Kicking off Friday on a happy note!

I just need something perky beyond the usual three cups of coffee. ;)




Jazz Fest starts this weekend!

Because we all need some humor...

(And this isn't it.)

But this is!

She's baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Sorry, y'all.

I'm alive.

I'm now 30.

I'm getting married in 5 months.

I just got promoted at work.

I'm happy, stressed, overly worked, exhausted and I'm alive.

In honor of today's snowfall, I present one of the greatest Christmas songs EVER:

(Belatedly) kicking off Friday on a happy note!

I really can't explain the depths of my crush on Lily Allen.

D. and I met her in south Florida when she was playing at the Culture Room - she was having dinner with her band at a nearby pub, and she was very different from the chav-y public persona. She was sweet, humble and friendly as hell.

LOVE HER.

True story.

Dude. I require this.

From Woot, and alas, already sold out, I present a marshmallow shooter.

Not only marketed with the clever "Full Mallow Jacket" key messaging, this weaponry is ideal for annoying Auburn boosters, who are currently patting themselves on the back for firing one of the best coaches in Division 1 football.

Bobby Lowder, I'm looking at you.

RickRoll: A Tutorial

For Mizz Gandy, that saucy minx.

I can haz tag?

I have been tagged by fellow Florida State alumna, NolaCleophatra.

So I guess this is how this works:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. (Check.)

2. Post the rules on your blog. (Check.)

3. Write six random things about yourself. (Aw, hell.)

4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them. (Done.)

5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog. (Sigh. Bleargh. Sigh.)

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up. (Working on it.)

Here goes:

1. I think NOLACleophatra is insane to not appreciate the manna-like joys of Dr. Pepper. My crack of choice is Diet Dr. Pepper.

2. I am amused that after countless hours of having to endure a litany of UF fans telling me how much academically better their fine Hogtown institution is, that FSU has produced its third Rhodes Scholar in the last four years. ::snicker of amusement::

3. I hate crowds. True story. I get incredibly claustrophobic and cranky when surrounded by a sea of people.

4. I DVR old episodes of "Doctor Who" so that when D. works late, I can indulge my geeky side.

5. I think "Beerfest" may be one of the funniest movies made over the past ten years.

6. I'm actually kind of excited about turning 30.

So, who to tag? What about Mizz Gandy, Krista, April, Kevin, Bedbugs & Ballyhoo and Toker.

On a totally random side note, the Po'Boy Preservation Festival was crowded and hectic and full of Teh Yum.

Please note my astonishment in meeting a barbequed oyster po'boy:

Kicking off Friday on a happy note!

I've been woefully absent from the blogosphere.

This has been a pretty crazy month so far - I've been in design mode for work, and D.'s been in Saints/Hornets craziness mode.

But we've been lucky to get some quality time together lately - and this is for my future husband and best friend in the entire world:

Frothy, sugary fun.

I don't normally buy into the manufactured pop music, but this song is infectious and fun - and the single has just been released in the UK. Enjoy!

(Everyone getting excited about Voodoo?)

FINALLY.

A diss song for mild-mannered yuppies everywhere:



This - this, people, is what the world has been lacking.

Finally, someone has filled the void - and by someone, I mean the Wojahn Brothers.

Big Lebowski, meet Big Poppa.

Kicking off Friday on a happy note!

D. and I went to the Sugar Bowl Committee's kickoff cocktail shindig last night at the Superdome.

(I even got to exchange pleasantries with Archie Manning. ZOMG. I'm amazed I didn't pull a Wayne-and-Garth.)

As usual, the food and drink and setting were gawkworthy. D. developed an insatiable craving for the crabcakes that were being fried up on the field, and I was content to nurse my merlot and engage in a favorite past time of mine - peoplewatching.

But what we truly gawked at was the Committee's presentation to the NOPD of a Sky Watch. And yes, they do look quite a bit like the Imperial Walkers from "The Empire Strikes Back." (I think there's one in the Home Depot parking lot on Earhart, actually.)

That's not the funny part.

Not by a long shot.

So as the Committee was making the presentation, the fog machine kicked in and dramatic Empire-esque music started swelling throughout the Dome.

I swear I saw Ted Lewis from the Times-Picayune snickering.

So the Sky Watch started to rise slowly through the fog. There, inside the module, sat Warren Riley. Flanking the Sky Watch on either side, though?

The only reasonable choice for a party attended by local officials has to be models hired to dress as sexy cops, right? Hereafter they shall be referred to as the "stripper cops."

(Way to improve credibility in a room where reps from all of the major NCAA conferences, All State and various NOLA hoi polloi are located. Sigh.)

Amazingly, the stripper cops were dressed in blue shirts and black skirts - wait a sec, I thought wearing a blue shirt could get an NOPD officer suspended?

Maybe they make exceptions for extras off the set of a Skinemax flick. Hmmm. Must ponder.

Either way, minus that bizarre interlude, it was a great party that definitely kicked off the Sugar Bowl's 75th Anniversary with panache.

I'm just glad I wore low heels, since we were walking on Tulane's rolled-out turf. ;)

On to the music...so last night I suddenly started craving the Breeders, the underrated Kim Deal-led band that rose from the ashes of the break up of the terribly underrated Pixies.

Man, I REALLY loved "Safari" and "Last Splash." Still do, in fact. I dare you to listen to "Divine Hammer" or "Saints" and not catch yourself humming them later. Plus, it's just a known fact that "Cannonball" is the only song about the Marquis de Sade to ever get insane amounts of airplay on MTV...

...y'know, back when they actually played videos.

Kicking off Friday on a happy note!

It's much easier to cheer up now that my college roommate has evacuated Galveston.

Last night, when we thought she was going to ride out Ike, my sleep wasn't very restful.

Thank God she's safe.

On to the show...my favorite band, who is headlining Voodoo this year:

Like chocolate, beer, and jewel thieves...

...the best adult diapers come from Europe."

Still crying from laughter here...it's been a while since I've read anything quite as clever.

"I felt voluptuous."

Ha!

Christ on a crouton!

Let hilarity ensue...

The Swimmer vs. The Mediocre Multi-Hyphenate

But so hilariously brilliant that I just spewed Diet Coke all over my desk.

From Yeeeah:

Jennifer Lopez wants you to know it’s about time you stopped watching the stupid Olympics and paid attention to her and her upcoming triathlon. Phelps who? It’s Jenny from the Block, dummies! According to MSNBC, Lopez, who appeared on “Good Morning America” Aug. 18 to discuss her preparations for the Malibu Triathlon, was overheard saying after the segment that she “couldn’t understand why everyone is talking about that swimmer,” according to a GMA source. “She couldn’t come up with (eight-time gold-medal winner Michael) Phelps’ name, and then she yammered on about how she was the one training for a triathlon just six months after giving birth, and how that was the big story right now, not ‘the swimmer.’”

Okay, let’s see. Some facts:
1. If you look into the eye of a hurricane you will see Michael
Phelps swimming.
2. Newton’s First Law is wrong: Even if an external force is applied to Michael Phelps he will remain in the Michael Phelps state of motion.
3. Water drinks Michael Phelps.
4. Every time you see a shooting star you are really watching Michael Phelps train in space.
5. Aquaman wears Michael Phelps underwear.
6. Newborn dolphins learn to swim by watching footage of Michael Phelps.
7. Michael Phelps doesn’t swim through water, water gets out of his way.

And now, for some Jennifer Lopez facts:
1. Jennifer Lopez can eat her weight in gouda.
2. Jennifer Lopez once crushed a folding chair with her ass.
3. Jennifer Lopez can fart Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
4. Jennifer Lopez comes with saddlebags and paunch attachments.

The only way Jennifer Lopez will ever beat Michael Phelps at anything is if it involves eating her way through a swimming pool full of bacon, Fanta, and Christmas hams. And to the best of my knowledge, that kind of pool only exists in Britney Spears’ imagination. Advantage: Michael Phelps.

I'm thinking, hey, Phelps (and his stunning abs) has eight gold medals. Lopez has what, eight ex-husbands?

Kicking off Friday on a happy note!

...or at least as happy a note as possible when suffering a caffeine deficiency.

Sorry for the absence of late. Between travel, family issues, and D.'s birthday/our anniversary, it's been hectic.

I briefly came out of hibernation last night for a cookbook meeting at the OLGC rectory and then hauled it home to catch the first quarter of the Saints-Cardinal preseason game. And as previously mentioned, I'm lamenting the weird facial hair sported by Drew Brees.

There's only one man I think looks hot with facial hair, and that's D.

(Not that I'm biased, of course.)

I'll recap the past couple of weeks later on today, but here's The Verve's new single, "Love is Noise."

Warning - it WILL grow on you insidiously. I wonder how long the band can stay together this time - isn't this their third or fourth attempt at banddom?

Kicking off Friday on a happy note!

D. and I attended last night's Delachaise Neighborhood Association meeting at The Columns, where 3 of the DA candidates spoke...it was very interesting (and by parts illuminating).

More on that later. I still need my coffee.

Towards that end, here's one of my new favorite picks for my road trip playlist, Black Kids. They're quasi-New Radicals, and they're a Florida band (woot!...says this Floridian) - they're actually from Jacksonville. Here's "I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend."

Lemme know what you think...I think that this band has the motivation and live show chops to have some lasting power, but time will tell, right?

Happy Soggy Wednesday Time!

On a day as dreary as this (it's pouring out here in Metry), some moody, atmospheric music is ideal to cope, especially when you realize that it's gorgeously sunny uptown at the moment.

Here's "Touch Me I'm Going to Scream Part II," from My Morning Jacket:



Hey, it's less harmful to your health than an NOPD cop armed with a truck...

Dimitri loves Olga.

A non-NOLA post today...I have PLENTY to say about the street resurfacing project, but it's rainy and I'm missing D. and I require humor.

Ergo, I present the love story of the humble Dimitri, who seeks to woo our fair Olga.

Once upon a time, handsome catch Dimitri became obsessed with a woman named Olga, whom he briefly met on a curb near the San Francisco Marina. Olga gave Dimitri a business card. Here's what followed, as reenacted with great skill on YouTube:



Crushed that he was unable to reach out to the elegant object of his desires, Dimitri valiantly tried again:



Oh, Dimitri. Be still my beating heart...