-16 DEGREES

Happy New Year!

To most of the country freezing their butts off, Happy New Year! Hang in there. Warm weather will return. It always does.

I received an early morning Happy New Year from a Utica friend. Minus sixteen degrees! I remember those days. Brutal!

Chilly in Key West last night. I am ashamed to say got down to 65 degrees. I turned the heat on. You would too if you lived here all year long. Your blood thins. You are more susceptible to cold.

Key West very cold around the corner. Temperatures in the 50’s. Tomorrow night, low 62. Then a few days with the high in the mid 60’s and night times in the mid 50’s.

Key West style cold!

I remained in last night. The highlight of my evening the Syracuse/Virginia Tech game. Syracuse won 68-56. Syracuse played terrific!

Virginia Tech came into the game with the top field goal percentage in the nation. 54.5 percent. Fourth re 3 shooting percentage. 43.7. Syracuse kept Virginia Tech well below those numbers.

Syracuse’s defense outstanding! Shooting  much better. The team was making shots. Still need improvement in the shooting area, however.

A tough ACC schedule ahead.

Go ‘Cuse!

I wanted to be awake at midnight to watch the ball fall. Missed it. Woke at 12:15. Watched some blabbing from New York. Found New Orleans at 1 my time for their Happy New Year. Provided me with the thrill of it all.

CNN ran Key West 15 minutes after Sushi came down in the shoe. She was walking around by the time they got to her. Never the less, still good. An attractive Sushi in a bright red dress. She makes all her clothes herself. The crowd huge and noisy.

Key West has more than one person descending something or other at midnight. The pirate wench at the Waterfront always a hit. She (a for real one) comes down from the top of a tall ship’s mast. Other descents include a conch shell, Keys lime wedge, unicorn and a tuna.

Something for everyone!

New Year’s Day was not always celebrated January 1. The early calendar was a mess. Unreliable. Followed the lunar cycle. Changed a bit every year. The bits turned into a large number at some point and adjustments had to be made.

Julius Caesar said enough! In 45 B.C., the Julian calendar took effect. Caesar took a little glory from the event. Quintilis was the original name of July. Caesar changed it to July, naming the month after himself.

In the 1570’s, the calendar was still screwed up. By the year 1,000, the calendar had added 7 days. By the mid 1500’s, 10 days.

Pope Gregory III solved the problem by adding 1 day to the calendar every 4 years. Leap year! Still works today.

The new calendar became known as the Gregorian calendar.

Key West’s Dachshund Walk yesterday a success. More than 200 dachshunds participated.

I receive my daily Key West Citizen via the internet. No January 1 edition this morning. Why? I hope it was not because the Citizen gave its workers a day off because of the holiday. A lot of Key Westers worked yesterday. The Citizen should have also, if such was the reason.

Enjoy your day!

NEW YEAR’S EVE WEDDINGS

Happy New Year! Happiness, health and prosperity! May all be yours!

The wedding of the year! Don and Stephanie’s daughter Elizabeth married David. The evening outstanding.

The wedding was outside at 7 behind the Firemen’s Museum on Grinnell. One block from Don’s Place. The setting perfect. Massive green lawn covered with white chairs.

The wedding party beautiful! Including the guys! The bride looked especially good. I was impressed with the men’s tuxedos. Normally, rented and ill fitting. Rented last night. However perfect fitting and looked new.

Don wore a white jacket. Distinguished appearing. James Bond reincarnated.

I hate Don. He is so thin clothes fit him perfectly. I have not had such a body since college.

Stephanie elegant. The only way to describe her.

Elizabeth and David cried as they exchanged vows. Brought a tear to most eyes.

The mother is always the one with the responsibility to put a wedding together. School teacher Stephanie, I give you an A+. You pass with honors.

The reception. Stephanie’s A+ covers the reception, also. It is like Part 1 and Part 2 of an examination.

Don’s Place never looked better! Don’s Place could never look better! Shocking!

A huge white tent. Chandeliers. Large round tables with soft linens covering and beautiful flowers. Gold chairs.

A dance floor. Used all evening! Food, the best. Everything tasty.

People blended well. A family wedding with friends added. Family from all over the country. The women all decked out. The men sweating in suits and ties. Obviously not aware of Key West heat.

The wedding of the year!

The reception was to go on past midnight. Hats and other things necessary to welcome the New Year in available. I could not make midnight. I was home in bed sleeping at 10. Woke at 2 and wished myself a Happy New Year!

Everyone was getting married last night.

Sushie wed. Sushi of drag queen fame. Sushie, the photographer. Sushi who has been coming down in a red slipper from the second floor of the Bourbon St. Pub for years.

Last night, Sushi was attired in a lovely white wedding gown. Before making the trip down at midnight, Sushi married long term partner Jeff Kucin.

In front of the thousands waiting for Sushi’s midnight descent in the red slipper.

There are a couple of other things I would like to share. However, the wedding comments are too touching to be joined with anything else. I will add them to tomorrow’s blog.

Enjoy the long holiday weekend!

 

 

A FEW RUDE TOURISTS

Some locals told me recently that the tourists were on the rude side this year. I mentioned it to you previously a couple of times.

Last night, I experienced it.

I was at Tavern ‘n Town for dinner. Seated at the bar. Did not want to fight the heavy traffic to get downtown. The bar was packed. However, two seats opened up. One on each side of me.

I was in the middle of my meal.

A gruff voice said, “Please move.”  Not nice at all. The “please” too harsh to be considered nice.

It was a couple. The woman doing the talking. Beautiful! Extremely so. Very overdressed for Key West.

The man looked like he just left the pool. Tee shirt, shorts, toes, hair a mess.

Had the lady waited a few seconds,  I would have seen them, I would have moved without being asked.

I moved. My dinner, silver wear, napkin, two drinks, bread, butter, and newspaper.

They sat. Three minutes later they were up and on their way out. The lady looked at me and said, “We are being ignored.” I asked where will you go. Downtown. Have a reservation? No.

My advice was you are better off staying here. Service a bit slow because the bar is crowded. The food excellent. The entertainment outstanding. If you go downtown, you have to fight the traffic. Find a parking place. They had their own car. Then wait 1-1.5 hours to get a table because you have no reservation.

They knew better. Walked away without a word.

Things were moving. A third seat opened. Three bar seats in a row. Unusual!

Three persons took them. One a lady around my age. With some trouble moving. Unsteady on her feet. The couple probably her daughter and daughter’s husband. In their late 50s, early 60s..

The older woman went to get on the stool next to me. She was having trouble. She was short. As she went up to sit, she started to fall. She fell into me and I grabbed he to stop her falling further. The women kept saying to me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.

The daughter had not seen the fall. She heard the I am sorry’s, however. What are you doing to my mother? I was still holding her. It was like I was abusing the woman.

I explained and the mother did. The daughter was still pissed. She moved her mother three seats away. The daughter sat next to me, the terror of Tavern ‘n Town.

I was glad my dinner was almost over.

Key West exceptionally crowded. Must say it again. Many Japanese tourists. Unusual. Driving next to impossible. People crossing streets without looking. Traffic lights mean nothing to pedestrians and bicyclists.

I had been at Body Owners late morning. Headed downtown afterwards. Had a haircut appointment with Lori. A normally 15 minute trip took 35 minutes. Then, 20 minutes to find a parking place.

I was not a happy camper.

Key West City fathers encourage more and more people to visit. However, they fail to consider how to handle the crowds. Especially, the parking aspect.

Lori and I discussed the crowd situation and her business this time of the year. Her tale always the same.

Business slow the week before a holiday. Tourists already had their hair dome before they came to visit. Her business picks up dramatically the week after. The locals have extra money because of the holiday. They come in in droves to get their hair done.

Syracuse lost to Pitt last night 72-61. The game closer than the score indicates. I thought Syracuse looked good. However, still needs that big man. Pitt controlled the boards 2-1. Scored 22 points on rebounds off the offensive board.

My New Year’s Eve predetermined. A daughter of Don and Stephanie marrying tonight. I am invited. I look forward to the wedding celebration.

This week’s KONK Life column Political Sexcapades linked this morning to my Key West Lou website. .keywestlou.com. An interesting article. Involves Trump and the Clintons.

Everything in moderation tonight. For me and for you.

Happy New Year!