COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- The Danish Air Force said Thursday it paid about $5,000 in compensation to a part-time Santa Claus whose reindeer died of heart failure when two fighter jets roared over his farm.
The animal, named Rudolf, was grazing at the farm of Olavi Nikkanoff in central Denmark when the screaming F-16 jets passed overhead at low altitude in February. The reindeer collapsed and died, leaving Nikkanoff with the prospect of only one animal pulling his sleigh next Christmas.
He complained to the air force, which agreed to compensate him for the cost of the reindeer and veterinary expenses.
"We got a letter from Santa complaining about his reindeer's death and looked into it seriously," air force spokesman Capt. Morten Jensen said. The air force checked flight data and veterinary reports and concluded the planes had caused the animal's death.
Nikkanoff said he would use the money to buy a new reindeer before Christmas.
***My question is... since the military paid for the animal... did they get to eat him?***
KIDNEY COVE, Falkland Islands (Reuters) -- There's a mating ritual going on in the minefield. Fortunately the would-be lovers are penguins, too light to detonate the deadly mines laid more than two decades ago during a war on the Falkland Islands.
Thousands of penguins and other feathered and amphibious friends choose to nest and rest in no-go zones. The British estimate that some 25,000 land mines, mostly sown by Argentine forces in the 1982 war with Britain, remain.
On a recent day, the squawking penguins were busily finding partners, preparing nests and waddling about the mating grounds.
Wildlife numbers in the mined areas appear to be on the rise and conservationists cannot hide their enthusiasm about this unorthodox form of protecting lands previously trampled by people or overgrazed by sheep. It is the bright spot in a long-term land mine problem -- one that is not likely to go away because de-mining is difficult, if not impossible, in the peaty soils and shifting sands of this South Atlantic archipelago.
Most of the 150 minefields were laid around the capital, Stanley, when Argentine forces landed there in April 1982 to claim the islands taken by the British in 1833. The British armed forces defeated the Argentines 10 weeks later in a war that killed 650 Argentines and 250 British. Some mines were cleared right after the conflict in a joint British-Argentine effort. Today there are 117 minefields left, 87 of them in the Stanley area where two-thirds of the islands' 2,900 people live.
Stanley is also the landing point for nearly 40,000 tourists who come on cruise ships every summer to ogle the wildlife, much like the greatest of all naturalists, Charles Darwin, did in 1833-34.
One of the mined areas is at Kidney Cove, a stunningly idyllic stretch of beach across from Stanley where four species of penguins -- gentoo, king, rockhopper and Magellanic -- show up every year.
At the end of winter, the first 500 of 1,500 gentoo pairs begin their mating ritual at Kidney Cove after feeding in the cold waters. They waddle up from the mined beach to nesting areas among the tussock and diddle dee vegetation.
One of their favorite spots is on the mined side of fences with "Danger Mines" and skull and crossbones signs. Tourists are kept on the safe side of the fence, allowing the nervous, partner-seeking penguins to forget about encroaching humans. "The gentoos come up on Kidney Cove and can rest there because it is in a minefield," said Adrian Lowe, who runs penguin safaris on his family farm. "It is their natural habitat. Only the minefield fences are man-made."
Just a few miles outside Stanley sits Yorke Bay, a sweeping crescent beach with calm waters where locals used to swim and barbecue. As an ideal place for an amphibious landing, it was heavily mined in the war. Next door is Gypsy Cove, where experts believe mines might have washed over from Yorke Bay, forcing authorities to also fence off that area. Gypsy Cove visitors can still see Magellanic penguins, rock cormorants, black-crowned night herons and dolphins from the walkway at the top of the cliff. The nutritious tussock grass, which sheep reduced to 20 percent of its original cover, is making a comeback at Gypsy Cove.
Incredibly, no civilian has died or been injured by the land mines and just one officer lost a foot in 1984 on the perimeter of a minefield. The fences were extended after that.
The government and the British forces still spend a lot of time educating the population and won't hesitate to hand down hefty penalties -- 1,500 pounds ($2,670) and a year in jail -- for anyone stupid enough to jump the fences. Some tourists were caught posing for pictures on the wrong side of the fence. But Sgt. Maj. Mick Owen, who heads up the local Explosive Ordinance Disposal, calls the Falklands "the most controlled mined area in the world."
Argentina, which puts the number of remaining mines closer to 15,000, is offering to help clear more fields to adhere to an international treaty on land mines. Falkland Islanders, however, are not pressing on the issue, and most believe it is better not to fiddle with the fields. "There is a risk that only 95 percent would be removed," said Falkland Islands Gov. Howard Pearce. "You would bring a sense of complacency to the community and increase rather than reduce the chance of injury." Besides, he noted, "The environmentalists like them."
*** i bet there won't be any fat ones left - chad ***
I'm telling you... they aren't just mating. They are plotting... mark my words.
9.29.2005
LSU vs Tennessee
( 27 - 30 Loss )
There's nothing better than being in Tiger Stadium on a Monday night.
Wait a minute... that's not right. Monday Night? Then again, what has been normal for anyone recently in the state of Louisiana.
Hurricane Katrina forced the Tigers to postpone their original first home game, and move their second home game against Arizona State to Tempe. Then Hurricane Rita created another delay and set up the first Monday nighter in Tiger Stadium. Perhaps the most highly anticipated home opener in program history.
Miles sprinted with his team onto the field and received a huge, enthusiastic ovation, albeit from a crowd somewhat thinner than what normally greets the Tigers at kickoff. There was an anticipated a crowd smaller than the 92,400 capacity. At kickoff, it appeared to be around 80,000 with fans still arriving. Announced attendance was 91,986.
The Tennessee game was a sellout for its original Saturday kickoff, and LSU planned on a full house, but that was highly unlikely, considering what has happened in this state the last four weeks combined with the game being moved to Monday. After all, thousands of ticketholders live in southern Louisiana.
Friday nights at LSU, the day before a game, are usually lively with thousands of tailgaters who spend the night. But Sunday the campus was quiet with only a handful of RVs in the lot just south of the stadium. All around were other signs this game was different. Just three hours before kickoff, campus hardly resembled the madness of a normal game day. LSU has estimated in the past that 150,000 people tailgate in addition to the average 92,000 people actually inside the stadium. During the game, the population of Tiger Stadium alone outnumbers 63 of Louisiana's parishes.
That being said, LSU's game against Tennessee on Monday in Tiger Stadium went down as the most watched college football game in the history of ESPN2.
I left work early to join Chad, who had been on campus earlier during the day to find tickets. He was able to get two seats in the south endzone, on the lower level, right inbetween the uprights. The difference in the amount of tailgators was noticable. I was actually able to get a decent parking spot only 3 hours before the game. Normally, you'd have to arrive no later than 10 or 11 am (for a 7pm game) to be able to park on pavement.
We walked around campus, watched the Tennessee buses pull up to the visitors entrance. When it was time, we went into the stadium and found our seats. It was then I noticed that my phone was gone. I had somehow lost it outside the stadium. Chad called it a few times, but it took a while before someone picked it up. Luckily, the person that found it was honest and also had tickets for the south endzone. They brought my phone to me.... you don't know how grateful I was. (Thank you whoever you were).
So we sat there, the crowd slowly trickling in, except for in the student section which was already more than halfway full. We were on the opposite side from them. It felt so strange not being over there, waiting for the band, chatting with other students or dancing with my friends. It's a different world in that section and I missed it.
The people sitting next to us were really nice though. The fellow next to me was from Los Angeles. He was a USC fan *gags* but a very nice guy. It was his first time in the area and was excited to be there. We talked about random things, but generally, he sat back and observed everything. I laughed when he asked me what "GEAUX" meant, a truely unique part of our culture here. He told me he had never seen anything so intense, the spirit and loyalty of the fans, the rivalry, the whole SEC experience. He was overwhelmed, but so glad to have been there and truly enjoyed it.
I guess the experience could be a little overwhelming for visitors. Tiger Stadium is a rough environment at times. The same goes for most SEC stadiums, considered to be the toughest in the nation. "The Swamp" is unbearably hot, Tennessee's Neyland Stadium is one of the largest in the nation, and then there are the humid nights in Tiger Stadium, also one of the largest arenas but arguably also the loudest.
Of course, weary LSU fans forced by nature's wrath to wait nearly a month to watch their team play at home hoped for better as the first Monday night football game in LSU history became more memorable for the opponents' comeback overtime win than the respite provided. Tennessee, who had been outscored by LSU 21-0 in the first half, outscored the Tigers 23-3 after halftime to claim a 30-27 victory. But with the game being played at the end of a business day in a city that has battled snarled traffic since a couple of hundred thousand Katrina evacuees ended up here, just playing football was a welcome relief to the LSU community and its faithful following.
At the games end, we congratulated the remaining Tennessee fans (the ones that hadn't left out of disgust at halftime) and I hugged that nice fellow from Cali goodbye and wished his favorite team to have a good season.
I was smiling, while walking back to my car after the game. Even after such a dramatic loss. I can't explain the feeling, but for the almost 8 hours spent on LSU's campus and in Tiger Stadium, I had finally felt like things were normal. I don't consider it a loss because I know I wouldn't have missed it for the world.
GEAUX TIGERS!
9.27.2005
I'm a Vampire Slayer
Have you've every been mistaken for someone else? I have. The last time someone I told me I looked like someone... they said I looked like Buffy. You judge for yourself.
Okay... I actually thought that was pretty far fetched... then I just previewed my post... and was like Holy Crap! I do look like Buffy... lol even my head was turned the right way. That kinda weirded me out. Weeeeelllll, at least I know I'm not built like her haha. I have boobs, I'm way shorter... and... well obviously, I'm not as thin.
Alrighty... so there was somewhere I was actually getting with this... Aaron Brooks... I know I'm not the only one that is aware of his uncanny resemblence to Martin Lawrence.
So there ya go... that should explain a lot. GEAUX SAINTS!
Because I was asked (see comments), I put some thought into it, and it took me about 3 seconds to come up with an answer for Jeff. So, here's my answer.
Anyone else want to ask me who or what they remind me of?
Okay... I actually thought that was pretty far fetched... then I just previewed my post... and was like Holy Crap! I do look like Buffy... lol even my head was turned the right way. That kinda weirded me out. Weeeeelllll, at least I know I'm not built like her haha. I have boobs, I'm way shorter... and... well obviously, I'm not as thin.
Alrighty... so there was somewhere I was actually getting with this... Aaron Brooks... I know I'm not the only one that is aware of his uncanny resemblence to Martin Lawrence.
So there ya go... that should explain a lot. GEAUX SAINTS!
Because I was asked (see comments), I put some thought into it, and it took me about 3 seconds to come up with an answer for Jeff. So, here's my answer.
Anyone else want to ask me who or what they remind me of?
9.18.2005
Exotic Beavers
I was talking to Jeff about our perception of what we think of as exotic animals. They are only "exotic" because they are only native to a continent from which we did not originate. If we had grown up in African countries, lions and zebras and tigers wouldn't be such a big deal. However, animals like the moose, alligators, coyotes, and raccoons are not so exoctic because they live on our own continent.
So, he told me that there was a particular animal activist group that wanted to import endangered species from other places and put them in areas of similar enviroment, basically a place where nothing exists... like Nebraska. So basically, they wanna let lions, giraffes, and elephants loose. I'm okay with that, I'm not a cornhuskers fan anyways.
But that brought up the question, by me of course, is there a place where beavers don't exist. The answer to that question was found in Sunday mornings comic section.
Beavers are not found in Brazil... at least not the wood chewing kind.
So, he told me that there was a particular animal activist group that wanted to import endangered species from other places and put them in areas of similar enviroment, basically a place where nothing exists... like Nebraska. So basically, they wanna let lions, giraffes, and elephants loose. I'm okay with that, I'm not a cornhuskers fan anyways.
But that brought up the question, by me of course, is there a place where beavers don't exist. The answer to that question was found in Sunday mornings comic section.
Beavers are not found in Brazil... at least not the wood chewing kind.
Pissed Off
We have all had bad dates.. but this takes the cake. This just tells you how tough it is to be single nowadays. This was on the "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno. (credit goes to Chad for sending this story to me)
Jay went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date story ever had. When this woman described her worst first date experience, there was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!
She said it was midwinter... snowing and quite cold... and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon.
They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere!
Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car.
They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.
Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady
discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.
Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about "what is taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance!"
He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.
Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.
As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down... or perhaps that should be "pants down." ..And you thought your first date was embarrassing.
Jay Leno's comment .. "This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off."
Jay went into the audience to find the most embarrassing first date story ever had. When this woman described her worst first date experience, there was absolutely no question as to why her tale took the prize!
She said it was midwinter... snowing and quite cold... and the guy had taken her skiing in the mountains outside Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a day trip (no overnight). They were strangers, after all, and truly had never met before. The outing was fun but relatively uneventful until they were headed home late that afternoon.
They were driving back down the mountain, when she gradually began to realize that she should not have had that extra latte. They were about an hour away from anywhere with a rest room and in the middle of nowhere!
Her companion suggested she try to hold it, which she did for a while. Unfortunately, because of the heavy snow and slow going, there came a point where she told him that he had better stop and let her go beside the road, or it would be the front seat of his car.
They stopped and she quickly crawled out beside the car, yanked her pants down and started. In the deep snow she didn't have good footing, so she let her butt rest against the rear fender to steady herself. Her companion stood on the side of the car watching for traffic and indeed was a real gentleman and refrained from peeking. All she could think about was the relief she felt despite the rather embarrassing nature of the situation.
Upon finishing however, she soon became aware of another sensation. As she bent to pull up her pants, the young lady
discovered her buttocks were firmly glued against the car's fender. Thoughts of tongues frozen to poles immediately came to mind as she attempted to disengage her flesh from the icy metal. It was quickly apparent that she had a brand new problem due to the extreme cold.
Horrified by her plight and yet aware of the humor of the moment, she answered her date's concerns about "what is taking so long" with a reply that indeed, she was "freezing her butt off and in need of some assistance!"
He came around the car as she tried to cover herself with her sweater and then, as she looked imploringly into his eyes, he burst out laughing. She too, got the giggles and when they finally managed to compose themselves, they assessed her dilemma.
Obviously, as hysterical as the situation was, they also were faced with a real problem. Both agreed it would take something hot to free her chilly cheeks from the grip of the icy metal! Thinking about what had gotten her into the predicament in the first place, both quickly realized that there was only one way to get her free. So, as she looked the other way, her first-time date proceeded to unzip his pants and pee her butt off the fender.
As the audience screamed in laughter, she took the Tonight Show prize hands down... or perhaps that should be "pants down." ..And you thought your first date was embarrassing.
Jay Leno's comment .. "This gives a whole new meaning to being pissed off."
9.16.2005
Random Stuff
Click on Image to see larger verson.
Update on my life:
I've had the sniffles and pinkeye like symptoms for the past week. Fun stuff.
The personal drama also continues.
I'm PMSing...
so there you have it. If I unexplainably bust into tears... you know the reasons why, and knowing's half the battle.
I thought of Chad (for more than one reason) when I saw this image. Yeah I know that's sick.
Blogthings
"Which Victoria's Secret Angel are you?"
Tyra Banks
You are easygoing, sweet, and care for others!
"What kind of eyes do you have? (with pictures)"
Brown
You have brown eyes. Brown is the color of the earth. Your eyes symbolize your comforting and fostering nature. You are stable, grounding, sophisticated, considerate, conventional and orderly. People may consider you to be cozy or warm. People feel safe when they are with you. Some words to describe you: reliability, elegance, security, healing, homely, grounding, foundation, and earthly.
LoL the logical part won't surprise anyone I'm sure.
"Which celebrity beauty are you? (Pix)"
Cameron Diaz
You are the fun beauty! You are or were a class clown. Your look really reflects your attitude. You keep things simple but really fun.
Alrighty... kinda don't agree with that one... but that's the answer they spit out.
Tyra Banks
You are easygoing, sweet, and care for others!
| Cheese Pizza |
 Traditional and comforting. You focus on living a quality life. You're not easily impressed with novelty. Yet, you easily impress others. |
"What kind of eyes do you have? (with pictures)"
Brown
You have brown eyes. Brown is the color of the earth. Your eyes symbolize your comforting and fostering nature. You are stable, grounding, sophisticated, considerate, conventional and orderly. People may consider you to be cozy or warm. People feel safe when they are with you. Some words to describe you: reliability, elegance, security, healing, homely, grounding, foundation, and earthly.
| Your Power Color Is Gold |
 At Your Highest: You are engrossed in passions that mentally stimulate you. At Your Lowest: You seek thrills and neglect what's important in your life. In Love: You see dating as adventure and approach it with an open attitude. How You're Attractive: You passion for life makes others passionate about you. Your Eternal Question: "Am I Having Fun?" |
| Your IQ Is 110 |
 Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Exceptional Your General Knowledge is Above Average |
LoL the logical part won't surprise anyone I'm sure.
"Which celebrity beauty are you? (Pix)"
Cameron Diaz
You are the fun beauty! You are or were a class clown. Your look really reflects your attitude. You keep things simple but really fun.
| Your Brain's Pattern |
 Your brain is always looking for the connections in life. You always amaze your friends by figuring out things first. You're also good at connecting people - and often play match maker. You see the world in fluid, flexible terms. Nothing is black or white. |
| Your Summer Ride is a Beetle Convertible |
 Fun, funky, and a little bit euro. You love your summers to be full of style and sun! |
| Your Blogging Type is Artistic and Passionate |
 You see your blog as the ultimate personal expression - and work hard to make it great. One moment you may be working on a new dramatic design for your blog... And the next, you're passionately writing about your pet causes. Your blog is very important - and you're careful about who you share it with. |
| What Your Underwear Says About You |
 When you're bad, you're very bad. And when you're good, you're still trouble! You're comfortable in your own skin - and don't care to impress anyone. |
| You are Agonistic |
 You're not sure if God exists, and you don't care. For you, there's no true way to figure out the divine. You rather focus on what you can control - your own life. And you tend to resent when others "sell" religion to you. |
Alrighty... kinda don't agree with that one... but that's the answer they spit out.
You Know You're From
You Know You're From Louisiana/New Orleans When...
Nothing shocks you. Period. Ever.
You greet people with "Howzyamomma'an'dem?" and hear back "Dey fine!"
Every so often, you have waterfront property.
When giving directions you use words like "uptown," "downtown," "backatown," "riverside," "lakeside," "other side of the bayou" or "other side of the levee."
When you refer to a geographical location "way up North," you are referring to places like Shreveport, Little Rock or Memphis, "where it gets real cold."
You've ever had Community Coffee.
You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas but can't spell it.
You don't worry when you see ships riding higher in the river than the top of your house.
You judge a po-boy by the number of napkins used.
The waitress at your local sandwich shop tells you a fried oyster po-boy "dressed" is healthier than a Caesar salad.
You can eat Popeye's, Haydel's and Zapp's for lunch and wash it down with Barq's and several Abitas.
The four seasons in your year are: crawfish, shrimp, crab, and King Cake.
You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.
You believe that purple, green and gold look good together.
Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.
You know what a nutria rat is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.
You have spent a summer afternoon on the Lake Pontchartrain seawall catching blue crabs.
You describe a color as "K & B Purple."
You like your rice and politics dirty.
You pronounce the largest city in the state as "Nawlins."
You know those big roaches can fly, but you're able to sleep at night anyway.
You assume everyone has mosquito swarms in their backyard.
You know the rainforest is less humid than Louisiana.
You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
When out of town, you stop and ask someone where there is a drive-through Daiquiri place, and they look at you like you have three heads.
You have flood insurance.
Your burial plot is six feet over rather than six feet under.
You consider a Bloody Mary a light breakfast.
You don't hesitate push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras throws.
You leave a parade with footprints on the top of your hands.
You have a parade ladder in your shed.
Your first sentence was "Throw me something mistah" and your first drink was from a go-cup.
You worry about a deceased family member returning in spring floods.
You reply to anything and everything about life here with "Only in Nahlins".
You have a monogrammed go-cup.
You get on a bus marked "Cemeteries" and don't think twice.
You shake out your shoes before putting them on.
Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.
No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.
You get up in the morning and start cooking a pot of rice before you give any thought to what you'll fix for dinner.
When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.
Your house payment is less than your air conditioning bill.
Your grandparents are called "Maw Maw" and "Paw Paw."
You fall asleep to the soothing sounds of four box fans.
No one eats healthy. Fried Batter is actually a menu item in some restaurants.
You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.
Your baby's first words are "gumbo" and "whereyat".
You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfish boils.
You know to get on a green trolley car to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter.
You walk on the "banquet" (sidewalk) and stand in the "neutral ground" (area of ground between a two sided street) "by ya mommas" (by your mother's house).
Someone asks for directions and you stop and help them with a smile
You start an angel food cake with a roux.
Watching "Wild Kingdom" inspires you to write a cookbook.
You think a lobster is a crawfish on steroids.
You think boudin, hogshead cheese, and a Bud is a bland diet.
You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.
Fred's Lounge in Mamou means more to you than the Grand Ole Opry.
You have an *envie* for something instead of a craving.
You use a "#3" washtub to cover your lawn mower or your outboard motor.
You use two or more pirogues to cover your tomatoes to protect them from the late frost.
You use a gill net to play tennis, badminton, or volleyball.
The horsepower of your outboard motor is greater than that of your car motor.
You pass up a trip abroad to go to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge.
The four basic food groups are boiled seafood, broiled seafood, fried seafood and beer.
You describe a link of boudin and cracklins as "breakfast."
None of your potential vacation destinations are north of the old Mississippi River Bridge (US 190).
You refer to Louisiana winters as "Gumbo Weather."
You get a disappointing look from your wife and describe it as, "She passed me a pair of eyes."
You think of gravy as a beverage.
You greet your long lost friend at the Lafayette Regional Airport with "AAAAAAAYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, "Don't eat the dead ones," and you know what he means.
You don't know the real names of your friends, only their nicknames.
You give up Tabasco for Lent
Your loved one dies and you book a jazz band before you call the coroner.
Your accent sounds nothing like Harry Connick, Jr's.
When a hurricane is imminent, you have a lot more faith in Nash Roberts than some Super Doppler 6000.
Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.
Being in a jam at Tulane and Broad isn't the same as being stuck in traffic.
Your idea of health food is a baked potato instead of fries with your seafood platter.
You have to take your coffee and favorite coffeemaker with you on a three-day trip.
You have sno-ball stains on your shoes.
Your middle name is your mother's maiden name, or your father's mother's maiden name, or your mother's mother's maiden name, or your grandmother's mother's maiden name, or your grandfather's mother's maiden name.
You've done your laundry in a bar.
You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.
You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.
You "boo" the mayor on national television.
You wear sweaters in because it ought to be cold.
Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.
You suck heads, eat tail, sing the blues and you actually know where you got them shoes.
You don't think it inappropriate to refer to a large adult male as "Li'l Bubba."
You know why you should never, ever swim by the Lake Pontchartrain steps (for more than one reason).
You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.
You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.
You waste more time navigating back streets than you would if you just sat in traffic.
You still call the Fairmont Hotel, the Roosevelt.
You consider garbage cans a legal step to protecting your parking space on a public street.
You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.
Nothing shocks you. Period. Ever.
You greet people with "Howzyamomma'an'dem?" and hear back "Dey fine!"
Every so often, you have waterfront property.
When giving directions you use words like "uptown," "downtown," "backatown," "riverside," "lakeside," "other side of the bayou" or "other side of the levee."
When you refer to a geographical location "way up North," you are referring to places like Shreveport, Little Rock or Memphis, "where it gets real cold."
You've ever had Community Coffee.
You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas but can't spell it.
You don't worry when you see ships riding higher in the river than the top of your house.
You judge a po-boy by the number of napkins used.
The waitress at your local sandwich shop tells you a fried oyster po-boy "dressed" is healthier than a Caesar salad.
You can eat Popeye's, Haydel's and Zapp's for lunch and wash it down with Barq's and several Abitas.
The four seasons in your year are: crawfish, shrimp, crab, and King Cake.
You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday.
You believe that purple, green and gold look good together.
Your last name isn't pronounced the way it's spelled.
You know what a nutria rat is but you still pick it to represent your baseball team.
You have spent a summer afternoon on the Lake Pontchartrain seawall catching blue crabs.
You describe a color as "K & B Purple."
You like your rice and politics dirty.
You pronounce the largest city in the state as "Nawlins."
You know those big roaches can fly, but you're able to sleep at night anyway.
You assume everyone has mosquito swarms in their backyard.
You know the rainforest is less humid than Louisiana.
You learn that a seat belt makes a pretty good branding iron.
You discover that you can get a sunburn through your car window.
When out of town, you stop and ask someone where there is a drive-through Daiquiri place, and they look at you like you have three heads.
You have flood insurance.
Your burial plot is six feet over rather than six feet under.
You consider a Bloody Mary a light breakfast.
You don't hesitate push little old ladies out of the way to catch Mardi Gras throws.
You leave a parade with footprints on the top of your hands.
You have a parade ladder in your shed.
Your first sentence was "Throw me something mistah" and your first drink was from a go-cup.
You worry about a deceased family member returning in spring floods.
You reply to anything and everything about life here with "Only in Nahlins".
You have a monogrammed go-cup.
You get on a bus marked "Cemeteries" and don't think twice.
You shake out your shoes before putting them on.
Your sunglasses fog up when you step outside.
No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food.
You get up in the morning and start cooking a pot of rice before you give any thought to what you'll fix for dinner.
When it starts to rain, you cover your beer instead of your head.
Your house payment is less than your air conditioning bill.
Your grandparents are called "Maw Maw" and "Paw Paw."
You fall asleep to the soothing sounds of four box fans.
No one eats healthy. Fried Batter is actually a menu item in some restaurants.
You reinforce your attic to store Mardi Gras beads.
Your baby's first words are "gumbo" and "whereyat".
You save newspapers, not for recycling but for tablecloths at crawfish boils.
You know to get on a green trolley car to go to the park and a red one to the French Quarter.
You walk on the "banquet" (sidewalk) and stand in the "neutral ground" (area of ground between a two sided street) "by ya mommas" (by your mother's house).
Someone asks for directions and you stop and help them with a smile
You start an angel food cake with a roux.
Watching "Wild Kingdom" inspires you to write a cookbook.
You think a lobster is a crawfish on steroids.
You think boudin, hogshead cheese, and a Bud is a bland diet.
You take a bite of five-alarm chili and reach for the Tabasco.
Fred's Lounge in Mamou means more to you than the Grand Ole Opry.
You have an *envie* for something instead of a craving.
You use a "#3" washtub to cover your lawn mower or your outboard motor.
You use two or more pirogues to cover your tomatoes to protect them from the late frost.
You use a gill net to play tennis, badminton, or volleyball.
The horsepower of your outboard motor is greater than that of your car motor.
You pass up a trip abroad to go to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge.
The four basic food groups are boiled seafood, broiled seafood, fried seafood and beer.
You describe a link of boudin and cracklins as "breakfast."
None of your potential vacation destinations are north of the old Mississippi River Bridge (US 190).
You refer to Louisiana winters as "Gumbo Weather."
You get a disappointing look from your wife and describe it as, "She passed me a pair of eyes."
You think of gravy as a beverage.
You greet your long lost friend at the Lafayette Regional Airport with "AAAAAAAYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."
You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and your host says, "Don't eat the dead ones," and you know what he means.
You don't know the real names of your friends, only their nicknames.
You give up Tabasco for Lent
Your loved one dies and you book a jazz band before you call the coroner.
Your accent sounds nothing like Harry Connick, Jr's.
When a hurricane is imminent, you have a lot more faith in Nash Roberts than some Super Doppler 6000.
Your town is low on the education chart, high on the obesity chart and you don't care because you're No. 1 on the party chart.
Being in a jam at Tulane and Broad isn't the same as being stuck in traffic.
Your idea of health food is a baked potato instead of fries with your seafood platter.
You have to take your coffee and favorite coffeemaker with you on a three-day trip.
You have sno-ball stains on your shoes.
Your middle name is your mother's maiden name, or your father's mother's maiden name, or your mother's mother's maiden name, or your grandmother's mother's maiden name, or your grandfather's mother's maiden name.
You've done your laundry in a bar.
You don't show your "pretties" during Mardi Gras.
You know that Tchoupitoulas is a street and not a disease.
You "boo" the mayor on national television.
You wear sweaters in because it ought to be cold.
Your Santa Claus rides an alligator and your favorite Saint is a football player.
You suck heads, eat tail, sing the blues and you actually know where you got them shoes.
You don't think it inappropriate to refer to a large adult male as "Li'l Bubba."
You know why you should never, ever swim by the Lake Pontchartrain steps (for more than one reason).
You cringe every time you hear an actor with a Southern or Cajun accent in a "New Orleans-based" movie or TV show.
You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm.
You waste more time navigating back streets than you would if you just sat in traffic.
You still call the Fairmont Hotel, the Roosevelt.
You consider garbage cans a legal step to protecting your parking space on a public street.
You eat dinner out and spend the entire meal talking about all the other good places you've eaten.
9.12.2005
America's Teams
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
September 11, 2005
One team, displaced to the road like nearly everyone else back home, faced a championship contender on their turf and scored four times in the fourth quarter, including twice on special teams and once when, on fourth-and-forget-it, a 39-yard prayer was caught for a touchdown to deliver the comeback, the game and the dream.
One team, displaced to the road like nearly everyone else back home, faced a championship contender on their turf and scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a last-second, 47-yard game-winning field goal to deliver the comeback, the game and the dream.
And so now you begin to wonder.
Louisiana State on Saturday night, New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. Two stunning, last-moment victories.
Do you believe in miracles?
"In the back of our minds, we know we have to give them one tiny bit of hope," quarterback Aaron Brooks told reporters after the Saints' 23-20 victory over Carolina, which came not 24 hours after LSU beat Arizona State 35-31.
"We have complete faith in what we are doing because every time we go out there, it is our job to give them hope that every day will be a better day."
And there can be no minimizing the word "tiny" here. A couple of dramatic football victories don't bring back the dead, lower the floodwaters or rebuild neighborhoods.
A couple of dramatic football victories are a couple of dramatic football victories – a little more than nothing in the great, grand post-Katrina scheme of things.
But if you witnessed New York and its Yankees after September 11, if you can appreciate that having anything to cheer, to distract or to warm the heart can mean so much more than tiny, then these were more than just a couple of dramatic football victories.
If you can understand that for some of the 340,000 former residents of Greater New Orleans, huddled across the country in shelters, hotels and someone else's living room, the chance to pump a fist about something great happening to a couple of teams representing their battered hometown and bruised home state is more than just a couple of dramatic football victories.
Which is why everyone's favorite team to reach the Super Bowl should be the New Orleans Saints.
And everyone's favorite team to reach the Rose Bowl ought to be the LSU Tigers.
Because who doesn't want to believe in miracles?
Before the Saints' game at Super Bowl-favorite Carolina, coach Jim Haslett read a letter he received from New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who understands all of this too well.
"He talked about the things he had seen, babies dying," receiver Joe Horn told reporters.
Horror movie stuff Horn went on to say. Every-day stuff in the Big Easy. It brought the tragedy of New Orleans home for a group of players and coaches who have the spent the last two weeks in San Antonio.
For the LSU players, a letter from the front lines wasn't needed. Their game against Arizona State was moved to Tempe because their campus is full of refugees from New Orleans. Sixty-eight Tigers hail from Louisiana, 14 from the city of New Orleans.
This is their tragedy.
"I'm just so proud," LSU coach Les Miles said afterward.
Everyone should be. These two teams won two games under incredible distraction and distress. And both teams spent their postgame interviews talking about how they have it easy, reminding us that football is nothing and repeating that they would trade all the wins in the world for Katrina to never have happened.
"It's not all about us anymore," Saints offensive lineman Wayne Gandy said.
Humble, big-picture athletes? In today's sports world?
The fortunes of these teams could have broken either way. The hurricane could have cost focus, it could have slowed minds, it could have sucked the fight out of people too tired to fight for something so frivolous.
Or it could raise them up – give them a sense of pride and purpose never before experienced. Having something so powerful and real to rally around – not just silly locker room stuff – could give two teams the little edge that creates big seasons.
It was just football. It was just one weekend.
But for two teams with one dream, it was much more than that.
September 11, 2005
One team, displaced to the road like nearly everyone else back home, faced a championship contender on their turf and scored four times in the fourth quarter, including twice on special teams and once when, on fourth-and-forget-it, a 39-yard prayer was caught for a touchdown to deliver the comeback, the game and the dream.
One team, displaced to the road like nearly everyone else back home, faced a championship contender on their turf and scored twice in the fourth quarter, including a last-second, 47-yard game-winning field goal to deliver the comeback, the game and the dream.
And so now you begin to wonder.
Louisiana State on Saturday night, New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. Two stunning, last-moment victories.
Do you believe in miracles?
"In the back of our minds, we know we have to give them one tiny bit of hope," quarterback Aaron Brooks told reporters after the Saints' 23-20 victory over Carolina, which came not 24 hours after LSU beat Arizona State 35-31.
"We have complete faith in what we are doing because every time we go out there, it is our job to give them hope that every day will be a better day."
And there can be no minimizing the word "tiny" here. A couple of dramatic football victories don't bring back the dead, lower the floodwaters or rebuild neighborhoods.
A couple of dramatic football victories are a couple of dramatic football victories – a little more than nothing in the great, grand post-Katrina scheme of things.
But if you witnessed New York and its Yankees after September 11, if you can appreciate that having anything to cheer, to distract or to warm the heart can mean so much more than tiny, then these were more than just a couple of dramatic football victories.
If you can understand that for some of the 340,000 former residents of Greater New Orleans, huddled across the country in shelters, hotels and someone else's living room, the chance to pump a fist about something great happening to a couple of teams representing their battered hometown and bruised home state is more than just a couple of dramatic football victories.
Which is why everyone's favorite team to reach the Super Bowl should be the New Orleans Saints.
And everyone's favorite team to reach the Rose Bowl ought to be the LSU Tigers.
Because who doesn't want to believe in miracles?
Before the Saints' game at Super Bowl-favorite Carolina, coach Jim Haslett read a letter he received from New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin, who understands all of this too well.
"He talked about the things he had seen, babies dying," receiver Joe Horn told reporters.
Horror movie stuff Horn went on to say. Every-day stuff in the Big Easy. It brought the tragedy of New Orleans home for a group of players and coaches who have the spent the last two weeks in San Antonio.
For the LSU players, a letter from the front lines wasn't needed. Their game against Arizona State was moved to Tempe because their campus is full of refugees from New Orleans. Sixty-eight Tigers hail from Louisiana, 14 from the city of New Orleans.
This is their tragedy.
"I'm just so proud," LSU coach Les Miles said afterward.
Everyone should be. These two teams won two games under incredible distraction and distress. And both teams spent their postgame interviews talking about how they have it easy, reminding us that football is nothing and repeating that they would trade all the wins in the world for Katrina to never have happened.
"It's not all about us anymore," Saints offensive lineman Wayne Gandy said.
Humble, big-picture athletes? In today's sports world?
The fortunes of these teams could have broken either way. The hurricane could have cost focus, it could have slowed minds, it could have sucked the fight out of people too tired to fight for something so frivolous.
Or it could raise them up – give them a sense of pride and purpose never before experienced. Having something so powerful and real to rally around – not just silly locker room stuff – could give two teams the little edge that creates big seasons.
It was just football. It was just one weekend.
But for two teams with one dream, it was much more than that.
9.11.2005
LSU vs ASU
( 35 - 31 Win )
Forget everything that has happened... everything comes down to one hour on a grass field. A field that was to be considered "home" yet was many miles away from home with few traces of anything resembling Death Valley... except for familiar white, purple, and gold jerseys.
Those jerseys were being worn by very tired and emotionally spent players. In addition to being full-time students, they continued a very demanding practice schedule, while loading supplies into trucks, transporting injured persons who were living on campus, and supporting up to 22 extra displaced hurricane victims in their own homes. Compassion; however, can't be measured in yards. They now had the eyes of a nation on them, would they overcome all the devestation in their own personal lives to become that which an entire state, desperate for something to bring up their spirits, were relying on.
60 minutes of play later... they were walking off the field... pride intact but not without struggling for it.
This was a game on the edge, good games usually are. A new head coach, loss of experienced players, an unproven starting quarterback, tremendous strain due to circumstances surrounding them, first time on the field when a majority of the teams around the nation already have gotten their first under the belt... the list goes on and on as to why this game could have been easily lost. The result - too many penalties, too many mistakes, redeemed by some very extra-ordinary, brave, and lucky plays. An extremely important victory, that now leaves the Tigers ranked 3rd in the nation but No. 1 always in my heart.
"Come play in my house,
said the spider to the fly."
You can call our field your home
Over in the hot desert sky.
Was being compassionate,
their sole motivation?
Or were they trying to sneak a win,
over the 5th ranked team in the nation?
Their quarterback and recievers were devils.
And they kept sneaking by.
It's hard to believe
they were often open so wide.
But our players came through,
when it mattered the most.
And our defense finally stopped them,
to the dissapointment of our gracious hosts.
This was a win that was badly needed
After all that we've been through.
So we can smile for a while,
Thanks to LSU.
9.09.2005
<3broken
"A head that aches doesn't have to stay that way,
just let what's dead go.
I know there's pain in leaving things all too well.
In time, you'll find needing things only kills you slowly.
If you're not sure who you are, you're not alone.
If you're not sure what you want, you're not alone.
if you're not sure of life and love, you're not alone.
Tell your friends, hey come on over and talk.
You bring the drinks, I'll bring the bad mood.
Everyone feels like you.
You bring your drinks, I'll bring the fuck you's.
Long awaited, long overdue."
just let what's dead go.
I know there's pain in leaving things all too well.
In time, you'll find needing things only kills you slowly.
If you're not sure who you are, you're not alone.
If you're not sure what you want, you're not alone.
if you're not sure of life and love, you're not alone.
Tell your friends, hey come on over and talk.
You bring the drinks, I'll bring the bad mood.
Everyone feels like you.
You bring your drinks, I'll bring the fuck you's.
Long awaited, long overdue."
9.07.2005
It's 12:00
In the past couple of days, I've heart has been increasingly in turmoil. Many things I can't discuss, some I simply wish not to. I'm in very deep right now, in every avenue of my life. I am at my weakest, and most venerable point. I am slipping.
The worst that has ever befallen this great country has landed on my doorstep and it has brought me to my knees. My nature is that I am sensative to those things that surround me. I easily feel other peoples pain and the overwelming surge has overtaken the entire region. Compared to mighty winds and floods of destruction, hopelessness has become the most damaging of all that can be seen among the desolation.
But that, is only a small portion of the load I am carrying. The need to laugh, to cry, to be held in arms that see all that is good within me is what I desire, and what I keep on pushing away for fear of bringing anyone else down to where I am.
I know I need to take the next step in my life, but am uncertain as to which direction to go. I know, right now, that I am not the only one in that situation.
I need to rest.
The worst that has ever befallen this great country has landed on my doorstep and it has brought me to my knees. My nature is that I am sensative to those things that surround me. I easily feel other peoples pain and the overwelming surge has overtaken the entire region. Compared to mighty winds and floods of destruction, hopelessness has become the most damaging of all that can be seen among the desolation.
But that, is only a small portion of the load I am carrying. The need to laugh, to cry, to be held in arms that see all that is good within me is what I desire, and what I keep on pushing away for fear of bringing anyone else down to where I am.
I know I need to take the next step in my life, but am uncertain as to which direction to go. I know, right now, that I am not the only one in that situation.
I need to rest.
9.02.2005
Katrina
Hurricane Katrina has certainly put my plans for world domination on hold.
The skyline of New Orleans as Katrina continues to move north into the United States.
Saturday. August 27th, 2005
My parents flew from New Orleans to New York City to spend a week with my brother, who lives in New Jersey, early Saturday morning on August 27th. I was prepared to spend the week alone, in peace and quiet, going to work, working on little projects and hobbies, and taking care of the pets. During the day, I was made aware of the large category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Louisiana, apparently on the path directly towards us. I have been through a few rather large hurricanes, including hurricane Andrew, when I was younger so besides making a few stops at grocery stores for supplies I was prepared for being without electricity or water for several days.
Plans for the day included Chad's nieces birthday party and an evening at Annagelle's, a co-worker of Chad's. We ended up leaving early (around 10:30 pm) because I was not feeling well, I needed to go home and take care of the dog, and I needed to get my supplies and a few other things.
A late night stop at Wal-mart that evening on my way home from Chad's, proved that I was not the only one getting prepared. The stores shelves were stripped of anything that might become of use to anyone during a storm. I gathered the few things that I needed and walked my buggy to the checkout. It was there, while waiting in the insanely long line, I decided to try to call Chad to let him know I was taking longer than anticipated. My phone was gone. So I spent 30 minutes frantically retracing my steps to try and find it. It was miraculously still in the middle of the aisle by the electronics.
When I got home, it was after 1 am. I started to bring my groceries into the house from the car. I was almost done when I heard a man screaming at me from the woods behind my house. I didn't stop to investigate. I dropped everything and ran inside and quickly locked the doors. I grabbed the phone and called Chad... there was no answer. His phone wasn't getting a signal. So after a few attempts, I called my neighbors, who came over to make sure I was okay and to run away whoever was there. I tried calling Chad's sister, who lives in the same apartment complex as him, but there was no answer. While my neighbors were still there, I decided to try and leave and go to spend the night at Chad's apartment. I got in the car and the phone rang. It was Chad's sister calling back. So she went over and woke him up and told him to call me. I explained everything to him, he came over with his pistol and sat outside for a while... then locked everything up and we went to sleep.
Arial Views of New Orleans and the Central Business District
Satellite Imagery of the Greater New Orleans area.
30,000+ refugees prepare to leave the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana for Houston, Texas. The Astrodome is holding over 11,000 of those displaced people.
Sunday. August 28th, 2005
We woke up, went outside and picked up EVERYTHING that could have been considered a flying weapon or could have been destroyed by high-powered winds. Chad left to take care of things similarly at his apartment and at his brothers new home. I was alone for most of the day. So I worked on a model car and began to prepare things around the house, kerosene lamps, candles, packing the freezer with ice to keep things cold as long as possible without electricity, filling the bathtubs and jugs with water in case the water pressure died, pulled out flashlights and batteries, testing and charging everything including my iPod and laptops. I was PREPARED as much as possible.
Meanwhile, people were evacuating the entire southeast region of Louisiana. Most was mandatory. The interstates were bumper to bumper from New Orleans to the Louisiana/Texas state line and on into Houston. There were no more available hotels rooms as far as Dallas. Flights were being canceled and commerce stopped. People, not able to evacuate, for whatever reason were being taken to shelters such as the Superdome and here in Baton Rouge, the river center and LSU's sports complexes. The influx of people was unbelievable. Counterflo was in effect and everything was being directed away from Louisiana's toe. I had a few friends who put everything they could into one vehicle and got out of town. Elderly people were dying already from the evacuation from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Could you imagine being responsible for moving every patient out of every hospital in the lower half of an entire state? The only medical personel that were allowed to stay were those in charge of the neo-natal wards... tiny babies too fragile to make a trip... desperately praying they would survive with generators being their only way to keep alive.
My parents called me regularly with different things they were remembering that I should do and to make sure that I was going to be okay. They were more nervous as I was. I was keeping an eye on Katrina online and watching the news as much as possible. I knew when I woke up the next morning I would more than likely be cut off from the rest of the world. Katrina had grown to a CAT 4 during the day and was still on the path directly to us. I convinced Chad to stay with me during the night. This was too big for me to handle being alone.
Monday. August 29th, 2005
I woke up the next morning when the electricity went out and several things in my room turned off. I turned on the battery operated radio. Hurricane Katrina took a turn to the east during the night. It had also grown larger and stronger, becoming a CAT 5. I live in Greenwell Springs Louisiana, which is slightly more north and east of Baton Rouge and considerably, in the country. I knew that turn would give us a break from mass destruction, but not New Orleans. The winds were fierce and the rain hard, it wasn't long before there were limbs down in the front and back yard. Chad received a call later on from his sister to tell him that the parking awnings in front of his apartment were getting blown away. His had taken the brick column with it and slammed it through his roof. He had to leave to take care of that, which made me nervous, but I understood that he had to leave.
Alone, I listened to audiobooks on my iPod and snacked on cookies... watched the weather from the back patio... and slept a long time. It was comforting to know that it wouldn't get much worse for me unless a tree fell. Before that day, damage to the house had been what I was most worried about, especially since I was alone and my parents were all the way across the country. The worst part was not knowing what was going on in the rest of my state.
After taking care of the situation at his apartment, Chad came back here, I was guzzling as much of the milk as possible. We didn't know how long we were going to be without power so it was important to eat and drink the things that may go bad first. He put together the tiny portable propane grill I bought for tailgating and grilled chicken and... unsuccessfully tried to cook macaroni and cheese... but cooking macaroni and cheese on a bbq grill... only results in soggy pasta. Under the circumstances... the candlelight dinner wasn't as romantic.
Broken Levees and Flooded Streets
Bourbon Street... as you have never seen it before.
Several breaks in levees built to protect the city are the cause behind the majority of the damage caused by flood waters in New Orleans.
Attempts to stop the flooding have failed, the water level rising a foot an hour, filling the city like a giant soup bowl.
Raised sections of interstate have become dry but deserted islands for refugees.
Boats floating down highways and roads were left stranded when waters receded.
Tuesday. August 30th, 2005
Our electricity, surprisingly, came on during that night. In fact, during the worst of the storm, only our electricity and cable went out. Our landline phones remained intact and our cell phones only lost service for a day at most. I was able to listen to the radio and call whomever I needed. I made sure some family members and close friends were okay, reported the power outage, and called my parents. I obviously wasn't planning on going to work, but I was dying to know what was going on elsewhere. I tried to find my rabbit ears but came up empty. So I drove to wal-mart, hopeful they were open, and bought a pair. Then I stopped at Chad's and surveyed the damage. I went home and turned on the tv, to which I was glued for the remainder of the day. The devastation of my home state and even other states was overwhelming...
Overwhelmed... that's the best state of emotion that I can express. Everything is overwhelming... the loss of life, the destruction and damage of a city that I've grown to love to visit. I was just there in July... we went to see the beautiful zoo and aquarium and walked around the historic French Quarter, where I officially got the most drunk I have ever been in my life. Knowing that this will never be the same... at least not for a long, long time.
The effect of hurricane Katrina in the immediate area around me was very apparent. I was the only person I knew in my area for electricity... and as I write this... still am. The course of action for state officials at this time was to save lives. Forget property... all resources went to search and rescue, of which there was a lot to do. As I watched footage of flooding New Orleans, of a tattered Superdome holding some 30,000 refugees, of burning buildings and stranded people everywhere. I cried...
The People...
The mandatory evacuation of the entire Southeast region of Louisiana has left many instantly homeless and desperate to get back to their homes. Those who do not turn back around are camping and waiting... for a very long time.
This is a common scene in Baton Rouge, people just walking along the interstate with one or two pieces of luggage... because they have no where to go.
Those who did not survive have to be left. Saving lives is the priority.
Thousands of people have been rescued from their rooftops. Many who had no other option but to stay at home, cut holes in their roofs from the attic to be rescued.
Not even the dead were unaffected by hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is a city known for having to bury their dead above ground.
Looting has become a very blatant crime. With no way to stop them, the police are forced to stand by and wait for reinforcements. They are keeping their focus on saving the lives of the individuals who are stranded and want to be saved.
Wednesday. August 31th, 2005
I attempted normalcy. I went to get my prescription filled. At that moment, I realized it wouldn't be back to normal, even though the hurricane had not hit my home hard. I waited for 2 and half hours for my prescription. The store was flooded with people buying more supplies and generators, because they still did not have power and most had extra people. After the madness there, I went to work... but there was madness everywhere. The streets of Baton Rouge were jam packed with what seemed like millions of extra cars. Everything was a four way stop because the traffic lights were still out and there were more accidents than I ever care to see in my entire life because no one apparently knows how a four way stop works.
When I FINALLY got to work, I was able to go online and read news reports and see the latest images. It became more overwhelming as the impact that this would have on our daily living here in Baton Rouge became more and more apparent. Overnight it had become the largest city in the state with the infrastructure stretched beyond capacity. People were living with family members in their homes. If there was a student at LSU, there was now entire families in that tiny dorm room.
The roads, the stores, the supply line all had to compensate for thousands of thousands of new citizens and it simply couldn't. Baton Rouge is the largest and closest metropolitan area to the disaster area, making it the dwelling place of all those desperate people waiting to be let back home. And they won't be, for a long time... which gets longer with every news report I read. People are trying to drive back only to have to turn back around or camp down as close as they can get. There are people just walking along the roads and the interstate in whatever condition with one or two pieces of luggage or a bagful of belongings.
Crime has risen here instantaneously... not only with the different kind of people... but with how desperate they are. How incredibly horrible the living conditions are although its the best that can be done at the moment. There are long lines for gas and the basic necessities every where you go. It's the first time I've ever been scared to be in my beloved city of Baton Rouge... its quiet neighborhoods and peaceful, beautiful landscape. People who lived here before are terrified. Gun sales have risen because cars have been stolen and stores have been robbed.
It doesn't even begin to compare with what is going on down in New Orleans. I find the actions of those looting to be despicable. It is not often that I talk of anyone in racial terms... but this disaster has brought out the white trash and the niggers... it has made me that mad to watch the film of these scum of human beings take advantage of a national catastrophe... so they can have a new pair of jeans. If I were in command... forget marshal law... they had their warnings and their way to get out and act like decent people. Shoot on sight.
Meanwhile, the news of heartfelt support of the entire country has reached my ears. The donations to the Red Cross and other support groups means so much to those who don't know where the food and diapers for their babies and children are going to come from. Things are being taken care of in as best and efficient way possible. People are opening their wallets... not only at the gas pump because they have to... but writing the check they know they can't afford to write... because they know it will go to help someone in need.
Things such as this certainly bring out the worst and the best in people.
Scenes of Destruction from Mississippi and Alabama
Casinos, a immense source of revenue for the state of Mississippi, were destroyed by massive waves and high winds from hurricane Katrina.
Thursday. September 1st, 2005
So what now brown cow? Just how exactly will this affect how we live. Well, as of right now... there are no kids in school. Dare I say that half our state will be set back an entire school year while their homes, schools, playgrounds get rebuilt. What about all the people in college? Where are the Saints going to play? The Hornets? The Green Weenies? What happens to people's sources of income, the state's economy, commerce? What happens when over 2 or 3 million people have to start over with nothing? There are so many questions... and no answers as of yet.
Right now, I can't even get my bank account balance... Hibernia was based out of New Orleans. While this is a temporary inconvenience, I have friends who lost businesses, jobs, vehicles, everything they own. No one from the highest executive to the lowest janitor was exempt from this disaster. They have all been made equal. For some, this was bittersweet... while one friend just recently accepted a rather nice job in New Orleans and barely there one month, therefore, loosing everything he owned, another friend, who was planning to open an art gallery in the riverwalk, is having to look elsewhere... but for him at least this happened prior to a grand opening and even more hard work went down the drain.
The surprising question I failed to ask at first... but obviously because humans are more important. What happened to the animals at the zoo... and the aquarium? After some research and emailing the local news group for information, I found out that none of the animals were evacuated. Employees stayed behind to feed and run generators. There is little communication, but the employees at the aquarium had to be pulled out because of the increasing violence. At the Audubon Zoo, first reports were that there were no deaths except for... several flamingos. All other zoos in surrounding areas reported sustained damage but no deaths. You can check www.aza.org for updates. If anyone wants to volunteer to round me up a penguin... please call me and let me know ;)
Friday, September 2nd, 2005
Today is my brother's 25th birthday... and thus, this is the last I write for the time being on hurricane Katrina... at least on this post. Although I know it will be a long long time until things get back to normal, I will try to make it as normal as it can be. I will probably be very frustrated with how slowly things fall back into place. Of course, I have my own thoughts and opinions on what to do... but there is too much to voice... too much to think about. I have to let my brain finally rest. My dog is safe, my turtle is safe, everyone I love is safe... and that's is what is important
Right now, I am working from home... I will go back to work on Tuesday with the hope that things will have settled down a little bit. Hopefully, the 311 & Papa Roach concert won't be canceled... it would be nice to go and forget about things for a while. Life around here will be different with so many new people, everyone scrambling to find a place to live temporarily and temporary jobs and places to put their kids in school. LSU will resume classes as normal next week. I can't wait for football to begin, although, for my two favorite teams it will be considerably delayed or relocated. Sports always manages to bring back a sense of spirit, and the residents of Louisiana will need it.
My parents were able to beg and get a refund on their tickets from NYC to New Orleans... and were able to get the last two seats on a plane to Baton Rouge. They will be home Sunday... and I won't be alone anymore. I am the sole member of my family to weather hurricane Katrina and all its fury. I pray the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama can recover as soon as possible.
The skyline of New Orleans as Katrina continues to move north into the United States.
Saturday. August 27th, 2005
My parents flew from New Orleans to New York City to spend a week with my brother, who lives in New Jersey, early Saturday morning on August 27th. I was prepared to spend the week alone, in peace and quiet, going to work, working on little projects and hobbies, and taking care of the pets. During the day, I was made aware of the large category 3 hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Louisiana, apparently on the path directly towards us. I have been through a few rather large hurricanes, including hurricane Andrew, when I was younger so besides making a few stops at grocery stores for supplies I was prepared for being without electricity or water for several days.
Plans for the day included Chad's nieces birthday party and an evening at Annagelle's, a co-worker of Chad's. We ended up leaving early (around 10:30 pm) because I was not feeling well, I needed to go home and take care of the dog, and I needed to get my supplies and a few other things.
A late night stop at Wal-mart that evening on my way home from Chad's, proved that I was not the only one getting prepared. The stores shelves were stripped of anything that might become of use to anyone during a storm. I gathered the few things that I needed and walked my buggy to the checkout. It was there, while waiting in the insanely long line, I decided to try to call Chad to let him know I was taking longer than anticipated. My phone was gone. So I spent 30 minutes frantically retracing my steps to try and find it. It was miraculously still in the middle of the aisle by the electronics.
When I got home, it was after 1 am. I started to bring my groceries into the house from the car. I was almost done when I heard a man screaming at me from the woods behind my house. I didn't stop to investigate. I dropped everything and ran inside and quickly locked the doors. I grabbed the phone and called Chad... there was no answer. His phone wasn't getting a signal. So after a few attempts, I called my neighbors, who came over to make sure I was okay and to run away whoever was there. I tried calling Chad's sister, who lives in the same apartment complex as him, but there was no answer. While my neighbors were still there, I decided to try and leave and go to spend the night at Chad's apartment. I got in the car and the phone rang. It was Chad's sister calling back. So she went over and woke him up and told him to call me. I explained everything to him, he came over with his pistol and sat outside for a while... then locked everything up and we went to sleep.
Arial Views of New Orleans and the Central Business District
Satellite Imagery of the Greater New Orleans area.
30,000+ refugees prepare to leave the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana for Houston, Texas. The Astrodome is holding over 11,000 of those displaced people.
Sunday. August 28th, 2005
We woke up, went outside and picked up EVERYTHING that could have been considered a flying weapon or could have been destroyed by high-powered winds. Chad left to take care of things similarly at his apartment and at his brothers new home. I was alone for most of the day. So I worked on a model car and began to prepare things around the house, kerosene lamps, candles, packing the freezer with ice to keep things cold as long as possible without electricity, filling the bathtubs and jugs with water in case the water pressure died, pulled out flashlights and batteries, testing and charging everything including my iPod and laptops. I was PREPARED as much as possible.
Meanwhile, people were evacuating the entire southeast region of Louisiana. Most was mandatory. The interstates were bumper to bumper from New Orleans to the Louisiana/Texas state line and on into Houston. There were no more available hotels rooms as far as Dallas. Flights were being canceled and commerce stopped. People, not able to evacuate, for whatever reason were being taken to shelters such as the Superdome and here in Baton Rouge, the river center and LSU's sports complexes. The influx of people was unbelievable. Counterflo was in effect and everything was being directed away from Louisiana's toe. I had a few friends who put everything they could into one vehicle and got out of town. Elderly people were dying already from the evacuation from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Could you imagine being responsible for moving every patient out of every hospital in the lower half of an entire state? The only medical personel that were allowed to stay were those in charge of the neo-natal wards... tiny babies too fragile to make a trip... desperately praying they would survive with generators being their only way to keep alive.
My parents called me regularly with different things they were remembering that I should do and to make sure that I was going to be okay. They were more nervous as I was. I was keeping an eye on Katrina online and watching the news as much as possible. I knew when I woke up the next morning I would more than likely be cut off from the rest of the world. Katrina had grown to a CAT 4 during the day and was still on the path directly to us. I convinced Chad to stay with me during the night. This was too big for me to handle being alone.
Monday. August 29th, 2005
I woke up the next morning when the electricity went out and several things in my room turned off. I turned on the battery operated radio. Hurricane Katrina took a turn to the east during the night. It had also grown larger and stronger, becoming a CAT 5. I live in Greenwell Springs Louisiana, which is slightly more north and east of Baton Rouge and considerably, in the country. I knew that turn would give us a break from mass destruction, but not New Orleans. The winds were fierce and the rain hard, it wasn't long before there were limbs down in the front and back yard. Chad received a call later on from his sister to tell him that the parking awnings in front of his apartment were getting blown away. His had taken the brick column with it and slammed it through his roof. He had to leave to take care of that, which made me nervous, but I understood that he had to leave.
Alone, I listened to audiobooks on my iPod and snacked on cookies... watched the weather from the back patio... and slept a long time. It was comforting to know that it wouldn't get much worse for me unless a tree fell. Before that day, damage to the house had been what I was most worried about, especially since I was alone and my parents were all the way across the country. The worst part was not knowing what was going on in the rest of my state.
After taking care of the situation at his apartment, Chad came back here, I was guzzling as much of the milk as possible. We didn't know how long we were going to be without power so it was important to eat and drink the things that may go bad first. He put together the tiny portable propane grill I bought for tailgating and grilled chicken and... unsuccessfully tried to cook macaroni and cheese... but cooking macaroni and cheese on a bbq grill... only results in soggy pasta. Under the circumstances... the candlelight dinner wasn't as romantic.
Broken Levees and Flooded Streets
Bourbon Street... as you have never seen it before.
Several breaks in levees built to protect the city are the cause behind the majority of the damage caused by flood waters in New Orleans.
Attempts to stop the flooding have failed, the water level rising a foot an hour, filling the city like a giant soup bowl.
Raised sections of interstate have become dry but deserted islands for refugees.
Boats floating down highways and roads were left stranded when waters receded.
Tuesday. August 30th, 2005
Our electricity, surprisingly, came on during that night. In fact, during the worst of the storm, only our electricity and cable went out. Our landline phones remained intact and our cell phones only lost service for a day at most. I was able to listen to the radio and call whomever I needed. I made sure some family members and close friends were okay, reported the power outage, and called my parents. I obviously wasn't planning on going to work, but I was dying to know what was going on elsewhere. I tried to find my rabbit ears but came up empty. So I drove to wal-mart, hopeful they were open, and bought a pair. Then I stopped at Chad's and surveyed the damage. I went home and turned on the tv, to which I was glued for the remainder of the day. The devastation of my home state and even other states was overwhelming...
Overwhelmed... that's the best state of emotion that I can express. Everything is overwhelming... the loss of life, the destruction and damage of a city that I've grown to love to visit. I was just there in July... we went to see the beautiful zoo and aquarium and walked around the historic French Quarter, where I officially got the most drunk I have ever been in my life. Knowing that this will never be the same... at least not for a long, long time.
The effect of hurricane Katrina in the immediate area around me was very apparent. I was the only person I knew in my area for electricity... and as I write this... still am. The course of action for state officials at this time was to save lives. Forget property... all resources went to search and rescue, of which there was a lot to do. As I watched footage of flooding New Orleans, of a tattered Superdome holding some 30,000 refugees, of burning buildings and stranded people everywhere. I cried...
The People...
The mandatory evacuation of the entire Southeast region of Louisiana has left many instantly homeless and desperate to get back to their homes. Those who do not turn back around are camping and waiting... for a very long time.
This is a common scene in Baton Rouge, people just walking along the interstate with one or two pieces of luggage... because they have no where to go.
Those who did not survive have to be left. Saving lives is the priority.
Thousands of people have been rescued from their rooftops. Many who had no other option but to stay at home, cut holes in their roofs from the attic to be rescued.
Not even the dead were unaffected by hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is a city known for having to bury their dead above ground.
Looting has become a very blatant crime. With no way to stop them, the police are forced to stand by and wait for reinforcements. They are keeping their focus on saving the lives of the individuals who are stranded and want to be saved.
Wednesday. August 31th, 2005
I attempted normalcy. I went to get my prescription filled. At that moment, I realized it wouldn't be back to normal, even though the hurricane had not hit my home hard. I waited for 2 and half hours for my prescription. The store was flooded with people buying more supplies and generators, because they still did not have power and most had extra people. After the madness there, I went to work... but there was madness everywhere. The streets of Baton Rouge were jam packed with what seemed like millions of extra cars. Everything was a four way stop because the traffic lights were still out and there were more accidents than I ever care to see in my entire life because no one apparently knows how a four way stop works.
When I FINALLY got to work, I was able to go online and read news reports and see the latest images. It became more overwhelming as the impact that this would have on our daily living here in Baton Rouge became more and more apparent. Overnight it had become the largest city in the state with the infrastructure stretched beyond capacity. People were living with family members in their homes. If there was a student at LSU, there was now entire families in that tiny dorm room.
The roads, the stores, the supply line all had to compensate for thousands of thousands of new citizens and it simply couldn't. Baton Rouge is the largest and closest metropolitan area to the disaster area, making it the dwelling place of all those desperate people waiting to be let back home. And they won't be, for a long time... which gets longer with every news report I read. People are trying to drive back only to have to turn back around or camp down as close as they can get. There are people just walking along the roads and the interstate in whatever condition with one or two pieces of luggage or a bagful of belongings.
Crime has risen here instantaneously... not only with the different kind of people... but with how desperate they are. How incredibly horrible the living conditions are although its the best that can be done at the moment. There are long lines for gas and the basic necessities every where you go. It's the first time I've ever been scared to be in my beloved city of Baton Rouge... its quiet neighborhoods and peaceful, beautiful landscape. People who lived here before are terrified. Gun sales have risen because cars have been stolen and stores have been robbed.
It doesn't even begin to compare with what is going on down in New Orleans. I find the actions of those looting to be despicable. It is not often that I talk of anyone in racial terms... but this disaster has brought out the white trash and the niggers... it has made me that mad to watch the film of these scum of human beings take advantage of a national catastrophe... so they can have a new pair of jeans. If I were in command... forget marshal law... they had their warnings and their way to get out and act like decent people. Shoot on sight.
Meanwhile, the news of heartfelt support of the entire country has reached my ears. The donations to the Red Cross and other support groups means so much to those who don't know where the food and diapers for their babies and children are going to come from. Things are being taken care of in as best and efficient way possible. People are opening their wallets... not only at the gas pump because they have to... but writing the check they know they can't afford to write... because they know it will go to help someone in need.
Things such as this certainly bring out the worst and the best in people.
Scenes of Destruction from Mississippi and Alabama
Casinos, a immense source of revenue for the state of Mississippi, were destroyed by massive waves and high winds from hurricane Katrina.
Thursday. September 1st, 2005
So what now brown cow? Just how exactly will this affect how we live. Well, as of right now... there are no kids in school. Dare I say that half our state will be set back an entire school year while their homes, schools, playgrounds get rebuilt. What about all the people in college? Where are the Saints going to play? The Hornets? The Green Weenies? What happens to people's sources of income, the state's economy, commerce? What happens when over 2 or 3 million people have to start over with nothing? There are so many questions... and no answers as of yet.
Right now, I can't even get my bank account balance... Hibernia was based out of New Orleans. While this is a temporary inconvenience, I have friends who lost businesses, jobs, vehicles, everything they own. No one from the highest executive to the lowest janitor was exempt from this disaster. They have all been made equal. For some, this was bittersweet... while one friend just recently accepted a rather nice job in New Orleans and barely there one month, therefore, loosing everything he owned, another friend, who was planning to open an art gallery in the riverwalk, is having to look elsewhere... but for him at least this happened prior to a grand opening and even more hard work went down the drain.
The surprising question I failed to ask at first... but obviously because humans are more important. What happened to the animals at the zoo... and the aquarium? After some research and emailing the local news group for information, I found out that none of the animals were evacuated. Employees stayed behind to feed and run generators. There is little communication, but the employees at the aquarium had to be pulled out because of the increasing violence. At the Audubon Zoo, first reports were that there were no deaths except for... several flamingos. All other zoos in surrounding areas reported sustained damage but no deaths. You can check www.aza.org for updates. If anyone wants to volunteer to round me up a penguin... please call me and let me know ;)
Friday, September 2nd, 2005
Today is my brother's 25th birthday... and thus, this is the last I write for the time being on hurricane Katrina... at least on this post. Although I know it will be a long long time until things get back to normal, I will try to make it as normal as it can be. I will probably be very frustrated with how slowly things fall back into place. Of course, I have my own thoughts and opinions on what to do... but there is too much to voice... too much to think about. I have to let my brain finally rest. My dog is safe, my turtle is safe, everyone I love is safe... and that's is what is important
Right now, I am working from home... I will go back to work on Tuesday with the hope that things will have settled down a little bit. Hopefully, the 311 & Papa Roach concert won't be canceled... it would be nice to go and forget about things for a while. Life around here will be different with so many new people, everyone scrambling to find a place to live temporarily and temporary jobs and places to put their kids in school. LSU will resume classes as normal next week. I can't wait for football to begin, although, for my two favorite teams it will be considerably delayed or relocated. Sports always manages to bring back a sense of spirit, and the residents of Louisiana will need it.
My parents were able to beg and get a refund on their tickets from NYC to New Orleans... and were able to get the last two seats on a plane to Baton Rouge. They will be home Sunday... and I won't be alone anymore. I am the sole member of my family to weather hurricane Katrina and all its fury. I pray the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama can recover as soon as possible.
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