SURPRISES

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Last night was one of surprises.

One good, one bad.

The good one first. It was first last night, also. My dinner at Outback.

The Key West Outback has a new owner. Jessica Hughes. Changes are obvious already.

My drink arrived swiftly following order. The meal, also. Prime rib. The best I have ever had at Outback. A Commodore cut.

I asked the waitress if the new owner had made some changes. I described and complimented the services. She said there is a new multi colored sign in the kitchen. Its purpose to move things. She said it has. Several people have complimented the improved service as I had.

I never got into the quality of the meat with her. I shall try to talk with Jessica the new owner the next time I dine at Outback.

The bad had to do with Regal Cinema. Went to the movies after dinner.

The movie was Bridget Jones’s Baby. The third in a series. I had seen the previous two. This one lacked the quality of the first two. Not the problem, however.

The seats. It has been a while since I have been to the Regal Cinema. New seats! The worst ever! Not comfortable at all!

The first thing I noticed was the seats were considerably narrow. Like a tourist airline seat. More narrow, in fact. The seats and back poorly designed. Impossible to be comfortable. I tried every possible position. Sat up right, slouched, sat on a hip, etc.

Regal Cinema lost me last night. Henceforth, I shall only attend Tropic Cinema.

Let me play movie critic for a minute.

Renee Zellweger  has aged. It has been a while since her last Bridget Jones movie. Looked like she had some plastic surgery done. Not for the better. The bubbliness gone. She looked too old for the part.

Attention grammar critics. The title of the movie is Bridget Jones’s Baby. Is the Jones’s spelled correctly? I think it should have been Jones’.

The Rose Tattoo was filmed in Key West. The movie based on Tennessee William’s play of the same name. Hal Wallis arrived in Key West this date in 1954 scouting for locations to shoot the movie.

Much of The Rose Tattoo was shot on Duncan Street. 1400 block. The house where the movie was shot at one end. Tennessee William’s home the other.

Lisa lives on Duncan two blocks away.

The Rose Tattoo house was allowed to fall into bad shape. Unoccupied for years. Renovated recently and rented out. Nothing special about its appearance. Nor was there anything special about it in the film.

Tennessee William’s home is magnificent! Still in great shape. Maintained as it was.

This morning’s Key West Citizen front page had a huge photo and story re Burmese pythons. The story reported baby pythons are being discovered in Key Largo. Suggested there are 10,000 to 100,000 in South Florida.

I wrote a KONK Life column re pythons five year ago. Title: Pythons Are Coming. Wrote a follow up a couple of years ago. One of the thrusts was that the Burmese pythons were on the move southward from the Everglades to the Keys. Only one had been discovered in Key West at the time. Along a runway at the airport. Remains the only Key West one reported.

The number of phytons in the paper is grossly understated. Florida authorities suspect the number could be as much as one million. No exaggeration. There are so many that their growth is out of control. The State admits it cannot eliminate them. Hopefully only control their growth and spread.

My KONK Life column this week is An american Revolutionary War Hero Who Lost His Head. Interesting reading. It is on the stands today. The article appears in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast and was linked also to my Key West Lou website.

Enjoy your day!

WHITEHEAD STREET

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I frequently drive over Whitehead Street. I have always been impressed with the lines of people waiting at the Hemingway House and Southernmost Point.
Especially, this year. The lines are significantly longer. Almost to Truman re Hemingway House. More than halfway to Duval re the Southernmost Point.

Proof that not all tourists visit Key West to bar hop.

Whitehead Street is named after John Whitehead. Whitehead is often described as one of the First Developers of Key West. Also, one of four persons recognized as Key West’s Founding Fathers.

Strangely, Whitehead spent only spent 8 years of his life in Key West. He left in 1832. Only returned once thereafter. In 1861, during the Civil War.

John Whitehead’s younger brother, William Adee Whitehead, spent his life in Key West. He was editor of the Enquirer, a local newspaper. William platted the main arteries of Key West. He named four streets after the four Founding Fathers. His brother John Whitehead being one.

The name is still in use today on the same street located in the same place. The home today of the Hemingway House and the Southernmost Point.

Burmese pythons are back in the news. I have written and talked about them for several years. The pythons have propagated themselves to the point that State officials admit they can never be eradicated. Present attempts are to control the python population.

The latest news is that where ever the Burmese pythons are, small mammals disappear.

A University of Florida research team wanted to be sure the cause was pythons. Thirty marsh rabbits were outfitted with radio collars. The researchers could then track the rabbits via the signals. In most instances, the tracking led to a python. No marsh rabbits in sight. The radio collar signaling from the inside of a python stomach.

The conclusion apparent. Burmese pythons are ingesting small mammals.

I made a mistake re how our bocce team is doing. I had the numbers wrong. They are better than represented. My team is 17-4 and we are in second place. A definite first! We have never experienced such a start.

My blog talk radio show tonight. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. At 9, my time. A quick half hour of interesting observations. Most eye openers. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Topics tonight include Bill Gates’ comments re concrete production in the U.S. and China, DEA sexual activities  and how treated, Topeka Police Department’s new rule that every time a car is stopped all occupants must raise their hands, a comparative review of the U.S. health system, Roundup claimed to be drinkable by a scientist who then refused a glass when offered to him, and more.

Big evening last night! A couple of hours in the Chart Room chatting with the bartender, grocery shopping at Publix, and a prescription pick up at Walgreens.

I lead an exciting life!

Hip still sore. My body still aching. Slept again last night in the recliner chair. Not the best sleep. Better than no sleep at all, however.

Enjoy your day!

JIMMY BUFFETT RETURNS

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I begin with good news and bad news.

The good news concerns Jimmy Buffett. He returns to Key West wednesday evening. He will appear at the San Carlos. The place is booked solid. No room at the inn.

Being Jimmy Buffett, he once again went a step further. He has financed the placement of a big screen on Higgs Beach wednesday night. His concert from San Carlos will be aired live on the beach screen. Free!

The beach will definitely be overloaded.

Buffett’s concert is at 7:30. His daughter is starting the Higgs Beach event at 4:30. A mini Woodstock in the making.

The bad news. The Key West City Commission has under consideration paying retired police and firemen a 13th monthly check. The union has asked for the generosity advising that the pensions of many are under the poverty level. Many are struggling on fixed incomes and most do not have health care.

My response is simple. A big NO!

There are many in Key West living on fixed incomes and do not have health plans. What of them?

The union has a hell of a nerve asking for the extra check. Why didn’t they negotiate more money and a health care plan back when?

Social Security is the sole income for many seniors. Monthly check payments for most are definitely below the poverty level. Will they get a 13th monthly check?

The problem police and fire retirees are experiencing is the same many others are in the United States. Retirees from other occupations included. It is part of the times we live in. Unless part of the 1 percent, we are all in bed together.

It is reported the City Commission is wary of the request and has tabled it for a vote. I am wary of the City Commission. They blow taxpayer dollars on a consistent basis. They spend money like they are the Koch Brothers. The difference being that with the Koch Brothers the money is theirs. With the City Commission, it is not. They are taxpayer dollars as opposed to personal monies.

Pru Sowers has written an excellent article on the request for a 13th monthly payment to police and fire retirees. The article is pure factual reporting. It appears in this morning’s KONK Life E-Blast.

Vehicle traffic is unquestionably a Key West problem. Especially during tourist season. Too many cars for too few and too narrow streets.

Today’s Key West Citizen’s Citizens’ Voice suggests a solution. Limit the number of cars permitted in certain areas of Key West.

Paris began such a system this past week. They have devised a plan used once before. It worked then and is expected to work now. It will cut the number of cars coming into Paris center by 50 percent.

The Paris problem is different from Key West’s. The solution perhaps the same. Paris has an extreme pollution problem. It is now said that Paris is the worst city in the world for air pollution. So bad, that on mist days smog completely envelops the city. The Eiffel Tower cannot be seen.

The Key West City Commission should study the Paris solution. Of course, they probably will only do so after spending $200,000 on a study. And then, they will neither use the study nor provide any solution to the traffic problem.

I spent yesterday writing this week’s KONK Life column. Things We Should Know. Very interesting! An eye opener in many instances. The article publishes wednesday.

Enjoy your day!