Pole Dancer Ruins Wedding

Coal Cracker Student Spending a Semester in Africa

One of my favorite families from "back home" is the Simchak's. I have had the pleasure of having almost every one of them in my classes at PVMS. Lexi is spending a semester in Africa and blogging about it. Click on "Coal Cracker" in the headline above to go to her web page.

I am looking forward to many great stories and pictures in the coming few months.

Tallahassee's Best Kept Secret - The Comedy Zone - Featuring Shaun Jones

It was after supper on Saturday night. Lulu and I were looking for something to do. Out of the clear blue she suggested The Comedy Zone - a little live comedy club on East Tennessee Street downtown. We got cleaned up a little - piled into the car - and drove a mile or so north to the club. There was plenty of free parking - we were early.

The price was right - $12 each - plus a $4 minimum purchase of food or drinks. Inside - the room was just filling. I reminded the waitress that I was hard of hearing - she sat me close to the stage - maybe a bit too close. I could reach out and touch the microphone and Lulu reminded me that I might be the brunt of the entertainers' jokes. I was brave and we sat down and ordered some drinks. As the other customers came in - it was fun meeting new people - also veterans giving the newbies a review of how things went.

Promptly at 7 PM - the emcee came on to introduce the warm up act and then the featured comedian.

Shaun Jones was the headliner. He has appeared in many feature films and he quickly got into connecting with the crowd. His act mainly consisted of his original people and interacting with the crowd. There were plenty of racial jokes and bathroom humor - in a good natured way. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand.

Since I was warned that I was sitting on the hot seat - I was ready when Shaun started teeing off on me. He could sense that I was enjoying myself - and each joke or put down was a little stronger - trying to reach my "uncomfortable" point. Being a middle school teacher for 33 years - I have a high threshold of "verbal abuse."

The room held maybe 100 people. The prices of the drinks and food were reasonable. The crowd was ready for a good time - and Shaun did not disappoint them. Since there was a second show at 9 PM - the room cleared quickly and in 5 minutes we were back home.

I shot a few seconds of video with my phone to show you how close I sat to the stage and also show you how much it looked like watching comedy on HBO. Click on the main headline above to go to see Shaun's facebook page.

This is the very first ad I have placed on my web page - free of charge

21 Things We're Learning to Live Without

By RICK NEWMAN from US NEWS

January 21, 2010

Slide Show: 21 Things We're Learning to Live Without

What do you really need?

It's become a national question. With jobs and money scarce, consumers are taking inventory and tossing lots of stuff oncedeemed important into a humongous discard pile. To safeguard the essentials—a safe home and supportive community, the kids' education, Internet connectivity, sustenance for a pet—Americans are giving up lots of other things. Some sacrifices are painful; others bring surprise benefits.

To gauge America's changing priorities, I synthesized market research, business trends, economic data, and reports from hundreds of consumers into a list of things that many people seem to be significantly cutting back on, or living without completely. Here are 21 of them:

Monthly payments. Old mentality: I don't care about the price, as long as I can borrow to pay for it and I have enough income to cover the monthly payment. New mentality: I've already got too much debt, and the banks won't lend me the money anyway. Result: More cash purchases and a lot less financing of cars, furniture and other costly items. "The era of unbridled, debt-financed consumer spending is over, and the monthly payer is out of action," Eric Janszen, president of iTulip, a finance-advisory firm, wrote in Harvard Business Review last year.

Window shopping. Browsing used to be an acceptable pastime. But consumers have discovered that window shopping encourages them to buy tons of stuff they don't need. So now, they're shopping only when necessary, making a list and sticking to it, or skipping the mall in favor of online sites, where temptations are weaker. "I no longer spend a day at the mall when I'm bored," says Debby Abrams of Rising Sun, Ind. "I don't buy, rebuy, and rebuy again: Buy a lamp, buy one I like better and put the first one in the basement, then buy a third one and put the second one in the basement."

Bells and whistles. The technology arms race is slowing, with consumers gravitating to simpler gizmos like Netbooks, prepaid cellphones, and older, used electronics. Shaving features is obviously a way to save money, but some users also find the simpler devices a relief. "My cellphone is back to being just a phone and not my connection to the rest of the world via texting or the Web," says Dorothy Robson of Durham, N.C. "Simplicity is definitely the new thing. Now if we can get the government to be frugal, that would be great!"

Clutter. As Americans downsize, do more of their own cleaning, and look for stuff they can sell online, they're discovering tons of things around the house they can get rid of. After Russ and Deborah Merchant of Delaware, Ohio, moved into a smaller rental home in 2007, they dug out hundreds of items they had never used and didn't need. For a year, they gave away more stuff than they purchased. "We keep being amazed at how having less stuff, with no deprivation, actually gives us better quality of life," says Deborah Merchant. "We've gained emotional and spiritual maturity."

Cable TV. Many people are cutting back on pay-TV services or canceling them altogether, which saves $50 to $100 a month. As a replacement, some viewers watch free programs on Hulu or YouTube or make do with broadcast TV. Others are giving up television completely. "There's no money for cable TV, so my Internet does me for all my news and other entertainment," says Mariluna Martin of Los Angeles. "That's money saved, plus no TV means no blaring of bad news, fear-mongering, ad pressures, and other unpleasantness." Martin spends more time reading books and sipping tea at a neighborhood café. She finds that rewarding: "The changes I've had to make have made my life better. Things are simpler and healthier now."

A home phone. How many phones do you need, anyway? With cellphones ubiquitous, the home unit is becoming redundant. Internet voice services like Skype and magicJack slash the cost of calls but still provide most of the services that are available through the phone lines. Many people are reducing their cellphone service as well. Kathy Bowman of Joseph, Ore., figures she's saving about $800 per year since she replaced her cellphone with a prepaid Tracfone she mainly reserves for emergencies. Canceling a fax line to her home saves another $120 per year.

Privacy. Got room on the couch? To save on rent or mortgage payments, roommates are doubling up and grown kids are moving back in with their parents. Mark Hamister of Elyria, Ohio, says privacy is one of the many things he's given up as two of his grown daughters have moved back home, bringing boyfriends, pets—and a granddaughter. But he's not complaining. "We have learned to enjoy a simple, cost-effective, and minimalist approach to life by developing an appreciation for nature and family," he says. "Big, expensive toys and trips were fun before, but we really don't need them anymore."

Prepared foods. More people are cooking at home, and they're doing it with fewer premade sauces, marinades, dressings, and other ingredients. "Moms are back to basic cooking," says Chance Parker, a market researcher at J.D. Power & Associates. "They want to use fresh herbs and spices. It saves money, and it's more healthy." Patricia Tremblay of Dayton, Ohio, has given up her microwave as she's cut back over the last two years. She now cooks instead of zapping a premade entrée. "I've traded convenience for choice and done well, with the added bonus of weight loss and a sense of accomplishment," she says. "It's a great beginning that seems likely to stick."

Tupperware parties. Sales of Tupperware and other storage products are up, since people are cooking at home more and husbanding leftovers. But consumers still want the best deal, and they're skeptical of merchants—even if it's a friend or neighbor. "I flatly refuse to go to any 'home parties' where the hostess is selling candles, plastic ware, etc., and she gets free merchandise," says Lois Barber of Sandy Hook, Conn. "The stuff costs about three times what you would pay retail. My blanket excuse is, 'My sister sells it.' "

Packaged cigarettes. The average price of cigarettes is about $5 a pack or $45 a carton, which mounts quickly for regular puffers. Kicking the habit is the most obvious way to save money, but short of that, more smokers are buying small machines that let them roll their own smokes. "We learned to make our own cigs with a machine that cost $40," says one smoker. "We now save around $120 a month."

Lattes. The $5 daily coffee is always one of the first small luxuries to go. But more people are brewing at home. Sales of single-serving home brewing machines have soared.

Guilt. Keeping up with all the latest trends and technology takes an emotional toll. "When I could afford it, I always felt pressured to buy the latest software and gadgets," says Kathryn Husby of Plantation, Fla. When job and health issues curtailed the family income, she and her husband cut back to bare necessities. That meant she didn't have to learn a new set of buttons or menu options every year; she just kept pressing the same familiar buttons on the old model. "I'm happier than I've been for many years," she says. "I feel like I'm in charge of my life instead of multinational corporations telling me what to consume."

Extra calories. Some Americans say they're eating less to save money and drinking more water or doing other things to suppress their appetite. Restaurants are hurting as people eat out less, but some diners are trimming the check instead of scotching the entire outing. Some strategies for lighter eating: Going out for lunch instead of dinner, sharing entrees, skipping appetizers and side dishes, and turning restaurant leftovers into one or two at-home meals. A few restaurant chains, like Panera Bread, the Olive Garden, and Buffalo Wild Wings, have even managed to gain business by offering high-quality food at slender prices.

[See 8 Restaurants on a Roll.]

Newspapers and magazines. It's bad news for the publishing industry, but millions have canceled subscriptions to print periodicals and started getting free news and information online (which is probably where you're reading this article!). The trend may be strongest among tomorrow's consumers, otherwise known as teenagers: A study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids between 8 and 18 spend just 38 minutes a day with some form of print media, down from 43 minutes in 2004. That's out of a total of 7 hours and 38 minutes they spend every day using some form of media.

Healthcare. A forced reduction in healthcare coverage is probably one of the most crushing effects of a weak economy, as the unemployed and others without insurance make drastic trade-offs to cut costs and get by. Millions of Americans are forgoing doctor visits, abandoning medication, ignoring problems, and simply hoping they don't get seriously ill or hurt. "I don't go to the doctor as often," says Debby Abrams. "Aches and pains work themselves out. I have some neurological thing going on in my left thumb right now, but I'm going to ignore it and attribute it to aging rather than go to a neurologist."

New gifts. Regifting is a time-tested practice—but there's always room to refine your strategy. Linda Amicucci of Tenafly, N.J., holds a "treasure party" with a group of friends after Thanksgiving every year to swap recyclable gifts. "We bring all the unwanted, unused items in our house that could be used as gifts or were given to us as gifts throughout the past year," she explains. "We swap items, since a gift received last year during a grab bag cannot be regifted in the same social circle. But in a different social circle, it's a brand new gift!"

New cars. It's no secret that new-car sales plunged to levels 40 percent lower than the peak in 2006. But many buyers who have traded down to a used model are surprised at the quality of the merchandise. "I have found that many people take really good care of their cars," says Jay Bailey of Phoenix, who's currently shopping for a used SUV. "You can find cars that have over 100,000 miles that have been maintained so well that you can easily get another 100,000 miles out of them." Many other car shoppers apparently agree, one reason used-car prices have actually been rising, with some models hard to find.

Comfort. Thermostats all across America are going lower in winter, higher in summer. After losing his job last year, Phil Landry, a Florida software salesman, analyzed his use of utilities, among other things, and decided to shave costs by setting the temp at 86 in the summer. "Every once in awhile I'll lower it to 84," he says. "But as long as you're not running marathons in the house, 86 is OK." Carrie Chiarenza, an Army officer who is based at Fort Hood, Texas, and is currently serving a yearlong tour in Iraq, takes supershort "combat showers" when she's at home, and she applies other tricks learned while living in the field. "Never leave any water running if you don't have to," she says. "So when lathering hair with shampoo, water comes off. Same thing with hand washing. Sometimes the task takes longer, but it helps the environment, and my utility bills."

A daily commute. If you're unemployed, obviously there's no job to drive to, one reason the number of vehicle miles driven has dipped to 2004 levels (and traffic on some of the most congested highways has eased). Telecommuting increased during the recession as well, and more people say they're riding bikes or walking more to save on gas costs—or a gym membership.

Fancy dates. Online dating services like Match.com are growing, but courtship is a bit of a comedown these days. Discount-dating advisers suggest cooking at home instead of eating out, looking for free performances, browsing at bookstores, going hiking, and exploring yard sales (yes, yard sales). And some discouraged singletons are sitting on the sidelines, waiting for better times. "I am not dating," says one woman who recently lost her job at a financial firm in San Diego. "Who will want to date an unemployed female?" Still, she says, "I am determined and motivated to survive this recession." And date again.

Debt. Who needs it? "I have learned that it takes little time to run dangerously high credit card balances," says Tom Poirer of Lowell, Mass., "but an inordinately long time to pay it back. I have learned to deprogram myself from the consumerist mayhem." Many Americans seem to agree. Total credit card debt is about 7 percent lower than it was a year ago, and Americans have paid down more than $100 billion in credit card loans and other types of revolving credit since October 2008. We may ultimately end up with less stuff. But at least we'll be able to afford what we have.

Florida State Beats Harvard - 98-54

Last week I was freezing as I walked around the Harvard campus - as Lulu was at the ALA Convention.

This week Harvard returned the favor coming to Tallahassee for a women's basketball game. Everyone was expecting a close game - after all - Harvard was still savoring a victory over the ACC's Boston College. I am sure the Crimson girls were looking forward to a couple of days in the Florida sun - but they were welcomed by a day of 5 inches of rain. The clouds cleared just in time for the Seminoles to take no prisoners and beat them 98-54. The score could have been much worse as the Seminoles substituted freely.

Shower Head - Green or Greedy - Republican or Democrat - How Far Can Political Correctness Go?

The Trailing Spouse just returned home from a one week stay at the Westin Hotel in Boston. Either someone has a great sense of humor or our world has gone wacky. Every morning when it was shower time - I certainly had a chuckle.

I am talking about the shower head/shower heads in our bathroom. Every day you had to select if you wanted to use one or two heads. The sign tried to convince you that you could save the planet by using one shower head - but they provided two just in case you really didn't care.

I have always been taxed by tests of character. An example might be if you're at a red light at 3 AM and no one is around - do you sit there for 5 minutes because someone thought it was a good idea? Or in this case - when you are in a shower all alone - will you save the planet or say heck with it and have a stronger shower.

I find it ironic that many "greenies" will admonish us to save energy but live in a 20 room mansion like Al Gore. They will drive around in a Prius - then spend $10,000 to "see the whales" in their natural habitat wasting thousands of dollars of fuel. The same folks that will burn a wood fireplace to save fuel - then pollute the entire neighborhood with wood smoke and drive for groceries in their 427 Corvette using maybe 5 miles per gallon.

What would you do? I know what I did. The button on the shower stayed in the same position for the next shower. And every day I had to hit the button.

8 Days In Boston - But Best 3 Days With Jack

My grandson Jack lives in Providence RI. His Mom is interning at Brown University and his Dad is a research scientist for Syracuse University. We get to see him every chance we can. They came to Florida for Christmas.

Lulu had an 8 day convention in Boston. Since Providence is just 40 minutes away by train - we got to see Jack a lot. He is 19 months old now and growing up way too fast.

He has a love of learning and his Dad is a bit of a "taskmaster" as a teacher - but Jack does not seem to mind.

In the first video you see how much Jack enjoys talking and learning his alphabet.

Today was special. Although it was snowing here - Jack and Drew piled into the train and made the trip to Boston. I met them at the train station and we had a great day. Part of the time we spent at the convention hotel. We had lunch there - a long walk indoors - and Jack even got a nap. The afternoon was more exciting - we explored the Boston Aquarium.

Before we knew it - it was 5 PM and time to catch the train home. Good-byes are the toughest - but we exchanged hugs - kisses - and goodbyes - then Jack faded in the distance waving over his Dad's shoulder.

When we were out the other day - Drew got the best compliment ever in a restaurant. Drew is quite the picture carrying the "managerie" for Jack to travel. Besides a stroller - diaper bag - blankets - and favorite stuffed animals - he keeps a stash of emergency food and drinks in his pockets. After a long wait for our food with Jack being particularly good - a lady said to me, "Your son is an excellent mother!"

I said, "yes he is," but I thought even more that he is a great Dad - man - and my hero.



Jack loved the aquarium - partucularly seeing the Clown Fish - Nemo.

On Train - Going to See Jack

We just bought our tickets 5 minutes ago. $12.00 to Providence on
Amtrak nonstop. Train continues to Washington. We were pretty brave -
bought one way tickets.

Lulu did not see Jack yet. She is in for a surprise - Jack knows all
his letters. That is pretty neat for 19 months.

Weather is nice here - above freezing.

Sent from my iPhone

Quincy - The Town of Presidents - Home of John Adams and John Quincy Adams

The Adams Home closed for the winter.

South of Boston on the red train line is the Town of Quincy. John Adams - John Quincy Adams - and John Hancock were all born in this town. It was famous for shipbuilding and granite.

This afternoon I decided to visit Quincy and hopefully tour the National Historic Site. To my surprise - it was all closed up for the winter - but the grounds were wide open. Although the paths were snow covered I walked around and got a few nice shots of this northern "white house." Again - I had the place to myself - not another soul was present.

I vaguely remember Sears advertising "weather beater" paint on this house. This house is not in the greatest repair - but it did have a thick coat of the light yellow Sears paint on it.

Behind the home is a large granite out building that looks a bit like a summer kitchen - separate from the house. On closer inspection - one learns that it was the presidential library from many years where 14,000 books owned by both of the Adams presidents were stored. The collection has since been removed to a more substantial building in town for safe keeping.

Both Adams presidents are buried inside the church downtown. A large Asian population has settled in to Quincy - with plenty of cultural shops in the downtown. For a Saturday - very few people were milling outside. The name Quincy came from Adams's in-law family.

Adams left an endowment to the town to support Adams Academy - a  prep school built on the site of John Hancock's birth home. The school closed in 1905 - and has been turned into a Historical Society.

The weather was nice - maybe 45 degrees - but the sun was setting and it was cooling off. It was time to catch the train back to the hotel where I could watch the FSU Seminoles beat Virginia Tech in basketball.

This is the back entrance to the home of both presidents. Note the Sears "weather beater" paint.

Adams Academy was built on the birth site of John Hancock. Hancock was the president of the colonies and first signer of the Declaration of Independence.

The granite building behind the house was once the presidential library.

John Adams (Number 2)

 John Quincy Adams (Number 6)

Fenway Park in Winter - Just One Month from Spring Training in Florida

Click small box to enlarge video.

My good friend Shirley Dodson - my sons' babysitter - asked me to visit Fenway Park. So here you go Shirley - pictures - video - story - I even risked my freedom by sneaking in a door past a security guard to get a little video. They do offer a tour - but you know better than thinking Harry would fork out $12 for a picture when it is so much more juicy to get one for free.

Fenway Park is the oldest and probably the smallest major league baseball park in the country. I am guessing it seats 35,000 - reminds me a bit of going to see the Reading Phillies. There are streets all the way around the stadium - very few parking spots - I saw one lot that charged $42 on game day - highway robbery. The whole place is not much more than 100 yards either way. Just outside the center field gates - there is the Boston High School of Performing Arts. It was in session on my 1 PM Friday afternoon visit.

Real baseball fans know that this is where Babe Ruth started out in the major leagues. Most people do not know that he was an excellent pitcher who was capable of pitching with either hand. They say that sometimes he would wind up to pitch and the batter did not know which hand he would use. Unfortunately or fortunately - he was such a fantastic hitter that they could not afford playing him only every 4th day - so he played outfield and became the best of all time.

Interestingly - they have logos from every world series they played in. Starting in 1903 - they were in many world series - for the 1920'a to the 2000's - was a giant dearth of banners. You see - Boston sold the Babe to the Yankees - and a curse was put on the team - so the legend goes. Read Sox fans have hated the Yankees ever since - but they should really hate their team's owners who made the sale. Of course it is much more fun to hate the Yankees - and it is fun to be in the fraternity.

Today - even the Yankees have replaced Yankee Stadium - the house that Ruth built. Money changes everything. But old fashioned baseball seems to exist here - getting off the subway and fighting traffic to see a game - and getting a chance to sing "Sweet Caroline."

This street would be the west side of the stadium.

I sneaked into section 35 for this picture of the "green monster."

This would be the south side and the first base line.

Section 35 - place of the video

This door surrounded by the world series logos was too tempting.

One of many world series logos before Babe Ruth was sold to the Yankees.

Revere Beach

Four miles north of downtown Boston is Revere Beach. This is the view
you get from the subway station.
This beach is the oldest public beach in the country. They have a lot
of the "oldests" in Boston.
I will walk the beach now - it is sorta sunny and 38 degrees. Weather
reminds me of home.

From my iphone

Faneuil Hall Market

I had lunch here - now off to Revere Beach- then to Fenway Park.

On the Train to Providence and Jack

The South Station in Boston is close to our. Hotel. Both of them are
on Summer Street - not a good name because it is 15 degrees and winter
here - real winter.

After a nice breakfast in the station I boarded my waiting Amtrak
train. The conductor said take any seat - the train car I took was
maybe 35% full.

The train is clean - nice wide reclining seats - and a power outlet
for each seat. There is no excuse for a drained phone or computer
battery.

No body patted me down. No security tunnels - no one even asked for an
ID nor took my hot chocolate.

Travel time is 40 minutes. It is suppoed to leave in 3 minutes at 8:15.

The station reminds me of all out jaunts in London and the rest Europe.

I did not check to see if we have wifi.

I brought along Lulu's Kindle - willrun it through it's paces.

There - we pulled out exactly as the iPhone flipped over to 8:15. All
aboard "Casey Junior."

iPhone has an App for this.

Diggin the Boston Trains - Reminds Me of London

Pictures - Some of the trains look more like buses - this is the view of our hotel and convention center from the train station.

Today - I took the trains from our hotel to Harvard. Our hotel is on the silver line - Harvard is on the red line. All lines meet downtown.

It started out cold and sunny - then around lunch it turned to just cold and dreary - and at 4 PM it is cold dark and snowy.

The train line from our hotel looks more like a bus or trolley. It has rubber tires - no rails - and wires overhead to carry the electricity. They do go through tunnels to avoid any traffic.

The South Station is nearby. While I was there I bought a round trip ticket to go visit Jack in Providence. It will take 40 minutes and is $12 each way. I took Amtrak because it has few stops. At prime times in the day the price goes up to $30 each way. I will leave here at 8 AM and leave there at 7 PM. There was a commuter trains for $8 each way but it took longer. Big spender took the express.

At 6 PM I meet Lulu at the Goethe Institute on Beacon Street. They are the folks that sent Lulu to Germany last March for a week and gave her a VIP tour. They have an office here and Nancy is impressed by their organization. She also would like to go back to Germany.

Boston "T" Train - $15 a Week - Unlimited Use

\

The best $15 bargain in Boston.

8 Days in Boston

Last night we made it safely to our Westin Hotel on the Boston Waterfront just in time to watch FSU basketball get beaten by North Carolina State. The hotel is top drawer with a beautiful view of downtown and the docks. The Boston Convention Center is hooked to our hotel by a covered walkway.

By 8 AM - Lulu was dressed and long gone doing what librarians do at their national mid-winter convention - I almost said vacation. Because to me - it is 8 days to explore the city and also travel to Providence to see grandson Jack.

At 9 AM - it is 18 degrees here not much colder than what we left in Florida. The highest temperature this week is expected to be 43 degrees. At least the chimney smoke is going straight up indicating not much wind out there. We only spent a few seconds outside - from the airport to the taxi - and from the taxi to the hotel door.

As you can see by the video above - there is snow on the convention center's roof - but the sky is a clear blue.

When I retired at 55 almost 7 years ago - I never imagined getting opportunities like this to visit one of the major settings of learning in the world. I read where there are 177 colleges in the area - I plan to visit a few.

If anyone has some good suggestions of places to visit and eat - let me know. I am looking forward to reporting back to you.