Coupla quick notes

Tulane frat makes TSG!

I’m embarrassed that I couldn’t tell if the article in the latest Levee was real or fake.  It sure SEEMED real, but you never see real things published in stuff like that and the Onion.  So at Wed on the Square, I saw the author of the piece, and he assured me that they had indeed screwed up the monument… monumentally.

We just got G one of the FYYFF t-shirts for his b-day, and E got a Geauxbama while we were at it.  They both rock.

A unique way to contribute

How about coming to New Orleans as the youngest college professor in almost 300 years?  Damn, 19 and teaching at SUNO to make a difference.  Cheers, Alia.

Why the hell do I have to read about this remarkable local woman in a link to the fucking Today Show?

The Edge keeps giving

I’m not crazy of perma-nicknames (e.g., Sting) for anyone but bloggers, but I’ll continue to make an exception for The Edge.  Mr. Edge has been simply great to our city:

No one could ever come close to repaying the debt of those who have established this form (of music) that we all take totally for granted, this hybrid of European melody and African-American rhythm that’s given us jazz and R&B and rock ‘n’ roll

While we’re singing his praises, here’s one of my all-time favs.

A few miscellaneous observations

Is George “bowtie” F. “vitiated” Will really calling Barack elitist?  How’s the silver-spoon everyman we have in there now working out for you?

I don’t know if it’ll be there tomorrow, but the roasted garlic on the salad bar at Whole Foods tonight rocked.  Get it when you can… by the pound.

Speaking of WFM, tonight I ran into Troy Andrews and Deacon John there.  I love seeing greatness at my store.

For the record, I’ve liked Chris Rose more than most bloggers, but I thought his tribute to Ashley was really good.

Speaking of Ashley, is it just me, or does the “Remember Ashley Morris” picture (and I need someone to help me put that up) look like he should be posthumously dubbed thus.

Michelle Obama will be the perfect first lady, in my view.  (Note the legs comment down toward the end)

The perfect response to Obama’s “bitter” controversy:

Artie Jefferson,
Tour Guide
“Hillary knew a young, inexperienced Obama would slip up sooner or later and be honest with people.”

I’ve often said that the racism in NO would dissipate a lot of people would just come onto Xavier’s campus and eavesdrop on students’ conversations.  Yeah, there’s plenty of banality going around, but today was the first day of our Festival of Scholars, and there’s some damn fine work going on.

Today when I got home a poller from Tulane & Kaiser interviewed me on my life since K.  I noted that although I said my life is overall very good, I ended up answering that I’m dissatisfied with a lot of things.  It’s a bit like something in psyc we call “false uniqueness.”

Ashley’s in the book.  I’ve added a bit from Ashley’s obituary to the chapter from E’s & my Psychology of Disasters book that deals with the rally effect.  I know most of us were rabid pro-NOLA people before the storm, but I know that we’ve gotten more defensive and vehement since, much like the flag pins that emerged after 9/11.  I hope it’s a good bit of subtle tribute.

In solidarity with Tibet, I am refusing to compete in the China olympics.  You’re welcome.

FQF & PH

What a beautiful day for a fest!  I’m pissed at myself that I didn’t manage to get out there til today, but I sometimes fall apart when E’s gone and can’t get motivated to do anything.

I’m embarrassed to say that this was the first time I’d ever been to Preservation Hall.  Watched the Hot 4, and loved it, and man that place has some character.  I knew it did, but I didn’t realize it had pegboard covering the walls.  Now that’s upscale!  Such a real vibe there.

Numerous only-in-NO moments, capped by a brass band battle across Decatur.  Awesome.

Didn’t make it last night, but I did manage to go to V-Day.  My well-connected neighbor got me into the party afterward, where I got to meet Kerry Washington (stunning) and Mike McKenzie.  Pretty cool, and the Monologues were phenomenal.  Oprah was a no-show, but Rosario, Jane, and the rest were terrific.  Plus it was kinda fun that everyone felt free to talk about vaginas all night.

Now I gotta do my damn taxes.

We’ll miss you, Ashley

Wow, I can’t believe Ashley Morris won’t be making my day with his sinn fein posts anymore (I never bothered to find out what that meant until Ashley).  Much worse, he won’t be rockin’ the husband/dad thing that he was so into.

We didn’t always agree on everything (I thought he was a little harsh on the Musicians’ Village), but he always made me feel welcome, was always friendly to E and me, and any advocate for New Orleans is a friend of mine.  Especially when they’re so damn genuine and love life the way Ashley did.

Too Soon?

When I’m dead, people who think I’m a prick are hereby permitted (encouraged even) to continue to think I’m a prick. Just like Al Copeland.

No, I never met the guy, and now I never will, but I think he’s a prick, and I will continue to do so until I learn that I shouldn’t. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.

I agree with Chris Rose that his love of life is to be admired (although I disagree that AC’s town was New Orleans; Metairie is not New Orleans). But I can’t forgive how he let his businesses scar the landscape, not to mention what they serve has done for people’s perceptions of New Orleans cuisine.

I admit to having been amused during slow points in past Hornets games watching Al and his band of thugs sitting courtside with their tight faces, preternaturally black hair, and snug $500 silk shirts. But those resources should have gone into removing the blight at Napoleon and St. Charles that has sat boarded up since 2005. Unforgivable. And that’s to say nothing of his eyesores further toward Lee Circle.

The brawl at Morton’s, the traffic at his Metairie house, the multiple silico-spouses–that stuff I can handle. But benefiting from a generous bankruptcy agreement while not fixing his properties is something I can’t handle. So forgive me for not jumping on the “he was one of a kind” praise of the guy.

Paul Prudhomme, now that’s a restaurant guy who deserves our praise.

T-Mac was right

As my friend Gary put it:

McGrady said something bad would happen if he came to New Orleans.  How about 25 points in the 2nd half?

This team is never out of it.  On a night when we couldn’t hit an outside shot for anything, tenacious defense and some sweet driving plays got the job done.  Can’t wait for Saturday against the Celtics.  Once again, #1 in the West vs. #1 in the East, and I like our chances!

Even though I didn’t take him up on it, Chef-Who-Dat wins the big prize (a drink, probably) for his idea of going as T-Mac’s security detail.  I liked it but didn’t have time to get it together.

But we did sit in front of some young punks who decided they were Rockets fans.  And they were obnoxious as hell about it.  E and I spent the first half leaning forward to distance ourselves as much as possible from within a packed arena.  I don’t mind visiting fans, but mocking the Hornets’ initial ineptitude was a bit much (especially from some pimply prick with a McGrady jersey over his green polo with the collar turned up).  E doesn’t like me to confront punks like that (”They’re just kids”) so my only response was a stage whisper to her:  “When it’s your first time at a big league game, you get a little excited.”  And of course they were gone by the time we took that game over.

We’re all still in college

I was listening to a recent This American Life, the theme of which was returning to childhood.  One woman was reminiscing on her time at Tufts when a couple of guys put together an absurd act in which one of them rode on the shoulders of the other and proclaimed himself to be Giant Man.  The got a cult following, as you might imagine, and her wistful tone was notable.  One thing she said struck me:

When you’re a student, it still feels like something exciting might happen at any moment.  Life feels full of all this potential.  But when you get out of school, that potential just doesn’t seem to be there.

I thought to myself, “Man, I feel like that she did in college, and I feel it all the time.”  Living in New Orleans does mean that the potential is there for something exciting to happen at any moment.   I’m not sure if our similarity to a just-beyond-adolescence age is necessarily a good thing (we certainly could have taken more time to hold the Corps accountable before the storm), but I think it speaks to why I love my city.  I like that characters like Giant Man are around all the time, especially during our many costuming opportunities.  Predictability is good for some things, but it can get boring too.  Indeed, something exciting is always right around the corner.

Stuff I’ve been meaning to post…

Dilbert & Religion:

Thank you for taking time out from feeding the poor to complain about comic strips. I know Jesus would have played it the same way.

–Scott Adams (Dilbert)

I don’t typically read Scott Adams’s blog, but this post is great.

Obama & McCain: I’m really bummed I didn’t get around to ordering a green O’Bama shirt in time for St. Pat’s (maybe they’ll be cheaper now), but his speech today, I believe, will be remembered long after he’s gone. Folks, this could be a real turning point in the nation’s dealings with race. It may lose him the election by causing subtly racist moderates to finally have their reason to jump ship, but it’ll force a bunch of folks to face some ugly truths.

Incidentally, if you weren’t scared enough of McCain before (I’ve been guilty as considering him a relatively minor threat, but I thought the same about W way back when, so I’m guilty), consider that he actively solicited the support of John Hagee, who said this:

All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that.

In that interview, he goes on to say that there was to be a parade with homosexual sex at unprecedented levels. The lack of rationality that goes into these kinds of statements (like, what about Rita? No storm hits a god-fearing region?) just blows me away, so to speak. What a prick.

HomeStretch: Like some respected not-really-lent-type others, I’ve been on the wagon for Lent. E did this a few years ago, but I decided to join her this time. It sucks, but I’ve learned some things. More on that later. Believe me, this level of masochism deserves its own post. If you see someone puking on Chris Owens Sunday, that’ll be me.

T-Mac Watch: Tomorrow E and I are going to watch the Hornets kick the Rockets’ asses and end that streak and take over 1st in the West. Big prize to anyone who helps me incorporate my hatred of McGrady into a concise sign. Remember these words:

If I don’t feel like it’s going to be safe, if I’m on that team, I will think about not going.

That was the first thing I thought about [regarding the game being held in New Orleans next season]. I thought about how much safety and security there’s going to be for the players. I don’t think it’s the right city right now. Safety has to come first.

BTW, I’ve never personally seen a player take over a game the way Chris Paul did last night. G & I thought we were toast, and we were already lamenting how we gave away a game to a mediocre team (even if 2 KU players are on the team), when Paul became superman and decided he WOULD NOT LET US LOSE. So tomorrow we play to end the streak and take over 1st in the West and in the division. I’m drooling.

BTW2, I’ve been elated to see JuJu come alive and get some game, becoming a crowd favorite in the process. I think he’s going to be an impact player, and I hope we can keep him. Also, props to Bonzi, who I’d been critical of before last night. Jeez, I love the Hornets. Keep supporting them folks! I need them here for my fix!

Super-Duper Sunday: Man, was the weather great, and our “dead city” showed its unique spirit and a great time. Too many pix here.

Family: How old do you get before your family starts giving guilt trips about your personal weaknesses? Just wondering.

More later.

Update:  I didn’t realize Houston played Boston tonight.  Not sure if I should root against Houston (I guess I will, for NO’s sake and for KU’s Paul Pierce), or for Houston (have I mentioned I hate Tracy McGrady) so we can end their streak instead of Beantown.