USE IT OR LOSE IT

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Use it or lose it applies in various circumstances. The one referenced today involves saying what you want and having it read by thousands of persons.

I refer specifically to the Citizens’ Voice portion of the Key West Citizen. Page 2, left hand column. There every day. I would assume one of the most popular sections of the paper.

The Citizens’ Voice allows persons to express themselves/vent freely on any issue.

The newspaper prints comments received. Even in those instances where the paper’s policy might disagree.

There was no Citizens’ Voice in this morning’s edition. Instead the Key West Citizen advised there were not enough comments to run in today’s newspaper. Further advising that “hopefully” the section could resume being printed in the Weekend Edition.

I know very few Key West residents who do not have an opinion on something. Complaining commonplace in the Keys. Get back on your soap boxes and let the world know what you think!

Participate in the Citizens’ Voice.

Use it or lose it.

The turtles are hatching. Babies waddling to the ocean. An exciting yearly event.

Not without danger, however.

Take Smathers Beach for example. Many turtle nests. The babies hatch generally at night. Their immediate goal the ocean. They are attracted to the ocean by the light of the moon. They travel towards the moonlight eventually finding their way to water.

A problem arose several years ago at Smathers Beach. On the other side of the road from the beach are condominiums and hotels. The turtles were being confused by the lights of the buildings. They were more confused by the street lights. Assumed it was moonlight. Headed towards the lights. Many were being run over by cars as they crossed the highway.

Key West did the right thing. It always does for its friends from the sea. They ordered the street lights on South Roosevelt Boulevard to be turned off at night during the hatching season. That alone significantly helped the situation. Baby turtle deaths reduced to almost nothing.

There is a Key West Sea Turtle Club. I believe recently formed. They have been out this hatching season marking nests and otherwise being concerned for the safety of the baby turtles.

Big party tonight! Celebration of what would have been Captain Tony’s 102nd birthday. Captain Tony’s at 8 o’clock. Going to be a blast!

It is almost a year since Irma hit. The havoc wrought still being experienced. This morning’s Key West Citizen in a major front page article re the need for affordable housing mentioned that 4,000 homes in the Keys were destroyed by Irma.

Many still without proper accommodations. The housing need existed before Irma. However with Irma, it has become significantly more pronounced.

The Keys need affordable housing!

One admonition. Make sure it is “affordable.”

My yesterday began with an 11:30 haircut appointment with Lori. Seventeen years she has been cutting my hair.

I had a difficult time getting to her place of business on the corner of White and Virginia. There had been an accident 15 minutes before. One of the vehicles plowed into the building where Lori’s salon is.

Lori said the building shook.

Then to Sandy’s Cafe a few doors down for lunch. The Sandy’s Federal court dispute has been resolved. The details of the resolution not public. Why, I do not know.

The Chart Room last night. A locals’ evening. Steve and Cindy, Sheila, David, Jean Thornton,  and Cori Convertino. A good time was had by all.

I was hungry. Decided on Blue Macaw. Love the place! Food and drinks cheap. Atmosphere terrific. People friendly. And they have parking!

Did wings. Could only enjoy 6 of the 9 presented. I was easily full. My long term diet responsible. I eat significantly less now.

I was up to 257 pounds. My doctors got on my ass. Lose weight! I did and I didn’t. Cut back on eating and drinking for a few months. Dropped to 245. Then my fourth heart catheterization. The Miami doctor looked at me sternly and said lose 40-50 pounds more.

I did not like his attitude. But, I listened.

I began serious dieting November 27th last year. Today, I am 202 pounds. Still going! Intend to break 200.

Amazing!

Blue Macaw’s Happy Hour menu has helped in recent weeks. I order wings or ribs. That’s dinner!

Met Tim at the Blue Macaw bar. Tim is the plumber at Ocean Key House. Nice guy. We talked of many things.

The lights went out while at the bar. Everything black. Someone yelled out the power was down from Marathon to Key West.

A power failure has its disadvantages. The bartenders cannot run credit cards. Pay by cash or wait til the power comes back on. Fortunately, I had cash. A rarity for me these days. I have gotten to using my credit card for everything. Even small purchases.

Hypocrisy an eye opener. Gives us the opportunity to recognize people who fudge or speak out of both sides of their mouth.

Trump a major hypocrite.

His in-laws the most recent example. Melania’s parents.

They became U.S. citizens yesterday. Good for them! Congratulations! Happy they could join us.

The problem is how they became citizens. Trump has severely criticized persons who become citizens because they are sponsored by a family member. He refers to it as “chain migration.”

Trump wants the law repealed. Claims it is harmful to the U.S. Permits “everyone” to come in.

Melania is a naturalized citizen. She sponsored her parents.

No comment by Trump.

I would not be here today if immigration laws were not loose and chain migration in some form had not existed back when.

My grandfather came over around the turn of the century (1900). I do not know how. He was 12 and never knew his parents. He was a bastard.

My grandmother came over a couple of years later. I do not know under what authority. My grandparents did not meet nor know of each other till they were in the U.S.

My mother came over via a chain migration situation. She was born in Italy. Her father came a few years earlier. She, her mother and brothers, followed as his dependents.

Immigration obviously simpler back then.

I often think of my ancestry and smile. Running through my  mind each time is the thought that had my people not immigrated, I would probably ended up a sheep herder in a field outside Naples.

Enjoy your day!

 

 

 

TOGA TOGA TOGA

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This is the night! Perhaps the best of Fantasy Fest! Toga Party!

The place Sloppy Joe’s. Inside and out. The street packed.

Men and women wearing white togas. More women than men. Togas skimpy.

It is negotiation time. The key for the ladies is to get as many beads as possible. The men want to see and the women are willing to show. First, the breasts. Then a move downward, front and back. Each a separate transaction. The lower the body part exhibited, the more expensive. Breasts go for one ring of beads. The southern exhibits, two or more.

Ain’t nothing under the toga or covering the privates.

I suspect I enjoy Toga Party best for three reasons. First, I am a voyeur. What a bad boy am I! Second, I am a man. Men are visual. We enjoy looking at naked women. Third, I never got to a toga party while in college. Remember the movie Animal House? I went to a Catholic college and we did not do those things.

Years ago, I would not have missed the Toga Party. In recent years, they are not as important any more. Tonight, I have bocce. Bocce supersedes toga. An age thing, I suspect.

I watched the Republican debates last night. Each Republican debate is worse than the previous one. I don’t understand. There is much talent on the stage. The moderators are a major problem. Last night’s were the worst. The questions stupid, no respect for the candidates, not fair with follow ups.

Mike Huckabee got into something close to my heart. Social Security. He talked about the $3 trillion the government in effect stole from the Social Security Fund.

My day yesterday began with the anti-gravity treadmill. The power went out while I was on the machine. About 10 minutes into my workout. Power failure common in the Keys. Some people left. Never know how long these things last. I waited it out. Locked into the treadmill. Power returned in fifteen minutes. I was glad I waited.

My next  chore was to get the flat fixed. The tire was sitting on my back seat. With a rim in it, the tire would not fit in the Volkswagen Beetle trunk.

Got to Sears at noon. Told it would take to 4 or 5 before car was done. I suspected it would take that long. I was like 88th in line!

I left the car. Walked over to Regal Movies. I figured I would have lunch and then go to the movies. That would kill the 4-5 hours.

No afternoon movie available at the theater.

Enjoyed a two hour lunch at Outback. Read the newspapers. Left at 2. How long could I sit there? I even ordered a dessert to kill time.

Then to T.J. Max and Sears. Looked over men’s clothes. Not much time killed. Looked at everything else, except ladies’ underwear.

It was now three o’clock. Where was I to go? I was at the Sears Shopping Center without a car. I opted to return to the tire facility. My car was still in the lot. Had not been touched yet. Asked the guy about when. He said many still ahead of you. About five o’clock.

Went into Sears’ waiting room. Air conditioning not working well. Slept off and on.

Finally, the car was finished at 5:30. They could not find a hole. Did not know why tire went flat. Cost, $24.

I am concerned it will go flat again. We shall see. The tire is only six months old.

I hurried home to watch the debates which began at 6. First thing I did was pour myself a gin. Then blended into the recliner chair to watch.

I was tired.

Never got to watch the Royals/Mets game. Mets down 2. Next two games in New York should be interesting. The Royals almost won the World Series last year. I think they are committed this year and will be difficult to deny.

This week’s KONK Life column Boudicca, Warrior Queen linked to my Key West Lou website this morning. keywestlou.com.

Syracuse plays Florida State saturday. Syracuse a 20.5 underdog at the moment.

Bocce tonight. Play Larry’s team. We are tied with his team in third place. Serious business tonight.

Enjoy your day! If you are in Key West, add to it. Visit Toga tonight at Sloppy Joe’s!

RACE WEEK

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This week’s KONK Life column Black Panthers Return was posted yesterday on Key West Lou. keywestlou.com.

Race week is here! An annual event. Proper name Quantum Key West 2015. The races begin today and will continue for the week. Each day 10-3.

The boats are large sail boats. Sixty, seventy foot and more. The kind that take teams of upwards 18 persons to operate. There are 115 boats in 10 classes participating. Several of the persons sailing are members of the National Sailing Hall of Fame.

The best way to describe the races are that they are like the America Cup. The races a rich man’s sport.

My walk yesterday took me down Conch Republic way. Many sailboats were sitting in front of the Conch Republic and along the Galleon.

There was a Half Marathon yesterday. The race started at sunrise. Too early for me to be up and watching. Some 3,000 participated. I am aware of the race because Lori who does my hair runs in it. She is a dedicated runner. The reason why she is so thin.

I caught a part of the Seattle/Green Bay game in the afternoon. Most of the last half and the overtime. Great football! How to come from behind!

Seattle meets the New England Patriots in Super Bowl. A big deal. I attended 11 consecutive Super Bowls before buying my Key West home. I became too comfortable afterwards to leave Key West.

I can distinctly remember Super Bowl I. It was not called such in 1967. The name was AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The fact that the two leagues met was a first. The NFL considered the AFL upstart and inferior and did not enter into a playoff till that time. The AFL acquired credibility in the game Joe Namath played a few years later.

Key West suffered two power outages in  the afternoon. No electricity for about an hour.

The Republicans have announced Carlos Curbelo will make the Republican Spanish language response to the President’s State of the Union address tomorrow night. Curbelo is Key West’s Congressman. He has had an honor bestowed upon him.

I did not vote for Curbelo. He ran in November for the first time. I did not like what he stood for. His speeches were hard to the right. The man sounded as if he had no sympathy. I expect the same from him tomorrow night.

Today in Keys History mentioned two Hollywood films. The Rose Tattoo and Operation Petticoat. Both were filmed in Key West.

The Rose Tatoo premiered at the Strand and San Carlos Theaters. The Strand today houses a Walgreens. The San Carlos is no longer a movie house. It is an historical site. Life theater is often presented.

The movies brought major Hollywood stars to Key West. Burt Lancaster, Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. The Rose Tattoo house still stands. It is on Duncan, two block’s from Lisa’s home.

Today my odd ball stress test. I am positive it is scheduled for this afternoon.

Enjoy your day!