Uncle Teddy Bears Witness

The Democratic Convention got off to a crawl last night, initially with a bunch of back-slappin' good-ol' boys and gals who got their 15 minutes in the Party spotlight (albeit in the background, while CNN and Network reporters, pols and analysts talked over them). The always-entertaining James Carville was not amused, saying the Dems were coasting on the first night. But things lit up when Caroline Kennedy brought in Uncle Teddy. Neither one of them can read a teleprompter worth a hoot, but it was good to see Ted in full voice. I was expecting a more frail appearance, but he brought the thunder. It's good to know that careful diagnosis, excellent medical care and a 5th of Jack Daniels can still work magic on the national stage. Just the sight of all those people cheering from under their straw hats, well, it kinda takes your breath away. REMEMBER THIS PEOPLE: there are a lot of countries out there that don't even have straw hats, so be grateful for being part of this great place and time we live in.

The one thing that ticked me off after Michelle Obama spoke (she did very well, by the way), was when they asked some analysts to grade her from A-F. Of the 5 analysts, 4 of them gave her an A. Good call. She deserved an A. However, the last one gave her a B. Why? "I didn't like her dress." Ya know, I don't think The Cap'n even needs to comment on that. The media embarrasses themselves more than I ever could.

There's some not-so-great weather news to report. GUSTAV has gone from just being a pain-in-the-Caribbean to a full-fledged Hurricane. Not only that, but the storm is sitting off the coast of Haiti & The Dominican Republic, with a very bad path laid out for the continental US. You can view and track the storm from this link, which includes computer models, projections, radar and satellite, etc/from the Weather Underground site:

http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200807.html

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. If you are going to cruise the Caribbean during late Summer or Fall, you should strongly consider leaving from Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. At least you have a choice of itineraries (heading East or West, where you can run from or avoid visible storms). If you leave from Tampa, Mobile, New Orleans, or Galveston, best of luck to you. There are no alternate home ports, and no alternate destination ports. If there's a storm, you're in it and this upcoming week there are going to be thousands of people in it.

One of my shipmates is headed to Toronto Canada this weekend, which is one of the Cap'n's favorite destinations. People are so nice and helpful up there, the food is great, the architecture, entertainment and activities are world-class, and all races and cultures seem to get along....it's kind of like the American ideal, without all the darned Americans messing things up. Although I can appreciate the fine dining establishments, streetside cafes, and having a Labatt's Blue at Wayne' Gretzky's restaurant & bar, the most memorable food I've eaten in Toronto over the years is a bit more obscure. I did a Google search of Toronto Restaurants and it came back with a listing and reviews of the 285 most popular. My favorite food choice made the Top 10! OK, so it was #10, but that ain't bad out of the 285 best. Wanna see what it is?

http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Canada/Province_of_Ontario/Toronto-903418/Restaurants-Toronto-TG-C-1.html

You're probably thinking I'm kidding, but these are seriously good eats! My highest recommendation is to get the regular Polish Kielbasa (not the spicy), have them side-slice it about 6-8 times, and let them grill it over the open fire until it's blackened on the outside. Served on a yellow egg bun, you can select from tons of condiments and spices, including olives, banana peppers, fresh onion, relish, or a dozen other toppings, and all I can tell you is WELCOME TO HEAVEN! If you've ever bought from a street vendor in New York or something, it's absolutely nothing even resembling that. Ontario and the city of Toronto have extremely strict health and service guidelines, and carts and vendors are all randomly checked throughout the year. It's just a slice of love on an egg bun. In Ebert-and-Roper-style, I'll give it 2 buns up!