TGIF

It is 8:09 a.m. and 79 degrees in Palm Harbor. Rosie is off to work and Sadie and the cats are here with me. I miss little Patrick, so long a heartbeat at my feet.

Crowley/Gatesgate is such a non-issue. Why won't the press leave it alone?. Anybody that doesn't realize Obama-boy off prompter is a moron by now is brain dead. Is there any hope for Amerika??

Rosie and I cruised by Dunedin High School the other day, my first visit since what, 45 years ago?Nothing looked familiar. My name wasn't on the plaque of the hundreds of DHS grads that served in "Nam...

gogators

NO LONGER #1

Florida no longer the No. 1 party school

The University of Florida's reign as the country's top party school was short-lived.

Click to enlarge

Estimated at 25,000, Florida Gator fans flood University Avenue in Gainesville, Florida after the Florida Gators defeat the Oklahoma Sooners to win the FedEx BCS National Championship on Thursday, January 8, 2009.

Aaron Daye/The Gainesville Sun

UF dropped from last year's No. 1 showing to second place in the latest Princeton Review rankings, released Monday. Penn State University, previously ranked 3rd, took the top spot.

"It goes to show a lot of our efforts working on student behavior are going towards the positive," Jeanna Mastrodicasa, UF's assistant vice president for student affairs, said Monday in offering rare praise for an occasion in which Florida lost its No. 1 ranking. "We are seeing a trend of students being more responsible."

UF administrators will be happy their university instead received a top ranking in another category: best career services. Wayne Wallace, director of UF's Career Services Center, said the university benefits from having a network of successful alumni, students sought by employers and a centrally located center with good technology.

"When you add all of those things together, it makes the institution appealing to employers across the United States," he said.

The rankings appear in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review's annual college guide, "The Best 371 Colleges," which goes on sale today.

The guide includes 62 rankings based on survey results from about 122,000 students.

UF was ranked No. 2 in several other categories including best athletic facilities, which was won by the University of Maryland at College Park. UF also placed second in "jock schools," a category based on the popularity of intramural sports and fraternities, and "students pack the stadium," based on the popularity of intercollegiate sports.

The Princeton Review is a New York-based test preparation company unaffiliated with Princeton University.

Students with a valid university e-mail address can complete the survey on the review's Web site once in an academic year.

The surveys for schools on the party-school list indicated high usage of alcohol and drugs on campus, low daily study hours and high popularity of fraternities and sororities, according to the Princeton Review.

Two Southeastern Conference schools placed just behind UF on the list: the University of Mississippi at No. 3 and the University of Georgia at No. 4. Florida State University was ranked ninth, the only other Florida school in the top 20.

WHAT?????

LANE KIFFIN AT SEC MEDIA DAYS THIS WEEK:

"With all the great players they have they'll win another national championship and (Tim Tebow) will win another Heisman."

AFTER ALL IS SAID AND DONE, SS IS A GATOR.

Spurrier takes blame for Tebow-gate

FROM THE GAINESVILLE SUN:::

Finally, the truth is revealed. One of the 12 SEC coaches stepped forward on Friday morning and admitted that his ballot for the All-SEC team did not have Tim Tebow as the top quarterback.

The coach? Florida legend Steve Spurrier.

"Some coach made a mistake, a careless mistake in not voting Tim Tebow All-SEC," he said in his first press conference on the final day of SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala.

Spurrier kept everyone in the radio/Internet room in suspense at first by offering some historical perspective. The press conference was streaming live on Gatorsports.com.

He continued, "Tim Tebow is the best quarterback in SEC history. I see Tim Tebow and Danny Wuerffel when history plays out, they will be the best QBs in history. They live the Christian life. Two tremendous leaders.

"Lemme tell you what's happened ... Tim Tebow is now a unanimous selection. The coach who left him off has put him in.

"That was me.

"Let me explain. I don't fill out the form. I had my director of operations do it. I glanced at it. I saw A.J. Green, I saw Carlos Dunlap. I glanced at it. I didn't look at it.

"I said certainly we had Tim Tebow as the first QB, didn't we? And there was little pause. I said why in the world didn't you put Tim Tebow on there? He said he already had 10 Gators on there, and I said that wasn't a good reason.

"I'll take the blame."

Spurrier said he called SEC associate commissioner Charles Bloom and told him he didn't fill out the ballot and a mistake had been made.

"It's been changed," Spurrier said. "I'll say that probably about 20 more times. That's the way it happened and I feel bad about it. I really do. Because Tim Tebow is the best. He's the best."

NUFF SAID

...

GONE

ICE CREAM

TODAY

It is 8:07 am and 75 degrees in Palm Harbor. Rosie has gone to work and Sadie and the cats are here with me. Actually Sadie is outside.

Now I forgot what I was going to say.

FROM THE INBOX:

Cold is a Relative Thing

65 above zero:
Floridians turn on the heat.
People in Indiana plant gardens.

60 above zero:
Californians shiver uncontrollably.
People in Indiana sunbathe.

50 above zero:
Italian & English cars won't start.
People in Indiana drive with the windows down.

40 above zero:
Georgians don coats, thermal underwear, gloves, wool hats.
People in Indiana throw on a flannel shirt.

35 above zero:
New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
People in Indiana have the last cookout before it gets cold.

20 above Zero
People in Miami all die.
Hoosiers close the windows.

Zero:
Texans fly away to Mexico.
People in Indiana get out their winter coats.

10 below zero:
Hollywood disintegrates.
The Girl Scouts in Indiana are selling cookies door to door.

20 below zero:
Washington DC runs out of hot air.
People in Indiana let the dogs sleep indoors.

30 below zero:
Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
Hoosiers get upset because they can't start the snow-mobile.

40 below zero:
ALL atomic motion stops.
People in Indiana start saying, 'Cold enough for ya?'

50 below zero:
Hell freezes over.
Indiana public schools will open 2 hours late.

Go Gators

yEAH,L ok, SO WHAT WAS THE POINT AGAIN, i FORGET...

It is 3:11 p.m., Rosie is at work, Sadie is here with me in the office. It is 84 degrees and cloudy in Palm Harbor.

Forty years ago today I was in fatigues walking past the orderly Room at Harmony Church D-7-2 at Ft. Benning, Ga., when I looked in the window and saw Neil Armstrong in black and white step down onto the surface of the Moon. Timed in just right I suppose.

Go Gators!

WHAT A JOKE!

It is 5:09 pm. Rosie is at work and the bad dog is here with me. It is 91 degrees. No rain for a while.

FROM THE INBOX:

He has been a busy boy.

Look at his accomplishments.

Obama's busy schedule, He is just not sitting around doing nothing.

Look at his accomplishments

Observations of the President's 1st 100 Days

1. Offended the Queen of England.

2. Bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia.

3. Praised the Marxist Daniel Ortega.

4. Kissed Hugo Chavez on the cheek.

5. Endorsed the Socialist Evo Morales of Bolivia.

6. Announced we would meet with Iranians with no pre-conditions.

7. Gave away billions to AIG. Also without pre-conditions.

8. Expanded the bailouts.

9. Insulted everyone who has ever loved a Special Olympian.

10. Doubled our national debt.

11. Announced a termination of the space defense system the day after the North Koreans launched an ICBM.

12. Despite the urgings of his own CIA director and the prior 4 CIA directors, released information on intelligence gathering.

13. Accepted without public comment the fact that five of his cabinet members cheated on their taxes and two others withdrew after they couldn't take the heat.

14. Appointed a Homeland Security Chief who quickly identified as "dangers to the nation", groups including veterans of the military, and opponents to abortion on demand, and who ordered that the word "terrorism" no longer be used but instead referred to such acts as "man made disasters".

15. Circled the globe so he could openly apologize for America's greatness.

16. Told Mexicans the violence in their country was because of us.

17. Politicized the census by moving it into the White House from its Department of Commerce origins.

18. Appointed as Attorney General the man who orchestrated the forced removal and expulsion from America to Cuba of a nine-year old whose mother died trying to bring him to a life of freedom in the United States.

19. Salutes as heroes three Navy SEALS who took down three terrorists who threatened one American life and the next day announces members of the Bush administration will likely stand trial for "torturing" a terrorist who had played a part in killing 3000 Americans by pouring water up their nose.

20. Flew Air Force One over New York City causing panic at a cost of $400,000 to get a photo you can make with Photo Shop for less than a dollar.

21. Sent his National Defense Advisor to Europe to assure Europe that the US will no longer treat Israel in a special manner and they might be on their own with the Muslims

22. Began the process of nationalizing the Auto Industry and the Insurance industry.

23 Announced that for all intent and purposes the Health Insurance Industry will be nationalized.

And just think - only 1360 days to go, if we have anything left.

WILL IT RAIN TODAY?

It is 79 degrees at 8:22 a.m. in Palm Harbor and Rosie is at work and Sadie is here with me in the office.

FROM THE NEWSPAPER:

Meyer turned back to the golfers and said, "I'm not going to Notre Dame. Ever. I'm going to be the coach at Florida for a long time, as long as they want me."

AFTER ALL, IT is THE BEST JOB...

go gators

GO GATORS

It is 4:49 Pm and 90 degrees in Palm Harbor. Rosie is at work, Sadie is here with me.

One week til the hot dog bash...Florida Style.

Go Gators

iT'S DARK OUTSIDE (#1)

SOME OLD PICS OF PATRICK...

It is 4:29 a.m. and 75 degrees in Palm Harbor. Sadie is here with me, Rosie is in bed and cats are around somewhere.

Another Day One; Haven't "Stroked Out" yet.

Amerika under he little Irish Black Boy has become a Bizzarroland. Everything's upside down and inside out...

Go Gators!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERIKA

ROSIE AT HAMMOCK

RICK AT HAMMOCK

ROSIE'S FLAG CAKE WITH BLUEBERRIES AND STRAWBERRIES...

DARCY AND BEN

It is 8:40 a.m and 81 degrees and partly cloudy in Palm Harbor, Rosie is at work , Sadie is here with me, cats are around somewhere.

Saturday went Caching in the"Hammock" a swamp mentioned on Spanish Maps as "wet Swamp". Skeeters as big as dragonflies. Whole area is full of young Orange trees with HUGE Oranges--very, very bitter, among the Oaks and Palmettos...very strange.

Then, went to Dunedin Legion and ate burgers and carry in with Abe Lincoln and finished up the day in Safety Harbor watching Fireworks...a good fourth.

gogators

Some old photos...

It is 9:22 a.m. and 81 degrees in Palm Harbor.Sadie is under the desk , Rosie at work and kitties laying around.

I read most of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee Mysteries (there are 21) about 10-15 years ago (or more), so when I bought a box of 34 McGee's at a garage sale several weeks ago for 5 bucks, I was delighted to be able to re-read them. McGee is a houseboat bum who lives in Florida and solves cases occasionally for a living.

Yesterday, to my wonderment, I discovered that three of the paperbacks are first edition, first printing , SIGNED copies--a quick perusal of the net indicates by way of comparables that they may be worth up to a hundred dollars each on the current market! Oh, goody!

Go Gators

1920

It is 79 degrees at 7:05 a.m. in Palm Harbor. Rosie and Sadie and cats are here.

Yesterday watched The Big Sleep with Bogey and Bacall on the computer via Netflix! ?Also we go0t 4+ inches of rain and the same predicted for today...

Barack Hussein "Watermelon Boy" Obama continues his quest to become the worst president of all time, even eclipsing Jimmah Carter.

gO gATORS.