The Gospel From SOG City

Today, dear readers, I will share with you - stuff. This is stuff that I know to be true because the Oracle has been there and done that.

1. If a sea cruise vacation is on your bucket list, for heaven's sake spend the extra dollars and book a balcony suite. Trust me on this and you will be thanking me later. For one thing, you get priority boarding and de-boarding (or, is it un-boarding...whatever). There is no waiting in long lines with the great unwashed masses yearning to be annoying. You don't have to arise at zero dark thirty to reserve a deck chair or lounger. You have your own private space with room service and unless you are in port, on the dock side, then clothes are not really that important either.

2. Should you be all atwitter at the thought of seeing the Tampa Bay Rays do whatever it is they do at the Trop, you will be forever grateful for my plea that you book seats at the Whitney Bank Club. There are several reasons for this: Open and bar are two that spring to mind. On the off chance the Rays are going tits-up on the field, you may drown your sorrows at the bar, or have one of the charming servers bring your libations to you if your sorrows are going down for the third time. The food at the early shows (alright, games) is primarily breakfast buffet crap (what's up with that?), but there is a lot of it. And, for the "Thank Gawd for the Whitney" moment, you don't have the bozos with the horns and cowbells sitting behind you begging to be put out of their misery...or yours.

3. If anyone from the Tampa Chamber of Commerce, City Council, Hillsborough County Commission, or private special interest organizations tells you that passing the penny sales tax for "light rail will bring jobs, boost the local economy, improve the quality of life (I love that one) and change the perception of Tampa..." and not provide an accompanying written report on how those goals are to be realized then I suggest that they are full of mierda del toro. I loved the rail system in Germany and think that rail is a great idea as long as there is a P-L-A-N and not just a craving. A light rail proposal that I read about recently excludes Tampa International Airport. How freakin' stupid is that? There are existing tracks in place all over the city and county and I have heard no one addressing how those tracks might be utilized for light rail. This whole light rail scheme reminds me of the person who decided to quit smoking, so he threw away his cigarettes, matches, and lighter...then proceeded to bum smokes and a light from all around him. All he had was a habit that he expected someone else to support.