MY FIRST MEAL

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It has been ten days since I ended my diet. Since then I have been extremely careful about what I eat. In reality, I have consumed small portions of this and that. Never anything even close to a meal.

Till last night. I did it big!

A prime rib, baked potato (no butter) and steamed vegetables. No bread. Ate it all! My plate was clean at the end. It was as if I had not eaten in ages.

I was at the bar at Outback.

Renee sat next to me. Originally from Ghana, she now lives in Homestead. She went to college here in Key West for two years. Then elsewhere to get her bachelor degree. Now she is working on her masters via the internet. She works with blood donations in the keys. Brings her to Key West once a week.

Interestingly, she has never given blood. Needles scare her.

I started the evening at Don’s Place. Don, Herschel and Mike there. Nancy came in later on. I was happy to see Mike and Nancy again. About two years ago, they pulled up stakes and returned to Pennsylvania. They are back! Everyone is is thrilled they are!

My next stop was the Chart Room. Captain Peter and Charlotte. The lovely Charlotte from North Carolina that I wrote about a couple of days ago. Even more striking last night! Mary was bartending. Business was slow. The four of us chatted a while.

I did my blog talk radio show earlier this morning. My sixth week. It is a talk show. Not enough people are calling in, however. I end up talking with myself. No fun. I have heard myself before and know what I think.

I can tell there are a number of people listening in. From all over. Even one from Italy and one from South Africa this morning. There are stats on the computer screen providing and updating the information during the show.

Call!!! I feel like a woman waiting for a recent date to call back. Not nice.

A tragedy occurred in Key West sunday. Sailboats were engaged in the annual Wreckers Race. The weather was warm. High 70s. However, there was a strong breeze coming in from the north east. The wind at times gushing 30-35 knots.

The Schooner Hindu is a Key West icon. Seventy five feet. Has the highest mast in Key West. Besides racing, it takes tourists out for sunset cruises.

Hindu’s mast snapped. People were injured. Ambulances all over.

The incident occurred off Fort Zach beach. Captain Peter spends his afternoons at the beach sunning and reading. He was watching the race. He saw the mast snap and fall. Peter is an experienced seaman. He said the gusts were too strong for boats to be out there.

Enjoy your day!

LOVELY CHARLOTTE

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There was a rumbling on Duval last night. Charlotte was back in town!

Lovely Charlotte!

Really!

Charlotte visits Key West 3-4 times a year. She is from North Carolina. The only negative about her is her employer. United Healthcare.

Charlotte appears to be good friends with Emily. Emily was bartending last night. The two probably hit the Green Parrot after Emily shut down.

Ollie was at the Chart Room, also. I spent my time chatting with Ollie and Charlotte.

The Chart Room was noisy. About ten mid 30 guys were seated at the round table raising hell. The noise! Turned out they were on the first night of their college reunion.

It was reunion time at Don’s Place, also. I stopped at Don’s before heading over to the Chart Room.

David was there with three Ohio high school buddies and their wives. David had not seen his buddies since high school. They were making more noise than the thirty year olds at the Chart Room.

So it all can be placed in perspective, David is 60. His high school buddies had to be 60 also.

Syracuse plays Villanova at 11 this morning. I have to hustle. I will be watching the game at the Big Ten Sports Pub. If Dan and Lisa are still in town, I am sure they will be joining me.

Syracuse could lose. I know I say it every week. It is that time of the year and that type of team.

I did the Key West Lou Legal Hour yesterday morning. Great show! Such modesty! But it was and they are.

I discussed three examples of fraud. From Subway to jailed criminals to an Italian bank. Made sort of a trilogy out of it. Turns out viewers enjoyed the fraud stories the most.

I have had a slow leak in one of my tires. I went to Sears. The slow leak could not be mended due to the nail’s location. Needed a new tire. Only 12,000 miles on the car. It is a 2010 Volkswagen Beetle convertible. Purchased new.

Volkswagen stopped making the Beetle convertible in 2010.

I was told the tire had been discontinued and there were none available. Sears found a substitute. Discontinued also.

I could not win. I was tired from having hung around Sears for two hours besides.

Put the tire back on the car. The air will hold for about three weeks. In the meantime, I have to find a tire. Any suggestions? I plan on telephoning Volkswagen in Miami monday.

The spare would not work while waiting for a new tire. It is one of those donut things and is not made for a week or two of miles.

The world continues to become more crazy. Especially with the gun issue here in the United States.

A Wisconsin sheriff yesterday told his residents to learn how to handle a gun and to get one. For economic reasons, his department had been cut 48 jobs. He felt he could no longer do an effective job.

Enjoy your day!

 

SQUARE ONE AND FAT ALBERT ARE NO MORE

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I started coming down to Key West some 25 years ago. Two mainstays then either are or soon will be no more. I refer to Square One Restaurant and Fat Albert.

Square One Restaurant opened its doors about the time I discovered Key West. I became an instant customer. For years as much as 2-3 times a week. In recent years, not so much.

Michael Hayes opened Square One. In Duval Square. The perfect place for a restaurant. You had to look for it.

Michael was the perfect host. Always the gentleman. Tall and thin. His shirts perfectly pressed. He did them himself.

The bartender from almost day one was Patrick Hayes. Also known as Patty Cakes. Patrick knew everyone in Key West. Whenever I was in need of anything, I would ask Patrick. He would tell me who to see.

Patrick and Lisa have a bond. Patrick is Lisa’s best friend.

Square One’s food was great! Always! The service equal to the quality of the food. The restaurant attracted an upscale clientle.

Square One closed last thursday. For all time. The word is Michael sold to Carmelo. Carmelo is an experienced Key West restaurateur. He started the original La Trattore and Virgilio’s.

Whatever you do Michael, I wish you well. Patrick, also.

There is a large white blimp  that hovers over Cudjoe Key. To the left of US 1 going north. It has been there as long as I can remember. Turns out it has been operational for 33 years.

It took years for me to find out what the blimp was for. No one seemed to know. Then I was told it was for Radio Free America to air in Cuba.

Actually, the blimp had a two fold purpose. Beam television freedom type shows to Cuba was one. The other was as a tethered radar station. Generally used in recent times to help interdict drug runners.

The blimp acquired a name along the way. Fat Albert.

We are in an economic crunch. One of the things cut from the federal budget was Fat Albert. As of March 15, it will be no more. Not even to be seen. It will be taken down.

Turns out there were two blimps rather than one. A smaller one. Way up, also. I never saw it. Do not know any one who did.

I will miss Square One. It is another piece of Key West to disappear that will never be replaced. Probably could not be replaced. I will also miss seeing the big white blimp as I drive north on US 1.

My first stop early last night was Don’s Place. Sat and chatted with Herschel quite a while. I enjoy talking with him. He is a political junkie as I am.

David came in for a moment. He has a new dog. Female, 9 months old. She was jumping a bit as young ones are apt to do. David will have her trained shortly and she will be the perfect lady. David is a dog expert.

I stopped at the Chart Room. Captain Peter was there. I spent a couple of hours talking with Peter. Worldly, a knowledgeable man.

I was lucky. Two unusually intelligent people with whom to communicate.

My neighbor Andrew has returned. Andrew owns the MTV home across the water. He has spent the past several months in Switzerland. He called yesterday. We are having dinner together tonight.

Enjoy your day!

 

DIET DONE

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The diet was becoming increasingly difficult. Especially this week. I lost not a pound.

I was becoming sick of not leading my normal life. Going out, eating and drinking. Having fun.

Yesterday afternoon, I said screw it! I am done! End of diet.

I was at it for 2 months. Lost 23 pounds. Not as much as I wanted to, but as much as I could.

A yesterday afternoon experience contributed to my decision. I tried on clothes I had not worn in a couple of years. They fit!

Another 5-10 pounds would have been great. My enthusiasm and will power had waned, however.

I ate and drank at the bocce banquet last night. Two drinks. Plus, a small piece of filet mignon, a tablespoon of mashed potatoes, a bit of gravy, and a small piece of bread. I woke this morning and went to the scale as per my usual custom. I had lost a pound!

Later this morning, The Key West Lou Legal Hour. My TV and internet show. A good one!

Things like who is really behind the NRA’s adamant position, why haven’t the ten injured Americans air lifted out of Benghazi told their stories of Benghazi publically, freshman Congressman having an average net worth in excess of $1 million, Bush’s Secretary of the Interior getting a new personal bathroom that cost $220,000, why Rick Santorum should not be President, the story of a woman who orgasmed constantly for 19 years and committed suicide this past week, the Boeing 787 story, and more.

The show airs at 10 am my time. Available on television via Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19 through and including Miami-Dade county. Available world wide on the internet. www.tvchannel19.com.

Bocce banquet last night at Don’s Place. Everyone there! Good to see them all! Fun!

This Lance Armstrong thing is amazing. Are sport heroes no longer pure? What a disgrace.

Morning Joe spent 15 minutes this morning discussing Armstrong’s confession. Consensus was that Armstrong was and is a sociopath. Interesting. There are many sociopaths in today’s society that destroy others’ lives for their own personal gain. With no remorse.

Africa is becoming international. We do not need another military involvement. Do what is necessary to get the American captives out. Then stay home! We have been in enough of these fights in recent years.

Again, watch my show this morning if you are able.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

NATE LOST BET / LOST HIS HAIR

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On the way home last night after the basketball game, I stopped at Don’s Place. Kurt was bartending. Several friends at the bar.

One was Nate. One of the nicest persons I have met in Key West. Every one was talking about him.

Turns out Nate is a Notre Dame fan. Said if Notre Dame lost to Alabama by more than 12 points, he would cut his hair bald. Nate’s hair was down to his shoulders.

We all know what happened to Notre Dame.

Nate no longer has long hair. He had 11 inches cut off. Not to his bare skull, however. His girl friend Missy intervened and said no way. Nate has what now might be described as a normal haircut.

Looks good. Nate has gone from Key West bartender to Wall Street banker in appearance.

Kurt was bartending. Looked like he had  lost a lot of weight. He had. About 60 pounds. Looks good. My question to him was how. He is on a beer diet. He drinks a lot of beer and eats very little.

I think I am on the wrong diet!

I have a bicycle. In fact, two. One was for my former wife. I have not ridden a bike in about three years.

The bicycles have been sitting in a corner of the garage. The tires were flat. I have an air machine. Filled them. Got a wet rag and cleaned one of the bikes off. A ton of dust.

I went bicycle riding around Key Haven. Another small contribution to my good health kick.

My cell phone was the problem that kept me from getting into my blog talk radio show the past two weeks. Went to Verizon.

The problem was easily resolved. My phone had to be rebooted. Corrected several problems I had been having. I will be on the air next Tuesday morning with the radio show!

Worked off and on yesterday on friday’s Key West Lou Legal Hour. A good show in the making. Join me on television or the internet for a fast moving enjoyable hour.

The show is at 10 in the morning my time. Airs on TV via Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. From Key West all the way up through Miami-Dade County. On the internet, world wide. www.tvchannel19.com.

Syracuse basketball last night. They beat Providence by around 5 points. Could have lost game.

Syracuse again did not look good. The team is not running up and down the court at a fast pace. The team is supposed to be a physical one. Last night they played a half court game. Fouls shooting sucked also till the last two minutes when they made the ones that counted.

I watched the game at John’s Big Ten Sports Pub with Dan and Lisa Reardon. A huge Syracuse crowd also in attendance.

Fun time this morning. I need a haircut. Get to see Lori. I am going to have her trim my beard a bit. It is starting to look unruly.

Enjoy your day!

SATURDAY NIGHT WITH JENNA

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I went out last night. A big deal. I have not been going out because of my diet. I am easily tempted. To be near food and drink is difficult.

Jenna was my date.

Just what a 77 year old needs. A 26 year old dinner companion.

We started the evening at the Chart Room. Ran into Captain Peter in the parking lot. A good man.

JJ was bartending. Jean and Joe Thornton were there. Two of the best. Alabama grads. I may watch the game with them Monday night. Told them I am pulling for Notre Dame.

Dinner was at the Hot Tin Roof. Jenna ate. She eats little, however. I had two diet Pepsi’s, a glass of water and a cup of coffee. The company kept me going.

After I dropped Jenna off, I headed over to Don’s Place. I have not been there in five weeks because of the diet. I felt like I had returned home!

Rob and Bebe, Herschel and Erika, and Boomer at the bar. Stayed a brief ten minutes talking with them. Then got out of Dodge fast! I was dying for a drink!

It is amazing! I feel so good this morning. I attribute it to having gone out last night.

Syracuse basketball today at noon. We play South Florida. I will be watching at John’s Big Ten Sports Bar. Only diet Pepsi on the menu for me.

I see in the news this morning that Syracuse is losing its head football coach, Don Marrone. Sad. Don has done a terrific job in returning Syracuse to winning football. Don is going back to professional football. He will be head coach for the Buffalo Bills.

Don of Don’s Place is a Buffalo native and die hard fan. I am confident Don will be happier with Marrone as head coach.

The debt ceiling problem gnaws at me. It should not be a problem. Never was till the Republicans made it one last year.

The Republicans are playing a dangerous game if they shut down the government as threatened. The United States will not be able to pay its bills. Any of its bills. No Social Security checks, no doctors and hospitals being paid via Medicare, no federal salaries, no nothing where federal dollars are involved. Globally their conduct could bring down our economy and that of the world.

Washington mugging the people!

People will go to the streets. There could be riots and the like. I would not expect federal troops to interfere. They are not being paid. Additionally, I cannot conceive of them exercising force against their fellow citizens under the circumstances.

It will not be as after World War I when veterans were protesting in Washington pension problems. They established a tent city. MacArthur went in with federal troops and broke up the demonstration. I have always considered the day to have been a black one in American history.

I am assuming Obama will prevent the debt ceiling crisis by exercising certain never used before Presidential powers under the Fourteenth Amendment.

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

 

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!

LAZY DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING

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Somehow yesterday morning I forgot to press a button. Necessary to publish yesterday’s blog. It failed to get published. Discovered the error this morning. Pressed the button.

Ergo, you will have two blogs to read today. Yesterday’s and today’s.

I walked around feeling sluggish yesterday. Had to be the two Thanksgiving meals from the day before.

Did something pleasant for Louis. A manicure. Tammy her usual bright cheerful self.

Tammy has two children. Pre schoolers. I asked if she cooked a turkey. No, she said. I told her she has to do the American holidays. Her children are growing up Americans. She cooked Vietnamese dishes instead. Her excuse was she does not know how to cook a turkey. I believe her. She promised to try next year.

Bocce last night. I felt like the living dead. It was a make up game. We were the only ones using a court.

We won all three games. The most points the opposing team scored were six. It was a good night, an easy night. Before you get the impression we were that good, I have to confess that the team we beat is either at the bottom or next to the bottom in standing. They are new and relatively inexperienced.

The three victories help. We are close to making the playoffs. There is only one week to the season left.

Herschel and Erika brought a goodie. Smoked snapper dip and crackers. Herschel had smoked a turkey the day before and smoked the salmon along with it. Delicious!

The team headed over to Don’s Place afterwards. I had one drink and left.

Frankie. Frankie. Frankie. My partner, my bocce team mate. The best bocce player in the thursday night league. Perhaps the best player in the whole league.

Frankie did not play last night. Though he did stop by with his wife Sandy to say hello. Frankie is having heart valve surgery monday in Miami.

I wish my friend well.

This Fifty Shades of Grey book is being discussed by most people. Especially  women.

I reviewed the book from my perspective yesterday on the TV/internet show as I did recently in this blog. My main thrust was that the book was an event which would elevate sex to a new level. As had the birth control pill in the 1960s, the Joy of Sex in 1972, and the g-spot in the early 1980s. My review received big time comment. Mostly from women. All excited. All loved the book. Some commented they even agreed with my observation. With one exception.

The importance of the Joy of Sex was that the clitoris was unknown by most prior thereto. For real. The book introduced the world to the clitoris and clitoral orgasms.

One female reader did not like my use of the word clitoris. How else would I label it? That is what it is. That is what it is called. I did not think it offensive. It is an appendage on the body. Like an arm, leg, the tongue. My comments were to the point, brief, and not sexual in nature. I was reporting on a fact which had occurred.

So much for today. Read yesterday’s blog, also.

Have a good saturday!

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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Happy  Thanksgiving!

This morning the turkeys are in the oven, pies cooling, the children watching the Macy Thanksgiving Parade, families getting together. A good day! A thank you God day.

A quick  history of Thanksgiving.

The gathering of Pilgrims and Indians in 1621 is considered the first Thanksgiving. It was not. It was called a “gathering.”

There were no more thanksgivings/gatherings till 1776. George Washington called for a day of thanksgiving. The first time the word was actually used. The Revolution was in full swing. The colonies had separated from Great Britain.

The day was enjoyed. Washington wanted to continue it every year. The politicians of the day said no. Even Thomas Jefferson. It had to do with Pilgrims, Puritans, and satanic beliefs. A hot potato.

There was not another thanksgiving till 1864. Abraham Lincoln was happy with the way the Civil war was going. He had a new general by the name of Ulysses Grant who had won several battles, The Emancipation Proclamation was law. Lincoln decreed the fourth thursday of November was hence forth to be celebrated as a day of thanksgiving.

It so continued till 1941. It became a legal holiday at that time. Thanks to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

That’s the story.

Lunch yesterday was at Goldman’s Deli with Robert and Ally. Business appeared to be half of what it normally was. I attribute it to the competition of the nearby new Five Guys and the boulevard construction.

The grandkids and I talked about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Had Santa Claus telephoned me yet this year? No, not yet. He’s busy. Soon, however.

Oh, how they believe!

Before going out last night, I had to deliver the turkey from my refrigerator to Lisa. It was heavy! Robert and Ally were excitedly waiting for me. They took the turkey from me to carry inside.

My evening out was Don’s Place. A good  crowd. Including Don, David, Herschel, Stan, Erika, Toni, Bebe, Rob, and others. The holiday spirit was in the air.

I read an article this morning that the second biggest drinking night in the U.S. is Thanksgiving Eve. The first of course is New Year’s Eve.

I stopped at Publix for a few things on the way home. The new one. The place was crowded. I was surprised. Apparently most people had waited till the last minute to shop.

Two Thanksgiving dinners for me today! With Lisa and family at 1. With friends at 6. A heavy day!

Donna emailed me yesterday. She forwarded a You Tube video of Terri made in Dusseldorf,  Germany. Terri recently appeared with the Symphony there.

The video is less than six minutes. Well done. I recommend you take a look at it.

www.youtube.com/watch?=BJsTyKKxu8o&sns=em.

Tomorrow is friday. Friday is The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Please watch. Ten o’clock in the morning my time. Available on TV throughout the Keys and Miami-Dade County. Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Available world wide via internet. www.tvchannel19.com.

You will enjoy!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday, also!