Women's Fitness

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Choosing Women's Fitness Apparel


Fitness Clothing worn during physical activity should be as important as practice sessions. Therefore, you should be able to choose the right workout clothes. Clothes do not fit you properly can make a difference in your workout performance. Every time you start to lose weight during exercise, then you should look for new clothes for exercise.


You may want to feel good and look good but are comfortable more or equally important. There are many choices and varieties in clothing provided by the fashion industry. There are also many brand fashion and design industries to choose from. When choosing the type of workout clothes to buy, consider the following.


Comfortable workout clothes to avoid tight clothing. The material must be of good quality, flexible and gives you room to move and breathe freely. The material must be permeable to air, especially if you are involved in high-impact training that makes you sweat allot. Choose clothing that is specifically meant for exercise activities that you participate in.

Is Scotty's going to pay the back taxes or not?

To contact us Click HERE
Did you see Al Crespo's latest on the Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing? According to Al and his delving, the City is not requiring Scott Wessel of Scotty's Landing to pay the 17 years of back taxes he owes even thought the County's Finance Department wants the money now. 

Is this a bunch of crap or what? I love Al's headline, one of my favorite phrases: "Govern Yourself Accordingly." His story and documentation is here.

I owe taxes too, how about wiping mine out and my neighbors' taxes and everyone's taxes?

For a City that is on the brink of bankruptcy to overlook this and deliberatly not try to collect back taxes is a total joke. 

When I am a day late sending sales taxes in to the state they are on my ass! What is wrong with our City? How much more corrupt can it get? The cops can't even afford uniforms and they are letting this happen? Do you know how much good the 17 years of back taxes could do?

Things we don't have . . .

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So added to our list of things we don't have, Pinecrest is getting a Trader Joe's next year. Of all the places in South Florida, Pinecrest was chosen. It's a bit upsetting because there has been talk of putting a Trader Joe's in Coconut Grove for years, there was more than just talk, I know that some folks from the county and the Grove were in communication with Trader Joe's for years. Another upsetting thing is that when I asked someone in the know and with the power to possibly make it happen, they just brushed it off saying that it won't happen because Trader Joe's has no desire to come to Miami. As my old boss in advertising used to say, "If you don't ask, you don't get." We never ask around here.

So now it's no big deal to run down to 92nd Street and US1, where they plan on building the store, I run down that way often to go to Roasters 'n Toasters and I run to South Miami to Whole Foods. And I run to Dadeland to shop, other than The Gap, you can't buy a pair of pants around here, as another friend tells me. This is just another thing we'll have to leave the hood for.

I've never been to a Trader Joe's where you had to drive to it, I go to them in New York and Boston and San Francisco, but they are just there, you know, you're walking by and you enter. Here it will be a destination that you drive to and that was the reason it would have been a super thing for Coconut Grove, the destination bit, about people literally getting into their cars and driving here to go there.

But now that Miami is on the map regarding Trader Joe's, maybe we will be soon, too. Who knows . .  

The Scotty's Saga goes on

To contact us Click HERE
Scott Wessel, owner of Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing, owes back taxes on the property, according to Miami-Dade County, but he is suing the county to get out of paying. Sort of reminds me of a certain presidential candidate who doesn't like to pay taxes.

Anyway, the Herald has the story here, but to follow that up, even though Wessel says he does not owe the money, Al Crespo has found some interesting paperwork that shows Wessel just may owe the taxes, $2.5 million worth.

It doesn't appear as if any money has ever been spent at Scotty's on the food, tables, bar, walls or roof. As Wessel rakes in the money on poor service and terrible food, he doesn't feel the need to give anything back.

Prime waterfront property for free. Nice if you can get it. But then again, when you lease or rent from someone, in this case, it's the City, isn't the landlord responsible for paying the taxes? Isn't the this part of the monthly rent, passed on to the person renting the space? Why didn't the City ever arrange the monthly rent this way?

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.

The Scotty's Saga goes on

To contact us Click HERE
Scott Wessel, owner of Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing, owes back taxes on the property, according to Miami-Dade County, but he is suing the county to get out of paying. Sort of reminds me of a certain presidential candidate who doesn't like to pay taxes.

Anyway, the Herald has the story here, but to follow that up, even though Wessel says he does not owe the money, Al Crespo has found some interesting paperwork that shows Wessel just may owe the taxes, $2.5 million worth.

It doesn't appear as if any money has ever been spent at Scotty's on the food, tables, bar, walls or roof. As Wessel rakes in the money on poor service and terrible food, he doesn't feel the need to give anything back.

Prime waterfront property for free. Nice if you can get it. But then again, when you lease or rent from someone, in this case, it's the City, isn't the landlord responsible for paying the taxes? Isn't the this part of the monthly rent, passed on to the person renting the space? Why didn't the City ever arrange the monthly rent this way?

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.

Look where you're baby stepping

To contact us Click HERE

When you're starting out from scratch, it's hard to predict what you're going to need. I just moved into a new apartment, and my kitchen cupboards are empty because I've decided that I'm not going to even try to predict what I might need in the future. The way I intend to re-acquire the supplies I'll need is by doing stuff.

I mean, sure, there's cooking oil, salt, and pepper. But for a little more exotic Chinese cooking, I'll need some sesame oil or star anise. Beyond the basics that I'm certain I'm going to actually use, it's impossible to predict what other odds and ends I will personally end up using. And soliciting advice from others in the past hasn't been good for me: what works for other people often does not work for me.

For me, the only way I have been able to know — with certainty — what I'll need is to actually start trying to do things. If I'm trying to figure out which ingredients I'll need to cook a meal, I just start trying to cook. If anything is missing, its absence becomes readily apparent.

These are kind of like kitchen use cases, if we're going to resort to software development parlance. It's like I'm going agile, or adopting Test Driven Development with my cooking processes. I could theoretically start out with nothing at all — to illustrate the method theoretically, I actually should start from nothing. I would soon find that I need a cutting board, a knife, and whatever ingredients my recipe calls for. For a basic meal I would also find that cooking oil, salt, and pepper come in handy.

After cooking a basic meal, I know with confidence that I have everything I need to cook — wait for it — a basic meal. That common use case is taken care of and I can cook basic meals in the future with confidence. Now, what if I were to go ethnic? I'd soon run into some cases where I'd need to stop and get some more ingredients.

The idea is that, after a while, I would eventually be able to confidently prepare a broad range of meals. This confidence is rooted in the knowledge that I have verified that I have everything needed — by actually having done it in the past.

Of course, it's possible to carry out this kind of method to absurd extremes. If you know for sure you're going to need it, then make a note and take care of it. Be reasonable in what decisions you leave for later and which ones you can make now. In the cooking example, it's great for didactic purposes to start from scratch, but in practice it's dumb not to have the basics like cooking oil or a cutting board.

What about when developing software? You can leave scalability concerns for later if you're just starting to write a web application, but no matter what, you are going to need a machine and a relational database. (If you're writing something, like an offload server, because it needs to be scalable, then you damn well better take scalability into account.) To maintain your sanity, it might even help to sketch out a data model. Take baby steps, but know where each step will end. Don't be content with merely knowing that your foot will be in the air and then end up somewhere on the ground at some point. After all, this nebulous "goal" can just as easily be achieved by tripping and falling.

Small business owners: don't be a jerk

To contact us Click HERE

My girlfriend Sophia is an assistant manager at Abercrombie and Fitch, and is thus bombarded with more than her fair share of rude customers. One story she told me this week was about a woman who went ballistic after asking to try on one of the mannequins' jackets and being told no.

Now, people are just crazy, and Sophia has told me many stories like this before. What was so different this time?

Well, the crazy lady played the business owner card: if it were her store, she would have gladly taken the jackets off the display mannequins. This know-it-all "business owner" then proceeded to hound Sophia for her full name and pressed her for her employee ID so she could file a formal complaint, and refused to go through the normal channels.

It is precisely this self-serving arrogance and provincial, narrow-minded ignorance that keeps small business owners from being taken seriously. As a former small business owner myself, I know that the burden is heavy: you've got to worry about employees, customers and growing your business. On top of that, you have the responsibility to make sure any legal paperwork is in order and that taxes are taken care of. But just because you're able to handle this does not mean that you know all there is to know, and that your way of doing things is the only way.

In response to this growing sense of self-importance, here are three things to keep in mind. (I use these reminders to keep myself in check, too.)

a) Rules and processes have a place, even if you choose to forgo them. As a small business owner, you can get by with fewer rules and processes in place. In fact, in most cases you do much better when you're flexible. But larger businesses have a much harder time being flexible; it's not impossible, just much harder. They have to manage everything more strictly in order to hold together the larger whole. A little sloppiness in your store can be passed off as "charming." In a national chain where customers expect extreme tidiness and consistency, that sloppiness is not charm. It is chaotic, and it is poor business.

b) Not everyone enjoys the same latitude to call the shots as you do. You may be your own boss, but most people have someone else to answer to. I've found that being a business owner, seeing the bigger picture, and having the power to remedy things has turbocharged my ability to take the initiative, even after going back to working for someone else. Still, despite having passion for my line of work and understanding its larger implications, I have much less scope to make important decisions. In large companies, even CEOs don't wield absolute power, because they have a board of directors and shareholders to please.

c) You are not special, so don't expect special treatment. A couple of years ago, I received a parking ticket by mistake. I knew that I had moved my car in time, and so I decided that I would write in to contest it. One of my co-owners suggested that I take a tough stance and mention that I was a business owner — as if that had anything to do with my guilt or innocence. I mentioned it anyway, thinking that a little reminder about my contribution to the community wouldn't hurt. Still, I didn't want to rely on that mostly irrelevant fact, so I put much more effort into stating the facts of the case. I drew a diagram of where I had parked, when I had moved my car, when I had been ticketed, and why it was a mistake. In the end I got the ticket waived, but I have a good hunch it had more to do with stating the facts than mentioning that I was a "business owner."

My automobile's cooling system and its plastic parts

To contact us Click HERE

I've learned a lot about my car's cooling system over the past couple of weeks. There's nothing like the prospect of a melted engine to focus the mind. Typically, I would be content to leave it to the mechanic, but the cooling system has many moving parts, and I'm the one who sees firsthand all the symptoms when driving it in various situations.

At the very least, anyone in my position would have to take careful note of which circumstances triggered certain events. Such diagnostic tips can help the mechanic narrow things down so that he won't charge you as much for diagnosing the problem. Ideally, we'd also prefer that he fix everything that's wrong with a component as vital as the cooling system.

I've had to watch the reading on the temperature sensor, for one. The key is to never let the needle hit the red zone at the top of the temperature gauge. If it does, your engine's head gasket and other crucial parts are in critical danger of melting, distorting, or breaking. The repairs for those problems are much more expensive than those to the cooling system.

When I went to the mechanic this morning, I took in various observations that would help him narrow down the problem and know where to look. I noticed that the fans were going full speed because of the higher running temperature, so I told him that the fans were extremely loud after a short drive. From various sources online, I made sure to observe any difference between city driving and high speed freeway driving, but there was none, so this meant there was one less option to consider.

With the cooling system in my car, things have been failing left and right in a sort of chain reaction as the increased running temperature of the car's engine puts a lot of parts under extra stress. Whatever parts failed and needed replacing were just worn out and should have been replaced long ago. Rubber rings had become as hard as plastic. One plastic pipe had become so brittle from age that it broke off; I had to re-fasten the hose clamp just to keep the engine running cool enough to drive to the mechanic. Metal parts such as the thermostat housing and the water pump showed signs of corrosion; in the case of the thermostat, it wouldn't open to let coolant flow as it should.

The mechanic told me some interesting tidbits while we were ruminating aloud on the absurdity of car makers — including Daimler and BMW — using so many plastic parts all over the cooling system. According to him, the move towards plastic parts is justified by lower cost of materials and making the car lighter so the engine doesn't have to pull as much weight. One thing he observed was the increasing failure rate of newer cars — and he said it wasn't unusual for people with new cars still under warranty to come to his shop with worn out plastic parts.

Suffice it to say, that made me very hesitant about paying a premium for a newer model Mercedes-Benz or a BMW. If I end up buying a new car soon, it may well be a Hyundai, a Honda, or a Toyota. If everyone's using plastic parts, I may as well pay less.

In any case, I'm surprised that my old car has lasted this long, considering the long distances I drive on a regular basis. It's a 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220. I've been very fortunate to have the car running within its prescribed temperature limits, despite all the hand-wringing and pulling over to the side of the road, fraught with worry.

The Scotty's Saga goes on

To contact us Click HERE
Scott Wessel, owner of Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing, owes back taxes on the property, according to Miami-Dade County, but he is suing the county to get out of paying. Sort of reminds me of a certain presidential candidate who doesn't like to pay taxes.

Anyway, the Herald has the story here, but to follow that up, even though Wessel says he does not owe the money, Al Crespo has found some interesting paperwork that shows Wessel just may owe the taxes, $2.5 million worth.

It doesn't appear as if any money has ever been spent at Scotty's on the food, tables, bar, walls or roof. As Wessel rakes in the money on poor service and terrible food, he doesn't feel the need to give anything back.

Prime waterfront property for free. Nice if you can get it. But then again, when you lease or rent from someone, in this case, it's the City, isn't the landlord responsible for paying the taxes? Isn't the this part of the monthly rent, passed on to the person renting the space? Why didn't the City ever arrange the monthly rent this way?

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.

Look where you're baby stepping

To contact us Click HERE

When you're starting out from scratch, it's hard to predict what you're going to need. I just moved into a new apartment, and my kitchen cupboards are empty because I've decided that I'm not going to even try to predict what I might need in the future. The way I intend to re-acquire the supplies I'll need is by doing stuff.

I mean, sure, there's cooking oil, salt, and pepper. But for a little more exotic Chinese cooking, I'll need some sesame oil or star anise. Beyond the basics that I'm certain I'm going to actually use, it's impossible to predict what other odds and ends I will personally end up using. And soliciting advice from others in the past hasn't been good for me: what works for other people often does not work for me.

For me, the only way I have been able to know — with certainty — what I'll need is to actually start trying to do things. If I'm trying to figure out which ingredients I'll need to cook a meal, I just start trying to cook. If anything is missing, its absence becomes readily apparent.

These are kind of like kitchen use cases, if we're going to resort to software development parlance. It's like I'm going agile, or adopting Test Driven Development with my cooking processes. I could theoretically start out with nothing at all — to illustrate the method theoretically, I actually should start from nothing. I would soon find that I need a cutting board, a knife, and whatever ingredients my recipe calls for. For a basic meal I would also find that cooking oil, salt, and pepper come in handy.

After cooking a basic meal, I know with confidence that I have everything I need to cook — wait for it — a basic meal. That common use case is taken care of and I can cook basic meals in the future with confidence. Now, what if I were to go ethnic? I'd soon run into some cases where I'd need to stop and get some more ingredients.

The idea is that, after a while, I would eventually be able to confidently prepare a broad range of meals. This confidence is rooted in the knowledge that I have verified that I have everything needed — by actually having done it in the past.

Of course, it's possible to carry out this kind of method to absurd extremes. If you know for sure you're going to need it, then make a note and take care of it. Be reasonable in what decisions you leave for later and which ones you can make now. In the cooking example, it's great for didactic purposes to start from scratch, but in practice it's dumb not to have the basics like cooking oil or a cutting board.

What about when developing software? You can leave scalability concerns for later if you're just starting to write a web application, but no matter what, you are going to need a machine and a relational database. (If you're writing something, like an offload server, because it needs to be scalable, then you damn well better take scalability into account.) To maintain your sanity, it might even help to sketch out a data model. Take baby steps, but know where each step will end. Don't be content with merely knowing that your foot will be in the air and then end up somewhere on the ground at some point. After all, this nebulous "goal" can just as easily be achieved by tripping and falling.

Small business owners: don't be a jerk

To contact us Click HERE

My girlfriend Sophia is an assistant manager at Abercrombie and Fitch, and is thus bombarded with more than her fair share of rude customers. One story she told me this week was about a woman who went ballistic after asking to try on one of the mannequins' jackets and being told no.

Now, people are just crazy, and Sophia has told me many stories like this before. What was so different this time?

Well, the crazy lady played the business owner card: if it were her store, she would have gladly taken the jackets off the display mannequins. This know-it-all "business owner" then proceeded to hound Sophia for her full name and pressed her for her employee ID so she could file a formal complaint, and refused to go through the normal channels.

It is precisely this self-serving arrogance and provincial, narrow-minded ignorance that keeps small business owners from being taken seriously. As a former small business owner myself, I know that the burden is heavy: you've got to worry about employees, customers and growing your business. On top of that, you have the responsibility to make sure any legal paperwork is in order and that taxes are taken care of. But just because you're able to handle this does not mean that you know all there is to know, and that your way of doing things is the only way.

In response to this growing sense of self-importance, here are three things to keep in mind. (I use these reminders to keep myself in check, too.)

a) Rules and processes have a place, even if you choose to forgo them. As a small business owner, you can get by with fewer rules and processes in place. In fact, in most cases you do much better when you're flexible. But larger businesses have a much harder time being flexible; it's not impossible, just much harder. They have to manage everything more strictly in order to hold together the larger whole. A little sloppiness in your store can be passed off as "charming." In a national chain where customers expect extreme tidiness and consistency, that sloppiness is not charm. It is chaotic, and it is poor business.

b) Not everyone enjoys the same latitude to call the shots as you do. You may be your own boss, but most people have someone else to answer to. I've found that being a business owner, seeing the bigger picture, and having the power to remedy things has turbocharged my ability to take the initiative, even after going back to working for someone else. Still, despite having passion for my line of work and understanding its larger implications, I have much less scope to make important decisions. In large companies, even CEOs don't wield absolute power, because they have a board of directors and shareholders to please.

c) You are not special, so don't expect special treatment. A couple of years ago, I received a parking ticket by mistake. I knew that I had moved my car in time, and so I decided that I would write in to contest it. One of my co-owners suggested that I take a tough stance and mention that I was a business owner — as if that had anything to do with my guilt or innocence. I mentioned it anyway, thinking that a little reminder about my contribution to the community wouldn't hurt. Still, I didn't want to rely on that mostly irrelevant fact, so I put much more effort into stating the facts of the case. I drew a diagram of where I had parked, when I had moved my car, when I had been ticketed, and why it was a mistake. In the end I got the ticket waived, but I have a good hunch it had more to do with stating the facts than mentioning that I was a "business owner."

My automobile's cooling system and its plastic parts

To contact us Click HERE

I've learned a lot about my car's cooling system over the past couple of weeks. There's nothing like the prospect of a melted engine to focus the mind. Typically, I would be content to leave it to the mechanic, but the cooling system has many moving parts, and I'm the one who sees firsthand all the symptoms when driving it in various situations.

At the very least, anyone in my position would have to take careful note of which circumstances triggered certain events. Such diagnostic tips can help the mechanic narrow things down so that he won't charge you as much for diagnosing the problem. Ideally, we'd also prefer that he fix everything that's wrong with a component as vital as the cooling system.

I've had to watch the reading on the temperature sensor, for one. The key is to never let the needle hit the red zone at the top of the temperature gauge. If it does, your engine's head gasket and other crucial parts are in critical danger of melting, distorting, or breaking. The repairs for those problems are much more expensive than those to the cooling system.

When I went to the mechanic this morning, I took in various observations that would help him narrow down the problem and know where to look. I noticed that the fans were going full speed because of the higher running temperature, so I told him that the fans were extremely loud after a short drive. From various sources online, I made sure to observe any difference between city driving and high speed freeway driving, but there was none, so this meant there was one less option to consider.

With the cooling system in my car, things have been failing left and right in a sort of chain reaction as the increased running temperature of the car's engine puts a lot of parts under extra stress. Whatever parts failed and needed replacing were just worn out and should have been replaced long ago. Rubber rings had become as hard as plastic. One plastic pipe had become so brittle from age that it broke off; I had to re-fasten the hose clamp just to keep the engine running cool enough to drive to the mechanic. Metal parts such as the thermostat housing and the water pump showed signs of corrosion; in the case of the thermostat, it wouldn't open to let coolant flow as it should.

The mechanic told me some interesting tidbits while we were ruminating aloud on the absurdity of car makers — including Daimler and BMW — using so many plastic parts all over the cooling system. According to him, the move towards plastic parts is justified by lower cost of materials and making the car lighter so the engine doesn't have to pull as much weight. One thing he observed was the increasing failure rate of newer cars — and he said it wasn't unusual for people with new cars still under warranty to come to his shop with worn out plastic parts.

Suffice it to say, that made me very hesitant about paying a premium for a newer model Mercedes-Benz or a BMW. If I end up buying a new car soon, it may well be a Hyundai, a Honda, or a Toyota. If everyone's using plastic parts, I may as well pay less.

In any case, I'm surprised that my old car has lasted this long, considering the long distances I drive on a regular basis. It's a 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220. I've been very fortunate to have the car running within its prescribed temperature limits, despite all the hand-wringing and pulling over to the side of the road, fraught with worry.

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.

Look where you're baby stepping

To contact us Click HERE

When you're starting out from scratch, it's hard to predict what you're going to need. I just moved into a new apartment, and my kitchen cupboards are empty because I've decided that I'm not going to even try to predict what I might need in the future. The way I intend to re-acquire the supplies I'll need is by doing stuff.

I mean, sure, there's cooking oil, salt, and pepper. But for a little more exotic Chinese cooking, I'll need some sesame oil or star anise. Beyond the basics that I'm certain I'm going to actually use, it's impossible to predict what other odds and ends I will personally end up using. And soliciting advice from others in the past hasn't been good for me: what works for other people often does not work for me.

For me, the only way I have been able to know — with certainty — what I'll need is to actually start trying to do things. If I'm trying to figure out which ingredients I'll need to cook a meal, I just start trying to cook. If anything is missing, its absence becomes readily apparent.

These are kind of like kitchen use cases, if we're going to resort to software development parlance. It's like I'm going agile, or adopting Test Driven Development with my cooking processes. I could theoretically start out with nothing at all — to illustrate the method theoretically, I actually should start from nothing. I would soon find that I need a cutting board, a knife, and whatever ingredients my recipe calls for. For a basic meal I would also find that cooking oil, salt, and pepper come in handy.

After cooking a basic meal, I know with confidence that I have everything I need to cook — wait for it — a basic meal. That common use case is taken care of and I can cook basic meals in the future with confidence. Now, what if I were to go ethnic? I'd soon run into some cases where I'd need to stop and get some more ingredients.

The idea is that, after a while, I would eventually be able to confidently prepare a broad range of meals. This confidence is rooted in the knowledge that I have verified that I have everything needed — by actually having done it in the past.

Of course, it's possible to carry out this kind of method to absurd extremes. If you know for sure you're going to need it, then make a note and take care of it. Be reasonable in what decisions you leave for later and which ones you can make now. In the cooking example, it's great for didactic purposes to start from scratch, but in practice it's dumb not to have the basics like cooking oil or a cutting board.

What about when developing software? You can leave scalability concerns for later if you're just starting to write a web application, but no matter what, you are going to need a machine and a relational database. (If you're writing something, like an offload server, because it needs to be scalable, then you damn well better take scalability into account.) To maintain your sanity, it might even help to sketch out a data model. Take baby steps, but know where each step will end. Don't be content with merely knowing that your foot will be in the air and then end up somewhere on the ground at some point. After all, this nebulous "goal" can just as easily be achieved by tripping and falling.

Small business owners: don't be a jerk

To contact us Click HERE

My girlfriend Sophia is an assistant manager at Abercrombie and Fitch, and is thus bombarded with more than her fair share of rude customers. One story she told me this week was about a woman who went ballistic after asking to try on one of the mannequins' jackets and being told no.

Now, people are just crazy, and Sophia has told me many stories like this before. What was so different this time?

Well, the crazy lady played the business owner card: if it were her store, she would have gladly taken the jackets off the display mannequins. This know-it-all "business owner" then proceeded to hound Sophia for her full name and pressed her for her employee ID so she could file a formal complaint, and refused to go through the normal channels.

It is precisely this self-serving arrogance and provincial, narrow-minded ignorance that keeps small business owners from being taken seriously. As a former small business owner myself, I know that the burden is heavy: you've got to worry about employees, customers and growing your business. On top of that, you have the responsibility to make sure any legal paperwork is in order and that taxes are taken care of. But just because you're able to handle this does not mean that you know all there is to know, and that your way of doing things is the only way.

In response to this growing sense of self-importance, here are three things to keep in mind. (I use these reminders to keep myself in check, too.)

a) Rules and processes have a place, even if you choose to forgo them. As a small business owner, you can get by with fewer rules and processes in place. In fact, in most cases you do much better when you're flexible. But larger businesses have a much harder time being flexible; it's not impossible, just much harder. They have to manage everything more strictly in order to hold together the larger whole. A little sloppiness in your store can be passed off as "charming." In a national chain where customers expect extreme tidiness and consistency, that sloppiness is not charm. It is chaotic, and it is poor business.

b) Not everyone enjoys the same latitude to call the shots as you do. You may be your own boss, but most people have someone else to answer to. I've found that being a business owner, seeing the bigger picture, and having the power to remedy things has turbocharged my ability to take the initiative, even after going back to working for someone else. Still, despite having passion for my line of work and understanding its larger implications, I have much less scope to make important decisions. In large companies, even CEOs don't wield absolute power, because they have a board of directors and shareholders to please.

c) You are not special, so don't expect special treatment. A couple of years ago, I received a parking ticket by mistake. I knew that I had moved my car in time, and so I decided that I would write in to contest it. One of my co-owners suggested that I take a tough stance and mention that I was a business owner — as if that had anything to do with my guilt or innocence. I mentioned it anyway, thinking that a little reminder about my contribution to the community wouldn't hurt. Still, I didn't want to rely on that mostly irrelevant fact, so I put much more effort into stating the facts of the case. I drew a diagram of where I had parked, when I had moved my car, when I had been ticketed, and why it was a mistake. In the end I got the ticket waived, but I have a good hunch it had more to do with stating the facts than mentioning that I was a "business owner."

My automobile's cooling system and its plastic parts

To contact us Click HERE

I've learned a lot about my car's cooling system over the past couple of weeks. There's nothing like the prospect of a melted engine to focus the mind. Typically, I would be content to leave it to the mechanic, but the cooling system has many moving parts, and I'm the one who sees firsthand all the symptoms when driving it in various situations.

At the very least, anyone in my position would have to take careful note of which circumstances triggered certain events. Such diagnostic tips can help the mechanic narrow things down so that he won't charge you as much for diagnosing the problem. Ideally, we'd also prefer that he fix everything that's wrong with a component as vital as the cooling system.

I've had to watch the reading on the temperature sensor, for one. The key is to never let the needle hit the red zone at the top of the temperature gauge. If it does, your engine's head gasket and other crucial parts are in critical danger of melting, distorting, or breaking. The repairs for those problems are much more expensive than those to the cooling system.

When I went to the mechanic this morning, I took in various observations that would help him narrow down the problem and know where to look. I noticed that the fans were going full speed because of the higher running temperature, so I told him that the fans were extremely loud after a short drive. From various sources online, I made sure to observe any difference between city driving and high speed freeway driving, but there was none, so this meant there was one less option to consider.

With the cooling system in my car, things have been failing left and right in a sort of chain reaction as the increased running temperature of the car's engine puts a lot of parts under extra stress. Whatever parts failed and needed replacing were just worn out and should have been replaced long ago. Rubber rings had become as hard as plastic. One plastic pipe had become so brittle from age that it broke off; I had to re-fasten the hose clamp just to keep the engine running cool enough to drive to the mechanic. Metal parts such as the thermostat housing and the water pump showed signs of corrosion; in the case of the thermostat, it wouldn't open to let coolant flow as it should.

The mechanic told me some interesting tidbits while we were ruminating aloud on the absurdity of car makers — including Daimler and BMW — using so many plastic parts all over the cooling system. According to him, the move towards plastic parts is justified by lower cost of materials and making the car lighter so the engine doesn't have to pull as much weight. One thing he observed was the increasing failure rate of newer cars — and he said it wasn't unusual for people with new cars still under warranty to come to his shop with worn out plastic parts.

Suffice it to say, that made me very hesitant about paying a premium for a newer model Mercedes-Benz or a BMW. If I end up buying a new car soon, it may well be a Hyundai, a Honda, or a Toyota. If everyone's using plastic parts, I may as well pay less.

In any case, I'm surprised that my old car has lasted this long, considering the long distances I drive on a regular basis. It's a 1996 Mercedes-Benz C220. I've been very fortunate to have the car running within its prescribed temperature limits, despite all the hand-wringing and pulling over to the side of the road, fraught with worry.

Women's Fitness

To contact us Click HERE
Choosing Women's Fitness Apparel


Fitness Clothing worn during physical activity should be as important as practice sessions. Therefore, you should be able to choose the right workout clothes. Clothes do not fit you properly can make a difference in your workout performance. Every time you start to lose weight during exercise, then you should look for new clothes for exercise.


You may want to feel good and look good but are comfortable more or equally important. There are many choices and varieties in clothing provided by the fashion industry. There are also many brand fashion and design industries to choose from. When choosing the type of workout clothes to buy, consider the following.


Comfortable workout clothes to avoid tight clothing. The material must be of good quality, flexible and gives you room to move and breathe freely. The material must be permeable to air, especially if you are involved in high-impact training that makes you sweat allot. Choose clothing that is specifically meant for exercise activities that you participate in.

Women's Fitness

To contact us Click HERE
Choosing Women's Fitness Apparel


Fitness Clothing worn during physical activity should be as important as practice sessions. Therefore, you should be able to choose the right workout clothes. Clothes do not fit you properly can make a difference in your workout performance. Every time you start to lose weight during exercise, then you should look for new clothes for exercise.


You may want to feel good and look good but are comfortable more or equally important. There are many choices and varieties in clothing provided by the fashion industry. There are also many brand fashion and design industries to choose from. When choosing the type of workout clothes to buy, consider the following.


Comfortable workout clothes to avoid tight clothing. The material must be of good quality, flexible and gives you room to move and breathe freely. The material must be permeable to air, especially if you are involved in high-impact training that makes you sweat allot. Choose clothing that is specifically meant for exercise activities that you participate in.

Is Scotty's going to pay the back taxes or not?

To contact us Click HERE
Did you see Al Crespo's latest on the Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing? According to Al and his delving, the City is not requiring Scott Wessel of Scotty's Landing to pay the 17 years of back taxes he owes even thought the County's Finance Department wants the money now. 

Is this a bunch of crap or what? I love Al's headline, one of my favorite phrases: "Govern Yourself Accordingly." His story and documentation is here.

I owe taxes too, how about wiping mine out and my neighbors' taxes and everyone's taxes?

For a City that is on the brink of bankruptcy to overlook this and deliberatly not try to collect back taxes is a total joke. 

When I am a day late sending sales taxes in to the state they are on my ass! What is wrong with our City? How much more corrupt can it get? The cops can't even afford uniforms and they are letting this happen? Do you know how much good the 17 years of back taxes could do?

Things we don't have . . .

To contact us Click HERE
So added to our list of things we don't have, Pinecrest is getting a Trader Joe's next year. Of all the places in South Florida, Pinecrest was chosen. It's a bit upsetting because there has been talk of putting a Trader Joe's in Coconut Grove for years, there was more than just talk, I know that some folks from the county and the Grove were in communication with Trader Joe's for years. Another upsetting thing is that when I asked someone in the know and with the power to possibly make it happen, they just brushed it off saying that it won't happen because Trader Joe's has no desire to come to Miami. As my old boss in advertising used to say, "If you don't ask, you don't get." We never ask around here.

So now it's no big deal to run down to 92nd Street and US1, where they plan on building the store, I run down that way often to go to Roasters 'n Toasters and I run to South Miami to Whole Foods. And I run to Dadeland to shop, other than The Gap, you can't buy a pair of pants around here, as another friend tells me. This is just another thing we'll have to leave the hood for.

I've never been to a Trader Joe's where you had to drive to it, I go to them in New York and Boston and San Francisco, but they are just there, you know, you're walking by and you enter. Here it will be a destination that you drive to and that was the reason it would have been a super thing for Coconut Grove, the destination bit, about people literally getting into their cars and driving here to go there.

But now that Miami is on the map regarding Trader Joe's, maybe we will be soon, too. Who knows . .  

The Scotty's Saga goes on

To contact us Click HERE
Scott Wessel, owner of Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing, owes back taxes on the property, according to Miami-Dade County, but he is suing the county to get out of paying. Sort of reminds me of a certain presidential candidate who doesn't like to pay taxes.

Anyway, the Herald has the story here, but to follow that up, even though Wessel says he does not owe the money, Al Crespo has found some interesting paperwork that shows Wessel just may owe the taxes, $2.5 million worth.

It doesn't appear as if any money has ever been spent at Scotty's on the food, tables, bar, walls or roof. As Wessel rakes in the money on poor service and terrible food, he doesn't feel the need to give anything back.

Prime waterfront property for free. Nice if you can get it. But then again, when you lease or rent from someone, in this case, it's the City, isn't the landlord responsible for paying the taxes? Isn't the this part of the monthly rent, passed on to the person renting the space? Why didn't the City ever arrange the monthly rent this way?

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.

Is Scotty's going to pay the back taxes or not?

To contact us Click HERE
Did you see Al Crespo's latest on the Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing? According to Al and his delving, the City is not requiring Scott Wessel of Scotty's Landing to pay the 17 years of back taxes he owes even thought the County's Finance Department wants the money now. 

Is this a bunch of crap or what? I love Al's headline, one of my favorite phrases: "Govern Yourself Accordingly." His story and documentation is here.

I owe taxes too, how about wiping mine out and my neighbors' taxes and everyone's taxes?

For a City that is on the brink of bankruptcy to overlook this and deliberatly not try to collect back taxes is a total joke. 

When I am a day late sending sales taxes in to the state they are on my ass! What is wrong with our City? How much more corrupt can it get? The cops can't even afford uniforms and they are letting this happen? Do you know how much good the 17 years of back taxes could do?

Things we don't have . . .

To contact us Click HERE
So added to our list of things we don't have, Pinecrest is getting a Trader Joe's next year. Of all the places in South Florida, Pinecrest was chosen. It's a bit upsetting because there has been talk of putting a Trader Joe's in Coconut Grove for years, there was more than just talk, I know that some folks from the county and the Grove were in communication with Trader Joe's for years. Another upsetting thing is that when I asked someone in the know and with the power to possibly make it happen, they just brushed it off saying that it won't happen because Trader Joe's has no desire to come to Miami. As my old boss in advertising used to say, "If you don't ask, you don't get." We never ask around here.

So now it's no big deal to run down to 92nd Street and US1, where they plan on building the store, I run down that way often to go to Roasters 'n Toasters and I run to South Miami to Whole Foods. And I run to Dadeland to shop, other than The Gap, you can't buy a pair of pants around here, as another friend tells me. This is just another thing we'll have to leave the hood for.

I've never been to a Trader Joe's where you had to drive to it, I go to them in New York and Boston and San Francisco, but they are just there, you know, you're walking by and you enter. Here it will be a destination that you drive to and that was the reason it would have been a super thing for Coconut Grove, the destination bit, about people literally getting into their cars and driving here to go there.

But now that Miami is on the map regarding Trader Joe's, maybe we will be soon, too. Who knows . .  

The Scotty's Saga goes on

To contact us Click HERE
Scott Wessel, owner of Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing, owes back taxes on the property, according to Miami-Dade County, but he is suing the county to get out of paying. Sort of reminds me of a certain presidential candidate who doesn't like to pay taxes.

Anyway, the Herald has the story here, but to follow that up, even though Wessel says he does not owe the money, Al Crespo has found some interesting paperwork that shows Wessel just may owe the taxes, $2.5 million worth.

It doesn't appear as if any money has ever been spent at Scotty's on the food, tables, bar, walls or roof. As Wessel rakes in the money on poor service and terrible food, he doesn't feel the need to give anything back.

Prime waterfront property for free. Nice if you can get it. But then again, when you lease or rent from someone, in this case, it's the City, isn't the landlord responsible for paying the taxes? Isn't the this part of the monthly rent, passed on to the person renting the space? Why didn't the City ever arrange the monthly rent this way?

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.

Women's Fitness

To contact us Click HERE
Choosing Women's Fitness Apparel


Fitness Clothing worn during physical activity should be as important as practice sessions. Therefore, you should be able to choose the right workout clothes. Clothes do not fit you properly can make a difference in your workout performance. Every time you start to lose weight during exercise, then you should look for new clothes for exercise.


You may want to feel good and look good but are comfortable more or equally important. There are many choices and varieties in clothing provided by the fashion industry. There are also many brand fashion and design industries to choose from. When choosing the type of workout clothes to buy, consider the following.


Comfortable workout clothes to avoid tight clothing. The material must be of good quality, flexible and gives you room to move and breathe freely. The material must be permeable to air, especially if you are involved in high-impact training that makes you sweat allot. Choose clothing that is specifically meant for exercise activities that you participate in.

Is Scotty's going to pay the back taxes or not?

To contact us Click HERE
Did you see Al Crespo's latest on the Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing? According to Al and his delving, the City is not requiring Scott Wessel of Scotty's Landing to pay the 17 years of back taxes he owes even thought the County's Finance Department wants the money now. 

Is this a bunch of crap or what? I love Al's headline, one of my favorite phrases: "Govern Yourself Accordingly." His story and documentation is here.

I owe taxes too, how about wiping mine out and my neighbors' taxes and everyone's taxes?

For a City that is on the brink of bankruptcy to overlook this and deliberatly not try to collect back taxes is a total joke. 

When I am a day late sending sales taxes in to the state they are on my ass! What is wrong with our City? How much more corrupt can it get? The cops can't even afford uniforms and they are letting this happen? Do you know how much good the 17 years of back taxes could do?

Things we don't have . . .

To contact us Click HERE
So added to our list of things we don't have, Pinecrest is getting a Trader Joe's next year. Of all the places in South Florida, Pinecrest was chosen. It's a bit upsetting because there has been talk of putting a Trader Joe's in Coconut Grove for years, there was more than just talk, I know that some folks from the county and the Grove were in communication with Trader Joe's for years. Another upsetting thing is that when I asked someone in the know and with the power to possibly make it happen, they just brushed it off saying that it won't happen because Trader Joe's has no desire to come to Miami. As my old boss in advertising used to say, "If you don't ask, you don't get." We never ask around here.

So now it's no big deal to run down to 92nd Street and US1, where they plan on building the store, I run down that way often to go to Roasters 'n Toasters and I run to South Miami to Whole Foods. And I run to Dadeland to shop, other than The Gap, you can't buy a pair of pants around here, as another friend tells me. This is just another thing we'll have to leave the hood for.

I've never been to a Trader Joe's where you had to drive to it, I go to them in New York and Boston and San Francisco, but they are just there, you know, you're walking by and you enter. Here it will be a destination that you drive to and that was the reason it would have been a super thing for Coconut Grove, the destination bit, about people literally getting into their cars and driving here to go there.

But now that Miami is on the map regarding Trader Joe's, maybe we will be soon, too. Who knows . .  

The Scotty's Saga goes on

To contact us Click HERE
Scott Wessel, owner of Grove Key Marina and Scotty's Landing, owes back taxes on the property, according to Miami-Dade County, but he is suing the county to get out of paying. Sort of reminds me of a certain presidential candidate who doesn't like to pay taxes.

Anyway, the Herald has the story here, but to follow that up, even though Wessel says he does not owe the money, Al Crespo has found some interesting paperwork that shows Wessel just may owe the taxes, $2.5 million worth.

It doesn't appear as if any money has ever been spent at Scotty's on the food, tables, bar, walls or roof. As Wessel rakes in the money on poor service and terrible food, he doesn't feel the need to give anything back.

Prime waterfront property for free. Nice if you can get it. But then again, when you lease or rent from someone, in this case, it's the City, isn't the landlord responsible for paying the taxes? Isn't the this part of the monthly rent, passed on to the person renting the space? Why didn't the City ever arrange the monthly rent this way?

It's a slow moving September, which is a good thing

To contact us Click HERE
It's very quiet in the Grove these days, for lack of a story today, I was going to re-run something from the past, which I may end up doing one of these days soon. Fall is here (as of yesterday), so things should be kicking in, but I don't really see much going on.

I hear that Snow Days is no more and that is a shame since that was one thing that set us apart from other areas. That was always fun. Grovetoberfest and the Pumpkin Patch are coming up this month and next month, but it almost looks as if the Grove has sworn off events, but not really because the last big even was the Great Grove Bed Race which was earlier this month.

Usually September flies by, but for some reason, this month has stalled, which, I think is a good thing, because who wants their life to fly by? It's hard to believe that the Bed Race was this month, it feels like it was so long ago and we still have a week to go in this month! Love it. Slow September.

I'm off to the gym and then to Buena Vista Deli in Midtown, to meet some friends for breakfast. I've been branching out of the Grove a lot lately, to enjoy other things. I was at Roaster n' Toasters, across from Dadeland, yesterday, which is next to the old Borders Books, which will become Trader Joe's soon.

When I brought up Trader Joe's the other day, I wasn't trying to put down the Pinecrest location meaning that the Grove was better. I just know that for years, there were serious talks with Traders Joe's about coming to the Grove. I was asked to not say anything by those involved in the talks and I just don't understand how that ball was dropped on that. That's all. We never seem to close the deal around here when it comes to things like that, but the good news is that once the door is open in the county, who knows where Trader Joe's could end up next. Oh, and the Grove location was possibly part of the big project in Village West where the Publix may or may not go, so either way, there was no way Joe's was going to end up there anytime soon since the ground has not even been broken yet in that area.