So after writing the previous blog I became inspired and desired some adventure! I headed out with my new camera and a finely rolled dandy ready for some action! Short lived inspiration as I began to hit old man syndrome and looked at the time and realized it was already 1030 and it was Christmas Eve and I should stay home, but I head out anyways. I drove around a bit looking for a good spot in town, avoiding my original idea of a photo opp up on Fish Ranch Road. Only to delay the inevitable, I gave up almost immediately on staying in town and headed to Concord. Picked up Alicia, all bundled and cute, we crept a little further outta town still shying away from Fish Ranch. We attempted an overhead shot of the traffic over 24 East in Lafayette, but not enough light and well to be honest the scenery was whatev. On top of all that I was paranoid and scared of heights even with the chain link fence. That blasted fence also prevented any potential photos. Not knowing what to do or where to go wondering if I should just head home, I began to just drive and ended up the wrong direction on freeway to be going home so we went with it. Alicia said “Maybe it was supposed to happen,” I agreed it might be meant to be. So onward we headed! Without any effort we were on top of Grizzly Peak overlooking Oakland and San Francisco Bay. Amazing and beautiful, but nothing too magnificent captured from the camera. I looked at the time acting old again and Alicia mentioned being so close to city we might as well…
We continued moving toward San Francisco and I asked Alicia if she had any money for the bridge as our new destination would cost us a ride on the bridge. She found a fresh, crisp $5 in which she had no idea where or how she got it. By this time midnight had passed it was officially Christmas! As we approached the toll, and I attempt to hand the man the money and to my amazement and confusion, he doesn’t take the money and begins talking. This is odd immediately to me as these toll masters never say shit so I think something is wrong with my money or something. To my surprise, he points ahead and says, “They paid for you,” gesturing to the car ahead who I have no idea who they are and had no interaction with. This simple act of kindness on this odd and strange Christmas Eve, now officially Christmas at this time, sealed the deal for the trip was officially meant to happen and be something amazing! We both got new life and energy as this moment so crazy as this must mean something, and was a worthy trip no matter the results of the photos. We drove half way across the bridge to our new destination, Treasure Island, in hopes of capturing something marvelous. I remembered from the festival we attended this place having some pretty good views of the city and the Bay Bridge. When we arrived we saw exactly what we had came for.

Regardless of any photos or pictures, I just felt the need to get out and do something for myself. I had nothing going on and I wanted some adventure, so we hit the streets. I had a wonderful time and I’m ready for Christmas. Goodnight.

San Francisco Examiner covers Treasure Island. Check out link:

http://www.sfexaminer.com/opinion/columns/oped_contributors/79878212.html

I truly wish for the sake of all San Franciscans, that there was a good, honest and realistic development project forthcoming for Treasure Island.

As the former Executive Director for Treasure Island, I was exposed to certain realities regarding the intricacies and complexities of any development relating to that Island, and I will share a few of them with you below.

1. With a current City budget deficit approaching $600 million dollars thanks to the mismanagement of this administration and this Board of Supervisors, where is the quoted $105 million dollars going to come from to supposedly pay for the project?

2. Even if the true cost was only $105 million dollars, why are we now paying that amount for only 450 acres of the total 550 acres available that we could have had for nothing five years ago when there was a much stronger and more expensive real estate market, and with none of the major problems being resolved? (And surprise – who benefits from the control and development of the remaining 100 acres that the City does not buy?)

3. In this latest fantasy scheme, the Mayors office says that the Navy has agreed to do the toxic cleanup. Any novice base re-use developer knows that the navy will only clean up according to federal standards, and not to State or local requirements that are much more stringent and many times the cost of federal standards. This alone will add tens of millions of costs to S. F. taxpayers.

4. Treasure Island is man-made of seismically unsafe toxic landfill 8 to 15 feet deep and sits on top of one of the strongest quake fault lines in the State. The cost to taxpayers to stabilize the perimeter of the Island and to eliminate the present rate of “sinking” will be in the hundreds of millions of dollars and has been documented in multiple in-depth studies commissioned by the Treasure Island Development Authority. Without the proper seismic stabilization, soil remediation and toxic cleanup, how is the Island going to support the three 60 story high rises, 6000 new homes and commercial center, or the 40 acre organic garden that this mayor is dreaming of?

5. The partners quoted in the development scheme are Wilson Meany Sullivan, a planning and development firm that I assume will want to get paid for their work, and Lennar Corp. and Kenwood Investments, two corporations that I believe are experiencing solvency problems of late.

Why would this happen, you might ask? What interest would the mayor’s office have in operating a failed development like Treasure Island? The answer is simple: smoke and mirrors. A quick-fix poster board attempt to win image. It looks good. That is, before actual analysis.

I think what we have here is an example of Gavin Newsom once again exploiting the issue and selling out the City’s best interests in order to boost his rapidly declining poll numbers.

The only entity that makes out under this scheme, if it indeed will ever happen, is the Navy who has nothing to lose. My advice to this mayor is go back and see if you have any political donors left that you can coerce into a “sweetheart deal” so that you can continue to keep the “Treasure Island Fantasy” alive until you are finally out of office.

Hi,

Apologies for the layout and the delay in posting I have just become a new Dad and this as you can imagine has taken up all my time. I have posted here the very best offers that are available in Las Vegas, these offers are available for anyone, almost all are fully refundable so if the rate drops after you book you call the hotel and they will adjust your rate. Look for the great rates at the new and amazing Aria and Vdara, if you want free buffet passes look at MGM and both Excalibur and Luxor have rates that allow up to 4 in the room with no extra charges. Happy Holidays. – Simon

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If you haven’t seen the news about Treasure Island yet, highlights from the San Francisco Chronicle:

Mayor Gavin Newsom struck a deal Wednesday with the U.S. Navy to transfer Treasure Island to San Francisco for a $55 million guaranteed payment over several years. Additional considerations could make the package worth more than $105 million to the federal government.

…

The mayor and local congressional leaders hailed the agreement as an economic boon that will create badly needed jobs after years of talks.

…

The planned development would transform an isolated patch of flat land with sweeping city views into a neighborhood with 6,000 homes, a gleaming 60-story high-rise and a new commercial town center – all with a goal of being the most environmentally friendly development in the country.

There would be at least six residential towers, a new ferry terminal, organic farm and 300 acres of open space. The plan is to build housing through private and public financing. Lennar Urban, the developer reshaping the city’s southeastern waterfront around Hunters Point, and multiple partners will stake $500 million, with the city providing an additional $700 million in bond money financed by property taxes collected once the development is completed. The initial $1.2 billion will pay for the project’s infrastructure and some of the housing.

The site has unique challenges, though. It’s largely on seismically unsafe landfill and could flood if sea levels rise.

…

San Francisco will pay $55 million over several years, plus $50 million that both sides described as an interim payment…

Even while San Francisco moves ahead with its base redevelopment plans, Alameda will be still deciding “will we or won’t we” come February 2nd when we vote up or down on Measure B.   Comparing the two projects, at least the residential portion of the two projects because Treasure Island is not focusing heavily on commercial/office development, the two essentially have the same sort of focus:

1. Transit oriented development
2. Higher density around transportation hubs and then the density reduces the farther away from the transportation hub, in both cases the ferry is the major transportation hub.
3. Assume population that will self-select and appreciate the benefits and tradeoffs to living on the site.

For more information about the two projects, I uploaded video in April of a presentation given to the City Council by a Treasure Island representative detailing the project and the question and answers from the Council.  Ironically, Doug deHaan lauded the Treasure Island project as “impressive” (around 5:10 into the video) when it doesn’t differ a whole lot from the SunCal plan for Alameda Point.   Minus, of course, the high rises (40-60 story) that is an integral part of the Treasure Island project, but I can’t imagine that is the reason why Doug deHaan likes the Treasure Island project but not the Alameda Point one.

Of course, it would probably help if folks who have decided to come out against the project and write letters in the newspaper against the project understood what actually is happening.   The most recent contribution in the Alameda Journal assumes that if the SunCal plan is passed that somehow the VA plan (hospital and columbarium) cannot exist.   Except for the tiny little detail that the VA plan was never supposed to exist on any portion of the land that is in question here.   The VA wants land that is located within the Wildlife Refuge (not part of the property to be transferred) to build their hospital and columbarium.  From my understanding, it would be cost prohibitive for the VA to attempt to site the hospital on the Wildlife Refuge land, including bringing infrastructure out there and  SunCal has actually acknowledged that they would be interested in siting the VA hospital as part of the Alameda Point parcel.  So the whole  device of pitting veterans against the big bad developer is either (1) not understanding how everything has shaken out between the Navy, City, and other federal agencies or (2) deliberately obfuscating.

And as to the concern that the EIR is being conducted after the vote, blame that on the City Council folks who voted to place the initiative on the ballot at a special election even though it was highly speculative that they were required to do so.   And even if the “EIR goes against SunCal” it’s not just a slam dunk that’s it.   Simply because issues are identified as an “environmental impact” doesn’t mean that a project is dead in the water if impacts exist, just an acknowledgement that there are impacts.  And dealing with those impacts is a matter of negotiation between the city and the developer.   Just because people throw around terms like EIR doesn’t mean that people understand what the hell it actually means.

Anyway, for more info about the Treasure Island project which has taken a giant leap forward that hopefully we will match come February, watch.  t’s actually quite interesting if you have the time.

Four chapters of what the author – one ‘Jim Hawkins’ – claims to be a genuine account of his further encounters with the legendary pirate ‘Long’ John Silver have been found in The Shetland Islands. After examination by the proper authorities they will be posted here for your interest and comment.

last week i did a photoshoot on treasure island. it was a bit cold, but other than that it was really fun to explore the island and all of the abandoned buildings.

We’ve been going back and forth on booking for Vegas this weekend, and after deciding we wanted something with certain ameneties we booked a couple nights at T.I. The reason we chose this hotel had nothing to do with the hotel itself and a lot more to do with the services we could get at a reduced rate as part of the online purchase. And for those who live in a cave, booking directly through the hotel is always more expensive than booking through Expedia or Orbitz… but not necessarily Hotwire, whose bait-and-switch online scheme we’ll get to in a minute.

Because the cost saved using the hotel’s promotions was greater than the cost lost by booking directly through them, we booked the hotel and purchased the various packages we wanted… tickets to Mystere, massages, etc. All of this purchased online while booking the room. And because the online system specifically asks you for dates of the amenities they’re selling you, I had this crazy assumption that those services were not only offered, but available as well. I was wrong. When I called to set up the appointment I learned that the “2 tickets for $99″ promotion for Mystere actually wasn’t really but kind of sorta part of our booking but that the tickets were actually more like two for $109 and that we hadn’t really purchased them because their online system is a joke and didn’t charge us for the tickets (we hope) and that we would need to just go ahead and book those on our own. Whatever. But when the woman at their spa informed me that they “probably won’t be open those dates” I became a little irritable.

Riddle: What has 2,885 rooms and doesn’t honor its promotions?

I decided to cancel the room. Why pay mini-bar prices at a place that doesn’t even have a mini-bar? Or a spa. Or integrity. Or a few bucks to change their sign.

But before I could cancel the room I needed to book another room. And having just booked our room at Treasure Island, I browsed around until my head hurt and I couldn’t think anymore. So I decided to use Hotwire.

Hotwire, for those who’ve never used their service, is a travel booking website which books room rates at a supposed discount… but there’s a catch. You don’t know where you’re booking. You can tell Hotwire what you’re looking for and it will kind of give you an idea as far as quality and amenities, but the hotel you’re booking isn’t actually revealed until after you’ve paid for your room. And also, you can’t cancel. You trade choice and the ability to back out for a really sweet deal. Or so the myth goes.

I browsed around their vague hotel descriptions, and after getting a bit of a sense for price selected one of the mystery hotels and charged up the ol’ credit card.

Riddle: What has 2,885 rooms and costs more through Hotwire?

Yes, Hotwire gave us the hotel we had already booked. However, because we had just booked through the hotel for the same dates just moments prior this gives everyone an incredible opportunity to see exactly what amazing savings Hotwire provides in exchange for essentially leaving the comfort of your hard-earned vacation in their filthy little con-artist hands.

Treasure Island, booked through the actual fucking hotel with no discount…

$136.87

Treasure Island, booked through Hotwire’s discounted smoke-and-mirrors “Hot Rate”  just minutes later…

$146.32

WHAAA????

I called Hotwire’s Customer Service, expecting that whoever answered the phone would show at least a tiny bit of humiliation. I was wrong. “Hotel rates change fast,” she assured me, not seeming to understand that I was actually paying more through Hotwire’s racket. “As rooms book up they become more expensive.”

Good point. However, giving Hotwire the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that in the minutes between both bookings a number of rooms were suddenly scooped up for one of the slowest weekends in Vegas, the discount should at the very least cover that rise in price. At worst I could see the two leveling out. But actually paying more through Hotwire?

I pressed a little harder. Having the documentation in hand to prove my claim, the Customer Service rep went ahead and checked on the hotel’s website. Sure enough, Hotwire was charging us more than the hotel.  Which she admitted. And in exchange for our conceding our choice in hotel, being locked into a booking with no possibility to cancel, and catching them bloody red handed ripping us off, we were offered a refund of $14.80. In total, that amounts to a few measly dollars below what we had paid to book on the hotel’s website. And they still wouldn’t offer us the option to cancel. Unbe-fuckin-lievable.

Had we not had the one-in-a-thousand shot of having booked the very same hotel at the same time we never would have known they were ripping us off. What’s more, we don’t even want to stay here. What we’ve traded in choice as well as flexibility amounted to a “Hot Rate” discount of about 1 percent. Pathetic.

Folks, if you learn nothing from my blog (which you won’t), take away this one lesson: Never use Hotwire. Ever. They’re a bunch of cock whisperers.

More over-$10m home sales in Jan-Oct than in previous four years

Although it was named for the adventure book, Treasure Island at Golden Gate Bridge was built as a site for another 1939 World’s Fair (besides New York’s)  around the bridge after it was built. After the fair, the island became a US Navy Air Base. In the 21st Century, it is becoming a Special Events island, tourist spot, and high quality residential area. 

The island has its own zip code (94130)  and the Navy is turning over everything progressively to the businesses  and public that live on the island.  Many new homes are under construction as well. Jobs are available in Information Technology/Computers with the Federal agencies still on island, Teaching with the renowned charter school in construction and conversation areas, Accounting, Business Management and Analysis, Financial Advising, and others.  See the information at:

Hot Jobs on Treasure Island

Can bank robbers graduate from high school?

They can if they attend John Muir Charter School in San Francisco on Treasure Island. It all turns out to be somewhat of a miracle.

Kids that have committed crimes and become hooked on meth can turn their lives around for themselves and their own tiny children (some are teen parents) in this high school for people ages 16 – 24 that need a second chance in San Francisco.  The school has been a success since 2005 and looks to become even more successful under the administration of  – you guessed it – a former bank robber. find out more at:

John Muir Charter School on Treasure Island

Thanks for clicking on the poll – which I’ll be taking down shortly. If it can be believed, 116 students, or nearly 7% of those enrolled on this course, have looked at this blog in November*.  Thank you for your support and helpful comments. And here’s a big welcoming wave to the 5 potential students – move to Derby then sign up next year to keep up student numbers in my area, please!

I am practically invisible to tutor colleagues. But they’re not searching for help with their TMAs, are they? One of the features of a wordpress blog is information about ’search terms’ that have brought searchers here. I’ve put current ones in today’s title and I’ll let you know if the blog’s hit rate rockets

If I’ve tempted you here unfairly, here’s the sensible general help with OU assignments.  But the search terms might also have helped you find relevant articles: a search on google for  ‘Treasure Island’ and ‘ideology’  found  this one about how Jim has to leave domesticity to enjoy (and endure) romance in Treasure Island; and using ‘Alcott’ and ‘gender’  via the OU Library>online databases>Academic Search Complete turned up this on how the home is a ‘training ground for social behaviour’ where  ‘resentful little women’ learn the happiness of becoming ‘appropriately classed and gendered’.

The second article is a harder read than the first, I think; but both model exemplary behaviour by using close reference to the set texts.

*125 students, out of some 1700, when I closed the poll on 1 December.

This weekend I read.  A lot.  All day Saturday I read (and finished at last) Little Women.  Then Sunday, I had to get through the whole of Treasure Island.  The thought of spending a whole day reading and getting nothing else done made me feel slightly panicky (have you seen my to do list?) so I bought the audio book from iTunes and started sewing while listening.

First I made a sock toy to go in a shoebox for Rotary.

Then I finally finished the first felt Christmas ornament ( having bought the pack October last year).

I have even made a start on the second one – the ice skate.  This is what it will look like when finished – in theory at least:

Only one and a half to go on the 2008 pack and then all three of the 2009 pack to go!

Incidentally, I thoroughly enjoyed Treasure Island – very exciting indeed!  Now I just have to get the essay written.  Bah.

I have a lot of writing to do this weekend so that I can try for the first time in my sorry life to write a damned essay before the final due date day.  The essay is due on Thursday but I will have a busy week this week and I do not want a repeat of last time since I made myself miserable.  So, we have a free weekend (except for lunch with friends tomorrow) and I intend to use it wisely.  I have a lot of reading to get done this weekend.  I have to finish the set books for my course: Little Women (American version including Good Wives – I am less than half-way through Good Wives) and Treasure Island – I have read most of the introduction and that is all!.  I really enjoyed Little Women but I am finding Good Wives harder to stomach – whilst I appreciate that it was written in a different time, the way women and their lives are depicted sticks in my teeth and the March’s so-called charity is plain condescension.  Having said that, I would probably be enjoying it more if I were reading it purely for pleasure.  I had read all the Little Women series before but I don’t really remember much.  However, I have never read Treasure Island so I am interested to see what I make of it.  The essay will be looking at how Alcott and Stevenson depict their characters growing up (unless I decide to choose the other question which I cannot remember right now!).

The cozy Mist Lounge in Las Vegas, located just off the Treasure Island casino floor, has closed awhile back, ending its memorable six-year run.   Now, a new nightclub and restaurant is planned in its space. 

The Lounge has been sold back to former Frontier, now TI (Treasure Island) owner Phil Ruffin, who plans to create his hallmark sawdust-on-the-floor country nightclub Gilley’s at TI in the former Mist Lounge space. 

TI Vice President of Hotel Sales & Marketing Don Voos confirms that Mist will indeed become home to the rebirth of the nostaligic, countrified Gilley’s Saloon– with a little help from its neightbor, Pizzeria Francesco’s that will be demolished  and merged in with the new space. 

“We will be building a new Gilley’s Saloon & BBQ restaurant,” says Voos.

It Begins: “Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey, and the rest of these gentlemen having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treasure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17– and go back to the time when my father kept the “Admiral Benbow” inn and the brown old seaman with the sabre cut first took up his lodging under our roof.”

And it Ends with: “The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that I know, where Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen and wainropes would not bring be back again to that accursed island; and the worst dreams that ever I have are when I hear the surf booming about its coasts or start upright in bed with the sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: “Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!”

It is 191 pages and it took me 16 days.

I would recommend this book to every male I know. And females can read it too. I emphasized the ‘male’ audience because Stevenson himself said he wrote the tale for boys.  The ideal audience for this book, in my humble opinion, would be boys 14 and older. That is only because some of the paragraphs seem to throw me off of what is happening. At these times you need to read with faith, because 3 sentences down the page it’ll all make sense.

What I got out of this book is a lot of enjoyment and an increased suspicion of all men with a wooden leg. It is a great story and a classic for a reason. I also love the way it is written. The sentences describe more than the words they are made of… similar to the words ’splash’ and ‘goo’. Treasure Island has everything that makes a great tale great: adventure, a goal, good versus evil, death, lots of different characters, excitement, deception, battles, and an underlying morality. This book also gives me a proper basis to judge all of the pirate stories and TV shows that I grew up on. I fully agree that this is a book that every man should read. And I’ll probably read it again.

I’m glad there were pirates in history because I really didn’t want to be a clown on Halloween as a kid.

note: whoever said ” Those who live by the swordfish  die by the swordfish” must have been talking to someone called “Fish“.

double note: I haven’t heard of too many people  being attacked by swords recently … there must have been a government crackdown on that or something.

triple note: I used to think it was “Pontius the Pirate” when I was a kid.

quadruple note:   wordpress  is having a video contest for things people are thankful for. I don’t have a video camera to be thankful for this year, but …
I thought I’d just throw some things I’m thankful for out there.

.

notes to myself #69

The first professional play you see is “Treasure Island” in Vancouver. It blows your little mind … and is probably the reason you wear a pirate costume every year on Halloween.

The boy is tied to Long John Silver with a rope and they are trudging through the island in search of the treasure. I am still not sure who’s side everybody is on. If there even are ’sides’. It’s more like a mobius strip. As time goes on, the people on different sides end up on the same and vic versa. Whatever. The story’s great and I have some hunches as to what’s going to happen with the characters and the treasure.

Thanksgiving’s tomorrow. So give thanks and get full. I know I will. I’m also hoping to have a bit more luck deer hunting this weekend. But even if I don’t, I will have learned atleast one thing. Sitting in the woods all by yourself is more fun when you have a gun.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here’s a list of places:

November 27, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY – Crossbreed, 16 Second Stare, Human Factors Lab, Rise 2 Brutality. Doors open at TBA. Show starts at TBA. Cover $TBA. The club is at 4331 U.S. 19. Call 727-843-0686 or visit www.clubbourbonstreet.com.

DUNEDIN – Kenny McGee Band, 9:30 p.m., at Cricketers, 2634 Bayshore Blvd., Dunedin. Call 736-1322 or visit www.cricketerspub.com.

DUNEDIN – John Q., 9 p.m. The brewery is at 937 Douglas Ave. Call 736-0606 or visit www.dunedinbrewery.com.

LARGO – Ska Fest, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Gasoline Alley Cafe, 14042 66th St., Largo. Cover $6. For more information, call 532-0265 or visit www.GasAlleyRocks.com.

TREASURE ISLAND – Carlos & Joe, 6 to 10 p.m.; Exit 28, 10 p.m. to close, at Gators, 12754 Kingfish Drive. Call 727-367-8951 or visit www.gatorscafe.com.

ST. PETE BEACH – Wellstrung, 2 to 7:30 p.m.; Cellfish, 7:30 to 1 a.m., at Jimmy B’s, 6200 Gulf Blvd. Call 367-1902 or visit www.beachcomberflorida.com/entertainment.asp.

TREASURE ISLAND – Liz & Lisa, 6 p.m., at Sloppy Joe’s, 10650 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island. Call 727-367-1600 or visit www.sloppyjoesonthebeach.com.

CLEARWATER – Doug Wilson on the deck, 6 p.m.; Jazz with On Que Players, 8:30 p.m., at SouthBeach Grill, 731 Bayway Blvd., Clearwater. Call 727-446-8809 or visit www.southbeach-grill.com.

CLEARWATER – TBA, 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., 1915 N. Hercules Ave. Call 442-0812 or visit www.twobuks.com.

PALM HARBOR – Open Mic Jam Night, 8 to 11 p.m., Witch’s Brew, 1219 C Florida Ave., Palm Harbor. Call 727-483-9210 or visit www.thewitchsbrew.com.

November 28, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY – Tenspoke Indies Reunion with guests 3 Green Windows, Beyond Ariose, Sisemore, Yoshi Gish. Doors open at 7 p.m. Show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets $7 in advance; $10 at the door. The club is at 4331 U.S. 19. Call 727-843-0686 or visit www.clubbourbonstreet.com.

DUNEDIN – Full Fledged Unit, 9:30 p.m., at Cricketers, 2634 Bayshore Blvd., Dunedin. Call 736-1322 or visit www.cricketerspub.com.

DUNEDIN – Swamp Logic, 9 p.m. The brewery is at 937 Douglas Ave. Call 736-0606 or visit www.dunedinbrewery.com.

LARGO – Global Decay, Kronic Disorder, Psyco Tribe, Shadows of Statue, 8 p.m., at Gasoline Alley Cafe, 14042 66th St., Largo. Cover $6. For more information, call 532-0265 or visit www.GasAlleyRocks.com.

TREASURE ISLAND – Carlos & Joe, 1 to 5 p.m.; Exit 28, 10 p.m. to close, at Gators, 12754 Kingfish Drive. Call 727-367-8951 or visit www.gatorscafe.com.

ST. PETE BEACH – Motel Funk, 2 to 7:30 p.m.; Basic Rock Outfit, 7:30 to 1 a.m., at Jimmy B’s, 6200 Gulf Blvd. Call 367-1902 or visit www.beachcomberflorida.com/entertainment.asp.

TREASURE ISLAND – Brad Ashby, 6 p.m., at Sloppy Joe’s, 10650 Gulf Blvd., Treasure Island. Call 727-367-1600 or visit www.sloppyjoesonthebeach.com.

CLEARWATER – On Que Players, 9 p.m., at SouthBeach Grill, 731 Bayway Blvd., Clearwater. Call 727-446-8809 or visit www.southbeach-grill.com.

ST. PETERSBURG – Wholly Cats, 1492 Fourth St. N. Call 895-2049 or visit www.threebirdstavern.com.

CLEARWATER – Cadillac Bombers, 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., 1915 N. Hercules Ave. Call 442-0812 or visit www.twobuks.com.

SAFETY HARBOR – Greg West, 7 to 10 p.m., at Whistle Stop Grill & Bar, 915 Main St., Safety Harbor. Call 727-726-1956 or visit www.whistlestopgrill.com.

PALM HARBOR – Gary Rhodes, 8 to 11 p.m., Witch’s Brew, 1219 C Florida Ave., Palm Harbor. Call 727-483-9210 or visit www.thewitchsbrew.com.

November 29, 2009

CLEARWATER – Big Rich, 7 to 11 p.m., in the lounge of Watercolours Steakhouse & Grille at the Marriot on Sand Key, 1201 Gulf Blvd., Clearwater. Call 727-953-1661 or visit www.watercolourgrille.com.

CLEARWATER – Music on the deck, 6 p.m. at SouthBeach Grill, 731 Bayway Blvd., Clearwater. Call 727-446-8809 or visit www.southbeach-grill.com.

ST. PETE BEACH – Spy vs Spy, 2 to 7:30 p.m.; Stormbringer, 7:30 to 11:30 p.m., at Jimmy B’s, 6200 Gulf Blvd. Call 367-1902 or visit www.beachcomberflorida.com/entertainment.asp.

TREASURE ISLAND – Carlos & Joe, 1 to 5 p.m.; Shaka, 5 to 9 p.m., at Gators, 12754 Kingfish Drive. Call 727-367-8951 or visit www.gatorscafe.com.

DUNEDIN – TBA, 6 p.m. The brewery is at 937 Douglas Ave. Call 736-0606 or visit www.dunedinbrewery.com.

Oh to be in Minnesota, to browse the Treasure Island Illustrated Editions Collection.  However you can click here for three internal illustrations for an 1885 edition. Below there are some covers.  Hover over for dates and illustrators, where I could identify them. The first, 1883 image, is only tiny – see it better here.

Jim Hawkins is turning out to be quite the young buccaneer. He’ll fight/kill when need be and he has the courage to command a ship of the enemy.

This story has just taken a turn that has me sitting up and reading long beyond when I’d like to already be asleep. There’s just no telling who you can trust. People keep dying and the distinction between good guys and bad guys is about as clear as the dark ale I’m drinking. Haven’t found the treasure yet though… if it even exists.

I’ve got 40 pages left so I may stay up tonight and plow through it. I’m only be working a half day tomorrow so it won’t be too big of a deal if I’m a bit tired. And besides, nobody goes to work on the day before Thanksgiving anyway. Well, except the poor college kids.

Based on the molecular theories of DNA construction, Amulets by Merlin has created a line of jewelry harnessing the double helix motif. Instead of using the classic construction of sugars and phosphate groups joined by ester bonds, the pendant, bracelet and earrings are made of silver (or gold if you prefer). Using the classic shape of the balls and rods, the pendant is over two inches long with the pattern moving up over the bail; the earrings resemble icicles tapering down fro the ear and the bracelet is created with tiny interlocking hinges allowing it to flow over supply over your wrist.

DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints, recipe, or code, containing instructions needed to assemble other components of cells. Metaphorically DNA may also be considered as a way to keep and transmit information or perhaps messages in small and compact places.

Dina Emerson’s nickname is DNA and upon commissioning a ring for her partner we developed a DNA ring. Originally intended as a “one of a kind ring” for her “one of a kind Bo” but we thought it an interesting idea to extend the ring into a full line of jewelry. A new ring design for public release is forth-coming.

Dina is a Force of Nature with the Art of the Theater: on and off stage she blends into the fabric of Cirque du Soleil’s Mystère as if conjuring the images with her voice.
Twice nightly she sings mezzo-soprano across the theaters of Treasure Island in Las Vegas and the miracle of Mystère manifests fresh as an opening night. She is accompanied by the beautiful Silje-Marie Norderhaug who carries the soprano.

With the blessings of Dina Emerson, Amulets by Merlin now presents a full line of jewelry: the DNA Sequence: pendant, earrings and bracelet. Perfect for Microbiologists and other folks who work with the tiny encoders.