Things are slowly returning to normal. A few more places are open today, but the lack of electric power and support services is keeping a lid on complete return to the day-to-day. We were able to stay open until about 2:30 this afternoon until we ran short of some basics, but we’re slowly bringing to larder back up to semi-normal. Tomorrow should be more or less a normal day, including the anticipated BEER DELIVERY.

All of us at the shop kinda reached critical mass today. The shortage of manpower and inventory had us all seriously on edge. But after we closed and cleaned up, I was able to go home and get a nap for an hour or so and it was a big help. We’ve all gotten about a half-day off to recharge.

I was able to go over to the Westbank today and get some meat and other stuff from out main supplier (F. Christiana) in Marrero. But they’re a generator-powered island in an ocean of No Electricity. I drove from the CCC to Marrero, from the river to Lapalco and down Manhattan and up de Gaulle and I tell ya — there was NO power. That’s a big area, and no one can say when they’ll get the juice back. The poor bastids are being told they can’t even take a shower or a dump in their own dark house because of massive sewage problems linked to the lack of power.

On the other hand, there are those of us in New Orleans. While power remains a problem in many areas, we still have water. And more places are opening up, so literally each hour brings another place to go, another hangout recovered and, for far too many, another place to see and be seen. We’ve got this set of hipster types who talk about their tough 12 or 24 hours without electricity. Or those who don’t have power at their house but are still able to go to a lighted place to drink heavy and complain about the limited menus or bitch that their cable service isn’t operating. I mean, they say it could be DAYS before Whole Foods opens! I couldn’t get ANYONE to answer at Cox Cable!

Bullshit. Don’t tell me your times are tough when you’re standing in line to buy a fifth of Jim Beam and a 12-pack of Bud and a giant bag of Cheetos to take home to your house that’s gonna be in the dark for another day or so. I’m not listening to your sob story while you sit at an outside table at Byblos or ogle sorority chicks at The Bulldog.

Lemme tell ya — we got off nice and freaking easy here in New Orleans. I don’t want to hear some whelp griping when there are entire families stuck out on the road and not knowing when they can return. We have friends who are back in their house in Ascension Parish but are being told it will be weeks before they get electricity. Down in Terrebonne, there is no power, water or sewage as far as the eye can see from a tall cypress tree — and won’t be in the forseeable future.

That’s tough times –and this time there’s no media circus following you and no Al Sharpton or some other self-appointed Messiah banging a drum to bring help. You just gotta rely on yourself, your family and friends, suck it up and push ahead when and how you can.

Things get better — they really do.