Today, I had to park over by McAllister’s. But inside the store it was a huge Who-Dat Party! They had the Saint’s Who Dat song on the overhead and people were Who Dattin each other up and down the aisles.

By the time I got to the checkout, a designated number of staff had been cued via the overhead announcement that “whoever is ready to participate is to go to the front”. Of course, customers were welcome too.

On cue a second line paraded through the store with umbrellas and singing along with the Who Dat song.

I don’t even like football but this grocery store second line exhibited the bravado of the “joie de vivre” and “bonhemie” of our everyday citizens and the devotion to our culture of celebrating life. We all put down our things and applauded!

Of course, there is always cobb. There was a tiny old black woman behind me in line said, “Thank god some of y’all are still working.” She was complaining that she worked in the school system and that kids shouldn’t be out of school tomorrow . . and I agreed, after all, what else will they do? And many parents have child care arrangements which would be an issue.

For me, today’s fanatic exhibit promoting the Saints at the supermarket was a new exentsion of our already notorious culture stretching toward a third dimension of the cartesian coordinate plane of cultural bravado in New Orleans after I’d thought I had seen it all . . .

We’re at the top of a historical crescendo, an orchestral city-wide, high-five we’ve been riding for weeks which reached a new pinnacle today for me while making groceries. Makes me wonder what the final outcome will bring!

There is no way we will be at all disappointed, we have finished strong, in our elected officials, our Saints . .. we simply cannot lose.

If anyone has a photo of Winn-Dixie Second lines, please post a link! I didn’t have my camera. My bad!

Tonight, we are all anxiously awaiting the release of poll results on nola.com, making some people (esp. bloggers) impatient.

I called the T-P, accurate polling reports are pending election results for a number of high profile positions including: Mayor, City Council-At-Large posts in a C,E, A and B, as well as Sherriff and Clerk of Criminal Court and our new holistic Tax Assesor.

Bruce Eggler and staff are hard at work organizing returns and they will get it to us as soon as they can in a definitive and accurate result!

1) Do you live in New Orleans?

2) If so, do you live in District C?

3) If so, did you know that Assessor Tom Arnold, who is running for City Council in District C, has been known to keep a gun in his office at the Algiers courthouse?

4) Did you know that Tom Arnold — who may or may not be stark raving bananas — was [supposedly seen] pointing that gun at his head after having a squabble with his wife?

5) Did you know that Tom Arnold has the worst campaign consultant ever? Because a talented consultant would never explain the aforementioned incident by saying, “Tom Arnold was not wielding a gun around the courthouse…. It was simply a disagreement between Mr. Arnold and his ex-wife, and it was a personal matter.” WHICH INVOLVED A GUN.

6) Did you know that Tom Arnold’s website features sentences, paragraphs, talking points, and beliefs borrowed from others? (Though technically, the blame for that falls to his site designer, Chip Quaglino, owner of Quaglino Advertising and Graphics, who recycled verbiage from previous campaigns he’d worked on with other candidates. Said the designer, “Sue me for not being overly creative or having time to sit down and do this.” And he’s got a point: surely it’s crazy to think that that someone who builds creative content for his own ad agency would be creative.)

7) Did you know that as of Wednesday, Tom Arnold still hadn’t bothered to file campaign finance records with the state Board of Ethics?

8) Did you know that Tom Arnold has a penchant for using police lights on his non-police vehicle when he’s late for a meeting, or possibly dinner?

If the answer to any of these questions is YES, perhaps you should high-tail it to the nearest voting booth and ensure that the aforementioned motherfucker stays the hell off the New Orleans City Council.

Laureen Lentz wrote a little something about him a while back right her on nola metblogs, check it out.

Yesterday, BoingBoing posted a link to an article by Glenn Reynolds, which told Americans that the disaster in Haiti was a great reminder to follow the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared”.

At first I thought, “Wow, slow news day?” Then I thought, “Fucking ‘Be Prepared’ doesn’t begin to cut it, Glenn.”*

Here is the problem: no one can be fully prepared for disasters like the one unfolding in Haiti. Even in New Orleans, where we had time to hunker down before Katrina made landfall, there was chaos after the storm — and I’m sure that would’ve happened even if we hadn’t been led by a quadrumvirate of incompetents. During disasters, disastrous stuff happens: things get out of hand. And as the Gustav evacuation/revacuation debacle demonstrated, things don’t get any easier the second time around.

But although I don’t think we can be truly prepared for disasters in terms of our physical resources, there are ways to prepare ourselves emotionally and intellectually for the aftermath. Here are a few lessons New Orleans learned after Katrina, and if current media coverage of Haiti is any guide, I’m guessing they’ll be applicable there, too:

Haiti should expect help
The outpouring of emotional and financial support for Haiti has been remarkable. I won’t say that it’s unprecedented, though some of the fundraising methods certainly have been. Even asshats like Rush Limbaugh have encouraged people to support relief organizations (though in Limbaugh’s case, he’s advocated donating directly to agencies rather than through the White House website). As isolationist and blind-eye-turning as some may want to be, at the end of the day, we’re all human, and something inside most of us wants to lend a hand to people in need. That’s why half the world’s NGOs exist.

Haiti should expect interlopers
Many people came to New Orleans after Katrina to lend a hand. Most of them took a look at what needed to be done and did it, carrying us a little further down the road toward normality. Unfortunately, a few alleged “helpers” wanted to rebuild New Orleans in their own image. They didn’t care about our culture, our history, our identity; they wanted to tear things down and put in new clean strip malls. (Note: this group does not include Brad Pitt, whose exercises in experimental architecture and community building have been exemplary, not to mention selfless.) Many of us became a little gun-shy of these — for lack of a better word — carpetbaggers. Worse: Haiti has far fewer resources with which to fend them off than we did.

Haiti should expect to be watched like a hawk
For days, the media has run stories of looting and chaos in the streets. Many people have rightly pointed out that it’s not looting if you’re taking food and water for your family. But as in New Orleans, a smaller population of profiteers have marred Haiti’s entire population. I’m sorry to say it, but the narratives of chaos, blackmail, and instability aren’t likely to stop anytime soon.

Haiti should expect to be blamed
Even now, with search and rescue efforts ongoing, fingers are being pointed. People are forgetting about the vagaries of platectonics and looking for someone to blame for the earthquake. Haiti’s own government will have to shoulder some of that. Haiti’s citizens will, too. They weren’t prepared, the arguments will go. Their response was clumsy. And afterward, they couldn’t be helped. I can’t fathom why anyone would blame Hatians for being dazed and disoriented after surviving a massive earthquake in which tens of thousands perished, but someone will.

Haiti should expect things to be different
Haiti’s normal will be a “new normal”. Hatians’ circles of friends will change. Habits and patterns will, too. But the shadow of their former lives is still there; it’s a palimpsest of the old Haiti, the one from two weeks ago. If the people of Haiti can see through the piles of rubble and trace the old outlines, they’ll be okay. Or not okay, but better.

If you haven’t already given, please consider doing so. I recommend Doctors Without Borders, since they seem to be one of the few organizations on the ground in Haiti that’s already doing real work, but nearly any major aid organization will be happy to receive your gift.

*NB: I’ve been a regular BoingBoing reader for ages, and I’ll continue to be, but I don’t think this piece was up to snuff.

If you don’t live in New Orleans, the name Garland Robinette may not mean much to you. But here, he’s a fixture: a media veteran, a BMOC, a bigmouth. Although he’s anchored TV newscasts and was once married to New Orleans’ legendary Angela Hill, he now spends his time lording over local talk radio.

Now, talk radio is not exactly the most liberal planet in the modern media universe, but Garland is smarter than many on the airwaves, and his approach is compassionate and common-sensible. (Yes, I am aware that Limbaugh and Palin also fly the common sense flag whenever possible, but I think they’re being ironic.) Today, Garland published a piece on gay marriage, and apart from the fact that his keyboard seems a little sticky (minds out of the gutter, people), I’m pretty impressed.

I have one opinion on the gay rights controversy, and I know my opinion is correct, beyond a shadow of a doubt. Those of you actively fighting against gay marriage have waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on your hands.

I don’t believe your real reason for fighting gay marriage is because you are sooooooooooooooo concerned about the threat to the institute of marriage. If you were, you’d be protesting people like me. I have been married three times. Elizabeth Taylor and me are the biggest threats ever faced by the sacred institute of marriage.

Let’s not be a hypocrite…you don’t want gay marriage, because you don’t like gays. It’s that simple. You’re frightened by those icky things they do with their sexual parts. But, here’s another hypocritical part…have you ever seen what them-thar “heterosexuals” do with their private parts? Whoa, talk about icky!!!!!

[more at WWL]

Have those same arguments been made by other straight guys? Sure, but on talk radio? In New Orleans, Louisiana? Hmmm. Maybe not.

Last year it was unseasonably warm, I was wearing the standard wife-beater on Xmas day and raking up leaves over there at Rocheblave. . but today at Rocheblave, the pipes were frozen.

The Good And The Bad:
Fortunately, no pipes were broke. However, there was a toilet full of morning poops/toilet paper for which there was insufficient water pressure for flushing. We braced ourselves for the fact that it was going to have to be manually cleared.

I keep a 5-gallon drum of emergency water at the condo, so I retrieved it so we could use it to fill the tank and flush the terlet. However, the pressure was weak, so Nick and Josh and I went one courageous step further and emptied the terlet of all hardware; poop and paper first using the cat litter scooper. . . dumping it into a garbage bag with some kitty litter in it, and keeping a bucket of bleach and some water for the scooper, we successfully emptied the terlet.

Then, we used the huge jug of water to the tank to the fill line. We got a full flush and took our bag o’kitty litter/people-poop out to the trash. It was rather humiliating but we were thrilled when it flushed fine. We eventually got our water back and refilled the 5-gallon emergency jug and the sink with soapy water, just in case.

The water seems to be running without out trouble this morning after dripping all faucets last night. They dodged a bullet of any burst pipes, luckily and are able to flush freely today.

This cold is really enough to make us all coccooning and cranky. The yard looks like nuclear winter and we can’t stand to set sight on it . . . .so we just keep our jackets on and watch movies, grateful for electricity and heat!

Rather than posting gross pictures of our personal plumbing hell, which would surely have been very popular . . . I have, instead, included some of the troopers at Warren Easton, one of our best local high school bands, who deserve extra applause for continuing their practices in prep for what is shaping up to be a brutally cold Mardi Gras!

For my part, Kermit’s signature sound has become such a cheerful and soothing part of my psyche over the years that a couple toots and his vocals trigger the ‘get up’ in me no matter where I’m at or what I am doing. My arm instinctively goes up to those around me in a big “c’mon, let’s go”.

Watch Kermit on You Tube

We have been blessed but this year, lets hope we been extra good . . . so my poem selection this year is a song. “A Saints Christmas” from Kermit Ruffins album HAVE A CRAZY COOL CHRISTMAS, from Basin Street Records.

I saw Santa Clause swingin’
swingin’ in the Treme, Jack –
I got a big wish for Santa
And it’s not a new Cadillac.

It’s better than Grandma’s cookin’
It’s better than hot beignets,
It’s better than a lot o’ money,
Much bigger than the Mardi Gras Day!

I don’t need no champagne or caviar
Don’t need no ice-cold brew
I don’t need no big ole BBQ Pit
Wait a minute, that’s NOT true!

I just had a rap with Santa
And we took us a little stroll,
And all I want for Christmas . . .
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

I saw Santa Clause swingin’
Swingin’ in the Superdome
C’mon and do the bits and boogie,
Let’s rip their butts and go home!

It’s Christmas in New Orleans,
The Saints is on the road,
And all we want for Christmas,
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

We want to go, go, go to the Superbowl
The biggest Christmas present ever,
C’mon Coach let’s go to the Superbowl
Who Dat Wearin That Black-N-Gold?!

And all we want for Christmas,
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !
C’mon Santa baby, before we get too old!

Horns!
I saw Santa Clause swingin’
Swingin’ in the Superdome
C’mon and do the bits and boogie,
Let’s rip their butts and go home!

It’s Christmas in New Orleans,
The Saints is on the road,
And all we want for Christmas,
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

We want to go, go, go to the Superbowl
The biggest Christmas present ever,
C’mon Coach let’s go to the Superbowl
Who Dat Wearin That Black-N-Gold?!

I just had a rap with Santa,
And we took us a little stroll,
And all I want for Christmas . . .
Is the Saints in the Superbowl !

And Merry Christmas to Chef Who Dat !
Chef Who DAT!

Past Christmas Poems:
Christmas Eve Poem, 2008
Driving to Midnight Mass, Christmas Eve Poem, 2007
Ahoy To the World, 2006

People in sunny, outdoorsy states — Louisiana, Hawaii, Florida — say they’re the happiest Americans, and researchers think they know why.

A new study comparing self-described pleasant feelings with objective measures of good living found these folks generally have reason to feel fine.

The places where people are most likely to report happiness also tend to rate high on studies comparing things like climate, crime rates, air quality and schools.

The happiness ratings were based on a survey of 1.3 million people across the country by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It used data collected over four years that included a question asking people how satisfied they are with their lives….

Ranking No. 1 in happiness was Louisiana, home of Dixieland music and Cajun/Creole cooking.

[Economist Andrew J. Oswald] urged a bit of caution in that ranking, however, noting that part of the happiness survey occurred before Hurricane Katrina struck the state, and part of it took place later. Nevertheless, he said, “We have no explicit reason to think there is a problem” with the ranking.

Rounding out the happy five were Hawaii, Florida, Tennessee and Arizona.

At the other end of the scale, last in happiness — is New York state.

[full story at NOLA.com]