Friday the 13th - the Day My (electronic) Brain Died

I know I can be old fashioned (unwilling to change) so I do some things the same as I have for years. I use a Palm Z-22 every day! Friday the 13th it died. Black screen, no response.

I spent the better part of three days attempting recovery by following every silly suggestion on the Internet. Hold the "up" button while pressing the "reset" button, while standing in an inch of fresh-mowed grass. Take off the screen protector and run a business card around the perimeter of the screen while chanting "Apple will never make it" (even though they have more cash on hand than the U.S. Gov't).

No big deal, I backed-up the info...eighteen months ago (I may be late for class). Let’s see…everything I have scheduled for the next year, address and phone number of every person I know, and most important is every password of every website I use. (Don’t fuss at me, they are all in code – a hacker would never guess that my name backwards would be my password for EVERY site).

Well, today I was inspired to try plugging the charger into a different outlet. It's now working fine! Ok, the next half-day was spent backing-up my info on all my computers.

My friends suggest repeatedly that I need an i-pod, i-pad, i-phone, i-tunes, and more. i think i need to get on e-Bay and find a couple more Z-22’s in case this one dies for-real.

Sunset Celebration – Key West

A must-see for Key West visitors is the nightly Sunset Celebration held at Mallory Square. The Square is the docking area for visiting cruise ships. Daily the ships stop and drop off their passengers for a day of fun in Key West. There is one important rule for the huge ships:  they must be gone before sunset so the sunset view is not blocked. I read somewhere that there is a fine that cruise captains must pay if they’re not gone before the nightly festivities begin.

Every evening performers and artists come early to secure their space on the Square. There is no charge, but limited space has made the city hold a daily “lottery” to see which performers and artists can set up for the evening.

I’ve witnessed some spectacular performers, and also some that, shall we say, could use more practice? During my visits, there have been gymnasts, bagpipe players, tightrope-walking dogs, cats jumping through flaming hoops, escape artists, singers, and even a one-man band.

Do they do this just for fun, or to give you something to do in the evening? Nah! You don’t have to look too closely to see the strategically placed tip buckets. That’s OK with me; I don’t mind leaving a couple of bucks for those who offer entertainment for the evening.

Artists usually set up around the perimeter of the Square to sell their work. Jewelry, seashells, photographs, paintings, and sometimes CDs and books seem to be the regular items for sale.

People gather, it seems by the hundreds, but the main attraction is the sun lowering itself slowly into the gulf. Many discuss, but few have seen the spectacular “Green Flash” as the last edge of the sun disappears from sight. The atmospheric conditions must be just right for this elusive occurrence.

When you visit Key West, be sure to put the Sunset Celebration on your to-do list. Just be sure to bring several “ones” with you.