photo courtesy of Anti-ZIM

I was on Bourbon Street a few weeks ago after the Abita 20th Anniversary Party. Now I love the French Quarter, but Bourbon Street is not usually my cup of tea. I tend to stay towards the darker, seedier, less tourist friendly joints in the French Quarter. Like Dejavu (the restaurant/bar, not the strip club) or One Eyed Jacks.

Well, this time I had a bunch of friends from Baton Rouge with me and Bourbon Street is where they wanted to be. When we got down there, all of the drunks that were with us decided they were hungry. They wanted food, and they wanted it in a hurry. I told them that there were pretty much two choices for quick food in the French Quarter: Lucky Dog, or pizza by the slice at some corner place. Not being brave enough to tempt fate, my friends all agreed on Pizza.
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photo courtesy of ELLEN

Just a quick public service announcement.

Given how little time His Honor, The Mayor, has been spending out in public, and the relative calm out in the tropics, I think it is safe to say that we are sitting at the relatively safe, Level 1: Make A Plan To Plan To Be Alert. But be forewarned the beast that is Nagin has been known to jump four Chocolate Alert Levels in the blink of an eye.

Speaking of Nagin, where has our illustrious mayor been? Has anybody seen him? Are we sure he is still alive? Is the city’s administration pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s prank on us? I can’t believe how absent he has been since he was re-elected to be our leader. But who knows, maybe its better better to keep the nut inside the nuthouse.

It would appear that The Saints have reached an agreement with first round draft pick Reggie Bush. Word is that The Saints negotiating team came up with contract terms to Bush’s liking (more likely his agent’s liking) last night and he should be at camp in Jackson, MS to sign the contract sometime today.

For the most part I believed that Bush’s hold-out was nothing more than the inevitable posturing that goes on with top picks every year in the NFL these days. I felt fairly confident that Bush would sign within a week of the start of training camp, but I have to admit I was a little worried after last weeks rumors that he might sit out the entire season and re-enter the Draft next season.
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I can’t find any references to it online, but I distinctly remember Bush saying in an press conference shortly after being drafted, that he would do “whatever it takes,” to sign a deal with the Saints. What happened Reggie? Did you have a change of heart?

For the past 6 months or so I have been commuting to Hammond, LA to go to school at SLU. At first the commute was not that bad because I was able to schedule all of my classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. The hour long drive twice a week was not all that bad. I was driving in a direction and time of the day when traffic was not that bad.

Then I started going to class 5 days a week and I started watching the price of gasoline approach $3. The entire game of commuting was starting to wear me down. Isn’t the reason most people are sticking around New Orleans because they work in the city? Well, not the only reason, but who would want to stick around the craziness of the city just to commute away from it everyday. Well, I thought I was crazy enough to keep doing it.

Then a couple of weeks ago an offer was made to me for a place I could rent for less then what it was costing me to drive everyday. I hesitated for a moment, but it was an offer that I couldn’t refuse. Two weeks ago when I moved up here and spent my first night, I think I actually shed a tear. I was doing the unimaginable. I was leaving New Orleans. I haven’t gone far, and I have been back in the city every weekend since I moved, but the fact is I am not there anymore.

At first I thought that I would have to stop writing for New Orleans Metblog since I am no longer technically living in the city, but after talking it over with Jack - The Big Guy In Charge, it looks like I will continue writing, giving everybody the perspective from up here.

Oh, and on another note, I apologize for the lack of writing lately. The move came suddenly and I have been dealing with all of what moving entails for the past few weeks. I promise I will do better now that I am settled in and my future here at New Orleans MetBlog is settled.

**posting from Hammond**

Sate Senator Walter Boasso, R-Arabi, is pushing a plan that would plug up the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) with about 70 abandoned oceangoing ships. The ships can be obtained for free from Texas, Virginia, and California. Once the Ships are obtained the State would still have to pay to get the ships into an environmentally friendly shape which will cost about $300,000.

Once the ships are cleaned up, they would be sunk on both sides of the outlet. After being dredged over, landscaping could be put in place, and over time you wouldn’t even be able to tell that the MRGO or the ships were ever there.

I don’t think the Corp of Engineers has ever agreed, but many experts have said that the MRGO directly contributed to the massive, high velocity storm surge that decimated St. Bernard Parish. The MRGO created a funnel effect, concentrating massive amounts of water through a narrow outlet.

To be fair, any plan that includes the closing of the MRGO, would probably cause a number of businesses located along it to close or relocate. But I think that is a small price to pay in order to avoid another Super Storm Surge.

I met Alan from Think New Orleans today at the destruction of Coliseum Square Baptist Church. While we were talking, he asked Maitri and me if any of us here at New Orleans MetBlog have blogged about the Festival of Neighborhoods that will be going down tomorow. I told him that Heather had indeed written about it, and his response was: “Blog harder.” So, not to belittle Heather or her post, but, here goes:

The Festival takes place tomorrow (Saturday) from 10am - 4pm at the City Park Botanical Gardens. It is a chance for people from all over the New Orleans area to get together to show off and compare their neighborhood’s plans to rebuild. People from different Neighborhood organizations will be able to compare notes and get some new ideas. The rebuilding of New Orleans is and will be largely a grass roots effort. This is a great centralized event where the public can find out what has been going on over the past 9 months and where things are moving. There will be food, drinks, and live music. And of course, admission is free.

While you’re at the Festival of Neighborhoods, go check out the Mid-City Art Market, which features some great local and regional artists and their works - everything from Glass-work, to Pottery, to Photography, to Paintings. The art market will be right next to the Festival of Neighborhoods at the Botanical Gardens.

On a side note, it was good to finally meet fellow Metblogger, Maitri today. That’s one down and the rest of you folks to go. Any chance of meeting any of you tomorow?

How much spare change is sitting in your pocket?

As a new hurricane season begins, tens of thousands of Katrina victims still have no permanent homes while an estimated $10 billion in idle coins sits in sock drawers, coat pockets and jars across America.

I wanted to call your attention to a new initiative “Making Change for Katrina” that has recently been launched to help replace over 1,000 homes lost or damaged in last year’s hurricanes. The surprising simplicity of the idea, the country’s first coin crusade to transform spare change into homes, makes for a compelling story, while the potential results of the effort will help make a difference in so many lives. If just one percent of the idle change in the U.S. is collected, that $100 million will be enough to build 1,200 homes.

On June 28, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, the Making Change for Katrina mobile bus tour will kick off in Boston and make its way to nine communities across the country. At each stop, volunteers will construct the frame of a house for delivery to pre-approved Habitat families in the Gulf.

So, spread the word: donate your pocket change.

It’s a different perspective on some of the things that have been going on in all of our lives over the past 10 months. While parts of it may not be as interesting to those of us who are not from Indiana, it is still worth a look.

image courtesy of K-HEAF

On Saturday June 24th, K-HEAF (Katrina Higher Education Assistance Fund) will hold a 5K Run/Walk in Audubon Park. The KATRINA 5K Run/Walk is in support of Higher Education in the city of New Orleans. The funds raised from this event will help support our institutions of higher learning, many of which are struggling very hard to maintain their presence in this city. When you register for the race, you can choose which college you would like your funds to go toward. You can choose from any of the following:

• Delgado Community College
• Dillard University
• Loyola University
• Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans
• Our Lady of Holy Cross College
• Southern University of New Orleans
• Tulane University
• University of New Orleans
• Xavier University

I will be running in support of UNO - one of the many schools I have managed to drop out of over the years. Come join me in support of whatever school you want. There is an unofficial competition to see which school gets the most support.

This is a National day of support, so if you can not make it out to the run/walk, you are encouraged to help out by registering from wherever you are located.