Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

I can read it in your comments:

If only there were some way I could tell the world that I read Tampa’s favorite blog.

I know what you are thinking:

A shirt with the right graphic would be the perfect conversation starter in any social situation.

I am well aware of what is missing from your life:

There’s nothing anywhere that says “I am from TAMPA.”

Think no more, folks. We here at Sticks of Fire are here to do your thinking for you. You need one of tommy’s Tampa t-shirts. Check out the sample:

Now wouldn’t that look great on a coffee mug? Or even better on a BBQ apron.

But it doesn’t stop there. Oh, no. You can get the Tampa is… Cuban Sandwiches on a pair of boxer shorts.

Of course, not all of you like the Cuban Sandwich. Some of you think that Tampa is… Pirates. Or Heavy Traffic. Or Strippers.

My brother has created a handful of one-of-a-kind tampa images for you to show off. You really have to see them to get the full effect. Check out the entire lineup of tommy’s Tampa t-shirts, and order your favorite today.

Visit Florida is tasked with encouraging folks from all over the world to come see what we have to offer. The entity is subsidized by the State of Florida because of tourism’s economic impact. Basically, their job is to get more money spent in Florida.

Visit Florida just signed a deal to partner with GroupTravelPlanet.

Never heard of GTP? You can reach GroupTravelPlanet in Sevierville/Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Like most places in the US, Tennessee is somewhere north of Florida. I suppose they couldn’t find any partners within Florida.

All government departments and divisions that are created to increase economic development should be forced to give local businesses first dibs. And this is just the latest example.

Thanks, VFLA! Way to use Floridian taxes to support Tennessee.

My wife and I finally caught up with most of Tampa Saturday night and visited Bodies…The Exhibition at MOSI (quite fascinating, by the way) and I was struck again by something I had noticed during recent visits to both the USF Contemporary Art Museum and the Tampa Museum of Art. Museum patrons need to be a little more courteous to their fellow visitors.

I’m going to come off like a snob, but what I’ve seen in galleries in New York, Paris and others puts our manners to shame. Manners don’t need to be a big city thing. I will freely admit that a lot of the crowding can be pinned on the size of some of our museums (USFCAM certainly doesn’t have the space of the Louvre or the Met), but plenty of the rudeness can be helped. Leaning on a glass case without looking at the contents, listening to the audio tour can be helped. Standing directly in front of the plaque description of a piece so no one else can read it can be helped. Crowding an obviously small hallway just to stare at some photography nudes - geez, if you want to ogle go buy a copy of Maxim. A little consideration can go a long way to helping everyone enjoy the whole experience.

This is Emily Post, signing off.

If you have or know of a teenager interested in art…tell them about “Club Art” It’s a club at the Tampa Museum of Art that meets each Wednesday from 3:30pm - 5:30pm during the school year. It’s free and there is no registration required, all you have to do is drop in. Each week you will meet and work with a different artists, art processes and work with a variety of mediums. For addition information call 813-274-8277.

11/30/05 is with artist Carrie Price on mixed media
12/07/05 is with artist Stacey Rosende on Monoprinting

When you come from a family like mine, you will understand the following statement.

Tommy was off tonight from the band so we went out, like a normal couple.

The first stop was at the FOX on Kennedy. NOT the kind of place I like to go, but because Tommy knew Dallas Upton was filling in for another guy, off we went! After paying our $10 bucks!!! to get in we were told it was standing room only.
Great.

It wasn’t so bad. We stood in front of an open booth and watched a great Jazz band. My favorite player was the sax guy. When the band (Off the Cuff) went on break, Dallas approched us, but first stopped by to talk to Dave McKay and Wade Boggs (apparently some baseball player). Tommy said hi to Dave and since he acted like he knew Dave, Dave acted like he knew him and introduced him (and me) to Wade.

I actually know Dave, kinda. My ex-husband hangs out with him and he recently gave my daughter some concert tix. Once I tried to explain, the meaning was lost. Anyway, all of this got old quick, so we left.

“Where do you want to go?” was the next question. The Silver Dollar Saloon was my response. Why? Because it is a regular down to earth bar where it costs nothing to walk in. So off we went.

We walked in to the Silver Dollar, and immediately ran into two people (one of them my ex-father in law) that also know Dave and Dallas. Small world, huh? We all agreed we would rather be here then at the Fox, and so did Dallas and his brother Gary back at the jazz joint.

We sat and began to drink. The credit machine did not work. Hmmm, not on Kennedy, are we? But all was good - we have some cash left. We ordered the 3rd drink and played some pool with a friend of the ex’s and her new boyfriend. Two drinks later and we were out of cash. But another friend knew this and ordered us another drink. Thanks Jeff, just in case he reads this shit.

Now Tommy says write a Blog, and here it is. My night out with the writer, after several drinks, and the singer, Tommy Duncan. It is interesting if you know us and the people, but boring if you don’t.

Wifey

Okay, that’s a name that won’t stick. But really, the day after Thanksgiving should have it’s own official holiday name.

Personally, I hate crowds. So Happy Hermit Day (I’m not even getting out of my sweats.) Luckily for the stores, I’m not in the majority. Thursday night I saw a report about people spending the night (on concrete!) to be first in line to get into Best Buy Friday morning. TBO.com ran a poll about whether such people are smart or have lost it. At last check, 94% said that people who wait in line all night for a store opening have lost it. But it seems to me that they were running the poll when all the people who would have voted “smart” were out in lines. Not exactly fair. It all points to the fact that there is something noteworthy about this day and “the day after Thanksgiving” doesn’t do it justice.

So what would you name this “holiday?”

I know you’ve already heard about the iPod Flea. Now, go watch the hilarious (and popular) video again, and see if you can tell where it was filmed.

The entire production was done by Oldsmar’s KW Media Group. The great folks at KW are the authority on using Adobe Photoshop, and can teach anyone how to be a pro in a short time. They also produce photoshop-centric Layers Magazine, and recently began photoshoptv – a weekly video podcast about – what else – Photoshop.

Go watch the video again –it’s funny stuff.

This is an opinion piece by the Tribune, but read it for examples on how the HCBOCC conducts simple matters, such as choosing what boards they want to join: Predatory Politics Hurts County. I’m tempted to jump on the ‘let’s have a county mayor‘ bandwagon just because of who the current commissioners are.

Pathetic, really.