I BABYSAT JAKE

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It is amazing what my life has been relegated to. It is only seven years ago that I was handling multi-million and billion dollar environmental lawsuits.

Today it is babysitting the family pet. Yesterday was Jake’s day. I babysat him!

I was driving to get my glasses fixed. Lisa telephoned. Where are you? I need you right away. I have an appointment outside my home. There is no one to watch Jake.

I sat Jake for two hours. I had some apprehension. Jake and I have not bonded well. He growls at me. I think it is my voice.

As soon as I arrived, I sat on the floor with him. Rubbed his head. Then his back. Then Jake turned over. He wanted his belly rubbed.

I periodically fed him a pretzel.

Thereafter, I sat on the couch watching the golf tournament. Jake sat on floor next to my feet. He kept looking up at me with those big sad eyes. A rub or two and he was content.

I think Jake and I have made it. We are finally friends!

My morning started with a haircut. Lori also cleaned up my beard where I had missed.

Then to Publix for some groceries. Not much. The bill was $60 plus. I do not understand how families do it. What with the high cost of food and gas.

Bocce last night. A good time. Very warm. The sweat was running off my forehead.

We won 2 out of 3 games. Not good. We played the newest team. They had only won 3 games before playing us. They beat us in the second game.

We almost lost the third. A young lady who had never played before played for the first time. At the beginning it was obvious she was a novice. Then God was on her side! She was devastating. Almost caused us to lose the third game.

We destroyed the other team in the first game 16-4. As it should have been all three games.

Larry Smith brought his Mom to watch. Larry yells and swears a lot when playing bocce. He expresses himself. His mother had to think…..I did not teach him to behave like that!

I think Larry’s mother is 86. She has it all going for her. Sharp. Does not look her age either.

Finished the night at Don’s Place with other bocce players.

The federal government issued some numbers regarding the diversity in hospital costs. The report was a study based on Medicare and Medicaid charges. An amazing revelation! Hospitals in the same community charge different prices for the same surgery/care. Close to a $100,000 difference in some instances.

Hospital expenses are a killer. As are drug costs. I hope Obamacare gets a handle on these items.

A Great White shark has been sighted off Marathon. You will recall one was sighted off Key West last week. It is not certain whether it is the same shark or another. The suspicion is it was another. That is the fourth sighting in recent weeks.

Great Whites are not common to our waters. Scientists say they have traveled this far south this year because our waters are warmer than normal.

Authorities are trying to tag the Great Whites for all obvious reasons. So far they have not succeeded in tagging even one.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour at 10 this morning. I recorded the show wednesday because Krystal would not be available today. I plan on watching myself from the comfort of my bed.

The show will be available on its usual venues. Television on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. All the way through Miami-Dade County. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

Topics include some interesting items regarding global warming, my thoughts on Benghazi, some revealing historical data, psychiatric patient dumping, Bangladesh, euro problems in France, Germany and Spain, and more.

Join me. An interesting show. A bit of an eye opener.

Enjoy your day!

 

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES…..

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Most of yesterday, I was in a stupor. This morning I feel great! Rarin’ to go!

During my recent back problem, I was on pain killers. I had difficulty sleeping. So I took Advil-PM. Supposedly helps to relieve pain and makes a person sleep. It did. I slept terrific the two nights I took the Advil.

I have had trouble sleeping the past few days. Two nights ago, I decided to pop an Advil-PM. I slept 10.5 hours straight without waking. Wow!

A problem was evident when I woke yesterday morning after my long sleep. I was heavy headed, moving slowly. The word stupor I used earlier is the correct description. I even had trouble doing yesterday morning’s blog.

I was still in the condition described when I went to the TV studio at 3 to record friday’s show. My sense was whatever my thoughts were, the words were coming out slowly. My biggest problem was pronunciation. Bangladesh and blasphemy would not come out right. I finally looked the camera in the eye and said…..I have difficulty pronouncing big words!

I am anxious to see friday’s show. To see how bad it all came out.

Krystal was engineering the show. She said she could see nothing wrong. I don’t know.

If you are interested in watching, the show is available via television on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19 from Key West through Miami-Dade county. World wide via the internet. www.weyw19.com.

The Key West Lou Legal hour airs at 10 in the morning my time.

The show is also You Tubed. People are apparently viewing the show on You Tube. Many who are unable to watch at 10 in the morning have told me they are watching the shows at their convenience via that mode.

Returned home after the recording and decided to trim my beard. A mistake! I was still feeling tipsy. I ended up chopping my moustache too short on one end. Went back to the other side and cut some off to balance it. Cut more than I should have. So it was back and forth. Needless to say, my tache is a bit shorter this morning.

I also did a number on my neck. Irritated the hell out of it.

By dinner time, I felt better. The clouds had left me. I was famished. Dee joined me at the Yacht Club for dinner.

Bocce tonight! Can’t wait!

Enjoy your day!

FLOAT AWAY TIME

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Key West is a tiny island. One and a half by four miles. Yesterday I thought the island was going to be ripped from its moorings and blown away.

The wind and rain! Similar to a hurricane. For three hours non-stop. Wind bending the palm trees. Someone told me last night a palm tree in the Smathers Beach area was uprooted. The rain was coming in sideways. You could actually see it! Driven by the powerful wind. Right off the ocean.

I drove into Key West in the early evening after the rain had stopped. The flooding was the most I have ever seen, outside a hurricane. Everywhere. Most intersections. Whole streets in  certain places. Two consecutive blocks in others.

It was pick and choose to get into Key West. I saw some people walking at the entrance to Old Town. Water up to their knees.

While the storm was raging, I was sitting at the kitchen counter fine tuning today’s TV/internet show. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Ten my time. Via television from Key West to Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. World wide via the internet. www.weyw19.com.

Join me! Today’s show may be one of the best I have ever done! Terrific material!

I finally made it to Don’s Place last night. No booce. The courts had to be flooded. Jimmy show me a picture of the courts on his cell phone. He had gone over earlier to look. Overflowing. Even the concrete walkways were  covered.

Don’s was basically empty.

Went to the Chart Room. A trip! Some downtown area streets for swimmers only. Finally made it. The Chart Room was basically empty. Emily and one couple.

Decided to try TGI Friday for dinner. It recently reopened under new management. Very few people, also.

I was disappointed in Friday. The new owner owns several restaurants in Key West. Varying in cost. All good. Friday not.  Ok, if you enjoy that kind of food.  Had three appetizers and finished none.

Months went by prior to the reopening. We all assumed renovations were going on. Apparently not. The place is the same. The barmaid told me they cleaned the place up and bought new chairs. That was it!

Overall, a disappointment.

Why were all three places basically empty? Had to be the weather. Although the storm had passed, people were not venturing out.

After my show this morning, I have to hustle to Montessori. Robert and Ally are in some kind of event where they are showing off their recyclables. Robert a ukulele and Ally a dress.

Two days ago, I mentioned Italy’s new President. I spelled his name Latte. I was wrong. It is Letta. Four persons from Italy e mailed to correct me. Sorry.

Lisa just telephoned to see if I was alive and well. She does so every morning. She told me her street was flooded yesterday. She could not get her car out.

Robert and Ally had to be picked up from  school. They needed boots and rain jackets. Lisa walked the three blocks. She said the water came up to just below her knees.

Enjoy your day!

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS

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There is a sense of pride in living on an island where writers such as Ernest Hemingway and Tennessee Williams once resided.

Williams lived in Key West for well over 30 years. As I mentioned earlier this week, his former home is one block from Lisa’s.

Today’s Key West  Citizen notes in its Keys History section that on this day in 1955 “…Key West resident Tennessee Williams” received the Pulitzer Prize for his Broadway hit Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

I never saw the play. I did see the first movie made of the play. It starred Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman.

Thunder by the ocean is special. At least to me. I have always enjoyed the booming sound while next to the water. I recall years ago when I frequented the Jersey Shore. I would sit on a bench during a heavy rainstorm under an umbrella enjoying the drama of it all.

Yesterday was a similar morning in Key West. It thundered all morning. My home is on the water. No need for a bench or umbrella. It was a thundering morning followed by some heavy rains.

The weather forecast is for similar rains today. At the moment, it is overcast. No rain yet. My concern is that tonight is bocce. We cannot play on a wet/flooded court.

I worked most of yesterday on friday’s Key West Lou Legal Hour. Some terrific topics. Like the Catholic Church becoming too political, a millionaire child support fight, cancer doctors attacking drug companies, psychiatric hospital patient dumping, money rip offs  such as Karzai, extra terrestrial hearings and Con Edison, what we are not told about Social Security, the Bangladesh building  collapse, horse meat being produced in the United States, Syria and chemical weapons, the Japanese war crimes trials, Machiavelli, Joe DiMaggio, and more.

A combination of diverse subjects. A lot to cover. It will be a fast moving interesting hour. Join me. Via television from Key West through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. World wide on the internet. www.weyw19.com. Ten in the morning my time.

Last night started at Don’s Place. Don wanted to join me for dinner. We stopped at the Chart Room first. Ran into fellow Manhattan College alumnus Jack Kelley. The three of us went over to the Hot Tin Roof for dinner. The dinner conversation was interesting.

While I was at the Chart Room, a fellow by the name of Jerry came over to introduce himself. He is a local, though we had not met before. He lives on White Street. He told me he reads this blog every day. Thank you, Jerry. And thank you to every one else who does so also.

I screwed up already this morning. I had a 9 am appointment with my heart doctor. Not to get the results of my CAT scan. Rather for a 4 month check up of how I am doing in a special study I agreed to be a part of. Has to do with fish oil and specifically how it affects the heart. Some miniature aspect is being studied. World wide. I am one of many in the study.

I forgot blood work was involved. Fasting blood work. I ate. Must return monday at 9 to do it correctly.

Enjoy your day!

 

GREAT SEA BATTLE

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The Great Sea Battle is tonight! At 7. The waters off Ocean Key House. The Conch Republic and the military forces of the United States. Do not miss it!

The Coast Guard cutter will not be there. Sequestration. There is a replacement. Conch Republic officials have kept the replacement secret. We will find out this evening.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour this morning at 10. An eye opener as I get behind the scenes a bit. Available on television and the internet. Television from Key West through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. On the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com

Join me. I guarantee you will enjoy the show.

Yesterday began with a haircut. I thought my beard trim of the day before was well done. Lori did not. She shaped the beard up. Oh, well. A barber I am not.

Then took a walk along Duval. I was downtown and thought I should put the time to good use.

Lunch was at Blossoms. My usual Cuban toast sandwich. Read the Key West Citizen. On page 2 there was a picture of Tennessee Williams standing on the front porch of his home. Williams lived in Key West for more than 30 years. His home was on Duncan Street. Lisa lives on Duncan Street. One block away.

Spent the afternoon fine tuning today’s TV/internet show.

Bocce last night. A disaster. We lost all three games. No one was on, except perhaps Keith who played the first game. It is beginning to look more and more certain that we will not be making the playoffs.

I have a heart doctor appointment at 3 this afternoon. To get the results of my electrocardiogram test.

My friend Anna lives well. She slept in Courmeyeur, Italy last night. In the heart of the Alps. This morning she is driving to Chamonix, France to shop at a fruit and vegetable market. Followed by lunch in Geneva, Switzerland.

What a life!

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST LOU TV SHOW TOMORROW

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Tomorrow morning at 10 my time…..The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Via television and the internet.

Stimulating topics. Like the Boston bombings from several different perspectives, the New England-New Jersey tsunami risk, a dirty Tulsa dentist and an equally dirty Philadelphia doctor, food poisonings on the rise, Congress mini-managing rather than legislating, an NRA tee shirt gets an eighth grader suspended from school and arrested, kilts enhancing sperm count, more avalanches, the TSA pocket knife issue, FBI arresting the wrong person in ricin case, and more.

One of the more includes U.S. hospitals shipping immigrant patients back to their home countries to avoid the hospitals getting stuck with non-covered medical costs. The hospitals even pay for their flights to where ever they came from. An example of care being overridden by cost. A shame situation.

The show can be seen on television from Key West through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. On the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

Again, 10 tomorrow morning.

I trimmed my beard yesterday. All of it. By myself. First time. I have been doing part and Lori part. I figured it was time for me to do it all. Came out good!

It was wonderful getting out last night!

My evening started at Don’s Place. Don, Jimmy, Hershel and another person playing cards at the bar. Erika having a drink. I stayed a while. It felt good being there.

Then to the Chart Room.

Emily had the popcorn waiting. Finger licking good! Just enough butter and salt.

Kisses from Sheila and Jean who were sitting at the bar.

Buffalo friends and Key West lovers Tom and Karen Dixon were in. Spent some time with them. Good people. Good company. It is a family trip for the Dixons. Met their daughter and her husband. They have a son here also. Did not meet him. He was in bed resting from the rigors of Key West.

Dinner at the Hot Tin Roof with Jean and Frankie. Dined with celebrities last night. Jean is Key West’s  Golden Girl. Frankie is the Admiral of the Conch Republic Navy.

This is Conch Republic Week. The nation that seceded has survived 31 years.

Big doings tonight. The parade down Duval. Described as the World’s Largest. People step off the curbs, come out of restaurants, etc. to join in the walk.

I made a mistake yesterday. Misinformed you. The Conch Republic Sea Battle is not saturday. It is friday. Tomorrow night. At 7. Get to the gulf side of the island early to get a good spot to watch from. The event is very much worth seeing.

Bocce tonight. I missed last week. I am anxious to play tonight. I was advised our team won only one game last week. Probably because I was not there. Only joking! We are not doing well this season. I doubt we will make the play offs. But…..We are having fun!

Larry Smith will not be playing tonight. He has a special show at the Wine Galley. I attended his last special event. Terrific! Limited seating, an admission fee, great entertainment. I recommend the event to all.

Enjoy your day!

 

MANHATTAN COLLEGE

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I finally went out last night. To the Chart Room to begin. Stayed quite a while. Enjoyed some excellent company.

My undergraduate work was done at Manhattan College. I rarely speak of Manhattan. No particular reason. I received a good education at Manhattan from the Christian Brothers. I enjoyed my college years. Much partying.

I realize I speak often of Syracuse. I do feel a very close bond with Syracuse. Not just for the time I spent there. My life since graduation has been intertwined with Syracuse professionally, socially and sportswise. I did not develop such a relationship with Manhattan.

Last night at the Chart Room, I spent considerable time talking with Jack Kelley. A Manhattan graduate! Class of 1968. I graduated in 1957.

Jack was a day hop, I a boarder. We reminisced. It was fun to recall and remember.

Jack went into the Air Force after graduation. Flew jets. Then taught jet training. Retired a major. Worked in industry as a consultant thereafter. Now he is retired as I am.

Jack has a second home in the Keys. Just up the road on Cudjoe Key. He has been at Cudjoe the past few weeks supervising the installation of a pool. Showed me a picture. It is going to be a terrific looking addition to his property when finished.

I enjoyed my time with Jack and trust we shall meet again soon. Most likely at the Chart Room.

Peter shared some of the Jack/Louis time. I felt bad. Once we got into Manhattan College, he was sort of out of the conversation. However, Peter did know where Manhattan was located. 242 Street and Broadway, end of the Seventh Ave line. Very few know that. Peter continues to amaze me.

Sheila and David were at the Chart Room, also. Chatted with them a bit.

Jean Thornton came in. With another Gene, a male one. Gene is an attorney from northern Florida who represents the Mel Fisher family’s interest in the emerald case which has been in the news the past couple of years. He and Jean were having dinner at the Hot Tin Roof later on.

I was hungry. Grabbed a couple of newspapers from the Pier House’s reception area and walked over to the Wine Galley. I sat at the bar alone, read the newspapers and had a bite to eat. The food at the Pier House is always good!

My back. Oh, my back.

It was better yesterday. However still bothersome. Probably because I did not take any pain pills yesterday. I had been in all week and intended to go out last night. I also intended to have a few drinks. The pain pills and alcohol would not have mixed.

I had three gins over the course of the evening. I had no pain when I arrived home. Though this morning I have had a few shots of spasm. Not bad, but still there. Nevertheless, I appear to be on the mend.

I wrote my column for next week’s edition of KONK Life yesterday. Titled it Man And His Changing World. I pontificated a bit. The column was inspired by the Boston marathon bombings. My two themes were man’s inhumanity to man and the changing world we live in.

The television station is running my Key West Lou Legal Hour four times a week. Once live. The other three reruns. The reruns are not necessarily of the most recent show.

I watched yesterday one of the reruns. I had never seen myself before. I was impressed! Liked what I saw!

My apologies for the lack of humility. I was taken with the mood swings, the humor, the seriousness, the factual data, the background insights, etc.

I am humbled by the fact so many watch the show world wide.

Today’s rerun is at 3 this afternoon. Watch if you are in the mood for a fast moving entertaining hour.

The show is aired on television from Key West through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. The show is also available world wide on the internet. www.weyw19.com.

Enjoy your Sunday!

I HAVE NEVER SEEN POLICE CHEERED

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I have never seen police cheered. Watertown last night was a first. Even during 9/11 there was not a similar reaction.

The only other time I can recall cheering in the streets similar to last night was in World War II.  On VE Day and VJ Day. My recollection is clear of people pouring out of their homes and cheering in the streets. Not for police, but for the event. The cheering was the same however.

I thought my back was getting better. Ergo, I did not take the pain pill last night that helps me sleep. I apparently needed it. I did not fall asleep till 4 this morning.

I am trying to get off the pain killers. It may not be time yet. I hurt this morning.

My back kept me in last night once more. Hopefully, I will be into Key West tonight. I think a couple of gins would help better than anything else. Another reason I am getting off the pain killers.

Key West weather continues to be perfect. Mid 80s by day. A clear sky. A slight breeze. And humid. Not bad yet. Need air conditioning, however. I am doing this blog at the kitchen counter with the doors to the deck and ocean open. It is 8:45. The temperature in my kitchen is 81 degrees. I fight air conditioning.

Today is Earth Day. Big doings in the Keys. Turtles getting a big play. Many children’s activities involving turtles. There are beach clean-ups planned and a mediation walk at Higgs Beach in addition.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour went well yesterday morning. I sat in pain. Did the show in pain. I do not know if it was obvious.

Viewers commented most about designer vaginas and tittoos. The last word is spelled correctly.

Yesterday’s show is being rerun by the television studio today at 4:30. If you missed it yesterday, you might want to watch it today. You will be able then to get the full flavor. The show is also being rerun sunday at 3 and wednesday at 6. Via television on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Via the internet world wide. www.weyw19.com.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour is now also You Tubed. The You Tube show runs one week behind. However, they are all there.

Whew! Glad I have finished. My back continues to bother me. I am off to bed.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

OUR WORLD IS CHANGING

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We woke this morning to news that one of the perpetrators in the Boston Marathon bombings was dead and the other still being sought. We saw on television several Massachusetts towns closed down. People ordered to stay indoors with doors locked. Police going door to door.

It all looks like a military occupation.

Has to be fearful. Has to be done however to find the culprit.

This type search a new happening for America. I recall no one like it in the past.

9/11 changed our world. The Boston Marathon bombings add to that change.

One of the communities on shut down is Newton. I know Newton. My daughter Beth used to live there. I visited Newton often. A typical American community. Quiet. Conservative. Who would ever have thought that Newton and the other towns involved would one day be under the tension and scrutiny they are today.

My back is still killing me! Last night I thought I was on the mend. This morning it is almost as bad as the first day. I just popped four Motrin.

I stayed in all day yesterday. Even missed bocce. Today, I must go out. My TV/internet show is at 10 this morning. I shall suffer through it. Forgive me if my comments are a bit harsh during the show. They will be pain motivated.

Again, my television/internet show is at 10. Available on television from Key West northward through Miami-Dade County on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. The show can also be seen world wide on the internet. www.weyw19.com.

Join me. The show is quick moving and informative. Guaranteed you will like it.

The show is also available 24 hours a day on You Tube. Type in Key West Lou Legal Hour.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

 

KEY WEST LOU LEGAL HOUR TV SHOW TOMORROW

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The Key West Lou Legal Hour tomorrow morning at 10. Available via television on Comcast Channel 87 and U-Verse Channel 19. Available world wide on the internet. www.weyw19.com.

This has been an action packed week. Topics tomorrow will include the Boston bombings, the Senate gun bill vote, Pope Francis and the nuns, Guantanamo, North Korea, an update on the Greek euro problem, Florida snail invasion, another 911 abuse, a new study regarding bras, kayak fishing in Hawaii, a $100,000 parking fine, and more.

Join me. An interesting and informative show. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

My back. Oh, my back! Still in pain this morning, though considerably less. Still bad, however. Cannot sit, stand or lie down. This morning’s blog is difficult to do. The pain takes my breath away.

I did Motrin by day yesterday. Helped. Till it wore off. Did Advil with benadryl last night. Terrific stuff! I slept like a baby. Back to Motrin this morning. It has yet to kick in.

I shall survive.

Thank you to the several who telephoned and asked if there was anything they could do. Key West IS family.

Bocce tonight. Good luck! No way I am going to make it. I cannot bend from the waist, let alone squat.

That is the end of today’s blog. I basically did nothing yesterday. Ergo, there is little to report today. Sorry.

Enjoy your day!