Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

I guess there have been a significant number of TV ads, but the substantial advantage Charlie Crist has over Jim Davis in campaign money seems to be most manifest in billboards.

In the New Tampa/University where I spend most of my time, little billboards seem to be popping up everywhere. It’s as if they are no longer asking us to vote for Charlie Crist, but for a well-groomed, smiling Charlie Army.

Well, here’s the general - an estimated 90-foot high Crist sign on the Franklin Exchange Building.

If you’re thinking that sounds like a code violation, you’re absolutely right. If you’re thinking it’s a simple matter of enforcing the law and taking the sign down, you don’t know political campaigns.

“We are going to cite the building owner and give them 30 days in which to move it,” Curtis Lane, Tampa’s code enforcement director, said Monday with a chuckle. “You know why I’m laughing, right?”

Because the election is 15 days away.

If you’re thinking The Wilson Company, the company that owns the building, is working the system to help out their candidate, you might be right.

Though I could not find any contributions made directly to the Charlie Crist campaign, Wilson Co. CEO Carolyn Wilson gave the Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign $2,000 in July 2003. Her late husband and former CEO Jack Wilson contributed $1000 to the Bush campaign in 2000, as well as $13,500 in various contributions to the Republican Party of Florida. It’s easy to assume that this trend towards GOP support could mean support for Crist (one odd monkey wrench - Jack Wilson also donated to Democrats Bill Nelson and Jim Davis - Crist’s gubernatorial opponent - in the 2000 cycle).

At this point my biggest concern is what’s physically behind that sign - the Crist sign is covering the colorful gecko mural that adorns the building. I happen to really like that gecko. All the more reason to look forward to the end of this year’s election cycle.

That’s after we all go out and vote, of course.

***cross-posted at In Theory***

Vilmar of Right Wing Howler will almost certainly never be invited to speak at USF’s University Lecture Series.

Then why should Ann Coulter be asked to speak?

On the surface there are many similarities between the two. The political ideologies are nearly identical. Both are often accused of near or outright bigotry.

The students who are protesting Coulter’s invitation are not infringing upon her freedom to speak; they are upset that their own tuition was spent on bringing her to USF. I admire this active interest, but I can only hope that every one of those protesters is registered to vote and is planning on exercising that right next month. That would be a far more effective and fair expression of their opinion.

The next speaker in the University Lecture Series is Aaron McGruder, writer of the comic The Boondocks. I’ve heard many conservatives direct a lot criticism towards McGruder, even some accusations of bigotry. His appearance, like Coulter’s, will be paid for by student tuition.

The USF student body is made up of countless political viewpoints, including those that might find McGruder much more offensive than Coulter. That the ULS has booked these two speakers back to back shows me that a concerted effort was made for balance. USF was not afraid to court controversy, but it was at least fair enough to level the controversy. For that the university deserves a lot of credit.

Coulter and McGruder have something very much in common that makes them worthy speakers - widespread influence. They have both proven effective voices for large segments of the population. Ignoring one or both of them will not erase this influence.

I would challenge those planning on attending one of the lectures to attend both, thereby receiving a more complete portrait of the student body at USF, as well as one of this entire country.

And if anyone is still upset about Coulter’s appearance, look at it as a chance for a repeat of the pie-in-the-face incident.

We have a feature here called Ask a Tampan wherein you - the reader - ask one of us (usually Tommy) - a Tampan - a question. We’ve been known to answer them from time to time.

I’d like to turn the tables a bit, only I’m having trouble coming up with a title for this likely one-time event.

For the last two years I’ve been a New Tampan. Though I’ve made efforts to love my neighborhood, it’s hard to look past the lack of neighborliness and Bruce B. Downs, the four-lane, eternally congested elephant in the room that is New Tampa.

Fortunately thanks in large part to the generosity of my in-laws, the wife and I will soon be moving away from South Wesley Chapel. We’ll be living in Temple Terrace, which makes my wife and I…

What does that make us? Contrary to any conclusions you may now be making, it does not make us eighty. Actually I’ll be the fourth person from my 1998 high school graduating class of 40 people to have moved to this “city for living” in the last year. There goes the neighborhood.

But back to the task at hand - the first installment of Ask a Temple Terrace Resident: what are you? There’s got to be a way to make that title a little less awkward.

Temple Terracite isn’t terribly flattering. Temple Terracist is far worse. We could play on initials and call you Teeters.

Either way I’ll soon be one of you, so I’d like an answer soon. If any non-T.T. residents have any suggestions, please comment. But be nice - after all, Tampan isn’t exactly flattering either.

I’ve heard some people complain about the size of the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. Why would I go more than once?

Well, I’ll tell you why, theoretical person: because the Dali’s special events are usually loads of fun. And you’ll have a heck of an opportunity to find out for yourself on Saturday, October 14.

The museum will be celebrating Hispanic heritage with ¡Viva Dalí! There will be reduced admission to the museum ($7 for everyone but the under-12s, who get in free), but there will also be loads of free outdoor fun:

Entertainment for the entire family will include arts & craft projects, salsa lessons, face painting, surreal piñatas, and a full slate of musical performances. An array of Latin -inspired food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages from Little Mexico Restaurant, Red Mesa and Caribbean Cafe will be availbale for purchase.

That sounds fun, I guess. How do I know that food is going to be any good?

Well, it just so happens that Red Mesa was recommended by Sticks of Fire. You trust us, don’t you?

Against my better judgment. I’d really like one more reason, though.

As it happens the Dali Museum is situated in one of the most eye-catching spots in the whole of Tampa Bay. And Tampa in October is usually pretty wonderful weather-wise. Did I mention the surreal piñatas?

Yes, you did. I’m sold.

Good choice.

So will you be there? I promise I’ll only talk to real people.

So Ralph Paul goes to Angellino’s in Palm Harbor and orders, among other things, a seafood pasta dish. He’s unhappy with the portion of seafood he gets. He eats the seafood, then sends the food back and asks it be left off the bill. The restaurant refuses. The guy runs off without paying any part of the bill.

After continuing to refuse payment, he takes the case all the way to court.

The verdict? Not guilty.

Paul, a retired Air Force man, had this to say:

“This institution is what I fought for 26 years. It’s what separates us from the rest of the world. I got to have my day in court.”

Fighting for the right to waste our legal system’s time so you can settle your petty dispute stemming from your closefisted refusal to pay for a service you were provided - we salute you, sir.  And your “code of honor.”

So next time you follow Matt’s advice on a restaurant, remember these helpful tips to save money:

• Avoid places that give you big portions - your complaints won’t carry as much weight (pun intended) with the jury. Buffets are right out.
• Eat whatever you want before complaining - otherwise you give the restaurant a chance to rectify the situation in the proper fashion.
• You may want to take your license plate off your car when you park - they can’t track you down otherwise.
• Wear running shoes.
• Hire a hotshot lawyer - $500 an hour at a minimum, and preferably from New York.  Remember - it’s not about the money, it’s about the principle.
• Though not required, it helps if you were in the military.

Bon appetit!

At the request of Tommy I saw what Google Transit and HARTline could do with my morning commute. My first try was with my old commute, one I made almost exclusively by bus.

My memory leads me to believe that the time estimates on Google are pretty accurate; that is as long as they’re not based on the suggested walking route from the Marion Transit Center to the University of Tampa. Cutting through all those buildings might be helped, but the swin through the Hillsborough River would be murder on my work clothes.

As for my current commute, the walk from home to the nearest bus stop on Skipper Road apparently requires traversing the forest preserve between them.

You’d think I work at grandmother’s house.

I spent most of Monday night’s premiere of NBC’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip asking myself the classic question: “Where have I seen her?”

Her in this case was Sarah Paulson, who plays the fictional actress Harriet Hayes on the show. It so happens that I was pretty frustrated with the first hour of first-run network TV I had watched in about a year - silly show, too many commercials - so I set out to find out where I had seen her.

And wouldn’t you know it - we can add Sarah Paulson to the list of celebrities from Tampa. She was born on December 17, 1975, in Tampa, Florida.  Paulson’s bio on IMDb also says she spent most of her life in New York and Maine; but hey, home is home. 

Tampa isn’t where I’ve seen her though. She appeared in several episodes of HBO’s Deadwood, a cable show I’ve enjoyed the only way TV should be enjoyed - commercial-free on DVD.

Tampa Bay really does have a terrific young quarterback.  Stick with him, you’ll see.

A day before the Buccaneers were quite literally run over in Atlanta, USF beat I-4 rival UCF thanks in large part to freshman quarterback Matt Grothe. And I do mean a LARGE part: Grothe was responsible for 375 of the Bulls 433 total offensive yards. He even had a 20-yard punt.

I should mention that UCF is 113 out of 119 in total defense; FIU and McNeese State, USF’s other opponents thusfar, aren’t much better. Still, at the risk of setting the bar too high for this guy, here are some things to consider:

• Grothe completed passes to 11 different receivers against UCF - you don’t usually see inexperienced QBs spreading the ball.
• Grothe is 14th in the nation with 9.0 yards per pass attempt.
• Grothe is 44th in the nation with a very good 62.5 completion percentage - his aggressive passing only means so much if he’s completing those attempts.
• The Bulls are 3-0.

I’m pretty sure the Bucs are still 0-2 with someone other than Chris Simms at quarterback. I’m also quite certain that the Bulls would not be 3-0 without Matt Grothe. And if I haven’t convinced you, take it from those who know - the Big East named Grothe offensive player of the week.

Watching the Bulls in the first half this season has been tough - they’ve trailed at halftime of each game. Each time however, Grothe has shown some uncommon leadership in bringing the team back to victory. And all this from a freshman, a player USF could have leading their team for three more seasons.

Besides - three fun halves sure beats what the Bucs have given us this year.  And the Bulls qb has actually thrown a touchdown.

I saw a great football game at Raymond James this past weekend.

I’m not a Ravens fan, so it definitely wasn’t Sunday’s fiasco. It was Saturday’s USF game versus Florida International, which the Bulls won 21-20.

Alright - a 1-point win against a team the Bulls should have dominated doesn’t qualify as a great game. But there’s a lot more to attending a game than the game itself.

I’ve been to several Bucs and Bulls games; I can say with great certainty that I’ve always had a better time with USF. To me the comparison is not even close.

Fans:

The USF student section, though it pales in comparison to the Swamp (what else are you going to do in Gainesville?), is always reliably fun and rowdy. There is plenty of drinking going on (most of it of the underage variety, I’m sure), but even when the result on the field is lousy I very rarely see any angry drunks. Same goes for the rest of the stadium, where alumni always seem confident that taking their children to the game won’t expose them to much of anything too objectionable (save for the occasional Jumbotron boob-grope - that’s another story).

I can’t say the same for the Bucs games I’ve attended. Even during favorable results I usually run out of fingers to count the fights and near-fights I see in the stands. The language would probably make my former sailor father-in-law blush.

And that’s amongs the real fans I can find. For the games I’ve attended, I’ve been mostly surrounded by the to-be-seens: they arrive late, get on their cellphones, pay little attention to the game, show little regard for those that are paying attention, then leave early.

Atmosphere:

Maybe it’s the high school saxophonist in me talking, but there is nothing to me like the duel between school marching bands during a college game. Mostly it helps distract you from the omnipresent product placement - every single USF first down is brought to you by McDonald’s. But mostly I can’t get enough of the fight songs.

Or you can go to a Bucs game and listen to the same AC/DC and Queen songs, the same songs being played at every other NFL game being played that day. Frankly I’d rather just watch the game from home with The Bone playing in the background. My biggest reason?

Tickets:

Single-game Bucs tickets sold out months ago. There is always eBay - at time of writing there were two third-level tickets to the Bucs/Bengals game in October available at a current bid of $202.50 (face value: $65 per ticket).

At time of writing there were plenty of tickets available for the September 29 game between USF and Rutgers (to be broadcast on ESPN2). Prices range from $20-29.

I grew up watching the Dolphins in late 80s and early 90s, so I know a little of the frustration Bucs fans felt in the orange glory days. The experiences I had at Dolphins game then are similar to the stories I hear from the Big Sombrero - they were losing, but it was always a good time.

The fact is if both the Bulls and Bucs are going to underperform, I at least ask for some good, cheap fun watching them do it.

So if you need me on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll know where to find me - at home, recovering from my cheering-related injuries suffered on Saturday (that’s another story).