Lisa better. She went to work yesterday. She sees her doctor today. Whatever it was seems to have come and gone. A ruptured ovarian cyst seems to be the best diagnosis at this time.

Thank you all for your concern.

I spent my day reading. For pleasure. For Louis.

First at Borders. I finished Game Change. A good political book. Covered the Presidential primaries and election of 2008.

The last chapter concerned itself with Obama’s choice of Hillary for Secretary of State. He wanted her from day one. Not necessarily for political reasons. But because from his perspective she was the best for the job! Hillary was against taking the position till the very last moment. For many reasons. One the Bill thing. Another she still hurt from the primary. She finally relented and agreed.

Obama pursued her with diligence. She was the best person for the job at this time in history. He considered her acceptance a major accomplishment and addition to his team.

One book closes, another opens…..

I started The Shack.

A short novel. A psychotherapist’s dream. A best seller now in paper back.

I read only the forward and first two chapters. Too early to really comment. Except I was very impressed with the writing style. It is different.

Then to the Coffee House. Read the local paper and the New York Times.

Last night was a return to civilization for me. A dinner party. At Jackie Grimm’s.

The food was outstanding! Glad I am off my diet. Desert was white chocolate mouse ice cream with sugary rasberry sauce.

The company was even better. An artsy group. Culture abounded.

A New York pychotherapist was a guest. I asked him about The Shack. He said a great book. He agreed that the writing style was different and was the first thing he noticed also. That is as far as he would go. He did not want to ruin the reading experience for me by telling me more.

I never got to working on this coming friday’s radio show. So this morning I must. I am always concerned that I shall fail to prepare and will spend the hour trying to figure out what to talk about.

Lunch today at I Hop. Free pancakes. A fundraiser for Miami Childrens Hospital. Join me there for lunch!

Oh, I almost forgot! Syracuse is ranked #1! Go Cuse!

Enjoy your day!

Good morning world!

The sun is up and bright here in Key West. Not a cloud in the sky.

The temperature is not where it should be this time of the year. Still low. Still cold. Only 56 this morning. High will be somewhere in the mid 60s.

What a crazy year weather wise!

Interestingly, the lodging statistics show an increase so far this year over last year. The tourists are coming in droves. And enjoying themselves! The bars and estaurants are full. They are even taking sunset cruises. Wearing of course their winter gear from up north!

Lisa still aching. But on the mend. Tests showed nothing bad occurred. The hospital doctor thought she might have ruptured an ovarian cyst. She has to see her gynecologist today.

I visted Lisa yesterday afternoon. She was laid out on the sofa. Laid out is the proper term. The hospital had drugged her big time. It was an effort for her to even open her eyes. But no pain!

Robert and Ally were dutifully caring for their Mother. Cute!

Tomorrow is a big day at I Hop. Free short orders of pancakes from 10 am to 2 pm.

I do not normally do pancakes. But I will tomorrow. Not because they are free. It is actually a fund raiser. The pancakes are free, but you are expected to leave a donation for a worthy cause.

The cause is Miami Childrens Hospital.

I have a personal interest in Miami Childrens. My grandson Robert.

Robert was born with cancer of the liver. Not common. Humans are not born with cancer. It is an after birth acquired affliction. Robert was treated at Miami Childrens Hospital. He had two major surgeries. On the 4th and 8th days of his new life. He is now 5 years old and ok. Still must see the doctors at Miami Childrens till he is 18, however. And they are the same doctors who saved him 5 years ago.

I saw much while at Miami Childrens Hospital with my grandson. Children from all over the world. Being treated for all kinds of afflictions. Money immaterial. If you had none or no insurance plan to pay, you were still cared for. By the best professionals with the most modern equipment.

So…..stop into I Hop tomorrow for a free order of pancakes. And after you enjoy them, leave a few dollars to help the hospital that helps kids from all over.

I stopped at Publix to buy some things I have not eaten for the last 3 months while dieting. One was fruit. Bananas. I ate one. In the car while driving home. So good!

I spent the day in. I was tired from the night before. Watched the Michigan State/Purdue game. Purdue lost. Too bad. They were ranked #3 nationally. They lost prior to the game their star forward Robbie Hummel. The impact of his not playing was obvious.

The new rankings come out today. The top 3, Kansas, Kentucky and Purdue, all lost over the weekend. Syracuse beat Villanova. Syracuse should be #1 in the new rankings. A wow! Syracuse was not even ranked preseason.

I plan on spending part of this day getting ready for this week’s radio show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour will be seen and heard on friday at 10 in the morning. http://www.konkam.com/. Plan on being with me.

Enjoy your day!

6 am. I am at Lisa’s. Been here since 2:30. Got a phone call. Lisa had big pain in her side.

Lisa now in emergency room. Blood work ok. Presently getting a cat scan.

Lisa’s words as she went out the door concerned Ally. She is going to wake up and freak out when she discovers I am gone.

Ally woke up. She wanted Mommy. No problem. I gently explained what was going on. And that Mommy would be home soon. I invited here to join me on the living room couch. She said no, she was going back to sleep.

A melt down avoided.

Now we have to get Lisa back in ok shape.

Daytime yesterday was uneventful. I stayed in bed till early afternoon. Then ran some errands. And back to bed till the evening. I guess I was tired.

Last night at 9 was the Syracuse/Villanova basketball game. Big! Syracuse ranked #4 nationally and Villanova #8.

Game was played at Syracuse. A sold out crowd. Over 34,000. Biggest attended college basketball game ever! So you can appreciate the size of the crowd, Madison Square Garden only holds 19,000.

Syracuse won by roughly 20 points! What a game!

Villanova came out hot. Syracuse cold. It was Villanova by 8 ten minutes into the game. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Then Syracuse came alive!

Syracuse ahead by 10 at the half. And 20 at the end.

A major win!

#1 Kansas lost. So did Kentucky. Just maybe Syracuse will be #1 when the updated rankings come out Monday.

I watched the game at the Sports Page Bar. With Skaneatles friends Don and Lisa and Key Wester Steve again. Plus Sandra and Robert, also from Skaneatles. Sandra owns a florist shop there and Robert is a realtor. And many other Syracuse supporters throughout the bar.

There was lot of yelling and screaming as the game progressed.

It was Don and Lisa’s last evening in Key West. They return home today. Sad. Nice people. I shall miss them. Especially at the Syracuse games.

Don bought dinner. I ate a lot. Not because he was buying. I did not know when I was ordering. The diet is over so I thought I might splurge a bit.

Did I!

A prime rib dinner. 14 ounces of meat! Oh, so good!

Followed by a piece of chocolate cake covered with whip cream. Even better!

My conscience was getting to me. I only ate half the cake!

The first thing I did when I got home was go to the scale. I peeked with one eye, then two. I had not gained a pound!

I suspect the yelling and screaming and jumping around during the game may have helped.

Ally got up. She is sitting next to me at the kitchen table coloring. We are talking. We went through the where is Mommy thing again. She is ok with everything for the moment.

Robert must be up. I hear some one peeing. It can only be him.

It was Robert. Where’s Mommy? No one wants to know where is Daddy. I explained.The truth. Hospital, etc. He accepted it.

So far, I am doing good at baby sitting this night.

Enjoy your day! I hope everything works out well with Lisa and we are only dealing with we don’t know what caused the pain. Otherwise this baby sitting may get extended for quite a while.

What is going on?

An 8.8 earthquake in Chile!

A tsunami heading for Hawaii! 10-15 feet!

Haiti’s earthquake!

Snowstorms up north being described as hurricane snowstorms!

Cold forever here in the Florida keys!

Don’t tell me there is not a global warming problem! Lets stop playing political football with the issue and figure it out! And correct it before we are confronted with an inconceivable disaster!

Everything else seems immaterial at the moment. But life goes on. So bear with me as I share my yesterday with you.

The radio show went well. Very well. Fridays at 10 is my new time. If you missed the show, watch and listen next week on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/.

After the radio show, I drove over to my doctor’s office. Dr. Jackie Lefferts. She is an internest. I am impressed with her. She has been caring for me for 3 years. I find her to be a diagnostician of the highest order.

Dr. Lefferts got me into my present diet. By the way, I finally hit 30 pounds a few days ago. The diet is over! Hooray! I hope I have sufficiently changed my eating habits so that I will be able to maintain my new weight. It is an eternal battle!

Dr. Lefferts is the one who got me on the Medifast diet that resulted in the 30 pound loss. Her husband Michael runs the diet program out of her offices. He is a director/guru of the Medifast program.

The primary reason I decided to do the diet was when I saw what it did to the Doctor and her husband. Both lost 30 plus pounds on it and looked terrific!

I stopped at the Doctor’s office yesterday to talk with Michael about my maintenance program. The receptionist told me to go right into his office. I did. Guess what I saw? There was Michael sitting at his desk eating a piece of pizza! Shocking! Caught him in the act! I have not had pizza in 3 months!

He knew it was an embarassing moment. I thought he was going to choke on the bite he was enjoying.

We both laughed. It never changes. Everything in life is do as I say, not as I do.

The Chart Room was packed with tourists last night. A couple came in and was interested in the holes at the bar containing the ashes of some of the old timers now gone. I ended up explaining who the remains belonged to and that two holes yet remain unfilled since there are still 2 old patrons alive and kicking.

After they left I thought…..Is this what my life has come to? Think about it. I have become a part of the tradition myself. Good and bad, depending how you look at it.

It was La Trattoria for dinner.

Beecha was lovely! Hugged and kissed me on two different occasions. Sometimes I think I go to La Trattoria so much just for her hugs and kisses. Maybe.

Lee Ann was sitting at the bar eating alone. I have not seen her in about 8 months. And at that time it was at the bar at La Trattoria also.

We had dinner together. Her husband was snowed in in New Jersey and could not return home to Key West. His misforune was my good fortune. I had a pleasant evening. Lee Ann is good company.

I mentioned a few days ago that my good friend Terri White had a new gig. She is going into the part of Mama Morton in the Chicago revival. The news was officially released yesterday. Facebook is overwhelmed with congratulations to her.

Tonight Syracuse/Villanova. At 9. I will be at my usual place at the Sports Page Bar watching the game. With a bunch of other Syracuse fans! A good night ahead!

Enjoy your day!

The heat is overwhelming!

What a joke!

I have been in Key West for more than 20 years at this time of the year. I never remember it being so cold so long!

Last night was bocce. 58 degrees! Piercing cold! In the bones!

Our team the Donkeys has good players. We need some time to come together. We are still feeling each other out. Learning to play with each other. And we have not developed the necessary killer instinct as yet.

I played all 3 games. We lost the first. Due to the lack of the killer instinct. We just could not load the points on when the opportunity presented itself. The second game was a breeze! We won big time. My partner Norm and I were responsible for two 4s and a 3 at our end. Big! The last game was a disaster. We got killed.

Such is life! We shall improve as the season wears on.

This morning is radio show time.The Key West Lou Legal Hour is at 10 am. KONK 1500 AM. Better seen and listened to on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/. Give a telephone call to me at 305-294-2769.

I was at Walgreen’s at lunch time to pick up a prescription. Ran into my dear friend Jackie Grimm. Adorned in black tights, sweater and a shawl. With a fluffy black hat covering her flowing white hair. A lovely lady!

A fortuitous meeting. We decided to have lunch together. Which we did at the Yacht Club.

Afterwards it was Borders for me. I am close to finishing Guard Change. I am into the campaign for President.

Palin looks terrible. A whack. More interested in what Alaskans thought of her than the rest of the country. It surprises me she did so well in the debate with Biden.

Biden had his own problems. Made some gaffs. The Obama team ignorred him much of the time as a result thereof.

I was speaking with what can only be described as a Key West old timer yesterday. He has been here since the 1960s. He recalls only one winter as cold as this one. Back in the 1970s. He told me it was followed the next year by a winter unreasonably hot.

I can’t wait!

For my friends up north, remember we do not have the necessary clothes to wear in weather this cold. Many do not even have heat. The stores long ago sold out on floor heaters.

Enjoy your day!

This weather is rediculous!

Two days ago it was 80. This morning it is 58. The high today is projected at 61. Tonight the temperature will drop to 53.

Key West is experiencing its third consecutive day of rain. Pouring rain.

Something is screwed up somewhere!

My radio show is tomorrow. Friday. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Please listen in. At 10 am.

KONK 1500 AM radio. See and hear me on the internet. www.konkam.com.

I am going to cover a bit of the historical aspect of separation of Church and State. It will include John Alden and Priscilla. Priscilla of…..”Speak for yourself, John” fame.

My day yesterday was spent in. I had a ton of paper work to get out.

I had to get out last night. Opted for Hogfish.

I have not shaved since friday. Did not want to shave last night. I am in a Key West state of mind. Hogfish made it easy. The dress mode is always slob minus.

I ventured out in the rain. What a storm! I figured Hogfish would be empty because of the weather. Was I wrong! The place was packed! People waiting for tables! Never experienced that before.

I was able to find a spot at the bar quickly, however. Enjoyed a cup of lobster bisque to warm up. Followed by fish and chips. Hogfish obviously.

There was a keys fisherman seated next to me. He was smoking. His secondary smoke tasted delightful. I have not had a cigarette since October 29.

Tonight bocce. If it continues to rain all day, bocce will be rained out. The courts are clay and play is difficult if they are wet.

I hope the rain ends. I enjoy bocce. Missed it last week. The Syracuse/Geogetown basketball game was more important.

Enjoy your day!

This is not easy this morning. This is hard.

Tino telephoned me last night as I was going out. Jana is dead.

Jana. Young. Mid 20s. Absolutely beautiful. Tall. Thin. Always a smile. Always a quiet hello.

Jana was from the Czech Republic. I have known her about 3 years. She would be here in Key West 6 months. And then home to the Czech Republic for 6 months. Back and forth.

She was in love. With Shane. Her male counterpart. Just as nice as her.

They made the perfect couple.

We all played bocce. Though on different teams. Jana and Shane played on Don’s Place. Just last week I was both kidding and admonishing Shane that it was time to marry Jana. His response was his quiet Gary Cooper smile.

Shane is in his early 30s. Makes a living as a boat person. He takes tourists out flat fishing. Shane knows the waters and their dangers.

Jana and Shane went kayaking Saturday. One kayak. A 10 foot 2 seater. They left from the Dry Tortugas. Shane filed a float plan stating they would be back at 4:30. They did not return at 4:30. The Coast Guard sent out a rescue helicopter.

Seventeen hours later they found Jana’s floating body.

An hour later, they found Shane about a mile away. Alive.

The weather is touchy this time of year. It changes unexpectedly. The cold fronts come in and out. Rough weather arises quickly. Even a cautious experienced boater as Shane can be caught in a bad situation.

I spoke with Larry Smith this morning. He described Jana perfectly…..She never spoke over a beautuful whisper.

The playwrite A. Sachs penned a death soliloquoy that fits Jana perfectly: “Death is more universal than life, everyone dies but not everyone lives.”

Jana lived a beautiful existence in the short time she was with us.

Shane, hang in there! We all love you. And we all loved Jana. Nothing more can be said.

The weather started off good yesterday. It was 80 degrees at noon.

Then it started raining. Temp fell to 73. Rained all night. Raining now. Supposed to rain all day.

But the temperature will be in the low to mid 70s. OK!

A great brunch yesterday! A Haitian fund raiser at the A&B Lobster House. A&B has 6 Haitians on staff. So A&B opted to do the right thing. A good thing. A fund raiser. The event was well done and well attended!

Terrific food! A long table of fish and shell fish. Another table of usual breakfast foods like eggs benedict. And a large sweets table. Plus stations for bloody marys and mimosas.

I experienced good food and good company.

Mike and Tina from Hartford invited me as their guest. Two couples also. Jordan and Stephanie. Nick and Julie.

Turns out Jordan is owner of Upper Crust Pizzeria. There is one located on Duval Street near Antonia’s. Always packed. Does a big business.

Jordan does not own it. His father Barry does.

Jordan owns 16 other Upper Crust Pizzerias. A chain. All located in Massachusetts. He is presently opening number 17 in Wellesley on Central Avenue. My daughter Beth and her family live in Wellesley.

Don’s lady is a Boston interior decorator. Stephanie is her name. Lovely. She and Jordan look well together.

Jordan is a pilot. Stephanie is close to obtaining her license. Jordan has a new plane which is scheduled for delivery in 4 weeks.

The pizza business is good!

Nick’s true name is Nicholi. He and his friend Julie operate Key West Sea Planes. They have two. They fly people to Little Palm Island. Do private charters anywhere. And provide flying lessons. Jordan and Stepahanie are or have been students.

Nick runs the seaplane business. For Julie it is a second love. She is a doctor first. She has her own genral practice here in Key West. Julie Floyd, M.D.

Nick and Julie recently bid on a two year contract to fly people to the Dry Tortugas. The Dry Tortugas is a national park. There were 3 applicants. Two local and one from Alaska. The Alaska guy won. Me thinks there is something screwed up in the national park system. The modus operandi should be to hire local.

Such is government!

Mike and Tina were gracious hosts. Nice people. Soon to be gone, I am afraid. Both may shortly be moving to Japan to work. A big move geographically and other wise for the both of them.

They own a home in Old Town across from the cemetary. They plan on keeping their Key West home.

After brunch I stopped at Borders. I am still reading Game Change. I am into the Republican primary. McCain’s comeback is dramatic.

Then to Lisa’s. The family had just returned from Fort Zach beach. Ally was running around in her bathing suit. Robert in the process of changing.

Robert and I played another game of checkers. Our second game in two days. Robert is just learning.

The game took 45 minutes. We stopped when each of us had 3 kings and it was obvious our moves would not produce a victory or loss for either of us.

We both concentrated. Especially Robert. Five years old and deliberate. Thinks every move and the whole board at the same time. I am impressed with his playing.

Robert plays chess. Well! So does Ally. They learned how to play at Montessori.

Robert says checkers is harder than chess. I told him no. I could never learn how to play chess. It was too hard for me and took too much thinking. Robert disagrees.

Since I ate a huge lunch, I ate no dinner. Still struggling to lose that last pound.

Enjoy your day!

The sun and I got up at the same time today.

The sun was rising just as I walked out on the terrace to see how today’s weather was going to be. A big orange ball breaking over the ocean! Striking!

The rising sun has been hidden the past couiple of weeks because of clouds. It was good to see it again!

To compound matters, I was watching Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises on TV before I walked outside. I am not certain, but Hemingway probably wrote the novel while living in Key West.

Yesterday was supposed to be cool. The weather report suggested the temperature might reach 70. We lucked out! It hit 76! And today and the next few days will be in the low to mid 70s.

About time!

I started yesterday with a haircut. At Lori’s. She told me that Lisa, Robert and Ally had just left. Sorry I missed them.

Ally is 4. Going on 20. She wants long hair. She presently has more hair than face. But Lisa is letting her have her way. Lori told me Ally only had a trim.

After the haircut, I went over to the Coffee House. Read the papers and enjoyed a cup of coffee.

I decided it was time to be nice to Louis. That meant a manicure and pedicure. Relaxing, especially the pedicure. I have a foot fetish. Love to have my feet rubbed. I find it relaxing to the extent that I fall asleep. As I almost did while getting my pedicure yesterday.

Then it was to Lisa’s.

Corey and Ally were leaving for the beach to swim. I told you it was warm! Ally’s hair must have had the slightest of trims. It was still long and covering her head and face big time.

Robert did not want to swim. He opted to stay home with his mother.

Robert and I ended up playing checkers. First time. He is good. Almost beat me. I was lucky to win. I was impressed at Robert’s ability to play. He knew what moves to make. More importantly, he knew why.

And only 5 years old!

I decided to stay in last night. Made a light meal. Then early to bed.

Today is Sunday. My favorite day. Enjoy your Sunday! I shall mine!