Wednesday, March 31, 2010

How About Some More Days Off

Our local government likes to take days off. This article was in today's Source, the online newspaper at www.stjohnsource.com.

Easter is this Sunday. In normal places, people take off Easter, which is a Sunday so it's no big deal.

Here, we start with Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Saturday off because it is a weekend, Easter Sunday, and then Easter Monday of all things.

Pretty pathetic.

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A long holiday weekend kicks off Wednesday with Transfer Day. The Easter holiday then begins Thursday with Holy Thursday. Friday is Good Friday.
On Saturday, most government offices are closed as usual. Sunday is Easter and Monday is Easter Monday.
Transfer Day ceremonies, which commemorate the 93rd anniversary of the 1917 transfer of the former Danish West Indies to the United States, will be held Wednesday on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
"It's probably the one event that helped to set the modern Virgin Islands. It came at a time of great economic downturn, and had repercussions on the culture, history and society," said David Edgecombe, an assistant to Gov. John deJongh Jr.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Billings

I did my billings yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that.

A little left to do, so I might do it again today.

Have a few people who need a villa.

So www.stjohnvillarental.com on St. John will be in action as I try to find villa rentals for everybody.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Celtics Won Again

The Celtics won again by so much that I am not even going to mention the score. It was highly embarrassing and I had to turn it off before the end of the game.

The lads probably won't be allowed to rent villas on St. John because they ran up the score last night.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Upper Carolina

I will probably solve some Upper Carolina problems today, maybe. This is a good day to do it.

And maybe I can get M to order the network channels on my little teevee.

That would be good, since I don't get the networks on my little teevee right now.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Rolex Regatta - - Day 1

This was in the Source, the on-line newspaper. www.stjohnsource.com. The Rolex Regatta is a wicked boat race. Loads of boats, loads of classes, wicked good sailing. And right around the corner from us.

I think the old salts should all rent villas from www.stjohnvillarental.com.

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Rolex Regatta Off to Flying Start
By Regatta News — March 27, 2010

Interlodge made a good showing on day one.

Before the start of racing Friday at the International Rolex Regatta, tactician Bill Lynn (Marblehead, Mass.) predicted that in IRC class it would be a match race between his team on Austin and Gwen Fragomen's (New York, N.Y.) 52-foot Interlodge and the team aboard Richard Oland's (Rothesay, NB, Canada) Vela Veloce, also a 52-footer. "Then we have to just hope the rest falls into place for us," he added, noting that four of the eight boats in his class were 40 footers likely to have tight racing as well, and it would be up to each boat's IRC rating to equalize the size discrepancies.

After all was said and done, Interlodge, with Lynn driving last-minute for Fragomen when Fragomen fell ill, won Friday's first "town" race, which went from St. Thomas Yacht Club to Charlotte Amalie. As the crow flies, the distance was only five miles, but the Race Committee made sure to extend the experience by throwing in some hitches that took each of six classes back upwind before making a final run to the finish inside Charlotte Amalie's expansive harbor where tourists and townspeople alike got an eyeful of color at lunchtime.

One of the 40-footers, Michael Williamson's (London, UK) White Heat, took a second-place finish in the race, leaving third for Vela Veloce and leading Lynn to reflect at the end of the day: "It will be interesting to see if they (White Heat) are a factor the rest of the weekend." For today's second town race, which reversed course back to St. Thomas Yacht Club, Vela Veloce skunked Interlodge at the start and sailed cleanly to win, while Interlodge settled for second. And it was another of the 40 footers, William Coates' (Bellaire, Texas) J/122 Otra Vez that took third on corrected time.

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"It's hard to know how you are doing when you can't see some of the other boats you are sailing against," said Lynn. "We'll just keep trying to get ahead of Vela Veloce, then work for efficiency around the race track; don't tack too much and hope to save time on the little boats."

For all, the day yielded spectacular racing under sunny skies with 15-18 knot breezes keeping sailors on their proverbial toes. In sync with moving things along at a brisk pace was the Race Committee, which calmly started several classes on the return trip while others were still finishing, all in a harbor where anchored yachts added tactical challenges to the tight quarters.

"It's my crew's fault," deadpanned Antonio Sanpere (Christiansted, VI), who handily won both races with his J/36 Cayennita Grande in CSA Non-Spinnaker Racing Class. "No matter how I tried to screw up, they made it right." In the following easterly at the start of the first race, Sanpere launched his 120% reacher to easily pass to port of natural navigational obstacles that others had to come "way up" to avoid. That was the start of his winning moves, which have enabled him to win this regatta four times before as a skipper.

In Spinnaker Racing 2 class, it was a day specially tailored for sport boats, especially in the downwind planing conditions encountered during the first race. Currently leading among 12 boats is Dave West's (Road Town, Tortola, BVI) Melges 32 Jurakan, but tied on points is Chris Stanton's (Christiansted, St. Croic, USVI) Melges 24 Devil 3.

The Beach Cats had their own brand of zip-along excitement, especially John Holmberg, who was sailing with his 11-year-old son Kai on the Hobie 16 Time Out. It was on Holmberg's list of "things to do before I die," and he couldn't have been happier when his son turned to him during the race and said, "Dad, even millionaire kids don't have as much fun as I'm having out here!"

A.H. Riise, Official Retailer of Rolex watches in the U.S. Virgin Islands, takes an active role in sponsorship of the event. The St. Thomas shop is one of the largest in the Caribbean and is located on the historic waterfront of downtown Charlotte Amalie. Island Global Yachting and USVI Tourism are also sponsors of the event. Marriott Frenchman's Reef Hotel, Mount Gay Rum and Heineken are supporters.

Racing continues through Sunday. Online video highlights by T2Productions can be viewed each night by 9 p.m. at www.t2p.tv. Live results, photos and reports are available at rolexcupregatta.com, with updates also available on mobile phones at www.yachtscoring.com/mobile.

Top Three Results
(Place, Boat Name, Boat Type, Length, Skipper, Hometown, Finish Postions, Total Points)

IC 24 (One Design - 15 Boats)
1. Team Maximus / DonQ Cristal, IC 24 24, Jorge Santiago, Ponce, PR, USA - 1, 1, 3, ; 5
2. Orion, IC 24 24, Fraito Lugo, Ponce, PR, USA - 2, 3, 2, ; 7
3. Brand-New Secondhand, IC 24 24, Christopher Curreri, St Thomas, VI, USA - 6, 2, 4, ; 12

Spinnaker Racing 1 (CSA - 2 Boats)
1. Spirit of Isis, Farr 65 65, Elizabeth Brookes, Falmouth HArbour, Antigua, WI - 1, 1, ; 2
2. Kialoa V, Frers 80 78, Freddie Mills, Lake Placid, NY, USA - 3/DNF, 2, ; 5

Spinnaker Racing 2 (CSA - 12 Boats)
1. Jurakan, Melges 32 32, Dave West, Road Town, Tortola, BVI - 2, 1, ; 3
2. Devil 3, Melges 24 24, Chris Stanton, Christiansted, St. Croix, USVI - 1, 2, ; 3
3. Blackberry Enzyme, Henderson 35 35, Paul Solomon, Cascade, Trinidad & Tobago - 6, 3, ; 9

Non-Spinnaker Racing (CSA - 9 Boats)
1. Cayennita Grande, J 36 36', Antonio Sanpere, Christiansted, VI, USA - 1, 1, ; 2
2. SAGA I, Frers F3 36', Gerd Petersen, Pembroke Pines, FL, USA - 2, 2, ; 4
3. Bermuda High, Hanse 400 39' 7, Martinus van Breems, Norwalk, CT, USA - 4, 3, ; 7

Spinnaker Racing/Cruising (CSA - 17 Boats)
1. Lost Horizon, J 122 12.21, James Dobbs, Antigua - 2, 1, ; 3
2. Three Harkoms, Beneteau 442 Oceanic 44.5, James Hudleston, Yarmouth, Great Britain, England - 1, 2, ; 3
3. El Ocaso, J 120 40, Rick Wesslund, Miami, FL, USA - 3, 4, ; 7

IRC (IRC - 8 Boats)
1. Interlodge, JV 52 52, Austin and Gwen Fragomen, Newport, RI, USA - 1, 2, ; 3
2. Vela Veloce, Southern Cross 52 52', Richard Oland, Rothesay, NB, CAN - 3, 1, ; 4
3. White Heat, Summit 40 39.72 ft, Michael Williamson, London, London, UK - 2, 5, ; 7

Beach Cats (Portsmouth - 5 Boats)
1. Auto Manic, Hobie 16 16', Chris Schreiber, Christiansted, VI, USA - 1, 1, ; 2
2. Time Out, Hobie 16 16, John Holmberg, St. Thomas, VI, USA - 2, 2, ; 4
3. Chancletero, Hobie 16 16, Michael Williams, St. Thomas, VI, USA - 6/DNS, 3, ; 9

Friday, March 26, 2010

Patriots work out somebody

If you think the nfl draft has an overload of info, just look at this story from somewhere.

There is so much speculation all over the place - - -

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We've learned that the Patriots held a private workout with SMU Mustang wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders yesterday. QB Coach Bill O'Brien was reportedly in attendance.

Sanders made a splash at the Senior Bowl, showing explosive speed and sure hands. He later ran a 4.41 at the combine, also sporting a 6.6 3-cone and showing off a 39.5" vertical jump.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Celtics Won Again

The Boston Celtics, the Greatest Franchise in the History of Sport, won last night for the 7 millionth straight time. This is a record, of course, which can be broken by only the Celtics.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Research again

This morning I will do some research. Undoubtedly. In the little library next to the kitchen.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Health Care Reform Was Passed

The Democrats finally figured out that they should just vote for the Health Care Reform Bill and get it passed.

Not a single republican in the house or senate voted for it. Shameful.

Well, they'll keep getting it right in the head.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sunday Blogging

I think I will put some anchor text in this blog today, and then have breakfast at Tamarind Court.

Anchor Text For Blogs

You can find more information about Villa Callaloo and loads of other St. John villas at St John Villa Rental. Current listings of villas include over 140 choices of properties all over St. John, including waterfront, Coral Bay, Cruz Bay, and the whole island.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Celtics win again and set another record

The Boston Celtics, the Greatest Franchise In The History Of Sport, won for the zillionth straight time last night, beating Houston 244-1, giving up a highly controversial point on a free throw for an alleged foul that allegedly occurred at the final buzzer, but which replays showed wasn't a foul and occurred at least 29 seconds after the conclusion of the game. The lads will get a villa rental at www.stjohnvillarental.com for their efforts.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Not today

As was stated in the previous blog that I wrote today -- tomorrow.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Try this sometime

Go to an airline ticket counter and ask how much is a round-trip ticket.

When the rep asks you "To where?", answer "To here, of course!"

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Open to anything

I am open to anything tonight. Might go to Elaine's. Might stay home. Might just punt all and hang out someplace. Might cook some spaghetti. Might eat some fruit.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Time to do billings

I might do my billings today. Might, might not.

In any case, at least I am thinking of doing them.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Happy Birthday Anna

I think today is Anna Tuttle's birthday. I am going to go to the bar at whatever that restaurant is with Mary and Anna, and have pupus and drinks. At least, I think that is the plan.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

This one also has 159

This blog has 159 entries. That is, until this entry is posted. Then it will have 160, just like the first one.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

I got the cats

The cats all need flea medication on their necks once every 30-45 days. Today we got two of them. Yesterday I got Mr. Pants. M puts the medicine on while I hold them. Z tensed up and cried, mostly because she is Mrs. Scaredypants. Henry doesn't mind, although he twitches a lot during the ordeal.

Friday, March 12, 2010

No time here either

No time today for posting in this blog. So I won't.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

No time today

This blog is not getting a post today. No time.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

My table

My dining room table has been sanded to 1500 grit. But when something is placed on it, a stain is left. I can't figure this out. So my new plan is to re-sand at 400 grit, and then put on a hard finish. Multiple hard finishes, with sanding between coats. Then sand that hard finish to 1500 grit. I think that will work just fine.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Windchime Villa

Windchime Villa is on Gifft Hill. Someone wants to rent it, but the owner is not returning phone calls or emails. So I have to find a substitute villa.

Oh, well.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Celtics win again

The Boston Celtics won last night for their 4th straight win. Actually, this year the lads are 237-0, beating everybody by at least 93 points. Unstoppable.

The Celtics are the Greatest Team in The History of Sport.

If I could make this type green, I would. But at least I am wearing a green shirt.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Donkey Diner shortly

Very soon this morning I will go to Donkey Diner.

Tara will come to our table with iced tea.

I will order fricaseed giraffe bellybutton, with lima beans. She will bring me a sampler with scrambled eggs.

I will do the NY Times crossword puzzle.

Then I will have to go home and do some emergency research.

This happens every Sunday. And then I will do some work on www.stjohnvillarental.com.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Refuting Contentions

Test Essay -- Refute the contention that the literature of the Middle Ages is moribund.

Start of Response -- There are those who contend that the literature of the Middle Ages is moribund. There are those who contend that the literature of the Middle Ages is not moribund. . . .

Friday, March 5, 2010

Friday at home?

I might actually stay at home tonight with M. She had a birthday party yesterday at Peter Bay and then Zozo's. We spent $152 for the dinner and tip. I got to bring home part of an osso buco for lunch.

Maybe later I will bake some muffins. Maybe not. Probably a scrabble victory or two.

What an exciting day.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

150

This is post number 150 in this blog. Means nothing at all.

So I am not going to post anything meaningful today. Nothing at all to post so this will just be words.

M is 67 today.

That's a lot of years.

I got her a pearl necklace last night.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

M turns 67

M will turn 67 tomorrow. I have to get her something, I guess. Maybe I'll drive into town and go shopping. Undoubtedly I'll drive into town and go shopping.

Dinner at Zozo's, and it looks like an osso buco kind of night for me.

And a bone for Waggy Maggie.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

March 4th Coming

March 2 today.

March 3 tomorrow.

March 4 Thursday, and M is having a birthday party at Zozo's.

I better get her something.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Did you know?

Did you know that There is an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude or higher only once in every 20 years. An earthquake of 10.0 or greater has never been recorded, but people believe it has happened.