Laissez les bons temps rouler

I returned home yesterday afternoon from the hospital after giving birth to my new granddaughter (it was exhausting!) in time to take K out for our traditional Friday Date Night dinner out.  It was cool (40's) and so we thought some gumbo and a brew from the Big Easy* might hit the spot.  We nailed it.

This place is a simple, New Awlins style dive.  If you're ever in New Orleans and you want some good food, forget about Antoin's and Commander's Place and such.  This is the kind of place you want to look for.  Beer signs on the wall, sagging ceiling, a variety of different hot sauces on every table, well worn chairs that wobble a little....

K had the shrimp and fried green tomato poboy and I had a delicious bowl of seafood gumbo.

On the drive back home I started thinking about the New Orleanian (?) lifestyle.  I've been there many, many times and have a love/hate relationship with the place.  It's one of the dirtiest, nastiest places in America.  Official corruption is rampant and open, the roads are horrible, and the French Quarter is a tourist trap.  It's a very poor city.

That said, the people are among the nicest anywhere.  And here's what struck me when I thought about it:  Despite all the negatives I mentioned above, they're a happy lot.  If you ever visit there and leave hungry, it's your own fault!  There's no better cuisine anywhere.

They've learned how to take ingredients that are plentiful and cheap....local seafood, mud bugs (crawfish), potatoes, onions, corn....and make a feast of it. 

Bring out a zydeco and they have a party.  

Enough music and a street to dance in and they call it a Fais Do Do.

My point is, these people know how to enjoy life.  They seem to be able to make the most of what they have, regardless of their circumstances.  Treat them with respect and they'll welcome you with open arms.  It's just a fun place.

Most of us here in Yuppieville seem to need to get out and be seen, spending money we don't have in order to look good, buying things we don't need, thinking this will somehow make us happy.  I think we're trying too hard.  We should look at our friends in Louisiana and learn how to have fun.

I know where to find the gumbo.  Now, who has a zydeco?  

S

*Big Easy is the nickname for New Orleans.

The world has turned upside down!

Did you read in the news that France is involved in a military action in Mali (West Africa)?  Let me say again....FRANCE is involved in a MILITARY action.  This from the military juggernaut that most recently flopped at Dien Bien Phu in 1954 and before that saw their Maginot Line fold like a card table in 1940.  Maybe they'll surprise me and whip up on those nasty Malian rebels.  Then Paris can at last have a victory parade of their very own.  I've heard their military marching is one of their strengths.  *wink*

In fairness, France also gave us (their former First Lady) Carla Bruni Sarkozy. (Technically she's Italian, but we're splitting hairs.)  For that reason alone I'm willing to cut 'em some slack.  

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And former New (The Chocolate City) Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin has been indicted on 21 counts of conspiracy, bribery, and money laundering.  A crooked politician?  In New Orleans?   Nooooooo!  I certainly didn't see that coming!

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And now I learn that President O'bama's big contributors are lining up to see which country they'll get to be the ambassador to.  (The big prize is apparently Great Britain.)  Here's how it works:

"Democratic officials and advisers involved in the discussions revealed some unspoken rules:  Volunteer for more than one country.  Be prepared to serve for only two years, so that a second round of envoys can be appointed before Mr. Obama leaves office.  Don't mention how much money you raised for the campaign (but don't expect much if you didn't raise at least a million dollars)."

I'm thinking O'bama should take the high road and hold out an olive branch to his defeated opponent, Mitt Romney. I suggest he make Mitt the ambassador to....oh, I dunno....maybe Mali.  ;)

S

It's always something!

Yesterday I went to the doctor to have him check out a bump on the bridge of my nose underneath where my glasses rest.  Turns out it's skin cancer.  Not a biggie, but still another nuisance that I have to deal with.  Of course they're reminding me to slather on the sun screen, but I hate the stuff.  Isn't a hat enough?  Jeez!

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Looks like it's "sink or swim" time for FEMA, pardon the pun.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency is responsible for coordinating federal, state, and local response to national emergencies, such as hurricane Sandy. (The actual work of putting things back right again still falls to the governors and the states.) 

They botched it big time after hurricane Katrina all but destroyed New Orleans.  Now we'll see if they've learned anything since.  Any time there's a federal bureaucracy involved I'm skeptical.  I hope I'm wrong.

The images coming out of the aftermath of the storm are incredible. The cleanup looks like an impossible task.  Where do you start?  They showed how things were down in the underground subways.  Yuck!  I can't imagine how long it will take to get it put back like it was before, if they can at all.  

Looks like unemployment in the area will fall to near zero for years to come, just by putting everyone to work hauling off debris.  For building material suppliers I'm sure they'll be producing stuff as fast as they can to replace what was destroyed, which will mean upward pressure on material prices nationwide.  Yes, we'll ALL probably feel it with every trip to Home Depot.

Wouldn't it be great to have things all going our way, smoothly, as planned, even if only for a few days?  What was it SNL's Roseanne Roseannadanna said?....It's always something!  *sigh*

S