The Invasion Continues...

Is it just me, or do you think these illegals are going a bit overboard? I don't have a problem if you enter this country in a legal way...apply for citizenship, learn American history, and SPEAK ENGLISH (speak whatever you want in your home, of course); but this new Spanish version of the Star Spangled Banner (with toned down lyrics - no bombs bursting in are and such) is going way too far. I listen to Walton & Johnson (morning radio talk show guys) from time to time and they put it best when they call this illegal alien situation the "invasion" of America. These illegal immigrants don't just want to be in our country, they want to change it... well, this is not Burger King, you cannot have it your way!

Going on vacation

The family and I are going on a much needed vacation. Actually, we will be visiting friends and family in sunny Orlando, Florida. Hopefully, I will be able to blog a little over the next week. Talk to you later.

If a liberal tells a lie

and no one is around to hear it.... This is just too good not to report.

'PROGRESSIVE' MEDIA STALLS: 'AIR AMERICA' IN AUDIENCE PLUNGE NYC, 'DAILY KOS' BOOK SELLS ONLY 3,600 COPIES

Left-leaning new media has hit turbulence at the marketplace, newly released stats show.

A book hyped by major media as documenting a progressive revolution of "blogs" and political power, DAILY KOS 'CRASHING THE GATE,' has sold only 3,630 copies since its release last month, according to NIELSEN's BOOKSCAN. [NIELSEN claims only 2,062 copies of DAILY KOS have been purchased at the retail level; the rest coming through 'discount' outlets.]

Meanwhile, the just released radio Winter Book [Jan-Mar 2006] from ARBITRON shows AIR AMERICA in New York City losing more than a third of its audience -- in the past year!Among all listeners 12+, it was a race to the bottom for AIR AMERICA and WLIB as mid-days went from a 1.6 share during winter 2005 to a 1.0 share winter 2006.

During PM drive, host Randi Rhodes plunged to 27,900 listeners every quarter hour, finishing 25th place in her time slot, down from 60,900 listeners every quarter hour in the fall.

A network source says the radio ratings released today do not reflect the overall growth of the broadcast.

"The demos are better, and listeners trust AIR AMERICA to give them the real truth on issues and the Bush presidency," says the insider.

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

I am loving this.

BUSH: Good morning. I'm here in the briefing room to break some news: I've asked Tony Snow to serve as my new press secretary

New Orleans deserves what she gets

Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, despite all of the destruction and devastation, I was filled with some hope. I was excited by the prospect of a new New Orleans. I thought Katrina was a wake-up call to the citizens as to what corruption and graft can lead to. I thought they would see the path that the local politicians and leaders had lead them down. I thought they would realize that these politicians got their power from the citizens. And it seemed that for once they did understand.

There was such anger. Local call-in talk shows were filled with their calls. They couldn't wait to "Vote the bums out." All of them. No incumbent would be spared. As one caller said, "Even the occasional good one has to go."

It was with this in mind that I looked forward to the election. Sitting across the lake, unable to vote, but with a stake in it nonetheless, I couldn't wait to see a fresh start for the city. It was going to be nice to have leaders who were interested in cleaning up and fixing the city as opposed to people who were only interested in grabbing the brass ring in an all out power struggle.

And then - election day. I waited with baited breath at every news break as I went about my normal routine. But it soon became evident, as voters trickled in, that the anger was gone. How is it possible that with such an important election only 1/3 of the eligible voters voted! Not only that, but they voted for the incumbents!

Of course, my anger hasn't gone away. It has merely been redirected towards the idiots living in New Orleans. Do you not understand what you have done? You are killing the city. No wonder people look at us and think of us as incompetent fools. Thank you. Look at the difference between our recovery and that of Mississippi. You are driving people out of this state. Of course, I don't think that you care.

People here are always complaining that Americans are forgetting about them. Well, what do you expect when you yourself have forgotten. Americans aren't forgetting, they are just seeing clearly. New Orleans deserves what she gets.

Will Katrina wash away GOP, too? Dean says yes!

Not only did Katrina's waters wash away people's homes, businesses and lives, but, according to Howard Dean, also the GOP.

Howard Dean: Katrina will put GOP out of business
In his first post-Katrina visit to the Crescent City, Dean helped Acorn, a nonprofit community group that works with low-income families, to clean out Vincent Cooper's flood-damaged home on Derbigny Street in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans.

"I don't want to be partisan at a time like this, but this is why the Republicans are going to be out of business," Dean said, pointing to the destruction around him. "Nine months after the hurricane, to have this? This is ridiculous. This is not the America we grew up in."

When asked if he thought Americans had moved beyond Katrina and may forget about the storm by the time the November elections rolled around, Dean replied, "This is a searing, burning issue, and I think it is going to cost George Bush his legacy and it's going to cost the Republicans the House and the Senate and maybe the presidency in the next election. People will never forget this."

First, his FIRST visit to New Orleans is 8 months after the storm? If I was head of the DNC (oh, Lord, get that thought out of my head), I would have been here a lot sooner. Especially if I was planning on making this a big campaign issue.

Second, let's think this whole Republican thing through.
President - Republican
Governor - Democrat
Mayor - Democrat
City Council - All Democrats, but one
New Orleans Levee Board - 8 members: 6 appointed by the Governor, 1 appointed by the Mayor, 1 appointed by the City Council.

Oh, yeah, I see where he is going with this.

Blogs for Bush reminds us that Dean said the same thing about Terri Schiavo.

It's Election Day!

8:10am - The polls opened this morning at 6am. I will keep you updated throughout the day.

Sorry about the slow blogging

Between being sick earlier in the week and the kids home for Easter break, I haven't really had time to blog. Once school starts back next week, things should get back to normal. Of course, I am waiting with baited breath for tomorrow's election. Sometimes, when you are in the thick of things, you lose track of the big picture. I am interested in how the election will play out and the national implications that will go along with it. But I am more interested in the outcome for the obvious reason of how it will affect me and my family.

What I believe

There is nothing here that I disagree with. Well worth the read.

Feeling much better

I awoke this morning feeling much more human. Now normal activities can resume. I just hope that that was the end of all of this. Thank God for Clorox bathroom wipes.

Tonight's American Idol

I am going to try to blog this as I watch it. I'm feeling a little bit better, so I hope that I can do this.

Start off with a brief history of Rod Stewart's career. This should be an eye-opener for my Grandma. This past weekend my grandma told me she didn't realize that he had been around for a while.

Chris Daughtry - "What a Wonderful World"
Wow! I'm loving this soft side of Chris already. He has a great voice. There is no way that Simon isn't going to love this performance.

Well, I was right. All three judges loved it.

What a great way to start off the night. I hope the other contestants can live up to Chris' performance.

Paris Bennet- "Remind Me of You"
This is obviously going to be the best show yet. Paris has chosen a great song, too. Of course, it could be that this is my favorite music.

I love the simple clothes and hair. You can focus on the music. She just exudes Billie Holliday. This was perfect for her.

I agree with Paula. I would definitely buy an album if she made one in this genre.
Simon must be getting in a good mood tonight. I wonder if he was having his doubts with the previous weeks' performances. So far, they are redeeming themselves tonight.

After the break - my favorite: Taylor

Taylor Hicks - "You Send Me"
Man, I wish I had seen the Taylor parody on SNL.
I love this song. I swear I could just listen to him for hours. I will be the first one in line to buy any CD he puts out and to buy tickets to a concert. I'm just bummed out that I didn't know he existed when he was playing close to here. I would have driven to Alabama to see him.

I love him! He makes me happy! He makes me forget that I'm sick. Great job, Taylor!

Randy agrees with me that these guys are doing great jobs tonight.
I wish Paula would get her hair out of her eyes.
Wow! Simon called it magic. He is going to go home in a good mood tonight.

Elliott Yamin - "It Had to Be You"
Cute way to start off the song. I actually like this and I haven't been a big Elliott fan in the past. I'm so glad that his hair is growing out. Good, good - no bouncing. This is his best performance yet.

Man, I just noticed Paula's chest. Holy cow.
I disagree with Simon. This was the first time that I actually liked Elliott's singing personality. He was very cute.

Killie Pickler - "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered"
This could the night that Kellie stumbles in the eyes of the voting public.
Well, it isn't too bad so far. She looks good. A couple of off notes. This is definitely turning out to be the worst of the night - not that she isn't doing an ok job. Ooohhh, key change has thrown her off. And a bad couple of notes at the end.

The judges agree with me. Kellie might end up going home. She will definitely end up in the bottom three.

What the heck did Ace do to his hair? He must read blogs because I just read today on Sisterhood of the Traveling Idol Blogs that he should change his hair.

WHAT ACE NEEDS TO DO: What Ace has going for him, that most of the other guys are lacking, is raw sex appeal. As my friend K-Dawg would say, he is "universally attractive." Ace needs to play that up and choose a song that will make teeny-boppers and grandmothers swoon in their...family rooms. He should mix it up, looks-wise, as I've been suggesting for weeks. He should wear a suit and do something new with his hair (which is getting really kind of scary). The new look would automatically create buzz and would probably buy him a few extra votes. He needs to 86 the trained seal slow clap. And he needs to choose a song that is both sexy and regcognizable.


Ace Young -"That's All"
I don't like the hair. He looks like he's with the mafia. He is also sounding very nasal. Stop with the falsetto, man.

I disagree with Randy. I don't like the falsetto.
Ha, Simon agrees with me about the nasal thing.

I think he will be in the bottom three.

Last, but definitely not least is Katherine McPhee. I can't imagine her doing poorly with this genre.

Katherine McPhee - "Someone to Watch Over Me"
I hope that she wears something elegant. This is one of my favorite songs to sing (did I mention that I was a singer, too). I would love to see her in a beautiful formal gown. She is such a pretty girl, but the stylists just don't dress her to her best. I mean - pants? Really?

The song was great, of course. She did a great job. Just imagine if she would have worn an elegant gown.

All three judges love her.


I have no idea who will be in the bottom three other than Kellie and Ace. I would love for either one to go home tomorrow.

Tomorrow's show will be interesting.

What did you get for Easter?

My family received probably the worst Easter present of all - a nasty stomach virus. It all started Saturday afternoon with it attacking the kids. Jim got it Sunday. I thought I was out of the woods, but surprise, surprise - I got it today.

I probably won't be blogging much today, but I will be back blogging as soon as I feel better.

Have a good day.

Proclaim the Good News!

He is risen! Happy Easter!

Stop the racism already!

I was reading the April 17, 2006 issue of People and saw an article called "Spring Cleaning." As I perused the story, I thought how wonderful that these college students are giving up their spring breaks to help gut homes in the New Orleans area. Even though I am very aware of these kids coming here, it is wonderful that they are getting national recognition in a magazine with such a wide readership.

My heart continued to swell with pride until I read this:

For the young people, the trip has been an eye-opener. "We rode through the white neighborhoods and were shocked," says Brandi Gilbert, 21, a junior. "It doesn't even look like they were hit."

WHAT THE F***!!! DO NOT PLAY THE RACE CARD HERE! I CAN GUARANTEE THAT BLACK PEOPLE WERE NOT THE ONLY ONES AFFECTED! SHALL I BRING YOU TO MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE. HOW ABOUT MY OTHER GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE. OR MY COUSINS' OR MY STEPSISTER'S, MY AUNTS', UNCLES', ETC - ALL OF THEM WHITE! NOT THAT THAT MAKES ANY DIFFERENCE!

Can you tell that I am hopping mad!!! This is ridiculous. We have trained our kids to look for racism everywhere. Hurricane Katrina didn't care what color or race or religion people in Louisiana and Mississippi were. You do no favors to people by constantly playing the race card. This happened to everyone and was not a social commentary. I'm just disgusted!

And why is People including this quote? Oh, silly me.

Goodbye, Mushmouth (I mean, Bucky)

Well, tonight we said goodbye to the American Idol's resident Mushmouth, Bucky. Why do I call him Mushmouth. In case you couldn't figure it out, I can't understand a single thing he says. Ever.

As AI opens, we are treated to a Queen medley sung by the final eight. Why didn't they sing the songs last night that they sung tonight? Whoever picked who sang what tonight should be picking the contestants songs for future shows. Most of sounded much better during the medley than they did last night. Especially Ace.

I was wondering why tonight's show was an hour instead of the regular 1/2 hour. Now I know. We are going to be treated with hearing how proud everyone's family is of the singers. Well, duh. Let's just get on with it. Although I have to say that Taylor's bandmates seem to be just as much fun as Taylor. It would be a kick to hang out with all of them.

I have to admit that in the beginning I was a Kellie fan, but as the show continues on, she is starting to wear thin. And she is too confident on these elimination nights. She needs to be in the bottom three just to shake her up a little.

So the bottom three are Elliot, Ace and Bucky. I would love to see Ace go, too. He is so cheesy. Especially that "smouldering" look. Whenever he does that I want to kick the TV. It's like nails on a chalk board for me.

And Bucky is leaving. I'm just glad that I won't be seeing his "cool" microphone moves. You know, that microphone hand switch thing. I drove me nuts. Well, that and his footwork.

Next week: Rod Stewart. This should be interesting. There is a lot to choose from.

That reminds me of a story about my grandma. As we were sitting around the kitchen table one morning a couple of years ago, my grandma says, "I saw this new guy on Good Morning, America. I really liked him. I think his name was Rob something. He sings big band. Do you know him?" It took a while before I realized she was talking about Rod Stewart.

I never thought, in a million years, that I would say, "My 82 year old grandma is a big fan of Rod Stewart. She has all of his new stuff." I'll have to make sure she tunes in to hear the new guy next Wednesday.

If you want to read more about tonight elimination, head over to Dummocrats to see what Kris has to say.

Welcome to married life, Chad and Catie

My cousin Chad and his new wife, Catie, are back from their wedding and honeymoon in Hawaii. Congratulations!
I can't wait to hear all about it. Well, on second thought... You know what I mean.

Thought for the day...

All of these protests around the country being attended by illegal aliens made me think. I don't remember hearing about any businesses or industries shutting down. According to many, these illegals should be welcomed here because they are working jobs that "Americans don't want." If this is true, with the amount of them protesting yesterday, wouldn't we have heard about the lack of workers. I mean, if, for example, hotel housekeeping is performed only by these people, then wouldn't we have heard about no one showing up to clean hotel rooms. Wouldn't the MSM have jumped on this. Basically, it would have be a walk-out by thousands upon thousands of workers, in all menial jobs, across the country. And yet, I don't remember hearing about that. Maybe, just maybe, there are enough Americans and legal-non-Americans working these jobs so that large and small businesses across the country did not have to close shop while these illegals were protesting our immigration laws.

My heart is heavy

I must admit that I don't pay much attention to the crop of current movies, especially when I know that they are written, produced and/or directed by people that I philosophically disagree with. That being said, tonight, while surfing Blog Explosion, I came across a post about George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck. While I knew that it was about McCarthy, that was about the extent of my knowledge of the movie. The post that I read explained the plot further and mentioned Edward R. Murrow. That caught my attention.

While I worked at Disney, I was a VIP hostess. My most memorable experience (not just at Disney, but most memorable life experience) included Fred Friendly. I was extremely fortunate to be able to spend a week with Mr. Fred and his family. He was being inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame and decided to make it a family event. He and his wife Ruth planned a family reunion. They opened their arms to me and, for the week, I became a member of their family. They were wonderful and I must admit that I learned one of life's most important lessons from him.

He and I were sitting on a bench at the end of a long day in the parks. As we sat there waiting for the boat that would take us from their hotel to EPCOT for fireworks, we watched his wife, children and grandchildren in the distance. I looked at Mr. Fred and you are a very lucky man. He turned to me, looked me in the eyes and said, "Dana, luck has nothing to do with it." I have never forgotten that and I credit that advice with the family life I have now.

I say all of this because, when I saw that Good Luck and Good Night was also about Edward R. Murrow, I had to see if Mr. Fred was also included since they worked together. He was. And he is played by George Clooney.

This makes me feel better

I think that I'm going to save this and replay it every time I catch a glimpse of Ben Affleck. Now excuse me while I go run to my local Chevy dealer.

Thanks for the hattip, Kitty.

Start the funeral dirge. Death is imminent

The final nail is about to be driven into the coffin of the republican (small r) United States of America. And who holds the hammer? Every politician who sees the number of illegal aliens and immediately starts to drool over them as an untapped voting bloc. They give absolutely no thought to the damage this will have on our country. Of course, to expect anything else from these politicians would be madness on my part.

The most frustrating thing is that no one seems to want to stop this. No one has the courage to stand up and call this what it is - madness, insanity and just plain stupid! Everyday our country is being hijacked by socialists. Control is being wrested away from hard working, TAX PAYING Americans. More and more, we, who invest the most of our hard-earned dollars into this country, are having less and less representation. Of course, the evil of it all is that the left have succeeded in convincing the lower class, the poor, and the "unlucky" that they are victims of the wealthy. And they are there to help.

Well, thank you Ted Kennedy. You and your ilk have managed to destroy what so many have given their lives to protect. And you have destroyed it for your own evil gain. You may have inadvertently helped some, but that was NEVER your intent. You know it was always to advance your career, position and power. And yes, that is the definition of evil.

Looking for a good book?

Recently I was strolling through the library looking for, what else, some books (imagine that). At my library, they showcase newly-arrived books. One was The Big Over Easy. The title immediately caught my attention. I picked it up thinking that it was a new book about New Orleans, maybe even about the city in the aftermath of Katrina. I was pleasantly wrong.

The full title was The Big Over Easy: A Nursery Crime by Jasper Fforde.

It’s Easter in Reading—a bad time for eggs—and no one can remember the last sunny day. Ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Stuyvesant Van Dumpty III, minor baronet, ex-convict, and former millionaire philanthropist, is found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. All the evidence points to his ex-wife, who has conveniently shot herself.

But Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary remain unconvinced, a sentiment not shared with their superiors at the Reading Police Department, who are still smarting over their failure to convict the Three Pigs of murdering Mr. Wolff. Before long Jack and Mary find themselves grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, bullion smuggling, problems with beanstalks, titans seeking asylum, and the cut and thrust world of international chiropody.

And on top of all that, the JellyMan is coming to town . . .

After I read the inside flap, I was intrigued. And a couple of chapters later, I was hooked. After finishing The Big Over Easy, I read the only other Fforde novel my library had at the time, The Well of Lost Plots (the third in the Thursday Next series). Last night I finished his first book, The Eyre Affair.

Welcome to a surreal version of Great Britain, circa 1985, where time travel is routine, cloning is a reality (dodos are the resurrected pet of choice), and literature is taken very, very seriously. England is a virtual police state where an aunt can get lost (literally) in a Wordsworth poem, militant Baconians heckle performances of Hamlet, and forging Byronic verse is a punishable offense. All this is business as usual for Thursday Next, renowned Special Operative in literary detection, until someone begins kidnapping charactersfrom works of literature. When Jane Eyre is plucked from the pages of Bronte's novel, Thursday must track down the villain and enter the novel herself to avert a heinous act of literary homicide.

Needless to say, I am an addicted fan. I am going to buy all of his books so that I can read them again and again. If you are an avid reader, you, too, will love these books. They are so much fun to read.

The NOPD needs to be changed immediately

I'm not sure if this is getting national airtime, but there has been another allegation of police brutality here in New Orleans (registration required).

The Pratts refused to discuss the matter, but [Dulcie] Pratt's mother-in-law Scott [Pratt's mother-in-law] said [Jonie] Pratt was returning from visiting her sick father in Baton Rouge early Tuesday when police said she ran a stop sign about two blocks from her house. The woman drove to her house in a middle-class area of the city before pulling over.

"I saw an officer pull Jonie out of the car by her hair," said Scott, who was baby-sitting her grandchildren at the couple's house. "He was swearing at her and pounding her into the car. I said, `Stop that, that's Officer Pratt's wife."'

Scott said the officer twisted Pratt's arms behind her and sprayed Mace in her face. She said two more white officers arrived and the three shoved the 5-foot-2 Pratt to the ground and knelt on her back, and an officer kicked her in the head.

I have no doubt that this happened; however, I don't believe that this is a racial issue. New Orleans police officers don't restrict themselves to beating up people of one particular race. They will intimidate, bully and brutalize anyone they want - white, black, male or female. And it happens more often than is reported.

How do I know this for fact? Because it happened to two members of my family last year (I'll call them Betty and Bob). Her offense? Asking a cop for his badge number.

Betty was picking up Bob from work since he had just had surgery to fix a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder. Since he worked at a hospital, she was going to pick him up at the emergency entrance drive-up (just as she had numerous times before). This particular day, there was a cop blocking traffic at the entrance. She explained that she was picking up her husband and he told her rudely, "I don't care. Move your car. No one can come this way." Since she worked at a hospital, too, she knew that the cop couldn't block all of the traffic and said, "You can't cut-off all traffic to the emergency entrance." He said something like, "I'm a cop. I said move. I don't have to explain anything to you." According to Betty, he was unbelievably rude, so she asked for his badge number. To this he replied, "I don't have to give you anything." She parked her car and again went to the cop to ask for his badge number. Again he refused and told her to go back to her car and get out of here. She went back to her car to wait for Bob to come out of the hospital and the next thing she knows, this cop is banging on her window telling her to get out of the car. She rolled down the window to tell the cop that she was waiting for her husband. He starts to open her car door and pull her out, demanding to see her driver's license and registration. She starts to argue that she has done nothing wrong and refuses to give him this unless he give her his badge number. At this, he pulls her out of the car and throws her on the ground and tells her she is under arrest. Meanwhile, her daughter is in the backseat watching this happen.

The cop calls for back-up and more cops start coming. Betty was thrown up against the car and handcuffed. While this is happening, Bob, who had had shoulder surgery just two weeks before and whose arm is still in a sling, comes out of the hospital and sees his wife being roughed up by a bunch of police officers. He immediately starts demanding to know what is going on. I guess they see Bob and a threat and a police officer throws him against a wall and pull his arms behind his back and handcuff him, too.

Bob and Betty were arrested for resisting arrest. Obviously, they are fighting this. When it happened, I told them to go to the press, but Betty was so upset and embarrassed that she just wanted it all over with.

Ever since this happened, I have heard more and more stories like it. I would love to see the NOPD purged of this egotistical, power-hungry officers, but I'm afraid New Orleans wouldn't have any more cops.

We teach our children that the police are the good guys fighting the bad, but what happens when the police are the bad guys fighting the good? Who is going to protect us for the police?

I just can't believe this happened

OK, I know that there are more important things going on besides who leaves American Idol, but when Mandisa garners the least amount of votes, I just have to comment. I think that she had arguably the best female singing voice this season. So, what happened? How can she be leaving while Bucky, Ace and Kellie are still around to sing another week?

I think I figured it out. I really believe that what put the nail in Mandisa's coffin was her choice of outfits. Let me say that I LOVE Mandisa. I have been a fan of hers since the night AI first showed her audition. Her size was never an issue. I think that she is absolutely beautiful. BUT, last night, I didn't hear what she was singing because her clothes were so loud. I'm not exaggerating. When I heard her sing her song tonight after hearing the results, I realized that I didn't pay attention to a single note she sang last night. If I felt this way (and she is my favorite second only to Taylor), I can only imagine how others reacted to her. Of course, I guess now I don't have to imagine. We all know.

Goodbye, Mandisa. American Idol won't be the same without you. The only consultation is that there is no way this the last we have heard from Mandisa. With her talent, she is guaranteed a recording contract. And I will definitely buy her first CD.

Katie leaves NBC

When I heard the news about Katie Couric leaving the Today show, I started to reminisce about the couple of days that I spent with her 11 years ago. I was a VIP hostess for Disney World and was assigned to Katie while she and the Today show taped at Walt Disney World. It was actually a lot of fun. I found her generous,kind and down to earth with a great sense of humor. She actually encouraged me to go back to school and finish earning my degree. I wish her the best.

Florida Wins! I can't wait to go back to Winn-Dixie

On Saturday, my dad and I went to the grocery store to prepare for a family get-together later that day. While waiting in line, I over heard the lady in front of me talking to one of the workers. They were predicting a match-up between LSU and Florida with LSU winning. Well, since I am probably the only one in Louisiana that can't stand LSU and since I am married to a Gators fan, I, of course, had to tell them that they were wrong. (Hey, I haven't blogged in a while and I had to get my controversy fix somewhere!)

All of a sudden, all conversation stopped. I swear you could hear a pin drop and I think, out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dad try to dig through the tile in the floor. The lady says, "Honey, you are in the wrong part of the world." To which I wanted to reply, "Duh!" What I did say was that I think LSU is too cocky and would love to see them lose. When the woman was leaving she said, "Sorry that your weekend is going to be rotten 'cause LSU is going to win." Well, as it turned out, not only did I have a good weekend, but I just had a really good Monday evening. Ha! Ha! Ha!

I can't wait to go back to Winn Dixie now. I love to see LSU fans sad.

Slowly, slowly I awaken

Hello again. *yawn* It's been way, way too long since I have written. Life down here is starting to return to a new normal. My cousin, Shannon, got her carpet Saturday and is finally moving her family back into their house. Her house is looking great.

It also looks like my aunt and grandmother are going to be buying a new house in a couple of weeks. Right now they are living in a FEMA trailer on my side yard. Of course, it only took 7 months for them to get into it. It sat on my property for 6 weeks while we waited for electricity.

I think part of the reason that I didn't want to blog for a while is that everywhere I looked there was nothing but frustration. Of course, it just strengthened my resolve to never, ever, ever depend on the federal government for any timely help and assistance. It is the most ineffectual entity in existence and I challenge anyone to dispute that! Anyone who thinks that the government can do anything better than the private sector should come down and wait for a FEMA trailer (the military is the only exception that I can think of now).

Much of these last 7 months have been like beating my head against a brick wall. Nothing down here has changed and I seriously doubt that it ever will. The political culture of Louisiana is just that - a culture. And I don't think the majority of people here want it to change. It is almost like they are proud of the corruption and status quo. The sad thing is that the people who are really hurt by this are the ones who truly want change. See - beating my head against a wall.

So, instead of focusing on things that I wish would change, I am going to keep my blood pressure down and write about the positive things that are going on or funny news items - anything to keep blogging.