Even my personal favorite, The Panda Bear, where I always purchased my leather goods, handcuffs, lubes, latex body paint, and vaginal jewelry, is closed too. We did go into a tourist shop across from The Gumbo Shop on South Peters that had some incredible deals like N.O. polo shirts for only $9.99 and t-shirts for $3.99, so we replaced some of our weekend t-shirts that got wiped out by Katrina. We even picked up beautiful Mardi Gras feathered masks for only $3.00 and pot holders for $2.50. You could tell that things have been slow around there, especially when we went to dinner.

We stopped in at Ralph & Kacoos since my daughter loves their hushpuppies and I knew she’d eat the fried shrimp and french fries. Of course in a scary sense, we were immediately seated in the Mardi Gras room, and there was hardly anyone in the place. You could tell once again that they were hurting. We started with the boiled crawfish as an appetizer and then did the shrimp platter for dinner. The food was simply incredible and the crawfish was perfectly seasoned. It was a really great seafood feast, and yet there was hardly anyone in the place. I’m telling you all this since I’m more concerned than ever about our New Orleans businesses down there making it throughout the summer.

Katrina hit these places hard, and without all the relief workers down here, you can see that the belts are tightening on these businesses and they are struggling to survive. Please take time out to support these locals and even take the family down to the French Quarter and buy local. The scary part is if you don’t, then who will? The tourist industry down here is still dead and summer was hard on these places already, but now it’ll be devestating. Instead of staying in Metairie, Kenner, or the Northshore, please make an effort to support these guys and enjoy the things that we almost lost. We don’t want to look like every other city, and without the French Quarter and live music, we would. Please try to go down there over the next few weekends.

Needless to say, with such style, I found it rather hard to find baby accessories and bedding that moved me, or at least my daughter enough to stop jabbing her foot into my bladder during the days of traveling to almost every baby boutique in the state of Louisiana. I wasn’t one for sissy pastel colors or frou-frou lace and eyelet going all over everything. My favorite color and the one that I wear most is actually black, and from there shades of red and fuchsia wine tones. There was also this great pressure to create the most heavenly baby’s room as much as there was to create the perfect wedding. The baby room décor became even more important than the baby name, in which after my daughter literally kicked out my navel ring on Labor Day when I was pregnant with her, I realized that this one was going to have my wicked personality and be a pepper for sure. Needless to say, not any diaper bag would do, nor would just plain bibs and burp cloths. I remember dragging my mother all over and frustrating her to no end as she begged me to pick out items and register for my baby shower. Needless to say, with much prodding I finally convinced my mother to create custom bedding and layettes that would fit my personality and style. To this day, my mother believes I was trying to kill her and her sewing machine.

Since I lost all my baby layettes and bedding to Hurricane Katrina, I recently explored the Internet in search of baby items with my style. I found exactly what I wanted a couple of years ago from Meggan, owner of Mixed Breed Creations in California. When Meggan became pregnant, she noticed that there wasn’t much out there to choose from other than the normal pinks, blues, and baby animals. Since she had been collecting Nightmare Before Christmas stuff, she created custom crib bedding in their daughter’s nursery to this theme. She also custom designed her daughter’s wardrobe to include punk rock t-shirts and onesies, tattoo flash blankets, and Day of the Dead bib and burp cloth sets. Meggan’s business, Mixed Breed Creations, really started when she was approached by a woman who was opening up a birthing center and looking for local moms making baby products to sell at a shop in Fullerton, California. Mixed Breed Creations are currently sold at the Birth Connection in Fullerton, California and on www.thebirthconnection.com, www.myspace.com/mymixedbreed, and soon on her very own website. One of her most popular items is the Day of the Dead skull onesie adorned with glittery accents and metallic stitching and made of 100% super soft cotton in a sweatshop free factory in Downtown Los Angeles. Another top seller is the Mixed Breed Creations blanket that is large enough for a toddler and snuggly enough to swaddle your newborn baby up inside. She also specializes in custom creations allowing “you” the parent to create your own bedding and layette with your own personal style.

“I see moms of today wanting the best for their baby,” said Meggan, owner of Mixed Breed Creations. “I also see moms as wanting to be the best mom they can be without sacrificing who they are and the lifestyle they have chosen; maintaining the balance between herself and the best care for her child at heart. There is no reason why a mom can’t wear punk rock tees, die her hair, get tattoos, go to concerts and still have an honor student and be on the PTA. Her baby will still have sweet dreams whether they are sleeping with Winnie the Pooh blankets or dancing skeletons.”

Needless to say, if I’m ever blessed with another bundle of joy, I’ll be contacting Meggan right away for some custom designed tattoo flash, fire flames, and leopard print bedding. I’m also keeping her on my list for great and unique baby shower gifts, which are always so hard to find for that special girlfriend. So far down here, I’ve yet to find a baby boutique specializing in alternative style baby items like the ones Meggan creates. I know there is a definite need for it with as much fun loving music enthusiastic thirty-something’s living down here. Most of us have tattoos, piercings, and a unique style that doesn’t always scream Martha Stewart lives here. It’s actually very refreshing to me to see other moms just like myself wanting and desiring the same thing, and then actually creating it in the marketplace where there is truly a great demand for these goods. No longer do we have to purchase the typical baby garb from chain retail stores, we now can imagine and design our own goods to go with our, and our child’s, personality.

This New Orleanian couldn’t believe it and was blown away by someone not liking such a delicious treat like a sno-ball. He might as well have told me he hated Blue Bell ice cream, because hearing that he hated sno-balls was a complete shocker. He questioned why anyone would eat a hunk of ice with Kool-Aid style syrup on top of it. When I told him that wasn’t a sno-ball and introduced him to a real New Orleans style sno-ball from Casey’s over on West Esplanade, in Metairie, he quickly changed his mind. Since that moment, he’s been a fan of the soft ice texture that melts in your mouth and the cream style flavors they offer.

For me, sno-balls bring back great summertime memories as a child, teenager, and adult. I can remember going to Sal’s sno-ball stand as a kid on Metairie Road and eating my favorite, an ice-cream flavored yellow syrup sno-ball with my father. As a teenager and when in college at Tulane, I remember hitting the Plum Street sno-ball stand for an icy treat and driving over to the “Fly” where some of my friends and I use to hang out and talk by the riverfront. Strangely enough, some of the cheapest and best dates that I ever had were spent enjoying a sno-ball and walking out by the lake. Just thinking about all those times brings a smile to my face. As an adult, I now enjoy taking my 3-year old daughter out to sip on this favorite treat. So far, her favorite flavor is anything with chocolate in it, while I prefer my sno-ball flavor staples of frangelico and cream, amaretto and cream, ice cream, and café au’lait. Needless to say, after going to Casey’s sno-ball stand around 9 o’clock last night, Kylie was on a sugar high till about 12:45 a.m. this morning.

Now only in a place like New Orleans, can a Styrofoam cup of shaved ice and syrup be so special to someone. It can also be a lucrative business opportunity since your profitability is all in the ice. I think for most of us around here, sno-balls fall under the comfort food category like red beans and rice, gumbo, po-boys, and jambalaya. Whenever the neighborhood sno-ball stand opens up, you immediately know that summer will soon be on its way with all the fun activities that follow like swimming and baseball. Sno-balls are just another special part of New Orleans that makes us different from other places. You can’t go just anywhere in our nation and see the Roman Candy Man, a corner grocery store that will sell you liqueur anytime of the day, or a sno-ball stand with a line down the street, except for in our great city of New Orleans. I’m sorry, but I just can’t see sno-balls in Houston being the same and as special as they are down here.

So, what are some of your favorite places to grab a sno-ball around our great city, and are they still around? Write in and tell us some of your favorite sno-ball stories and places to go to.

Like most families, Sunday brunch was filled with lively discussions over the two run-off candidates for the New Orleans Mayor’s race. Each of us expressed our viewpoint over grits, bacon, biscuits and coffee. Then something wild really dawned on me as my husband was commenting how Ron Foreman’s wife was working for Mayor Naggin during the storm. Suddenly bits and pieces to the mayorial puzzle began to slide together. Sure it could be a wild hunch, but I think that’s what makes it a conspiracy theory.

Lets review the whole candidate situation. First you have Mayor Naggin that cleaned house when he first went into office and got rid of the corrupt Morial gang in city hall. Naggin could actually be viewed as an ideal mayor up until the time of Hurricane Katrina. It was during and after Katrina that Naggin’s popularity drifted due to his “Chocolate City” comments. That brings me to question the notion of these comments. Perhaps referring to New Orleans as the “Chocolate City” was just a mere public relations ploy to get the African American voters to embrace Mayor Naggin once again, after many felt like he abandoned his kind during the storm.

This brings me to the two top white candidates, Mitch Landrieu and Ron Foreman, or as Mayor Naggin refers to them, “…the professional politician and the zoo keeper.” Oddly enough Mitch was seen rescuing people along with Naggin during Katrina and Foreman’s wife was with Mayor Naggin during Katrina as part of his staff. Ron Foreman is a friend with both, Mitch and Mayor Ray Naggin, just as Naggin has worked with Lt. Governor Landrieu on the rebuilding plans for N.O. With so much friendship involved and all wanting to help the city recruit businesses and bring the city back to life, I started to ponder the notion of it all being nothing more than a thick smoke screen to get Mayor Naggin back in office. The two most powerful white candidates in this election were Ron and Mitch that ultimately split up the white vote and helped push Mayor Naggin’s percentage into the top. Tom Watson, the only other African American candidate involved in the debates, was viewed as being an extremist continually bringing up the subject of race that seemed to separate New Orleans even more than unite us all together. Coolidge and Boulet both got a mere percentage of the vote, and even though they both ran aggressive campaigns, neither candidate was well known enough to conquer the issues that are facing the city of New Orleans. As far as Peggy Wilson, I’m sure as always she got the older female Caucasian vote, but honestly her public relations team and she must realize that she simply comes off as a very bitter woman even though she may be correct about everything she says. Sometimes it’s all in the presentation of your facts, and simply generalizing the fact that our city is full of pimps, soap opera welfare queens, and drug lords doesn’t make me want to run off to the polls and cast a vote in her favor.

So could this be some wacky behind the scenes ultimate plan that will land Mayor Naggin back in office and Mitch Landrieu in an idealistic spot to later run for governor of this state, while Ron Foreman continues to build the Audubon legacy? Well we’ll know the real answer in a couple of weeks as the debates continue. Personally speaking I don’t think Naggin in office again would be the most horrible thing our city could face. I think he’s made some comments trying to relate to his race that has separated him more so from the Caucasian race and it showed in the poll results. I recall seeing Mayor Naggin out at the Target in Metairie on New Year’s Eve inviting everyone to come and celebrate New Year’s in New Orleans and speaking to people about their concerns since Hurricane Katrina. Has Mayor Naggin made mistakes during his term, of course, but so does every other Mayor, which the general population tends to forget. Due to Hurricane Katrina, Mayor Naggin had the world analyzing every move he made and criticizing him for it. You need to remember that this is the biggest disaster that he was faced with in our nation, and after reviewing the US Governments action plan, Mayor Naggin did the best he could do with the resources that he had at the time. I think in Mayor Naggin’s heart, he only desires what is best for the city of New Orleans, which is really what New Orleans residents want.

Mitch would also be a good mayor because he has political experience and knows how to push issues and get things moving. I believe Mitch wants what is best for this city and wants New Orleans to grow and thrive. I also believe Mitch would be a great governor for our state. Mitch has a lot of drive and I could definitely see him representing our state as a whole and getting business done in Baton Rouge. I feel like Mitch has been a savior in a lot of ways to New Orleans, and yet he’s just a regular guy trying to do the right thing. My husband, Kevin, actually ran into Mitch at a Popeye’s in Gonzales before an LSU football game last fall and had the opportunity to speak to him. Kevin couldn’t believe how down to earth and personable Mitch was when he spoke about how much suffering he saw during Katrina and how upset he was with the government for how they responded.

Both candidates can relate to the issues since they were here and experienced the rescues and suffering of New Orleans residents. Both want what is best for the city of New Orleans and doesn’t want congress and the government to toss us to the side. Speaking from the heart, with either candidate I believe we’ll be okay in the rebuilding process for the next few years to come. I would love to have the opportunity to vote Mitch Landrieu into the governor’s office since I believe he could get us the help and resources that we desperately need for our state. As far as Ron Foreman, I remember him during my internship at the Audubon Institute. He is simply a respected, genuine, personable businessman that brings a positive attitude and golden touch to any challenge or project. I’m sure he’ll give either candidate assistance and positive feedback as the challenge of rebuilding New Orleans begins.

The big fuss starts with the American Academy of Pediatrics declaring that no child under 2-years of age should watch television. Many people believe that there isn’t any real scientific evidence stating that children under the age of 2 shouldn’t watch television. So where does the truth lie inbetween this contraversy?

I think as parents we must first look at ourselves and our own personal television viewing habits. Then, we must make a logical decision over what is appropriate conduct for our children to view and what is not. This then coincides with the way you choose to raise your children. Some parents believe the television is nothing more than a mere babysitting service where you can plop your kid on the sofa, stick a tape in and then run around your home doing the daily chores that never can get finished like washing the clothes and doing the dishes. I’m sure many of us have come to fall into this deameaning category at least once in our lives as a parent. Now others believe that children should only watch television when there is an adult or much older sibling next to them interpretting the “real” message of the show. As always, I believe the truth lies somewhere inbetween these two extremes.
I can’t remember how old my daughter was when she first viewed Sesame Street and Bear in the Big Blue House, but I know she eagerly recognized the characters talking amongst themselves discussing issues. As she got older, these shows that were usually background noise while she played with her favorite toys, also reinforced the same things we were trying to teach her such as the alphabet, counting to 20, and sharing. Today, she independently grabs whatever she wants to view off of the shelf and hands it to any adult that can reach the vcr/dvd player. At the same time, she also independently grabs whatever book she wants you to read to her, and if she knows the story well enough, she pretends to read it to us. I honestly have a hard time believing that all television is bad for children. Of course anything without moderation can be harmful. I wouldn’t want my child to obsess over being Elmo or Zoe and speaking in third person, but studying the way Elmo and Zoe interact with each other has actually showed her how to interact with other children her age. Watching Bear In the Big Blue House, Potty Time, has made this scary and foreign transition a bit easier since she can relate to the characters and their situations.

Now even though my daughter didn’t care for any of the Baby Einstein videos, that doesn’t mean that they are not good, just that it wasn’t her taste. Yes that’s right, I believe children develop their personalities in the womb of their mother and follow through as they begin to learn their surroundings. Perhaps a 3-month old watching a friendly character like Baby Elmo eat from a spoon may encourage them to eat from a spoon too. Child psychologists say babies and children easily learn through repetition, which then would reinforce such a video showing the routine things that a baby or child would see their caregivers do on a daily basis.

As a parent I realize how important it is to monitor my daughter’s television viewing since it influences her personality and decision making skills. I try to make sure she only views age appropriate shows on public television, Disney, Nickolodeon Jr., and Noggin. Recently her discovery of Oobi, a mere talking hand with eyeball looking rings, has led her to open up more freely when discussing her feelings and fears. With simply making my hand resemble a puppet, I’m able to communicate with my daughter more so as an equal peer, rather than mommy the parent. Sure it’s silly play, but it’s also interaction and communication with my child, so I look at it as a positive. It’s hard to get into our little people’s heads and really understand what they are thinking and comprehending in the world around them, especially at these times with all the stress that many parents are going through. Right now, finding something to comfort your young one is the best thing a parent can do, and Baby Elmo isn’t a bad thing to comfort your child.

My mom gasped and began preaching how she shouldn’t color herself, at which tears began to roll down my daughter’s eyes. I actually praised her on how good she’s getting with her flames and lines, and then said that pretty soon we’ll be opening Metry Kiddie Ink and she’ll be the main attraction. Honestly, Kat from Miami Ink is definitely one of her idols up there with Barbie, Disney, and Sesame Street. My daughter, Kylie loves to watch the Miami Ink show and even knows when it’s on television.

Of course, my daughter loves mommy’s tattoo and I’ve always kept her in fake tattoos since she was a baby just to piss my in-laws off and because I personally love ink and the stories behind it. Yep, hopefully one day my budding artist will be inking and even piercing people all over their body, and guess what, I’ll be a very proud parent waiting in line to get ink and piercing’s from my own kid.

Actually, I’ve paid to get pierced before and quite frankly I do a much better job self-piercing, guess it’s just the sadist in me. Now for ink, over four years ago I called the most popular inked Saints player, Kylie Turley, and found out where to go and who did his ink. He said that Walt Clark from the Freaky Tiki, www.freakytikitattoos.com, was the guy to go to, at which, my cousin actually had some work done by him on her lower back, or as we say in the family, bulls eye. I always loved ink, but finally knew it was time to get some on my body when my first son, Kaleb Ezra, had passed in my arms from SIDS when he was 3-days old. This Old Metairie girl got inked in bright colors, an original piece of artwork by professional tattoo artist, Walt Clark, and loved the whole experience. I later discovered that tattoos are very popular in memorializing a loved one since it’s a permanent piece of that person always being with you on your body. For me, my ole’ school eternal flame heart with angel wings and a fleur-de-lis was completely healing and part of the grieving and acceptance process. For my parents, my mom couldn’t believe how large it was on my left ankle at first and my father couldn’t believe that not only did I pay this man to do this to me, but that I also tipped him very well and showed it off with great pride. Now, my mom doesn’t even realize it’s there unless I’m sitting a certain way and she can see it, and my dad doesn’t like it, but respects and understands why I felt like I needed it so much. My legally married husband didn’t get inked at the time, hated it then, and still hates it, but for those of you that know me, as if I care what he thinks, especially when he wasn’t the one carrying our child for nine months.

Now, most parents would be mortified with their child wanting to be a tattoo artist or body piercer and would rather see them become a doctor or attorney, but not this parent. There are way too many attorneys and doctors in this city and I have many of them as friends. Truthfully, I admire people, especially any artist that can fudge their earned income for the year and deal in cash. Oddly enough, I have always had a problem with people not viewing tattoo artists as “real” artists. Personally speaking, they’re much better than most commercial artists out there, they have a much harder medium to work with, and yet they never get the true artistic credit they deserve in the public limelight. Fortunately with tattoos jumping in social popularity for younger generations due to sports idols, actors, and musicians it has become more mainstream and acceptable.

Of course, some people just have really bad looking tattoos done by really bad and inexperienced tattoo artists. This is why you should always do your research on an artist before you decide to get ink done on a drunken whim. Luckily, professional tattoo artists can do some incredible cover-up work and turn an ugly piece into a beautiful work of art on your body. Now there’s also the choice of having your bad tattoo lasered which is becoming very popular with dermatologists everywhere. My friend, the glorified pimple popper dermo doc, often points out to me that it would cost over $5000 to have my tattoo removed because a “real” professional tattoo artist did it. I usually tell him it will cost him even more to remove my foot from his rear if he ever mentions the removal of my tattoo again.

I did want Walt to do some other artwork on me at the time, a fleur-de-lis cross under my belly button in a henna style ink to hide my mother’s mark line that most women have after giving birth to a child. Due to time conflicts and myself getting a surprise pregnancy with my daughter, I never did get any other artwork done. After having my daughter, I’m actually pretty happy that I chose not to go with any tattoos on my stomach area. I pretty much looked like someone strapped a turkey on by body when I was pregnant with her, and with my daughter’s 9lb 11-ounce weight, my tattoo would have stretch marks on top of stretch marks for sure. I guess I’ll one day get another tattoo in honor of my daughter, Kylie Ember’s birth and renewal of life for me personally. Perhaps it’ll be on the Valentine’s Day when she turns 18-years of age, so we can do it together.

Before I begin, I must warn you that I’m assertive, think like a male most of the time, and hate whiney dependent females. I also have a wicked smart ass sense of humor and I’m the mommy out of my crazy friends that I will often discuss. One of my best friends is actually a male and we went to Tulane together, but my tarot card reader believes that we were actually brothers in a past life..lol Needless to say, I’m always trying to help him get women and get laid, and now he’s even pissed off my 3-year old daughter by calling her “baby” to which she replies, “I NO BABY!

I’m a big little girl that goes on the potty.” Yep, Brian is quite the charmer and oddly enough a sucessful doctor…Clearly some people have street smarts while others just have book smarts. You’ll be hearing about all these fun adventures and most likely laughing till you piss yourself…perhaps you may want to grab a tissue or some Depends since this is going to be the start of a real doozie.

I would first like to address hetrosexual males that have been created into pussy’s over all this politcally correct garbage. Because of this, “we” as females are now forced to beg and plead for sex and most of you are completely clueless when we are coming on to you. I don’t know how much more blundt we can possibly be without stripping every piece of cloth off of our bodies and spreading our legs wide open, in which some of you would still have no clue what to do with us! Trust me on this one, I’ve had to give sexy direct instructions to some males and just told them afterwards that we’ll work on it together…LOL

Lets begin. My buddy Brian is out at a bar where he’s been talking to a female aka “Brick Shithouse.” The female proceeds to drag him outside the bar towards the car and snuggles up close to him and goes,” You know I really like you, ” while playing with his shirt. Okay men, what does this mean? Do you:
a) Reply thanks, I really like you too
b) Great, I love to have new friends
c) “What a coincidence since I really like you too,” give a sexy smile then begin to kiss the female in hope of eventually scoring for the evening.

Now in case some of you men don’t realize, when a female has had at least 2-3 drinks in her, usually the honesty/truth fairy comes out in which you will immediately find out whether we want to jump you or not. Next, if a female pulls you outside or over to a corner and tells you something like this, in female language we are letting you know that we want to make out with you and eventually have sex with you if you’re good with the make out session and we like it. Oddly enough, in my polling of men, most just thought the female meant “I like you as a friend” and gave them a nice compliment. This is why people are under sexed and pissed off all the time. Men, get your head out of where ever it is, get some balls and start thinking like a real man. We the females are the ones having to make the moves. Hell if I never made the moves or attacked any men so forwardly and blundtly then I’d be the 31-year old virgin that’s never been kissed..lol. Oddly enough, once I introduced my male prey into the idea of sex, they caught on real quick and thought they won the lottery..lol

Yes we the females LOVE sex, and actually I believe we think about it more than you men and need it more than most of you men. Ever notice how good a Q-tip feels in your ear when you rubb it around…same theory, just way down there and you tend to moan a hell of a lot more in enjoyment. Needless to say, I’ve met this “Brick Shithouse” female and love her to death, since she’s a trip. As far as my buddy, I think the pleasure cruise boat may have set sail on him without boarding. I actually have plans to introduce her to some other guy friends of mine in hopes that someone will have a good time, since God knows I’m sufferring right now with a 3-year old in the middle of my bed…Katrina YOU BITCH! I long and dream of the day when I get my king size bed back, my daughter in her own bedroom, and get laid once again since the FEMA trailer sure in the hell isn’t rockin right now..lol.

Please feel free to post all comments about this tradgedy I will call the Sexless, in which I’m the worst of the tragedy living in a FEMA trailer not getting laid..lol If I tend to be edgy or bitchy at times, I will like to apologize now since I’m a complete bitch without sex, but you give me sex and I’m the sweetest and coolest female you’ll ever meet.

Later my fellow FEMA trailer residents, oh and I also like to talk about the musicians I know and go out and listen to, the restaurants and clubs around here, and living with a little person (toddler).