Sandy, What's with the lights on the repaired section of the bridge?????? From a distance it looks as if they are off, but in reality they are on but nearly unseen from a distance. Sort of creepy huh? - G I read an article about this issue somewhere not too long ago - sounds like a lot of people are upset about these lights being so much dimmer than the rest. The explanation given for this was that the light posts have been fitted with a more energy-efficient kind of bulb that directs more light downward than those used on the older lights. I believe the officials in charge were looking into the possibility of outfitting the rest of the causeway lights with the same type of bulbs to present a more uniform appearance. I will agree that it is a bit creepy, but it gets even creepier when you notice the correlation between the number of dimmed lights (8) and the number of people who died when the bridge collapsed (8). Is this just a coincidence? Probably. Still, it seems kind of fitting that the numbers match up, as the dimmed lights could be seen as another kind of memorial to those who lost their lives. The latest headlines tell us that the city is quickly recovering from the economic impact of the bridge being down. The memories of the days when SPI was truly an island are fading. As the older bulbs reach the end of their life spans, they will undoubtedly be replaced with the newer ones and this will cease to be an issue. But for now, perhaps we should let those eight dim lights continue to remind us how lucky we are to still be enjoying our beautiful island and how important it is not to forget those who lost their lives needlessly in this tragedy. On a related but less morbid note: I personally am more offended by the white plastic "baseball bats" littering the east end of the causeway along the new bicycle path. Originally posted to protect path users (I assume) they obviously have not deterred vehicles from swerving over the line and scattering them like bowling pins. They have been laying there for weeks and are the first thing you see when you get to the island. If someone doesn't pick them up soon, I might have to "unlitter them" myself. Might be just the finishing touch needed for my newly remodeled "shabby chic" bedroom... Howdy: Well I'll fire away... Is Playboy going to be at South Padre Island for more than just Texas Week? I noticed on the internet that they were just listed that week, and we will be there the 16th through the 23rd... If you have pull with them, tell them to stay another week at least...  Thanks, Your P-boy reader, Kent Hi Kent, Just when I get thinking that I will never get another chuckle-inducing "ask sandy" question, someone like you comes along. In appreciation for this day-brightening question, I am going to immediately fire off an e-mail to my ol' buddy Hef requesting that the fuzzy-eared lovelies cancel all other conflicting appearances to spend the whole month of March on SPI. Not sure exactly how far my influence extends, but just in case it goes further than I think, I will ask if one of them could be "assigned" to cradle your head in her lap and drop grapes in your mouth while I am at it... Hey, I'm laughing with you, not at you. Dear sandy, We are looking for someplace to go on a vacation, not too far away, like here in the rio grande valley. Do u recommend any place? Hmmm. Let's see... Bayview has some very pretty citrus orchards; I hear that Rio Hondo is lovely this time of year; and if you call and request it, I bet you could get a guided tour of the water treatment plant... Wait a minute -- Is this a trick question?

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