It's not about New Year's Resolutions

Ahhhhh, where to start? Well, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are over. Far as I can tell, everyone had a blast. Now, we're gearing up for New Year's Eve at Carmella's Casa Italiana (CCI). Visit our NewsFlash Page for the New Year's Eve Dinner Special that starts at 5:00 pm. Says we serve until 9:00 pm, but realistically, as long as you keep coming in, we'll stay open. Who can resist? http://casa-italiana.info/NewsFlash.aspx



Linguine with Red Clam Sauce



Linguine with White Clam Sauce



We want to thank our loyal customers and followers for an interesting year. We tweaked our sauces, streamlined our menus, redecorated the restaurant, updated our webpage, changed our hours, sponsored raffles, managed to be on the marquee for seven months, and we're getting ready to start a gift card program. I heard on the news the other day that $28 billion will be spent on gift cards in 2012. I want a part of that action!

We always have a lot in the works and I'm sure we've done much more. Oh, we continuously support our community and the Back Pack Program for Church of the Cross and the Rubonia Mardi Gras 2012 immediately comes to mind.



Rubonia Mardi Gras 2011

We're ending 2011 on a positive note and we're looking forward to a fun, prosperous, healthy, safe, and hopeful New Year 2012. Best wishes to you and yours!  

                                 

I'm also looking forward to a peaceful New Year, but I'm not exactly sure peaceful and fun can be used in the same sentence....anyway, you get my drift. So what are your wishes?

Notice I asked what your wishes are. I never mentioned New Year's Resolutions....

                                   





Bored? It's a luxury!

I created my whole entire blog this past Thursday during my 14.1 mile ride on my Verso Roma. Well, guess what? Nothing goes as planned in this life I lead as a restaurant owner, entrepreneur, cardiac cath nurse, homeowner, pet mother, and family person. Nothing! So, this is not the blog I planned in my head. That blog is still in my head for later release. This is a spur of the minute blog, sans planning, to keep you in the loop. What loop? Look, I don't have the answer to everything, just ask Ralph.

We had the Wednesday Revelation regarding 'all the buzz'. If you want to know, you'll have to stop in and catch up. Order a pizza and experience the new taste sensation. Don't even wait for Tasty Tuesday! We are closing early on Christmas Eve and closed on Christmas. We created the menu special for New Year's Eve. Visit the Newsflash page of the website for the information. Whether we will open or close on New Year's Day is still up in the air. I'll make a last minute decision on that. At the moment, I'm leaning toward closing.

Merry Christmas

In any event, now that the restaurant is renewed and remodeled, I saw the need to do the same thing for the CCI website: http://casa-italiana.info/. While I was doing that, I came across things that needed to be corrected, deleted, or tweaked. The Internet connection and the desk top in my room are sketchy at best, so everything took much longer than I anticipated. I'm happy with the results. I think you will be too, so feel free to check it out!

Since Christmas is a week away, although I planned to do much cleaning in honor of that, the website project took my whole day. Yesterday, we shopped at Sam's for food for the Christmas Eve Family Celebration. Since I also wanted to have my flat tire from about two weeks ago repaired at Sam's while we were there, that venture turned into a day trip. As we were shopping, it occurred to me that they wouldn't be able to repair the flat. Sure enough, one hour later I was given the news. Not only that the tire couldn't be repaired, but that I would have to buy two new rear tires since they no longer carry the Dunlops currently on the car. I'm not buying two new tires! My spare tire is in good condition and it's a Bridgestone. I have an extra Bridgestone in the garage from the last tire fiasco. Too darn bad all this didn't occur to me while at the house because I would have loaded the Bridgestone and took it with me. My plan will be two Bridgestones on the rear, two Dunlops on the front, and the extra Dunlop that's on the rear driver's side now can then become my spare. Right. All this will require another day trip at Sam's. Better bring a book since essentially all the shopping is done.





The kids tried to tell me they were bored when they were little.......oh God, please give me a boring day. Yes, I know, not yet. Boredom is a luxury I won't be enjoying anytime soon.



And speaking of not ever being bored, I'm having a blast with my Bongo board. It's for balance, stability, agility, and mobility. The reviewers said it took them three days to acquire their balance. I've been at it for two weeks. Guess I'm a slow learner. Whatever. I'm still using it on the carpet at the side of my bed so that I can regain my balance when needed by touching the side of the bed. Ralph said I should be brave and practice in the middle of the room. Hmmmmmmm, I guess he wants the hear the loud crashes as I tumble to the floor. For obvious reasons, I'm not taking Ralph's advice. I might be getting my board on, but I'm definitely not bored.



Attention all Foodies

Things are moving along at Carmella's Casa Italiana (CCI) to reveal what 'all the buzz is about!' Looks good for a Wednesday revelation. And remember, the boys run the show on Wednesday, so Ralph will be filling you in on all the details! How great is that?!?!?!?

Really? Not so great, and here's why. Ralph proudly admitted that he read the blog from last week. OK. Well, was the blog that boring? Was my statement too weak 'What's all the buzz about?' We'll never know. He neglected to question me on the buzz, either on the day he read the blog or during the week thereafter. In fact, the product for the buzz is on the bread rack in the kitchen here at the house next to the things he needs to bring to CCI on his next trip. Still no questions. People, someone other than me needs to be paying attention! In any event, ready or not, buzz revelation at CCI is on track for Wednesday.
Hopefully, Ralph will get with me or I'll get with him and fill him in on the buzzy, yummy details.

Tim, our other cook who works Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday, heard the quiet crowing of customers' voices begging, "Please, make us some chicken crowquettes (Sp)! Please, we really want chicken crowquettes (Sp)." Perhaps it wasn't the customers' voices...it could have been the voices in his head. I don't know because I wasn't there. In any event, for a short time, CCI will be offering a side garden salad with your choice of dressing and two chicken croquettes @ $5.99. This could be a satisfying appetizer or a lunch item. It's up to you and the voices in YOUR head. Get them while they are hot!!

Ralph's children are coming to town on December 20. They'll be visiting and helping out at CCI during the end of that week. My family will be celebrating Christmas Eve at my house, after CCI closes on December 24. And as you know, Santa Claus will be coming to town later that night. He's made a list and he'll be checking it twice. Where do you fall: naughty or nice? Hmmmmmmm, that's the question. Oh, that and 'what's all the buzz about?'

What's all the buzz about?

These are definitely happy days! Deborah gave the 'Good Taste Seal of Approval' on our renovations. Business at CCI is picking and our loyal customers and new customers bestowed the same 'Good Taste Seal of Approval' on our food, as usual! CCI catered a lunch at MMH's cardiac cath lab. It was sponsored by the guys who are teaching us coding. Absoluely everyone raved about the calzones, stromboli, pizza, and Antipasto salad. On Friday night, a loyal customer won $210.00 on scratch-offs that she bought from us. Yes, we are an official Florida Lotto Retailer! The cold front is over. I know, cold fronts are laughable in southwest Florida. Two of my six grandchildren will be here for the Christmas holidays. My African Violet is in bloom and one of my desert roses is getting ready to bloom. A neighbor's cat who was lost for 10 days is finally home, thinner but alive. Ralph's hand is recovering without any complications. I finally got to ride my new Verso Roma on Saturday for 27.12 miles. Due to being on call or being tired, my previous rides were short, longest one only 13.55 miles. And while I was out on my long Saturday ride, I had a Kodak moment with an alligator in The Meadows. Yes, life is good!

On another note, heart disease is picking up in Manatee County and Manatee Memorial Hospital's cardiac cath lab is getting busy. Hmmm, you might think this is an odd turn of events to bring happiness. Look at it this way: heart disease is out there no matter what and so is MMH's extremely skilled cardiac cath lab staff. We're ready at a moment's notice to ease the pain and save a life.

OK, that's not the current team. Some are still there. I'm there but not in the picture!

That's me in our EP Lab.

We're creating a buzz at CCI for a new and tasty treat. Stay tuned as our plans evolve. It will appeal to adults and children alike...and if you crave desert but hesitate to order it (despite the fact that we have the best Tiramisu and cannoli around), this will tease and satisfy your taste buds.

See you soon, either here or there!

Don't read this if you're on a 'no added salt diet'

The renovations at CCI are completed and they received unexpected reviews. In my naivete, I expected people to walk in and say "WOW!" Foolish me for always living in my dream world. What actually happens is, people walk in, look for a table, sit down, and after awhile say, "OH, when did you change the floor?" Then eventually they notice the table covers and last they notice the paint. This evolves into idle chit-chat and "it looks nice." Never any disparaging remarks on the previous look; and so far, no negativity on the new look.

Before

  

So, Thanksgiving and Black Friday are over and most of the country is working on Cyber Monday and Christmas. I'm still thinking about Thanksgiving. Ralph and I cooked and we celebrated at my house. There were five of us. Byron, my mother's husband, brought rutabaga and a mixture of creamed onions and Brussels sprouts. When he walked in with it, I said, "You shouldn't have." He replied, "The only way for me to have my traditional Thanksgiving food is for me to bring it myself." I repeated, "Really, you shouldn't have."

Yes, I remember he always served rutabaga, but the creamed onions and Brussels sprouts mixture? WTH is that? The only creamed food I've ever eaten is creamed corn. My Grandmom Tweedie always served it because I think it was her favorite. I draw the line at creamed corn. I can't eat creamed onions and Brussels sprouts and I didn't. Yes, I'm an ingrate.

I didn't realize he was all about tradition, so in keeping with the holiday tradition started by Byron at my mother's house, just before everyone was finished eating, I announced, "We have home made pumpkin pie by Mom and I'll bring that out in one minute." You know what? Apparently, they don't like that tradition and unlike Byron, I did not bring out the pumpkin pie just then. I waited for perhaps an hour. New tradition? Who knows. The term 'new tradition' sounds like a contradiction in terms. I guess that means we're stuck with the old traditions until the change occurs repeatedly.

Everyone said they liked and enjoyed the meal. Ralph and I made the turkey. Ralph made the stuffing. I made the cranberries and roasted sweet potatoes. Well, the sweet potatoes were supposed to be roasted, but due to limited oven space, they were more like baked sweet potatoes. In any event, I heard no negativity.

Now, negativity is a weird thing. I said I heard no negativity about the CCI renovations and now about the meal. I'm learning the hard way that just because I haven't heard it, doesn't mean the negativity isn't out there.

                                      
Before the meal. Hostessing holiday dinners is not my forte. I forgot to plan for hors d'oeuvres.
                                                           
Ralph was fixing a dish of left overs after work on Friday. I was only in the kitchen for a minute and I noticed he didn't take out the container of baked sweet potatoes. I mentioned it. He said, "I thought the sweet potatoes were your favorite." Right. This from the person I have to hide my favorites from or put them in a dish labeled 'Carrie's-don't eat.'

Since when does he care about 'my favorite' when if it's something he likes, he's eating it no matter what. So there it is, negativity about the sweet potatoes on the day after Thanksgiving. And as if that wasn't hurtful enough, he called me on my cell phone and left a message saying "the cranberries are better! I think they needed the extra day to sit and absorb the flavors." Better than what? I thought they were great on Thanksgiving. Whatever.

My mother is usually the highly critical one. I didn't hear a peep out of her, but then I didn't talk to her the next day. And because as you can see I don't do well with food criticism, I'm not sure I really want to talk to her.

This is not CCI. I can understand restaurant customers criticizing the food, but my son about my home cooking? He doesn't even like cranberries and he was pushing for candied sweet potatoes, so I think that is the real problem. I know, denial isn't just a river in Egypt.

In any event, I discovered sea salt a few months ago. The only food I ever salted was baked potatoes and corn on the cob. These days I salt pretty much everything.....yes, this coming from a registered nurse who works in the cardiac cath lab. If you're a patient, do as I say, not as I do.

My recommendation is if you don't like my food, use the sea salt. It's always there on the table at meal time. If the food is good, it will make it better. If it isn't good, the sea salt will make it good....well, sorry cranberries, you're on your own. I don't recommend salting the cranberries. They are one of those foods that one either likes or doesn't like.....Or, add sugar, that might help. I always use half the recommended sugar in the recipe, which is an improvement. I used to use one-quarter the recommended sugar. I think I got that from Deb...who hasn't seen the completed CCI renovations. Is she going to voice the renovation negativity that I haven't heard thus far?

It's OK, I'm strong. I'll cry into my pillow for a few minutes and then 'carrie-on' in true Carrie style! Right, I'll blog about it! LOL 

Giving thanks

I'm getting a lot of riding in; unfortunately, because it's slow at Manatee Memorial. Hmmmmm, there's that gift horse again, and I won't be looking him in the mouth.

Regarding the gift horse, would you believe Ralph never heard of him. He intimated the gift horse is some throwback from 'back in the day,' say like 1960. As though the gift horse possibly went out of vogue along with 8 tracks, Beta VCRs, floppy drives, floppy discs, etc. Sheesh. The gift horse is a proverb that was first referenced in writing in the 16th century. I love proverbs, i.e, the grass is always greener, two birds in the hand, and so on and so forth. In any event, the gift horse thankfully visits me at least once a day. Ralph must have slept through the first 18 years of his life. How else could he have grown up with me and not have heard of the gift horse? Ralph must feel deprived...although the gift horse recently visited him and my mother at the Emergency Room at Manatee Memorial. Now, Ralph is not only richer, but wiser. No, my mother and Ralph were not together when they sustained their injuries.

In any event, I'm thankful to get in all the riding, and my personal best is now 25 miles. My new Verso Roma arrived and I took it to Village Bikes for them to assemble. The other day I found the same bike for $180.00 less, so I emailed the company from whom I purchased my bike and the the rep agreed to contact Kettler (maker of bike) to see what can be done. I'll keep you posted. The new bike won't be assembled until Wednesday....UGH...I'm anxious to take it out!

Remodeling continues at the CCI (Carmella's Casa Italiana). The new flooring will be installed on Monday. The painting is scheduled for Wednesday. We're closed on Thursday, which is Thanksgiving, so the paint will have an extra day to dry. Last but not least, I expect the new table covers by the end of the week. Our new look is going to be so awesome and we're all really excited. Deb is taking off some time, so she won't see the finished results until a week from Wednesday. If she gives it her seal of approval, the new look will be a shoe in with our customers. Whoo hoo! Stop in and feel free to eat and tell us what you think.

I'm learning a lot about how people are doing business these days. I understand that we're all doing business in a sketchy enonomy. I say sketchy because I'm not convinced it's a recession or a poor economy. 40 million dollars were spent on the new Call of Duty Modern Warfare video game that debuted about two weeks ago and billions of dollars are spent at the box office each week when the new movies come out. From the way the flooring experts are running their businesses, they must not be starving either.

Here's my experience with the flooring experts. I contacted six flooring places for estimates. One salesman gave me samples to take to the restaurant and when he showed up to measure the floor and give the estimate, he arrived with several other samples. One place doesn't do commercial flooring. One place was so disinterested and unhelpful, I wonder if his establishment is a front for illegal activities. The fourth and fifth guys measured the floor and promised to email the estimates. No emails with estimates as of this writing. The sixth guy was a no call/no show.

So there you have it. The winner is John at Manasota Flooring. I recommend him. Depending on how the installation goes tomorrow, I'll let you know if I highly recommend Manasota Flooring! The operative word there is 'highly.'

If I don't see you at CCI or MMH, please have a Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thankful I'm still in business, for my loyal customers, for my family and pets, for my loved ones, for my friends, for my health, for the frequent visits from the gift horse, and on and on. See you soon!

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth

Hi there! I've been outta the loop, but not outta touch! There's a lot going on, and I have my finger on the pulse of the happenings. Among other things, business has picked up at CCI (Carmella's Casa Italiana). It started on, of all nights, Halloween! I wish every night was Halloween! The plans for redecorating and improvements continue, and everything is nailed down except for the paint color. C'mon in and see the progress. Don't wait until it's all completed to see what we are up to. Oh, you could even help select the paint color!

We've been really busy with other projects at the Casa. We introduced home made cannelloni. We still have the raffle for the CCI tote bag for those who order the fried ravioli appetizer. I updated all the menus. And last but not least, it's soup season, so we have soup: Minestrone to warm your innards.

Yes! The early birds, snow birds, and cuckoo birds are here. Wait....the cuckoo birds are always here. At least that's what Deb tells me. I depend on her for a lot of my information, like the latest scandal on honey. But I digress......and honey scandals are beyond the scope of this blog.

I managed to take many bike rides, and so far my personal best is 22.5 miles. Typically, my rides range from 18-22.5 miles. I forgot about the time change on Monday, so I arrived home in the dark. Tried to cut it short; but if you know me, you know how it goes. On Wednesday, I bought two flash lights to carry with me so the next time darkness falls and I'm out there, I'll be better prepared. The wicker basket and low level of my seat (I'm petite) precludes mounting front and rear lights.

 How cute is he?!

And speaking of better prepared, you know those spandex biker shorts? I thought they were an expensive luxury to look hot while riding a bike. Not so! Apparently, since I ride 2-7 times a week, that makes me an enthusiast. I don't know the classification for those who ride once a week and more than eight times a week...perhaps once a week is a wannabe and more than 8 times a week is a lunatic. With all the free time I've recently acquired, I can easily see myself becoming a lunatic. In any event, at this juncture, I'm an enthusiastic and now I wear those spandex biker shorts. My Connecticut sister would say I took up biking just so I could wear spandex again. Not so! Gave up spandex over 20 years ago and didn't figure I'd wear it again, or want to wear it again. Well, I couldn't be more wrong! I wear it and I wear it willingly.

Biking is more than popping up the kickstand and hopping on the seat. Just like running is more than donning a pair of sneakers. If you want the skinny on biking because you're thinking of taking up riding, feel free to give me a call. Among other things, I can give you the real scoop on how to prevent blisters in unmentionable places.

With CCI and my position at the hospital, you're probably wondering how I can progress from a biking enthusiast to a biking lunatic. Very easy. Suddenly, I have an abundance of free time and energy. I was informed at the hospital that "people" are watching my call time and my hours. As though I'm not neurotic enough, now I'm paranoid about these "people" who are watching me.

I thought I was being a flexible and dependable employee by volunteering to cover call or fill in for sick co-workers. Since these "people" are watching me, that's no longer required. I take my assigned call and I leave when the work is complete or when 3:30 pm arrives, whichever comes first. I'm not expected to stay late or come in early. The pressure is off. I go to bed without feeling completely exhausted and I wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the new day.

Yet these "people" are watching me. Who are these "people?" Some individuals have voices in their heads. Do you think the person who told me about the watchers has "people" in the head. Could these "people" be the cuckoo birds that Deb talks about? If you ask me, it sounds really crowded up there.

My abundance of free time and energy is a gift; and we all know not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 Hope to see you soon! Stop in, the food is wonderful!

What do I know?

Ralph mentioned that he read the blog from yesterday and that on the flooring test, the marinara sauce doesn't look like marinara sauce. People, work with me! It's a restaurant. We don't keep the cats there. It was definitely marinara sauce; ask Deborah, she put it there. As for Ralph, he obviously spends too much time around the litter boxes. And I, for one, am not complaining about it!

I worked all day yesterday in the zen garden and on other outdoor cleaning projects. Got a lot accomplished. When I go out there, I dress in my oldest and ugliest clothes, put on a scarf to keep the bugs out of my hair, and wear sunglasses to create some aspect of anonymity. Not so sure that works. My neighbors always see me in this get-up, so I'm sure they know it's me.

  

Anyway, I was out there working diligently. I just sneezed, my pants were hanging off my hips, and I'm sure I looked relatively scary when the guy who does the work on the community property pulled up on his stand up tractor. He introduced himself as Kip. I see him all the time. He wears sunglasses, ear protectors, and this very clever pointed bamboo hat. I thought he was Oriental or Hispanic. What do I know from afar? He's neither. I figured he came to mow my lawn.

No, he came to chat. As I said, what do I know? He told me he's been around for a long time doing the grounds. Actually, I never realized it was the same guy. I thought it was several different Orientals or Hispanics. Whatever. As I said, what do I know?

He told me how he watched the progression through the years of my pool deck and how much he really likes the pavers. We discussed that for awhile. Then, my right nares started to drip. Since I sneezed before his arrival and had no opportunity to go to the garage to get a tissue, I had to quietly sniff. He kept talking. The sniffing wasn't working too well. He continued talking, turned his head, and I frantically wondered if I could quickly wipe my nose on my shirt. UGH! How gross! The moment passed and he turned to face me. I kept thinking this conversation is never going to end. My nose is soon going to be running down my face. I desperately wondered if he noticed anything. He asked if I saw my neighbor, Harold, lately. It just went on and on.

  

He left. I was relieved. Then he turned and came back. He said, "Every time I think of Harold, I think of 'Harold, turn up the mic.'"  I never noticed that Harold wore hearing aids or that he was hard of hearing. While I was thinking that, Kip said, "You know, from Woodstock." I laughed and said, "Oh yea!" And waved him on his way.

OMG, no, I don't remember that from Woodstock. All I remember is the nudity, rolling in the mud, smoking weed, and general chaos. I know this from the news, not from personal experience. Or perhaps Deborah told me; I think she was there. She likes that sort of stuff...talking music, here. There was lots of music, and among the few things I know, I know she likes music.

As I said, what do I know? Well, one thing I know is that pants hanging around the hips is neither sexy, comfortable, nor attractive. It's gross and disgusting. Too bad all those kids walking around looking like jail birds don't know it too. Right, they do know, they just don't care. I know that. Oh, and I also know that for the number of times a day I sneeze, I should always carry a tissue in my pocket. And I also know I will never wipe my nose on my shirt. How about you?

  

Everyone hates change

Carmella's Casa Italiana is attracting new and loyal customers from our small business ads on http://craigslist.org. Welcome to all the new faces and thank you so much for the gracious compliments on our menu and service.

Lots of new things are in the works at the Casa. We're planning to have new flooring installed and to paint. We made a decision on the flooring, but it's back to the drawing boards on the paint. I selected a pale green that I originally wanted for my home. Green goes really well with brick, and the front of my house is brick. There is that brick paneling at the restaurant, so that's why I thought of green.

That being said, we have those beautiful murals, and the green goes well with the brick but not so much with the murals. One of our customers mentioned that staying in the green family of colors would be too much green. That makes sense. So, feel free to stop by, order pizza or pasta, and help us make a decision! Doug was a great help 5 years ago when we picked the yellow that I currently want to change. Change is good, right?!?! Admit it, everyone hates change!

John, from Manasota Flooring, assured us this product is durable, stain proof, water proof, and so on and so forth. We felt compelled to test the product, so that's marinara on the flooring in the top picture. The bottom picture is after the clean up; and as you can see, there's no stain! This color is going to go great with the black tables. Besides agonizing over the paint color, we're also agonizing over new table cloths. I sent away for several table cloth swatches and encouraged Deborah to do the same. She's the creative one, so I depend on her to pull it all together! And of course, we're also processing all the input from our loyal customers!

I received the yearly dreaded email from the President of the Homeowner's Association about work that needs to be done outside around the house. I already mentioned that incentive to work in my zen garden flew out the window when the thief stole my plants, yard ornaments, shepherd's hook, and other plant hangers. Last weekend, I overcame my apathy and worked in the garden. I'm happy to report the President is mollified and I can carry on with other things. Well, I'd rather go biking, but there are a few other projects to work on, so I guess for now I'll forego fun in favor of beautifying my residence. What I should do is work on homeland security. For crying out loud, they can kill the terrorists Moammar Gadhafi and Bin Ladin but Sarasota's finest can't catch the yard thief. UGH, I must put this to rest!

In case you can't tell, the top picture is before and the bottom is after. I know, the grass looks like crap. I'll have to be more consistent with the fertilizer, or something. I guess I'm still not totally ready to hang up my gardening hat!

Don't be so sure

There was an amazing moon on Tuesday morning, but by the time I saw it, I wasn't in an area where I could pull over to take a picture. When I arrived at MMH, I couldn't find it. I think it was sitting too low in the sky to be seen from the hospital. I got the moon at apogee on Wednesday morning and the moon again on Thursday morning. Unfortunately, I missed the full moon on Wednesday night. I must be slipping.

The sunrises are so late now and it's been so cloudy, I don't even have any sunrise pictures. Had I known when I was a kid that the moon, sun, planets, and constellations would hold such fascination for me, I would have paid more attention in class when we were learning these things. I remember the earth revolves around the sun creating the change in seasons (not so much if you live in Florida! *LOL*) and the rotation of the earth on its axis causes day and night. And of course the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Give me a gold star!

It's all about the stars!

 

               October 12, 2011-Moon at Apogee              October 13, 2011

I also remember that when Ralph was in fourth grade, his teacher marked his answer wrong for the definition of latitude. I was not armed with any research when I went to school to ask her to fix his grade. I figured she made an honest mistake. Turned out she didn't know the definition of latitude and she refused to be convinced that I was right and she was wrong. Since she was teaching the class, I'm surprised Ralph knew, and still knows, the correct answer. I probably helped him with his homework at that time. I wonder if she ever realized her error. If you don't know the answer and you've been having sleepless nights over this, the answer is at the end. And no, I didn't 'just Google it,' I know the definition, unlike Ralph's teacher! Geesh, where was Google back then when I needed it?!?!? If she wouldn't believe me, perhaps she would have believed Google...but as I already documented, there are many mistakes in Google...I'm doomed!

I'm happy to report that the restaurant sponsored a blood drive with the Suncoast Community Blood Bank on Friday from 4:30 -7:30 pm. Extending gratitude and many thanks to the all the donors who showed up for the cause. Donating blood saves lives and all blood types are needed. I'm usually wiped out the night of and the day after giving blood, but I don't let that stop me. Donating blood is just another one of my many obsessions, what can I say?!?!

 

                   We're still on the marquee!       Tim, one of our cooks, on his way to donate!

As always, clicking on each picture will make it bigger and easier to see and discern what's going on. Ralph questioned me earlier in the week about the pictures in the previous blog. I asked him if he saw the notation below the picture and if he followed the directions. Yes, he saw it, and no he did not follow the directions. Then he said, "I thought you took those pictures from an airplane."

Yes, Virginia, there really is a Santa Claus, and no, Ralph, I really don't go riding my bike when I say I'm off for a 20 mile cruise. I really bike up to the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport where I keep my small single engine plane in a rented hangar. I take out the plane and when I reach an altitude of 5000 feet, I go joy riding over The Meadows. When I see an alligator sunning itself on the bank of the lake or resting in the shallow end, I whip out my Sony Cypershot and have a Kodak moment. People, and Ralph, click the pic!

OK, lines of latitude run east and west and measure distance north and south. Lines of longitude run north and south and measure distance east and west. So, when your kids ask why do they have to learn this stuff that they'll never use again, all you have to say is, "Don't be so sure." Now, sleep tight!