Going to a Mardi Gras party tonight and I'll be whipping up a batch of gumbo for it. With any luck, I'll have time to make a pitcher of hurricanes, as well!

... and Copeland's is pretty good for a chain.

Can we expect some drunken blogging later?

How about some SOYT pictures?

Will? WILL??? You alive?

God, you're giving me the shakes for Nawlins. It's been WAY too long, and it's a dang $75 flight. I'm more of a Dixie man myself, but Shiner has ruined me for any other darkish beers.

To gloat, or not to gloat? Living on Napoleon Avenue between Camp and Chestnut, I don't have to go to Mardi Gras, it all comes to me. Will, you only thought Tucks was rolling at the time you posted. It lined up in front of my house, and actually rolled about an hour and a half late. And to see Frodo reign as Bacchus tomorrow night I need only step out my door.

Okay, gloat off. The reality is that trying to live a life, go to work, and just get through the days of living on a parade route is an enormous pain in the ass. If I'd truly realized it, I probably wouldn't have moved to this exact spot. But once you're stuck and don't have no choice, hell, pretend the shit don't stink.

Especially with all the horse units going by.

I knew a Steve Teeter once from Springfield, Mo. Just coincidence I guess?

Steve Teeter: You suck.

(Understand, I mean this in only the most kind, caring, sensitive, and insanely jealous kind of way.)

My college roommate and his wife had a duplex on Carondolet between Valence and the Catholic girls' school (the less said about which, the better) for six years.

I mooched. A lot.

If you post again to tell me that you went to Pascale's Manale for oysters, I'm going to fly down there and kill you.

After I have a couple of dozen for myself, you understand...

Heh. I'm a block off the Metairie parade route. I can get out to do what I need to do easily. Unfortunately, it's pretty much at the very start of the parade route, so the folks riding aren't throwing very much.

Mmmm, Turbo Dog.

Mmmmm.

What Andy said.

Turbo Dog is some goood beer.

You bastards. Rub it in, why don't you? For many years I WAS the turbodog. When I got my first internet e-mail address back in L.A., no one there had heard of Turbodog beer, so I was turbodog@cerf.net. When I moved to NOLA, Telocity was a fairly new ISP company and nobody had claimed the name yet, so for years I got to be turbodog@telocity.com. Then DirectTV bought up Telocity and then dumped it, trashing all their email addresses. I was forced to find a new ISP, and a new handle. Dang.

It's a good beer, too. Dark, rich, and slightly sweet, if you like that sort of thing.

I must say, Frodo was a classy king of Bacchus. Caught him chatting up the crowd when the parade was stalled near the end of the route. In spite of what I know was a long day, he was charming and obviously enjoying it. It did not hurt that the weather was beautiful. It is rather gross today...

It's gonna be a wet Fat Tuesday this year. :(

FWIW, I am a Riding Lieutenant (one of the guys on horseback) in the Krewe of Hermes, which parades on Friday night. We start on Napoleon and go up St. Charles to Canal. To see Mardi Gras from the rider's side is well, amazing. And the things I've seen - oh, my.

There really are two Mardi Gras in New Orleans - one for the tourists (what you see on M-TV) and one that the locals do. The latter is the real celebration which few outsiders see. Lots of costume balls, formal parties, etc. Steeped in tradition. If you want to see a REAL Louisiana Mardi Gras, go to Mamou, or to New Roads.

To all of you down there this year - stay safe, stay dry, have fun, and have a TurboDog for me.

.....CLIFF

Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

No, I can't say that I do. But if you'll give me Miss New Orleans's phone number, I'll be happy to call her and ask, "What does it mean to you?"