Let's Ask C Ray

What's the actual number of houses on the "list"?

Yankees BS

Seriously, if this doesn't prove that the Yankees view the rest of MLB as their Minor League Farm Team, I don't know what does. I remember hearing people say in the late 90s that the Yankees had "homegrown" talent. Besides Jeter? Really? Who?

Jerks.

Is this really bad?

Bennigan's corporate has filed for bankruptcy. All corporate stores are closing. I feel for the people who lost their jobs without much notice, but isn't the world a little better without Bennigan's in it? Next on my list - TGI Friday's, Applebee's, and Olive Garden.

Do Watcha Wanna

This would fire me up. GO SOUTHERN!

9 Days

until I get to see the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS on ESPN. I think that with the small improvements that were made on defense (Vilma) the Saints will improve this season. I don't think Tampa Bay has made significant improvements, and I believe the distraction of the Brett Favre bull crap will help. I don't know what Carolina has done to get better, but I do know that Jake Delhomme has not been the same QB as the year they went to the SuperBowl. Atlanta is in shambles (Can you say schadenfreude?).

The Saints have the inside track on the NFC South this year, and we don't have to start the season against the SuperBowl champs. Instead we get to meet our new nemesis, Tampa Bay. This game, like last year's opener, will set the tone for the season. It's home this time, and it's a must win.

I don't think Deuce will be back at 100%. I also don't think Bush can carry the load, even with his new "commitment to football." But the team will be better this year, somehow. I just know it.

Go SAINTS!

Notice that I didn't even mention Shockey?

UPDATE: There is a reason I teach Latin and not math. It's 9 days, one astute and anonymous reader pointed out. Nevertheless, the DirecTV guy is here. No more Mother's Bar for me. George and I will be spending our Sundays drinking beer at home.

Make your plans now

To be in Bowers, PA for the 13th Annual Chile Pepper Food Festival. I am running out of last year's supply of salsa and hot sauce. My favorite right now is from Jeff's Chile Spot in Downingtown, PA. Fat Sam's Sassy Chipotle Salsa - a little smoky, a little hot, and a ton of flavor.

This is what they see

And it's hard to argue with them.

Is there a way to impeach Nagin? Can Robert Cerasoli change the culture of corruption? Will things get better once the thieving Jeffersons get convicted? Or will others step up in their place to steal from the poor and needy? Will the Corps of Engineers stop lying and live up to its mission?

When is enough going to be enough? People in other parts of this country would not stand for such bullshit. Why do we?

To kill the many-headed hydra, you have to start somewhere. Though the evil may grow back, you have to at least start pruning.

Awesome Photo

At least to me. It's Troy from the Cosmic Cup Coffee in Easton. George and I need to make a few more trips there before summer is out. With Kate out of town next week, we should be able to make up a little bit. Interesting article, too. I, personally, like FaceBook but it's a huge time suck.

Louisiana Sports Shop

An old student of mine's dad has opened this place - been there about a year.

I hear there's not a lot of Tulane stuff, but you should still go there for your Saints, Hornets, and LSU stuff. I even heard he's open on Sundays...unlike some other places on Veterans.

Shockey

I don't think this will turn out good. He's not a team player, not the kind of guy Coach Payton seems to have on this team. But he is good.

I still don't understand why we aren't chasing after defensive backs.

Do it then

But where is Mr. Bush?

I miss them

The New Orleans Brass. Who couldn't love "Chuck A Puck"?

No Way

Now let's see if the police and DA can make the charges stick. HA! I laugh because of the number of times I have been burned in the past by incompetence and sloppy work. But I am hopeful.

Joe Cool Lives

When I was a kid, my dad had Tulane football season tickets. Joe Cool was on all kinds of Tulane t-shirts and I loved it. Now, he's back. Except he lives in Easton. And his name is George. Watch out, LSU!

Struggling

And this is why. I went to New Orleans this last weekend to see my best friend, Brian. He is sick. It was good to see him, and I am glad that he got to meet baby George.

A few months ago, I wasn't so sure that he was going to make it this long. But he has. And he is as stubborn a cajun boy as you will find. I don't know if he can beat this monster, but I know that the monster has cowered, flinched, and gotten its fair share of abuse. If cancer had a tangible, sentient component, it would be crying. Chuck Norris wishes he was as tough as Brian. Brian's just that kind of guy.

But the cancer is stubborn, too, and it's getting stronger as Brian gets weaker and his weapons to fight are running out. I have no doubt that he will fight as long as he can. I hope he kicks the cancer's ass. If anyone can do it, he can.

Fight on, brother, fight on.

Two Things

1) Jack came back from the kennel with a hoarse bark. I always wondered if a dog could make himself hoarse from barking. Now I know the answer.

2) Figuring out how to teach history is not as easy as I thought. Right now I have way more ideas than I do plans (which is to say I have some plans but, boy, do I need more). Latin is much easier to plan for.* I guess I have some more looking to do.



*I wish there was a group of history teachers somewhere that exchanged best practices/lesson plans/ideas like they have for all my Latin text books. Yahoo hosts these groups for Latin and they always post materials and chat about how to teach difficult concepts. It's a great support group and it's text based. How much better can you get than that?

Potential Shenanigans?

According to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, the Dominion Tower and the New Orleans Centre (with parking garage) are going to be taken by the state to use for offices. Some offices would be for the city if I am reading this article correctly.
Nagin didn't respond because he's in Panama.

I wonder if this is akin to TV stations advertising their own TV shows. That money has to come from somewhere. In this situation, is the state going to charge the city rent? Will it be fair value? Should the city own the building and charge the state rent? Someone needs to keep an eye on this because there is a great deal of potential scandal lying here.

Running

I was here but missed the running of the bulls. I just couldn't get up after a late late night of drinking. Years ago, I would have sucked it up and done it. I must be getting old. I think I will regret this decision for at least a year. What a perfect combination of insanity, running, drinking, and a city.

The reunion was fun, but certainly the day would have been better had I gotten hit with a wiffle ball bat by girls on roller skates as I ran through the French Quarter with beer and the Rolling Elvi.

Semi-Sorta Famousish

My blog gets mentioned at the Times-Picayune blog. Is that like a journalist interviewing another journalist? I hate when that happens.

Now if they would just proclaim Kermit the Frog the best JazzFest totem, replete with pictures and an interview, you could dip me in shit and put me on the mantle.*


*When George (who is doing great!) was in the NICU for that horrible week, the head doctor said something similar to us at one point. This was one of the only things that he said that made me laugh. Most everything else caused my mouth to drop open from shock.

The K-Word

According to this blog, there is a play called Katrina: The K Word. It started in New Jersey. Anybody want to host it in his/her neck of the woods?

Princess Sobsalot and Jungle Jim

I have a couple of ideas for children's books. I don't know where I come up with this stuff, but as I was feeding George this morning lightbulbs were popping all over the place.

The first book I had an idea for was about a princess who constantly cried. Her name is Princess Sobsalot. She is loosely based on a girl I know. The idea would be to have her go on adventure - to the park, to the mall, meet a boy, go to a ball, etc. - and learn a lesson about being nice to other people. These lessons would teach her that sobbing and being pushy didn't make her happy, but that interacting kindly and gently with others did. I have written, I think, the first installment already.

The second idea is definitely less well thought out. It is just an idea because it sounds funny to me. This would be a series of short books using the character Jungle Jim to introduce children to outside activities and animals. OK, so maybe I just want to have one book called "George and Jungle Jim." Like I said, this is not well thought out just yet.

I think these ideas need some work, but I also think they have some potential. And if a miracle happens and I get these ideas published, I may get that $1000 the real Princess Sobsalot owes me.

Links of the Day

A lot of what I post is probably old news to anyone who actually reads this blog. Here are my links of the day:

Finding cracks in the immunity wall

Forgotten victims (probably won't work properly...)

A new Saintsation! (I am singing INXS now)

Fixing the Pumps (or Not)

Though his blog has not been actively updated since July 3, 2007, Matt McBride has been doing tons of work at thinknola.com. His intense scrutiny, knowledge and tenacity is admirable. The newspaper and journalists everywhere could learn something from him. I only wish he was finding out good stuff and not more bull crap from the Army Corps of Engineers.

Keep up the good work, Matt.

Happy Independence Day

Though it was a bit of a sham, it is still amazing that the great thinkers of the late 1700s were able to make a compelling argument for our little country to be a separate entity. And then move the masses to back up their plan, and through a little grittiness and luck, pull it off. Today we celebrate that movement and this little experiment we call the United States of America. For my part, I am going to see a buddy in New Jersey, swim in his pool, drink a few too many beers, and eat high fat content foods. I have the freedom to make those choices.

Also, I deserve it because I ran 4 miles this morning. Happy and Safe 4th of July!

Reality Sucks

My friend Brian has been fighting a monster of a beast - cancer - for three years. I remember that he felt ill during my wedding* (very unlike him), and he sought medical help (very, very unlike him). In the course of their investigation, they found out he had Stage 4 colon cancer. In the meantime, Hurricane Katrina came and forced him and his wife to move to Baton Rouge. As he likes to say, there is no cure, only treatment. And he has been constantly treating and monitoring the spread of the beast. He has seen several doctors, trying to find one that shares his stubbornness and hope. He has been to Arizona to enroll in an experimental (of sorts) treatment regimen. New medicines are always just around the corner, but after three arduous years the reality is grim.

The cancer has spread and increased its invasion of his body throughout the last few months, taking over his lungs and significantly hindering his ability to breathe. JazzFest, Brian's favorite New Orleans event, was almost a chore because he had a great deal of difficulty catching his breath, and with all the dust he had several coughing bouts that lasted hours. It was sad to see your best friend struggle to enjoy something he loves.

He has fought valiantly for a long time, and I hope he has the strength left to continue his fight. I sit here in Pennsylvania wishing there was something I could say or do. All my words feel trite and meaningless. It's hard to know what to say, so I try to keep myself upbeat. But the truth is that I feel helpless. In the next week or two, our new family is coming down to meet Uncle Brian, hoping that we get to spend more time together in the future.

Fight on, brother. We are rooting for you.


*Brian was my best man, and he and his wife paid for and hired a brass band which turned out to be the highlight of the entire weekend. Who does that?

The Good News

Frommer's and Zagat's are releasing books on New Orleans again. One of our great friends works for the company that produces one of these books, and we were able to acquire a few for our family and friends from out of town for our wedding in June of 2005. I see our copy on our bookshelf and still get choked up.

Seriously

When was the last time the Smurfs were on TV (aside from Robot Chicken)? And they are going to make a movie? Why? Who's clamoring for this? (FWIW, for some reason I actually spent money and time to see the Jetsons movie at the Esplanade whenever that came out. That may have been the turning point in my movie watching life.)

From an email from TiVo:

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE… Have you heard? Hollywood is bringing the adventures of "The Smurfs" to life in a feature film that will introduce the lil' blue cartoon creatures to a new generation of fans! It will be a hybrid live-action and animated film. Hmmm… who will be Gargamel?

Who gives a crap? Nevertheless, I bet it's better than Beowulf. That was just awful.

The Audition

One of the best skits ever, from Mr. Show with Bob and David.



Seriously, can I use it?