First, I missed the Great South Florida Black-Out From Hell, as some of the news media was calling it. My experience included the lights flickering for about 2 seconds. Just enough to shut down my work computer and for me to lose the data I had just entered into my excel.  Other than that, my experience included driving home about 5:30 in normal traffic, with virtually everyone having power, all the traffic lights working, and the radio station dedicating the entire show to the Great South Florida Black-Out from Hell. They had cancelled all normal programming, and were babbling  live. Not that there was much to say.

“A blackout occured hours ago. It is over. Now let’s go live to the street where Chuck Assweasel is interviewing someone live on 1st street!”

Chuck Assweasel: ‘Sir, in your own words, please try to describe how this Great South Florida Black-Out From Hell affected you.”

Citizen: “What?”

Chuck Assweasel: “The power outage, how did you survive?”

Citizen:  “Oh, that! That was over with hours ago. I took a nap.”

Chuck Assweasel: “What are your plans now, in trying to deal emotionally with this horrific event?”

Citizen: “Man, are you doing drugs or something?”

Since virtually everyone had power, the idiot on the radio kept pleading for people to call in who had power, so that it might give a glimmer of hope to the three or four people who didn’t have power yet.

“Call in and share your emotional story about the power coming back on, and that will ease the suffering of those who don’t have power yet.!”

No one called.

I also did hear something I found funny. The radio station kept instructed drivers that should they encounter a traffic light that is not working, to treat it as they would a four way stop. I found that dangerous.  Have you seen how people in South Florida treat four way stops? It isn’t pretty folks. Not pretty at all.  As far as traffic lights being out, most people don’t stop at red lights anymore anyway, so as far as I’m concerned they could turn them all off and let us continue to fight it out at each intersection, as we do now.

Anyway, for those of you who actually did suffer during this blackout, I wish you well. I know there were some people stuck in elevators and on the 40th floor of office buildings, etc. Hey, take today off to recover. Just tell your boss I said it was OK.

Peace out people.

SCG

OK, let’s get one thing straight. I’m a mono-lingual Anglo who never really followed the Cuba situation, despite being born in Miami and living through the Cuba Missile Crisis, the Mariel boat-lift and everything else. I can’t speak a word of Spanish. I can barely speak English, my native language. Languages never were my forte.

Let’s start with this. I have never understood the embargo. Seems to me it hasn’t worked, but what the hell, maybe in another 50 years it might. I kind of think the more exposure Cuba and Cubans get to the outside world the quicker they will move toward a democracy. But as I have noted above, I’m pretty clueless about this whole complicated thing with Cuba.

Now that the old fart Castro has supposedly retired,  everyone is wondering what might happen in Cuba. Me, I don’t think much. I think the military is so embedded into the economy of the country that there isn’t any desire to change anything. Those in power still benefit from the system, so why change it?

But, let’s say something does happen. Let’s say there is some general who kicks Raul out, and suddenly frees Cuba. What happens next?

From what little I understand of the situation, there is almost an entire government in exile in Miami waiting to rush back to Cuba and assume power. I also understand there are some Miamians who plan to return to reclaim their property stolen from them when they fled for freedom.

Here is my question. It’s been several decades. How are the Cubans still in Cuba going to take to all these Miamians running over there to tell them how to run their country? And what if someone tries to reclaim their house or farm or business and the current owners don’t want to relinquish it?

Sounds to me like a recipe for total chaos and possibly civil war. And somehow, no doubt, US troops will have to be involved, or the UN.

Maybe those in Little Havana have already worked out those details, and have a complex, carefully thought out plan. I hope so.

I also wonder if Florida and Miami have a plan to deal with a free Cuba. All those beautiful beaches. No doubt casinos will be the first buildings to go up.  Cuba was a vacation resort long before Castro, and even today remains popular with Canadians and Germans and others, in those special “Tourist Zones”.  A revitalize Cuba would put Miami out of business. Why come to Miami, when you can get the real tropical island paradise just an hour’s flight further?  Miami could become a ghost town.  Stuck between Theme Park Land (Orlando) and Cuba. Who would stop here?

Oh wait, I forgot! In 2011 we will have a brand new state of the art baseball stadium!!!! That will do it!

Anyway, if I have my wish, I wish for freedom for the Cuban people very soon, and an orderly transition to a democracy. I hope the developers don’t mow down every palm tree and pave over every beach there.  I hope families are reunited. And I hope the majority of South Florida Cubans stay home, here, in Miami.  The fact is, Miami would not be Miami without the Cubans.

Peace out people.

SCG

Mondays are just a pain in the butt, aren’t they? I like my career, I like my job, but I do not like Mondays. So, I’ve put together a checklist to make Mondays go smooth. Here is my checklist, along with my success this day.

• Go to bed early Sunday night. Extra sleep helps Monday.
  • I went to bed late last night. Crap.
• Get up just 10 minutes earlier on Mondays so you can get your usual morning chores accomplished with ease, instead of rushing.
  • I got up 20 minutes late this morning, and have wasted 30 minutes surfing the stupid Internet.
• Get your Monday attire prepared the night before, including ironing anything that needs ironing.
  • Holy crap. I don’t even know if I have anything clean, much less ironed…….
• Don’t read the news on Mondays! It is only going to stress or piss you off.
  • I just finished visiting about fourteen news sites. I feel like sticking my little toe into an electrical outlet.
• Read a poem or something uplifting, such as a Robert Frost poem.
  • Screw Robert Frost. He didn’t have to battle his way through the turnpike and I-95 every morning!
• Do not blog on Mondays! It only wastes more time, and makes you late. The last thing you need is to be writing in your blog at 6:51 AM when you should have left the house at 6:45.
  • Bummer. It’s gonna be a long Monday…….

Well, hopefully, your Monday will be smooth and easy and quick. I have to find my slacks and a clean shirt, iron them, clean the cat litter, find food, make more coffee and kiss my wife goodbye and be out of here by five minutes ago. Anyway, have a great Monday folks!

SCG

People ask SCG all kinds of questions. Like the one I received recently.

Dear SomeCrankyGuy: How do you know when the magic has gone out of a relationship?

—Signed Relationship Troubled 

Well RT, this can be difficult to determine. I think though, if you found yourself in the situation described below, you might be inclined to say the relationship is a bit shaky……..

From the JournalNews 

HAVERSTRAW, NY – A woman drove more than a mile on a busy stretch of Route 202 last night with her boyfriend clinging to the roof of her car while the couple had a fight, police said.

Both the man and woman were injured during the incident, and both are facing charges, Haverstraw police Sgt. Manfredo Figueroa said.

Numerous drivers called police shortly before 7 p.m. to report that a man was on the hood of a car being driven erratically on Route 202.

Police think the man, William Kremer, 42, of Haverstraw, got onto the car near the Quaker Road trailer park.

The woman, Stacy Sperrazza, 37, of Stony Point, collided with several other cars as she drove east on Route 202, police said. The car’s air bag was activated.

Kremer is accused of reaching through the car window while he was clinging to the hood and punching Sperrazza, police said. Sperrazza stopped the car near a gas station and tried to run Kremer over, police said.

Kremer fled the scene. Police arrested Sperrazza nearby on Rosman Road. Kremer turned himself in to police a short time later. Sperrazza was charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, a felony. Kremer was charged with third-degree assault, a misdemeanor.

Both were taken to Nyack Hospital. Kremer was being treated for a foot injury he suffered, allegedly when she struck him with the car.

Sperrazza was being treated for an eye and head injury she said she suffered when Kremer reached through the window and punched her. Both are to be arraigned this morning.

Yep, I think the magic has left this relationship……

SCG