WHERE ARE ALL THE VOTERS ?

    One of the first friends I made when I moved to Florida in 1989 was Jeff Southall.

    I had just accepted the job as corporate engineer for the Asterisk Radio Group of Ft Lauderdale. Jeff was the engineer at one of their stations in Venice.

    He came to the United States in the 1960's from England. Even before he became a US citizen, he volunteered to serve in the US Army. He served our country in Vietnam.

    He loved living here. It became his home. The thing he loved most was when he got the privilege to enter a voting booth and have his voice count for something. He always said there was never a good reason to miss an election. No excuses.

    We lost Jeff in 1992, in a terrible accident. He was electrocuted while working on a broadcast transmitter for a station in South Florida.

    I think of Jeff every single time I go to vote. 

    Yesterday as I entered Precinct One in Ocala to cast my vote, I again thought of him. As I looked around the huge room I got to thinking : "Where are all the voters"

    I cast my vote for City Council, and the proposed amendments. The entire process took less than five minutes. 

    Returning home, I again had this felling that I was part of my city. My voice counted for something. 

    This morning as I was looking at the results in the Star Banner, I felt my friend Jeff shaking his head in amazement.
   
    "Voter turnout was light on Tuesday, with only 3,407, or 10.45 percent, of the 32,590 registered city voters casting ballots. "
   
    I could not believe the print that was in front of me. Only 3,407 people took five minutes out of their day to vote.

    Shame on the rest. You are letting 10.45 percent of us make the decisions that may effect you. Are you so busy that you can't take five minutes out of your precious day? I can not imagine your day being so full that you do not have time to go vote? 

     If I can work my ten hour day then find the time to vote, WHY CAN'T YOU?

     I realize now that you do have the time. You just don't give a damn.

    And that is the sad part.

WHEN WILL THE WEATHER BREAK ??

   
         For those of us who live in Florida, there is one special day every year. We dream about it. We can't wait for it to come. And it happened this morning.

        It is not Christmas. It's not Thanksgiving. It's not even the Florida/Florida State game. (it comes in at number two)

        It's the first day every fall when the morning temperature falls below 70 degrees. And it happened this morning.

        I love living in Florida. But by the time September rolls around and the crowds begin to gather in "The Swamp",  I get to thinking:
       
        "When will the weather break?" 

        Summers are miserable here. It's hot and humid. Frankly, I tend to spend most of the summer indoors.

        We have our residents down here that love the hot outside weather. But I am not one of them. 

        Penny and I live for those cool fall and winter evenings, when we dine outside on our court yard, have a fire in the fire pit, and listen to some tunes on the outdoor speakers. It doesn't get any better than this.

        I have been here since 1989, coming from Indiana. As much as I miss the basketball, I never looked back.

        I wait with great anticipation for this time of year.  And it happened this morning.

       While all my old friends are digging out of snow drifts, living through blizzards, and fighting the winter colds; I am on the court yard, with a cocktail in my hands.

        It's worth the wait. And it happened this morning.

WOULD GENE RODDENBERRY BE PROUD ?

    I was a sophomore in High School when Star Trek premiered on September 8, 1966. I became hooked immediately. Over the years, I watched them all.  Star Trek, Star Trek : The Next Generation, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek Enterprise, Deep Space Nine. With each new series, it got better and better. And of course I saw all the movies. The Star Trek franchise has been a huge part of my life.
   
    Star Trek II was inspired by one of the original episodes and had always been my favorite Star Trek movie. 
   
    When I learned that they were bringing back Kirk and Spock as Star Fleet Cadets, I wondered how that whole idea would work.  William Shatner was Kirk and Leonard Nimoy was Spock. No one else could play those characters. The Star Trek time line was already established. How would they handle it? I shouldn't have worried.
   
    The "new" Star Trek movie with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto was a work of art. I thought at the time 'it can't get any better than this.' They handled the time line in a brilliant fashion. They brought Spock back from the future, then proceeded to blow the time line right out of the park.
   
    So I got to thinking, "Would Gene Roddenberry be proud?"
       
    This re-booted Star Trek movie has been on TV many times in the last year or so. Whenever I stumble on it, I will watch. About the only other movie that I react that way to is 'Shawshank Redemption" but that's another story.
       
    So I waited patiently for "Star Trek Into the Darkness" to arrive via Blu Ray.
       
    I don't go to theaters anymore. Too many loud and rude people. And I hate spending all that money to have my movie interrupted by some moron on a cell phone. But that's another story too.
   
    Blu Ray in hand, I could not wait to see this on the big 60 inch screen in High Definition.
       
    Finally I got a couple of hours free, and on a lazy Sunday Afternoon, I settled in my chair and pushed the button.

    No spoiler here, I am not going to give away any of the plot.

    I will say this. As I watched this movie, I could feel Gene Roddenberry smiling down. This would have to be his proudest moment.

    Kahn, the Tribbles and Captain Pike are all in this movie. Even Nurse Chapel get a mention.
   
    But all that action and plot line pails to the one central theme. It is about the relationship between Kirk and Spock.

    All through the star Trek incarnations, we know that these two men are as close as two people can be. They have each others back. Take away the outer space, the aliens, and all the future mumbo jumbo and: The relationship would make a great 'Chick' flick.

    There are some twists and turns that make this the greatest Star Trek movie of all time.'  

     So your assignment for the week :  GO BUY THIS MOVIE ! You won't regret it.   

     The only movie I have ever watched that made me cry was 'My Dog Skip.' But I am a dog lover and get emotional when a dog dies.

   That is, until now. As I watched the last part of this movie and realized how they handled the time line, and how the story flowed, I cried like a five year old.
   
    Partly because of the story, partly because of the writing genius, and partly because Gene Roddenberry never got to see what his franchise would become.

    Or did he ???