Another tropical scorcher, another day at the library, in my private research section. Mind you, it gets harder to find even research material as time goes along. Of the four shelves, one is dedicated to African-American studies. Again, none of the volumes have ever been touched. And I’m not likely to change that. The only larger section is the Jewish aisle, which gives the impression they alone suffered in WWII.I was again looking at scooters, and I believe that is going to be my major form of local transportation for the next 27 months. Lately one does notice more scooters and motorcycles on the road and Key West is two-wheel city. That could be because there is hardly anywhere to park downtown.
The voting people are putting on their embarrassing shows on the lawn in front of the library. These people do not know how retarded they look. Politics is the one thing I prefer to see on TV because then you can turn them off. It appalls me how simple-minded some people are to get caught up in all that nonsense. Where is it written that Florida is required to have a governors and senators? Governor of what? Corruption? Send them all home, I say. Let’s go without them for ten years and see if it makes any difference. Hire a private accounting firm and some security guards for everything else and publish what they get paid every week in the local newspapers.
Bingo was the high point, another thoroughly successful show. Revenues are way down for the summer. Even with the 50/50 round, the place is not paying enough to compete with music. Although it is my greatest source of income, that is because it is steady and fairly reliable and not because it pays well. I am considering hitting the management up for some small changes, like making the 50/50 a double game.
Again, the big players dominated the winnings, taking half the games from two tables. Those six patrons often play 24 of the cards, which on a slow round is half the total and to be expected. One of them is on the board over at the Moose and I asked about the rumor I’d been voted out before I got in.
He reports nothing of the kind. Instead, he informs me that the social committee books all events on an annual basis and that they are full right up until New Year’s 2011. That makes more sense and that’s why I didn’t take the first information at face value. Florida is full of people who, while generally uneducated, are extraordinarily well-versed on very the topics that refute accepted common knowledge. They don’t know any answers, but they are absolutely certain you are asking the wrong questions. Every piece of useful information that comes along is at odds with their wisdom and they contradict everything you believe in. It is terrifying to know they give such people driver’s licenses.
We had to run the A/C all day. That’s because nobody dared go outside. Theresa and I talked about the lack of things to do in this town for adults. There are no places to go except maybe the expensive movies. I don’t mean like seniors centers where you can always join a checkers tournament. The fact is, the only place to go and meet other adults is the local pubs, probably the worst reason to go there. I cannot think of a single place in south Florida I would go out just for a coffee any more.
I recall an article I read years ago that described the new businesses that would succeed in this century. One was the home-town style coffee shop, the small non-chain mom and pop operation that used to be a place you could go hang out. I blame Starbucks for destroying these places all over America. It turns out I am not the only one who dislikes Starbucks on this point, but their corporate purchasing power drove all the competition out of business, so there is no place else to go.
At any rate, the projection said places with a “homey” style would fare the best, the picket fence and low prices. It is not a business for me due to the long hours that must be put in, but there are circumstances where I’d consider it. The local problem is the very high rents and cafes seem to start right up again whenever another closes up. The competition is still rough, but the right place would make money. Think of the Panera without the high prices and paper cups. (Panera now charges $1.90 for a coffee.)
