Friday, September 29, 2006

Friday Fantasy - Stable Boy

Don't I have a pretty horsie?

I was going to exercise my beautiful grey Arabian mare, Naihla, and headed out to my stables to ride her. The stable boy, Luke, should have her ready by now. Imagine my surprize to get there and find Luke waiting for me completely naked!


His blue eyes pierced my soul and he said, "How about me riding you today?"

How could I say no?

Friday Fantasy - Wrong Bathroom?

I was in a really crowded bar in Manhattan and kind of drunk. Well, let's be honest, really soused. It was a very fancy place, quite modern and upscale. I could hardly walk upright and needed to lie down. So I went in search of a place to do that. I was in the back poking around, when I found a door that looked like the right kind of thing so, I went in. As I rounded the corner this is what I saw.


I certainly didn't want to interrupt, but I was fixated and suddenly more alert and excited. My breathing deepened and I unconsciously parted my legs and leaned on the door. I was watching them, but they hadn't noticed. They were so into each other. The taller, more muscular one had the suited one in passionate rapture. What was I to do?

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Bookfield, Chris - Part 1

I took what Robbie had to say about finding a ride for delivery week seriously. I set it as a goal, and would ask at every house after I tried selling there. I didn’t have much luck. Evan had offered to help, but he did not have a vehicle, since he wrecked his truck. There was no way we could deliver books on his motorcycle.
It was mid day the next week when I came upon a house on the top of a small hill. It was in a pleasant neighborhood that was not quite suburban, but not quite rural either. The woman who answered the door let me in. I showed her the Family Bible Library.

“Oh, my son is too old for that kind of thing. We’re not really very religious either. I’m sorry.”

“Really. He’s older?”

“Yes, he’s going to be starting his senior year of high school in September.”

“Does he drive?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“I’m looking for someone to help me deliver books next week. I need someone who has a car. I’m paying $20 a day for six days plus meals and gas.”

“He is looking for a job. He might be interested but he’s not home right now. Could you stop back later?”

“Where is he now?”

“He’s at the Dairy Queen with his friends for lunch.”

“That’s not far. I could go see him there.”

“Sure if you like. His name is Jeff. He’s tall and thin with wavy brown hair.” She looked a little baffled.

“Thanks a lot Ma’am.” With that I left. Finally I had a lead on a driver and I wasn’t going to let it go cold, either. I picked up my bike and headed off to the Dairy Queen. The sun glinted off of the red and white ‘DQ’ sign, somehow invoking thoughts of ice cream in me.

I parked my bike in front of the big glass window so that I could keep an eye on it. I walked into the DQ and surveyed the patrons for someone fitting Jeff’s description. I recognized him sitting with two other kids at a booth. He really was quite handsome; could have been a model. I went to the counter and ordered a banana split with everything on it. It was a work of art when completed. I paid and took my frozen lunch over to Jeff’s table. I stood a few feet from the end of their table and said to the one that looked like Jeff, “Hi there, Jeff. My name is Susan Fairview. I was just up at your house and your Mom said you might be looking for some work toward the end of the summer.”


“Yes I am. How did you find me here?”

“Your Mom told me you were here.”

“Oh. Please join us. This is Linda and James.”

“Thanks. So what are you kids studying in school?” I decided to make light conversation with them.

“Nothing.” they answered dejectedly in unison. Then they laughed at their simultaneous replies. We all got into a conversation about schools in the area. Apparently, some kids went to a private school that was really respected. These kids did not. They seemed barely literate. Their English was poor and they had no knowledge of anything they should have had by their age. They seemed to know it too. But, none of them had any lofty goals such as going on to college or, heck, even graduating seem lofty to one of them. But they all seemed happy as clams. After a while, Jeff’s two friends excused themselves so that Jeff and I could get down to business.

“So, what is the deal?” he asked.

“I need someone to drive me around with my books to be delivered for a week. The pay is $20 per day with meals and gas. Are you interested?”

“Sure. I could use the work. Thanks.” He added that he drove an older model dark green Impala. The car was large enough to do the job.


We made some arrangements and I left.

Tuesday, September 26, 2006

In Memorium - Justin


Last week, Justin presented to an inner city emergency room with vomiting, a high fever, and abdominal pain, saying that he had done some drugs. He was admitted into detox. On day two his mother, who is a nurse and our next door neighbor, suggested that a CT scan be run to rule out appendicitis, but her suggestion was rejected while the staff was trying to figure out why the drugs were shutting his organs down. Four days later he had died from peritonitis from a ruptured appendix diagnosed late on day three, when it was already too late. He was only 27 years old. We just returned from the wake, and the funeral is tomorrow. He is also survived by his father and brother.

Beautiful Boy by John Lennon

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Justin.

Monday, September 25, 2006

Spirit Journey & Manatees - Part 3


The next morning dawn bright and sunny as we bid Phil adieu, piled into his caddy with all of our stuff and headed for the Tamiami Trail (click any photos to enlarge). I was excited to be heading out to the Keys even though I was still not feeling well at all. An aerial photo of the road with the canal right next to it is below.


Ah, the Everglades. Vast wetlands cleansing southern Florida. Birthplace for thousands, if not millions of fish, birds, insects, invertebrates, plants, you name it, they have it here. And yet, it is being built upon and drained. Encroached on from all sides. Canals are being dug and housing tracts are being built. You can see it when you fly into Miami. Okay, I will get down off my soapbox now and continue our journey.


I had always imagined that we would see plenty of gators, but alas, we did not.


I told Sean not to run over any Florida panthers, but we saw nary a one. I really wanted to though.


We did see plenty of water birds, including the anhinga. I love this bird because it looks so prehistoric, as if it might have existed thousands of years ago.


We also saw wood storks...


the harder to spot green heron...


the great blue heron...


the snowy egret...


not to be confused with the great egret.


There were many tourist attractions such as airboat rides and gambling offered by the local Native American Seminole and Miccosukee Tribes. Both tribes had the obligatory sad and bloody pasts with the conquering whites leaving them in small numbers relegated to reservations. Here, they are pictured in happier times.


Since I was feeling so unwell and was sleeping in the comfy back seat (my role was navigator and I was literally sleeping on the job) we missed our turn to Homestead and to the Keys and ended up in the Cuban part of Miami. We stopped for gas and directions, and found a local bakery with coffee. It was then, right then, that we discoverd CAFE CUBANO. It was a turning point in our lives. Everything changed after that.

It was served in these really tiny cups. I was astonished at how small they were. At least we had the sense to know that they were drunk without milk. My goodness, how much sugar went into it! One sip and ka pow!!! That caffeine kicked in like jet fuel. The taste was like an uppercut; pungent and flavorful. We now had the energy to complete our trek, which had taken so many hours already.


So, on we forged towards Rte. 95 and the Keys. Finally we made it to Key Largo and the Hungry Pelican Hotel. We checked into our room and I flopped into my bed, dead to the world. I worried for naught that the cafe cubano would keep me up.

Sunday, September 24, 2006

I Would Rather Be At The Folsom Street Fair


Yup, today is the day of the Folsome Street Fair in San Fransisco! Oh to be there! Joe.My.God is there (but he is way cool). I never would have known what this was without Joe.


I've even got my leather hat to wear, just like the one this strapping young lad is wearing in the photo below. Doesn't he look sharp in his? What is up with that leather harness thingy? Me likey! Isn't he devilshly handsome in it? He must lift weights or something.


These cool dudes below look like they are enjoying each other's company. One of them is even wearing that leather harness thingy again! Just old friends having a good ol' time.


I just want to hang out at the Fair and see the sights. But, maybe not this badly.


I wonder if this young man would mind if I put my hand in his pants. He looks very nice and is smiling. I mean, his pants are open and his hand is already down there, so why would he care? I just love his the ink on his abdomen and the stubble on his face. Woof!

Photo courtesy of Matt

Yes, I would really rather be in San Fran today at the Fair. Would you care to join me? How much fun could we have?

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there.

Friday, September 22, 2006

Friday Fantasy - Sean Faris


That's it boy, strip off that shirt. Let's see what's under there. Take that thing off from around your neck; just rip it off! It's in my way. Here, undo your pants and let's get busy. Oh god, you are ready! So am I...

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Bookfield, Betrayal - Part 8

An hour later we lay covered in hot sweat. He turned his blue eyes towards me and looked right through me. Then a car drove up. My eyes opened widely wondering who it was. He inched up to look out the window. “It’s my Dad. You stay here. I have to go down, but I’ll be right back.”

And with that he left. He grabbed his shorts and headed down the stairs. I sank into the pillows. I could hear talking outside and once even peeked out the window to glimpse his dad.

Evan returned in a bit. “Have to suck up to the old man. He pays for most of this.” He gestured to the house.

“What did he say?”

“He asked if I wanted to get back to the piece of ass upstairs, but I told him I already had that.”

“Oh Evan, you charmer.”

We both laughed. He got serious again and said, “So why don’t you tell me what happened to you today?”

I just blurted it all out. “Mary got caught at home when she wasn’t supposed to be by a phone call from Robbie, our sales director, and to keep from getting fired she ratted on me about the night I spent away from home with you. I called Robbie today and he told me I was fucking around on the bookfield. I had to eat mightily big crow so as not to get fired.”

“When did this happen?”

“At noon.”

“I see. Well, you thought that night might have been a problem. I’m glad that you didn’t get fired but its hard for me to think that you have to put up with this much shit for your job. It just doesn’t seem right or worth it.”

“That’s why I came here to see you. I just had to have some time to get away from it all.”

“I’m glad you thought of me first!” He smiled and kissed my forehead. “Are you still very angry?”

“Yeah. I think I’ll be angry for some time.”

“Maybe this will help.” He got up from bed and went to a hallway closet. When he came back he was holding a rifle. “I like to target shoot when I’m mad. Come on. Give it a try. Do you know how to shoot?”

“No. I’ve never even touched a gun before. Where are we going to shoot? In the bedroom?” We still had no clothes on. I had learned over the summer that guns were common here. Almost everyone had one. It didn’t cause me too much concern that Evan had a target rifle in the house. He beckoned to me with one hand and held the rifle with the other. I went over to where he was standing. It was the first time I noticed that the bedroom had a second floor balcony on it. Evan opened one of the sliding glass doors.

“This is a 22 caliber rifle.” He took a box of ammunition out of a nearby drawer and loaded the bullets into the rifle. “It’s loaded now. Never ever point a gun at anyone unless you intend to kill them.” His voice was dead serious now. “Let me show you how to hold the rifle properly.” He placed the weapon in my hands and positioned it so that my left hand supported the barrel and my right hand held the trigger mount. He showed me how to sight down the barrel. He bent over and picked up the lid of what seemed to be a jelly jar from the floor of the balcony. He tossed it out onto the lawn as if he were trying to skim a stone. It landed about ten yards away from the house and its metallic top shone brightly in the sun.

“Now aim at the jar lid. When you think you have it sighted, hold your breath, and squeeze the trigger.”

The rifle felt light in my hands. I sighted down the barrel and could see the jar lid. I held my breath, but the rifle jerked, and so I didn’t shoot. Here I was, standing naked on the balcony aiming a rifle! I tried to concentrate again on the target. This time I took a deep breath, sighted the target as I exhaled slowly, and squeezed the trigger gently. The gun made a loud ‘pop’ noise and jerked back slightly. The lid skittered away a yard or so as the bullet struck it.

“You hit it!” Evan exclaimed. “Good job. How did that feel?”

“Pretty good. Let’s throw another out there.”

“No, no. You have to hit the same lid again. Each time you hit it, it gets harder. Just picture Robbie’s face on the lid and try it.”

I hit the lid three more times in succession before it skittered right out of sight. I had to admit that it felt good.

“You’re quite a shot, a natural.”

“Thanks. Yeah, must be I inherited it from my dad who was a marksman in World War II. That was fun!”

I handed Evan the rifle, and he made sure it was unloaded. He leaned it up against the wall of the bedroom. We spent the rest of the afternoon together. It was glorious. It was the first time off from the bookfield that I had taken all summer and the break made me feel rejuvenated. I treasured every moment that I spent with Evan.

At nine o'clock I returned home. I don't think I could have come home at all if it were not for the break.

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Spirit Journey & Manatees - Part 2


We deplaned and as I walked down the jet way at the Tampa Airport my ears were still not clear. But as I entered the airport and saw my honey waiting for me with open arms, I just fell into them. Sean hugged me warmly and I felt a bit better. I hugged his brother Phil too. Then they began to ask about my trip and I was having trouble hearing them. Sean looked at me and said that I didn’t look well. I smiled gamely and said that I felt I would recover on the beach far better than in the snow. Phil knew the airport pretty well, so we followed him to the elevators and down to the parking garage. Sean carried my Ixspa bag. We got to Phil’s caddy, threw my bag into the trunk and took off.

I had last been to the Tampa and St. Petersburg area in 1985 and my, had it grown since then. As we drove along heading south on route 75 I could not believe the new buildings and increased highway traffic. When we got off of 75 onto local roads, there were so many new condominiums! It was as if they had paved and built up on every available square inch of Florida, except of course for the golf courses and beaches. There were so many stop lights and it seemed like it took forever to get onto Estero Island. Young and tan people in swimsuits were hanging out everywhere as if it was spring break; but it was only February. I felt so white and sickly pale sitting in the air conditioned car coughing and feeling like death warmed over.

Finally we reached Phil’s condo which was about 5 stories tall and shaped like a “u”. Phil’s unit was on the third storey. In the middle of the “u” were a swimming pool and Jacuzzi and it opened to a stunning view of the Gulf of Mexico. Woohoo! Now we were talking. Vacation here I come. So I trudged up the flights of stairs to Phil’s condo and once let in, collapsed on my bed dead to the world.

They let me sleep until dinner time. I awoke, groggy and stuffed up and not really feeling like doing much. We had dinner at some fish place where all you could get was battered fried fish, which I don’t like. Though, they both assured me that they had eaten well all week.

The next morning, I awoke early feeling a bit better and Phil was up. I accompanied him for his morning constitutional walk on the beach. The sand was hard and white as we strode across it; him going for time and me looking for shells. It was too cold to go in the water. When we got back to the condo, Sean was up. We went to a local chain restaurant where Phil could get a senior citizen’s discount. Man, that place was cheap. But, you can’t really fuck up breakfast. The hot aromatic coffee was most welcome. Sean and I spent the rest of the day in and around Fort Myers.

Sean and I rented a sit on top Kayak for two and paddled around the local estuaries. He kept telling me to look out for dolphins as he and Phil had seen them swimming along side the small power boat they had rented to explore this very area. I really wanted to see them, but we never did.

The ever elusive dolphin.

We visited a place called dog beach and I wished we had brought our dog. I became very tired and crapped out and Sean had to paddle the whole way back. I felt so guilty that I wasn’t paddling, but Sean said that he was fine with it. I love him so much sometimes. By the time we got back to the kayak rental place and to the caddy, I was all in. I fell asleep in the back seat on the way back to the condo. The back seat of a Cadillac is very comfortable, actually all the seats are, just in case you were wondering. Sean woke me up and I could barely walk up to the stairs to our place. I begged off dinner and I think they brought me something, but I was so out of it that I don’t remember. The next day we were going to drive via Alligator Alley to Key Largo.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Prime Time Paradox

A prime time paradox will occur on Tuesday, September 19th at 10 PM, a trifecta of hunkyness if you will. All three of these shows will air at the same time. Our choices will be:

Emmy winning prime grade A beefcake Chris Meloni on Law & Order SVU on NBC (oh god and he can act too?)


or, the ever sexy Julian McMahon (and cutie Mario Lopez) on Nip/Tuck on FX (nudity alert!)


or, the king of muscle men, brawny Franky G, whom I would love to see much more of (eg: not in a suit - he makes me so hot) in Smith premiering on CBS.



What will you be watching?

Saturday, September 16, 2006

I Have Clivia

If you want to know what it is go here.

Friday, September 15, 2006

Friday Fantasy - First Threesome

Photo courtesy of Alex

"Uh, guys. This is supposed to be a BBG threesome. I am the girl. Could I possibly squeeze in there?"

"Mmmmmmmm. Hmmmmm. Ohhhhhhh. Ummmmm."

"Yeah, if one of you could just move a wee little bit I could..."

"Ohhhhhh. Yeahhhhh. Uhhhhhhhh. Mmmmmmmm."

"Maybe I'll just sit over here."

Thursday, September 14, 2006

Bookfield, Betrayal - Part 7

When I awoke, covered with sweat, I realized that the dream was reality. I hurried to the shower to wash away my feelings. I felt a little better. I put on my only other pair of jeans and a fresh tee shirt. Mary and Chris got up and I said, “Good morning.” They replied, and I left to go selling.

I rode my bike slowly southwest to where I had left off. I was in no hurry to begin selling yet. Being upset would not help my sales, and I decided to stop at a diner for breakfast. I had forgotten that I missed dinner last night. I knew that there was a home style cooking place at Five Points that had great food. It would be a real treat to stop for breakfast.

The diner was in a brick building with large square windows on the corner. All but one of the street corners at Five Points were less than 90 degrees, and the brick building’s corner was at whatever acute angle that was. The windows of the diner jutted out from the building. I sat at a yellow Formica booth between these windows to watch the traffic go by.

I ordered a stack of pancakes and coffee from the waitress. I forgot to ask her to hold the grits, but otherwise, my buttermilk pancakes were great. I put my nose over the steaming cup of coffee and thought about what might happen when I called Robbie at noon.

Staying out one night couldn’t be as big a deal as what Mary was doing. Actually I was still struggling with why it was a problem at all. Besides, I had apologized to Mary. Certainly, as a guy, Robbie would understand staying out one night. Regardless of what Robbie would say, I knew that I had to be compliant and accede to his wishes to avoid being fired. But, I hardly thought it would come to that.

I finished my pancakes, and paid the bill. I rode through my territory stopping at each house to sell books. I smiled at every Mrs. Jones and extolled the value of my books. I entered houses and left them. All the while, I worried about calling Robbie at noon. It was a rare thing for me to hope time would stand still in the bookfield.

Before I knew it, it was noon. I rode to a nearby drug store that had a telephone booth outside. I went inside the booth and closed the Plexiglas door, even though it was quite hot and the booth was not ventilated. I took a deep breath and dialed Robbie’s number in Nashville.

“Hello.” It was Robbie who had answered on the first ring.

“Hi Robbie. It’s Sue. You asked that I call you at noon.”

“Sue. YOU’RE JUST FUCKING AROUND ON THE BOOKFIELD!!!” he yelled at the top of his voice. “You’re out there to sell books! How dare you spend a night away from your roommates? Did you think of Mary? Had you considered her feelings? You guys were supposed to be in this together, and then you abandon her to get laid? Give me any reason to keep you out there even another day!”

I just let his insulting and angry words run past me right after the word ‘fucking’. I had to remain in control of myself to get through this without exploding into a rage. I tried to focus on my goal of not getting my ass fired.

“I’ve already apologized to Mary.”

I stopped talking to see if saying this helped any.

“You have?” It seemed to take a little wind out of his sails.

“Yes. I apologized to her as soon as I saw her, before she told me you had called. I also apologized to Chris. I promised both of them that it would not happen again.” I very carefully brought up no other issues, and made no excuses either.

“Well it’s a good thing that you did or you would have been out of there! When is your delivery week?” I was glad that he changed the subject.

“The week after next. I sell the rest of this week and all next week. My last week will be delivery.”

“That’s a lot of books to deliver in a week, Sue. Mary’s going to deliver for two weeks. Have you arranged for someone to drive you during delivery?”

“Not yet.”

“Well, Sue you better hustle your buns and find somebody or you’re not going to make it.”

“I will Robbie. Don’t worry.”

“Okay. Now keep your mind on Mrs. Jones. Bye.”

He hung up. I slammed the phone down on the receiver. “That fucking, goddamned, sexist pig, asshole!” I said aloud. Who the fuck was he with his sexist fucking remarks, and his rapist fucking sales managers, to accuse me of fucking around on the bookfield? I toyed with the idea of putting my fist through the glass of the phone booth. My breathing became heavy as hate derived adrenaline surged through me and clouded all rational thought from my mind. How dare he?

I couldn’t even think of what he might have known from Chip and Gregg about my behavior with them. I couldn’t even entertain thoughts of his calling them to find out more about my sexual behavior on the bookfield. God only knows what they told him. I shut my mind to that, but outrage and humiliation over this insult was galloping across me like a stampede. There was no stopping it.

I felt that I could not go back to the Sanders’ and see Mary. I could have killed her right then for ratting on me. I sat in the sweltering heat and humidity of the phone booth. I felt that I would suffocate from my own anger, as well as the heat, if I stayed in there. I pushed open the hinged door and walked back out to my bike. I grasped its handle bars as if it was the only friend I had in the world. The fresher air helped me to think.

I had achieved my goal in the face of an incredible challenge. I had demonstrated ultimate control even though my comeuppance was far more unreasonable than I thought it would or should be. But, was it the right thing to do? Doubt tugged at me. Could I have stood up for myself with Robbie and still stayed on the bookfield? What if I had said, “How dare you.” and continued by telling him how his sales managers had behaved? Maybe he wouldn’t have believed me anyway. There seemed like there was no knowing if what I had done was the best way. But I was still on the bookfield and that was my goal.

Still on the bookfield, but feeling beyond being able to knock on a door was how I felt. I needed to have some revenge on Robbie for what he had said. That was when I thought of Evan. Mary was taking afternoons off for God knows how long and I was not allowed to spend even one night away from home. What if just this once, I took an afternoon off? I had always worked my 80 hour weeks dutifully all summer. Didn’t I deserve one afternoon off? I decided to let fate decide. If Evan was home, I would take the afternoon off, if not, I don’t know what. I couldn’t quite commit myself to working yet.

I returned to the phone booth and fumbled in my wallet for Evan’s number. I dialed it and Evan answered after only a few rings.

“Hello?”

“Hi there. How would you like some afternoon delight?” It was the name of a song popular that summer by the Starland Vocal Band. You know, ‘Gonna find my baby, gonna hold her tight, gonna grab some afternoon delight… sky rockets in flight, afternoon delight’.

“How fast can you get here?” He had instantly recognized my voice.

“Fifteen minutes.”

“See you then!”

I rode like the wind to get there. I delighted in seeing Evan’s motorcycle outside. I ditched my bike as he swung the screen door open for me. He was wearing royal blue nylon running shorts, and that was it. He began undressing me as we raced up the carpeted stairs to the bedroom. I was feeling aggressively desperate for physical loving; I wanted to fuck and be fucked hard. Evan was there for me in every way I needed.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Small Town News - Walgreens Pharmacy - Continued

Citizen Group Strategy Meeting

Our Citizens’ Group meets every now and then to direct the functioning of the group at large. Quite a lot of work goes into opposing applications to the P&Z and coordination is also required. The group has several ad hoc leaders: our member lawyer, Sean, the woman whose house we are at, and our retiree who has worked with historical preservation in Brooklyn Heights.

The Citizens’ Group held a quick strategy meeting about the Walgreens Pharmacy application at one of the member’s houses. The meeting was run by the member lawyer. He predicted that the P&Z would approve the Walgreens application (hardly a revelation) and then outlined our strategy going forward:

  1. Appeal grounds: a) Town development plan not updated since 1992 (required every 10 years) – assigned to Sean

b) Finding that special permit will not lower property taxes – assigned to woman

  1. Historic preservation angle

a) Contact the National Trust for Historical Preservation which works with pharmacies not to demolish historical buildings – assigned to retiree

b) State Environmental Protection Act now includes intervention to protect the public trust in historic structures. One of the members (Bobby) is doing this and has a pro bono lawyer. This person is automatically an appellant after approval.

c) Involve the State Attorney General (in an extreme case) – assigned to member lawyer

  1. Interfere with the Land Swap by getting 20 signatures on a petition to call a town meeting. Vote down swap. – assigned to Sean or member lawyer

A question came up at our meeting. Many of the 200 to 300 members of the citizens’ group are looking for things to do to help. How can we get the message out for them to vote down the land swap? Cross that bridge when we come to it.

P & Z Vote on Walgreens Pharmacy

A motion was made to approve the special permit at 7:10 pm, was seconded and the discussion was opened. The chair recused himself for health reasons and sat to watch while the acting Chair took the reins. Receipt of a petition to revisit the Land Swap deal at a town meeting was noted. Since the petition did not change the status of the swap, the meeting continued.

The Intervenor issues were addressed in a memo from the Zoning Enforcement Officer. (The intervenor himself, Bobby, was sitting in front of me, and I asked him if he had seen any memo and he said that he had not.) From the acting chair’s comments it was evident that she did not understand the point of the intervention and thought it was all a matter of taste rather than preserving something historic. She said, “How could we ever get anyone to agree to one design?”

Some of the public’s questions were answered but so superficially as to be insulting. Correspondence was mentioned, but many times it would be something like, “Oh and so and so wrote a letter but I don’t remember what it said.” Liability for accidents on the shared parking lot was a matter for the Selectmen and Turnpike Properties so not in the P&Z jurisdiction. The new town plan is 80% complete and only needs approval and the Greenways amendment is within 10 years so that is okay too. Many topics were just mentioned; not even answered. Oh, and by the way, 10,000 square feet is not a big box store, it has to be 60-70,000 square feet to be a big box store. The professor that came and spoke pro bono was not a resident and did not present a net impact.

The acting Chair’s tone was arrogant and dismissive. I was disgusted and left before the vote. I could see the way it was going to go.

The permit was approved unanimously with some small changes.

Our bright shiny new pharmacy!


Next…

The Land Swap meeting.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Spirit Journey & Manatees - Part 1

Sean and I decided to take a vacation in the Florida Keys in February 1999. Sean’s eldest brother Phil, from Chicago had a time share condo on Estero Beach. Sean was going to go there by himself, stay a few days with his brother then I would fly down to meet them. From there we would borrow Phil’s caddy and drive to the Keys. That was the plan.


Before Sean left, he was having trouble with his Audi Quattro’s brakes and dropped it off at the local service station. He then took a cab to the airport to fly to Tampa to meet Phil so that we would only have one car at the airport for our drive home. I was supposed to pick up his car from the station when it was fixed.

The next day, I went to work. I called the service station and they said that what the car needed was this special German hydraulic brake fluid that was $25 per can and they had put it in. I could come and pick it up any time. But it had started to snow really hard that afternoon, so I just drove the 27 miles home from work on the unplowed slippery roads and was glad to get home in one piece. It was not that the roads were such a problem for me, but the other drivers were a hazard.

The next day, there was lots of snow, about 6 inches, but I made it into work and back alright. But, now I felt like I was coming down with something. I really had to pick up Sean’s car. So, when I got home, I bundled up in a turtle neck, sweater, long underwear, jeans, hiking socks and snow boots, ski hat, gloves and jacket, and trudged the 1.5 miles through the snow to the service station to get Sean’s car. The station was closed, but they had left the key under the floor mat. I drove it home, but by the time I got there the brakes were already squishy. I called Sean and told him about the brakes. He called his friend Eric and asked him to come over the next morning, Saturday, to check on the car.

Eric, an all around really good guy, came over and looked at the car while it was running and I pressed on the brakes and he said that he could see the fluid pouring out of a hole in the system (and at $25 per can that is so not good). The all wheel drive Audi would be out of the picture until after our trip.

I would be driving my VW Golf GTI 16 Valve to the airport.


It wouldn’t be too bad since I had put Blizzak tires (they have sipes!) on it and the car handled pretty well in the ice and snow.

I packed so that I would be ready to go on Sunday. It was strange to be packing my swimsuit (Sean had already taken my fins, snorkel and wet suit) all the summer stuff when there was snow outside, but, exciting too. I still really wasn’t feeling well but decided that I would recover better on the beach than here in the freezing cold.

The next day, Sunday, the roads were clearer. I drove the 50 miles to the airport without incident, parked in the long term lot, took the shuttle to the airport, grabbed my one carryon bag and boarded my non-stop flight to Tampa. We took off and as we reached cruising altitude my sinuses became really painful. I was in agony. I ordered hot water from the drinks cart and swallowed as much as possible. It was the congestion. My sinuses were packed solid. I also had a deep hacking cough from post nasal drip. As we landed I could not clear my ears and could hardly hear anything. Yeah, you would want to see me when I arrived in Tampa; sick as a dog.