SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

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Walt Disney hit with a bang this day in 1937 with the premier of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The first feature length animated film. Took in $8 million its first weekend.

Critics thought it would be a loser. They referred to the film before its release as “Disney’s Folly.”A lesson learned: Don’t always listen to those who supposedly know more than everyone else.

Who can forget Dopey, Sneezy, Bashful, Grumpy, Sleepy, Doc and Happy? Whistled While They Worked: Heigh ho, heigh ho, it’s off to work we go…..

A happy film. Good to be recalled. Even better, to be seen again.

An old friend in Key West last night. Years since we have been together. Dinner at Antonia’s.

Catch up conversation.

After dinner, Mike had things to do. I decided to stop at the Chart Room. Glad I did.

Met Dee Elder from Kansas City. She lost one breast to cancer.

Seems I am getting a mastectomy education lately. Jenny two months ago in the Chart Room. She had a double. Explained the whole procedure to me. She was happy with her new breasts. Intended having her nipples tattooed on.

Seems women who have had to undergo a removal of their breast(s) want to share the experience with everyone. Dee went so far as to show everyone her breasts.

Magnificent! More magnificent, the work performed by the doctors.

Dee had only one removed. She had papillary breast cancer. She explained papillary cancer does not jump from one breast to another.

Her breasts beautiful! Both balanced and appeared the same in size, etc. The doctors do some work on the remaining one to make sure the two breasts look alike when all is done.

We got into nipple tattooing. Thanks to my previous conversation with Jenny.

Dee’s nipple was tattooed. I could not tell. A 3-D tattoo. The shadowing made it appear slightly erect.

Dee told me that only medically licensed tattoo artists were permitted to do the tattooing.

Should my mastectomy education continue, I may write a book on the tattooing aspect. A follow-up to Irma and Me.

This is Dee’s 23rd visit to Key West. Once a year for 23 years.

She is here with her husband to the 26th so I anticipate running into her again. She will probably expose her breasts again. She is proud of them. Good for her!

Need some help. I am looking for Julie from Canada who I met a few weeks ago at the Chart Room. The same Julie I had written about two times earlier re her split toe ring and its magical influence upon Key West during Irma.

Her husband, Conrad.

Julie, please write me at louispetrone@gmail.com. I need your assistance in something I am doing.

Big event tonight! Custom House from 5-9. A holiday concert and bazaar. Guaranteed to be a winner! My friend Dr. Cori Convertino involved with the event.

The tax bill in reality our government for sale. To the rich donors who fill the Republican election coffers with mega dollars.

They want to rule the country……from the shadows.

Trump working his alienation powers again today. At a meeting of the UN General Assembly. A vote regarding the U.S. having declared Jerusalem Israel’s capital and advising it would be moving its embassy there.

The U.S. is going to take a beating. A big one!

Trump has advised that those who vote against the U.S.’s position could face repercussions. He threatens to cut aid to any such country.

Niki Haley said the U.S. would be taking names re those who vote against the U.S. position.

What kind of bullshit is this? Trump’s way in this regard similar to those of an authoritarian figure. Men like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.

No way to make friends! No way to keep friends!

The Mayflower Compact signed this day back in the 1620’s by the Pilgrims before they disembarked from the Mayflower at Plymouth Rock. Signed by 41 adult male Pilgrims.

No women were permitted to sign. Second class citizens back then.

It took a few hundred years. Women however have come a long way!

Enjoy your day!

 

GREAT WHITES SNOWBIRDS

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Live and learn!

Great White Sharks are snowbirds. They summer in Cape Cod and winter in Florida. From Palm Beach to Key West.

At the present time, Miss Costa is enjoying the warm waters off Key West. A female Great White. So named by some follow the fish group. The group tagged Miss Costa in 2014. The group is generally aware of her location.

The group says worry not. Great Whites friendly. The group claims there are no recorded Great White Shark bitings off Key West.

I don’t believe them. But then, what do I know about Great Whites. Except that I have been scared of them since the movie Jaws.

Syracuse/Buffalo last night. Disappointed. Could not get the game here. The news reported following the game that Syracuse won 81-74. Syracuse looked good in the first half. Terrible in the second.

Syracuse plays Texas A & M thursday evening. Texas ranked number 8 nationally. A true test for Syracuse.

Enjoyed doing my podcast show Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou last night. Primarily, Trump. Could not be avoided.

The tax bill soon to be law not fair. A welfare program for the rich.

One example is the child credit. Seventy five dollars to families earning less than $14,000 a year.  Four thousand dollars to families earning more than $400,000 a year.

Fair? I think not. The child credit should not be graduated based on income. Should be the same dollar amount per child regardless of family income.

Jimmy Carter when President said, “The present tax structure is a disgrace to this country, it’s just a welfare program for the rich.”

Nothing changes.

Truman loved Key West and Key West loves Truman.

Truman made 11 trips to Key West covering 175 days. He stayed at what is now the Little White House. At the time, the Naval Base Commander’s living quarters.

On this day in 1949, Truman left Key West at the end of a three week vacation.

Mike Yutzy a friend for years. Lives in Las Vegas. We have not been together in seven years. He is in town. We are having dinner together tonight.

Turns out Irma and Me is the only book written re Hurricane Irma. Maybe that is why Irma and Me is selling so well. The book is realistic, humorous and sometimes sad. The composition of a hurricane.

You will enjoy reading it. Friends and relatives also. Available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble and KoboBooks.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

COREY MALCOM…..INDIANA JONES OF KEY WEST

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This morning’s Key West Citizen had a front page story that made me proud. Half the page. Huge photo. Title of the article: Corey Malcom…..Indiana Jones of Key West!

My son-in-law!

Indiana Jones fits him.

Corey grew up in the corn fields of Indiana. Today, his home the depths of the Caribbean.

Corey has been chief archaeologist at the Mel Fisher Museum for more than a quarter century. Worked hand in hand with Mel Fisher initially. He is an expert regarding the slave ship Atocha. He is a slave trade expert.

More than merely an expert. He is the only one possessing significant knowledge in the area of Caribbean slave ships. He writes several times a year for National Geographic. Appears on the History Channel.

He is the best husband, father, and son in law. For real.

Animals know. Jake follows Corey everywhere at home. Sleeps next to him during the night.

Last night was Aqua first. Dueling Bartenders time with Tom Luna and Rick Dery. Even Christmas carols last night. All of us joining in.

Jean at the bar. I was surprised. She was supposed to fly home to Birmingham yesterday. Delta through Atlanta. She was rebooked to wednesday.

David! I had not seen David in months. It was good to see him. In one of his rare moods. Singing along with Tom and Rick on most songs.

Liz was there. A few weeks since we have seen each other. Always good to see her. She was with Josefina.

Still dieting. A solid 10 pounds off so far. I am plateaued. Doing Atkins. The diet says ok to drink gin or scotch after two weeks. No carbs. It was three weeks last night. I had a Tanqueray on the rocks. Sipped it half way down over a period of two hours.

Stopped at Publix on the way home. Out of food again. Diet food. Picked up a few items. Atkins is an expensive diet to be on.

Tonight, Syracuse/Buffalo at 7. Syracuse should win. I will be able to watch the game before my 9 o’clock blog talk radio show.

Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou a fast moving half hour where I cover a multitude of sins. Join me. Interesting, eye opening and challenging. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Impeachment in the air. It was in the air in 1998, also. Clinton was impeached this date in 1998. Basically for his affair with Monica Lewinsky.

I considered attempting to bring Clinton down with Lewinsky at the time a low blow. Even would today. She wasn’t complaining. The Republicans were.

Lewinsky was 22 at the time. Many think younger because she was an intern when the affair started. Later, she worked in the Pentagon.

I felt sorry for Clinton. He was a harasser. Most of his predecessors in the Presidency had been also.

I felt sorry for Lewinsky. Still do. Her life destroyed because of the affair. The relationship involved oral copulation. Never actual intercourse. People remember her as the young lady on her knees. Even so many years later.

Her mother not quite right. Her daughter was in the throes of the investigation/scandal in 1996. Her mother Marcia Kay Vilensky wrote a gossip type book. The Private Life of the Three Tenors. In the book, the mother hinted she had had an affair with Placido Domingo.

Capitalizing on her daughter’s misfortune. The worst!

Reverse pedophilia. That is what I call it. Where the adult is female.

It is not only men who are perpetrators. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about a similar situation.

The most recent involves Andrea Barber. A 29 year old Oregon school teacher. At the time of her arrest, she had reduced her work hours to part time.

Andrea was married.

The school involved a religious one. Pedophilia and religion seem to go hand in hand in recent years.

The affair started in 2016 when the student was 15. They met on a regular basis. Mostly at her home. She even provided her paramour with marijuana.

The school the Logos Christian Academy. In its bio of Andrea, she is described thusly: ” Andrea has always felt called to work with youth and is very excited that God opened the door for her to be part of the Logos team.”

My good friend Larry Smith performs his annual Christmas show friday night at 8 at The Studios of Key West. Holiday Jazz Concert. Always enjoyable. I will be there.

Enjoy your day!

 

STONE CRAB SEASON A DISAPPOINMENT

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Stone crabs!

My favorite food. The favorite of many.

Next to impossible to find. If available, expensive. Like $8 for a small one.

Why no stone crabs?

Two reasons.

The first Irma. Screwed up what is below the water as well as that above.

The other, cold fronts. Crabs are driven to the Keys by cold fronts. We have not had one yet this year. The cold this past week kid stuff compared to a real one.

Fortunately, the stone crab season lasts till May 15. We should have a cold front or two by then. Hopefully crabs galore. Unless Irma’s impact on them more significant than thought.

Yesterday’s blog lacked a most important saturday afternoon event. The Syracuse/Georgetown game. Syracuse won in overtime 86-79.

A typical hard fought game. As in the old days when the two teams met in Big East games.

Georgetown was up by 13 in the second half. Syracuse fought back and tied at the buzzer. Syracuse then out scored Georgetown by 7 points in overtime.

The best Syracuse game I have seen in a couple of years.

Go ‘Cuse!

I stayed in saturday night. The success Irma and me is having caused me to remain home working on my next book. Growing Up Italian. Irma has motivated me to do more.

I should have been out and about.

Doug Jones and Jimmy Buffett in town! Unannounced.

Jean Thornton has many friends. Someone called her and said be at Margaritaville at 8. Tell no one. Jean was not told why she should be there. She suspected maybe Buffett.

She was there. So too were Buffett and Doug Jones.

Jones and wife Louisa are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary at a friend’s home in Key West. Jean is from Alabama. A Republican, of course. She rushed up to Jones excitedly and told him it was the first time in 28 years she had voted Democratic.

Then Buffett appeared. He played his guitar and sang for one hour.

The place was packed! Jean not the only one who had a friend. People out on the sidewalk for a look see and to hear Buffett.

Buffet sang Stars Fell Over Alabama in honor of Jones’ victory.

Nice that Buffett decided to “…..headin’ back to Key West town.”

Today’s Key West Citizen had only a few photos of the Lighted Boat Parade. Looked good! Also, a few photos of the first I Love Stock Island Lighted Boat Parade. Looked good, also.

The first I Love Stock Island Boat Parade and other events appear to be the beginning of a tradition. Go Stock Island!

I was out and about last night. Began with Kate Miano’s Gardens.

Terri White performing. My love! For the first time since her cancer surgeries. She appears on the mend.

The crowd was large out of respect for Terri. She failed them not. Her singing, Terri! Nothing changed. Outstanding.

I chatted with Terri, Donna, Tash, Kate, Jean, and Libby York amongst others. Also, Jan Gebhart and Bob Pracher. Had not seen them in a while.

Last night was the first time I met Libby York. Her singing well known beyond Key West. Places like New York, Chicago, and Paris.

Libby will be performing at The Gardens in a couple of weeks. She also opens thursday and every thursday thereafter at the Little Jazz Room Club.

Libby not new to Key West. She has had a home here since 1980.

The New York Times described her as “a juicy singer of cool composure and artful subtlety.”

Jean and I had dinner later at Antonia’s. She is supposed to leave today for Birmingham on Delta. Not sure she will get out.

I am still on the diet. Seem to have plateaued. Lost only one pound this past week. I have not cheated once. Ergo, the only one pound loss bothers me. I need to see success on the scale!

Enjoy your day!

THE BEST OF THE WORST CHRISTMAS MOVIES

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Today a significant one in Christmas folklore. Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol this date in 1843. The story of the old miser Ebenezer Scrooge, Timothy Cratchit, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come. Their visits transform Scrooge into a kinder, gentler man.

The first Christmas Carol movie came out in 1938. My mother took me to see it. I was all of 3-4 years old. Scared me big time! Ever since, I have had a distaste for the film and change the channel when it shows up on TV.

Some believe the movie to be the granddaddy of all holiday shows. One critic described it as the best of the worst Christmas movies. I agree with the critic.

My writing mood continued into yesterday. Rewrote passages to Growing Up Italian all day. Into the night. Never left the house.

I have now been home two full days. Definitely must get out today. I will be at Kate Miano’s Gardens late this afternoon. Terri White singing. I can use a dose of Terri and conversation with friends.

The Christmas Boat Parade last night. Had I been out, I would have watched a bit of it from the ocean deck at the Pier House. The weather was good. The Boat Parade would therefore have been pleasant to watch.

The Key West Citizen publishes on Saturday for Saturday and Sunday. I have to wait till tomorrow’s edition to see the parade’s pics and review the comments concerning the parade.

Don’t forget Larry Smith’s Holiday Jazz Concert friday at 8 at The Studios of Key West. Larry has been performing the show for years. Changes it each year. Always good. A must to see!

Today big in the history of flying. On this date in 1903, the Wright brothers flew a plane they had created. The first plane ever to fly. All of 12 seconds for a distance of 120 feet. History rarely reminds us that the plane flew a total of four times that day. The fourth time, 852 feet in 59 seconds.

In the 1960s when I was flying around the country on behalf of clients, I would occasionally think how far man had come with air travel since that day in 1903. Man stepping on the moon was the ultimate!

All achieved in the short time of 60 odd years.

Trump is taking things away from us a step at a time each and every day. The man a destroyer at heart.

The most recent tragedy involves the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The Center is tasked with saving and protecting the lives of the most vulnerable.

I am personally familiar with the Center. My environmental law work took me there many times. I was concerned with toxins. Hazardous substances that affected many. Nasty bugs that could kill many in an instance if released.

Trump’s interest is corporate America. He has stripped EPA regulations. His attitude is things are not as bad as some make them seem. If corporate America thinks something is safe, it must be. Keep the people in the dark. What they do not know will not hurt them.

The Trump Administration announced , no ordered, the Center to stop using certain words in 2018 budget documents. Seven specifically. Transgender, vulnerable, entitlement, science-based, and evidence-based.

Words have been suggested in their place. Modifying terms. Such that lower a danger involved and in certain instances by silence deny the existence of certain groups such as transgenders.

The recommendation is that descriptive words should be based on community standards and wishes.

Trump is weakening the truth. The order barring certain words reckless and dangerous. A major epidemic could overtake the country because the Center was not able to effectively warn against it and research the problem before it hit full force.

Trump will be signing the tax bill into law this week.  He will continue to tell us it is a big break for the middle class. Bullshit we all know. It is a tax break for the rich to the detriment of the middle class.

Trump has become an economic authority. Lyndon Johnson said, “Making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg. It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else.”

Congress is screwing up probably more than any other time in history. The Republicans follow Pied Piper Trump and the Democrats fail to provide effective opposition.

John Kennedy stated re Congress, “What can you expect from that zoo?”

Want some pleasant reading? Buy a copy of Irma and Me. Good reading! Easy. Enjoyable. Available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KoboBooks.

Enjoy your Sunday!

United States Being Destroyed By Its Own

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Trump the Pied Piper again. Leading his followers in an attempt to demean and demolish Justice in the United States.

His attack directed at the Department of Justice, FBI, and the Judicial System. His wrongdoing monumental in comparison to Nixon’s wrongdoing.

This is the most dangerous time in the history of our country.

We are being destroyed by our own!

Yesterday, friday. It was different for me. Normally, I am out and about on a friday evening. Not last night.

I worked once again in the afternoon on my next novel. Growing Up Italian. The words were flowing well. I ended up working till 11 in the evening.

I have been at the Italian book four years. Irma’s acceptance has motivated me to get the book to the publisher’s desk.

Irma and Me continues to be available on the internet at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KoboBooks.

The “bad guys” are back. Oxitec. The issue 2-3 years ago re testing a purported mosquito killer on Key Haven was killed by the people in a general election. At the time, the Florida was involved in oversight.

Oxitec has reapplied to test in the lower keys. The application this time to the EPA. Scares me. Trump’s EPA is not concerned about you and me. Only corporations.

Oxitec seeks permission to test without specifying where.

Ollie, get your team back together. The fight continues!

Syracuse/Georgetown today at 12:30. Georgetown a 5 point favorite.

Two foes of yesteryear. While both were members of the Big East. Every game to the death!

Coaches Jim Boeheim and John Thompson actually disliking each other. No friendship till a couple of years after Thompson retired. Boeheim and Thompson ran into each other. Thompson extended his hand. Saying something in effect to Boeheim that he really had not liked him.

The coaching giants friends today!

Big day in American history. On this date in 1771, the Boston Tea Party. An act of rebellion if there ever was one. Great for the colonists’ cause.

Rebellion happens. A people who think they are getting screwed will react in such fashion. It could happen again.

It was bound to happen! Sexual harassment in reverse. A male reported having been harassed by a female several years ago. In the political arena, no less.

Andrea Ramsey had announced she was a Democratic candidate for Congress. The Congressional District in Kansas. She dropped out of the race this week.

A male subordinate claimed she sexually harassed him in 2005. He claimed she fired him for refusing her advances.

Works both ways. What is good for the goose, is good for the gander. What is good for the gander, is good for the goose.

A new word in the Oxford Dictionary. Youthquake. Defined as “a significant, cultural, political, or social change arising from the actions or influence of young people.”

The word the result of the wakening of millennials seeking change during the past 12 months.

Will the birth control issue ever leave us?

Trump issued a new rule re birth control. One which could significantly reduce women’s access to free birth control. He expanded religious exemptions to include non-religious entities.

In two instances. One to include publicly traded corporations. The other permitting denial on moral grounds (an extension of religious grounds).

A Federal District Court Judge temporarily blocked the new Trump rules.

Enjoy your day!

TIP STEALING AND SEX NIGHT AT THE CHART ROOM

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A doubleheader today. Two columns in one.

Keys Energy screwed things up yesterday. Made it impossible to get the blog out and had me sitting on South Roosevelt Boulevard forever waiting to make the turn north onto US 1.

Keys Energy was doing maintenance work from 8 to 2 yesterday in our neighborhood. No power, no wi-fi, no nothing. Keys Energy also was doing some big time electrical work at Cow Key Bridge. A huge crane rising out of the water.

I begin with tip stealing. An example how Trump is taking from those who earn less and giving to those who earn more.

The Trump Administration announced a proposed rule which in effect amounts to tip stealing. Affects waiters, waitresses and bartenders, as well as kitchen help.

Permits restaurant employers to illegally pocket tips earned by employees. If the employer pays minimum wage, the employer can legally pocket “pooled” tips. Tips that could be shared with other restaurant staff such as chefs and dishwashers.

Dollar amount involved estimated at $6.1 billion per year.

It is claimed many restaurant owners are already pocketing a portion of the tips illegally. The Trump proposal legalizes the illegal.

I mention tip stealing because it affects many Key West restaurant workers.

Spent the afternoon working on Growing Up Italian. My next book. Getting there. See light at the end of the tunnel.

Attended Mary Lou Hoover’s fundraiser at Kate Miano’s home. Many people. A success. Kate’s new home divine.

Mary Lou running for a Key West City Commission seat.

Jean attended the fundraiser with me. Then we enjoyed dinner together at La Trattoria.

Key West native Sebrina Maria Alfonso returns to Key West friday evening with the Southern Florida Symphony. The Symphony was born in Key West 20 years ago.

The theme of the performance involves Ernest Hemingway. The event at the Glynn Archer Performing Arts Center.

The contract was let for the construction of the Custom House this month in 1888. All that building for $107,955.96! Money bought a lot more in those days.

Speaker Ryan announced taxpayer funds will no longer be used to pay suits against Congressmen with regard to sexual harassment matters.

Talk is cheap. It took a law to permit the use of taxpayer dollars in such situations. It will take a law to abolish the law.

Lets get it done pronto!

This is wild! Reading, home and street lights from leaves. Kale, watercress, arugula, and spinach. Eventually would replace electrical energy.

The U.S. Department of Energy has been funding MIT research to make it work. Already producing lighting power dimly.

Sounds like it will come.

Our friends the iguanas. Not really friends. Nasty creatures. I wrote recently they are overpopulated in Florida. They eat our flowers and shit in our pools. The State has initiated a program to eradicate or control them. Will end up like the pythons. Control. Eradication impossible. Too many already here.

This morning’s Comment Column on page 2 of the Key West Citizen advised that iguanas are available online from Puerto Rico. Fifteen dollars to $49.99 a pound. Referred to as Chicken of the Trees.

Iguanas are minimally eaten in south Florida. Purportedly taste like chicken Eaten big time in Central and South America.

Today’s blog begins here.

Sex in the Chart Room. Not real sex. Merely conversation.

Three couples. All tourists.

One mentioned that they had been at Teaser’s strip club till 2 am. Hung over. Especially the husband. Husband and wife both enjoyed.

One of the other couples immediately decided they were going to Teaser’s when they left the Chart Room.

The third asked if there we any nude restaurants or bars in Key West. Oh, the reputation we have!

They were advised not. They were told about the Garden of Eden. The rooftop clothing optional bar on top of the Bull & Whistle. Completely open to the elements.

Cold last night. Mid 60s. Not the time to take your clothes off on the Bull & Whistle’s rooftop.

Could not disillusion the third couple. They decided to go anyway. If they ultimately did, even with clothes on they would have frozen their asses off.

Met Art and Sherry at the bar. Not interested in strip clubs or the Garden of Eden.

They have lived in Key West two years on a boat. Sits outside Turtle Krawl. Art mid forties. Formerly a CPA. Decided to give it up and live the good life in Key West. He drives a trolley by day. Thrilled with his new life.

Art not the first to have done it.

My yesterday included a haircut with Lori and Publix to stock up on more diet foods. Such is my life in Key West.

Duval has Christmas wreaths hanging from light poles from one end to the other. You feel the season as you walk Duval.

Omarosa Mangault Newman in the news. A White House Assistant to the President. African-American. The only White House black staff member. She had easy access to the President.

She was fired yesterday. By John Kelly. Her credentials taken. Reported she was accompanied off White House grounds.

Wonder what she will have to say about Trump.

The book, the book, the book! Irma and Me. Sales continue. I am excited. You might consider acquiring a copy yourself. Easy fun reading. Makes an excellent reasonably priced Christmas gift, also.

Today, friday. I have no plans for tonight. Regardless, I know it will turn out to be a fun time. Can’t miss in Key West!

Enjoy your day!

 

CATHERINE…..WHERE ARE YOU?

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Catherine…..Where are you? An interesting introduction.

I met Catherine last night at the Sons and Daughters of Italy Christmas party. We were seated next to each other for dinner. Enjoyed our time together.

At the end, she entered www.keywestlou.com on her phone. I asked for her e-mail. She put it on my phone. Easier she thought. I wanted to send her a piece to read.

This morning, I tried to send. From memory. Did not work. When Catherine returned my cell phone to me, I forgot to hit SAVE.

Ergo, Catherine…..Where are you? Please e-mail me at louispetrone@gmail.com. I will then have your e-mail and will be able to send you the material I thought you might be interested in.

The party was wonderful. What else could be expected from a group of partying Italians.

Our table interesting.

Besides Catherine, met Elizabeth. An engineer. She warmed my heart when she told me she reads the blog.

Martin and Donatella. Martin a former President of the organization. An entrepreneur. His company operates out of several cities. Donatella Italian born. She recalled my KONK Life articles.

I left early. As the dancing started. Catherine was unable to dance. She had a hip replacement six weeks ago.

Cold last night. Cold during the evening. Cold this morning. I have to find my leather jacket.

The sky was perfect last night as I left the Doubletree. Not a cloud. Stars everywhere.

My first stop this morning is the opticians. Have to get the eye glass problem resolved. Anxious to see well again.

This morning ends the first two weeks of the diet. Atkins. The diet claims a 10 pound loss at the end of the first two weeks. Then 2 pounds a week. Only lost 8. I am disappointed. Every pound  a hard loss. Committed however to staying on the diet.

Tonight will be special. Atkins permits drinking after two weeks. Gin or scotch. No carbs. Gin my drink of choice for 40 years. Look forward to Beefeater on the rocks tonight. I am a man in the desert searching for water.

Moore/Jones Alabama election tomorrow.

On TV this morning, a video was of a group of Alabama seniors. One hundred percent behind Moore. Thought the 16 ladies reporting him all lied. One made mention that 30-40 years ago, Alabama permitted 13 year olds to marry. Another said any parent back then would have been happy if an Assistant District Attorney was meeting their 14 year old daughter at a mall.

Sick, thwarted thinking!

What a difference eighty years make!

Actually eighty one years ago when on this date in 1936 Edward VIII abdicated to marry twice divorced Wallis Simpson. He could not live without the woman he loved.

Parliament would not accept a divorcee as spouse to the King of England.

A different world today. Prince Charles divorced and remarried. Prince Harry soon to marry a divorced lady.

Putin has a reputation of being a ladies’ man. Rarely mentioned. He is numero uno in a totalitarian state.

Oh! Calcutta! opened in New York in 1969. Nudity a significant part of the show. I saw it. Must be frank. Made me a bit uncomfortable at the time. And a prude I am not!

Soon after its opening, Sergi Mikhail, Secretary of Moscow’s Writers Union, described Oh! Calcutta’s nudity as a sign of western decadence. His concern was that Oh! Calcutta’s “bourgeois” thinking was affecting Russian youth.

Sixty two year old Xiong Gaowa is a Chinese barber. No barber shop. He works on the street. A chair on an open thoroughfare. In Chengdu, Sichuan.

He has a specialty. Called blade wash eyes. Runs a straight razor along the inside of a customer’s eyelids. Leaves the customer feeling refreshed and comfortable afterwards.

The process cleans the sebaceous glands running along the inside of the eyelid.

The Chinese medical profession finds nothing wrong with the blade eye wash. As long as the instrument used is sterilized to prevent infection.

I came across an article a few days ago reporting that the Department of Defense (DOD) was going to perform an audit. The first ever. Not a dollar one which is desperately needed. Billions unaccounted for each year.

Rather an audit of material, supplies. Things like ammunition, tanks, planes, etc. An inventory. A big job. Two thousand four hundred auditors to be involved.

I read another article this morning that makes me understand why the audit. Humans must be involved also. The Pentagon has lost 44,000 soldiers. Cannot track them. Have no idea where they are.

The Pentagon lists military under Country Location. The 44,000 are marked Unknown.

The soldiers involved were lost in deployment.

Would you believe?

Enjoy your day!

KEY WEST WEATHER FRIGHTFUL

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The weather is frightful. Key West experiencing its first cold spell of the season. Sixty degrees last night. Sixty one degrees at the moment. Today projected a high of 65 and low of 59.

I feel sad for the tourists who are here this week. The cold spell will run through thursday. They ae making the best of it. Buying Key West sweat shirts and hanging out at the bars day and night. Still fun!

When I went out last night, my mind was buzzing with Frank Sinatra’s rendition of Let It Snow. The specific line…..The weather outside is frightful.

We who live here have thin blood. The heat does it. Anything under 74 cold! I appreciate it sounds strange. That is the way it is, however.

I turned on the heat 2:30 this morning. First time in the new house.

The fire alarm went off. For 15 minutes. I did not smell smoke so was not concerned. Small particles of soot came flying out the vents.

Turned heat off. Grabbed an extra blanket. Never got back to sleep. Not caused by the noise, cold, etc. Merely woke and could not get back to sleep.

Terrific!

Made me wish I had a body to sleep next to. Body heat  works.

Someone due here in an hour to check the system out.

My only stop last night the Chart Room. Packed. The weather forcing everyone inside. Everyone having a good time. Noise level roaring.

Shaun bartending. Just Returned from a visit home in Minnesota. Minus 10 degrees. Real cold!!!

On the way out, met Jenn and Holly. Jenn stopped me to say she reads the blog. Makes my heart feel good every time I hear it. I believe Jenn lives in Key West and her friend Holly visiting.

Big party tonight! The Sons and Daughters of Italy Christmas party. At the Doubletree. Last year was my first Christmas party with them. One terrific time!

A few Trump observations.

Yesterday, Obama compared Trump’s actions to those of Hitler. Some commenting today on TV were offended. Open your eyes! The man is! He is authoritarian and totalitarian. Democracy rapidly declining. Troubled waters ahead.

Pakistan supposedly our ally. Friend. Till Trump. Keep in mind, Pakistan is a nuclear nation.

Pakistan announced yesterday that its Air Force had been ordered to shoot down U.S. drones. Pakistan claims the drones are violating Pakistan’s sovereignty.

Yes. The real reason however is that Afghanistan sits next door to Pakistan. U.S. air power flies over Pakistan to get to Afghanistan. When the bombs fall, some fall on the Pakistan side of the border. Killing Pakistanis.

In August, Trump publically spoke harshly of Pakistan.

Pakistan has reached a point many other nations have. The United States cannot be relied on.

UN Under-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman returned recently from North Korea. He opined re North Korea: The “world’s most dangerous security issue, and must be resolved fast and diplomatically to avoid war.”

Trump spoke yesterday in Mississippi. The bastion of black love. Trump paid tribute to the “brave men and women of the civil rights movement.”

What a whore!

Demonstrators nearby carrying signs. One read: “No Trump, no hate, no KKK in the USA.”

Keep up the good work, Mr. President!

Modern day pedophilia did not end with the Catholic Church. It keeps rearing its ugly head.

Recently, Alabama’s Moore.

More recently, the Director of Music Publishing for Walt Disney. John Heely. Sixty eight. He has been with Walt Disney since 1981.

Three minors. One for four years.

A religious man. His Twitter bio reads: “Disney concerts and living to glorify God in all things.”

Enjoy your Sunday!

 

I AM WOMAN

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Two items of historical significance occurred this date, though in different years.

The year 1972. Helen Reddy’s brilliant song I Am Woman hit the top of the pop charts. A work for the ages. Perfect for the burgeoning women’s movement. One of its beginnings.

I Am Woman’s words involved personal empowerment. Identified women as a class unto themselves.

The song still with us today. Reflected in the sexual harassment issue facing society today.

Women have come a long way!

The other event of historical significance occurred in 1854. Alfred Lord Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade was published. The charge having occurred at Balaklava during the Crimean War.

I first read the Charge in high school. It resonates with me to this day. “Into the valley of Death / Rode the six hundred / …..Their’s not to reason why / Their’s but to do and die.”

Dinner at Donna and Terri’s last night. Donna cooked special for me. My diet. Pieces of beef. Delicious.

Terri looks better each time I see her.

The Lighted Boat Parade was scheduled for tonight. Canceled. Rescheduled. The weather.

Raining like hell already. Temperature has already dropped. Sixty nine at the moment. High will be 72. Mid to high 60s during the canceled Boat Parade. Sixty two when I wake tomorrow morning.

The cause has to be the snow storm moving northeast out of Texas. Key West will not experience snow. Don’t think we ever have. However, we are being hit with the outer limits of the storm. Cold and rain.

The Lighted Boat Parade has been rescheduled for next saturday.

The cold spell will be with us till thursday.

The Sheriff’s Animal Farm’s annual Christmas event tomorrow. One to 3. Wear a sweater or jacket.

What would Christmas be without Larry Smith? Larry’s annual Holiday Jazz Concert friday at The Studios of Key West. Always an enjoyable event. I will be there.

Wife Christine will be singing as only she can.

Leave well enough alone! My words directed to the Catholic Church.

Pope Frances announced he wants to reword the Lord’s Prayer. After 2,000 years!

His concern is with “Lead us not into temptation.” Claims it sounds like God is leading us into temptation when in reality it is the devil.

Blames the problem on the translations of the Lord’s Prayer over the years.

The Lord’s Prayer is part of the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christian traditions. Basically as presently worded.

There has been a movement in the Church towards the change for several years. Frances lending his support by his announcement.

The Catholic Churches of France and Spain have already adopted the change.

I remember years ago when the Catholic Church changed the Mass from Latin to English and mandated Church goers sing during services. I believe the Catholic Church lost half its followers because of the two changes.

God help Donald Trump! He needs it.

His very recent recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel is having immediate consequences. Three days of fighting in the streets between Israelis and Palestinians. The violence is escalating by day. Yesterday, rockets from Gaza into Israel, retaliatory air strikes by Israel on the Gaza Strip.

Trump is bristling to get us into a war.

Richard Cohen in a recent article in the Washington Post made several interesting comments re Trump: He “has made us a meaner, smaller people.” “Moral principal has been replaced by political cowardice.” “This is America’s darkest hour.”

Eugene Robinson writes for the Washington Post, also. He recently wrote that the Party of Lincoln has devolved into the Party of Trump. The GOP today belongs to Trump.

The Republican Party no longer can claim the mantle of honesty and purity.

Displaced boats in the lower Keys because of Irma exceeding the number anticipated. Thought to be 1,300. Up to 1,500 already raised and cleared. More to go.

Overall in Florida, 2,069 boats have already been raised.

Irma did its job!

The State immediately began replacing trees following Irma. The trees are replanted close to each other. We have learned that planting trees close to each other helps them survive strong wind storms. The trees break the wind and protect each other.

Syracuse/Colgate at 2 this afternoon. Syracuse will win.

Irma and Me’s sales numbers good. Higher than expected at this point. I am pleased.

Irma and Me is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and KoboBooks.

Thus far, Irma and Me is the only book written re a person’s experiences involving Irma.

Enjoy your day!