High on a hill lived a lonely goatherd!

Well for the past three days here in Utah we have been whizzing on highways (we were doing 85 and a Sheriff passed us once) but always like in between the mountains. (I guess you call them "passes"). Well last night we had a barbeque out at the home of our future daughter in law. You know, the meeting the other parents and siblings, bridesmaids, groomsmen, etc. Well Maria told us her father would call us and he did and spoke to my wife. Long story short they told us they lived in a "mountain home". (For a boy from Boston you can just imagine what that conjured up!) Well after zigging and zagging aat what seemed like a 60 degree angle up these mountain roads for ten minutes or so we reach the house. I loved the house but the first thing that hits you is how the hell do you build a house on the side of a mountain, and the other thing is that the house is about 60% steps. They are everywhere! they have a garage "down below" right on the roadside that connects to the house with something like 65 steps (Forget the groceries. We're eating out every day!) There were rooms everywhere with spectacular views out every window. But me?, I'm a city boy. I need the reassurance of concrete, asphalt, eight story brick buildings, people bussling along and all. Once the get the transporter from Startrek really done and in the market place ,well, maybe I'll go there for a brief, two hour, respite, but live up there, God no!
If you had a couple of Guinness the probability that you would never be heard from again after driving off one of these switchbacks is at least 3,000 percent higher than getting stopped for a DUI! I bet they have a very low rate of driving intoxicated here, but a huge list of "missing" folks.
Today's the big day. Son number two gets married at fiveish. Because of work demands he and his new wife are going to postpone thier honeymoon trip til later, Cancun, Mexico, in favor of back to work tomorrow. The demands of todays younger generation means everything has to be scheduled.
Well I guess we''re going to breakfast now so time to sign off for today.
Of yeah, I forgot to tell you the wedding is on the side of this mountain with a waterfall and you need to go up one of those almost vertical roads to get there. (Note to self; watch the Guinness consumption, you trip at this place and fall, you're winding up rolling down hill into somewhere in Arizona, possibly to be just a disfigured mass of protoplasm at the bottom of the hill, and future gecco food!
Bye for now.

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Park City, Utah,....it's a cool place!

After all the anxiety of the flight, the pain in the ass running from gate to gate, etc. I'm here! This place is really cool! I was blown away by the mountains. You can't go ten feet here unless it's up hill or down hill. In fact that's how some of the locals give directions. South is "downhill" north is "uphill" God I love the culture shock! Where else in the world can you go and find the Norwegian Fur Company store with tons of furs in the store, alongside the "Natures Natural " gallery! It's like something for everyone and they all get along! (Maybe we ought to send the U.N. delagates to learn to chill out properly.
Now idiocyncrancies about Utah. First of all it's sitting at about 6700 feet above sea level. So what you ask? Well the effects of alcohol (a/k/a beer even!) at that altitude is the equivelant of NASTY! Consequently all the draft beer in the entire State is 3.2% alcohol, and the only place you can buy "real beer" is the State Liquor store. So is it true? Do you get a little "shittier" i Utah, absolutely, I just tested it. I had one 20 oz. and one 12 oz. and it's hitting me like my usual six 22 oz. brews at my "local" in Florida!
My daughter,( yeah, she and her husband and my oldest and his wife, and my wife's sister all made the trek for the wedding) and her husband decided to take off today and go to the Grand Canyon. That left my sister in law,(she felt ill so she sleep all day) and my wife and I , with no vehicle and a herd of hills to climb if we wanted to go anywhere. My wife and I set out to "look around". Being a real Irish American, that means "find the nearest pub for later use". This is a damn city fo God's sake! Oops! I forgot it's a Morman State, City, town, hamlet, block, etc! Beer is a no-no as well as booze! Thank God they were smart enought to know they'd never make a big time ski resort if they didn't allow booze! So what did they do? Put all the pubs in the same place! Well, about three miles of walking later, we got there!
Remember the old commercial "I'd walk a mile for a Camel", Well I walked three miles for a beer!
Got to go have dinner, I'll finish this post when I get back. (That is if the finger are still working!)
Well the fingers are still working, so here's the wrap up on this piece. The wife and her sister want to sit by the pool and chat so himself, (that would be me) opts to go get a beer. About another two miles later I wander into a Marriott Hotel, parched, dry, willing to even take a "Bud"!
Fortunately I didn't have too, thier bar opened at 4pm. They don't have "happy hour" , it's joyous hour, a bar open before 6pm and not on the "Main Street strip"! Had a couple of pints, found out the bartender was from Florida, played wide reciever for Southern Florida in 2003 -2005. Small world.
Long story short I came back, we went out for prime rib, and I'm back. God I wish this palce had a little bar instead I get a sauna, a jacuzzi, and a whirlpool and pool! My kingdom for a cold beer locally and a pub of people that like to chat!

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So there I was........

Part two od whi the hell knows!
When last we met the evil empire was closing in on us, amd DAMN IT four guinness, (Ok, maybe six!)) are seriously affecting my fingers! I am wearing out the backspace key just trying to write this post! Well, rather than subject you to "Don't ask, don't tell" American response to the answer to "who's in charge here".
Qick diversion: Mywife just came home from church and thinks I've had a few to many Guinness's (can there be a possibility on this earth of a "few too many Guinness's?) today. Well let's look at the future! Get up at 4:30am, haul ass to the airport to be there by 5:00 am,, go through the metal detectors ande hang out in the "departure lounge" for an hour and a half, sit on the damn plane for an hour as we get ready to "taxi". an hour to Atlanta, an hour layover til the flight to Salt Lake City Utah, four hours in the air,(how much Coor's Light does this thing carry!), and and an hours drive to Park City, where my son is due to get married on Wednesday!
How can one huiman being have had "too many Guinness's for this. " ?
Anyhow I'm trying to keep up with the program, (but frankly "I'd rather be in Philadephia" per the great W.C. Fields)
Since I really don't want to do "business" in the next five days, the blog's that follow are purely and simply the delusional rantings of the "Father of the groom".
(There better damn well be Guinness in this God forsaken part of our country or it will be a very short and nasty week!!!)
I did my job as a father, etc., why torment the hell out of me? You made your choices,....live with them!!)
Sorry , the empty-nester part of me striking out! (this was supposed to be when my wife and I enjyed life together without the "weight" of family considerations!
I apologize to those who think we should really "give a damn", but the fact is that we "gave a damn" whe you were growing, becoming a true human being who thought, made choices, and really became part of out society. Now it's your choices that determine our future. Coose wisely, courageously, and compassionately. That's the best we can ask based on what we taught you growing up!

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Time sure does fly when you're having fun!!

Ok, I'm feeling guilty. I was just doing my daily "rounds" of my favorite blogs when I accidentally hit my own blog link. Ok, so I haven't ripped off a line since June 10th! i guess I'm really into my new job, my part-time old job, my grab and gulp "dietary habits", of course a couple of Guinness a day to keep the doctor away, AND a little sleep time. Well the good news is that this "pattern" is only going to last another eight weeks for me. Labor Day weekend I kiss the "old" parttime now job goodbye. Pick up the health benefits at the new job, end my "total immersion" period in the learning curve of the new job, and re-structure my patterns for the next five year cycle. Sound wierd? Yup! But let me explain.
I guess it dawned on me about fifteen or twenty years ago that my "inner being" was a super capable thiing that really thrived on the "crusade" lifestyle, but was definately not one to be on the "fanatic crusade", or life long pursuit. Still confused? OK, let me back up a minute. Let's start with several dull, boring, but true things first, ready?
Instructions: 1) read the words, 2) read between the lines, 3) think about 1 & 2 together, move on to the next "truth"
a) "eat dessert first, life is too short."
b) "do no harm to anyone"
c) "life is either a daring adventure, or it is nothing!."
d) "whether you think you can, or whether you think you can't,...you're right!"

Now for my four part "Meaning of Life" explanation. How long is a year? How fast does it go by? Can you say you've enjoyed every one? Can you say you've not enjoyed some?, Can you look back at a memory and smile, or must you frown? Basically the correct answer is "All of the above". But you can never answer correctly if you are following the "normal path". The typical path that society, Mums and Dads, and the rest of the world "direct you to". It's your life, it's your time. You were born, and there you were. You will die, and there you are. But what's in the middle is only one single thing, ....YOU! Now this may sound like an "it's all about me" thing, but it most definately is not about YOU, it's about the cognition to use everything you were endowed with, all five of your senses, the marvelous and virtually endless capacity of your brain, the amazing range and depth of your emotions to BE what's around you. Not just see it, but be it!
When you make "limiting choice" understand it's limitations, and your choice to make that. Understand you took in the "whole" of existence and made that choice, never look back, but know full well your decision and never regret it, go back and re-think it, or be unsure of it. For if you do it's something you never should done and you have unquestionably "wasted" a life segment.
Your life is the proverbial "flow chart" "given a and b I choose a, then from a is c,d, and e, and so on and so forth. Why ever go backwards?
Well got to go to work so I'll have to pick this up later. My wife and I are going out to our youngest son's wedding in Utah for the next five days and I'm taking the old laptop with me. The last "Crusader of life" ventures forth at 61 armed with hi-tech, a desire to know more, and knowing I can fill the void of no Ocean to see, no calming grandness of the ocean (ok so it's really the Gulf of Mexico, but it's sure as shit bigger than a pond!) for the next five days. "But they have the most gorgeous mountains and rustic scenery in Utah" I'm not denying that, but each of us has that one little thing we hang our life on that gives us the base for eveything else around us,.....for me that's the sea.
Stay tuned for the adventures and philosophy of the Last Life Crusader!
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(written entirely without the benefit of mind expanding drugs of any form, just a joy of life!)

Here we go again!!!

Tropical Depression #1 !!!! It's here only 9 days into the season and churning around off the west coast of Cuba. Forecasters say it's not going to be a biggie and will turn north eastward in the next several hours or so. It is dumping torrential rains, upward of ten inches in a twenty-four hour period. I've got my laminated little Hurricane tracking chart and dry erase markers all ready to go!

This year if we get hurricanes I won't get to just go home and sit it out. Since my new job entails property management we'll be out there trying to secure all those properties, close all thier swimming pools, all the usual stuff you do at your house, only for about 900 other houses, and that's just my clients! Well I asked for a little more excitement in my new job, I guess I got it!!

Today I'm looking into the insurance situation around here in Florida. For anyone not familiar with our funky little place here's the "rest of the story". Back in the early 90's HurricaneAndrew kicked the crap out of the basically southern Miami area. Huge devastationon and on and on. It made Katrina look like a pussy cat, (sorry, I just don't think buying a place 14 or 15 FEET below the level of the water around you is bright, but they are all going to do it again,..but I diverse).

A ton of Insurance companies took off and left Florida, never to write anymore policies here, and not just hurricane or Wind insurance. That brought crisisi as those that stayed upped thier rates like robbers and flat refused to write everyone on an equal basis. They were picking and choosing! Enter the great and noble "little big brother", the State government. They create thier very own insurance company, call it Citizens Property Insurance Company, empower it to write hurricane insurance for all, make it open to everyone regardless of race, creed, color of mobile home, or anything else,....the people gave thanks and leaned back in thier recliners and said, "The State has saved us now we don't have to worry any more, praise the State!!"

And Citizens grew as the new knight in shining armor. Hurricanes were mild, damage not to bad, and Florida prospered! But then came 2004 and a herd of hurricanes, topped off with a direct hit from Ivan on the NorthWest panhandle. Everyone flew into action, including FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and after Jim Cantore of the weather channel went back to whereever it is they keep sensationalistic reporters between sensations, we slowly began to crawl out from under. Central Florida got wailed as well with three hurricanes just criss crossing the same places, but they began crawling out as well. A fluke, a once every twenty year freak shot, all the terms were out there , but more insurance companies bailed out of Florida, leaving Citizens the "big man on campus".

The original concept of Citizens was not a great social experiment, but the way to give coverrage to extremely high risk areas and property and allowing the Insurance companies to skim the cream off the top. The thought was that that would look attractive to the insurance companies and they would stop bailing out Now the cream was gone, and so to the vast majority of the insurance companies, and then came 2005.

Not the usual year. We ran our of names for Hurricanes so we had to start using Greek, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc. Dennis wracked us up again here in Florida, onbly this one came in the height of the tourist season! That scared the shit out of Mom, Dad, and the three point4 little rug rats that come here to vacation much like the Muslims make thier pilgrimage to Mecca. Katrina hit, (and in all honesty, as a hurricane it wasn't that bad, but remember what I said about buying a house 15 feet below the water around you being held out by antiquated levees) the inevitable hit and the levees gave way. The rest is history.

But after everyone goes home and doesn't worry anymore that's when the shit hits the fan!

Last week the mighty knight Citizens Property Insurance Company announced it's new rate effective August 1, of this year. The wee little county in which I live the rateis going up 243%, not gradual, not over a period of years, but from Monday to Tuesday. Pay or you got no Hurricane Insurance! Andthat's the State! So the question is who ya' gonna call ? Ghostbusters?

I guess not. Well I have to give the State credit, they figured out how to stem the HUGE tide of folks moving to Florida to retire. Either that or decided to just become the biggest bandit in the world. Remember "Absolute power corrupts, absolutely".

The insurance industry has figured it out already, and get ready for the next"SCANDAL OF THE CENTURY". Why? Think about it, if you had the only gas station in town and you could jack your prices up anytime as much as you want, you will always still have customers. Why? Cause they gotta have gasoline. Same thing with Hurricane insurance. If you were going to buy a place for several million dollars wouldn't you be damn sure you had it insured, regardless of the cost? "Stop the state they are getting greedy!" you shout.

You missed the point! Since the insurance rates have actually gone through the roof and are accepted as a done deal, wouldn't you as an insurance company say "Hmmm! Let's go back in and we'll write policies at 10% less than the State. People would flock to them. "But what if there is another bad hurricane?" Fuck it! The State bailed it out once, they'll do it again. we just shift the monies around, cook the books a bit, declare bankruptcy, say we're sorry and pull out of Florida. Life goes on again.

And from a political standpoint if we can wangle it to have a democratic administration when all hell hits, ...well we'll have it made! God I love a good bleeding heart liberal, they are the best thing going for a hard working money hungry right wing conservative.

See you on the other side!

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Sometimes money isn't everything!

Suffice it to say I deal with a lot of extremely wealthy people. You know the type with not one "get-a-way" vacation home, but two or three! And not your run of the mill little rambling cottage huddled together in random groupings amidst scrub bushes and stuff. No these folks have the $2,000,000 variety right on the beach, overlooking the ocean with the ten foot by four foot garden pool, lighted and heated of course, built into the patio balcony outside the bedroom. (Don't you have one in your place?)
And let's face it walking up and down the stairs to reach the three floors in your "cottage" can be very tiring, so put in the elevator! True stuff believe me.
Aaaaah! It's good to have a cozy little get-a-way to go relax in for the weekend.
My job? Make sure it's up to snuff in the neighborhood when you drop in to relax.
The palms need trimming, my God there's a bulb burned out that "up-lights" the palms lining the street. The irrigation is not putting enough water on the hibiscus in the corner. And by the way how much is the cost of our hurricane insurance going up thiis year? Only 250%, not as much as I thought.
I can fully understand why old Robin Leach of "Lifestyles of the rich and famous" was always smiling, he just got to try it all and got paid to do it!
Things like twenty six straight days with temperatures in the 90's, high humidity, and every human being fighting to get in a swimming pool and they wonder why the pools are turning yellow? The clorine levels are just vanishing. The law says they must be maintained at a certain level, but this kind of heat and huidity eat it up in six hours!
Well off to a couple of meetings, a few letters, a slew of e-mails, cell phone calls, and other annoyances, then a cool pint o' Guinness.
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