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Worthy benefit; easing housekeeping's burden
© St. Petersburg Times It's not too often the competing local papers write about each other, and lately I've been finding fault with the Tampa Tribune stories that have mentioned the Times. But that's another story. Today, there is good reason for the word Tribune to find its way into this column. Tribune copy editor Erin West has taken an unpaid leave of absence to care for her ailing mother, Serena Spain, in Gainesville. But her friends have not taken a leave. With the help of her husband Gary Perkola, the drummer for the local band Groovy Cool, the friends have organized a benefit from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at the VFW at 2010 W Morrison St., behind SideBerns. Groovy Cool and Deep Elum will perform and food and beer will be provided for the cost of a $20 ticket at the door. Serena was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) a year ago, and Erin has given up a salary and insurance benefits to be with her. That act, and her friends' willingness to help, should be enough of a testament. But here's one more reason to help out: Gary is so nice he actually let me sing with his band at Hattricks one night. So for a Mother's Day gift, I paid for a cleaning service to make two visits to the hacienda in Seffner. It was a definite upgrade from the toaster I got my wife for Christmas, and believe me, she deserves a day of rest. But my good intentions actually resulted in her working more. I didn't realize you have to clean up the house before the cleaning service arrives, lest they think you're not a good housekeeper. Chris Hart IV figures in the 10 years he has been married, he has spent a cumulative total of at least two years away from his wife and family in Tallahassee, first as an aide to John Grant and then as a state representative. Hart, who is not seeking re-election, says that kind of math adds up to him not running for the District 1 County Commission seat, despite a persistent chorus of insiders who believe he will get in the race. Questions remain: Do the two Republicans currently running, Gene Wells and Stephen Fuller, have enough appeal to appease the party? Or will Republicans find a bigger name to contend against the large field of Democrats? How's this for influence? One month after writing how I wished for a Sonic drive-in hamburger restaurant in Tampa, the Oklahoma City-based chain has plans to open a restaurant at 4625 66th St. N in St. Petersburg. See, I can get things done around here. Habana, Habana, Bo-bana, Fee, Fi Banana, HABANA. Jennie's Florist is located at the corner of Columbus and Habana in West Tampa. An item in a recent column suggested another street that sounds very much like Habana. So I thought it was weird for Miss Piggy to endorse Denny's Grand Slam breakfast, but a reader wrote in to say it is equally strange for Barney Martin and Liz Sheridan, the actors who portrayed Jerry Seinfeld's parents, to appear in Denny's commercials. "I haven't figured out why Denny's uses Seinfeld's TV parents who are so obviously Jewish to promote the Grand Slam bacon and sausage which is pork and Jewish people don't eat pork," wrote Tampa's Wynelle Gilbert, a devoted fan of the Grand Slam breakfast. So I tell my friend that I got a couple of cleaning service visits as a Mother's Day gift. Being the funny guy that he is, he walks into the house after the cleaning woman left and says, "I've never seen the house so clean." It's been a week and my wife, still annoyed, wants to know what he meant. Next year, she's getting an electric can opener for Mother's Day. That's all I'm saying. -- Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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Times columns today Robert Trigaux Ernest Hooper Howard Troxler Bill Maxwell John Romano From the Times Metro desks |
