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Archives of Old Kudos and Whiners
December 2004

 

Friday
New Year's Eve
2004
9:30am
31 Is there a charter transport for New Years Eve from Big Pine to K.W.?
31


I thought that they were going have public transportation services from Marathon and the lower keys to Key West on New Years Eve. What happened to that?  Does anyone know anything about it?

31
Judging by the things we bitch about in this forum, I'd say we have a pretty good community. When bad attitudes are the worst things we come across, it ain't all bad.
31
31
The Marine bank of the Florida Keys (Big Pine and Summerland Key Branches) have the best banking service I have ever seen. Anita and all her staff go out of their way to provide you with small town friendliness and big town professionalism. The smiles are always there regardless of how many hours they have been working, and some of them work other jobs just to keep pace here in the keys.  Oh by the way, they installed a user friendly ATM machine that does not take your card, you just insert it and pull it out. It seems like some of us would insert our card, take our money and leave. I know of one individual who was called twice to come back and get his card. What an idiot.
31
That story about the recent immigrant running the stop sign sounds like bull s**t. In nearly every country on the planet a red octagon or circle means stop.
31 Waste Management is just like Comcast & FKAA. They do all of Monroe Co. I think it is a monopoly!
31
I have no problem with the guys that work for Waste Management other than I never know when they are coming. One week they are there in the afternoon and the next week they come at 5:00am. Maybe if we all treated them like the human beings they are, they would treat you with the same respect. They even take my trash cans out of the cages I keep them in and return them near the same. All I ever do is say hello to them and wish them a good day when I see them. It isn't too hard a thing to do.
31

Waste Management. I don’t think they have a regular route. They come to my road anywhere from 8:30am to 1pm. It’s little wonder that they miss our street so often. It doesn’t take much thought to establish a route. Maybe that’s why their garbage men.

31



Mystery: If a person who plays the piano is called a pianist, why isn’t a person who drives a race car called a racist?

31

Waste Management has missed trash Pickups so much on my street that I can’t call there any more. They think I’m a crank. No, my neighbor has to call (until they deem him a crank). The last time I called they finally told me that they didn’t service my road. After five years of poor service they all of a sudden decide that they don’t service my road? They also frequently don’t take all the trash from the cans, especially packing worms which they leave all over the ground when they throw the “empty” cans wherever they land.

31 Garbage. I never had to call Blanding (I think that was the company's name) in the years when they picked up our trash. Only since Waste Management came on the scene did I start having problems. Blanding was just a nice local guy who did a good job not like the mega corporation Waste Management with it's reputed ties to organized crime.
31
This is just to let everyone know that Les Dingus is back in the Marathon Manor nursing home again. (he is the guy with "Jesus Saves" on his truck). He has had several strokes and now has Parkinson's. Les has been around for years and has always been a helping hand to anyone in need. He has a heart of gold. He would love to have visitors, so please stop and see him. Visits would greatly be appreciated. May God bless you all.
31

T
o the person that insists on picking on the Cracked EggGet a life and get on with it or get a closet and come out of it. Back off bubba. Name calling is slander.
31 I am a former employee of the Cracked Egg.  Let's not take two weeks to inform the general public that they do not deserve business.  Actually, it's the best portion and one of the best places to eat oBig Pine.  Kudos to Helen and Ricky.  They deserve better business than they have.  I agree that the woman who owns the business is a troll and if I ever want to confront her with this, I will go to her.  In fact, she should stop being such a troll and welcome her patrons, her cook should as well.  Rick, stop throwing temper tantrums unless it's really time to hire some help.  I love you two.  I miss you.  (My name is not Kelly.)
31 Now I know that the Cracked Egg is definitely run by a troll.  Yes, maybe two weeks or maybe not.  The point is the cracked egg is a good place to eat, but not a good place to work (unless you need the money).  The servers are still good people, but it is awful the way the owner of the business treats her employees. I am not saying the food potions are not awesome. Give the new employees a break.  The owner of the cracked egg is a troll.
31

Recipe:
I am shocked that people here shun King Mackerel.  It is a fine tasting fish.  Here is a recipe you will love. Steak the mackerel in 1" chunks. Push out 1" chunks with your fingers from the steaks (they come out easily) dip in pancake batter and deep fry for 2-3 minutes. Put the remainder in your chum bag.
31 Has anyone seen Wackin' Bob lately? It seems like he may be laying low.
31

 

Free puppy. Any takers?

31 Re: Brick house in Queens.  Single family, framed $425.000. Single family brick $700.000, but who wants to pay the real-estate tax of a New Yorker?  That is why all of us should appreciate living here. Our tax is high for Florida, but not for the rest of the country.  I work with the public and it's not only the N.Y. & N.J. visitors, but most tourist think of people in the keys as out of touch--not with it. Hey, we all came from the same areas that are visitors are from and are they surprised!
31
In my rant about Bush and how he's a simple man, I totally forgot to ask if there is someone that has set up a fund for the victims of the Tsunami?  I'm broke and barley able to pay my bills, however I'm willing to donate for this cause.
31
$35 million to help people in need. $100+ billion to kill innocent people for oil and leave a country in shambles. Bush is so compassionate (when it comes to oil). A deep thinker indeed. So deep it took this mentally challenged a** to speak out about the 70+ thousand people killed. Maybe he was trying to finish his favorite book "My Pet Goat" when the news came in. I can see it now, "Mr. President, a tsunami just hit, thousands have perished."  "Leave me alone, I need to sound this word out." They had to pull teeth to get $35 million to help the poor souls that lost everything. When they wanted money for the war for oil there was no problem getting Bush on board. I really hope all you people that voted for him saw this and said, "Damn, those arrogant liberals were right." This sent a message to the world. Get ready for the second wave my fellow Americans.
31 Mother Nature's devastations have a way of weeding out the population. Too bad Iraq & the surrounding areas were not hit with an earthquake. The reason Iraq was not destroyed instead of Sri Lanka is because too many Christian Americans are in Iraq right now.
31
I am stunned that all of the people who write in to this sight have not expressed any concern for the lives lost because of the tsunami.  All you people are doing is bitching about your petty lives and berating other people, when over 116,000 people have died in just a few hours.  That tsunami made 9/11 look like a drop in the bucket compared to what happened on Sunday.  I guess Americans are a selfish bunch of arrogant whiners. We don't care about anyone else unless something actually happens to us.  Guess what, I'm an American here in the Keys and I am ashamed of our government because they can spend BILLIONS of dollars to kill people in other countries, BUT we can only send $35 Million to help save people.  THAT is a prime example of how arrogant Americans are. That should be shocking to all of you Republicans who voted for our President.
31
31

Re:
"NYC is an inferior lifestyle to the south" You have obviously never lived in Manhattan. "True luxury" In Big Pine Key, you are joking?
31 Rob's back in the news: The Lower Keys has found a new Grinch, Rob from Rob's Island Grill. While he spends his time traveling around playing Mr. Big Spender he forgets that the people working for him make it possible for him to do this. Just think if he would have not taken that limo to watch the Patriots get beat by the Dolphins and took that money and divided it up among his employees for a little Christmas bonus how much that would have meant. Maybe not so much in the amount, but that maybe he did appreciate the hard work they do for him. Next time you take a trip, Rob, try not to brag how much you spent. Nobody really cares anyway.
31
Americans are overweight when compared to most Europeans. Did you know they are now making commodes bigger in the U.S. to accommodate the ever-expanding Americans? They have to put a special attachment on the seats so the Europeans won't fall through.
31
31
I just wish Captain Beefcake the best. He always made my day when I worked on the island. It makes a girl feel young and pretty when a cute guy winks her way. Thanks Captain.
31

 

A penny for your thoughts--twenty bucks to act them out!

31
We as Anglos. My friend, maybe you should check your facts before you talk or write. No Cuban gets $6,000 when they come here. They do get some help, but it is just enough to get them going. You might be the only Anglo that is here. You sound so much like a bigot. It seems that you have never been anywhere. A lot of America is made of a lot of people that have come from other places. Even the so called Anglos. It would be better to find a way of how to get together and work things out. I have a lot of friends from all over the world who live here in BPK, some of them legal and some not, but I see that a lot of them work hard and are very family oriented. Yes, they have very different customs and beliefs. Not because of that do we have to judge them. What we have to do is to tell them what is right. Why should we arrest them just for working?  You will be surprised how many problems this will cause. It has been done in Homestead and the trouble that it caused was a lot. Many businesses lost millions of dollars. Open your eyes my friend.
31
When my parents immigrated to the USA, they chose to learn the English language and raised my siblings and me to do the same. When they naturalized, they had to speak English. It was one of the USA requirements then. If a person tries to immigrate to Australia, there is a point system there where a person needs 100 points to immigrate. The only way to get 95 of those points is to either speak English or to donate a huge sum of money to the government. In 1991, the amount was $1,000,000. This system works so well there. Everybody speaks the English language. Immigration is such a wonderful thing for this country. The diversity enriches our lives so much. I just wish our country would learn from the Australians and require again that everybody use one language, and hopefully that would be English.
31
31 To the person who thinks the Muslims have a right to blow up other people. I'm so sorry you have such little regard for life. Have you ever lost anybody that was close to you. Life is so precious. I feel sad for you missing the richness that one is rewarded with when they realize the true value of life.
Thursday
December 30
2004
I meet immigrants while out shopping locally, usually working as cashiers.  If the place is not busy I like to ask where they came from and how they wound up here.  It's sad that they're usually very defensive at first, as if they expect a "go home" lecture.  Once they realize I really am interested and curious I hear a lot of fascinating stories.  I always wish them "good luck" when I leave.  It can't be easy to uproot your life and start over in a foreign country.
30

Kudos to the Tano Bobcat crew. They did a great job landscaping the Marshall building property, and they did it all in one day!

30 Many kudos to Jamie and Mike at M&M Motors.  They helped me out with a Jeep repair and I'm from way out of state.  Instead of taking advantage of the situation they were helpful and friendly. Many Thanks.  Happy New Year. A Marylander. 
30


The owner of the Cracked Egg is NOT a “troll.” She is a wonderful, caring person. She gave me a job when nobody else would, and treated me wonderfully for the entire time that I worked for her (over a year). The fact that she cannot find good, dependable help is not her fault. It’s a pretty common problem on Big Pine.
   

30 I got fired from The Cracked Egg on Monday morning. The place was PACKED! Go Figure. One week you are the manager & the next you are gone. To all my customers, I enjoyed serving you breakfast & lunch for these past 8 months. Take care & HAPPY NEW YEAR.
30 I have been reading all the comments on "Captain Lady Killer" at Little Palm Island and was going to refrain from commenting, but I can't hold back any longer.  I worked there many moons ago when he was a glorified bell boy.  I am embarrassed to admit I, also actually, dated the pig for about 2 weeks before I realized what he is all about. The final straw was when he was at my house and asked my niece for a date in front of me.  Keep in mind, my niece was just 16 at the time.  He was about 40.  I must give him his due: He is a good looking guy and looks very young for his age.  Unfortunately, he also acts very young for his age too.  I can see how his looks got him many first dates, but also saw first-hand why he doesn't get many second dates.  The only thing bigger than his collection of dirty pick-up lines is his ego and the only thing
smaller than his brain is his ***k. After all his nickname out at the island was "Boy Wonder".  Keep in mind it was 'boy', not Man Wonder.  I would have at least expected someone who talked about nothing but sex would been good at it.  Was I ever wrong.
30
With all the restaurant reviews it seems people forgot one of Big Pine's eateries that I have to say is great.  Co Co's right in Winn Dixi Plaza.  I have been eating breakfast there for about 7 years and it has been consistently good every time.  Nothing formal, nothing fancy just great food with great service at a fair price.  That is what keeps people coming back.
30
Brick house in Queens: First, let's look at the prices of mobile homes on Big Pine. The cheapest in the Avenues is $225,000 for a 1 bedroom, 1 bath mobile home. Two bedroom mobile homes on a canal are going for up to a half a million dollars. Go on line and tell me you can't find something in Queens for that kind of money.
30
The reason there are so many illegals is simple. WE HIRE THEM AND DO NOTHING ABOUT THEM.  If most people would do a little research they would see just how much money is being paid by our government to these people.  i.e. a Latin lady I know is paid $26,000 a year by the governmentthe only requirement is she must work one hour a week and not be living with her husband. She spends the rest of the time drinking and doing drugs. Her husband rents an apartment down the street so she can get the money. He filed bankruptcy and paid $3,500.00 on $260,000.00 of debts.
 
Our government subsidies the smuggling. Once a smuggled Cuban is immigrated to this country, legally they receive $6,000.00 which they then pay to the relatives that paid for them to be smuggled here in the first place. We need to jail the smuggled as well as the smugglers. We as Anglos need to stand up to the system that allows this to happen.
 
We need to boycott business that have illegal workers. A big example is the hospitality industry in Key West and the Florida Keys. I dare you to find out just how many illegal Polish, Russian and Latinos are in the hotels and motels. The other big employers of illegals is the lawn services. Check there ID'and make sure they have green cards. Ask. You have the right. If you find a business that employs illegals report them, tell everyone and call the authority's. 
 
If they kill animals next door call the sheriff if they are arrested they can be deported easer. 
30
Ego-maniac war games
: War games are training exercises to make sure we’re ready for the real thing. There’s nothing personal in those games at all. They are a very expensive necessity to have a military work. During a real war is not the time to work out “bugs” in the coordination of troops and equipment. Many lives are saved in this way.
30
I have dated women from N.Y. They are not all trolls. New Jersey people, on the other hand, grew up under bridges.
30

The idiot foreigner who couldn’t read English and went through a stop sign is a lousy example of language xenophobia. The idiot probably didn’t have a license because all countries have similar stop signs at intersections. What did he think that thing on the pole was for? Face it, he probably just ran a stop sign and used his language, or lack of it, as an excuse.

30

Re: International travel. I’ve noticed that Las Vegas and Orlando is where all the fat Americans go on vacation. On the other hand you seldom see fat tourists in Asia or Europe. If you do they are most certainly Americans. Is it because fat people are lazy and unimaginative and not adventurous? When in a foreign land I was with a group of Australians. Some fat people came down the street towards us and one of the Aussies said, “Here comes the Yanks.”

30 I heard a band called "Mudbutt and the Masked Marauders" is playing around the Keys. Has anybody heard them or know where they are playing? 
30
I have a question. Am I the only person who is not satisfied with Waste Management? The drivers and helpers on the trucks are rude, they have several times cut my bungee bands that I must put on the trash cans to keep the Key Deer out. They toss the trash cans around like basket balls at 6 AM, they sometimes even just leave them half full sitting in the middle of the street. And these are just some of my complaints, I will not even go into my problems with the recycling trucks. Oh, yes I have even called the Waste Management office and logged my complaints which I am sure have fallen of deaf ears. Isn't there another company here in Monroe County that is willing to bid on these contracts?
30

Re: Irate Muslims in Iraq went to Sri Lanka to help. 
Yes, it would be great and if this country's leaders & religious folks did the same...well, who knows, maybe there wouldn't be a reason to keep blowing the hell out of everyone/everything! Namaste.
30 I have traveled abroad, and use a private tour guide to translate the language. Duh! If I do not know the language, I certainly do not expect other countries to print road signs, menus or everything else in English to satisfy my needs. To expect to be coddled in your own language in other countries is self-serving and dumb.
30




Coca-Cola
was originally green. Not just the bottle.

30
Many women are blind in love. True. I see decent looking women with men so gross I would never even share a cup of coffee with them (I'm female). But men want a good looking woman no matter if she's illiterate, an ex-con or a bitch from hell. The exception is if she's a bankroll or homeowner. So women: start exercising, keep up your teeth, and pad your wallets & bras!
30

Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father’s Day

Wednesday
December 29
2004

I jammed the other night with a guy whose style was good, but he played note after note never pausing, even once, all night long! In order to have music you have to have space between some notes; otherwise you just have an exercise in technique. It's like playing scales over and over--it's fast, but not music. Santana uses spaces more than anyone I can think of. He can hold a note for two days and make it sound interesting and musical.

29 I have lived all along the east coast states and believe me, NYC is an inferior lifestyle to the south. Any NY or NJ attitude is inbred, loud-mouthed and vulgar. The northerners age quicker, live in horrid winter weather over 7 months of the year, and look like stocky, weather-worn loud-mouth trolls from the hard lives that they live. They want to be pampered in the Keys so they can feel the TRUE luxury that only living in the south can bring--if only for a week.
29

 

"Love is blind" only to women; we fall in love with a fat, ugly guy as easily as a beautiful one. Men need props, i.e. lingerie.

29


Y
ou can not purchase a brick house in Queens, N.Y. for the same amount of money for a mobile home here on BP. If so, tell me where.
29 Ok, I'm way outnumbered, so I have to concede some points; many things would be a lot more convenient if we all spoke the same language.  Immigrants can progress faster in many ways here if they learn English.  I, too, have heard 9/11 stories made more tragic by language barriers.  That kind of thing can happen to an American traveling abroad, too, unless you learn some of their language before you go. 
29 In N.C., a Mexican truck driver ran a stop sign because he could not read English. He crashed into a small car carrying a family of four whose car burst into flames, and the innocent N.C. family burned alive--all four of them. True story.

THAT is only one example of why the people who move to the US need to learn English. The illiterate truck driver was arrested, but no news of his demise. I think he should serve life in prison for vehicular manslaughter. No parole.
29
Wouldn't it be nice if all the irate Muslims in Iraq went to Sri Lanka and the other devastated area's in the south Pacific that were affected by the tsunami and directed their religious energies towards helping their brothers and sisters who are in need of assistance instead of blowing themselves and innocent bystanders up with car and body bombs?
29

 

I washed, waxed and detailed my car for the first time in a year. It was so bad that it took four hours to clean. It looks so good now that I think it even goes faster.

29

Is this the kind of country you immigrant bashers want? Whenever I read those types of remarks I think that the writer has not traveled overseas and is thus still intolerant of others. When people travel it becomes harder for them to hold small views of the world.

29

It is not important for the US or any other country to preserve a language. Languages evolve. That’s life. Look at all the dead languages. I agree that in the future Spanglish will probably be the common language, at least in this hemisphere. Why not? Note: I find it small thinking that people will automatically assume that I’m Hispanic for expressing an open opinion on Spanglish. I don’t think that Ebonics will ever be the language of business either. Yo!

29 America would have more emergency money available to help natural disaster victims if we did not create man-made disasters like ego-maniac war games.
29

This is a "kudos" to my mother, the Scorpion Queen.  The nickname is nothing close to how caring and loving a mother she is. How generous and dedicated a person she is to the many veterans she supports in her job. I wouldn't be the strong, resourceful, independent woman I am today if it wasn't because of her.  I love her dearly and only wish that she finds happiness and hope for 2005.
29
Time to pick on the Cracked Egg for a couple of weeks: The reason the Cracked Egg is having trouble is because the owner of the business is a troll and cannot find decent help anymore.
29

T
hat coffee shop(?)
was so rude for breakfast. I'll be glad when Kelly takes over she always gets what she wants and she has a plan. You go girl. Fire 'em all when you take over.
29 What hair color do they put on the driver’s licenses of bald men?
29 Having the cigarettes and stuff up front are for the co.(?) Hopefully, as you walk through you will see something you need and buy it. All that pharmacies are are big corporations.
Tuesday
December 28
2004
President Bush and Rumsfeld were sitting at the bar in Parrotdise this weekend. I asked Ken, is that Bush and Rummy? "Yep, that's them." So I walked over and said what an honor it was to see them in the Keys. I had to ask, what are you guys doing here? Bush says, "Planning WW III." "Really", I says, " what's going to happen?" "Well, we're going to kill 140 million Muslims this time - and, one blonde with big t**s." "Why would you want to kill a blonde with big t**s?" "Bush turns to Rumsfeld and says, "See, I told you no one would worry about the 140 million Muslims."
28 In the international business world, English is the preferred language. An English education is the high end, and therefore expected among those who move & shake the world. America may be suffering the expense of allowing the non-English to stay non-English. But to say America will officially devolve into a Spanish speaking nation in 200 years is delirium on the part of a foreign born immigrant.
28 Here is a good question. When is the Cracked Egg going to be a family restaurant again? The Cracked Egg has had Crack (Edited) for 2004. The sight of a server with their a** and their crack of their a** hanging out and bending over in front of customers does not belong at a family restaurant. Could the restaurant clean up their act for 2005.  The egg crack  should be all that we see. I can understand some people are hard-up and like to see that. We, who dine with our families would like to know if it can return to a family oriented place again.
Go Big Pine Restaurant & Coffee Shop for crack-free atmosphere! No Cracks Showing!
28 Accents are charming in many instances. Not speaking the language is an entirely different matter. My illegal, Spanish speaking neighbors had their three year old daughter wander away from home. They had no English skills to ask for help. She was found safe, four blocks away. This was luck! But tell me, what happens when their house is on fire and they cannot communicate? When someone in their home stops breathing? When they cannot read a STOP sign on the road and don't even want to?
28


Why
 are there so many big mouths out there? You people need to get a real life. You are sick. Do what you have to do and let other people alone. You people are nosey. That is way you have no real friends.
28
Ok, fellow Piners. We are, once again, asking for prayers for Perry McClain as he undergoes an angioplasty on Tuesday in Miami.  Keep the good thoughts.  He has been through so much lately.
28


Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.  

28
Anyone who wants to get the attention of Little Palm Island: why not go public?  Anyone who was stared at, commented to, hit on, gawked at, undress be with the eyes, asked out, experienced low class sexual comments or anything off color at all by that dirty, vulgar pig of a boat captain should file a sexual harassment suit against the company.  One person filling the suit will be looked at as a trouble maker or disgruntled ex-employee but if the hundreds of women who experience this all complain in a court of law then maybe Little Palm Island and Noble House Resorts will see the light and screen their employees better.  Ladies, at $1,500.00 a night for a hotel or $500.00 for dinner you don't deserve to have some horny-overgrown-teenager-who-doesn't-realize-he-is-a-45-year-old-man stare at your genitals.
28

Unwelcome advances are irritating
; both to the target and observers.  Know when to holster your hormones and back off.  Anyone working a public contact position should just switch off during working hours.
28
How many regular people have been to Little Palm Island anyway? Moot subject.
28 I have lived in the keys for 10 years and as each year passes it gets harder to afford the cost of living, but I stay here for my children so they can enjoy the water and a safer community. It has become a rich mans place to live. What will those rich people do when they have driven all the blue collar workers out? Who will serve them their diner and clean their houses? I am glad for those people that have money. But remember the people who wait on you and stand behind the counters of the stores you shop in are just trying to make a living too.
28 Little Palm Island Updater. After reading your updates, a theme is becoming very obvious. Did you realize you have a hard on for the offensively flirtatious, now ex-captain. Sounds like maybe he flirted with everyone but you. Are you hurt? Or just in need of a life?
28 21,000 + dead and 250,000 homeless is South Asia. Let us count our blessings.
28

This is a request to all of you in the potential path of hurricanes to aim some prayers and well wishes toward the tsunami-affected parts of the world.  There's a lot of nice people there who normally take good care of lots of foreign tourists.  Personally, I have a cousin as-yet unaccounted for in the area and I am a bit worried.
28
Send a few dollars to our neighbors in south Asia.  What a tragedy.
28
Kudos to House Of Music. Just got back for the winter to my place on Ave. C. I'll have to wait a few more weeks to be sure, but it looks like the crackheads are gone. The whole corner is cleaned up. Maybe they can get the street lights to stay on. Could my property value go up? I had a great pizza and enjoyed the people around me. Not like the moochers that were there before; and the help was actually friendly.
28



W
hy are the cigarettes at the front of the drug store and the sick people have to walk all the way to the back to buy medicine?
28 Religion 101: Two men went in to the temple to pray, One a Pharisee the the other a tax- gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was praying to himself, saying, "God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people. Swindlers, unjust, adultors, or even like that tax-gatherer. I fast twice a week and I pay tithes on all I get." But the Tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift his eyes to heaven, was beating his breast, saying, "God be merciful to me the sinner." I tell you this man went home Justified rather then the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted.
28
Religion 101 Part II
:
  A Pharisee was a top religious leader of the time, and a tax-gatherer was the job most hated by others. Paul, who wrote most of the new testament, was himself a Pharisee before his encounter with a bright and blinding light on the road to Damascus.
28 Steeve sayIf it don't smell eat it. If it do then screw it.
28 To the guy with the attitude on Christmas eve about people knocking New Yorkers and New Jerseyites. Just read your own column and see why you are knocked. You have the "treat me special because I'm on vacation" smell (or should I say stink?) all over you. Many of us work full time, pay taxes, and live a real life. Can you believe this? Many of us even have children. Because you don't see us when you are on vacation here, doesn't mean we aren't here. Please be aware that not all of us are on vacation or retired.  When I go on vacation,  I certainly don't have the attitude that I should be treated special just because I go on vacation. I realize I'm not God's gift to your wallet and you aren't His gift to mine. If all visiting New Yorkers and New Jerseyites came here without the "greater than thou" attitude, they wouldn't be resented as they are here. You have the audacity to talk about our "rock bottom" property taxes here. I know for a fact that for the same money you can buy a 50 year old mobile home here in the fabulous Florida Keys that you can buy a brick house in Queens. AND... we pay hefty taxes here.  Maybe our millage rate is less than most cities, but we aren't a city. We are a small town.  Don't tell us about where you are from as if it is the best and we are just a bunch of ignorant low life's. Please.  We choose to live here. Not in a concrete jungle where you don't know your neighbors and haven't said hello to a stranger once in your life. And by the way, we would do just fine without the few dollars you spend in Key West or Key Largo. Most of you New Yorkers don't do Big Pine Key. We are too quiet and boring for you. By the way, I was raised in New York City. I never did think I was better than any other human just because I lived with 10,000,000 other people.
28

W
ould the person who answered my let's go fishing ad please contact me again?
28 Multi-Language. Yes, the announcements at the Tokyo airport are also in English, but as soon as you leave the airport you’re out of luck. The train system (which is the heart of Japan’s transportation) is all in Japanese. They are so xenophobic that I could find no other signs in English once I left the airport. It was a nightmare. I stood in the middle of the main train terminal in Tokyo for an hour until an expat took pity on me and put me on the correct train. No one else at the station would help me. Other Japanese travelers would ignore my humble request for directions because they didn’t speak English, or if they did they thought that I should speak Japanese. I’ve traveled the world over and never have had that kind of problem.
28




When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and
you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Monday
December 27
2004

You can speak normally about normal topics and views and everyone will understand you, but if you say profound things people just don’t understand you and are always going, "Say, what?".  It is a perfectly normal thing to do. People hear speech patterns and sub-consciencely hear your next word, but when your next word isn’t the one they expected--they’re confounded. I’ve had to try to learn to speak English correctly, lose my regional accent and enunciate because so many of the things I say are unexpected, strange and off the wall. In my youth people weren’t sure if what I said, I really said. It still happens, but not as much. This is just a thought about how and what people hear. I guess that extends to writing as well, but not as much because the written word is there to see, and hopefully, ponder. Punctuation is the key to writing clearly (which I haven’t got the hang of yet). I think that it does have to do with peoples’ set thought patterns. I’ve noticed, in this column, that one posting will be completely misunderstood by another reader. I can only imagine how those people misunderstand the spoken word.

27
Even inside our own borders we can bend English so far that one region laughs at the next!  Anyone who has watched "American Chopper" or "The Cajun Chef" on cable can witness that.  I hope we never become so homogenized that we lose those variations because they are great fun!
27

 

If the Communists ever turn the Chinese population loose to explore the rest of the world they can outnumber and overrun any country speaking English OR Spanish!

27 I know at least one large US city that has traffic signs in various languages to accommodate their multicultural population.  Thank heavens Tokyo airport also made their announcements in English or I'd still be there!  Enjoy the variety!
27

 

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

27 Little Palm Island Updater. After reading your updates, a theme is becoming very obvious. Did you realize you have a hard on for the offensively flirtatious, now ex-captain. Sounds like maybe he flirted with everyone but you. Are you hurt? Or just in need of a life?
27
I was happy to see the Flirtatious Boat Captain at Little Palm Island was finally fired for his actions.  I am not an ex-employee, I never worked there but did go out there for lunch and dinner quite a bit before it got too corporate and lost it's ambiance.  I had the displeasure of riding on the boat with that jerk and am amazed he didn't get the place in legal trouble with his mouth.  He was a disgrace to the good place that Ben Woodson, God Rest His soul, started.  Little Palm used to be a great place when Ben ran it.  After he sold it, due to health issues and then passing on, it went way down hill.  They now care more about the dollar then the guest.  That filthy man who never grew up was typical of the corporate Seattle-Ass's who now own it.  I urge everyone who is unhappy with their experience at Little Palm Island to write to Noble House Resorts in Kirkland Washington, attention: Mr. Patrick Colee and let him know how they are looked at in The Florida Keys.  Maybe that dirty captain can go work for them in Washington State.
27
Christmas ball for your tree. Don't bother reaching for it... it's 406,700 km away!

Technically speaking, the moon isn't 100% full until Dec. 26th. But that's perfect timing for Christmas carolers and Santa. The practically-full moon on Dec. 24th and 25th rises early, lighting up streets and rooftops as soon as the sun goes down.

What makes this full moon small? Answer: The moon's lopsided orbit.

Although astronomers often say the moon "circles" the Earth, it doesn't, not exactly. The moon's orbit is really an ellipse. One side of the ellipse is 356,400 km from Earth; this is called perigee. The other side of the ellipse is 406,700 km from Earth; this is called apogee. Apogee is about 50,000 km farther from Earth than perigee.

see captionRight: The apparent size of the moon at perigee (top) and apogee (bottom).

When the moon is full and near apogee, we get an extra-small full moon. Such is the case this Christmas.

Even the smallest full moons are very bright. They outshine Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, by twenty-five thousand times. They cast shadows, and provide enough light to read by. Finding chimneys? It's easy!

If you get binoculars or a telescope for Christmas, take a look at the moon. It's absolutely beautiful--a world so close to Earth that you can see its craters and mountains and "seas" in exquisite detail.

 

27 Say someone is breaking into your home to kill your wife and children, rob then burn down your home. Do you have a better chance to protect your home & family if you are at home or at the office? HELLO!
Potential terrorists are already here in America, have been for years. So by sending the troops abroad, we are leaving our homes and country unprotected. Our troops should be protecting OUR borders, OUR cities and deporting foreign criminals OUT of America.
27
Reviews:
Went to Rob's; since it's ... that's all I'll say.
Went to Key Deer Bar and Grill; nice place, nice employees, nice owner, nice meal, kudos to them.
Went to Big Pine coffee Shop; kudos to them.
For late night; House of Music has it going on, no more reason to go to Key West or Marathon. Can't wait for the New Year's ball or the Romantics concert in January!
27
I really think this site is cool. I wish we had something like this in Fort Lauderdale.
I wrote about Angus yesterday & I want to thank you for publishing my remarks. But, I can't say enough. I wish he still worked with us. We used to have all the big time events, cool bands & stupid jokes, but now he's down there with you. Make sure you support him, don't let him leave; like I did. (No, I didn't lose a bet & have to write all this.) Sorry if this embarrasses you Angus. Kiss my butt if it does!
27



If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
27
Hi Nick, How are things there in the North? Hello to Erna and the family. I hope she is well enough to come home soon. Miss you.
27 Merry Christmas Teri, your X.
Sunday
December 26
2004
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it and built a tower, than rented it out and went on a journey. So when harvest time came he sent his employees to the vine-growers to collect his produce, but the vine-growers took his employees and beat one, and killed another, and stoned the third. So he sent a larger group of employees and they did the same to them. So he sent His Son, thinking, surely, they would respect him, but when the vine-growers saw the Son they said, "Here's the heir let's kill him and seize his inheritance. And they took him and cast him out of the vine-yard and killed him.
A true Christmas Story. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
26


People are always talking about our laid-back life style here. This is good. The only time I get upset by the laid-back style is with my food servers. I don’t want them laid-back. I want them slick, attentive and professional just like they have in the real cities. When the servers go home they can be laid-back there.

26
I want to thank the guys Jeff and Jerry at Ace Hardware in Big Pine. They are two of the nicest guys in retail. They always have a smile and always help me with my hardware problems. If you want to go to a place where they help you and make you feel special, go to Ace. (Where they treat you right) Thanks Guy's. Keep up the great work!
26



Many years ago, in  Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only. Ladies Forbidden." And thus the word GOLF entered
into the English language. 

26 Friday was so warm, for a change, that I went boating to the reef. It was so calm I rekindled my love affair with the Keys. It's been so cold lately I forgot what boating was all about. The motor even started after two months of neglect. The only downside was that the water was a chilly 73°. "Paradise does not come easy."
26

Why are there so many different plugs on the back of a computer? The USB plug has made them all obsolete. Removing the plugs would lower the cost of the machine. They could be sold as an option for those who still need them. i read where Dell cut assembly time (and costs) by four seconds by removing one screw. How about removing all that other stuff in back?

26 Little Palm Island Update: They fired the flirtatiously offensive boat captain, so he won't be bothering anyone anymore. And whoever said that the postings belittling the resort are by former disgruntled employees couldn't be further from the truth. Why is it that whenever someone whines on this site that others write in with their preconceived ideas about who or why they wrote it. The best one is the, "you're not from around here" defense. Or, "I've lived here for a million years, so I know everything" defense.
26

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
26

I think in years to come Spanish and English will be the primary language of the planet; and in many centuries to come, Spanglish will have evolved as the planets primary language replacing English.

26 RACIST? What idiotic nerve! The objection is against forcing Spanish down the throats of Americans. If anyone wants to move here, learn ENGLISH. It's called respect toward America. Respect the country you are living in or leave. I have never seen American Indian road signs, nor German, Chinese, Polish, or any other. I have Cherokee heritage, so don't coddle the Spanish speaking people who have no desire nor motivation to learn English. Why should they learn English when they don't have to? Every other immigrant learned English, but Oh, no-o-o-o, not the Spanish speaking people. Gawd forbid they be treated like every other immigrant throughout American history.
26


It’s been so cold lately that the ice bin in my refrigerator has formed into one big ice lump from lack of use. I use so much ice, normally, that the icemaker has a hard time keeping up, but not lately.

26
Angus (House of Music) used to work for me in Fort Lauderdale. It's no surprise that he's doing a great job. If you go to the House of music you'll have all sorts of fun. 10,000 Maniacs, Romantics, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Ana Popovic, no surprise. I may have to come down and see this ball drop on new year's eve. Go Angus!
26 Hey MoonDogs!  Merry Christmas from Hot Flash!  Look forward to hearing you New Year's Eve.
Saturday
Christmas Day
2004

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord is come

Christmas Day I would like to thank Chip at NAPA for helping me today with my car.  I've needed a part for a long time, but was putting off going back into that store because of the rude person I'd dealt with months before.  Chip came out to the car with me and found out what I needed and was very pleasant about the whole thing.  Thanks! Merry Christmas.
Christmas Day
 
After reading the Editor's comment about only nice things published I had to smile.  We can all have our fun bashing each other every day of the year, and I admit it is fun.  I must say it is better to have a neutral no bashing day.  Merry Christmas to all.
Christmas Day

Christmas Day Mery Christmas to you all. I love the Lower Keys and all of you. Well, maybe not one or two, but Merry Christmas anyway!
Christmas Day

Christmas Day Merry Christmas to All! Hugs and Kisses.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day
Merry Christmas!  Feliz Navidad!  Froliche Weinachten!  Forgive the spelling!  A few hundred years ago there were no English speakers on this continent and that may be the case again in a few hundred more.  No big deal..."change is the only constant".  Happiest New Year to All!
Christmas Day
Christmas Day Does anyone know if they will be doing the Dirty Sanchez atthe Looe Key Tiki Bar 
N
ew Years Eve?
Christmas Day

Christmas Day
Our band, The Moondogs WILL BE ROCKIN', the Tiki Hut New Years Eve. Lots of drink specials, Jell-O shots, and yes, Toga, Toga,