what have you done for me lately? December 14, 2009
I went to the debate at Loyola tonight for the candidates for City Council District A. It wasn’t really a debate, it was more like an opportunity for the candidates to make an impression. I thought Susan Guidry did very well. She clearly has a grip on the issues that are important to District A and to the city. Susan is extremely intelligent and she’s obviously been doing her homework. She’s an attorney, and she has that measured way of thinking before she speaks.
The questions ranged from cemeteries to utilities. I submitted a question which was asked of all the candidates, “what have you done in the past five years to bring New Orleans back?” Jay Batt’s answer was not very good. He said he had been rebuilding his house and volunteering with Beacon of Light. I am not familiar with Beacon of Light, if someone wants to, um, enlighten me.
Susan Guidry answered that she had become president of the Parkview Neighborhood Association and had led efforts to close a nuisance bar in the neighborhood and to restore their firehouse. She has also worked with a coalition of District A neighborhood associations on issues like re-population, street lighting and blight. She also represented the Port of New Orleans in their successful Katrina lawsuit.
Virginia Blanque answered that she was a board member of the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization and that she worked for several months in Arnie Fielkow’s office.
Fred Robertson said that he basically hasn’t been doing enough.
UPDATE: It’s Beacon of Hope, not Beacon of Light. See comments. I thought Batt said Beacon of Light.
reindeer games December 12, 2009
I’m at my mother’s house in Jackson, MS. My mom loves Christmas. She has Christmas decorations in every room. Even the bathrooms have Santa toilet seat covers and Santa soap dispensers. The regular couch pillows have been changed out for red, gold and green ones. The front and back yards are lit up. The tree is loaded down with ornaments. We use the Christmas china for every meal.
For years, mom has put out two wooden reindeer in her front yard every Christmas. They stand on a field of white lights, representing “snow.” Every year, some pervert in this fine up-standing neighborhood sneaks over here in the middle of the night and stands one of the reindeer up on the back of the other one, making it look like they are screwing. What gets into people? Mom has sat up in the dark a few times trying to catch the culprit, but she never has. I’m beginning to think it’s an inside job, except that all the people who live here can barely walk, much less vandalize Christmas decorations.
My mother is more than a little eccentric. Now she has put two reindeer antlers on her car, with the red nose strapped to the front. I was a little embarrassed to go Christmas shopping in the reindeer-mobile, but it makes people laugh and I hardly know anyone here, anyway. We went to one store where there was a woman fighting with her husband. When they came outside and saw the reindeer-mobile, the frown lifted from her face and they both burst out laughing.
Merry Christmas!
fired up December 10, 2009
Oyster plugs the Hot NOLA Firefighters Calendar. I already have mine thanks to our Mama Roux captain, Viv. I’m especially partial to Mr. October.
I might have mentioned that Mama Roux needs a new float. Our old wagon is worn out. We had a junk sale last weekend and raised almost enough to get the new float. I couldn’t make it to the sale, but I donated a bunch of stuff.
I’m sitting here getting ideas for the royalty and captain’s gifts. I think it’s going to revolve around match boxes. I’m so excited that I’m going to make a gift for Dr. John.
I’m supposed to be thinking about Christmas, but instead I’m all fired up about burning in hell for Mardi Gras!
omar esta muerto
My friend Max pops up on YouTube.
