Un-Stuck on Stupid

Lt. General Russel Honoré has been lionized by the local political class. I don't really know what he actually did, except for his most famous remarks to a journalist. That seems to have been a personal mantra, used more than once. He sure made people feel better, that someone was in charge and doing something.

His phrase "stuck on stupid" has entered the popular culture. A google for "stuck on stupid" gets 530,000 hits, with a bullet.

A few weeks ago I thought the whole city was stuck on stupid. I even started a new blog about it. If anyone looked at my profile you might have seen it. But I never could get over feeling a little dirty about it, so I never published anything. Yesterday I deleted it.

I wondered why so many in the city were still stuck on stupid. Our mayor couldn't seem to get out the way of his mouth. Everything in government is broken and no one seems to be doing the obviously important.

Our DA, who can't seem to hold his temper or prosecute a case, was investigating the Gretna Police Department, instead of the New Orleans Police Department or prosecuting murderers.

The owner of the Saints was behaving badly (he still is, but some things never change).

In spite of this everywhere I sensed there was a slow steady reawakening of the city. Ordinary people, with little help from those paid to help them, are finding ways to rebuild and return. The changes are slow, I only really notice them when I leave town for a few days. I have been gone for a week and just returned Monday morning.

I can detect small noticeable differences. For example;

• A nice guy bought the house behind us and is working to repair it. He hopes to be in in November.
• We reached an interim settlement with our insurance company and a check.
• Commander's Palace re-opens Sunday.
• Deutsches Haus re-opened Friday
  
• The Saints played well on Monday night and we all got some good press.

On Monday night that awakening exploded I think. The Saints have made a lot of people feel like they can come back from disaster. The Saints are coming back from their own disaster of last year.

None of our local politicians embarrassed us. Either that or I just didn't care anymore. I'd settle for the politicians staying our of the way, with their kind of help I'm not sure we're better off.

Either way it was a good week.

Oh Yes, and Oktoberfest started Friday.

This week was a very good one, perhaps the best in over a year.

I think we'll be OK, but We're Not OK -Yet.

Excursion: Big Spring Jam

We just returned from Huntsville, Alabama.

Just about every fall we visit one of my best friends, an old college room mate. We don't see each other that much, maybe twice a year if we are lucky. In recent years we have attended Big Spring Jam in Huntsville, Alabama. This year we didn't go to the festival, the weather was too threatening with heavy thunderstorms and Tornado Warnings, so we just hung out.
Held in September the name confuses me and apparently a lot of other people. It turns out that the event is named after The Big Spring Park which is in turn is named for the Big Spring. The park is located in the center of Huntsville, adjacent to the Von Braun Center. The festival is held in the park and the surrounding area.


Its sort of a mini Jazz Fest. In 2005 it was held Friday, September 23rd through Sunday, September 25th. The line up is usually very eclectic, including a lot of old favorites, southern musicians and local groups.

Herman's Hermit's and Al Green were there, along with Travis Tritt and Charlie Daniels.

There were New Orleans musicians there too, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band and bunch Cajun bands, Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys,

C.J. Chenier & the Rod Hot Louisiana Band and
Lil' Brian & The Zydeco Travelers.

We camped out at one stage and had a great time. Before and after the music we had a chance to refresh our spirits with longtime friends. It was a welcomed respite in our Post-Katrina turmoil.

This coincided with Hurricane Rita and opening of parts of New Orleans. We had arranged a crew of workers to clean out our house, starting Monday. We headed back to New Orleans for my third trip and her second one since the storm flood.

da 'Dome

I was there last night.

I've been in the Dome many times for many events. A lot of Saints games. Some Super Bowls. Some Sugar Bowls. I don't really know how many. I watched a lot of Saints games in Tulane Stadium.

I never saw the Dome so full or so energized. It was a special evening.

Here is an ESPN.com Article by Michael Smith

Looking for Links in all the Wrong Places.

Most Blogs have a list of dozens of links. I've got eight.

NOmenu. Tom Fitzmorris' website is not a called a blog, but its pretty close. I listen to his radio show every day on the way home from work. He is doing a tremendous work promoting eating, drinking and happiness in the only place in North America that cared about eating and drinking prior to 1960.

Kalypso The Odyssey A nice your lady.


Dangerblond. What can I say the girl's an original.

VatulBlog. Maitri Venkat-Ramani has lot going on.

timsnamelessblog. Tim lives close to me, is rebuilding and lives in a trailer too.

Clif's Crib He's a man who has his head on straight.

b.rox. was flooded and is rebuilding.

Deutsches Haus I'm not a member but love their spunk and Oktoberfest.

Rising Tide New Orleans 2006 A link for the conference.

I don't know how those people have time to read all of this stuff and have a life and a job. I barely have time to do my little blog, make a living and try to fix my house. And I'm not so sure about the last two.

I have begun to feel guilty about the lack of links here. I can't go out and search the Internet read every blog every day and I do have some standards.

• Need to I feel a connection.
• The subject should be somewhat related.
  
• I don't want to be political.
• Not too much anger.
  

I'd like to ask anyone who has a a suggestion to chime in.

How I Became Trailer Trash - Part 3:

Hooking Up

Our trailer was left sitting in our neighbors driveway, there was no place to put it on our lot. The entire front yard was full of debris from the ongoing gutting. No one had been by to haul the debris. The Trailer was too tall for our driveway.

No FEMA krewe would come by to hook up up. Our Trailer was a "Drag and Drop". We were on our own.
We had no idea how to hook up a trailer, never having been in one until recently. We quickly discovered we needed a thirty amp electrical outlet, a water hose and a sewer connection to be able to use the trailer. We also needed place it, level it, and anchor it to the ground.

We wanted it in the back yard, we thought it would be more private and secure, besides it wasn't full of stinky debris. It turns out that we couldn't put a truck on the hitch and push it into the yard. Since the guys were still gutting the house, we got them to simply roll the trailer into position. I think we'll have to get it out the same way we got it in.

Since this was early November I hadn't seen a lot of trailers, FEMA was just beginning to deliver them. The FEMA install we are all now familiar with was not very common. FEMA had only delivered a few trailers and they were mostly going to critical people. I went to the Marietta Georgia RV dealer we had visited to check out trailers and bought a couple of adapter fittings for the sewer connection.

On one of my early flights back in to town I happened to sit next to a guy from North Carolina who was installing FEMA trailers. He was returning from a visit to his family. He explained how they installed trailers. He offered to install the trailer for me. I got his number and had my guys call him .

My Contractor found another guy who said he could install the trailer. He was a trip. He showed up in a Lincoln, wearing the gold chain and looking like he stepped out of the Sopranos. They had no material and spent the better part of the day gathering concrete blocks, wood blocking, plastic pipe and electrical supplies. They also had few tools, fortunately I had most of mine, although some of them were a little rusty.

After two full days the trailer was sort of set up. I had power, water and a sewer connection. I would be able to spend the night in the trailer, using FEMA provided linens and plastic dishes.

I still had to learn how to operate The Trailer.