So Joe and I have arrived in Upstate (Southern Tier) NY and the weather has been pretty good. It actually gets pretty darn hot here and at the Binghamton Mets baseball game on July 3rd, sweat was running down my back so I didn't feel like I had gone too far away from home even though I have. I have enjoyed writing this blog and I will miss my Nawlin's home. Take care all.




This man plays the organ through-out the game. How old school and wonderful is that?
Jennifer at 9:37 PM

Combining heat and humidity produces a statistic called the heat index, which measures how hot it really feels. Gooch also put together a list of the top 10 most uncomfortable cities based on heat index.

From the top: Miami, Corpus Christi; Orlando; Phoenix; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Houston; San Antonio; New Orleans; Tampa; and Fort Meyers, Fla.
Jennifer at 11:14 AM

LAST TIME AT COOTER BROWN'S?

These pictures are from our last trip to Cooter Brown's in Riverbend. Best burgers other than the Swampburgers out in the burbs.

Jennifer at 11:36 AM

Joe and I headed downtown last night for possibly the last time before our move. We didn't spend much time down there though 'cause it wasn't really "happening" on a Thursday night. It was a little sad to see so many familiar places shut down. For instance, 711 Tricou House where he and I met in 2000. So we then headed to Felix's for some oysters and then to the Balcony Bar to finish up our night. Sorry that the following pictures are so dark, they were taken with my cell phone camera in very dark conditions.

One of my favorite things about Bourbon, the brass bands that play. This one was really good.

Here's Jen with her last Hurricane!

Oysters Rockerfeller and RAW at Felix's.

Here's Joe at the Balcony Bar getting ready to enjoy his Woodchuck Amber.

Jennifer at 11:16 AM

HEAT = FAT
So it's stupid hot now and it doesn't make me want to do anything except go home and lay in my bed. My bed with the brand new queen size Simmons BeautyRest mattress with plush pillow top. *Sigh*

I have gained back a mere three pounds since I stopped my "healthly eating" lifestyle. Not that I'm a pig now, but it's more about "maintaining" then anything else. HA! It's called IT'S TOO HOT TO MOVE. Some folks would probably say I'm exaggerating. But you know it's bad when Joe works out in the heat all day and then says 'I just can't go work out.' That's really bad 'cause last summer he'd work all day in the heat and then come home and go running like a crazy person.

I was in Binghamton last week searching for an apartment and actually it was very similar to finding an apartment in NOLA. Most of the apartments are in old houses that have been chopped up into small abodes. You can't trust someone to actually represent the size of the bedrooms correctly so you have to look at all of them. One very very big difference is that 98% of apartments will not allow pets. I mean the listings in the paper even say no pets which is hard to do since those listings are so short anyway. It's not a pet friendly town apparently. One agency wanted $1000 deposit for a female neutered cat. Crazy! I really lucked out and got a one-bedroom with a seven month lease and no problems about our cat when a cancellation happened the day I was looking for apartments. So that was very very lucky.

Otherwise, things are slowing down for me at work. Only two more weeks. Joe's friend Mark is heading out of town next week, so we have to do an early goodbye fling with him downtown this week. How sad. He was our Best Man in our wedding and it's strange to think about moving away and not seeing him around. I know Joe is sad about it.

******************************************
NEW ORLEANS MEDIA BURNOUT
"Like many Americans, I've followed the Katrina story closely, but then tuned out for days when other news or the daily strains of life intervened. After eight months you assume they must be making some progress. Downtown and the French Quarter basically look fine; the worst damage by now must be limited to a few of the hardest-hit areas, such as the Lower Ninth Ward.

But then you come here and see the devastation up close, and discover that things are far worse than you imagined. And you realize that, despite the millions of words and pictures devoted to the hurricane's aftermath, the normal rules of writing, photography and broadcasting are just not equal to the task."
Read the rest of this article here.
Jennifer at 2:26 PM

Here is a graphic that shows the true measure of past hurricanes in NOLA. Click on the image to make it bigger:

Jennifer at 2:15 PM

Katrina victim found in New Orleans house

Sun May 28, 6:47 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS - Less than a week before the next hurricane season starts, firefighters still searching for those missing after Hurricane Katrina have found another body.
ADVERTISEMENT

A DNA test will be needed to identify the body; the only certainty is that it was an adult male, said John Gagliano, chief coroner's investigator in New Orleans.

It was found Saturday in the rear laundry room of a house in Mid-City, where most houses are raised several feet but floods still reached the attached mailboxes, nearly chest-high.

The house was fifth to be checked of 47 addresses given to the search team Friday, said Capt. Kenneth Kirsch of the New Orleans Fire Department.

The addresses came from the Louisiana Family Assistance Center, a state agency that has a list of 226 people missing since the 2005 hurricanes.

A state Health and Hospitals Department list of missing people shows Huey Hughes, 76, at the address where the body was found, but authorities could not confirm that Saturday. The mailbox shows a different name.

The agency this month raised the number of Louisiana residents killed by Katrina by 281, to 1,577, after more reports of out-of-state deaths came in. Several states have yet to file reports of possible Katrina deaths. More than 80 percent of the missing are from Orleans Parish, and 66 percent are African-American.

FEMA this month announced that its list of people missing from the 2005 hurricane season had fallen from 12,000 shortly after Katrina to fewer than 300.

"Now, eight months after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, it's likely that many of the lost will not be found," FEMA said May 18 in a statement. "Some may have been swept away forever in the floodwaters, and some may not want to be found."

The Louisiana Family Assistance Center handles an ever-changing list of addresses of people missing since Katrina hit Aug. 29. The list, last updated May 2, has 481 names.

The New Orleans firefighters are working as part of Southeast Louisiana Task Force One — 16 firefighters, most working on a day off and paid by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency. Since FEMA began the 90-day contract on March 2, the team has found at least a dozen bodies, mostly in the Lower Ninth Ward.

Cadaver dogs, canines trained to locate the scent of dead bodies, are still part of the search effort, said Kirsch, particularly when teams search the Lower Ninth, where instead of homes they often must sift through huge debris piles.

"In debris, it's the dogs that lead us," Kirsch said. "We can't find anything in a pile of debris without a dog hitting on something to lead us in that direction."

Financial and logistical obstacles have often stopped or slowed the search crews since Katrina, Kirsch said. The recovery mission started shortly after the storm but temporarily shut down Dec. 10 because of lack of money, he said.

Search crews directed by the Army Corps of Engineers also checked the 2,100 flood-battered houses on the city's list for demolition. "We completed that two to three weeks ago," Kirsch said of the list, which includes about 1,600 homes in the Lower Ninth alone.

In the future, more money will be needed to send out search teams if houses are added to the demolition list, he said. "I know the fire department can't afford to fund it right now," he said.

The Atlantic hurricane season officially starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30.
Jennifer at 8:39 AM

I have some sad yet exciting news. I recently was offered a new job in NY and I accepted. Joe and I will be moving to Binghamton, NY in July. I'll be the new Associate Director of Campus Life for Campus Activities at Binghamton University.

The move is not necessarily Katrina-related. However, with that being said...I have to admit that I'm really hoping we get outta here before the Hurricane Season really gets crankin'.

With this move in mind, I've also decided to phase out this blog. I've been writing about my life in new orleans since 2001 and since I'm moving on I'm going to start writing a new blog. But I don't know what exactly it'll be yet. I know that I'm ready to live a more anonymous blog life so we'll see. For now, I'm just going to keep on writing about New Orleans and the move, and whatever else I choose to write about. For one more month.
Jennifer at 1:39 PM

Nagin re-elected
By Gordon Russell, Frank Donze
and Michelle Krupa
Staff writers

Nine months after Hurricane Katrina swamped his city and transformed him from virtual shoo-in to ripe target, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin eked his way into a second term Saturday, besting Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu to maintain leadership of a city still languishing in ruin.

Nagin, a former cable television executive who ran as a political outsider four years ago, overcame withering criticism of his performance in the months since the Aug. 29 storm. Acknowledging that the effort to restore basic municipal services has been painfully slow, Nagin has blamed the lack of progress on a failure of state and federal government to come to the aid of a city reeling from the worst urban natural disaster in American history.

With his victory, Nagin kept alive a 60-year win streak for incumbents and continued the era of African-American leadership in the mayor's office, which began when Landrieu's father, Moon Landrieu, left office in 1978.

His re-election means Nagin will remain at the helm of a daunting recovery effort through 2010, removing an air of uncertainty that even he admitted during the campaign has slowed the rebuilding process.
Jennifer at 11:23 PM

This is obviously MitchLand in Uptown.

So today is voting day. I think these homemade signs are the best. It's quite the festive atmosphere on St. Charles Ave. today. There are a ton of people out wearing candidate t-shirts and there was a brass band walking down the streetcar line. There are folks in trucks with signs driving around shouting and etc. It's pretty exciting actually.

ALSO - THIS IS SO FUNNY!
Here is a fake movie poster that incorporates everyone who has run for mayor into a movie scenerio.

Jennifer at 1:03 PM

Dear All,

Our colleges and universities in New Orleans are still
struggling to survive - some are doing better than others,
but the need is still great. On June 24, 2006 "A KATRINA
(Keeping All The Resources In New Orleans Alive) 5K
Run/Walk, A National Day of Support for Higher Education in
New Orleans - Turning the Negative into Postive" is being
conducted. This event is historic in that it is calling for
persons from around the country to participate and take an
additional stand of support for our schools. Many of you
around the country may have attended one of these schools or
know of persons who have. Again, the call is for persons
from around the country to register as honorary members of
the race and show a day of national support. We are hoping
that Presidents Bush and Clinton join us but we don't know
of this yet. Please pass the word on and see the attached
information. The website address is www.akatrinawalk.com.
Thank you in advance.


http://www.akatrinawalk.com/pages/2/index.htm
Jennifer at 8:18 PM

MITCH LANDRIEU and RAY NAGIN
The 60-Second Interview: Special Election Edition
by Chris Rose.
Jennifer at 1:04 PM

Everyone should really check out this interactive, very interesting graphic of the timeline of Katrina flooding. It's really helpful and it shows you the layout of the city so you can see where all these things happened.
Jennifer at 1:00 PM

Commencement speech to air on C-SPAN

James Carville's commencement address from the 2006 College of Music, College of Business Administration, and City College Commencement Ceremony held on Saturday, April 29, will air on C-SPAN television. The broadcast will air at 8:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 13. Carville, political consultant and analyst, saluted students for their commitment to return to New Orleans after the storm and desire to take part in something larger than themselves.

I might try to watch to see if I can see myself at all. I'll be in the back row behind Carville on his right.
Jennifer at 10:07 AM

Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and Cicely Tyson Among Movie Stars Touring New Orleans

Actresses Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Garner, right, applaud students during a visit to a school in New Orleans Monday afternoon May 8, 2006. The entertainers met with families and children who are trying to adjust to life after Hurricane Katrina. The group stopped at a newly opened "freedom School" one of 13 the Children's Defense Fund plans to open in Louisiana. (AP Photo/Bill Haber)
05-08-2006 6:03 PM
By STACEY PLAISANCE, Associated Press Writer

NEW ORLEANS -- In a gutted building with no interior walls, exposed pipes and no air conditioning to stave off the Louisiana heat, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Garner and Cicely Tyson chatted with children who had lost their homes, then watched as they sang, danced and worked on art projects.

The movie stars were among a delegation of women touring devastated parts of the city Monday to meet with families and children trying to adjust to life after Hurricane Katrina.

"I don't think you get a real clear perspective unless you come down and see it," Witherspoon said after chatting with students at a "Freedom School" set up by the Children's Defense Fund to help young storm victims.

"The children need attention right now," said Witherspoon, this year's best actress Oscar winner for "Walk the Line."

The visit was part of an effort by the fund to bring attention to the needs of storm victims, particularly traumatized children. The group plans to open more than 20 such schools in communities along the Gulf Coast: 13 for Louisiana and nine for Mississippi.

The New Orleans school is in part of the city inundated with 5 feet of water after Katrina hit Aug. 29. Many homes sit empty and deteriorating, and piles of storm debris still line sidewalks.

About 1.2 million people younger than 18 are living in areas rendered disaster zones by Katrina, and as many as 8 percent, or 100,000, are expected to develop post-traumatic stress disorder, according to various estimates.

Some experts say the mental health toll may be much higher. Of the first 1,000 children screened by the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 27 percent displayed symptoms of trauma, including nightmares, flashbacks, heightened anxiety and bedwetting.

"I've been shocked and heartbroken," said Garner, star of TV's "Alias" and the film "Elektra," who cried when the children danced and sang "Something Inside So Strong" by South African singer Labi Siffre.

Tyson greeted the children, then read to them.

"Let me tell you how happy I am to be here with you today ... to see you ... to hug you," said Tyson, who starred in "Sounder" and "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman."

The delegation of more than two dozen women from Hollywood, Washington and New Orleans chatted with students as they worked on art projects and read books in small groups. Listed participants included actresses Elisabeth Shue, Jane Kaczmarek, Holly Robinson Peete and LaTanya Richardson Jackson, wife of actor Samuel L. Jackson.

The delegation also met with displaced families living in a village of government trailers and took a bus tour of the Lower Ninth Ward, a struggling part of the city even before it was devastated by the storm.

High school and college students are trained and hired to work in Freedom Schools, which provide children with three meals a day, cultural and developmental activities, and conflict-resolution exercises.
Jennifer at 6:31 PM

Katrina cuts into New Orleans college admissions

By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAYWed Apr 26, 7:12 AM ET

In a year marked by uncertainty and upheaval, officials at New Orleans universities that draw applicants nationwide are not following the usual rules of thumb when it comes to college admissions.

The only sure bet, they say, is that this fall's entering classes - the first since Katrina - will be smaller than usual.

In typical years, most college admissions officials can predict fairly accurately by this point in the admissions cycle how many high school seniors will commit to enrolling in their institutions. Many of the most selective schools require students - who increasingly are applying to multiple institutions - to make their choices by May 1.

"I've been dean for seven years, and I've always had my class on May 1," says Debbie Stieffel, admissions dean at Loyola University, a private Jesuit institution. This time, "I probably won't know until" just before the fall semester begins.

Loyola, whose trustees will vote May 19 on whether to drop several degree programs and eliminate 17 faculty positions, received fewer applications - about 2,900 to date, compared with 3,500 in recent years. The school hopes to enroll 700 freshman, down from 850 in the past few years.

Historically black Dillard University, which is operating out of a hotel and was forced to cancel its annual March open house, also saw drops, as did Xavier University, a historically black Catholic institution that fell behind its recruitment schedule.

Dillard won't release numbers, but spokeswoman Maureen Larkins says applications were down and enrollments are expected to be lower than in the past. Xavier admissions dean Winston Brown says its applicant pool fell by about half of last year's record 1,014; he hopes to enroll 500 freshman.

In contrast, Tulane University, which is the most selective of the four and developed an aggressive recruitment schedule after the hurricane, enjoyed an 11% increase in applications this year, to a record 20,715.

Even so, officials predict that fewer admitted students will enroll and are projecting a smaller-than-usual freshman class - 1,400, compared with a more typical 1,600.

Tulane officials announced in December that they would eliminate some departments and faculty positions, and "we made a decision to decrease the size ... to ensure that we had adequate facilities and faculty," President Scott Cowen said this month in one of several online chats he has hosted to address concerns raised by prospective students and parents.

Like Tulane, other schools are taking extra steps this year to woo admitted students, often by enlisting help from alumni around the country and reaching out to students with more e-mail, phone calls or Web-based interactions such as blogs.

In addition, Loyola is relaxing deadlines, sweetening the pot with larger scholarships and freezing tuition at last year's level. Dillard, too, is freezing tuition. It's also hosting town meetings in target cities and regions nationwide, and moved its academic calendar back from August to mid-September "to avert the majority of the hurricane season," Larkins says.

Xavier extended its application deadline and stepped up its one-on-one contact with accepted students. And Tulane, among other things, has doubled the number of on-campus programs for accepted students and hosted a community service weekend program.

While the schools expect applicants to be apprehensive, the admissions officials also see encouraging signs of purposefulness among applicants.

"A lot of students who are choosing to come to this city (are) saying, 'I want to be a part of (the action),' " says Stieffel, noting that Loyola's transfer applications were up 30%.

And while applications to Xavier are down, Brown is betting that students who do apply are serious. "The ones who are applying, we feel, are more likely to come," he says.
Jennifer at 11:26 AM

Check this funny song/video out: Landrieu Years
Jennifer at 8:59 AM

NAGIN vs. LANDRIEU
Forman runs distant third; runoff set for May 20
Sunday, April 23, 2006
By Frank Donze
and Gordon Russell%%par%%Staff writers

Ray Nagin, the embattled but far-from-vanquished incumbent, rolled to a surprisingly comfortable first-place finish in Saturday's crowded New Orleans mayoral primary, finishing ahead of Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu in the first election since Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters changed the course of the city's history.

See how each candidate faired in each part of town.
Jennifer at 3:45 PM

DEBATE TONIGHT ON HARDBALL!!

WDSU NewsChannel 6 anchor Norman Robinson and MSNBC Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's "Hardball" have partnered to broadcast the only nationally-televised live mayoral debate at tonight 8:00 PM Central Time....
Jennifer at 3:36 PM

Oh man, Kimberly Williamson-Butler....you just don't get it. You cannot be elected mayor. You are crazy. Trying to pass off a Disney World set as the French Quarter was funny, but probably not the best idea. And it's not because you are a woman because Virginia Boulet is great and terribly smart. (Not to mention that I love that Bon Jovi song that plays on her website AND I dig that font).
Jennifer at 3:27 PM