smart. The longer this primary goes on, the less I believe it. My message to him: Get your tax returns out!

Enjoy your day!

Many things come to mind when people think of Key West. One is the weather. Beautiful warm basking sun.

Yesterday was one of those days. The temperature was was pushing 80°. Unusual for this time of the year. Normally in January we are lucky if the temperature hits 70°. There have been years when January evenings have fallen into the high 40s. For real!

Not this year. We are thankful for the fantastic weather.

It was time for a pedicure. I visited Tammy at Lee Nails. The place was empty Just me and one other customer. The wonderful Kate Miano!

There is no finer person in Key West than Kate Miano. A lovely lady. Intelligent. Hard working. A successful businesswoman. Kate owns and operates the Gardens Hotel.

We chatted. We ended up getting pedicures seated next to each other.

I had a terrific time. I hope Kate did also.

Then it was to Walgreen’s. Needed to pick up my new thyroid prescription. Took it for the first time last night. It will take approximately 3 weeks for me to feel any change. I may need more when I am retested. Whatever. I am thrilled that the cause of my exhaustion has been ascertained. It only took four months.

Visited with Lisa for about an hour. Love that girl! We talked about many things.

I spent the balance of the afternoon and evening yesterday working on friday’s Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. I have a little fine tuning to do today and my preparation will be complete.

Join me, if you can. 10 AM my time. Worldwide. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/.

Terrific topics! Like the three year old Philadelphia child being denied a kidney transplant, how Fidel Castro worked his way through college, the Keystone Oil Pipeline, an update on the Wisconsin governor recall, Iran believes Barbie dolls a decadent influence, and  pythons a no-no in Florida.

Plus, an update on the man who stole a police car, a woman drunk driving for 18 miles on the wrong side of a major highway, a baby born on  a New Jersey commuter train outside New York City, Poland condom sales down for the first time ever, an Obama proposal to deal with Alzheimer’s treatment, China funding US solar plants in California and New Jersey, and more.

Good stuff! You really should listen in.

My morning is full. I have a dental appointment, a haircut appointment and lunch at Salute’s with neighbors.

Enjoy your day!

The weather definitely changed yesterday! After a week, the cold front left. Suddenly. That is the way it is.

I was invigorated by the warmth. Wanted to do something different. Decided to ride my bicycle. I have not ridden the bicycle for months.

I rode around Key Haven. The streets are flat. I cannot handle hills. My bike is not a 10 speed. It is the old fashioed fat tire type. Up and down the streets of Key Haven is not bad. It is especially easy when the wind is at your back. However when you are riding into the wind, it is another story!

The rest of the morning was spent writing. Sitting outside, of course. I missed being out there.

I have been exhausted for several months. Exhausted is the correct description. Tests came up with nothing. Doctors concluded it was the many pills I am taking. They would tend to make one tired.

I noticed in the past month that I am rushing. Mentally, I am always behind and have to hurry. There does not seem to be enough time to get everything done.

None the case. I am doing no more today than I did one year ago.

I have had a thyroid problem for well over 30 years. Sometimes up, sometimes down. Pills keep the thyroid in control. However when the thyroid overcomes the pills, it is trouble time. Two problems. The first is weight gain. I have dramatically gained weight over the last 2-3 months. Cannot seem to lose. The other problem is exhaustion. No one can deny that Louis has been exhausted!

Ergo, I suspected my thyroid was off. I spoke to my internist about it on Monday. She did not agree with me. Never the less, I told her I still wanted to take the to thyroid test.

I received a telephone call from my doctor’s office yesterday morning. My thyroid is off! I am thrilled! I will get new pills of an increased dosage today. In 2-3 weeks, the exhaustion will be gone and I should be able to knock off a few pounds also.

I did a gym visit with Courtney. He worked my upper torso. It is my stomach I am concerned with! No one listens to me.

Then it was to Lisa’s and a visit with Lisa and the grandkids. Robert and Ally were returning from school. I was there as they rushed into the house. Hugs and kisses.

Robert and Ally are famished when they get home from school. Lisa has to prepare something for the both of them. They devour the food. Especially Ally. Fortunately, they are very active. Weight is not a problem for them. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, never.

My beard is growing. It looks dirty. Beginning to itch. I was lazy and did not want to shave last night. So no in town for me. Instead, I went over to Hogfish. Me and the fishermen. I fit right in!!

A pleasant experience awaited me last night when I went to bed. No, not a woman. I am not so lucky. It was a movie. Love Is A Many Splendored Thing. A hit 1955 film starring William Holden and Jennifer Jones. The same William Holden that I would spend an occasional week with 15 years later at La Costa.

I am definitely going to skip golf again today. No sense in abusing myself. I suspect my thyroid is the reason I have become so exhausted well playing. I will be ready again in a couple of weeks. To play, yes. To score, no. The thyroid has nothing to with  game performance.

Enjoy your day!

The best laid plans of mice and men…..

As yesterday morning progressed, I started to feel poorly. I canceled lunch with the grandkids at I Hop and also my workout at the gym with Courtney. Instead I went to bed and sleep. I woke at four and felt like a million bucks!

It was the Sports Page Bar at six. Syracuse/Pittsburgh. Sandra joined me. Don and Chris showed up. JJ, also. First time I have seen my Chart Room bartender friend at the Sports Page Bar.

During the game, Carla also appeared. Carla was new to me. Never met her before. A very charming personality! She is a friend of Don and Chris. She works as a bartender at Sloppy Joe’s.

A terrible game. Syracuse could have lost. Syracuse won 71-63.

I continue to anticipate Syracuse’s first defeat. It is inevitable. No team goes undefeated. Syracuse is now 20-0.

Syracuse started with a 13 point run. The game 13-0. I could help but think we were going to destroy Pittsburgh. It was not to be. At one point in the second half, Pitt made it a four-point game. It was happening, I feared!

Fortunately, it did not. Syracuse turned it around and won.

Syracuse generally has two runs a game. One of the first half and one in the second. Not last night. The only true run they had were those first 13 points.

I was worried.

Saturday night Notre Dame! Notre Dame started the season like a dynamo. And then they faltered and have continued to falter. I hope Syracuse plays a better game against Notre Dame than it did aginst Pittsburgh.

John Lucas was having dinner at the Sports Page Bar. He tells me he hopes that his new sports bar will be open Friday night. John has run into a lot of problems in the remodeling. A nice guy, I wish him well.

The weather this morning is truly delightful! It has been cold morning, noon and night in Key West for about a week. Right now it is 70°. There is no chill in the air. The high is projected at 76.

To evidence that my heart is in the right place,  my gym session with Courtney has been rescheduled to this afternoon.

Enjoy your day!

A cold Sunday yesterday.

Around 64 degrees. I know. I should not complain. My dear friend Bill Hatfield from Oneida, NY wrote and told me it was minus 7 at 6 yesterday morning. Real cold!

I grocery shopped big time. I have noticed that Sunday is the busiest day at Publix. I would have assumed it was either Friday when people got paid or Saturday. Neither. Sunday Publix is always packed. A zoo!

Met Sandra at the Chart Room last night. A pre-arranged hook up. Sandra is from Virginia and visiting Key West.

We chatted a while. It was time to eat. The Wine Galley. Twice in one week for me.

Sunday is Larry Smith’s big night at the Wine Galley. He showcases one performer. Last night it  was a female singer. I never got her name. I am ashamed. In any event, she was absolutely outstanding! She did a medley of Gershwin tunes.

Busy day today.

Lunch with the grandkids at I Hop. The gym with Courtney afterwards. Tonight Syracuse basketball. Playing Pittsburgh. Sandra is joining me for the game. We will be watching at the Sports Page Bar with Don and Chris.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Sunday!

Let’s get to it.

My friend Jim Brown from Crete, Greece, has come up with a new line. Jim is originally from Scotland. Ergo he not only speaks with an Scottish brogue, he writes with one.

Today’s Jim Brown tidbit of wisdom: “… yi cannot beat the love of a good woman.” I appreciate the line is old. It sounds better when Jim says it however.

Sports Page Bar at six last night. Syracuse/Providence game.

I was shocked when I walked inside. Place was packed. People every where. All watching football. I was the only Syracuse fan at the moment. I searched out Patrick the owner. Where am I going to watch the Syracuse game? Worry not, he said. I saved a TV screen for you. And he took me to it.

Patrick is a good man.

I was soon followed by about 15 other Syracuse fans from the Syracuse/Oneida area.

Syracuse demolished Providence. 78-55. Syracuse winning by such large numbers is becoming a habit. I await Syracuse’s first defeat. It is inevitable. No one goes undefeated any more.

Syracuse generally has two runs a game. One in the first half and one in the second half. These runs are like a tsunami.

Good friends Don and Chris from Syracuse joined me. We watched the game together. Then ran over to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner.

It was like no room at the inn. The place was packed. We fortunately found a table in the bar. Tomorrow sail boat week starts in Key West. The sailors were out partying at the Hot Tin Roof.

After dinner, I drove Don and Chris to the Casa Marina where they are staying.

On the way home, I decided to stop at Don’s Place for a drink. Glad I did. Spent a lot of time talking with Don. Also got to see David, Boomer, Kurt, Russ, Toni and PD.

Part of my time was spent watching the New England/Denver game. New England destroyed Denver 45-10. The result was surprising. All week prior to the game, the sportscasters were knocking New England quarterback Tom Brady. His year has been less than terrific. Most of the talk concerned Tom Tebow. The new kid on the block. Everyone thought Tebow and Denver would decimate Brady and New England.

It obviously did not happen. Brady had one of the outstanding games of his career. Tebow did nothing.

Today is Sunday. Most important thing I have to do is grocery shop. I have been out of food for about five days. I have already been in the back of the freezer and rear of the cupboards. When I say there’s nothing here, there is nothing. Ergo, grocery shopping will be the first thing I do.

Enjoy your Sunday!

How does the song go….. The weather outside is frightful…..

It is cold this morning! It was cold last night! A cold front came in late yesterday. It is supposed to leave tonight. The temperature today will not even hit 70. The high is projected at 67.

Yes, I am complaining!

My day yesterday started with a visit to the gym. Spent an hour with my trainer, Courtney Aman. I told him when I arrived how tired I had been the past few days. Courtney put me through a series of exercises to move my blood around. He must have. I felt terrific at the end of the session.

Visited with Lisa for a while. Some father/daughter chitchat.

I had no plans for last night. Just knew I had to get out. I had spent the past 2-3 evenings at home. I headed over to the Chart Room.

Syracuse’s Don and Chris were there! I had not expected to run in them. Our plan was to meet tonight for the Syracuse game and dinner afterwards. It was good to see them. We chatted for about an hour. Then they were off to dinner at L’Attidues.

I told them it was not the place to go last night. Too cold. They disagreed obviously. L’Attitudes is located on a small island off Key West and has an open air dining room. I don’t think it has an enclosed dining room. You can only get to the island by boat. It had to be cold, cold, cold.

I will be meeting up with Don and Chris just before the start of the Syracuse/Providence basketball game tonight. The game starts at six. We will be watching at the Sports Page Bar. Syracuse should have no problem. They played Providence 10 days ago and won easily. You never know, however.

While we were chatting in the Chart Room, Larry Smith came in. He was on his way to work. The Wine Galley is also part of the Pier House. Larry has been the premier performer at the Wine Galley for well over 10 years. It is his room! I introduced Larry to Don and Chris.

After Don and Chris left, I remained at the bar chatting with Emily for a while. I like her.

Were to have dinner? I decided to visit the Wind Galley to listen to Larry Smith while dining. Turned out to be the right decision.

Larry was at his best! I was in the Wine Galley for well over two hours. Larry entertained the entire time. He was magic.

Michael Dennis the author was there. Michael and I are friends. Michael has been writing mystery novels  the past several years. Their loci is generally Key West. He writes well. I recommend his books for reading.

Met a new couple last night. Jack and Pat. They are vacationing in Key West. Have been here many times before. Used to live full time in Fort Lauderdale. Now somewhere in New Jersey.

Jack is a Princeton graduate. Then he went on to Temple Law School. He even obtained a Masters degree  from Temple in taxation. I was impressed. Taxation is not an easy study.

He played basketball and football while at Princeton.

Jack came into the Wine Galley in a motorized chair. Drove around the room searching for a table. The room was full. I was alone in my table. I told Larry to send them over to join me. Which he did.

Jack has Lou Gehrig’s disease. Has had it for six years. He had visible problems from the illness. Nevertheless, his personality was good and he did everything to have a good time. He had a martini. He was able to drink it without any assistance. The glass may have wobbled on the way up and was lucky to find his mouth, but he did it. He sang along with Larry.We conversed. Jack’s wife Pat  interpreted on occasion.

Pat is lovely. A terrific woman. She was at his every beck and call. Actually, Jack did not do so bad. Pat watched him to make sure he did not get into any trouble. A good woman. A loving woman. A lucky man.

I hope to run into Jack and Pat again as they will be in Key West for a while.

Sandra, you are not reading your private messages on Facebook. Please do so.

Have a great Saturday!

Yesterday turned out to be one the quietest I have had in Key West.

I had some blood work done in the morning. In the afternoon, some tests at the hospital. Merely check ups. Nothing supposed to be wrong.

After the hospital tests, I was exhausted. It had nothing to do with the tests. Or maybe it did. I don’t know. All I do know is I could not wait to get home and hop in bed.

And bed is where I stayed the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Which means I missed a lot of fun last night.

I telephoned Don at Don’s Place to tell him that I would not be attending the bocce party. Then placed a call to the other Don to tell him I would not be joining he and Chris later at the Chart Room.

I was not disappointed I did not go out. Every night is party night in Key West. An evening off every now and then does not hurt.

A manatee comment. I have written about manatees recently three times.. Suddenly every one is coming up to me with a manatee sighting story. Each person excited. This is the season. Manatee season. The manatees seek the warmer waters of the lower Florida keys this time of year.

My show this morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. I am up for it. Not tired this morning. Slept like a baby all  night. Join me on the Internet at 10 am my time. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/.

Enjoy your day!

A Comcast problem again. Can’t get power to my modem.

I telephoned Comcast this morning. Ran through all the tasks I was asked perform. Take this out, hook that up, wait a minute, etc. Finally, I was told no power. They would have to send a repair man to my home.

Today is thursday. I telephoned at 8 am. I was also told no repair man available in my area till monday at 8.
Comcast! Do not know why I stay with them.

I have devised a back up system, however. Necessity is the mother of invention.That is how I am able to blog now.

Not much happened yesterday. Only two things. In between I worked on friday’s Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am my time. Worldwide. http://www.konkbroadcasting.com/.

An excellent show! Topics like the American girl deported as an illegal alien by the U.S. government, a handcuffed man who stole a police car, the suspected murderer of a young lady in Aruba 5 years ago pleads guilty to another murder in Peru, Zimbabwe banning the sale of second hand underwear, an exploration of friday the 13th, Greece and pedophilia, another U.S. Supreme Court decision screwing the American public, and more.

It was manicure time. Tammy. What a beautiful woman! With an equally beautiful personality to match!

Last night, Syracuse basketball! Syracuse demolished Villanova. Wowie!

I was tired and watched the game from my bed instead of the Sports Page Bar.

Just as the game started, I received a text from Don of Don and Chris. They are from the Syracuse area and visit Key West several times a year. Where are you? Game starting!

I had forgotten last night was their first in town and we had planned to watch the game together. Texted back my apologies.

At half time, Don wrote that he and Chris were the only Syracuse fans there. I was not surprised. I always watch at the Sports Page Bar. The 15-20 other fans are splitting their time this season between the Sports Page Bar and Jack Flatts. Turns out I am the only loyal Sports Page Bar customer, except when I stay home.

Hope to see Don and Chris this evening.

I have my bocce banquet tonight at Don’s Place. 6:30. Everything will be over by 8. Then I will be off to the Chart Room.

Sandra, do you have a Facebook name? If so, please provide it.

Enjoy your day!

Donna Barnett was my house guest. She came and she went. Just like that.

Donna is married to Terri of Broadway fame. Donna is Terri’s manager. They are frequently my house guests. Love them both!

They have become Broadway people. Donna arrived Friday. We had dinner together. That was the last time I saw her, except for Mary Jo’s party yesterday.

Broadway people live on a different time schedule than the rest of us.They get up three in the afternoon. Breakfast at 5 PM. Work. Have dinner at midnight. Then go out for the evening. Return to bed at three or four in the morning.

My sleeping/wake schedule is normal. Up at six in the morning. Generally to bed by 10 in the evening.

Now you can understand why Donna and I did not see much of each other the past few days.

I started yesterday by boxing at the gym. I believe the exercise is helping. I feel better. However, I am gaining weight. Sort of an inconsistency. Soon, I will have to diet also.

Mary Jo Da Silva. To know her was a privilege.

Mary Jo came to Key West about 14 years ago. Around the same time I bought my Key West home. We became friends. Mary Jo became every one’s friend.

A  first class woman. A kind one, also.

Mary Jo was diagnosed with cancer  five years ago. She survived for a long time after the diagnosis. She handled the whole thing well. Better than most  would. She was frequently doing chemo. She was required to go to the hospital overnight for the procedure. Occasionally, I would visit with her at the hospital while she was undergoing the chemotherapy.

Mary Jo was friend to all. Crazy about dancing. You could find her most evenings at La Te Da on the dance floor.

Mary Jo died last August. There was a small party at the time. However many of her friends were gone from Key West for the summer. So a celebration of her life party was scheduled for yesterday.

Lynda Frechette and Terry Johnston arranged for everything. Mary Jo’s son Matt flew in from California.

It was a party!

There was a special tribute to Mary Jo. Mary Jo was known by her big bright red lips. She would take her tiny natural lips, coat them heavy with bright red lipstick, thereby making them larger. Her bright red lips were her trade mark.

Yesterday at the party, out of respect for Mary Jo, many of the women either had their lips bright red or wore bright red apparel. Slacks, blouses, shoes and the like.

Bobby Nesbitt was with us. A Key West singer/piano player, in addition to being friend to Mary Jo. Every Wednesday night he used to sing and play at Quest for two hours. Now it is Aqua. Mary Jo attended each of his performances. One of the songs which Bobby played each performance was Climb Every Mountain.

As Bobby played it, several of the ladies in attendance would take paper napkins, place them on their heads and form a line. They became instant nuns! And they sang and made motions to Climb Every Mountain. Ten of the ladies yesterday did the same thing. Everyone joined in to sing Climb Every Mountain. It was a teary moment.

Rest in peace, Mary Jo.

I left La Te Da and went over to the Chart Room. I was surprised at who was there. My good friend Kurt. He told me he thought I would show up and that’s why he was there. Pat and Robert with him. He also had someone I met for the first time by the name of Michael. We sat and drank a bit and enjoyed our time together.

I found Michael interesting He is a relatively young man. Around 30. American by birth. Ended up in Peru somehow and married a Peruvian lady. He lived in Peru until recently and has two children. He started a restaurant business. It went bust. He’s up here bartending and trying to put together some money to go back and reopen another restaurant

Money is different in Peru. He told me that anyone on a U.S. Social Security check could live in Peru and not need any other money. $2000 a month would be a kingly sum and more than takes care of everything. That includes a live in maid, food, medical, etc. Even nights out on the town.

Peru, here I come!

We split after the Chart Room. They were off to I don’t know where to drink a bit more. I needed to eat. Chinese entered my mind. Chinese it was. I ended up at the Chinese restaurant in the Sears shopping center.

I enjoyed the meal, though I do not believe it was that healthy for me. I read the newspapers while sitting there. It was calm and peaceful.

Syracuse basketball again this evening! Syracuse plays Villanova. Tip off is 7 PM. As usual, I will be at the Sports Page Bar watching the game.

Enjoy your day! .