My Number Will Shock You — Here’s How Many Birthday Deals I Snagged
The inspiring tale of how I scored $114.97 worth of birthday deals.
Robin Hartill
Florida-based personal finance writer, editor and advice columnist. Lover of well-placed em dashes and white space. Slayer of jargon and unnecessary hyphens. Surprisingly agnostic about the Oxford comma.
The Roost: Signature Florida Architecture
These five architectural archetypes are emblematic of the state of Florida.
Floridiana: Air Supply
A breezy design feature has been upping Florida's cool factor for decades.
School of life
An early mentor taught Michael Garey that
what customers don’t see is just as important
as what they do see.
That’s why when he sees something
small on the floor of the kitchen — say, a lettuce
leaf, which left on the floor, could cause someone
to slip — he places a dollar bill over it and watches.
Ralph Hunter: The original Observer
Ralph Hunter, founder of
the Longboat Observer, died Feb. 26, 2016. He was 95.
Asked in 1998, when the
newspaper celebrated its 20th anniversary, if he foresaw the boom in new
condominium projects and real estate sales, Hunter replied:
“Why do you think I
started the paper?”
Cricket: For batter or worse
Before we noshed on hot dogs in ballparks and watched ripped hitters in dirty jerseys crack 95 mph fastballs over the outfield, we had cricket. Before we had Barry Bonds, we had Bart King. Don’t know Bart King, the best American cricketer in the history of the sport? That’s OK. Cricket isn’t exactly my ball of whacks, either.
'Hal' of Famer
Hal Lenobel spent his career as a dentist having one-way conversations with patients as he drilled away in their mouths.
But in his retirement years, he realized he had missed out on actually conversing with people.
In his second career — his unpaid 12-and-a-half years as a politician — he developed a reputation as a consensus-builder who didn’t always speak but never failed to listen to all sides before making a decision.
The Amazing Race
In peak season traffic, I revved up my 2009 Kia Rio to race a cyclist from Longboat Key to downtown Sarasota. Guess who won by more than 11 minutes.
Q&A: "My Watery Self: Memoirs of a Marine Scientist" author Stephen Spotte
Marine scientist Stephen Spotte, 72, shares his adventures that span from his boyhood in a West Virginia mining camp to traveling the world as a marine scientist in his memoir, “My Watery Self: Memoirs of a Marine Scientist,” published this month by Three Rooms Press.
Mayor Jim Brown: On his own terms
Jim Brown remembers a tradition from his days as a photographer in the Navy when he contemplates his final days as Longboat Key mayor.
Navy guys who were nearing their discharge date would cut the beads off their dog tags so they had one bead for each day that was left.
Clark swam upstream in scientific community
Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium founder Eugenie “Genie” Clark needed help with the heavy gear when she made her second-to-last dive last year. It was her 92nd birthday, and she was battling lung cancer. She sat in a plastic chair in the waters of the Gulf of Aqaba while fellow divers helped her gear up.
After she was underwater, she needed no assistance.
“The minute she went into the water, she was as graceful as a ballerina,” said Mote President/CEO Michael Crosby.
Crane Country
Sandhill cranes aren’t afraid to dance like no one is watching. They bop their heads. They do the hop. They move like Jagger. They stretch their wings. They shake their tail feathers. It’s mostly a mating ritual, although they boogie even when breeding season is over. It’s thought to be a way to thwart aggression, relieve tension and strengthen the bond between pairs. Sometimes, it’s accompanied by calls of “KAR-R-R-R-R-R-ROO!”
Morrison's insight improved vision for millions
Dr. Robert Morrison began his career with this insight: He would spend the rest of his life working, so he might as well be the best he could be. He read voraciously, attended every lecture he could and took specialized classes on weekends, all while building his optometry practice. He went on to invent the soft contact lens and improved the vision of at least 60 million people.
Deputy fire chief resigns
Matthew Altman resigned from his position as Longboat Key Fire Rescue deputy chief Dec. 31, after a disagreement with Chief Paul Dezzi over how he disciplined another of the department’s three deputy chiefs.
Brickman learned in the school of life
Renowned art teacher and businessman Ed Brickman was a self-taught man in many facets of his life.
'Whatever it takes'
Chuck Whittall has never vacationed at the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, sipped a cocktail in the Monkey Room or attended a beachfront wedding at the resort.
So, when he saw the shuttered Gulf-front resort a year and a half ago, he didn’t see fond memories, long-held grudges or seven years of litigation. He saw opportunity.
A Full Deck
In late 2010, Daiquiri Deck owners Troy Syprett, Russell Matthes and Matt Grover made a vow of solidarity: They wouldn’t shave their beards until their new restaurant opened on St. Armands Circle.
Unicorp offer sparks war of words
Unicorp National Development President Chuck Whittall tells Colony unit owners they could face a $42.3 million lawsuit if they don't sell him their units for $20,000 each.
True Detective
Words of wisdom from retiring Longboat Key Police detective Kristina Roberts: “The best source of information in the world,” she said, “is a woman scorned.”
Building permits reach '07 levels | Longboat Key
When it comes to building activity, Longboat Key is looking so 2007.
For the 2014 fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, the town projects building permit levels will reach the pre-recession peak totals of 2007.
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