Paradise Shaken, Not Stirred

Posted Oct 16, 2006 by Chris Chmura

Updated Oct 16, 2006 at 11:00 AM

Busy Honolulu International Airport has been crippled in the wake of the Hawaii earthquakes.
AP has the story.

Even without power and a jolt here and there, I can think of worse places to be stuck.

Continental is letting passengers change tickets for free, so long as they were scheduled to fly yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

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If You Must Fall ...

Posted Oct 16, 2006 by Stacey Shick

Updated Oct 16, 2006 at 02:17 AM

It’s best to fall in front of a group of Boy Scouts, I have determined.

I should explain.

For Saturday’s 12 mile run, my running buddy mapped out a route from her house in St. Petersburg, down along the water to The Pier, around the Mahaffey Theater, up Central Avenue and back again. We were in the seventh mile, approaching The Pier for the second time, when all of a sudden *bam!* I’m face-down on the concrete. And surrounded by a group of Boy Scout leaders out on a hike. A quick check proved nothing was broken, other than a small piece of my pride. The Scouts had water to spare to wash off my scraped knee and plenty of offers of Band-Aids. The help was much appreciated.

I shook off my fall, walked a little bit and stopped at a bait house at The Pier for a Gatorade. The refuel helped me run the rest of the way back. I made it. The time wasn’t pretty, though. About 3 hours. My knee isn’t real pretty either, lots of scrapes and a quickly growing bluish-purplish knot. But no real damage. This is just a right of running passage, right?

If you see me this week, I’ll be wearing pants.

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A Slice Of City Life

Posted Oct 14, 2006 by Patty Kim

Updated Oct 14, 2006 at 10:59 AM

Like a few hundred others, I spent Friday evening at Curtis Hixon Park, enjoying a free concert by The Florida Orchestra.

It was part of the free concert in the park series.

Yes, this sounds silly, but one of the most enjoyable parts of the evening was walking there and back.

I parked at the Trib and strolled the three-fourths or so of a mile to get to the park.

No, that’s not very far. Heck, I ran seven miles earlier that day.

But it almost felt like I was living the “city life” for a night. Walk two blocks down Parker Street, hang a right and head two blocks to Kennedy. Walk seven blocks up and voila! There were tons of people doing it.

They had chairs slung over their shoulders and were carrying blankets, coolers and kids. It was a mini march on downtown.

For a town that gets in the car to drive two blocks to the grocery store, it was a nice change of pace.

I met a group of friends, and we enjoyed everything from the “West Side Story” to the “1812 Overture!” while sipping wine and sharing cheese, crackers and fruit.

If you want to try a lunchtime treat, don’t miss the free concert at noon Oct. 17 at Lykes Gaslight Square.

Don’t forget to walk.

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Week 2 what a blast

Posted Oct 14, 2006 by jriley

Updated Oct 14, 2006 at 10:17 AM

Well its been two weeks and i am having a blast. I weigh 288 and feel great. Did my normal work-out routine. I have been following the 4 small weals a day diet. It really works. Body-builders i know follow it but they are on low carb diets. so they eat alot off chicken and eggs. maybe a head of lettuce, but that"s it. How boring, but they do look great. Well everybody have a great week 3 and i will see you at the rattle snake festival when we do the mile.

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A Shopping Story

Posted Oct 13, 2006 by Sandy Hughes

Updated Oct 13, 2006 at 10:36 PM

Our Top Secret New York Correspondent told us a wonderful Shopping Story today. 
She was walking by a Gap store in Manhattan—We can’t tell you which one, for reasons that will become clear later—and noticed some cute shoes on the mannequin in the window display.  They were simple, black suede flats with just the right round-toe shape, and they were perfect with the skinny pants the mannequin was wearing. 
“They will be mine,” our TSNYC thought.  “Oh yes.  They will be mine.”
So, being a proactive person and all,  she marched into the store, but when she arrived at the shoe section, she couldn’t find the simple flats she fell in love with in the window.  She located one of the headset-sporting Gap associates and was told that the mannequin’s shoes were for “display only” and weren’t for sale.
Well.  As any true shopper knows, being told one can’t buy something is tantamount to a declaration of war.
TSNYC knew she needed to find the store manager to figure out how to get her shoes.  When she spotted a Gap Person strolling around the store talking on his cellphone, she immediately recognized him as the manager.  (Who else would be headphone-less and allowed to talk on their cellphone on the sales floor?).  She approached.
After a bit of schmoozing (we don’t have all the details on this), it was determined that the store had, like, nineteen pairs of these display shoes all in the same size, which was 9.  Which is very weird, because, what mannequin wears a size 9?  Who would display such a huge shoe?  But!  It gets weirder.  Our TSNYC wears….Yes.  You already know:  a size 9.  (She’s tall, okay?). 
Coincidence?  No way.
“I was meant to have a pair of those shoes,” she explained to Gap Manager With A Cellphone, batting her eyelashes and tossing her hair.  “There must be something you can do.”
And apparently Gap Manager with Cellphone agreed, because he clandestinely sold her a pair of Display Only shoes for $39.50.  Again, we didn’t get every detail, but we picture grubby bills being passed under the display table (where the neatly stacked and folded V-Neck sweaters in 5 colors belied the corruption taking place below).
Of course, we’d like to think he didn’t make the decision to breach corporate “Display Only” policy lightly.  We picture him shaking his head and sighing as he gives in to our TSNYC’s pleas.  “I don’t know why I’m doing this for you, TSNYC” he (maybe?) said.  “If the top brass gets wind of this, you know it’s my #####.”  And our TSYNC would have replied,  “You and I both know that won’t happen.  You really came through for me, Gap Manager With A Cellphone, and I owe you one, man.  I won’t forget this, I promise.”
And we can see her as she walks out onto the hustling, bustling, New York street, only looking back once to give Gap Manager With A Cellphone a wink and a thumbs-up before she disappears into the black towncar that’s waiting for her at the curb. 
So what’s the moral of this story?  Pick One:
A. New Yorkers are actually friendlier than we think
B. Don’t take No for an answer
C. Everything’s for sale
D. Sometimes it pays to have a gigantic foot
E. All of the above
I hope we’ve all learned something today.

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