1773 -- REALLY TIRED OUT

Patrick's wild goose chase...

Junior on Miami Beach at our hotel.

It is 10:06, Up late, slept late. Worth it. Patrick is here at my feet on afghan in front of space heater. Junior is in the Fort. It is 13.2 degrees. Up from 3 degrees. 52 degrees in Palm Harbor, Fla.

THAT'S ONLY A FORTY DEGREE DIFFERENCE

More later, maybe.

GO GATORS!

I WOKE UP HAPPY TODAY

My Dad with the power ice-boat he invented and marketed from his hobby shop...

It is 8:21 a.m. and Patrick got up with me and went back to bed with Junior. It is 12.4 degrees, 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. 54 degrees in Palm Harbor Florida. Go Gators!!

GATOR HOOPS:

Ga. coach Felton fired after UF game

The Associated Press

ATHENS, Ga. — Dennis Felton has been fired as Georgia’s basketball coach, one day after the team lost by 26 points at Florida for its seventh straight defeat.

A person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press that Felton’s ouster would be announced by athletic director Damon Evans at a news conference Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not been made.

Georgia is 9-11 and 0-5 in the Southeastern Conference.

Felton had an 84-91 record and was in his sixth season at Georgia. His team won the SEC tournament last year, but was knocked out of the NCAAs in the first round. He coached five seasons at Western Kentucky before taking the Georgia job in 2003.

go gators

WHOSE DRIVING?

FROM THE INBOX:

YOU GOTTA LOVE THIS ! ! !

Sometimes religious emails are better than some of the funny ones we get and pass on....

Priceless .

Billy Graham was returning to Charlotte after a speaking engagement and when his Plane arrived there was a limousine there to transport him to his home.


As he prepared to get into the limo, he stopped and spoke to the driver.

'You know' he said, 'I am 87 years old and I have never
driven a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?'

The driver said,
'No problem. Have at it.'

Billy gets into the driver's seat and they head off
down the highway.
A short distance away
sat a rookie State Trooper operating his first speed trap.

The long black limo went by him doing 70 in a 55 mph zone.

The trooper pulled out
and easily caught the limo
and he got out of his patrol car to begin the procedure.

The young trooper walked up to the driver's door
and when the glass
was rolled down,
he was surprised to see
who was driving.

He immediately excused himself and went back to his car
and called his supervisor.


He told the supervisor,
'I know we are supposed
to enforce the law....
But I also know that
important people are
given certain courtesies.
I need to know what
I should do because
I have stopped a
very important person.'


The supervisor asked,
'Is it the governor?'

The young trooper said,
'No, he's more important
than that.'

The supervisor said,
'Oh, so it's the president.'

The young trooper said,
'No, he's even more
important than that.'

The supervisor finally asked,

'Well then, who is it?'

The young trooper said,


'I think it's Jesus,
because he's got Billy Graham for a chauffeur!'

It's been a long road, getting from there to here.
It's been a long time, but my time is finally near.
And I will see my dream come alive at last. I will touch the pink buttons in the sky.
And they're not gonna hold me down no more, no they're not gonna change my mind.

Cause I've got faith of the heart.
I'm going where my heart will take me.
I've got faith to believe. I can do anything.
I've got strength of the soul. And no one's gonna bend or break me.
I can reach any star.
I've got faith.
I've got faith, faith of the heart.

FROM THE INBOX AGAIN (FROM MOVE-ON .ORG):

LIBERAL LIES:

Dear MoveOn member,

Did you see how many Republicans voted for President Obama's stimulus package in the House yesterday?

None. Seriously, not a single one.(FINALLY THE PARTY IS GETTING IT'S ACT TOGETHER...)

Americans voted overwhelmingly for change in November. We voted for an end to the partisan bickering and political games that are destroying our politics. And President Obama bent over backwards to get House Republicans to craft a bipartisan bill, to no avail. (UH, NONE OF THAT IS TRUE--NANCY PELOSI IS THE MASTER OF PARTISAN BICKERING AND POLITICAL GAMES; THERE WAS NO BACKWARD BENDING BY OBAMA: THE TRUTH IS HE STATED "WE WON" WHEN CONFRONTED BY REPUBLICAN CONCERNS-THAT'S THE TRUTH)

As the bill moves to the Senate, we need bipartisan support, or the stimulus won't pass (THANK GOD). Senate Republicans need to know they have a clear choice: support a stimulus package that will put millions of Americans back to work, or continue to play the games that got us into this mess.(THE SO CALLED STIMULUS PACKAGE IS A TRAGIC GAME THAT WILL PUT NOBODY TO WORK)

#1770: EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSY

I know what you did last night...

A well known nose...

It is 7:20 a.m. , dark and 20. 3 degrees with about 4-5 inches of snow on the ground. Patrick got up with me and promptly went back to bed with Junior. It is 67 degrees in Safety Harbor, Florida. that's 47 degrees warmer than here.

MUSINGS

Watched Idol with a friend last night. Some of those people have to be paid to sing as badly as they do, it can't be real. Looks like they picked up a few good redshirts, tho, and at least two that I think could make the final cut.

B. Hussein's "stimulus package" is a cruel joke that will just hasten our bankcrupcy. There is very little stimulating in it. Mostly PORK, PAYOFFS, and BRIBES. Can you believe ACORN is actually gettin' a piece of the pie? Have the dimocrats no shame? The treasury is being looted by the barbarians.

I wonder when the last time was that EVERY SINGLE REPUBLICAN VOTED WITH HIS MATES? And i wonder what will happen to the rosy cheeks of the ten poor democrats that had the integrity to vote against it???

I have been severely chastised for calling the empty suit bad names. So I will try and refrain from that. But I don't apologize--Socialism and Anti-Americanism are not traits I cherish too much in a president.

I wonder how the lawsuits are going that are trying to force POTUS to provide his birth certificate to show citizenship?

FROM THE GAINSVILLE SUN::

UF pounds Georgia behind Calathes' triple-double

By Kevin Brockway
Staff writer

Published: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 6:01 a.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 12:14 a.m.

After Florida sophomore point guard Nick Calathes posted the second triple-double of his career, he worked his way past the student section at the O’Connell Center.

Click to enlarge

Florida's Nick Calathes goes up for a layup through the defense of Georgia's Ricky McPhee during the second half at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Wednesday.

Aaron Daye/Staff photographer

Scorecards and sharpies awaited him. Calathes tried to sign as many as possible.

“I’d like to stay,” Calathes told them. “But I have to get back to the locker room.”

Calathes wound up with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for just the third triple-double in Florida history, leading the Gators to the 83-57 lopsided win Wednesday night over Georgia.

“I just try to help the team, fill the stat sheet,” Calathes said. “We got the win and that was really the most important thing.”

Calathes posted his previous triple-double March 21 of last season against Creighton (11 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.) Former Florida forward Corey Brewer had Florida’s first triple-double in school history Dec. 18 2005 against Jacksonville, finishing with 15 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds.

GO GATORS

-30-

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP

PATRICK AND I AT HANGING ROCK A FEW YEARS AGO

ME AND ALBERT A FEW WEEKS AGO

It is 6:21 a.m. and it is 18.6 degrees outside with a rosy fresh coating of about 2 inches of cheeky white stuff. It is 64 degrees in Brooksville, Fla. That's only a 46 degree differential, inconsequentialfor those of us with rosy cheeks. Patrick is curled up on his afgham at my feetin front of the space heater, and Junior is at friends'. check back later.
go gators.

HARD TO SEE CAMOFLAGED ANIMALS

THIS PHOTOGRAPH TESTS MENS' VISUAL ACUITY.
CAN YOU FIND THE ANIMALS HIDDEN IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH?

Click on Image to Enlarge the Rosy Cheeks...

BUBBLE BURST

It is 8:20 a.m. and it looks like I have to change my password to google every frickin day to be able to get here. What a hassle! Sort of ridiculous, eh? Patrick got up with me as is his wont and promptly went back to bed with Junior. It is 17 degrees F. and 30 degrees higher than that in Spring Hill, Florida.

Dirty Harry is back, but now he's 78! Gran Torino. Go see it. Lot's of American Flags.

later.

FROM THE EMAIL BAG:

Fw: Getting Older in Florida‏

o
Sent:
To:

-----

Two elderly ladies are sitting on the front porch in Bonita Springs , doing nothing. One lady turns and asks, "Do you still get horny?" The other replies, "Oh sure I do." The first old lady asks, "What do you do about it?" The second old lady replies, "I suck a lifesaver." After a few moments, the first old lady asks, "Who drives you to the beach?" ********************************************************** Three old ladies were sitting side by side in their retirement home in Ft. Lauderdale reminiscing. The first lady recalled shopping at the green grocers and demonstrated with her hands, the length and thickness of a cucumber she could buy for a penny. The second old lady nodded, adding that onions used to be much bigger and cheaper also, and demonstrated the size of two big onions she could buy for a penny a piece. The third old lady remarked, "I can't hear a word you're saying, but I remember the guy you're talking about." ******************************************************** A little old lady was sitting on a park bench in The Villages, a Florida Adult community. A man walked over and sat down on the other end of the bench. After a few moments, the woman asked, "Are you a stranger here?" He replied, "I lived here years ago." "So, where were you all these years?" "In prison," he said. "Why did they put you in prison?" He looked at her, and very quietly said, "I killed my wife." "Oh!" said the woman. "So you're single...?!" ********************************************************** Two elderly people living in Ft. Myers , he was a widower and she a widow, had known each other for a number of years. One evening there was a community supper in the big arena in the Clubhouse. The two were at the same table, across from one another. As the meal went on, he took a few admiring glances at her and finally gathered the courage to ask her, "Will you marry me?" After about six seconds of "careful consideration," she answered "Yes. Yes, I will!" The meal ended and, with a few more pleasant exchanges, they went to their respective places. Next morning, he was troubled. "Did she say 'yes' or did she say 'no'?" He couldn't remember. Try as he might, he just could not recall. Not even a faint memory. With trepidation, he went to the telephone and called her. First, he explained that he didn't remember as well as he used to. Then he reviewed the lovely evening past. As he gained a little more courage, he inquired, "When I asked if you would marry me, did you say ' Yes' or did you say 'No'?" He was delighted to hear her say, "Why, I said, 'Yes, yes I will' and I meant it with all my heart." Then she continued, "And I am so glad that you called, because I couldn't remember who had asked me." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A man was telling his neighbor in Miami , "I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it's state of the art. It's perfect." "Really," answered the neighbor. "What kind is it?" "Twelve thirty." * * * * * * * *' * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Morris, an 82 year-old man, went to the doctor in Estero to get a physical. A few days later the doctor saw Morris walking down the street with a gorgeous young woman on his arm. A couple of days later the doctor spoke to Morris and said, "You're really doing great, aren't you?" "Just doing what you said, Doc : 'Get a hot mamma and be cheerful,'" Morris replied. To which doctor said, "I didn't say that, Morris. I said, 'You've got a heart murmur, be careful! '" * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A little old man shuffled slowly into the " Orange Dipper," an ice cream parlor in Naples , and pulled himself slowly, painfully, up onto a stool. After catching his breath he ordered a banana split. The waitress asked kindly, "Crushed nuts?" "No," he replied, "hemorrhoids." Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably.. And never regret anything that made you smile The best things in life are free until the government finds out and taxes it. "Happiness comes from doors you did not know you left open." FROM THE PATRIOT POST: LIBERTY "President Obama can be forgiven for celebrating the hypocrisy of Abraham Lincoln because the victors of wars write their history and glorify the winners. The recognition that slavery is a despicable institution does not require hero worship of a president who made the largest contribution to the unraveling of our Constitution. After all when it is settled by brute force that states cannot secede, as they thought they had the right to in 1787, then the federal government can ride roughshod over states and their people's right -- in a word make meaningless the Ninth and Tenth Amendments." --George Mason University economics professor Walter E. Williams .

go gators.

STARTING OVER: DAY ONE

watched the Gators rip the Commies a new one on CBS-TV yesterday afternoon Gators a one point favorite, led by as much as 32 points:

Florida wins on the road at Vanderbilt, 94-69

Nashville, Tenn. - Sunday January 25, 2009

Enlarge

• Boxscore
  
• Pre-Game Notes
  

• Florida falls at the buzzer to South Carolina, 70-69
• Broadcast Information for Florida @ South Carolina Game
• UF Men's Hoops Prepares For First Of Two Road Games
• Gators finish strong to beat Arkansas, 80-65
• MORE ...

Sophomore forward Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) hit seven 3-pointers, including his first five, and finished with a career-high 27 points as No. 24 Florida routed Vanderbilt 94-69 on Sunday.

Florida (17-3, 4-1 SEC) won for the 11th time in 12 games with the lone loss coming on a buzzer-beater at South Carolina on Wednesday night. The Gators more than bounced back by hitting a season-best 15 3-pointers.

Parsons only missed one shot on the afternoon, going 10-of-11 from the field, including seven of eight from beyond the arc. He also added eight rebounds in the game.

OK, so you invest a lot of time and energy into someone, and trust them 100%, and then out of the blue POOF! The world spins around, and you are left kicked to the ground, in the middle of endless sand dunes with a huge headache. Wow! You know you can never trust them or anybody perhaps, again. What do you do?

Get up, dust yourself off, and move on. The ache in your heart will eventually fade , the hollowness in you stomach will ease, and you got to just keep keepin' on. --Trader Rick, have a nice day.

OBAMA WATCH: FROM NEWSMAX--

'President Barack Obama advised Republican leaders Friday that they shouldn’t be listening to Rush Limbaugh if they plan on getting along with him.

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done," he told the GOP leaders, according to a report in the New York Post, in the midst of discussions on his planned $1 trillion stimulus package.'

KEEP ON KEEPIN' ON RUSH!

This is the Day the Lord Made. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

GO GATORS!

I AM WHO I AM AND I MAKE NO APOLGIES FOR IT

It is 12:22 a.m. and 11 degrees. Patrick is curled up at my feet on his afghan and Junior is at friends. It is 56 degrees in Palm Harbor but that doesn't matter anymore. What matters now is not being led astray for the wrong reasons.

More later in the morning.

God Bless America!
Go Gators!

SHAME ON YOU OBAMA

I just heard President Asshole say on TV, regarding his closing of our luxury POW motel at Gitmo, "We don't torture". That's right, we don't, chickenshit. I have no respect for this turd. None. I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt, but this old veteran now officially hates his guts, just a few days into his treason. He doesn't love this country any more than his whore wife does. We don't torture, indeed. No terrorist Mass-Murderers in the history of the earth have ever been treated with such kid gloves, or had such luxurious accommodations.

Shame, Shame, Shame on you Mr. B. Hussein Obama! Shame! Before now all he could do to dishonor America was to refuse to wear a flag lapel pin. Now he has the power to really disrespect us on a global scale... He is a disgusting puke. AND A DANGEROUS ONE.--TRADER RICK

SOMETIMES I WISH I WERE IN ATLANTA...

SECRETARIAT FINISHING THE TRIPLE CROWN, BELMONT PARK...

It is 7:58 a.m. and 6.5 degrees F. Patrick and Junior are in bed. There is about three inches of snow still on the ground. It is 54 degrees in Palm Harbor, Fla. That's like a 48 degree difference.

Remember I saw Secretariat win the Triple Crown at Belmont Park on Long Island in what ? 1973? With Dave Harmon, we drove down from Fitchburg Mass. Later on we saw a little speed horse, Onion, beat him at Saratoga in a much shorter race. I was at the rail for the Post Parade, and got to see this big horse, Ron Turcotte up, up close and personal. We used to follow the ponies in those days, not so much the flats, but mostly trotters and Pacers--Harness Racing--which was more accessible in our area. Yeah, I remember that.

Secretariat's win by THIRTY LENGTHS in the Belmont Stakes has gone down in history, in my opinion, as one of the top five races of all time... He set records in all three Triple Crown Records. The time he ran in the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes still stand to this day, 36 years later!!!

For those of you with Rosy Cheeks or not familiar with all this, excerpts from Wikipedia:

Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989) was an American thoroughbred racehorse. Secretariat won the 1973 Triple Crown, becoming the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years, and set still-standing track records in two of the three races in the Series, the Kentucky Derby (1:59 2/5), and the Belmont Stakes (2:24). Like the famous Man o' War, Secretariat was a large chestnut colt and was given the same nickname, "Big Red."

The Kentucky Derby

On his way to a still-standing track record (1:59 2/5), he ran each quarter-mile segment faster than the one before it. The successive quarter-mile times were: 25 1/5, 24, 23 4/5, 23 2/5, and 23. This means he was still accelerating as of the final quarter-mile of the race. It would be 28 years before any other horse would run the Derby in less than 2 minutes (Monarchos in 2001).

The Preakness Stakes

In the Preakness Stakes, Secretariat broke last but then made a huge, last-to-first move on the first turn. After reaching the lead with 5 1/2 furlongs to go, Secretariat was never challenged and won by 2 1/2 lengths...

The time of the race was controversial. The infield teletimer displayed a time of 1:55. The track's electronic timer had malfunctioned because of damage caused by members of the crowd crossing the track to reach the infield. The Pimlico Race Course clocker, E.T. McLean Jr., announced a hand time of 1:54 2/5. However, two Daily Racing Form clockers claimed the time was 1:53 2/5 which would have broken the track record (1:54 by Cañonero II). Tapes of Secretariat and Cañonero II were played side by side by CBS and Secretariat got to the finish line first on tape, though this is not a reliable method of timing a horse race. The Maryland Jockey Club, which managed the Pimlico racetrack and is responsible for maintaining Preakness records, discarded both the electronic and Daily Racing Form times and recognized 1:54 2/5 as the official time. However, the Daily Racing Form, for the first time in history, printed its own clocking of 1:53 2/5 next to the official time in the chart of the race.

As Secretariat prepared for the Belmont Stakes, he appeared on the covers of three national magazines, Time Magazine, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. He had become a national celebrity.

The Belmont Stakes

Secretariat's statue at Belmont Park

Only four horses joined Secretariat for the June 9, 1973, running of the Belmont Stakes, including Sham, who had finished second in both the Derby and Preakness...

Before a crowd of 67,605, Secretariat and Sham set a fast early pace, opening ten lengths on the rest of the field. After the 6 furlong mark, Sham began to tire, ultimately finishing last. Secretariat astonished spectators by continuing on the fast pace and opening up a larger and larger margin on the field. In the stretch, Secretariat opened a 1/16 mile lead on the rest of the field.

At the finish, he won by 31 lengths (breaking the margin-of-victory record set by Triple Crown winner Count Fleet, who won by 25 lengths) and ran the fastest 1 1/2 miles on dirt in history, 2:24 flat, which broke the stakes record by more than 2 seconds. This works out to a speed of 37.5 mph for his entire performance.

Secretariat's world record still stands,

and in fact, no other horse has ever broken 2:25 for 1 1/2 miles on dirt.

Bettors holding 5,617 winning parimutuel tickets on Secretariat never redeemed them, presumably keeping them as souvenirs. TRADER RICK HAS ONE!!!

Secretariat became the first Triple Crown winner in 25 years and the 9th in history.

Altogether, Secretariat won 16 of his 21 career races, with three seconds and one third, for an in the money finish in 20 of 21 starts, and total earnings of $1,316,808.

While it won't go down in history as important a Sports Event, I also had the privilege recently to witness in person the University of Florida Gators win the BCS Championship for the second time in three years at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

More later, maybe.

There were 1.5 million people at the

inauguration, 

and only 14 missed work.


gogators!!

GOOD LUCK & BAD LUCK

ATOP HANGING ROCK...

AT GEOBASH...

AT AN ARTESIAN WELL...

MY MOHAWK...

SOMEWHERE UP NORTH GEOCACHING...

ABOVE ARE SOME RANDOM PHOTOS FROM PATRICK'S FACEBOOK ALBUMS...

It is 6:28 a.m. and 19.3 degrees f. Patrick got up with me and promptly crawled into bed with Junior. This is t he Day the Lord made. The temperature in Palm Harbor Florida is 47 degrees.

GO GATORS!!

#1761

When it rains, it pours. It is 35 degrees F. outside at 7:27 a.m. It is 28 degrees in Brooksville, Fla. Patrick is here at my feet curled up on his afghan. Junior is in the Fort, having completed his first day of school for the term.

more later.

Go gators.

IS HILLARY SWANK HOT?

Tonight's edition of the Dunder-Miflin show dealt with the whole office suspending operations while Michael was off on a business trip to debate whether or not Hillary Swank was hot. We believe she is, but only when she keeps her mouth shut. The question should be: Does she have Rosie Cheeks???

AWORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND INSIDE OUT

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton? Could anything be so bizarre?

What, are we trapped in a cartoon nightmare???

NOBODY'S SEEN THE TRUBBLE AH SEEN

JUNIOR ON ANOTHER BLOG'S GALLERY--AT A PARTY RECENTLY...

It is 12:01 a.m. and a balmy 27.4 degrees. Supposed to gt a little thaw tomorrow-I'll believe that when I see it. Patrick is here with me, curled up on his afghan and Junior is downstairs watching TV. Our moden or router or something is screwed up, our internet access is on and off.

FROM THE INBOX:

Do you have what it takes to be a Wal-Mart Greeter?

A very loud, unattractive, mean-acting woman walked into Wal-Mart
with her two kids, yelling obscenities at them all the way through the
entrance.

The Wal-Mart Greeter said pleasantly, "Good morning, and welcome
to Wal-Mart. Nice children you have there. Are they twins?"

The woman stopped yelling long enough to say, "Hell no, they ain't
twins. The oldest one's 9 and the other one's 7. Why the20hell would
you think they're twins? Are you blind, or just stupid?"

"I'm neither blind nor stupid, Ma'am," replied the Greeter. "I just
couldn't believe someone would sleep with you twice. Have a good
day and thank you for shopping at Wal-Mart

I seriously doubt that she had Rosy Cheeks...

watched three hours of new LOST tonite--now I'm really lost!!

GATORS:

In the results of voting announced today, the University of Florida Gators are the 2008 recipients of the annual FIELDTURF/HOWIE LONG AWARD as the “NCAA TEAM OF THE YEAR.” The Gators posted a 13-1 record, captured the Southeastern Conference championship and then won the BCS National Championship with a 24-14 victory over Oklahoma on January 8 at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida.

Brian White has been named the University of Florida’s tight ends’ coach, head coach Urban Meyer announced on Wednesday. A 23-year coaching veteran and former winner of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division I Assistant Coach of the Year, White has tutored a Heisman Trophy Winner, coached in 12 bowl games and served on coaching staffs that have won a national title and two league championships.

gogators!!!

DAY ONE

It is 6:48 a.m. and a balmy 11 degrees and dark. Junior and Patrick are in bed. A chilly 37 degrees in Palm Harbor, Fla.

SOFT: UF ranked No. 1 in SEC, nation

By

Adam Berry

The bar has been set high for the UF softball team heading into the new season.

Today, the Southeastern Conference coaches picked UF as the favorite to win the conference title, and the Gators also took the top spot in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Preseason Poll, edging out defending national champion Arizona State by 37 points.

UF, which won an NCAA-record 70 games last season, received 10 of the 11 first-place votes from the SEC coaches. Alabama, whose team is famous for their rosy cheeks, the only other SEC team to reach the Women's College World Series, took the remaining first-place vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams.

The Gators received one less first-place vote than the Sun Devils in the national rankings, but finished with 728 total points. The two teams will meet at the Cathedral City Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., on Feb. 19.

UF kicks off its season on Friday, Feb. 6 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium with a home series against Baylor.

Go Gators!!

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

PUBLICITY STILL FROM RICK STEEL-CASE OF THE PINK PYRAMID STARRING BRADLY PITT AS RICK STEEL, ANJELINA JOLIE AS SWEET ROSIE, AND GLENN BECK AS ACHMID ACKBAR.

It is 1.9 degrees F. outside at 7:31 a.m.. Patrick and Junior are downstairs sleeping on a couch in front of the Kerosene heater.

It is 52 degrees down in Clearwater, Florida.

Ok, so here is the first draft of my new novel. I am writing it as you read it:

The Mis-Adventures of Rick Steel

SouthWest Florida Water Management District Conservation Officer

The Case of the Emerald of Isis

By Stephen E. Brown, RMC

Chapter One: A Deadly Beginning

He awoke with a start. Eyes wide open and alert, every sense was heightened.

He listened. The sounds of the night in the Florida Swamp outside the window were normal and undisturbed. A cacophony of sound--Loud and eternal: A million crickets chirping in a monotonous drone, the occasional grunt of a bullfrog, and there, yes the low bellow of a bull gator disturbed from his vigil. A slight warm breeze wafted the curtains at the open window above his head. A moth batted into the screen. Everything seemed normal, and yet...

What had awakened him? He felt the warm pressure of Rosies' body on his back. Her arm was lazily draped over his waist. Tenderly he picked up her hand and brushed his lips against the long tapered fingers, the pale natural pink fingernails that were so long. Sweet Rosie. He knew if he looked at her, his concentration would be broken.

He gently removed her arm and got out of bed. She murmured ever so softly and stirred. He got up and pulled on the jeans that were draped over the chair and slipped into his flip flops. The small frame .45 ACP in the shoulder holster on the bed post went into his pocket.

Patrick, the white Jack Russell Terrier, got up from his spot at the end of the bed and ignoring him, crawled under the sheet and made a new nest.

Outside, in the back of the house, he paused, Listening, still as a statue. The pale moon light provided enough illumination of the cloudless sky that he could see the Spanish Moss gently waving in the breeze hanging from the scrub Oaks in the yard. There were a million stars in the night sky.

He tuned out the natural sounds of the night and found...nothing.

Moving stealthily around the side of the house, he crouched down behind some palmettos and looked down the road.There it was. 50 yards away, A big black SUV parked on the shoulder. It shouldn't have been there.

He pulled out the automatic and pulled back the slide. Locked and Loaded. Locked and loaded....Locked--

The faint familiar drone of a Huey UH-1H filled the pre-dawn air. The rhythmic sound of its main rotor sounded like nothing else on this earth, far way in the night air. He stood on the marshal matting, his M-16 slung over his shoulder and waited. It was hot. Ungodly hot. Then the sound of another and another. They were coming back to Firebase Rosie from Hue and coming in fast. He felt a hot salty breeze on the back of his neck, coming off the beach. He could hear the waves slurping up onto the sand, the South China Sea, awakening from it's slumber. Suddenly and without warning,

To be continued

FROM THE GAINESVILLE SUN:

Florida returned to the Associated Press poll at No. 24 on Monday, its first time back in the poll in more than a month. Florida, ranked No. 19 in the preseason, fell out of the poll following a 57-55 loss to Florida State last Dec. 7.

The Gators (16-2, 3-0 Southeastern Conference) have won 10 straight since and are tied with Kentucky for first place in the SEC East. Florida didn't reach the Top 25 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, but received the most votes (52) of all the rosy-cheeked teams outside the top 25 teams.

GO GATORS!

WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE.

IN OUR OPINION THE MOST STARTLINGLY BEAUTIFUL WOMAN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY...RIP NATALIE

It is 7:38 a.m. and 8.6 (48 degrees in Weeki Wachee, Fla.) degrees F. Patrick got up and crawled back to be with Junior. This is the day the Lord made.

THIS 'N THAT:

Well, Super Bowl teams are set.

Do you remember Natalie Wood's Husband? What was his name, that handsome devil? I remember the first film he did that I can remember--It was set in Tarpon Springs and it was all about sponge fisherman. I wonder if they still do that? Robert Wagner, just thought of it! His friends called him "R.C." I've got a friend I nicknamed R.C. --But it's a girl. The younger generation only knows him as the sidekick of the midget in the Austin Powers movies. I remember he did a brief TV show, I think, with what's her name--Jill Ireland? Maybe I'm getting this all mixed up--I'll have to google him.

MORE, LATER MAYBE

Ok, so I got that all wrong--Wagner's nickname is "RJ". His TV show, Hart to Hart was with Stepanie Powers--he ultimatley married Jill St. John after Natalie died...

IS TODAY THE LAST DAY OF OUR FREEDOM?

FINAL TOP 5 IN POLLS

AP
Rank	Team	Record	Points
1	Florida (48)	13-1	1,606
2	Utah (16)	13-0	1,519
3	USC (1)	12-1	1,481
4	Texas	12-1	1,478
5	Oklahoma	12-2	1,391
Coaches'
Rank	Team	Record	Points
1	Florida (60)	13-1	1,524
2	USC	12-1	1,393
3	Texas	12-1	1,389
4	Utah (1)	13-0	1,375
5	Oklahoma	12-2	1,333

go gators

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