Scalping may become legal in Florida

Lawmakers are trying to change a decades-old law that bans Floridians from selling event tickets for more than $1 over their face value.

TALLAHASSEE - Matthew Adams is getting desperate.

He has less than a month to sell six tickets to a Kenny Chesney concert at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. He recently posted the tickets for sale on the popular website Craigslist.org. The asking price: $75 each -- exactly what he paid.

Even though Adams lives in Virginia, he knows he'd be committing a crime in Florida if he tried to sell the tickets for more than $1 over their face value.

But Florida lawmakers want to change that.

A measure filed in both chambers of the Legislature would drastically change the 61-year-old ticket-scalping laws, allowing Floridians to resell tickets at any price to sporting events, theater shows and concerts on authorized websites that offer consumer protection guarantees, such as full refunds if the event is canceled or the tickets are not delivered in time.

The measure comes as Internet ticket sales are skyrocketing -- some legal, others not.

''There's a current market out there that is booming,'' said state Rep. Marcelo Llorente, a Miami Republican who introduced the House version of the bill. ``We want to be able to offer the consumers the protections they deserve and the ability to resell their tickets for whatever price the market will bear.''

The proposed changes also will affect scalpers who stand outside arenas and other event venues hawking tickets.

Current law says someone caught selling an admission ticket for more than $1 over its original selling price can be charged with a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum of 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

If the law is changed, those same people will make money: Scalpers who make hand-to-hand transactions would be able to resell tickets for 25 percent over face value.

Proponents of the measure say it will do away with laws that limit free enterprise.

Harry's Note - I approve of this new law. People should be able to buy and sell tickets at whatever price the market will bear. The law will remove the secretiveness - and allow people to buy and sell in the sunshine.

John Mack Criticizes Bush Port Deal

Harry's Note - John Mack is the Dad of Drew's roommate from Duke University - John Mack Junior. Harry's brush with greatness was installing carpet in Drew's dorm room elbow to elbow with Mr. Mack - often known as "Mac the Knife." He has brought many companies back to life with his astute business decisions. He graduated from Duke University on a football scholarship and is now a billionaire.

Morgan Stanley Chief Executive Officer John Mack blamed President Bush for problems faced by DP World as it tried to buy the U.S. assets of the U.K.'s Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Co.

''If the administration had taken more time to vet the transaction, DP World would not have had these issues,'' Mack said Monday at a news conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

U.S. senators including Charles Schumer and Hillary Clinton blocked a deal approved in January by the Bush administration for DP World to gain control of six U.S container-ship terminals including New York, Miami and New Orleans. Owned by the Maktoum family who rule Dubai, DP World acquired management leases at the ports when it bought U.K.-based P&O for $6.8 billion on March 2.

The decision may affect trade and investment flows between the United States and the Persian Gulf, where record oil earning have triggered an economic boom. ''It's not a wise decision on their part,'' U.A.E. central bank governor Sultan bin Nasser al-Suwaidi said in a March 6 Bloomberg interview.

The U.A.E., Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the three other oil- producing Gulf Arab monarchies' crude oil sales rose 24 percent last year $270 billion, according to figures from Standard Chartered Plc.

Mack was in the Emirates to open Morgan Stanley's first regional office in the Middle East. The world's third largest securities firm is bringing 24 bankers to Dubai as it seeks to tap the region's wealth.

Hawaii Has Pay by Cell Phone Parking

If you live in Hawaii - you can go into city lots and pay by cell phone. You set up an account - then have a dial-in number - it records the time automatically. It also automatically dials you when you time is running out - and you can just press a button to buy more time.

This is a great idea. No need to hunt for change. No need to feed the meters. No need to rush back to the meter to feed it more coins.

You saw it here first - coming to your hometown soon.

Coaldale Charges Fee for "Calling Cops"

I taught in Panther Valley School District which is made up of 4 small towns. One of them is Coaldale.

Concerned about the rising cost of providing municipal services, a Schuylkill County borough has adopted an ordinance that will bill residents who routinely summon police on nuisance calls then refuse to pursue the matter.

Further, anyone convicted of breaking the law in Coaldale — in addition to any punishment meted out by the courts — will be billed by police for the arrest, testifying at court proceedings and filing paperwork.

The ordinance isn't unique, but it's highly unusual, Pennsylvania police and municipal organizations say.

Some officials say they're concerned about how it will be enforced. And some Coaldale residents question whether they already aren't paying the costs with their taxes.

If This Isn’t Marriage, Parenting, What Is?

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 26, 2006
By Shirley Wiegand

She died suddenly, falling to the floor in front of her disabled husband and 2-year-old boy. Blood clot. Age 39. It took her in seconds. One moment, she sat on the sofa, watching her blond, blue-eyed little boy play on the floor. The next moment, she lay on the floor near him, dead.
She had suffered at least one miscarriage and one stillborn birth before finally, successfully, giving birth to this sweet little boy, Josh.
My sister died in 1993. That little boy - my nephew - is now several inches taller than me, runs high school track and regularly brings home straight A's
I don't know how he does it. When his mother died 13 years ago, she left him behind with a disabled father, a man who had suffered a stroke in his early 20s, walked with a serious limp, had difficulty speaking clearly and was unable to work. He died in 1998 of another stroke and once again Josh witnessed a parent's death.
He was 8 years old and, now, an orphan.
Though my husband and I rushed up to the Fox Cities the same day, my older sister had already stepped forward.
Ever since Josh's mom, our baby sister, died, she had kept a close eye on him. Living just 10 minutes from his house, she soon learned that Josh was in need of more than his father could provide.
And so began a weekly routine. My sister began picking Josh up every Tuesday after school and taking him to her home, which she shared with her lesbian partner.
Together, they fed him a home-cooked meal, sat at the table with him, helped him with his schoolwork and talked with him about his life. They took him home at bedtime. They became the stabilizing influences in his life.
So when his father died suddenly, they were the first to rescue Josh. They ensured that he said goodbye to his father before burial preparations began, and they immediately cleared an extra bedroom in their home. From the night his father died, Josh became a member of their household.
Now, seven years later, I wonder how they did it. My sister is an accountant and comptroller for a string of appliance stores in the Fox River Valley. Her partner, a published author and poet, teaches at a university.
She teaches part-time, just enough to qualify for health insurance. She cannot benefit from my sister's insurance though they've been a couple for 25 years.
Most of the time, though, my sister's partner stays at home and cares for Josh. She cooks, does laundry, drives a car pool and quietly performs the duties of stay-at-home moms. Her writing has suffered.
Both my sister and her partner spend hours every week attending Josh's track meets and basketball games, driving him to and from his part-time job at a local restaurant, taking him and his friends to video arcades and making sure that he does his homework every night.
They attend PTA meetings and parent-teacher conferences. They host sleepovers for Josh's friends and make sure the freezer is filled with pizza and the cupboards with Doritos. They've given up a lot.
No more romantic getaways on the weekend. No more quiet nights at home. No more sleeping in on Saturdays.
Annual vacations now include Josh and sometimes a friend of his.
Theirs is a life of parenting. All in the name of love. All for that little boy who watched his parents die so many years ago.
He's doing fine. He's happy and healthy and loved.
But when it comes to shouldering major child care responsibilities, that's the work of two lesbians, living together, committed to ensuring his health and welfare.
Reflecting on all they've done, I keep asking why the good citizens of Wisconsin would ever feel threatened by their relationship. I know of no better parents.
Seems to me the least we can do is grant them some sort of legal recognition as a loving, devoted couple.
Marriage perhaps?

Shirley A. Wiegand is a professor at Marquette University Law School. Today is her older sister's 60th birthday. Shirley is one of our best friends and newest neighbor. She and Wayne moved here just to be our neighbor - that's how we are playing it.

Nancy Finds Harry Hanging from a Live Oak Tree

Friday afternoon was a great day for a hanging - the sun peeked through the branches in the forest onto one lonely oak tree in the back yard. Bill the Builder told Harry that a long horizontal branch of the oak had to be removed if we wanted to put the workshop in that shaded location.

So Harry decided to do it himself. He had a nice Stihl chain saw - he could borrow Lee's ladder - and cut the 30 foot branch off in segments and it would not harm the fence. He could have chosen just to saw it off at the trunk - but then the 30 foot long branch extending 25 feet in the air would surely crush the fence - it weight easily 2000 pounds.

So Harry opened the ladder to its full 24 foot extension - and it just barely reached the branch. Harry climbed up - it was really tipsy and high up there - Harry tried not to look down - then he pulled his chain saw up with a rope. He started to saw - but stopped and decided to tie the rope around the branch and then around his chest under his arms - that way if anything slipped - he would be hanging safely in the tree.

After sharpening the chain saw and filling it with gas and bar oil - it fired right up first pull. He started the cut the branch that was about 9 inches in diameter where the end of the ladder precariously rested. The branch cut cleanly and swiftly. He slowed the saw down a bit to watch the branch start to fall. He stopped...the branch stopped... he started.....the branch started. All of a sudden the section of the branch speeded up a bit and pivoted around hitting the ladder with such force that it broke the ladder in two - right through the aluminum rails - ripped it off like paper. So there was Harry - hanging from the live oak tree just like Tom Dooley.

Harry was not hurt one bit - but below his feet lay a pile of ladder and tree branches. He had the perfect bird's eye view of where he would have been lying if he didn't decide to use a safety rope. A 25 foot fall could have been fatal. Instead - it was kind of humorous when he called Nancy out of the house and was just hanging there. Harry thought he said to Nancy, "cut me down," and that she said "you're not dead yet," but memories fail in times like this. He was pretty scared. Nancy steered his foot to a piece of ladder to take his weight off the rope and he worked himself to the ground.

After checking his body for breaks - Harry decided to saw the rest of the branch off from the ground - and when the rest of that 2000 pound branch hit the ground with a thud - the fence was spared.

Next on the agenda is a trip to Home Depot to buy Lee a new ladder. He wasted a $200 ladder and nearly his life to save a $10 fence section. Another wise educated decision by the retired teacher.

Our Woods and Lake

If you have been following our Florida saga - you know that we bought a house in Tallahassee less than a mile from the Capitol and 2 miles from campus. I have been telling you about the thicket of woods that was between our back porch and the lake. Well here is what it looks like after a winter of stump grinding - chain sawing - chipping - shredding. There is plenty more to do - landscaping - tilling - planting - mowing - grading.

The lake is not very big - maybe a couple of football fields in area - but it has lots of fish in it. All of the homes in our city block meet in the middle of the lake so there is no public access.

You will notice that our home is about 30 feet above lake level. Thanks to clearing out the stumps and underbrush - I am able to drive the 4WD pickup truck down to the shore to haul out debris - branches - firewood - etc.

This is the view you get from our back porch and swimming pool - you will also see this view from our new work shop / guest house. I will post daily pictures of the building progress.

So far - we passed the soil test and wind structure test - both required by the city. Next - we plan to lay out the ground for the footers.

Peter took me to the Gulf to see his Electric Boat

Yesterday was a perfect day - blue skies - temperature about 77 - for a ride to the Gulf. Peter invited me to come along - he said he had to install two bildge pumps in his boat. It is 28 miles due south of Tallahassee to Shell Point and the Apalachee Bay Yacht Club.

When we got there - I was surprised to find out that Peter and Corinne own two big boats - 47 feet and 39 feet. One is a sail boat - but the other intrigued me - and electric boat. The electra reminded me of a cross between a golf cart and a motor home. It has two 4HP engines that look like they would fit in a golf cart. It also had 24 six volt golf cart batteries. It was hooked up to shore power by a thick long yellow cord. The charger kept the batteries topped up. Peter said he had a range of about 40 miles.

The boat had two neat cabins and a covered center area. Peter said the boat was going to be used for dinner cruises. The guy that originally had it built spent $220,000. Peter got it for 10 cents on the dollar.

Also to my surprise there was a nice small sandy beach at Shell Point. I am sure Nancy would be happy spending some time there less than 30 miles from home.

I Saw Joe Wilson (husband of Valerie Plame) Last Night

One of the nicest things about living in downtown Tallahassee is enjoying the string of speakers that come to Ruby Diamond Auditorium. The theatre is in the Westcott Building - the oldest building on campus built in 1851.

Last night - Joe Wilson - the former US Ambassador - and husband to Valerie Plane - spoke to about 500 of us. It was a beautiful night for standing in line and also taking the scooter to campus. Wilson spoke about his 30 years of government service and how the White House "outed" his wife as payback for writing a story about how George Bush lied when he said the Iraq was shopping for Uranium in Africa.

He spoke for an hour - signed some books - and answered over an hour of open mike questions. Although Wilson was at times very funny - sometimes strident - one could never forget the seriousness of how our we are rapidly losing our freedoms in the name of security.

Wilson said that Bush's War was the worst mistake in "organized" government since Rome fell.

I sat center stage - about 25 feet from the speaker. I need to get a camera that takes better pictures in the dark - without a flash :-)

I can relate to Joe being a kept man by a famous wife :-)

Workshop Site Just Passed Soil Test

Johnny the soil tester guy was just here with his truck and drill. In order to build a foundation - the city requires a soil test to make sure there is not any "tile clay" in the foundation area. Tile clay expands and contracts when it gets wet causing the foundation to heave - very much like foundations break up north when water gets under them and freezes. Our soil was mostly sand and will make an excellent foundation. We will build a full foundation - then fill it in with sand - then pour a concrete floor on top of it. Our building will be tied to the foundation with long anchor bolts.

Remember when Martin Luther King talked about the "red hills of Georgia"? You can see from our soil samples that Harry and Nancy live on the "red hills of Tallahassee" just 10 miles south of Georgia.

Next step - tomorrow the engineers must do a wind test on the workshop/guesthouse design. Because we are in Florida - even though we are 28 miles from the nearest Gulf beach - and 180 feet above sea level - we must do a wind test. We must also put all the hurricane straps - and metal clips - that are required in the rest of the state - in our building.

Darrell and Donna Buy Their Dream 1956 Buick Hardtop "OFF" Ebay

Darrell is a professor whose office is down the hall from Nancy's. You may recall that Darrell came to Hawaii last summer to stay with us during a convention.

Darrell and his wife Donna love old cars. Darrell has had a 1955 Buick in his driveway for the last year that needs major help. Finally - after much deliberation - they decided to buy a completely restore 1956 Buick. They saw one on ebay - but did not want the risk of bidding on it. So after the car did not reach its research they started negotiating with the owner in Boston and finally cut a deal. They had the car shipped to town and here it is.

The 1955 derelict Buick still sits in the driveway.

Bomb Threat at Walmart in Saint Clair - Tamaqua's Walmart

Now those terrorist have gotten serious. Before they only attacked the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Watch out now - they have threatened the wrong place.

From the Pottsvile Republican

SAINT CLAIR — A bomb threat Monday at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 500 Terry Rich Blvd., shutdown business at the retailer for six hours.

Acting on a threat phoned into the county’s 9-1-1 center, Saint Clair Police Chief Michael P. Carey said authorities “shut off the area and evacuated customers and employees” around 1:30 p.m.

Thomas C. Ward, Saint Clair, said he was on his way to work at the store when two police officers walked into the store and asked to speak with a manager.

“Code Blue ... a bomb threat came over the loudspeaker,” he said, as his stood outside the store.

About 6:30 p.m., following a search of the complex, Carey said state and Pittston City police canine units did not detect any explosive devices, The store reopened about 8 p.m.

"If we let them close down our Walmarts - the terrorists have won." - Harry :-)

Seminoles Give Orange Bowl Money to Library

On March 1, the print and electronic collections throughout Florida State University's libraries became the beneficiaries of a generous share of the proceeds from the 2006 Orange Bowl, thanks to a $250,000 bonus check from FSU Athletics.

Flanked by FSU President T.K. Wetherell and Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden in Strozier Library, University Libraries Director Althea Jenkins accepted the check from Athletics that will bolster key collections most vital to faculty research, help acquire back files for electronic journals, and add much-needed materials in the humanities.

"By enhancing the research capabilities of the FSU faculty, these funds will enable our libraries to better support our university's 'Pathways to Excellence' program," Jenkins said. For additional information about the FSU libraries, contact Sandra Clayton-Emmerson, coordinator for communications, marketing and publications, at (850) 644-7558.

We are Building a Guest House / Work Shop

We have a deal with Bill Gwynn - the builder - to construct our work shop / guest house. Construction will start Monday. Plans were drawn by Bill Richardson - our architect. Nancy and I designed the building. The building will be 18 x 24 feet - full foundation - full second floor. It is about the size of our old chalet in Tamaqua which was 22 x 23.
The workshop will be on the first floor. The workshop will have an 8 foot wide French door facing the lake. It could be used as a garage in a pinch. The guest house will be on the second floor. It has a balcony with 4 foot French doors facing the lake. Each floor will have private entrances.
We expect to be done before April 29th before we go on our cruise and then visit Tamaqua.

Seminoles Prep for Pro Day Here in Tallahassee

More than 100 NFL scouts and coaches are expected to watch about 20 former Florida State football players prove they are fast enough and strong enough to play on the next level.

The annual Pro Day on the FSU campus will be another chance for Ernie Sims, Brodrick Bunkley, Kamerion Wimbley and Antonio Cromartie to show why NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has projected them to be selected in the first round. The players who will be tested in the 40-yard, agility drills, bench press and vertical jump today will include Cromartie, who entered the NFL Draft early despite not playing last season because of injury. Former starters such as Leon Washington, Gerard Ross and Pat Watkins will also go through the evaluation.

Pro Day is held at the track where Nancy and I do our laps.

Shoot Out in Tamaqua's Gary Miller Apartment

You may remember our good friend Gary Miller who lives in Miami now. He used to live in Tamaqua in the apartment above his parents' store in the 50s and 60s. Today the store is a "Subway."

Shown in the picture is Gary at home near Miami. The second picture is Gary's old Tamaqua apartment building.

A shooting occurred at the apartment this weekend. I wonder if it occurred in Gary's old bedroom.

Read the story in the Times News here.

Shootout Story in Times News

I Will Never Buy Advance Tickets Again - Duke Wins ACC Crown

Greensboro is a great place to see a basketball tournament. I expected it to be a seller's market for tickets - boy was I wrong.

At 11AM - we left our hotel in the van - we drove to the arena. I had the parking ticket from Thursday with me - I showed it to the ticket collector - and he let me in free. He said "It will be our little secret." So I am already up $10.

Then I told Keith and Nancy to go in and sit in our regular seats - I wanted to work the crowd. There were tons of folks holding up fingers and tickets - this was going to be good. After turning down tons of tickets for $10 and $20 - one guy said I could have an upper deck ticket for $5. I almost pulled the trigger - and opened my wallet - but something urged me to search farther. I pulled out my map - and started telling the scalpers that I wanted a single ticket in section 109 for $10. They all told me I was nuts - even this little old gray headed lady came over with her visor on and told me I was insulting them by offering $10 for that ticket. I waited.....

Two minutes before tip off - I met Jay. Jay is the manager of a Red Lobster Restaurant in Raleigh. Jay said I have one extra ticket - it is a good one - and it includes a bracelet that will allow you into the hospitality room for free food and drinks the whole game. I asked him what he wanted - he insisted nothing - he was given the tickets by his corporation sponsoring the game. When we got into the arena - my row was section AA - I thought it might be up high. The closer to the floor I got - the more excited I was. Finally - I stopped at the front rail down on the court - the only seats in front of me were the players and their girlfriends and families. Jay sat with me and we had a great time cheering for the Dukies.

It was an awesome game - Duke was up 4 at the half.

Jay and I went up for refreshments - the place had everything - chicken - pork - beer - soda - salads - and fruit. The best thing was fresh strawberries with vanilla and chocolate dipping cream. I quickly got two beers hoping to take one up for Nancy - but you could not take beer out - so guess who drank two 16 ounce beers. Half time went way too fast :-) So I took some drinks up for Keith and Nancy - and some strawberries - and then I went back to my seat.

The second half went back and forth - each side exchanging blows. Neither one established a big lead. Finally - Duke won by 2.

We struck around for the trophy presentations. Then went out for dinner. We got back to the hotel in time to see the NCAA seedings at 6 PM.

I will publish my after thoughts about the tournament later.

More game pictures

Official game writeup

Nothing Can Be Finer Than To Be in Carolina - Duke Wins - Tar Heels Lose

We just got back to the hotel from the two semi-final games of the ACC Tournament. Plenty of tickets were available outside the arena for face value or less - even though 3 local teams - Duke - UNC - Wake were playing.

In the first game Duke handled Wake by about 10. We were happy. Then Carolina lost of Boston College - why was I even happier? :-) The best part was watching the "Carolina faithful" funneling out 1 minute before the game was over.

We have 2 tickets for tomorrow's championship game when Duke plays Boston College. Our tickets are upper level but exactly on the mid-court line. I will let Keith and Nancy use the tickets - I will wait outside and get a ticket for $5 or free before I go in.

It was fun seeing all the Carolina fans holding up their tickets for sale for tomorrow's game.

There will be 2 crowds there tomorrow - Duke fans - and "ABD - anybody but Dook" fans that are sticking around because they pre-paid their hotel on the internet.

Today's Tickets - Duke/Wake & UNC/BC

Nancy and are are driving over for the two games today. We have 2 tickets on the upper level - mid court. It will be interesting to see how many tickets are for sale and what the prices are since there are 3 local teams in today's games - Duke - Carolina - Wake.

We also have 2 tickets for tomorrow's championship game - same spot.

The weather is perfect here - about 70 - sunny - clear blue sky. Nancy and I did furniture shopping yesterday - we did not buy anything - but Nancy has the look in her eyes.

Our apartment is nice - Crestwood Suites. We have a kitchen - living room - bedroom - bathroom - for $60 a night - Nancy got it on Orbitz.com.

More to report after today's games.

Go Duke!

George and Joel in Antarctica

We just received a message from George and Joel Dawson - that means they are back in South America and they made the crossing safely from Antarctica. They now have officially visited all 7 continents. We can't wait until they are back home in Tallahassee Wednesday and are showing us all of their pictures.

George and Joel live three doors from us in Tallahassee. They are our best friends there. They have taken over the role as our "godparents." George and Joel were both science teachers in their former life - George also was a science education professor for 30 years and Joel was a school principal and science supervisor.

In the one picture - you can see their "cruise icebreaker" in the background. Notice that Antarctica has land contrasting to the North Pole which is free floating ice. Until March 21st - the sun is in the sky in Antarctica although it is very low. On March 21st it goes down below the horizon for 6 months.

Now George must buy Joel a ring with 7 different color stones in it representing each continent they visited together. :-)

Here are the 5 pictures they sent.

Morning After Medicine from Greensboro

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; They just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past - you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

Everhart's Broken-Hearted at Greensboro - FSU Loses in First Game

Usually when the Everhart's go to bowl games - they vow to not buy tickets in advance. But this was their first ACC Basketball Tournament - so they broke their rule and bought two full ticket booklets for $480 from a Va Tech fan. What a mistake!
On the first day of the tournament today - $66 games tickets could be had for less than $10. For the second two games today - so many folks were trying to sell tickets - that it was almost impossible to give them away. Since there were three of us - Keith - Nancy - Me - we had to buy one extra ticket. Nancy and Keith went in first and I stayed outside to buy a ticket for me. I was attacked by people with extra tickets - I settled for a lower level seat for $10 - but could have gotten in for free.
We sat together for the second game - the one where FSU played - we all sat together - to watch FSU have a 10 point lead for the whole game except for the last 6 minutes. Then Wake Forest stopped FSU dead - and won by 12 points. That loss may very well knocked FSU out of the NCAA Tournament. So here we are back in the hotel room by 9 PM - watching other games on the satellite TV that we brought along.
Our second team - Duke is still in it - because they have not played yet. they will play tomorrow - and the next two games if they keep winning. Okay - that is the negative.
Here are the positives -
1. The arena is very nice - it is almost 50 years old - holds about 23,000 people - but it is very compact. The grounds are neat and clean.
2. Greensboro is a nice town as is Highpoint - where we are staying.
3. We have a nice hotel suite - nice neighborhood - good places to shop. We are right in the middle of the furniture area of town.
4. The van performed flawlessly - good power - smooth ride - lots of room.
5. The Directv dish that we brought performed well - both at the hotel - and in the parking lot by the arena. Note the picture of the dish on our FSU van.
6. Our seats were right on center court but up high. In the second half we moved down to court side - note the pictures courtside and up top.
7. Note the score on the scoreboard - FSU - 9 and Wake - 0.
8. We plan to attend the Saturday and Sunday games - if Duke is in them. If not - and tickets are selling well - we will sell our tickets.
I am sure that Nancy has the shopping bug in her eyes - Keith is going to want to watch the Big East games on our satellite dish - I would like to visit some historical brown signs.
So far - it has been a really nice trip - except for FSU losing and tickets being so cheap here. If I ever buy another sports ticket in advance - kick me in the butt. I am telling my self - I told you so.

FSU College of Information Students Meet in Atlanta

FSU Information Science students met in Atlanta Last Night after 8 weeks of meeting on the internet. Nancy drove 5 hours from Tallahassee for the dinner meeting. Students are at all phases of their degree program from beginners to almost graduation.
Harry drove the van from Tallahassee. Good thing his hotel was within walking distance as he asks, "Is this the famous three martini lunch?"

More FSU Dinner Pictures

We are in our Hotel

We left Atlanta this morning at 6 AM - drove 5 hours - and just checked into our hotel in High Point - the furniture capital. They let us check into our suite early - it is a nice hotel in a nice section of town. There is a Walmart right next to it. We are on Main Street.

The room has two beds - a sleeping area - two recliners in sitting area - a dining area - kitchen - bathroom. We have two sets of windows in an L shaped suite. We will be able to hit the directv satellite out of the west facing window.

It is about 55 degrees here - sunny - with a few clouds. The traffic is light here.

Pictures to follow later of the hotel - the arena - the hoopla - and from last night's dinner in Atlanta. Bear with me.

We had our FSU magnet on our gold van. The van was great - roomy - quiet - and fast. We only saw two other cars with signs on - one from Clemson - one from Wake.

We will write more later.

Harry

Safely in Atlanta

It took 5 hours to get to Atlanta. It was about 270 miles from door to door. The rental van is very nice - we also had the tivo going in the van. We listened to Howard Stern on the satellite radio too. The van is a Pontiac Montana with 4000 miles. It is FSU gold.

Nancy meets with a group of students tonight at a Houlihan's in a mall right next to our hotel.

We are watching the Georgetown basketball game on the TV in our hotel suite.

Tomorrow morning we will drive to Greensboro, NC - and the first ACC game is at noon - and FSU plays Wake Forest at 2:30.We have tickets for the Thursday night games but plan to try our hand at selling them.

We will set up our satellite TV at our Greensboro Hotel tomorrow morning.

ACC Basketball Tournament in Greensboro - March Madness is Here

On Wednesday - we will be going to the ACC basketball tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.

First - Nancy must visit Atlanta for a night where she is meeting with her online class. We will stay one night there and the next morning drive to Greensboro.
Second - We will spend four nights in Highpoint at the Crestwood Suites.
We will take our satellite TV and satellite radio along and set them up at the hotel and parking lot.

Bad Trip to Tampa - Phils Lose - Hoyas Lose - Duke Loses - But the Seminoles Win

Pictures - 1 - 1989 Keith and Drew at the Clearwater Phillies Stadium - 2 - Harry and Keith in the exact same place but 17 years later almost to the day - 3 - The Venezuela crowd at the Phillies game - 4 - Nancy and Harry at the Sun Dome on USF Campus right before the game - 5 - Inside the Sun Dome with the Hoyas warming up.

We just got home from out trip to Tampa for the weekend. It was 260 miles each way. Nancy got us a Lincoln town Car and a Marriot Suite on the internet.
First - we went to see the Phillies play in Clearwater. They lost to Venezuela 1-0. But it was so nice sitting outside and watching the game. There was a big crowd there from Venezuela - and they seemed to take it very seriously - carrying flags - and wearing special clothes.
Second - we went to the University of South Florida and saw Georgetown play USF in the Sun Dome. It was a nice crowd for their last game because they allowed all the faculty and staff to go for free. The tickets said $25 - but Nancy and I were able to get tickets outside for free. USF was 0-15 in Big east games and they ended the year on a positive note.
Third - we went back to our hotel to watch the 9PM game between UNC and Duke. It was a close game and we were all pretty tired and dozing on and off in our hotel suite - but we all saw the end where Duke lost.
Fourth - we drove home today in time to see FSU play Miami. We were sure of one "Everhart" team winning this one. The game was close all the way but FSU scored in the last minute to win.
So - only one of our teams won this weekend.
Now we are looking forward to our trip to Atlanta on Wednesday - and then attending the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, NC - on Thursday to Sunday. Both FSU and Duke are in the tournament. After the tournament - we will put Keith on a train in Greensboro to go back to Washington DC and Nancy and I will drive home to Tallahassee.

Venezuela Beat The Phillies 1-0 Today in Clearwater

We just got back to our hotel from the Phillies game. There was a big crowd there from Venezuela supporting their national team with flags and beer. It was 77 and sunny - and we had a nice time.

Now we are going to the Georgetown Hoya game at University of South Florida. Our hotel is right next to the USF campus. It is a Marriot Suite that Nancy found on priceline.com. Our original hotel looked like a flea bag - so we sat in their parking lot with our laptop and Nancy booked this hotel. It is a nice suite - it has free internet.

We hope to be back to the room in time to see the UNC at Duke game on TV at 9 PM.

It is Saturday and Sunday so this must be Tampa

Tomorrow early Saturday morning - we will be driving to Tampa. We plan to see a spring training game or two - Yankees - Phillies. Then at 7 PM - we will see the Georgetown Hoyas play the University of South Florida. Keith - Nancy - and I will drive down and then we will stay in a hotel one night - coming home Sunday.

Meet Aunt Ethel and Uncle John

We had special guests for the Duke at FSU basketball game. Nancy's Aunt Ethel and Uncle John spent a couple of nights with us. Ethel is Nancy's Dad's sister - you all remember Jack - Nancy's Dad. Ethel and John "snowbird" every winter in Vero Beach. When Nancy was a kid - every summer - she would spend a week with Aunt Ethel and Uncle John at the Jersey Shore and also a week in the Pocono Mountains at Saylor's Lake. Nancy's best friend was Cousin Ruth Ann - their daughter.

They made the long drive up from Vero Beach in about 6 hours. They are on the road "back home" as I type. Their real home is near Allentown, Pennsylvania. They are both originally from Tamaqua and Lansford in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. John worked on the railroad for 40 years. Ethel worked for the Atlas Powder Company making dynamite. John went to the school building in Lansford - where I taught my entire career.

The Mayor Celebrates with the Noles

The Morning After

You wake up at 6AM - rush out to the driveway to get the paper. Yep - it is official - it is in the Tallahassee Democrat - FSU handily beat Duke. You turn on ESPN and Dick Vitale is crying about how the Seminole fans rushed the court. He thinks there should be an investigation into the officiating and I'm sure he thinks the Devils should be given the game for the fans rushing the court. Why wasn't he whining when Duke beat Virginia Tech in Cameron when the Dukie fans rushed the court after beating the last place Hokies?

What a week this is - one night we see Stephen King - the world's best selling author. Next night we beat Duke - the nation's number one basketball team - and now today our girls softball team plays number one Michigan. Also - we missed Willie Nelson singing happy birthday to Burt Reynolds on Monday night at Ruby Diamond Auditorium. Next week - the ACC Tourney in Greensboro is our destination. This retirement stuff is really hard on the nerves.