New Years Non-Resolutions

Seriously???? BRRRRRRRR

Most people start off a new year with a list of resolutions. Usually things like "exercise more" "eat better" "drink less" "sleep more" "less TV, read more" etc. As I was heating up left over fried chicken to eat for lunch I realized so far this first week of 2014 I'm done the opposite of all these things. I have eaten fried chicken (now twice), pizza (also twice-I love leftovers), an Egg McMuffin (haven't had one in years) and roasted pig (mmmm). I wanted to eat a piece of king cake last night but it was all gone before I could. I haven't picked up a book all week. I care too much about football. The Saints made the play-offs and WON their first game. The nerve-wracking nature of Saints' game drives me to drink (I'm a victim!). And now they are playing again this Saturday. Lord help me and my liver. And then there was that little game last night, you know, the BCS Championship Game that the FSU SEMINOLES WON!!!! Holy cow what a roller coaster of a game. I'm still blown away. I've spent most of this frigid day indoors, wearing sweatpants (hey I changed out of PJs, that's something) sitting in front of my computer, messing around on-line. I did return one business call. And emailed some proofs. But my to do list still has a whole heck of a lot more on it to be crossed off. I really should go to the grocery store and make something for dinner. I haven't cooked since January 1. The only exercise I have had are two, 1-hour dog walks and a one-hour dance practice. But look, I wrote a blog post! That's something! Right? I think I'll wallow in the Seminole victory a little longer. I'm sure there's some videos I haven't seen yet.

Noles #1!!!!

Mardi Gras Madness - Part 4 - Super Bowl

What does the Super Bowl have to do with Mardi Gras? Nothing really except when Mardi Gras parades have to be rescheduled because of the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl fell on the weekend before the weekend prior to Mardi Gras and there are usually parades Friday night through Sunday so it was sandwiched between parades and festivities.

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, in New Orleans was really REALLY hoping that this year's Super Bowl would include the Saints. A few years ago we finally made it to, then WON, the Super Bowl, so we wanted our return to be in our home town. But alas, that was not to be. Hosting the BIG GAME is a BIG DEAL for the host city and New Orleans has been busy spiffing up the downtown and French Quarter for the game. Road were repaved, new streetcar lines were built*. Homeless were moved.


Personally, I was going to avoid the whole thing. I joked I was going to hunker down at home as if riding out a hurricane. The last time the Super Bowl came to New Orleans, February 2002, it was the first game after 9-11. The area around the Superdome was locked down few days before the game but that was about it. This time, blocks all around the Superdome were locked down a week or more before the game. And there were all these events that didn't happen before. Fan Zones and Fan Experiences. CBS took over Jackson Square and ESPN took over the huge parking lot in the French Quarter both broadcasting from these remote locations. What caught my eye was the FREE concerts along the Mississippi of local, New Orleans bands and artists! This all started happened about the Wednesday before the BIG GAME. Super Bowl Sunday, I broke down and G and I headed down to the CBD to go see what the hoopla was about. It was early and I figured the tourist would be either sleeping their hang overs off or at brunch. But no, there was SF and Ravens fans walking around. But what struck me was how many Saints fans were out and about, wearing the black and gold. You would have thought the Saints were also in the Super Bowl judging by the number of jerseys I saw.

I wasn't really that interested in the game. If I had to root for a team I was going with the Ravens. Went to a pot luck Superbowl party with amazing food and fun folks. The first half of the game was a shut out and the commercials were a bore. Half time with Beyonce, what ever. Third quarter BLACK OUT! Finally things got interesting.

*Loyola Streetcar line - $45 million, took 19 months and goes 9 blocks. Progress!

Details on all the hoopla going on tomorrow before the Saints game.

NFL ANNOUNCES LOCAL DETAILS FOR “NFL KICKOFF 2010”

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

The National Football League announced today event information for “NFL KICKOFF 2010 PRESENTED BY EA SPORTS” Thursday, September 9.

THE KREWE OF NFL KICKOFF PARADE travels through the heart of the French Quarter, stepping off at 5:00 p.m. (CT) on Esplanade Ave. and North Peters, heading downtown on Decatur and North Peters crossing Canal St. to Tchoupitoulas and ending at Julia Street.

There will be specialty NFL floats and throws (beads) in the parade. The Krewe of NFL Kickoff Parade will feature Blaine Kern Studios signature floats, the area’s finest marching bands, local residents, local chefs and former NFL greats from around the league. EMERIL LAGASSE, DICKIE BRENNAN, PAUL PRUDHOMME, FRANK BRIGSTEN, JOHN BESH, TORY McPHAIL & KATY CASBARIAN are among the local chefs and restaurateurs who will in the parade representing all members of the Louisiana Restaurant Association.

The floats of The Krewe Of NFL Kickoff Parade include:

• EA Madden To The People Float celebrates Madden NFL 11 and its cover-athlete DREW BREES and features chefs Haley Bittermann, Dooky Chase & John Besh, and EA throws.
• VISA Float showcases a variety of NFL teams, chefs from Brigtsen’s, Commander’s & Herbsaint/Cochon and Visa throws.
• Pepsi Max Float celebrates getting back to football and tailgating, featuring chefs from GW Fins & Café Giovanni, and Pepsi throws.
• Snickers Float, telling people to ‘Go Nuts for the NFL’ and featuring chefs from Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, BACCO & Sucre and NFL throws.
• Orpheus Smokey Mary Train featuring local kids who are part of the NFL’s PLAY 60 campaign, committed to making the next generation of youth the most active and healthy. Chefs from Arnaud’s, The Rib Room, Mr. B’s Bistro, Commander’s, Café Adelaide & Galatoire’s Restaurant will ride the train as well and NFL and Kickoff beads will be thrown.
• Lombardi Riverboat Float commemorating the Saints Super Bowl XLIV championship, featuring chefs Emeril Lagasse, Dickie Brennan and Kickoff throws.
• Rex Streetcar Float, a New Orleans-themed float celebrating that night’s match-up between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, will feature New Orleans’ beloved Chef Paul Prudhomme and Kickoff throws.

The marching bands featured in The Krewe of NFL Kickoff Parade include:

• United States Marine Corps and Marine Forces Reserve Color Guard
• St. Augustine High School (New Orleans)
• Tulane University (New Orleans)
• McDonogh 35 High School (New Orleans)
• Warren Easton Charter High School (New Orleans)
• Eleanor McMain Secondary School (New Orleans)
• West Jefferson High School (New Orleans)
• Sophie B. Wright Charter Middle School (New Orleans)

There also will be 17 GMC vehicles featuring the NFL match-ups during Kickoff weekend in the parade.

PARADE ROUTE
The parade will begin at 5:00 pm on Elysian Fields Avenue between Royal and Dauphine Streets. The parade will proceed (with traffic) on Elysian Fields to North Peters and turn right (against traffic) on North Peters to Dumaine Street. The lead units of the parade will arrive at the intersection of North Peters and Dumaine Streets at approximately 5:40 pm. Upon arrival at North Peters and Dumaine Streets, the parade will be a part of the NBC live television program and will be cued by the producers. It is anticipated that the last float will pass Jackson Square on Decatur Street at approximately 7:00pm. Once passing Jackson Square, the parade will continue on Decatur and North Peters Streets to Canal Street. The parade will cross Canal Street on North Peters and Tchoupitoulas Streets to Julia Street, where it will disband at approximately 8:00 pm.

CONCERT

The Krewe of NFL Kickoff Parade kicks off "NFL KICKOFF 2010 PRESENTED BY EA SPORTS,” the NFL’s ninth annual football and music festival. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND and TAYLOR SWIFT are scheduled to perform. NFL Kickoff 2010 will be televised live, from 7:30-8:30 PM (ET)/6:30-7:30 PM (CT) on NBC and NFL Network, leading up to the season opener between the Saints and the Minnesota Vikings at the Superdome (NBC, Westwood One Radio Sports, 8:30 PM ET). This is the seventh consecutive year the NFL has saluted the Super Bowl champions with the opening game in their stadium on a Thursday in primetime.

TRANSPORTATION

Traffic and Street Closing Information

• Wilkinson Street will be closed Sunday, Sept. 5 through Friday, Sept. 10 at 4 PM.
• Decatur Street (from St. Louis to Dumaine) will be closed on Sunday, Sept. 5, 7 AM – 7 PM & Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 12 – 8 PM and on Thursday, Sept. 9 starting at 12 PM through 6 AM on Friday, Sept. 10.

• All of Decatur Street will be closed during the Parade.

No Parking Zone

• There is no parking on Decatur Street from Toulouse to Dumaine through Friday, Sept. 10.∙
• French Market Parking Lot is closed from St. Peter to Dumaine beginning Friday, Sept. 3. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 7 at 6:00 AM, French Market Parking Lot is closed from St. Peter to exit through Thursday, Sept. 9. French Market Parking Lot will be fully open on Saturday, Sept. 11.

NFL Kickoff Fan Zone

Fans may access the kiosks at the Jackson Brewery Lot along Decatur Street.

They are open to the public Tuesday - Thursday, 10AM – 7PM.

The NFL Kickoff Fan Zone offers fans an opportunity to interact with a number of exciting football-themed attractions provided by NFL partners. The three-day event will feature player appearances, sponsor promotions and giveaways. Highlights include: GMC vehicle displays, Pepsi Max product sampling, Verizon's Rule the Air interactive display, and more. Several of the areas will feature player appearances. On Thursday, GMC will host former Saints RB Deuce McAllister from 1-2 PM, Jerome Bettis from 2-3 PM and Marcus Allen from 3-4 PM. Coors Light will host former Saints QB Bobby Hebert from 11:30 AM -12:30 PM and Ron Jaworski from 3-5 PM.

WHO DAT?!


Today's the first pre-season game for The Saints. Normally I pay no attention to pre-season because it doesn't count. But I find myself in a strangly good and euphoric mood today inspite of the fact it's been storming for two days thanks to TS #5 and work is sooooo slow and our bank balance is really low. I'm looking forward to seeing my game watching posse at Rendezvous tonight and watching our boys in black and gold do their thing.

Drew Brees' pre-game chant:

When I say 1, you say 2. When I say win, you say for you. ...
1! 2! Win! For you!

When I say 3, you say 4. When I say win, you say some more. ...
3! 4! Win! Some more!

When I say 5, you say 6. When I say win, you say for kicks. ...
5! 6! Win! For kicks!

When I say 7, you say 8. When I say win, you say it's great. ...
7! 8! Win! It's great!

When I say 9, you say 10. When I say win, you say again. ...
9! 10! Win! Again!

Win! Again! Win! Again! Win! Again! Win! Again!

Saints Update

610 Stompers

The Saints have been Superbowl Champions for one month and about 14 hours, 16 minutes. The feel good after glow has not warn off. I heard "Halftime" (aka Get Crunk) for the first time since Mardi Gras at the Big Easy Roller Girls bout Saturday. I had grown sick of the song after hearing it over and over. The 610 Stompers were half time entertainment and did part of their routine to the song. The whole crowd on the New Orleans side jumped up and started singing and dancing along, myself included. My friends and I yelled ourselves hoarse. I hope the fans from Arkansas (the opposing team was the Arkansas Killbillies) were amused by our Stompers and the crowd's reaction.

CityBusiness reports on the "Saintsaintional Impact" the win has had on New Orleans. (Thanks to Humid Being for having the whole article.)

Of course now is the NFL draft and everyone is waiting to see who is staying with the Saints and who is going. A surprise was Scott Fujita signing with the Cleveland Browns. Going from the Superbowl winners to a team who went 5-11 last year. Wow. A surprise since Fujita always talks about how much he loves New Orleans. But of course, money talks louder. Maybe he hopes he can help the Cleveland become a turn around team/city, sort of like NOLA.

Some guy named Mike Polk made two videos, self proclaimed "hastily made Cleveland tourism videos." They are hilarious. I was going to embed them, but the maker's comments are priceless.

Attempt #1
Attempt #2

Lombardi Gras

Some people have started calling this year's carnival season "Lombardi Gras" instead of Mardi Gras because of the black and gold bleed over. The crowds are huge this year. Cell phone service (at least with AT&T) is spotty and even text messages aren't going through. We are definitly back to pre-K levels of crowds.

This has definitely been the best Mardi Gras ever for me. Joining the Krewe of PAN and marching in Krewe du Vieux was amazing. I went to my first Blush ball - fantastic - and my first AMUSEment Muses's ball with the B52s performing - outstanding. I almost had the opportunity to ride in the Muses parade for the first time as a sub. I tried but no too hard to ride. Got to save something to look forward to! In between these experiences was also the first of seeing the Saints win the NFC Championship and the Superbowl. Saturday night we took a break from parades and watched the Superbowl again. I've never watched the Superbowl twice. I've been on such a high for weeks now. Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, Mardi Gras will be over. Catholics observe Lent and I'm going to join them in Flexi-lent. No drinking except for my birthday and the St. Patrick's Day parade party we have every year.

The video of Wynton Marsalis "The Spirit of New Orleans" is finally on-line, posted on Facebook by the man himself (or his representatives). So perfect.

I'm paraded and partied out and am ready to get back to "Normal." Of course, like after Katrina, there's a new normal around here. For so long New Orleans, like the Saints, have been looked down upon. New Orleans is back baby! The Who Dat! Nation is alive and well. Ya you rite.

One last New Orleans video, just as perfect as Wynton's but this one is funny and funky. "New Orleans: Love it or Leave it."

Super Bowl part deaux

I've been at work for several and very little actual work has been done. I just ordered DVDs of the Superbowl game and the NFC championship game. I watched them but want to see them again. Especially some of the pre- and post-game stuff that the sound was turned off at the bar we were at. For example, I missed this poem by Wynton Marsalis "The Spirit of New Orleans," I was hoping to find it on-line but haven't found it yet. I'm sure the NLF have clammed down on this stuff. All I can find are the ads.

Some did this wonderful little video of Magazine Street after the Superbowl. This is where we were.

More to come...

New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl XLIV

Speechless.

Anticipation....

Superbowl kick-off is less than 24 hours away now and I can hardly stand it! I've been doing weekend chores all day because nothing productive will get done tomorrow. I voted this morning and tonight will watch the returns. Will Mitch Landrieu pull off a landslide without a run-off? Hey, the Saints are in the Superbowl ANYTHING is possible. Elections here are crazy (like everything else). The primaries are open and there were 11 names on the ballot:

Mayor City of New Orleans 1 18 Jonah Bascle No Party
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 19 'Manny' Chevrolet-Bruno Other
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 20 Robert 'Rob' Couhig Republican
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 21 John Georges Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 22 Troy Henry Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 23 'Jerry' Jacobs No Party
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 25 Thomas A. Lambert Republican
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 26 Mitchell 'Mitch' Landrieu Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 28 James Perry Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 29 Nadine Ramsey Democrat
Mayor City of New Orleans 1 30 Norbert P. Rome No Party

Also on the ballot were spots for city council, various judges and coroner. Who elects their coroner??? The challenger to the incumbent ran this ad.

I can't even think straight anymore. My head is a buzz. All I can say is WHO DAT!

The New Orleans Saints Superbowl Drinking Game

1. Every time they mention hurricane Katrina, drink 1
2. If they show pictures of the City of New Orleans right after Katrina, drink 1
3. Every time they say how much the Saints mean to the City of New Orleans, drink 1
4. Every time the words “tragedy”, “flood”, or “devastation” are used, drink 1
5. Every time they talk about how good Reggie Bush was in college, drink 3
6. If they show Kim Kardashian in the stands, drink 5
7. Every time they show a picture of Reggie Bush with a bat or say “bringing the wood” drink for 5 seconds.
8. Every time Reggie Bush gets negative yardage trying to run around in the backfield a bunch and outrun the defense, drink 1 and turn to the person next to you and say “I told you Vince Young should have won the Heisman”
9. Every time Reggie Bush gets up and flexes his arms in that pose he likes to do, drink 1
10. If they mention Tim Tebow for any reason, funnel a beer
11. Every time they say that “it’s destiny for the Saints to win” drink 1
12. If they show footage of Katrina survivors at the Superdome, take a shot of cheap liquor
13. If they call Saints fans the most passionate fans in football, drink 1
14. If they say that the Saints, Saints fans, or the City of New Orleans “deserve” a Superbowl victory, drink 1 and yell Who dat!
15. Every time they say how good of a story the Saints are, drink 1
16. If Jeremy Shockey pretends to be hurt after dropping a pass, drink 2
17. If they mention the Saints beating the Falcons in 2006 in the first game after Katrina in the Superdome, drink 5
18. Every time they compare hurricane Katrina to the Haiti earthquake, funnel a beer and yell “bullshit!”
19. Every time they mention Drew Brees as the Mardi Gras king, drink
20. Every time they show Archie Manning, drink 1. If they show old footage of him with the Saints, drink 5. If they mention how tough of a decision it was for him as for whom to cheer for, drink 10.
21. Every time they show a saints fan yelling "Who dat!" Or a sign/shirt saying the same, drink 1 and yell Who dat!
22. If they show Chris Paul at the game, drink 1 and mention to someone how much better he is than Marvin Williams.
23. If they show former Mayor Ray Nagin, drink 5 and then do a little dance since he'll be gone after May.

Other Rules not involving the Saints:
1. Every time they show Eli Manning in the press box, drink 1
2. Every time Pierre Garcon is mentioned with Haiti, drink 1
3. If Brett Favre is mentioned for any reason, drink 1

If I play this game I'm going to be passed out on the floor by the end of the first quarter!

Who Dat?!©®TM owns Who dat?!

There's been an uproar over the NFL sending cease and desist letters to small businesses who have printed shirts using the phrase "Who Dat," fleur di lis and the colors black and gold. The uproar has been as loud as the joyous yells just after the Saints won the NFC Championship against the Vikings. New Orleanians don't like corporations trying to capitalize on our coloquialisms. About 10 different groups have popped up on Facebook in protest, and people are tweeting like mad. The debate about who owes the right to the phrase is on going.

What's next? "Geaux Saints"? People in So. Louisiana love to give things a Cajun twist like spelling Go Geaux (dat's French cher). We can't use "Superbowl" or "The New Orleans Saints" all owned by the NFL. Here's an alternate: It's a black and geauxld, whoux dat supahbowl!

"Who might that be who claims they can beat the football team from New Orleans." just doesn't have the same power as the Who dat chant.



Then Senator Vitter, of all people, jumps in the fray and pens a letter to the NFL telling them to drop the suit or sue him.

Will the NFL back down?

UPDATE: "Who Dat Nation 1, NFL 0 in merchandise fight"

"The Soul of New Orleans"
A beautiful and moving video.

Highlights from the NFC championship game.

Saints 31, Vikings 28 and the Saints advance to the Superbowl.
"Pig have flown. Hell has frozen over."

UPDATE: Another great video of highlights with audio of what players and coaches were saying on the field.

Hell hath frozen over.

The Saints are going to the Superbowl, first time ever. Everyone has Who dat!! fever. Work isn't getting done. Black and Gold is every where. All everyone can talk about is the Saints. I too am guilty of all of this. I'm sure the Facebook friends of all of us Saints fans are probably sick of all the video postings, fleur de lis and and Who Dat! But the energy here in New Orleans is amazing.

Sports announcers kept saying "Mardi Gras has come early." I hate to tell them technically it's BEEN Mardi Gras since Twelfth Night. But we'll forgive them. Normally this time of year houses are decked out in purple green and gold, like the one below, but there seem fewer than usual this year.

Others have gone black and gold:

And others have mixed it up:
We watched the game at our usual spot, the Rendezvous. I was half deaf by the end of the game from all the hooting and hollering. It was loud in there, I can't even imagine how loud the Dome was. When the winning kick was good, everyone was jumping up and down yelling and hugging each other. We spilled out on the the side walk. Cars were driving by, honking. People were hanging out of their car windows, hi-fiving people standing along the street. We moved down a block to where there was a bigger crowd. People were dancing in the street, traffic was at a stand still. A city bus came by. The driver stopped to high-five people then made the bus "dance" by making it kneel. He finally moved on and a cop car with the lights going pulls up. Over the loud speaker "Stay out of the street please. The sidewalk works much better. The Saints are going to the Superbowl." And this was happening all over the city. This was probably the first night that Bourbon Street was actually full of locals. We have two weeks to bask in this. Going to the Superbowl was the prize. Winning? Would be lagniappe. The Superbowl maybe in Miami, but the party to be at will be the City of New Orleans.

Saints Video: Bourbon Street

I've got Saints fever and the prescription is a Super Bowl win!

I'm not used to having to juggle football and Mardi Gras. In the past football, pro and college, was over for me about the first week in January. But not this year. Da Saints are marching in, with a play-off match up in the Dome Saturday. Everyone was excited about the game, but it got bumped up when it was announced the Saints had resigned Deuce McAllister. He didn't play but he was team captain. I watch the game at the Rendezvous on Magazine street and while there were two rounds of "Reggie! Reggie! Reggie!" there were at least two if not three "Deuuuuuuuuuuce!"

Football. It allows men to hug and women to curse like a drunken sailor. I wish I had a dollar for every f bomb one girl dropped. It was her birthday, as she liked to keep reminding everyone, over and over, so I'll forgive her. Football allows me to get in touch with my inner dude. By the end of the game, my throat hurts from yelling, hands hurt from clapping and hi-fiving.

Friday night I went to the Pussyfooter's Blush Ball which was a total blast. Great party and I loved the 610 Stompers. Saturday before the game went to the den of Krewe de Vieux to work on the Krewe of Pan's float. Looking forward to the parade. It will be a first for me being in a parade.

WHO DAT?!

Happy New Year! And boy am I happy the holidays are over. Or are they? I took down the Christmas decorations yesterday. In a couple of days the Mardi Gras season kick-off on Twelfth Night so up will go the purple, green and gold. Or should the black and gold for the Saints go up first? The city is so pumped that the team has made it to the play-offs. The end of the season has seen a slide in their performance. Today was their last regular season game with a final record of 13-3 with a loss to the Carolina Panthers. Several Carnival krewes have canceled their parades become they fall on the same night as the Super Bowl. Saints players will be riding on floats, Tom Benson will be Grand Marshal of the super krewe Endymion.



For me an end of a football era has passed. Bobby Bowden has at long last retired from FSU football. They won his final game in the Gator Bowl against West Virginia. Since FSU isn't in the SEC they don't get much press coverage around here. This fall, a Seminole Club was started so I've had other alumni to watch the games with. It was bitter sweet as we watched the FSU victory. When it was all over, you would have expected us to all be hooping and hollering with the win, but it was mellow with the sadness of the leaving of The Bobby. Part of the sadness was that he wasn't ready to leave yet. He wanted 400 wins before retiring. But the team hadn't be performing as well as they once did and it was awkward to have a head coach you didn't know when he was retiring and a "head coach in waiting."

I was only 9 when he became coach; some of the people in the Club weren't even born! It's going to be weird next year to not see him on the sidelines. He was a great coach and a class act. To bad CBS sucks in their coverage and the audio dropped out during Bobby final comments. I'm sorry we missed the half time tribute to him. But I found a video on YouTube. And I loved him planting the spear.

More happy articles about New Orleans!

New Orleans in state of grace over Saints by USA Today.

Also a study that ranked Louisiana the happiest state. Who would have thunk it?

Good grief. 2009 is almost over. I have a lot of catching up to do. But first I have to share this article about New Orleans and the Saints football team. It's not about football but about the team and the citizens and the "soul of the city." Very well written and spot on. No tired clichés. This guy gets New Orleans. Make sure to have a few kleenex handy.

I will admit I never cared about the Saints before Katrina. But that first game at home at the Dome, the energy, electricity and hope in the city was incredible. The Saints were back home. I cried during the Green Day U2 opening performance. I still tear up when I hear "The Saints are Coming" or "Wake me up when September Ends." I've watched every game since that one. I am now a total Saints fan. For the last two years we walk over to our neighborhood bar to watch the games. It's usually packed, especially during away games. We yell, scream, curse and Who Dat?! until we are hoarse. It's a blast. Better than Mardi Gras. And you know what? The Saints team are a class act. Sean Payton is not going throw his head set in a tantrum because of a call he didn't like (though he will murmur "bullsh*t" behind his play card). The players are a team and respect each other. They have a job to do and they do it. I loved one moment during one game the commentators were talking about the team during half time. One guy said "They aren't your father's Saints." Ditka chimed in "They aren't MY Saints." He got that right.

Deuce cut loose

My favorite Saint gets released. (link)

He’s such a class act. Too bad more athletes aren’t like him.

Deuce McAllister Says Goodbye

I'm glad THAT's over... August that is. Now to get through September. Last night we were out with friends at our new hangout, the Rendezvous on Magazine, G played "Wake me when September Ends" by Greenday on the jukebox. That was sort of a mantra September 2005 and holds true still.

The eve of K+2, we got together with neighbors after dinner. We stayed in contact with our neighbors through out our Katrina imposed exile. I'm the secretary of our neighborhood association so I had the email list of everyone. A couple of our neighbors also ended up in Houston and we got to see them there. It was nice Wednesday evening, sitting around and talking about normal stuff and not talking about K+2. G and I agreed that ignoring the anniversary was a bad idea. We needed to do something; getting together with the neighbors was good. We also drank a bottle of good wine we brought home from California last fall.

School has started, the college students are back, football season has started and we have elections coming up. People are starting to shake off their summer hibernation and the energy in the city is starting to pick up again. Thursday was a football first - the Saints and LSU Tigers were playing at the same time. I know there were many people attempting to watch both (we didn't watch either). Of course the LSU game actually means something. I don't pay attention to pro pre-season. Speaking of college football (Go Seminoles!) Gaby and I did the media guide for Tulane football this year. Our client has promised us tickets to the first Tulane game. Not that tickets are particularly expensive (I take taht back, looking on -line they . And they play in the Superdome so it's unlikely they'd sell out. I still say football played indoors is wrong. I've been to one Saints game and a couple of Sugar Bowls, and it's unnatural watching football in air conditioning.

Hmmmm... searching on-line for Tulane tickets and I guess I was wrong! The first home game is against Mississippi State and there are no individual tickets available for the game. I remember when I was at FSU my roommate sold her ticket for the U of Miami game one year for $50. Cha-ching. I went to the game. It was good and FSU won . If they had lost I would have been kicking myself for not selling my ticket too.