I overslept. Something I rarely do. It is close to 9. Wow!

I had a great time last night. I was Cheryl and Roger’s guest at dinner. Martin’s. Good food. Good company.

It was weinerschnitzel time for me.

Cheryl is a dynamic looking woman. Roger not so pretty. They are from Chicago. They have been coming to Key West the past 4 years. This year they arived in November and are leaving next week.

Cheryl and Roger have one of those monstrous mobile homes. When it Key West, they can be found at Boyd’s on Stock Island.

We have become friends over this past season. I suspect we will remain friends forever. I look forward to their return in November.

The Key West Lou Legal Hour yesterday morning was terrific! I seem to get more and more excited with each show. It is amazing how the radio show and this blog have taken hold!

I thought I would be baysitting after the radio show. However Lisa telephoned to tell me Robert and Ally were ok and had gone to school. It appears the antibiotics had finally took hold.

So the day was mine!

I headed for the Coffee and Tea House on Duval. Read the Key West Citizen and New York Times. Said hello to some friends. Emmet was there. Emmet is the bartender at Michael’s and also plays golf in Don’s League. A good guy.

Then I walked. The weather is finally what it should be. Warm! Mid 80s. A touch of humidity.

I am still only walking 20 minutes. Do not want to push it. The colors to be seen are beautiful. Bright and vibrant. A good time to walk. And Key West obviously a good place to walk.

Since I did not have to babysit, my afternoon was free. What to do? I decided to go to the beach. It has been months since I did so.

I opted for Smathers Beach. Close. Easy to get to. Just me, my sand chair, a towel and cap. And oh yes, a bathing suit!

I sat at about mid point on the beach. Looked to my left. Looked to my right. I was basically alone. I do not think there were a total of 50 people the entire length of the beach.

You never know who you are going to met on a a beach. Especially an empty one.

Sean! Sean my young boat captain friend. Sean of bocce. And Sean of recent tragedy.

He was walking the beach. With a friend Michael who had flown in from Boston the night before.

We talked a bit. Sean is one of the best people I have met in Key West. Solid. Good. He will make it!

I intended to spend 2 hours at the beach. No way. The sun was a killer, even with the overcast. I lasted one hour and left.

On the way home, I stopped at Lisa’s to see her and the grandkids. I sat in the easy chair and fell asleep. For a whole hour. That one hour of sun knocked me on my ass.

Lisa just telephoned. She calls me 80 times a day to see if I am alright. She was on her way to the hairdressers. As she put it, this is her free time every month. One and a half hours for her. No children, no job.

Lisa says Ally’s words as Lisa went out the door were to the effect that she, Ally, was in charge while her mother was gone. Only 4 years old!

Speaking of Lisa, take a look at her internet department store Via Key West. http://www.viakeywest.com/. She has tons more of Key West jewelry she is showing. The Key West Lou tee shirts continue to sell. She just had to reorder a new batch.

Enjoy your day!

Ernest Thayer wrote in 1888 lines that apply at this moment.

“…..Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, and somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville–mighty Casey has struck out.”

Syracuse lost last night. To Butler. The season is over for Syracuse. Perhaps the finest basketball team in Syracuse history went down to defeat.

The ultimate glory–winning the Final Four–is not to be.

I watched the tragedy occur at the Sports Page Bar. There were only 2 of us pulling for Syracuse. A handful of Butler fans. And a houseful of West Virginia patriots.

So be it. It is done.

Yesterday was babysitting time again. Me and Ally.

Ally did not want to play. She colored a bit at first and otherwise just layed on the couch. She slept quite a bit.

I made macaroni and cheese for lunch. She said she wanted it. However she only picked at it.

In the middle of the afternoon Lisa telephoned to tell me she had received a call from the school. Robert was sick. She was going to pick him up.

I have not heard yet this morning. But the call will come soon that I am babysitting again this morning. This time for the both of them.

After the radio show, of course.

Please listen in at 10 to KONK 1500 Am. Or even better, listen and watch on the internet at http://www.konkam.com/. A good show today! Much has happened in the legal community this past week.

I stopped at bocce after the Syracuse game. The third game was in progress. Our team lost all 3 games last night to Larry Smith’s team. Close games all, but all losers.

Such is life.

I stopped at Don’s Place afterwards. It was packed. I passed time with Beebe, Rob, Don, Michelle and Tino. Kurt was bartending.

Cheryl and Roger have invited me to dinner tonight. 7 at Martin’s. Should be an interesting evening.

Enjoy your day!

Lisa just telephoned. Ally sick again. Have to babysit.

Yesterday Robert and Ally were both fine. Or so Lisa thought. She sent them both to school.

I spent yesterday inside. All day. Had business to attend to. What a pain! Interferred with my Key West way of life.

Even prevented me from playing golf. Me thinks my priorities are getting screwed up!

I was tired last night. The choice was go to bed or go out. Bed looked appealing. However I pushed myself to shower again and hit the road.

My dinner spot was Hogfish. Glad I went.

I sat in the bar at a small table alone. Watched the NIT and read some local papers.

The weather was absoluteely perfect. No breeze. No humidity.

The water and boats were all of 15 feet away.

Roger and Cheryl were there. They came over to say hello as they were leaving. I am having dinner with them tomorrow night at Martin’s.

A distinguished appearing gentleman came over at one point. Elderly. Like me. White haired. Well tanned.

His name was Bruce. We shook hands. He stopped to say he read my blog every day and how much he enjoyed it.

And he was gone. I know nothing else about Bruce. However I appreciated his saying hello and his comments.

I ordered a pulled pork sandwich and french fries. Ate everything! Left not a fry nor any part of the sandwich. Even salted the french fries.

When I finished dinner, I felt terrific! The tiredness of the day had left me. A full stomach can do wonders!

Tonight is bocce. I am ashamed to say I will miss bocce. My life is really getting screwed up. No golf yesterday and no bocce today!

Actually it is a good choice that I will not be playing bocce. Syracuse basketball! Sweet sixteen time tonight! Syracuse v. Butler at 7 pm!

Instead of the bocce courts, I will be at the Sports Page Bar watching the game. It is called priorities.

Remember it is radio show time tomorrow morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am. KONK 1500 AM radio. You can see as well as listen on the internet anywhere in the world at www.konkam.com.

Tomorrow’s show is ready. A little bit of weird dumb law from the hills of West Virginia. Like it is illegal to whistle underwater. Updates on medical marijuana and same sex marriage. And some tidbits about how banks screw the public with overdraft fees, how President Theodore Roosevelt saved football, an example of where justice delayed was not justice denied, and a Florida hardcore obscenity decision that may be on its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Time to move! Ally awaits! Hope she is well enough to play bingo with me. The last time I sat her, we did a huge puzzle together. The kind that takes weeks to do. I get impatient easily and walk away. Not Ally. She sits there until she finds a piece that fits. Every now and then she mumbles…..this is hard. But she does not give up. Only 4 years old!

Enjoy your day!

My yesterday was as the day before. Babysat. Grandkids still sick.

I bought a game for them. Bingo! But different. Instead of numbers, it had letters, fruit, toys and other objects. A good learning tool for Robert and Ally. A good learning tool for me.

The game is for ages 4-6. Robert and Ally learned quickly. It took me a few minutes.

We each won one game. Which was good! Ally had not won yet when we started the third game. She had a pout and was getting a bit testy. She does not like to lose.

Fortunately, she won the third game!

Last night was a meeting at Larry Smith’s home. We are forming a tea party. No! Only kidding!We are trying to put together a TV show. Larry, Don, Tino, Alex, Doc, Petra and others. This was our second meeting. It will be a Key West show. If we get it off the ground.

After the meeting, Don and I went out for a bite to eat.

We stopped first at the Chart Room. Michael bartending. Captain Peter at the bar. I had not seen the Captain in a couple of weeks. A good person, always.

Cheryl and Roger were there. Good to see them! They invited me to dinner friday night at Martin’s. I am looking forward to it.

Don and I walked across the street to The Hot Tin Roof for dinner. Sat at the bar. Valerie bartending.

John is manager. A Wisconsin fan. He is still hurting from the Cornell victory last week over Wisconsin. Very sensitive!

Don and I had a leisurely dinner and good conversation.

A pleasant evening all around.

I dropped Don off at Don’s Place afterwards and came directly home to bed.

Marty, where are you? You have disappeared from sight!

Jean Thornton. Lovely lady! You were in town last week and I missed you. Sorry.

Today is wednesday. Golf day. No golf for me, however. I have business matters to attend to which will take all day.

Lisa telephoned. Grandkids still sick. She and Corey are taking turns today staying home.

Try to tune into the radio show on friday morning. The Key West Lou Legal Hour. 10 am. KONK 1500 AM. Better yet, watch and listen on the internet at www.konkam.com. It will be an interesting show. Great topics! From football to sex to clean water to Aceevedo.

Enjoy your day!

Good morning!

Rise and shine!

Another great Key West day in the making!

My day yesterday was relatively quiet. I babysat. All day. Robert and Ally both sick.

Temps of 101 plus. Some coughing. Ally has a sore throat. I looked with a flashlight. Robert upchucked.

I return this morning for another day of duty. Not really a duty. A pleasure! A joy!

I told the grandkids yesterday that when Poppa gets sick, they have to come over and sit with me. All I got were blank stares in return. Guess Poppas don’t get sick.

There was no play time with them. Robert and Ally just quietly laid on the couches all day. Sick.

I had some time to work on friday’s radio show.

Every week I do a brief bit about some dumb weird laws. Every State has them. Old laws which had meaning when passed, but are meaningless now. And someone forgot to take these antiquated laws off the books.

This week I am doing West Virginia.

The City of Huntington is located in West Virginia. Many many years ago, Huntington passed a law that made it legal for a husband to beat his wife. However the beating could only take place if done in public on a Sunday on the Courthouse steps. Public flogging as it were.

The law had to have been passed a long time ago. Guess Huntington never heard of Virginia Slims. Women have come a long way! They can even vote!

I updated my materials on medical marijuana and same sex marriage. Part of the radio show will involve how banks are ripping off checking account holders with overdraft fees. Many new lawsuits in the area. There will be a bit on the move to outlaw football in 1906 because it was too dangerous and how then President Theodore Roosevelt saved the sport.

Time to get ready for my day. Too bad the grandkids are sick. I enjoy being with them.

Enjoy your day!

I dislike the dark in the morning when I awake.

I prefer being greeted by the sun. Especially a rising sun.

I have to hurry this morning. Grandkids sick. I am babysitting.

Robert and Ally were well when I visited them yesterday morning. They were excited. A birthday party at Fort Zachrey Taylor Beach in the afternoon.

When I returned for dinner last night, they were both knocked out on couches. Cold. Covered with blankets. Quiet. And each had a fever of 101.

They ate nothing at dinner. No appetites. Preferred to lie back on the couches where they soon fell asleep.

So this morning is my time. Soon I will have earned a Masters degree in babysitting!

Two big things yesterday!

Big, big!

Syracuse won and the health care bill passed.

I was worried about the Syracuse game. March Madness is an uncertain time. Look what St. Mary’s did to Villanova.

Syracuse was playing Gonzaga. A good little school. A known entity. Not like St. Mary’s who no one ever heard of.

Interestingly, St. Mary’s and Gonzaga play in the same league. Gonzaga had beaten St. Mary’s a couple of times this year.

I was concerned.

Should not have been.

Syracuse won big time. 20 plus points. They were ahead a couple of times by 30 points. With out Syracuse’s star center who was not playing because of a bad knee. And one of our stars, Jackson, who was on the bench for quite a while in the first half because of fouls.

A lovely game to watch!

As to the health bill, what an eye opener! These Representatives were crazy on the floor of Congress. A disgrace! Reminded me of a bunch of kids!

Throw the bums out at the next election! All of them!

I supported the health bill. We need change and improvement in the health area. So this bill is not perfect. Neither was Social Security when passed. The bill/law will be amended many times over the years. Fine tuned is the word.

Lets move on to other issues that need adressing. Like jobs. And more jobs! And more jobs on top of those. And energy and immigration.

People are hurting. March madness has its place on the basketbaall court. Not on the floor of Congress.

Oh, I cheated last night!

On the way home after dinner at Lisa’s, I had a craving for something. I was not sure what.

I stopped at Publix. A mistake.

I bought a chunk of blue cheese and a carrot cake. Then went home and ate half of both!

Ugh!

Actually tasted good! And went down easily.

I fell asleep early and slept well.

Enjoy your day!

It is 7 am. I cannot tell you about the sun and weather yet. It is still dark outside. Pitch black!

I received a message on Facebook this morning from someone in Great Britain. A woman. She told me I would have my next child in February 2012. Interesting. Especially since I am now 74 and for all practical purposes wifeless.

Her prediction can be a sign of good things to happen for me. Or a rediculous disaster at my stage of life.

Yesterday I walked. I continue to be a good boy.

March Madness is upon us! I watched the St. Mary’s/Villanova game. St. Mary’s drubbed the highly touted Villanova.

A month ago I thought Villanova was the best team in the country.

The Big East teams continue to fall. Wow! All season they were represented as the best league in the nation.

Syracuse plays Gonzaga at noon today. My fingers are crossed!

Last night was dinner with Jackie Grimm. Love Jackie! The best! Lovely, sweet, interesting, beautiful. She has it all.

I first met Jackie 12 years ago when I bought my Key West home. She and her husband Roland became friends. We had purchased our Key West homes at about the same time.

Roland unforunately passed away last year. A true loss. He was a good man. I enjoyed his company.

Jackie is allergic to fish. So if we eat out it generally has to be beef. She had never been to The Strip House. So it was there we went.

The food and ambiance were perfect, as expected. The service sucked. What a downer!

It did not ruin our evening. But what occurred could have been avoided.

The negative part of the evening began as soon as we arrived. The hostess wanted to know if we had reservations. Asked with that condescending attitude we have all experienced. No, I said. Knew I did not need one. Though a fine restaurant, The Strip House is never full. Even in season.

I asked for an outside table overlooking the ocean.

The hostess was a mature woman. Stated only for factual representation.

She spent 30 seconds checking her table list. As we stood idly by. Then said she would have to check.

She walked outside. Returned several minutes later and said she could take care of us.

She took us to our table. More than half the outside tables were empty. As I suspected they would be. And remained so the rest of the evening. Only 1 couple came in after we were seated.

That type attitude does not belong in Key West, even at one of its finest restaurants. It does not exist anywhere in Key West! I cannot remember the last time I got that bullshit!

I believe I am one of The Strip Steak’s best customers. I eat there frequently. You can’t beat the food and view!

Now comes the waiter.

A young man with a goatee.

A pompous ass! Condescending also!

It started with the water. Bottled or tapped? Tapped. Tapped? Yes, tapped.

We ordered steaks and 2 sides. Creamed spinach and french fries.

The steaks arrived in due course. Delicious! As expected! The best!

When we were half through the steaks, I asked the waiter if we could have the sides. I received a blank stare in return.

He left. Came back about 5 minutes later to say they would be out shortly.

Shortly was when I was down to my last little piece of steak.

No explanation. No apology. Just left the sides on the table.

It affected neither Jackie nor I. We had fries and creamed spinach AFTER dinner. Like desert.

Jackie wanted salt for her fries. The waiter brought salt and pepper. He made a production out of the fact he had also brought pepper. I wanted to shove the shaker you know where!

We sat a while and talked over coffee.

When we left, more than half the tables outside were still set for diners and had never been utilized. Inside was a bit busier. Busier than normal. About 40 per cent of the tables occupied.

The message for last night is that the hosting/wait staff did not meet up to fine dining standards from my perspective.

Out of a sense of fairness, I must say that I had never seen either the hostess or waiter before. Normally younger ladies host. Always charming. Never an attitude. No problem if no reservation. Happy to have me and my guests. Even let me select my own table.

Dan is the usual waiter. Class. He was not there last night. Perhaps Saturday is his day off, but that does not make sense.

My friend Russ is the Chief Chef. He was not working last night. That affects nothing. The other cook does a superb job also. And as Russ and I discussed at bocce this past week, how can you spoil beef such as his restaurant serves.

Note again, neither Jackie nor I were upset. It did not spoil our evening. In fact, we thought it cute the way we were eating the french fries with our fingers after dinner.

It is now 8 am. The sun is up. Beautiful outside! Looks like a great Key West day in the making.

Enjoy your day!

Looks like a nice Saturday in the making. Temperature to hit 73 degrees.

Radio show yesterday morning. A hit! Great topics. Wonderful comments afterwards. I hope you were able to catch it.

I stopped for a manicure after the show. Needed it. And it is a treat.

The place was packed. Never saw so many women before. Tammy said come back in a half hour.

No problem. I drove over to Borders to read. Everything is close. Key West is an island. Minutes seperate everything.

When I returned, the place was still packed. But Tammy was waiting for me.

Why all the people, I asked. Turns out it was a wedding party. Bride, bridesmaids, mothers, an aunt and little girls. All getting manicures and pedicures.

Some of the women had just come from having their bodies spray painted. The new safe way to tan. So the pedicurists had to be careful. No water above a certrain level of the leg. The ankle, I assume.

I was tired. I got tired during the last 15 minutes of the radio show. Even though I had a big time physical last week which I passed, I still have this tired problem. It comes on with no warning. And remains for several hours. Then it disappears as rapidly as it appeared.

I think it is the pills. I am taking so many since my heart bout in October. I will be back checking with the doctor this week.

I spent the afternoon in bed. I had planned to go to the Sports Page Bar to watch the Syracuse game around 10. Good luck! No way was I going to get out of bed. The tired continued into the evening.

So I watched the Syracuse game from bed. They beat Vermont big time. Were expecrted to, of course. But that means nothing. Remember 5 years ago when Syracuse played Vermont in the opening game also. Syracuse was heavily favored. Vermont destroyed Syracuse.

Now on to Gonzaga at noon on Sunday.

Go Cuse!

I had dinner one evening last week at The Strip Joint. An extremely fine steak house. Part of a New York City chain. The best beef!

Russ, my friend from bocce and Don’s Place, is Chief Chef there.

What a meal! Strip steak, onion rings and creamed spinach. Not the way Mom made it. The way a true New York steak house does!

There was a celebrity in the house at The Strip House. Not me. Jared Fogle.

Who is Jared Fogle? That is the question I asked also. Jared is the guy a couple of years ago who ate nothing but Subway sandwiches and lost over 200 pounds.

I am happy to report he is still thin. I walked by him to see what he was eating. Lobster. A good boy! And still thin!

Time to walk. I even walked yesterday, in spite of being tired. I forced myself to walk 20 minutes immediately after the manicure and before I went home. It was tough!

Enjoy your day!

Good morning world!

Dark outside! Always dark now with the time change. Key West is a bit further west than New York. So dark here in the morning when the sun is coming up in upstate New York, for example.

But our sun shines brighter here. When it does shine! This is the most extended cold spell I have experienced. I have been coming to Key West this time of the year for over 20 years. Never so cold so long.

A big day today! My radio show. I hope you will be able to listen or watch. 10 am. KONK 1500 AM. See and hear on the intrnet at http://www.konkam.com/.

I have a terific show planned. More material than even can be squeezed into one hour. It has been a big week news wise. Especially legal wise.

I started my day yesterday with a walk. I am still in a good health state of mind.

Walked the Atlantic end of Key West. The Southernmost Complex. The concrete pier going out into the ocean. Around Southernmost’s grounds. Then the pool area at the Reach.

Tourists galore! Good for the local economy.

Bikinis, too. A thong here and there. Good for my old eyes!

Then it was to the Coffee and Tea House to read the local Citizen and New York Times.

I realized I needed a manicure. I went. Tammy was not in. I will try her again this morning after the radio show.

My computer has been screwed up for a week. It came down to the AT&T connection. I called them. I went through this last month also.

It took 3 hours of pure frustration to cure the problem. It was their problem.

I learned something though that might be helpful to those of you who use AT&T. Think back when you have had to call them in the past. An technician at the other end takes you through the correction step by step. After almost 3 hours yesterday, I reched a point where the tech and I were not communicating effectively. She then opted to take over my computer. She actually was able to do all the corrections for me herself.

In the future, tell the technician you are inept and ask them to completely take over the process. It is quicker and involves no frustration on your part.

You learned it here!

Bocce last night.

It was raining lightly, very overcast and cold when I left my home in Key Haven. I dressed for the weather. In layers.

Ten minutes later I was driving along the Atlantic and passing the airport when I realized there were no clouds. It had not cleared. I drove into the clear area.

The sun was bright.

The bocce courts were hot. Peope were playing in tee shirts and shorts. I was glad I had layered. I stripped down a bit.

Jules did not bring her sun glasses. No sun when she left her home. Nor did I. We played the first game with the sun in our eyes. Made it a bit difficult on occasion.

We won 2 out of 3 games. Not bad. We played Bat Construction, our old team. The one that traded us away.

Jules and I partnered for the first game. We lost 16-14. Others played the second game and won 16-4. Mike and I were to play the third game. However I thought Jules had played better than me so I suggested she play and I sit out. She did.

My choice was correct. Jules played like a star in the last game. We won 16-3.

Joanie and Michelle also played well last night. They were killers in the second game.

Cheryl and Roger showed up to watch. They have become regulars in the bleacher section. Nice people. Staying at Boyd’s Campgrounds. We are going to have dinner together next week.

It is 7:30 and still dark.

Enjoy your day!

I got up early yesterday morning. To play golf an hour earlier than normal. I was up at 5. That hour coupled with the new time change meant I was really up at 4.

I need an hour plus to do this blog in the morning. Then breakfast, shower and the like. I tend to generally move slowly in the morning.

We were to tee off at 8:15. My partner Rob telephoned at 7:30 to say we were not playing. Too much rain. Weather report said the rain was going to continue throughout the day.

I looked out the window. It was raining! And it did continue to rain till late afternoon.

I was all dressed with no place to go.

I have returned to walking since monday. I used to walk an hour a day every day. Then I stopped about a year ago.

In the past 5 months I have been into good health. No drinking, no smoking and lost 30 pounds by dieting. But no exercise.

My doctor and I agreed monday it was time to start again. Slowly, but lets begin. She suggested 10 minutes to begin. I like to jump start. So it was 20 minutes tuesday.

In spite of the rain, I had to walk yesterday. Only day 2. It would have been bad not to continue.

I do not walk in the rain. Know no one who does. Unless they want to experience a poetic day by walking in the rain on a beach.

So I went over to Home Depot. A big place. Inside. Wide aisles. I walked 20 minutes in Home Depot. One time around up and down each aisle is 20 minutes.

A good boy was I!

Then it was to the Coffee and Tea House on Duval. New York Times time!

I am especially interested in the editorial pages. Sometime good, sometime bad. Yesterday was a not so good day. In spite of columns by Maureen Dowd and Tom Friedman, two of my favorite political pundits.

Last night was Aqua time for cocktails. Diet Pepsi for me.

Bobby Nesbitt!

I had a reservation at La Tratoria afterwards for dinner. I never made it.

As I was sitting enjoying Bobby, I suddenly started feeling poorly. Chilled. I knew I was coming down with something. Probably whatever Robert had while I babysat him for 2 days.

So I cancelled La Trattoria and went home.

My body ached. My stomach was fine. I was hungry.

The cupbpoard was bare at home.

As I drove down the boulevard, there was that clown figure on stilts gyrating with a Dominos sign. $5 for a pizza! That was to be my dinner!

I pulled into the K Mart Shopping Center and Dominos. I had never been to Dominos before. Frankly, I am not a big pizza eater.

I was impressed with Dominos! What a business! A small store. Nine employees. Yes, 9! Two making pizzas, two on the telephones taking orders, 1 delivery person and 4 handling the customers.

Busy! I was there less than 5 minutes and 8 people came in.

The pizza was delicious! I had 2 slices at home. Then to bed. Still had the chills.

I feel good this morning. Thank you for asking.

Bocce tonight.

We have a good team. You will recall that 6 of us were traded to a different team, the Donkeys. There are 6 players who have been with the Donkeys for years. We have to learn how to play together. Also, it would be nice to play against a team for once that is not just a sliver better than us on a particular evening. Everyone seems to play their best games against us. While we are playing terrific all the time!

Tomorrow morning is The Key West Lou Legal Hour. Please join me. 10 am. KONK 1500 AM radio. See and hear me on the internet at www.konkam.com.

Tomorrow’s show will include an introductory piece on opening the doors to the Key West Police Station, Massachusetts’ weird dumb laws, the United States Supreme Court and clean drinking water, the FBI and Facebook, My Space and Twitter, Harry Truman and Paul Revere’s “…listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere.”

Enjoy your day!