FSU Girls Lose to Uconn Girls

FSU girls made it to the Elite 8 - then the clock struck midnight. the scoreboard read 90-50 - a nice easy round number to remember. They finished the season 29-6 - best record ever. We  lose two seniors - and have supposedly the best recruit in the country coming to town in the fall. It was a great run by a group of very nice girls. If this success keeps up - season tickets are going to be going higher than $15.

And Then There Were Eight - FSU Beat Miss St - 74-71

For the first time in Florida State history - the Seminole girls basketball team is one of the 8 finalists. On Tuesday night is the biggest test. They play Connecticut. The Huskies have won over 50 in a row and are the current national champions.

A Nope for Pope

By MAUREEN DOWD Reprinted from Today's NY Times

Yup, we need a Nope.

A nun who is pope.

The Catholic Church can never recover as long as its Holy Shepherd is seen as a black sheep in the ever-darkening sex abuse scandal.

Now we learn the sickening news that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, nicknamed "God's Rottweiler" when he was the church's enforcer on matters of faith and sin, ignored repeated warnings and looked away in the case of the Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy, a Wisconsin priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys.

Out With the Old Truck - In With the New

Usually my days are pretty bland - but today I had a month's worth of action.

I listed my old truck on Craigslist at 9 AM and got over 20 calls and emails about it. Two people visited - first one wanted to put a deposit on it - second one came with the cash.

The Tacoma was a nice truck - but it was only two wheel drive. When I took it down the hill to the lake out back - sometimes it would not make it back up the hill - slipping in the leaves and mulch. So I went looking for a four wheel drive - and found a nice Ford F150. Lulu does not care much what I buy as long as it is the right color.

Woodburners Pollute - Cause Problems

From The Times News, Lehighton PA

Residents register complaints during meeting of borough council

By RON GOWER rgower@tnonline.com

Lehighton borough has an ordinance governing outdoor wood burners, but one resident who was "grandfathered" regarding the regulations literally has been causing a big stink in his neighborhood.

Why Is This Lady Smiling? Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick

Florida State Wins in Overtime - On to the Sweet 16

From The Tallahassee Democrat (www.tdo.com)
By Aimee Sachs
Angel Gray covered her eyes as St. John's forward Da'Shena Stevens took the final shot at the buzzer in overtime.
Florida State's senior guard didn't want to see her career as a Seminole end at the Civic Center Monday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Stevens' shot did not fall, and the Seminoles hung on to win 66-65 on a night Florida State committed 21 turnovers.

Jean enjoying St Johns and FSU Tied at Half 30-30

Florida State won by one point in overtime! They advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA playoffs. Jean Freed - Nancy's friend from back home enjoyed the game. Tomorrow she flies back to Pennsylvania. She plans to visit us in London for a week this summer.

It was the most exciting game of the neither. Neither team was up by more than 5.

Hoyas Are In Providence - March Madness

March Madness is just a fantastic time of the year. This year all of the "Everhart" teams are in the hunt - except Kutztown.

Drew lives near the Capitol in Providence. Keith is a Hoya from DC - but right now he is in Vegas betting on the basketball games with his buddies.  FSU is playing in Buffalo against Gonzaga.

Every morning Drew takes grandson Jack for a walk. He stumbled onto the Hoyas' bus with his iphone - note the Rhode Island Capitol reflection in the bus windows. Georgetown plays in the Dunkin Donuts Arena just down the street in the first round - and hopefully the second round.

The Renaissance Hotel in the background is a fabulous hotel - it was once a Masonic Temple.

PS - Hoyas lost in the first round.

March Means Spring Practice

Jean Freed - Lulu's Good Buddy From Back Home is Here

Jean Freed - Lulu's former swim coach - gym teacher - play group mother - fellow teacher - good friend - just arrived from up North. After 6 years of threatening to visit - she finally bought a ticket - and here she is.

Jean retired from teaching almost two years ago. When Lulu was a teacher at Tamaqua High School - they used to get together for hot tub sessions. The entire neighborhood used to look forward to those sessions when the wine swiggling professors would have to speak loudly over the noisy hot tub bubbles. Neighbors loved hearing the "high school news" first hand.

Finally Got My Jury Duty Pay - 11 Months Later

It was April of last year when I sat on a jury at the Leon County Court House. It was a civil case of someone suing our local hospital for malpractice. The trial lasted 6 days - I was chosen chairman of the the jury - and we unanimously ruled in favor of the hospital in less than an hour.

The check is for $120 - which comes out to $20 a day. I wonder if my employer will want me to reimburse him. 

Neat New ATM Machine at the Wachovia Bank That Scans Checks

Ever since we started doing our banking on the computer - we seldom have to visit our bank. Usually the only time I got there is to deposit checks.

Our federal income tax check arrived this week - so I rushed to the bank to deposit it. I could not find the deposit envelopes - I looked all over the place. Then I read the message on the machine. It said, "No more envelopes needed."

Visiting the Mayan Ruins of the Walled City of Tulum in Mexico

When our cruise ship landed in Cozumel Mexico - we decided to skip the tourist trap shops and visit the mainland and the Mayan city of Tulum. Since Cozumel is an island off the coast of Mexico - we had to take a one hour jet boat to the mainland. After that it was a one hour bus ride down the coast to Tulum.

Tulum was one of the last Mayan cities built. Around 1200 AD - this walled city was built on a cliff along the coast  of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is from this beautiful perch that the Mayans fought the invasion of Cortez and the eventual takeover of all of Mexico by the Spanish. The Mayans were no match for the invaders that had horses and guns - let alone the wheel.

Day Six - Cozumel and Tulum - Mexico

Our cruise is winding down now - we are back on board after our last shore visit. Today we spent most of the day going to Tulum on the mainland. The trip to this ancient Mayan city from 800 AD took longer to get there and back than we spent in "the walled city on the sea."

As Close to My Grandfather As I will Ever Be

Picture - 12 miles off this coast - Roy Shartle Everhart died here July 4th 1942.

We are presently off the northern coast of Haiti/Dominican Republic. Our location is roughly 20º N 72º W.

Day Three - Haiti

Pictures - "Miss Hot Shot" at the slot machines. Lulu's treasured painting from Haiti.

We have Internet on ship but it is not the greatest. I am having trouble sending and receiving sometimes - especially long files and pictures.

Cruise Day Two : Food - Fun - Fat People

We have been on the seas almost 24 hours. We are in a community of 4000 people - all hoping to get some sun - enjoy visiting some new places - and meeting new people.

We board our ship - Freedom of the Seas - at about 2 PM Sunday. Port Canaveral is a very nice port - you can see the NASA buildings from the decks on the ship. 4000 people were unloading and I must admit the cruise company was very organized. They seem to cater to an older crowd although there are more young spring breakers than I expected. The depression on the shore did not seem to affect these folks - because the boat is full from stem to stern.

And they Left on a Three Hour Tour

Bon Voyage at 4:30

Next stop Haiti. We had a nice drive to Canaveral. We stopped to see John and Bonnie in Daytona.

Our ship is gigantic. We have a nice room - already hit the lunch buffet. Our dinner table is right next to the captain's. Email is 55 cents a minute - not much surfing at that rate. Phone service still works from shore. Will be home next Sunday. Will check email from time to time.

Sent from iPhone.

FSU 61 - Miami 60

Florida State boys basketball team traveled to Miami today to get a hard fought one point victory. This victory leaves FSU with a 10-6 record in the ACC - and a certain NCAA tournament bid. This was the last regular season game of the year.

Starting on Thursday is the ACC tournament. Teams can play up to 4 games in 4 days to win that championship.

Our Cruise from Sunday to Sunday

Tomorrow - we will drive to Cape Canaveral to go on our spring break cruise. We will stop in Daytona to visit our friends Bonnie and John before we shove off at 4:30 for Haiti - Jamaica - Cayman - Mexico. 

Our ship is "Freedom of the Seas" which was the biggest ship in the world - until last year when Royal Caribbean build an even larger one. We have sailed with this company two times before.

Good-Bye to Books in Print

By NICK BILTON - copied from the NY Times

A recent blog post by Craig Mod, a self-titled computer programmer, book designer and book publisher, offers a thoughtful and distinctive perspective on the move of books from paper to interactive devices like Apple’s iPad.

Mr. Mod summarizes his argument in the subtitle of his post: “Print is dying. Digital is surging. Everyone is confused. Good riddance.”

How Valuable is an Olympic Medal?

This year’s Olympic medals “are the first containing metal salvaged from televisions, circuit boards, monitors and electronic waste.”  Both the “gold” and “silver” medals are actually 92.5% silver, while the bronze medals are mostly copper.  The first-place medals (which are gold-plated) are valued at about $537; the second-place medals are valued at about $300; and the third-place medals are valued at $3.40. Info from Freakonomics.

Frank Abagnale - Mr. "Catch Me If You Can" - Visited FSU - I Got to Meet Him

Last night my neighbor George invited me on a man's night out. We would have supper at the Suwanee Room on campus and gape at the co-eds. Then - we were going to see a guest speaker. It should be easy for you to picture five guys with an average age of 70 - dining among pretty girls 50 years their junior. Some of them probably had trouble keeping their food down.

Brandon Taylor Reviews Chinese New Year - From China

(This is a story written by our friend Brandon Taylor. He is a recent PSU grad that is living and working in China. See the article in the China Daily by clicking on the headline above.)

The barrage started on a Friday morning—a few distant booms that soon led to louder explosions and fizzling sounds drawing closer to my apartment. As the day progressed, so too did their frequency until night fell and a display of bright colors and lights also filled the sky. Fireworks. It could mean only one thing—Spring Festival.