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The Meaning Of Life (Or) Where Is The Closest Thai Food? |
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Monday, 01 September 2008 |
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by D. Cashon Klein
A friend suggested I attend a lecture at the University of South Florida about quantum mechanics. It was free, and three of my friends wished to go. All I had to do was ride along like a dog to the park for a play-date. I refrained from sticking my head out of the window to let the breeze blow my ears and tears back from my face.
There were four of us. David, who I’ve mentioned before, (if you’ve read any of these stories before you lined your bird-cage with them), Nancy, the smartest, yet most innocent person I know, and Bettina, an artist of photography from Hamburg who’s as cute as a speckled pup under a red wagon. Her use of the English language is like a puzzle to decipher. For example, she tried to explain that she was seeking a job more suited to her abilities. She told me, “ I joost must sink around ze corner I guess.” It took me awhile to realize that she meant she needed to think “outside of the box.”
We found the auditorium. We sat in a row… David, Nancy, Bettina and me. David really had no clue about the quantum thing. He only knew that I am desperately trying to bring more positive energy into my life. He’s game when it comes to hanging with the girls. His main concern is who will call or text him on his phone. He does the online dating thing and usually has a couple of irons in the fire. He’s not a player. He is genuinely looking for the one person he’ll be with forever. Unfortunately, he has a teensy problem with communication and punctuality. He will say, “I’ll be at your house in 17 minutes and 37 seconds… maybe 18 minutes and 40 seconds.” The prospective life-long companion is thinking, HUH? One hour later he arrives. I received a picture of a group of us posing together at the Thai temple. David is in the back, looking down at something. He has a blue glow on his face. It occurred to me that he was texting someone! He was texting someone even as we posed for a picture in front of the TEMPLE!
We’re seated in the auditorium and we’re ready for some positive reinforcement from two speakers who we thought would be speaking about positive intention and the measurable effects of it on our lives. They did…sort of. The first speaker asked how many of us were graduate students. About three quarters of the people raised their hands. Then he asked how many specifically had masters or doctorates in physics. Now there were about half as many hands. Then he asked how many had taken ANY physics at all….most of the hands went up. Then he asked, “How many of you have never gone to college or taken any physics?” It was my hand, only mine, that raised up like a wisp of smoke. I felt like a leper.
We listened to an hour of “holographic physics at the micro and macro level.” We heard “extrapolations, and experiments that produced various statistics and the quantification of intention versus attention.” We saw numerous graphs. A woman in front of us nodded knowingly after everything he said. Several people murmured in agreement after specific studies were mentioned. David slept. Nancy listened intently. Bettina sucked on a 24 oz. bottle of water. She’s very health-conscious. Trouble is, the water bottle made a strange collapsing sound when she drank from it. I’m sure there’s a scientific explanation for the expanding and contracting of a plastic bottle when a vacuum is introduced. The woman in front of us, between copious note taking, glanced back in our direction. I sank into my seat, having already identified myself as an imbecile.
Bettina decided it was time for a healthy snack, so she passed three packs of wasabi treats down to us. Wasabi snacks are crunchy things in loud cellophane wrappers. There we were, the four of us, opening loud, plastic bags that crackled every time we dipped into them. We crunched on the treats like hyenas on bones. The woman in front was really twisting her neck to glare at us by this time. I was sure she was going to have a bad case of “irritation-caused -by-ignorant-people-whiplash.” I am, after all, a massage therapist. I know these things.
It was time to ask questions. I wanted to know if the genius boy had been a latchkey child. I wanted to know the difference between MICRO and MACRO. I wanted to know how a device could be random, or if random came before the device. I really, really wanted to know where the ladies room was located.
We decided to go. We were hungry. The snacks were merely a tease. We argued whether the Thai place was on Fletcher or Fowler. I manifested Fletcher in my mind and sure enough, we found the place! Right where I said it would be!
It was closed.
Debbie Cashon Klein is a Safety Harbor resident.
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September 2008 Tide Chart |
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Monday, 01 September 2008 |
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Small Businesses Invited To Lending Fair August 29 |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
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Pinellas County Economic Development is hosting the fourth annual Small Business Lending Fair on Friday, Aug. 29, 2008 at the EpiCenter, 13805 58th Street N., Clearwater.
The event features exhibits by Pinellas County lenders including banks, community lenders and alternative lenders. The Lending Fair assists business owners in identifying capital for business growth and expansion, as well as new business ventures.
Finance counseling and assistance is available through the Pinellas County Business Development Center. Call 727-453-7200 or visit www.pced.org/lendingfair .
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LRMA Co-Hosts ‘Art of Fashion: Black & White And Red All Over?’ |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
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The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in September will co-sponsor a fundraiser with the Harbor Springs Woman’s Club of North Pinellas for the museum’s educational programs.
“Art of Fashion: Black & White & Red All Over?” will be held in the museum 6:30-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008. The event will include a runway show featuring vintage couture and Kitsch fashions from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s; a silent auction and cigar rolling demonstrations.
The cost is $55 in advance and $75 the day of the event. To make reservations or inquire about sponsorship opportunities call 727-712-5222.
The Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art is located just west of U.S. Highway 19 at 600 Klosterman Road, on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. Museum hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tues.-Sat., with extended hours until 9 p.m. on Thursday. Sunday hours are from 1-5 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and free to children and students with ID. Sunday, admission is free and docent tours are offered at 2 p.m.
For information or directions call 727-712-5762. Check out programs, events and exhibitions of the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art at: www.spcollege.edu/museum
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New Owner Of Roll-A-Way Gives Full Credit For ‘Lost’ Shutter Deposits |
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Friday, 22 August 2008 |
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Joan Temerson of Treasure Island thought she’d lost her deposit on hurricane shutters when Roll-A-Way went bankrupt. Her deposit and those of approximately 381 other customers were honored by QMI, the nation’s largest installer of hurricane shutters.
photo for Tropical Breeze courtesy of QMI
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“I thought my deposit of $4,101 was gone and that I would never get my hurricane shutters,” said Joan Temerson of Treasure Island, after she learned last fall that Roll-A-Way had declared bankruptcy.
“Then the new owner of Roll-A-Way’s name and facilities contacted us and agreed to install the shutters for only the balance due on the contract even though they received none of our deposit. Naturally, we were skeptical. Would the shutters be of the same quality as before and would they be properly installed?
“Since we didn’t have to make final payment until the job was done and we were satisfied, we decided to take a chance and go ahead. We made the right decision. The installers were very professional and really nice. We’re delighted with the results.”
Roll-A-Way, with headquarters in St. Petersburg, and offices in Ft. Myers and Oakland Park, filed for bankruptcy in October 2007 after failing to find a buyer for the entire business. In January 2008, a company headquartered in Illinois, Qualitas Manufacturing, Inc. (QMI), purchased substantially all of Roll-A-Way’s assets in a sale through the bankruptcy court, QMI is the largest manufacturer of rolling shutters in the U.S.
“We knew what we were getting into when we bought the Roll-A-Way name and facilities,” said Jim Miller, president of QMI. “We knew that Roll-A-Way had built an outstanding reputation over the years and we did not want to see it diminished because of their inability to meet their obligations to those customers who had given them deposits, which totaled over $3 million.
“We offered customers who had given Roll-A-Way an up-front deposit the opportunity to have their shutters installed at the price previously agreed upon — giving them full credit for their deposit, even though we did not receive the deposit and even though costs of material had risen substantially since the original contracts had been written. Approximately 381 Roll-A-Way customers had lost their deposits. For those customers who took us up on our offer, we are completing all installations in the St. Petersburg area and throughout Florida. This signals our intention to remain the number one supplier of hurricane shutters in the state.
“Moreover, in order to assure new customers that their deposits will not be lost as a result of bankruptcy or any other reason, we are offering new customers the option of putting their deposit in escrow until the work is actually completed,” said Miller.
QMI was established 22 years ago and is the largest manufacturer of rolling shutters in the U.S. QMI is the primary supplier of security shutters for major companies such as Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid and many others. QMI’s hurricane shutters have been installed throughout Florida, the East Coast and the Caribbean. QMI and Roll-A-Way products comply with the Florida Building Code, are approved for use in the Florida Building Code High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ), and are Miami-Dade County approved. Complete information about the company and its products is available at www.QMIUSA.com and www.Roll-A-Way.com
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