Miklb's Mindless Ramblings

I was checking my recent referers, and saw that I had several referals from Seminole Heights Blog, and the discussion of the bay area being “blog capital of Florida”. I rarely discuss Tampa issues, and funny enough, I just came across an article at tbo.com discussing Tampa officials wanting to ease laws regarding gifts of tickets. When I read the article, I almost wrote about it then. But after reading the discussion, I feel I must touch on it.

The article discusses the desire of Iorio and city council members wanting to be allowed to accept tickets that cost more than the $100 that they are currently allowed to accept. And my question is this, what events are you wanting to go to that cost more than $100? The article discusses “community events”, but I’m not aware of these events. If they are fundraisers rather than community events, I would question who is raising the funds, and why exactly do they need the mayor or a city council person there? Iorio discusses a USF game recently. Last time I checked, tickets were less than $100 to the game. Likewise in Dingfelder’s Bucs game issues. Tickets can cost much less than $100. Now, in my humble opinion, if these elected officials want to hang out in a luxury box, and eat a catered meal, drink top-shelf cocktails while watching a football game rather than sit in the seats with those who elected them, then they should pay for the difference out of their pocket. Likewise, if it’s a fundraiser, be it children’s causes or Gasparilla, I’m uncomfortable with event planners being able to bring in the mayor for free, which may be a “selling point” to those wealthy enough to attend. Smells fishy all ready.

Ahh. Red tide, heat indexes of 105º +, rising housing costs, traffic, Jeb Bush…all reasons to hate living in Florida, and Tampa in particular. But this morning, I walked for three hours in waist deep water, watching aquatic life teeming around me, all the while with the “twin cities” of Tampa and St. Petersburg bookending my morning.
Granted, I misapplied my sunscreen, thus I have splotchy red spots, and my fishing partner took home the grand prize of a 24 inch red (drum) fish, however, my world sorta slipped back onto its axis, as I maintained my realization that 5am drunken rooftop parties are no longer for me.
Drop me a contact if you live in the Tampa Bay area and would like to experience the splendor that is Florida land based fishing.

from TBO.comWhere is it that I live again? What the F*Ck are these people doing wasting OUR money on this subject? Fix a frickin’ road, clean up the water, and figure out how to pay our teachers more, when you’ve got all those things taken care, I’ll find more, save your fucking morality policing for your own fat asses.

New York Times
In this cultural wasteland of Outback Steakhouses and strip malls, the “major” museums only seem to make the papers when a city spends millions for an artists rendering and design, only to be scraped. Leave it to an exhibit put together by the curator of the St. Petersburg Mueseum of Fine Art to find its way into the New York Times, of all places. Is it not enough that our local musicians have to move there to get any notice, now our museum exhibits too?

So yesterday I got out to experience the “spring run” of Spanish Mackeral at the old Skyway bridge, now refered to as a fishing pier. Fortunately I was there early, way early, so I had a prime spot, and on the button at 6am I had line in the water, and by 6:05 am I had my first fish. I easily could have simply filled the bucket by 8, but I was trying for some larger fish. The big ones didn’t seem quite as interested in my choice of spoons. Regardless, it was a wonderful day, I learned more about fishing for this species, and look forward to getting out again soon.