BLOG RADIO TALK SHOW/ TV-INTERNET SHOW…..BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

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Blog talk radio not the easiest thing to put together. Wow!

Making progress, however.

For anyone to call in / find the web page – two different ways to gain access.

The first is www.blogtalkradio.com. On the bottom of the page is a SEARCH box. Runs the length of the page. Enter: Key West Lou or Key West Lou Blog Talk Radio. That will bring you to my page. There you can hit the appropriate button to listen and, if you so desire, to call in.

The other method is more simple. Facebook carries a Blog Talk Radio Show link. Click on it and follow the instructions.

If you have problems, let me know. It will not be the site’s fault. It will be mine. It make take a week or two to get the mechanical kinks out of the way.

If you wish to call in…..I went over this a couple of days ago. I do it again.

Two ways.

www.blogtalkradio.com  to the web site. SEARCH Key West Lou or Key West Lou Blog Talk Radio. Then telephone 646-478-56731. Your call will be placed in order as received. I will respond to the calls in the same order.

The other is to use Skype. Those outside the U.S. will probably go this route. It is free. There will be on my page a “Skype to Talk” button. Click on it. Of course, you need Skype installed on your computer in order to use it. Skype is free. Download and register a Skype account at www.skype.com.

Sorry to bore you with all the detail. Necessary, however.

Friday, I do old hat! The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten in the morning my time. On television from  Key West through Miami-Dade County via Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. For internet viewing world wide, www.channel19.com.

In addition to the topics set forth during the week, I am also going to talk about Putin and Russian  people who put money in off shore accounts so as not to pay taxes. Putin is after the off shore people. Putin claims $1 trillion is involved. I am confident that Putin and the Russian way of getting things done will remedy the situation a lot faster than we ever will in the United States.

Amazing. None of the big guys anywhere in the world want to pay taxes. From the United States to Russia to Greece to Italy and many more countries. It is difficult to run a government with out cash flow. No different than a business.

I walked yesterday. Home Depot, again. It was muggy. Muggy this morning also. Key West is enjoying unbelievably good weather for this time of year.

The diet is going well. Lost another pound. That makes 15 in 18 days.

I intended to go out last night. I needed to go out. I never made it.

Sloan came over at 5. We worked on  blog talk radio till 7. I was shot. Went to bed!

That’s it for today.

Enjoy your day!

 

DIET AFFECTING MY LIFE

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Dieting has its shortcomings. Really no fun. Gluttony must be corrected, however. Dieting becomes a necessity.

Success is keeping me going! I have been on the diet 17 days. Lost 14 pounds! Big! Easy to do. I eat next to nothing.

The diet affects my social life. Which in turn affects what I write here. Difficult to go out when dieting. At least for me. Temptation all around. I am weak and easily succumb. Which means…..I have little to report about exciting Key West. Sorry. I shall return.

Yesterday was hotter than normal. I believe the temperature hit 80 degrees. I needed to turn on the air conditioning for a while. The heat also affected my walking. I walked inside. Home Depot. Cool.

Home Depot was my only excursion out of the house yesterday.

I need to get out. I am starting to feel confined. Need people…..socialization. Maybe tonight.

I spent a good portion of my inside yesterday working on Friday’s TV/Internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Came up with some interesting topics for discussion. Such as the Florida python hunt, Congressman Darrell Issa the richest man in Congress / like $450 million, Italy’s Mario Monti to resign / will Silvio Berlusconi return?, the 73 year old man finally sentenced for killing a 7 year old in 1957, the Elizabeth Rudavsky story, the European Nation winning the Noble Peace Prize, Google legitimately avoiding $2 billion in taxes with a Bermuda banking account, a burglar who called 911 to save himself from a gun totting homeowner, and more.

The movie Lincoln has or soon will be opening in Key West. Key West is one of the last communities to get it.

I started last night reading a bit about the movie. All of a sudden I was deep into Lincoln and the Civil War. Too interesting to stop reading. Lincoln was wily crafty politician.  I spent four hours reading the article.

Enjoy your day!

CRANBERRY NUT BREAD AND SHEILA

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The Chart Room again last night. Peter and Che at the bar. A good crowd otherwise.

Sheila came in after a while. Lovely Sheila. The trolley train lady. A friend to all. Loved by every one.

Sheila had a bag full of small cranberry nut bread loafs. In aluminum pans. Still warm.

This is for you, Louis. Happy Thanksgiving! She handed me one of the loaves.

How nice! How thoughtful!

When I left the Chart Room, I was headed out to dinner. Not sure where. As I got in the car, I said to myself…..go home…..eat the warm cranberry nut bread. That is what I did. Made some tea and covered the still warm bread with butter. My dinner! The best!

Thank you, Sheila.

While I was at the Chart Room, Sheila introduced me to Cori. Same pronunciation as son in law Corey’s name, except spelled differently.

Cori just received her doctorate from Exeter in England. Her PhD is in Maritime History.

She works at the Custom House as Curator of History. Knows my Corey well. Knows Lisa, also.

Yesterday morning after finishing the day’s blog, I received a telephone call from Jenna. Could we do my TV/Internet show at 4 today instead of friday? Krystal wanted to take a long weekend to spend the holiday with her folks. Ok, I said.

Only one problem. I prepare the show during the week a bit at a time each day. Ergo, I was not ready to do the show at 4. I could get ready, but would have to work diligently till 4. I did.

The show was recorded and will be shown at 10 friday morning as usual.

The topics are interesting. Let me share a few with you.

Thanksgiving. I did a history of the holiday. The pilgrims and Indians did not give us Thanksgiving. Abraham Lincoln did.

Since the show has many viewers from foreign lands who are unaware of Thanksgiving, I explained from a practical perspective what happens on Thanksgiving Day. The Macey parade, a glutonous meal, and falling asleep in front of the TV while watching college football after dinner.

The Hostess failure bothers me. A particular union is one of the problems. Another and greater problem however is the sugar industry. By virtue of a 1934 law, heavy tariffs are placed on sugar imported. As a result, no one ships sugar into the U.S. The U.S. sugar industry has a monopoly. So…..sugar costs twice as much in the U.S. as elsewhere in the world. Hostess obviously used sugar big time.

The sugar law is a form of corporate welfare. Similar to the subsidy paid oil companies. The sugar lobby in Washington is strong. They make sure the tariff program continues. There is more to this story.

A secession follow up. This whole thing is a joke. For real. Not real.

Took a walk back in history with Enrico Caruso, Casablanca, war time rationing, and Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass.

Three interesting stories where today’s cell phone was instrumental in catching wrongdoers.

The aforementioned are some of the topics discussed. I will share more with you tomorrow.

Needed a gas fill up yesterday. Stopped at the Citgo station on the boulevard. The boulevard of construction. I chatted with the woman running the place. I noticed there was a sign saying free coffee. I asked why. She told me business was down 60 per cent and they were trying to induce business. She further told me that the nearby MacDonald’s was down 61 per cent and was considering closing.

I find the MacDonald thing hard to believe. The Key West MacDonald’s is one the highest volume MacDonald’s in Florida. I hope the lady was wrong.

The boulevard construction is a rip off. Two years to complete. I can understand why. Very few people working the job. Some days no one. The highest number I have counted for one day is 7. I drive past the site at least two times a day.

Tomorrow the bird! I am excited. I was excited as a kid and continue to be excited as an adult. I love holidays!

I suspect the reason holidays excited me back when was because my family was of modest means. Not on holidays, however. The table was full of goodies!

Enjoy your day!

 

PREPARING FOR THANKSGIVING

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It’s like waiting for Santa Claus! Thanksgiving is coming! Only two days away!

Lots to do to get ready for the holiday.

Lisa bought the turkey Sunday. Brought it to my house. I who live alone have two refrigerators. The turkey is sitting in the fridge in the garage. Lisa’s refrigerator is too full to handle a frozen turkey.

Robert and Ally were all excited. They had gone to Publix with Lisa to buy the turkey. They are ready. Told me they were going to watch the Macy parade and then eat turkey, stuffings, gravy, potatoes, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. The litany flowed.

Robert and Ally will help Lisa prepare the meal. They do every year. They stand on chairs at the cupboard and cut things up, mix, etc.

Lunch yesterday was me alone at the counter at Harpoon Harry’s. Eggs benedict. I had a craving.

Walked the waterfront afterwards. Had to work some of the breakfast off. Walked by Schooner Wharf. I was surprised. Construction going on. It appears Schooner Wharf is doing a two floor addition. It will enlarge the place by at least one third.

Then it was home. Did work for friday’s TV show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Insanity does not take a break. Interesting topics already developed for the show.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour is available via television from two sources. Comcast Channel 87 and U- Verse Channel 19. The U-Verse connection runs through the Keys and Miami-Dade County.

The television show reaches 250,000 homes. I am impressed!

The show is available world wide via the internet. www.tvchannel19.com. People tune in in from 30-40 different countries.

The show is 10 am my time. I spell out the 10 am each week. We live in different time zones. People have to figure out the time I am airing in their country.

I started at the Chart Room last night. Glad I stopped in. Dave, Captain Peter and Che at the bar. I spent two stimulating hours. We solved the problems of the world and problems the world is not yet aware it is going to have. Prospective thinking.

It was a quiet dinner at Outback. A prime rib. Read the newspapers.

Stephanie came over to say hello. No Don. She was there with the grandkids.

Enjoy your day!

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

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Book review time! I finished reading Fifty Shades of Grey yesterday morning.

The book is a trilogy. The three volumes fast moving. The author is a woman. E. L. James. I specify her sex since from my perspective it is a woman’s book written by a woman.

Fifty Shades is #1 on the New York Times best seller list. It is being read world wide. Book stores keep running out.

Fifty Shades is a love novel. Again, written by a woman for women. Not generally the type of book men read. Too lovey dovey.

My sense is the book is going to raise sex to another level.

Sex and love are big time in the novel. They are integrated. One.

I am 77. This is the fourth time in my life that I have seen something occur which affected societal mores.

The birth control pill became popular in the 1960s. It freed women from the fear of unwanted pregnancy. Pre-marital sex and promiscuity were rampant. The female was liberated.  Women were able to have sex like men without the fear of consequence.

The pill elevated sex to a new level.

Then came the Joy of Sex. A 1972 novel. Explained the mechanics of sex. Advised men and women how to better enjoy sex.

The major piece of information in the book was the clitoris. Not known as well then as it is today. Hard to believe, but that is how it was.  Women were generally only enjoying vaginal orgasms. The clitoral revelation made it possible for them to enjoy clitoral orgasms. And for some, orgasms for the first time.

Joy of Sex was an international best seller, #1 on the New York Times best seller list.

Once more sex was elevated to a new level.

In 1981 and 1982, two relatively small studies were done regarding the g-spot. Medical science had been aware of the g-spot since the 1940s. A Dr. Grafenberg identified it by name in the 1950s. The g was taken from the first letter of his last name.

Some men’s sex magazine became aware of the studies. Playboy or Penthouse, perhaps. A major article was written. The thrust was that a man’s knowledge and use of the g-spot would place him in a position to better satisfy his woman.

The g-spot raised sex to even a further level.

Now comes Fifty Shades. No question a love novel. Different, however. BD/SM is the primary method of sexual play and expression.

More women than men are reading Fifty Shades. Most will want sex to provide the pleasures reflected in the book. The belief being that  BD/SM will provide increased sexual satisfaction.

Fifty Shades elevates sex to another level. Just as the pill, Joy of Sex, and the g-spot did.

Exploration time in the bedroom again!

Lets move to the more mundane.

Last night was fun! Jenna and Krystal were my guests for drinks and dinner. It was the Chart Room and Hot Tin Roof.

After the ladies left,  I stopped into the Chart Room again. Che was at the bar. I said hello. Did not have a drink. Told Che I was heading over to Don’s Place. He opted to follow me in his car.

Don was at the bar talking with Stan. I joined them. Bocce the conversation. We are team mates.

I missed Thursday night bocce this week. I was behind with the material for my Friday show. Every time I do not play, my team wins!
There has to be a message in that. The team beat Larry’s team 2-1.

Che arrived. The conversation changed. All sort of problems were discussed. The conversation got cerebral. I left. My head could take no more.

Syracuse beat Missouri in football yesterday 31-27. Good for Syracuse! A struggling team this year. They are now 6-5.

Today Syracuse basketball! One pm. I will be watching the game at John Lukas’ Big Ten Pub.

Syracuse is playing Wagner. A warm up game for Syracuse. Syracuse should win easily.

My Utica good friend Gus graduated from Wagner. It would have been nice if we could have watched the game together.

The college football picture was screwed up big time yesterday. Both Kansas State and Oregon lost. Notre Dame is the only undefeated major college team. Notre Dame has to get by USC next week to stay numero uno.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

 

SYRACUSE BASKETBALL AT LUKAS’ BIG TEN PUB

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Syracuse fans who visit Key West! There is a new place for watching Syracuse basketball. John Lukas’ Big Ten Pub. Located on lower Caroline Street.

You have previously joined me at the Sports Bar on Green street. It is no more. Closed. In the meantime, John Lukas opened a new  sports bar. Fortune shined on us. The place is terrific!

The season has started. San Diego State is behind us. I stopped in to see John last night at his sports bar. I made the deal for the season. There will always be at least one TV set aside for Syracuse viewing. The same one. We have our own corner, tables and chairs. It matters not whether pro foot ball or other sports are playing. Syracuse basketball will be available! Guaranteed!

The food is good, also. Extra good.

We need a Syracuse flag. I told John  I would get one. The flag we had at the other bar was supposed to be returned to me. Never got it.

You will like John. He is a gracious host.

My yesterday started with a hair cut at Lori’s Blown Away. I was surprised when I walked in. Lori was finishing up Lisa. A pleasure to run into my daughter. I asked how Ally did after I left the day before. Lisa said she redid everything per my instructions. Ally was thrilled with the result. A good grandfather am I!

I had Lori trim my beard a bit. Not much. Under the chin and neck. I had more hair on my neck than on my chin.

I researched and read till late afternoon. I had a 4 o’clock appointment at the Comcast TV studio. Jenna and I fine tuned the physical portion of the show. The dark/night background is gone. A light orange replaces it. Chairs were changed, etc. Crystal the engineer and owner Rick helped.

Everything should work properly this friday. I consider  friday my first show. Four minutes last week was not enough to qualify. We are doing a run through this afternoon to make sure everything is A-OK.

The show….. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten in the morning my time friday. Available on television in the Keys on Comcast Channel 87. Available world wide via the internet. www.tvchannel19.com.

I stopped at the gas station on US 1 and Key Haven. A Sheriff’s car sitting there. Out jumped Matt Dowling. Matt is an old friend I see not enough. He is obviously a deputy. We were both glad to have run into each other.

The Chart Room was interesting. JJ bartending. The only other customer besides me for a while was Dan. I met Dan last night for the first time.

Dan is manager at the Sunset Pier Bar.

The three of us chatted. Dan’s wife is Sheila. Sheila is the bartender at the Hot Tin Roof. I told Dan how I once judged a high heels contest at Vino’s. Sheila was in it. Very high heeled red shoes. He recalled. Says she has never worn them since. We decided women buy a lot of clothes they rarely use.

Some how the conversation got around to Cape Cod. JJ spent his wedding night at the Chatham Bar Inn. I stayed at the Inn once or twice a summer for several years. A great place.

We chatted about another Dan. The Dan presently the manager of Hogsbreath. Formerly manager of the Yacht Club. I shared that Dan was once the manager of the Impudent Oyster in Chatham.

A small world.

Then it was to John Lukas’ sports bar. While there, I watched the first half of the Michigan State/Kansas basketball game.

I finished watching the game at Don’s Place. A close game. Michigan State won. Terrific basketball! Unusual this early in the season.

An Italian friend emailed  and told me that Italy would have a demonstration today. I was told the papers were not even reporting it for fear the demonstration would get out of hand.

Italy is six hours ahead of us time wise. The demonstration has already occurred as I write this blog. Thousands of people. No reported injuries or damage.

Turns out several countries demonstrated yesterday. Greece, Spain and Portugal included. The people of each country are sick of the austerity programs being imposed on them. They have had two years of austerity already.

Germany’s Chancellor Merkel visited Italy monday. She was not welcome. The Italians are beginning to dislike Germany as the Greeks do. Germany is the banker.

If it were not so serious, it would be a joke. Germany is never going to collect all the dollars it loaned. Did Germany pay back the heavy reparations following World War I? Of course not. There is only so much that can be done in spite of promises made.

I have an appointment to see a dermatologist later this morning. I  developed a growth on my back. It is going to be cut out. Ouch!

Enjoy your day!

 

JOY IN MUDVILLLE?…..YES AND NO

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There is no joy in Mudville. Mighty Casey has struck out!

Famous words now applied by me to football.

There was joy in Mudville yesterday for Syracuse. A poor football team this year. Yet yesterday, Syracuse out did itself! Syracuse beat previously undefeated Louisville 45-26. Fraternity row was jumping last night in celebration.

There was no joy in Mudville for Alabama. #1 in the country! Previously unbeaten! Got their asses whipped by #11 Texas A & M. Jean Thornton threatened suicide. David has not been seen since the game ended.

Today is the start of the Syracuse basketball season. It will be another good year! I am excited. Syracuse plays San Diego State at San Diego. The game will be played on the deck of the USS Midway. San Diego is no soft touch. They won 26 games last year. A West Virginia star transferred and will be starting for San Diego.

Syracuse rarely begins its season against a ranking team. Today’s game should be good.

I spent a significant portion of yesterday reading. Fifty Shades of Grey. Really three volumes. I am into the third volume. The book is a best seller. Receiving much comment, especially from women. I am with holding my thoughts regarding the book till I finish it.

My first stop last night was the Chart Room. Captain Peter at the bar. Always good to be with Peter. A finer person does not exist.

Soon we were joined by Andrea. First time I met her. Peter knew her. She does double duty. Rents scooters and is a concierge.

Andrea was very good company. Intelligent. Piercing. The three of us had an interesting couple of hours.

I then walked over to the Wine Galkley. Figured I would grab a bite to eat and listen to Larry Smith play. While at the bar, I met another interesting lady. Judy. We chatted a bit at the bar. I invited her to join me for dinner. She declined. Already had eaten. Did join me at the table, however.

Judy is from Solon, Ohio. She is a nurse anesthetist. She was in Key West for a medical conference at the Weston and stayed a few extra days. She is the mother of two and grandmother of one

Judy has been visiting Key West at least three times a year since 1993. Loves Larry Smith!

I enjoyed Judy’s company. We had a good time at the Wine Galley.

The author Michael Dennis came in. Judy said that he looked familiar. She remembered him from when he owned a bar on Duval and used to play the piano and sing. A number of years back. She picked up on the familiarity when Larry turned the piano over to Michael. Michael has a unique singing style.

I received a communication from a friend in Paris. He said Paris has not been the same since Stephanie Kaple arrived. She made an impact! Stephanie apparently will be remembered even after she returns to Key West.

Enjoy your Sunday!

THE DAY…..FINALLY

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This is the day. Election day. Presidential election day.

After years and months of campaigning, it is over. Fortuantely! It can and does get to be a bit too much.

I am an Obama supporter. I early voted for him last week. I am not sure he will win. For the past months, I have had doubts. On the other hand, it is incomprehensible to me why people would vote for Romney. His political affiliation has nothing to do with it. The man is basically a liar. He is also a non supporter of women’s rights. If he wins, it will be because of the economy. Things are still tough. People desperate. The desperation will drive the Romney vote.

I think Romney would make an inept President. Although of some concern, it does not bother me that much. We have survived incompetent Presidents before. My concern is whether we can survive the people who will have elected Romney. I refer to the 2 per cent and the corporations. I fear they will rape the governmental process to satisfy their own economic ends.

Whatever. We shall see.

I have been invited to an election evening party. Should be fun. I am looking forward to it.

I spent a couple of hours at the Chart Rome last night. It was Monday. Mary’s night to bartend.

Fortune befell me. I met Jennifer. We had a stimulating political conversation.

Jennifer is visiting. She is a Parrothead who came to Key West for this past weekend’s festivities. She is staying a few extera days. Jennifer is from outside Philadelphia. Bucks County. She is employed by Bucks County. Its Health Department. She is a Preparedness Planner. Her job is to deal with a disaster, if one occurs.

Sandy, New Jersey and the Presdidential election all came into the conversation. She is a Democrat who plans on voting for Romney if she gets home in time tonight. I asked why. She skirted the issue a bit. When it came to push, it was the economy.

I learned a lot about FEMA and how disasters should be handled from her perspective. Jennifer believes the federal government’s involvement should be limited to providing funds. Money. Her County and State she said are ready and trained to handle disasters. However with a major disaster, more monies are required than are available at the State level.

I learned from her. I raised the issue concerning the firemen who came in from out of state to help New Jersey. The Jersey firemen would not let them participate unless they signed a paper which in effect made them a part of the Jersey firefighter’s union. I thought that sucked.

Jennifer corrected me. The reason for the signing was to protect the out of staters in the event they were hurt. Their home states had no responsinility if an injury occurred. New Jersey had none either unless they signed up to be covered by New Jersey. The out of state helpers were volunteers. Jennifer told me this problem reared its ugly head during 9/11. Many came to help from outside New York and were injured. Many of those are still waiting for compensation.

Jennifer was proud of her job and the state of readiness she and her co workers were in. She was also proud of an additional item. Her 15 year old daughter. Her daughter frequently was mentioned.

The balance of this week is big! The Power Boat Races aka Super Boat Races. The World Championships here in Key West. The races will be Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Big expensive boats. Whole teams here. Racers and crews, wives and girl friends. The races are spine chilling to watch.

My new TV show this friday at 10 in the morning my time. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Comcast Channel 87. Available world wide via the internet. www.tvchannel19.com. The internet connection for world wide viewing is important since the show is now watched in 38 countries.

I worked a bit yesterday on the show. Two additional topics have been prepared.

One has to do with the Greek vote next week to approve further austerity cuts. The people are pissed big time. The unions have called for two days of strike before the Greek legislature votes. No one works. Not even medical staff. People have already started protesting. The demonstrations are averaging 10,000-15,000 persons a day. Tens of thousands more are expected next week.

The other topic involves Pakistan. A Muslim father threw acid in the face of his 15 year old daughter because she looked at a boy on a cycle. The thrust of the discussion involves the fact that the Quaran does not provide for such a punishment. The acid thing is the result of man made law / custom which has developed in a male dominant society that considers women possessions.

Enjoy your day!

SATURDAY DATE WITH JENNA

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Clock changing time!

It is nice to see the sun up and shining when getting out of bed in the morning. The problem is the evenings. It will be dark around 6. Within a month, 5.

Spent most of yesterday’s afternoon working on next friday’s show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Up to this point, it was an internet show. The show has graduated. Henceforth, it will be a TV/Internet show. New broadcasgting station and everything. New call letters. The show will be available on Comcast Channel 87 for television viewing throughout the keys. It will be available world wide via the internet. www.tvchannel19.com.

Ten in the morning my time.

Prepared for discussion is female viagara. Yes, it’s on its way! The purpose is to provide and/or enhance the female orgasm. The pharmaceutical industry leaves no stone unturned where a profit may be made.

I wonder if when the new prescription is available, whether it will be free to women under Obamacare? If so, what will the position be of the Republican right and Catholioc Church? Recall that the Church’s position is that sex is for procreation and not recreation.

Other topics include Oklahoma’s open carry gun law which went into effect November 1, the death of a World War II code talker, and gas shortages in the 1970s from a personal perspective.

My Saturday evening date was the lovely Jenna. A beauty inside and out! Jenna is a local TV personality and person about town.

The evening started at the Chart Room. Where else! Sheila and David at the bar. Chatted with them a bit. Jenna and I enjoyed a couple of drinks and good conversation.

Then to the Hot Tin Roof.

My Mother enjoyed mussels. She would devour them at every opportunity. The Hot Tin Roof has mussels as an appetizer. I asked for a double order. That was my meal. They were prepared in a light tastety red sauce. The bread dunking type. Delicious!

Jenna does not eat. She is a cheap date. I doubt she is even a size 2. If there is a zero classification, that is her size.

The Hot Tin Roof has a macoroni and cheese appetizer. The women seem to love it. Jennna does. She always orders the dish. Nothing else. It is a small portion. She doggy bags most of it.

After dropping Jenna home, I stopped at Don’s Place. Convenient. Jenna lives a half a block from Don’s. Chatted with Don, Herschel, Erika, Stan, and others.

Don introduced me to a new couple. Dan and Betty. Dan has been playing golf with my golfing buddies recently. The couple is from Tampa. They vist Key West often. They have a mobile home.

Dan is an Army veteran. He is able to park his mobile home at the Navy base. A good deal. Cheap. Even the bar that serves alcohol is cheap. I have been a guest a few times. Every thing is $1.

Lisa just telephoned. Daddy, come to dinner tonight.

Enjoy your sunday!

SANDY UPDATE

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As Sandy heads for landfall in New Jersey and New York, its effects are still evident in Key West.

The weather was beautiful yesterday. No clouds. Sunny all day. Mid 80s. The one exception was the wind. It was cut in half to about 25 miles per hour from the previous day. Held steady all day. Blowing a bit less this morning.

I have two large flower pots, one on each side of the glass sliding doors leading to the deck. Filled with dirt. Rather than flowers, they have some green plant that is not affected by the salt the ocean throws at us daily. The pots are exceptionally heavy because of the dirt. I have never been able to lift them.

Yesterday, when the wind was cut in half, both pots were blown over. One broke. It had to be the wind. However, the wind was not as bad as the day before. I concluded the wind direction had changed. Not much. But enough to knock the pots over. A first! The pots have been sitting there for ten years.

I have lived long enough in Key West to have experienced a few hurricanes. I want to share some advise with my friends up north as to what to do.

1. If you know you are going to be in the path of a bad one, get out! Simply stated. It is too late when the storm hits.

2. If you remain, fill your bath tub with water. To flush the toilets. The sewers may not function. Nature does, however. The ability to flush is required.

3. Your power will go off. There will be no electric. Maybe no gas. It may be intermintent or for a few days. You must be prepared for any such eventuality.

4. Have at least 3 flashlights. Make sure they work. Even if they do, buy new batteries.

5. You need candles. There will be times you will live like Abraham Lincoln in his youth. That means matches or a lighter, also.

6. Drinking water. Buy a lot of bottled water.

7. Food. Remember, your power will be off. You do not know how long. Buy only foods that need not be cooked nor kept in the refrigerator. Your refrigerator will be useless to you also if power is off for an extended period. You need foods like crackers, cookies, peanut butter. Whatever requires no preparation. Purchase also canned foods that need not be heated. Like sardines. Make sure you have a can opener. Popeye you are not.

8. There is a small radio that operates on batteries. It is strictly for emergency purposes. It will provide weather reports, hurricane news, and updated survival advice. Nothing else. One can be bought at a Home Depot or similar store.

9. Stay in. Do not go out. You could end up in Missouri.

Last night was the big Fantasy Fest parade. I did not go. When you have seen as many as I have, you can skip a year or two occasionally.

I headed for the Chart Room early. Before 5. I wanted to get in and out. The streets would soon be blocked off. I stayed for a couple of drinks and fun conversation with Captain Peter, Sean and Katherine. Peter was going to skip the parade also. Sean and Katherine were dressed as Swiss yoddelers. They looked good! They were headed for a party at La Concha.

Many tourists in the Chart Room. In and out. All dressed in costumes. All having fun. It was another evening when the elctricity could be felt in the air.

When I drove out of the Pier House parking lot, Front Street was blocked at its intersection with Simonton. I was stuck for the parade. I would not be able to get out till at least midnight. Necessity is the mother of invention. I got out of the car, moved the barricade, drove through, then got out again and returned the barricade to its proper position. Fortunately, there were no police officers nearby.

I stopped at Don’s Place. Parade traffic no problem at Don’s. Many costumed people. Drinking and playing pool. Soon to leave to walk to the parade. The same electricity again.

I kissed and hugged Joanie. Danced a bit with her. Said hello to Jimmy. Greeted Boomer. Chatted a while with Kurt.

Then to Outback for dinner.

I was home in bed before 8:30. Watched two terrific football games. Alabama continues on its role to a national championship. Notre Dame looked fantastic. A great college football year.

Must hurry. Want to watch Meet the Press.

Enjoy your Sunday!