Got our mojo working

Sunday’s game against Washington (not too keen on their name) wasn’t pretty.  Well, actually, yes it was.  Both teams actually played pretty well, but we were the beneficiaries of some amazing and timely turns of events. I don’t know what their order of importance they have, but here’s what made it work for us:

• Robert Meachem (of Tulsa’s Booker T. Washington High School, home of the Hornets and my alma mater) steals a Drew Brees-thrown interception and returns it for a TD
• Morstead’s shanked punt bounces off the back of a ‘Skin, to be recovered by Usama Young
• Shaun Suisham misses a gimme figgie, leaving us less than 2 min, but only 1 TD down
• Jonathan Vilma intercepts, leaving Washington unable to score at the end of regulation
• Sweet forced fumble (and that ball was coming out, y’all) gets us the ball back, and you knew Brees would get it in there.  Frankly, I would’ve run another safe play on 2nd down at the goal line, but all’s well that ends well

This was one that the “old” Saints would have lost and the “new” Saints probably should have.  But I’m with Brees, who notes that we’ve had more than our share of Washington’s experiences in our history.  This was our good fortune, but we’ve had the bad fortune many times.

One thing I hate is athletes claiming they won because, “We refused to lose,” or, “We just wanted it worse than they did.”  I much prefer Jonathan Vilma’s reminder that sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.  Amen, and there’s no shame in saying we caught some breaks.  But if we weren’t a good team, we wouldn’t have been in position to get them or to capitalize on them.  And that’s why this team is great.  Not good, Great.

BTW, I knew we were in trouble, but I didn’t know it was THIS bad (thanks A-train).

Holy shit this sounds so cool!

“Dueling Banjos” may have been a hit on the radio when the movie Deliverance was released in 1972, but Clint Maedgen and cellist Helen Gillet have other ideas about the proper accompaniment of the John Boorman classic– something a little difference from Eric Weissberg’s banjo-heavy soundtrack. On Saturday from 7:30-11 p.m. at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s Patrick Taylor Library, “Delivering Deliverance” will present a one-night-only screening of the movie with a live soundtrack provided by Maedgen and Gillet. The event is free for museum members, $15 for general admission.

From the Weekly Beat

An open letter to Mitchell Hurwitz

Dear Mr. Hurwitz,

I’m writing to apologize to you for not watching Arrested Development in its original airing. We’re just about done with the DVDs (you do get some money from that, don’t you?), and it’s one of the funniest and cleverest shows I’ve seen. We’re at the part now where the characters are begging to keep their jobs, and it really hit home.

Sure, I watched it a few times, but I’d recently gotten HBO, so I was weaning myself from commercials, and that was before I had DVR, so I couldn’t skip them. But I’m sorry I wasn’t part of the movement to keep the show moving.

Still, maybe there’s something to living fast and dying young, like Ricky Gervais’ shows. At least you never jumped the shark (although that stuff about the Brits was a little lame), even though Fonzie was on it (great, BTW).

I think I most appreciate that you had enough innuendo and subtlety to keep it interesting, but it was accessible enough that I could grasp it, and that makes me feel smart.

Anyway, thanks for the great show; it’s been a ton of laughs. Now what’s up with that movie?

Sincerely,
HammHawk

A link & a question

The link.  Kinda nice to hear Steve Inskeep hand Michael Steele’s douchebag ass to him on Morning Edition.

The question.  Now that I’m pretty much done with Whole Foods, where’s the best place to get organic and vegetarian groceries in town?

So what’s the deal with James Perry?

He seems like the choice so far to me, but I don’t know much about the race yet. I get the sense that pretty much all the bloggers around are supporting him at this point, but am I misreading the situation?

So far, I really like what I see, but I’d like to hear from some more plugged in folks.

400%

This is why it IS still about race, and why FoxNews and the like need to check themselves before, G-d forbid, they get blood on their hands.

Just sayin’

Link

A simple (but small) solution to the Gates-Crowley incidents

There are a lot of signs around town that say “Think you might be wrong,” and it occurs to me that the people who post them may have the secret to more than they realize.

In my Psyc classes, we talk a lot about prejudice from a scientific perspective, and real-life incidents provide a nice tie-in. One thing the research tells us is that stereotyping is easy, but overriding it requires both ability (to focus and put forth the effort) and motivation (to think that there’s something to put the effort toward).

The only way that people can overcome a prejudiced response is to recognize that they may be capable of one, and that’s where the St. Crowleys of the world–whom I don’t believe is explicitly racist, but who is susceptible to bias–can benefit. So can actual racists like the cop in Boston who talked about banana-eating jungle monkeys, but they’re less likely to see the problem. I see evidence of the motivation in Crowley, but if others want to convince us that they’re not racist, then they have to see that they–and all of us, including this blogger–are subject to biases of which we may not be aware.

If more of us said, “I might be wrong,” but didn’t want to be, we’d treat each other a lot more fairly.

A Few Food Notes

In a town that brought you “Let ‘em have it” and the uber-cheesy A-1 Appliance, and Ronnie Lamarque singing Volare, the Rouse’s chef ads are remarkably effective and dignified. I mean, they get John Besh, Leah Chase, and a bunch of other greats, not some schmuck from the Kenner Applebee’s, telling you that they get their stuff at Rouse’s. I don’t know if that’s true, but it works for me.

Thanks, La Divina, for nothing. Opening 2 blocks from my house could be the end of what health or money I have left. But til then, I’m all about the blueberry-basil sorbet and the hazelnut gelato. Dayam.

July is supposed to be dead time here, but last week we tried to take my brother and sis-in-law to Jacques-Imos–the place locals either love or love to hate. At 9pm, there was a 2-hour wait. Jeez, Jack, you got something going there. Hope I get to try it again soon.

If you haven’t tried Abita satsuma yet because you think it’ll be fruity, you’re missing out. It’s no sweeter than any unfiltered with an orange in it, and it’s a very solid entry.  I’m one of the few who has not taste for their Amber, but who finds some of their recent brews–Jockamo, Preservation–to be excellent beers.  Satsuma continues that proud trend.

I don’t care if you eat meat or not, you gotta try Whole Foods’ mock chicken salad.  Damn, it’s good.  I’ve tried to replicate it at home (because $10/lb ain’t exactly priced for daily gorging), to poor effect.  I’ll keep working on it; doesn’t seem that difficult.

The guys who sell watermelon from the backs of trucks are some of the friendliest, nicest people around.  I haven’t talked to the guy who dangles shrimps at you on Claiborne & MLK, but he sure seems happy too.  More of us need to get back closer to the raw.

No Mayor Landrieu

Damn.