Play It Again, Sam

Back in the day, I used to play in a band and those days proved to be a lot fun and a great introduction to the social scene. I never made a lot of money, but I made a living. More importantly, I met  a lot of great musicians who I observed and learned from.

The night life was the best, especially for a single man. It was a period that I was still unsure of the path I wanted to take in life, so I just enjoyed myself.

One thing I quickly learned that there was an abundance of really good musicians in Miami, but that didn't necessarily mean success. Talent is a must, but without a break or good luck, chances are you'll remain talented but unknown.

I can't begin to tell you how many great and talented musicians in Miami are relatively unknown, yet any number of them are much more talented than a lot of the "successful" bands and singers that you might see or hear on television.

Yep, it's great to be good but sometimes it's better just to be lucky.....
  

On A Sad Note: Eddie Rhodes, renowned entertainer, businessman and friend, recently passed away. Eddie was a member of the Fabulous Rhodes Brothers, a musical group which I fondly remember being entertained by on many occasions. Rest in peace, my friend.

The News As I See It: On Halloween night, I had a trick-or-treater tonight who stood outside on my porch for an hour, didn't ring the bell, didn't knock on the door. I said, "Who are you supposed to be?" He said, "I'm an undecided voter." Later, I answered the door again and there was a kid lying on the porch. He was playing dead. I said, "What are you supposed to be?" He said, "The economy."

Former FEMA director Michael Brown, who was forced to resign after Hurricane Katrina, has criticized the president. He said Obama may have acted too quickly this time, instead of taking the wait-and-do-nothing approach that worked so well during Katrina.

Obama canceled the annual White House Halloween party. He didn’t want to - he just didn’t want to risk a trick-or-treater asking him a question about Libya.

Economists say rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy will give the ailing construction industry a huge boost. In fact, the storm has already created more jobs than Obama.

Mayor Bloomberg announced that all cars coming into New York City via the bridge must have a minimum of three people in them. Unless one of the people is very fat — in which case, two people, but no large sodas.

During the storm, a tree hit Lindsay Lohan's family home in Long Island. But they think it was just nature getting back at her for all the trees she ran into with her car.

Today is the third day of November, which means the election will soon be over. Then we can finally get started on the recount. There's talk about making Election Day a national holiday so people have more time to vote. I think people are so sick of this election, they should make the day after Election Day the holiday.

A 108-year-old-woman in South Carolina just voted for the first time. She voted for Eisenhower, but still, good for her.

This Date In History: 1889; North Dakota and South Dakota became the 39th and 40th states, respectively. 1947; Howard Hughes flew the Spruce Goose on its first and only flight.

1948; Harry S. Truman defeated Thomas E. Dewey to the surprise of pollsters and newspapers, in the greatest presidential upset in history. 1959; Twenty-One game show contestant Charles Van Doren admitted that he had been given questions and answers in advance.

1976; Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford, becoming the first U.S. president from the deep South since the Civil War. 1984; Velma Margie Barfield, a convicted murderer became the first woman to be executed since capital punishment was reinstated in 1976.

Picture Of The Day: How cute is this?

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) I'll be honest with you, a lot of today's jokes have been re-gifted. 2) Negligent (adj.), is a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown. 3) Pedro, a musician friend of mine, never was much of a success playing the flamenco tuba. 4) My superpower is being able to stop even the most basic piece of technology from working. 5) Last winter in Miami was the warmest that I can remember. I don't know if that is a sign of global warming or Old Timer's disease.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Scorpio - November 2nd: What you hear and what was said may differ today, so be aware of your failing hearing. The odds are that you'll see something today that you physically and desperately desire. Be careful as to how you try to attain it. Remember what happened the last time..... 

Birthdays: Jean-Baptiste-Simeon Chardin, painter 1699, George Boole, mathematician 1734, Daniel Boone, frontiersman 1734, Marie Antoinette, queen of France 1755, James Knox Polk, 11th president of the United States 1795, Warren G. Harding, 29th president of the United States 1865, Carlos Bulosan, writer 1911, Burt Lancaster actor 1913, K.D. Lang, singer 1961.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: She married and had 6 children. Her husband died. She married again and had 4 more children. Again, Her husband died. But, she remarried and this time had 2 more children. Alas, she finally died.

Standing before her coffin, the preacher prayed for her. He thanked the Lord for this very loving woman and said, "Lord, they're finally together."

One mourner leaned over and quietly asked her friend, "Do you think he means her first, second or third husband?" The friend replied, "I think he means her legs."

A man was walking into the hospital for a routine examination the other day. Just as he reached the main entrance, another man, who had just exited the hospital, keeled over on the sidewalk. The first man ran towards the second and noticed that he was obviously dead.

The man rushed into the hospital, grabbed the first doctor that he could find, and screamed, "Doctor, Doctor!! A man just walked out of the hospital and dropped dead on the sidewalk!! What should I do?"

The doctor thought about this dilemma for a few moments, then suggested, "Spin him around. Make it look like he was coming in."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: An old man goes into his doctors office for an annual physical. After a while, the doctor comes out and says, "I'm sorry Bill, but we have discovered you have a condition which only allows you another 6 weeks to live." Bill replied, "But doctor, I feel great. I haven't felt better in years. This just can't be true. Isn't there anything I can do?"

After a moment the doctor said, "Well, you might start going down the street to that new health spa and take a mud bath every day." Excitedly Bill asked, "And that will cure me?" The doctor replied, "No, but it will get you used to the dirt."

A guy walks into a doctors office with a 5 iron wrapped around his neck and 2 black eyes. The doctor asked, "What happened to you?" The guys says, "Well it all started when my wife and I were golfing and by accident she hit the ball into a cow field."

He continued, "When we went to investigate, I saw the ball in a cow's ass. I went and lifted the tail of the cow and that's when I made my mistake." The doctor looked puzzled and asked, "What mistake was that?" The guy said, "I told her, 'Hey this looks like yours hun!'"

A farmer goes in 50-50 with a friend to buy a bull so he can increase his stock. A couple of weeks later the friend comes by to see how his investment is doing. The farmer complains that the bull just eats grass and won't look at the cows. His friend suggests that a veterinarian have a look at the bull.

The following week, his friend returns to see if the vet helped. The farmer looks delighted. He said, "The bull has taken care of all my cows, broke through the fence and has even serviced all my neighbor's cows!"

His friend, "Wow! What did the vet do to that bull?" The farmer said, "He just gave him some pills." His friend asked, "What kind of pills?" The farmer said, "I don't know, but they sort of taste like peppermint."

That's it for today, my little jelly beans. Remember, if you’re having second thoughts, you’re two ahead of most people. It's a good night to head over to AREA 51 for drinks and some fun. That's it for now. Have a great weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !