Allyson, I'm so sorry for your loss. You'll be in my thoughts.

The pre-Katrina video was on the front page of the Times-Picayune one of the days I was down there. There was much cursing and yelling in the house of C that morning.

Also in answer to Fred Pete.

Also, Daisy Jane, what did you think of the situation in NOLA? Is recovery happening?

It's patchwork. The Quarter looked pretty much fine, Uptown, Irish Channel, parts of Kenner, then there were some other places where it looked like a bomb went off. Our cab driver on the way in took us around the 9th and through Mid Cities. Seeing blue tarps actually started to seem a good thing. My cousin has a picture of a roof on the ground where its house used to be, a dining room with nothing but two walls. Under a lot of the highway overpasses there are hundreds and hundreds of abandoned rusting cars. We have pictures that look apocolyptic.

But then, we have pictures of Krewe d'Etat's fun, satirical floats, and people dressed as "Caught up in the Red Tape" with nothing but red g-strings and red electrical tape on, a big vodoo guy with a Bush vodoo doll, Queen Katrina, "The Mold and the Beautiful" and it feels better to know that even though so much didn't make it, the spirit of the city certainly did.

On being a regular: I tend to gravitate toward familiar places, so unless I'm with other people, I pretty much exclusively go to places where I'm a regular.

Leif dressed himself this morning:

[link]

[link]

[link]

Honestly, I don't know WHO I would have chosen. Other than Nick or Andrae. Maybe Zulema. MAYBE.

Leif is stylin'!

For all you grammaristas out there--The Adverb is Dead; Long Live the Adjective! Love this bit:

Lately, it seems the adjective has been creeping ever closer to the verb in what can only be described as a nasty, aggressive manner; its nefarious intent, obviously, is to completely displace, if not outright murder, a useful and descriptive part of speech.

Actually, just small enough to fit in your vagina.

NOTHING should go in our unmarried vaginas!

You hussy.

That's why the govt. wants to set up camp there -- to make sure nothing *else* gets in.

Leif should be in a boy band.

OMG, Leif is awesome.

Leif needs some bling.

Leif has a good eye! And great sunglasses.