I Wrote a Simple Song

If you don't know who the man in this picture is then I'll tell you. His name is Billy Preston and he passed away june 6, 2006. Though you may not know who he is you are probably familiar with some of his work.
He is one of the greatest keyboard and organist ever. He was also a great song writer and human being. Instead of writing a narrative I will just make a list of just a few of the things he did in his 59 years on earth.
-Wrote the songs "You are so beautiful", "Will it Go 'Round in Circles", "Nothing From Nothing".
-Played on 3 Beatles albums including Let it Be, The white album, and Abbey Road.
-Played at the Beatles last ever live performance, the "roof top" concert
-played with ray charles, including rays final album "Genius loves Company"
-played on several rolling stones albums including "Miss You"
-also played with Aretha Franklin, Sly and the family stone, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Nat "King" Cole, the Jackson 5, Bob Dylan, Barbara Streisand, Eric Clapton, Geaorge Harrison, Ringo Starr, Sammy Davis Jr., Quincy Jones, Jonh Lennon&yoko ono, and B.B. King.
-And so much more.

I know that this may not be of much importance to a lot of you that read this blog(if anyone still reads this blog) but I like Billy Preston and wanted him to know that his life and work are important to me. But, since he is not here, I'll tell you instead.

The title of this blog comes from a BP song Titled "I wrote a Simple Song". But not only did he write a song with this title but his most famous song, "you are so beautiful" is a very simple song with one verse. BUT, if you know the truth then you know that the song actually has a second verse. Why Joe Cocker chose not to use it is beyond me. I suppose the truth and heart in the first verse said all that needed to be said. Who Knows?

Because it's Carnival Time!

Happy Mardi Gras to you and yours! I hope you all are having a good time today. For those of you who are not celebrating today, I say shame on you. I had a brief mardi gras season this year. Two weeks ago I caught Krewe de Viuex in the French Quarter. If you've never been then you should. It is a treat. Other than that I caught the big Slidell parade Selene on friday, Endymion on saturady, The super bowl on sunday, Drove back to the bayou on Monday, and just got back from the Thibodaux mardi gras day parade. Let me just say that I had no problem finding a parking spot and there was no problem finding a place to watch the parade. On the other hand, the parade only had 10 floats. K had some work to do so I took Sadie with me. She spent most of her time sniffing out chicken bones on the ground. She was a crowd pleaser as usual. Many kids petted her, and she didn't mind. At least 10 people stopped to talk about her and tell me how beautiful she is and what a sweet temperment she has. I know, She's the best, but I try to be humble. Above is a picture of her wearing some of the beads she caught.

Let me take this oppurtunity to congratulate the New York Giants on a victory in "The Big Game". Well played.

One more thing. I also wanted to give a shout out to the Catholics and the French for coming up with this Mardi Gras thing. I think it is brilliant to have a giant party leading up to Lent. I also think it is genius to give me a week of from work just so I can go to a big party. I know I have sometimes had my differences with the Catholics and the French, but today I raise my glass to you. Umm, my glass of apple juice, that is;)

I like being a teacher, and here's why!

I like days off. Of course we all know that teachers are off during the summer, which is well deserved after spending 9 months locked in a room with 25-30 kids. And we also have the week off between Christmas and New years. But What I'm excited about is that it seems that I have days off every couple of weeks this semester. Here's the schedule.

School starts Jan 7th.
3 weeks later, off on the 21st for MLK Day.
3 weeks later, off a week for Mardi Gras.
5 weeks later. off a week for Easter.
then work 2 months with no interuptions till summer
Last day of school, may 29th.

I am off for a full week in Febuary and in March. Not too shabby!

Now don't get me wrong. I love my job and find it easy to get out of bed in the morning, but who doesn't love vacation. Especially now that I have a paycheck that will allow me to enjoy it!!

Something to say

Congratulations to the LSU fighting tigers fo their BCS championship victory of the Ohio State Buckeyes. I still don't like LSU but they did lay the smack down on the buckeyes, props to ya!

In other news, yesterday was my first day as a full time certified teacher. All in all I think the day went well. I am teaching world geography(9th grade). The students(I don't like to call them kids, though they are) are great. I think they are smarter than they think they are. I'm looking forward to helping them see that.

There is a new video of sadie over there to the right. I made a mini movie, check it out.

One hell of a season(and I do mean Hell)

No defense. No offense. And for some reason you kick the ball to Hester. Words can not describe the digust in my heart right now. I am using all the restraint I have right now ot to use a lot of profanity in describing this season. Instead, I will just say that my patience and faith are waivering right now. I will probably be gung-ho next season but today, as I sit here typing with bitterness in my heart and fingertips, I'm not sure if it will be the Saints that I am gung-ho about.

It's all a blur to me now.

The last several weeks have been really hectic. So here's my chance to let you know what's been going on. First of all, we went to thanksgiving at my Moms and there was a butt load of people. it was fun. The week after that was my last week of student teaching, I had alot of loose ends to tie up and managed to give a unit test on my last day. That's right, I am the meanest teacher ever! That is how November ended. Now it was time to get a job. I was waiting for some people to call but the phone just wasn't ringing so I tracked down the e-mail addresses of some principals in my area and told them about myself and that I would be interested in talking about any available positions. The phone started ringing. Initially it was just middle schools. Then Central Lafourche called. I went to see the principal and the meeting went well. He said he had a position that would start in January. I said I was interested. So, I worked as a sub the 3 weeks prior to Christmas break. I am looking forward to having my own classroom and torturing the youth of the bayou. I got my degree in education from UNO on Dec. 15th. yea me! My Dad, sister,and sisters boyfriend came down from Oklahoma. I thought that was nice of them. We, plus my local family and our friends from the mid-west, went to Liuzza's for lunch. It was delicious.
Christmas was nice. We kept it as low profile as possible. We were able to see a lot of family. Unfortunately we were not able to see my dad's side of the family, which is probably good, I don't know how many more BAMA jokes i can suffer through(and no, I'm not switching to LSU).

Here are the highs and lows of the past month.

The lows: Christmas shopping. It's not that I don't like Christmas shopping, it's just that I feel pressured to buy a gift for everyone. I feel like I am expected to get something for everyone I know. For example, if you go to a persons house for a christmas party do you have to bring a gift? Do you have to give a gift to your grandparents? I think Christmas could learn a few things from Thanksgiving. I mean it's just like Christmas but with out the stress of shopping and the depletion of funds from the bank(rupt) account. Well, and the baby Jesus.

The highs: Oh the food. Lots of food. Which is good and delicious, but after days of gorging myself could be considered a low. This year I solved the puzzle. I took Sadie out for a run everyday, except the day it rained, and instead of making a big plate I mades several small plates that I ate over a distibution of time. I still think I gained 5or so pounds but I didn't have that nasty bloated feeling. Another high was seeing family and friends. I hate that I didn't see all the family but you know what, I did what I could do. I still love you all, and hope to see you soon (especially you Maw-Maw, someone pass that message along for me please). And finally, one of the high points of the holiday season, other than getting a job, is the annual broadcast of "it's Christmas Charlie Brown" I especially love the scene where Linus tells the Christmas story, it chokes me up every time. If anyone asked me what Christmas is all about I would sit them down and make them watch it . The animated dancing also rocks. Finally, I took a few minutes this year to consider what christmas is really about. I Thought of that first Noel when the "Lord's boy" was born. I pictured the teeny tiny baby jesus in a manger, laying in his Bassinet wrapped in a onsey pj set with footies from baby gap, playing with his Baby Einstien moblie While Mary, Joseph, and the 3 wise-guys(yeah, they were from Sicily) have a Madden tournament on the Wii. Yeah, that's Christmas to me. It was a great month, It all seems to have flown by. It's all just a big blur to me now, except the heartburn.

The joke in the title is that the pictures are blurry, get it?

Coming Soon...

Hopefully I will have a chance in the next few days to put up a post about holidays and family. Or maybe one about finishing swchool and looking for a job. At any rate, stay tuned for loads of fun and lots of banjo music!

Greatest songs from the 80"s

Last night I was flipping through the channels and came across the countdown of the greatest songs of the 80's on VH1. So, I thouhgt I would make a list of my top 5.

5. Beat It/Billie Jean (Michael Jackson) Both of these songs are awsome. MJ completely dominated the airwaves and MTV when the Thriller album was released. He gets the number 5 spot for two reasons 1. They played these songs on rock, pop, soul, country, and every other radio station. The guitar solo on Beat It, played By Eddie Van Halen (what other reason did you need?).

4. Jump (Van-Halen) Because it's Van Halen, that's why. Also because this song was huge. Everybody was listening to it and it was on the charts and radio forever. It was like its own dimension. It had its of climate , it was huge, and it rocked.

3. Wild Thing (Tone Loc) Because The sample they used was from Van Halen's song "Jamies Crying". Also, because of the line "Couldn't get her off my jack, she was like static cling, But that's what happens when body start slappin', from doin' the wild thing". Classic.

2. Every breathe you take (the Police) When I was in 4th and 5th grade my brother and I, and other neighborhood kids, would go to the community pool to stay cool. Every day while swimming, and staring at the one particular lifeguard (i forget her name but think of it like the connection betwwen "squints" and Wendy Peffercorn in the movie "The Sandlot") this song would come on every day. In fact, it seemed like it came on every half hour. It has forever become know in the mind of my brother and I as a "Pool Song". There are several others but this is the greatest of them all. Unfortunately, it has no connection to Van Halen except that the band broke up in the 80's and the original line ups have gotten back together and are on tour right now (minus van halen bass player michael anthony who is currently being replaced by eddies son wolfgang).

1. Whip It (Devo) Crack that whip! Whip it! Whip it good!
What else do I have to say?

So, I hear there's a big game on today.

Sadie's ready!

I figure that some of you may be looking for a prediction. Well, I'll say what I have said since the begining of the season. LSU SHOULD win this game. But, they also Should have beat Kentucky. They also had close, laser close, calls against Florida and Auburn. The point here is that it's anybody's game. Of course I'll be pulling for Bama. I'm still not completely sold on Saban, but the more reading and investigating I do the less I don't like him (take a second to re-read that last sentence). I think this will be a good game. I don't think Bama's D can stop LSU's offense but they might be able to slow them down. On the other side I also think LSU can slow down Bama. It comes down to turnovers.

I plan to walk around quietly with my head down tommorrow and Monday But if Bama wins you will all recieve Taunting e-mails from me immediately after the game. Typical! And as always, ROLL TIDE!

Tourists!

Some of you may have read my post from several months ago where I talked about being in New Orleans really early in the morning and how nice it is. Well, I had an interesting experience lat weekend. K made a friend at her job and we were supposed to go down to Houma last Saturday to meet the new friend and her husband for dinner. So, we went down early to do some shopping. K's friend called to finalize the plan for later that night and we mentioned that we were already in Houma(because there is nowhere to shop in Thibodaux). So her freind said that she and her husband had planned to go on a swanp tour and invited us to go with them. Well, K and I are spontaneous outdoors types so we agreed. We went down bayou black and across the intracoastal water wayinto some swamp whose name I forget. Our 65 year old guide turns down a smaller bayou and cuts off the engine. He then starts yelling, "BAAAAABYYYYY". "Come on baby". I'm thinkg that this guy is crazy but after calling for only 5 seconds we see two alligators swimming towards us. Now, I grew up in south Louisiana, but we never saw alligator really close. I remeber hearing about them in the pond at Joe Brown Park(N.O. East) and hearing about them in the lagoons at city park and remember seeing one way off in the distance in Moonraker Lake(Slidell). The only time I ever saw one up close was at the zoo and the alligator farm in Kissimmee Fl, but I was 8 when we went there. In the last 5 years I have seen more alligotrs than ever. When I worked for Abita Springs Water I saw gators regularly while driving across bridges in Lacombe. I even saw a small one(three or four feet) swimming in a ditch as I drove down the street. I also watch a lot of discovery channel and animal planet, especially the shows about gators and the big cats. So, i feel like I know a good deal about alligators. So, i wasn't nervous about the alligators swimming up to the side of the boat. Even though there cold dark eyes seemed to be penetrating my soul with every intention of devouring my flesh(I guess gators like italian food), I wasn't really nervous. Then-there's always a then- The guide drives the boat further down the bayou. At this point I'm expecting to hear banjo music. He parks the boat against a bank and proceeds with the calling of the gator. "BAAAAAAABYYYYYY", "Come on baby". Come on Jean, Come on Robert(French pronunciation - Ro-bear) and yes on of them did come. But instead of feeding the gator while it was in the water, he lured it up onto the bank which the boat was up against. The rail along the boat was about 6 inches higher than the bank and the gator was only about a foot or two from the boat. I'm thinking, "that gator can easily jump into this boat. So, the other people on the tour(Our friends are from Indiana) who were not with us were from San Diego, and they love there Budweiser select. These fools are jumping around the boat trying to get a better picture angle. meanwhile the gators looking nervous and the guide keeps calmly reminding these people not to make any sudden movements. Honestly, I was hoping one of the guys would slip out of the boat just to see what this 6-7 foot gator would do. But it didn't happen. It was the closest I've ever been to an alligator and even though it was only 6-7 feet it was still intimidating. It was a great experience. However, I made a point to avoid shaking the guides hand when we were done. He fed the gators raw chicken parts barehanded but didn't use any soap or hand sanitizer when he was fininshed.
We also got to see a bald eagle close up in the wild. This was the third or fourth time I've seen a bald eagle in the wild but never so close. It was an amazing site. It's easy to see why someone would use the eagle as A mascot or symbol. It is strong, graceful, powerful, and looks very dignified and stately.
I tell you this story because I don't know how many of you who live down here in south Louisiana have ever been on a swamp tour. Alot of the stuff the guide told us I already new and I was able to give extra info to our new friends from Indiana. I sometimes find myself falling out of love with Louisiana, last Saturday the love returned. There are some really great things about this state. From it's colorful characters to it's unique wildlife to it's diverse musical styles. There is a lot going on in this state and it's a beautiful thing. It's easy to get caught up in the negatives. Every once in a while it's good to let someone else show you around your own neighborhood. There may be things there that you never knew. Be a tourist, take a day off and see what your neck of the woods has to offer. Just remember to bring hand sanitizer

I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

This could be the weekend the LSU loses. Kentucky is playing well. They are at the top of the SEC East, and they want to stay there. There coming off a loss to South Carolina and are looking to take out there loss on todays opponent. Also, they can score points. So, what I'm saying is that this is a dangerous game for the tigers. But, LSU clearly has more talent than the wildcats and are also playing well. LSU should win, but, it's been a crazy season. My prediction is a 3 point game with the winner scoring the winning points with under a minute to go. then, like with the florida game, the other time starts to drive it fizzles out around mid field, or even more likely, in their desperation the throw an interception. Good luck to all the kitty cat teams today and as always-Roll Tide.

ps. Bama over ole miss by two touchdowns (I hate ole miss).

Purple and Gold (Part 2)

So, I mentioned in a previous post that I did not own a single purple and gold shirt. I also stated that the only way I would get one is if the school I'm working at either started paying me (as in when I finish student teaching) or that they give me one. Well, they gave me one. I recently started working with the football team, mostly the freshmen team. The head coach(varsity) gave me both a shirt and a cap. The baseball coach provided me with an extra hat, one of the practice hats I believe. As a coach I don't have much responsability yet (since I joined on in the middle of the season) but I am steadily working my way up. At the first game (varsity) I was responsible for not getting in the way. That happens to be my specialty. This past friday, I recieved a very important promotion. With threatening skies stalking ominously above us, I was given the responsibilty of caring for the head coaches raincoat. Again I excelled. Just as the first drops began to fall, as the teams were warming up, the new young coach (that's me) sprinted across the field. Showing flashes of his glory days at Gorretti playground (in the East baby!), he dove below the water table and into the equipment bag. He was as a streak of lightning as the head coach recieved his protective covering at midfield before even the first drops had time to soak into his Nike Dri-fit shirt. The coach was dry, our heroes work was done. Minutes later the sprinkle ended and the jacket returned to its place in the equipment bag where it remained for the rest of the night. We lost the game, But I remain undefeated in my conquest of protecting the coach from the elements.

It looks like next week I'll be recieving another promotion as I make my way into the press box to work as a spotter for the defensive staff. With my trusty Bushnell binoculars in hand I am sure that not a wideout or flanker will pass un-noticed onto the field beneath me.

I'm not sure if I'm wearing purple and yellow or purple and gold in this picture. But, I will say that is probably the most comfortable shirt I own.

I felt so symbolic yesterday.

Some times I don't understand things. One example is the title to this post. It's a line in the counting crows song "round here". What does it mean? what does it feel like to feel symbolic? I don't know.
What I did feel yesterday, was like a teacher. A real teacher. I'm not sure what it was but I actually felt like I was truly in control of my classes and I felt like real work was being done and learning was taking place. It felt good and I was proud of myself and proud of my students. I felt like I was really prepared and that I was properly preparing them for the upcoming test.
Today, was a good ay as well. The odd thing is that 2nd period I have a class of 11 students who all seem very bright and capable. I expected them to be my best and easiest class to deal with. Instead, they are wearing my patience very thin. They have about a 10 second attention span. That class is followed by a class of 30 that I fully expectd to be the class from hell. Truth be told, other than the fact that the room is packed to the gills, it has become my favorite class. The students in this class are among the lowest achieving that I teach. But, they are never disrespectful and when you get them engaged in an activityb and they get started, the room falls completely silent and the only sound you hear are pencils scratching away on paper. I often find myself not wanting to interupt them for fear that they will get out of "the zone".
The lesson here is that you can't really judge someone, or a group of someones, until you get to know them. I rushed to judgment on these two classes and have been humbled by my actions. The lesson here is that you should not rush to judgement. especially if you don't know who, or what you are talking about.

Purple and Gold

For starters, if you say your colors are purple and gold then you should actually where gold. The saints, for example, wear black and GOLD. LSU, however, wears purple and YELLOW. Thats probably why I don't like LSU, because their YELLOW.

But, the reason why I bring this up is that Friday was Spirit day at Hahnville and the teachers and students were encouraged to wear purple and gold to support the team. I however, do not own anything purple and gold (I also don't own anything purple and YELLOW). So, I wore a blue shirt because I sure as hell wasn't gonna go out and buy something with purple and YELLOW on it. But I will say this, I'll wear what ever they want if they hire me in december. But until then I will continue my purple and YELLOWless life style with a big smile on my face.

For the LSU fan's reading this let me just say that your team is looking really good right now and they are very worthy of their #2 ranking. As usual, LSU is number 2, ha ha you're number 2.

For more information on the picture above go to my blog entry from September 27, 2006.

Random rusings about television

At one point in my life I went for a little over a year with out cable. Truth be told, I didn't really miss it. I had a make shift antenna that allowed me to pick up 4 channels. I watched a lot of Bonanza that year. It's amazing to think that Hoss and Little Joe could be related. Since that time I have lived with and without cable. At one point I even had free cable for a little over a year. Then, the cable gods sent their wrath upon me and I was smit off the cable. So, now we have cable, which we pay for. We get 78 channels, but there never seems to be anything good on. Now, I am happy that we have cable during football season but because there are no good tv shows on I constantly rely on football as my entertainment. As a result, I am already getting tired of watching football. The ladies reading this are probably thinking that its amazing that a man would get tired of football and the guys are probably thinking that there is something wrong with a man who gets tired of football. So, let me clarify. The problem is that there is absolutely nothing worth watching on tv. For example, the one show that I feel I must watch on weekly basis is "the rock of love" on VH1. For those who haven't seen it, its like a rock and roll version of "the Flava of Love" that features Brett Michaels (of Poison fame). So how sad is my life? pretty bad eh?
Last night K and I couldn't find anything to watch so we actually watched a show called "desicion house". The premise of the show is that couples who are having problems come into the house and have 3 days to decide if they want to work on their relationship or get a divorce. What's more entertaining the watch people fight about wether or not to get divorced? It seems sad to me that there is so little good on tv that a network would actually show a program like that.
I know that reality shows are all the rage but maybe would should draw the line somewhere. I mean whats next?
What it all comes down to is that we have become to reliant on the television to entertain us. we can't create our own fun anymore, we can't communicate with each other anymore.
So should we just turn off the tv? Well, that's up to you. As for me, I'll be watching the Alabama Vs. Arkansas on Saturday and the Saints and Buccaneers on sunday.
But, when the games are over and their is nothing good on, I will start turning in off and spending a little more time with K and Sadie-Head. After all they are what really matters.

Old School, or old and at School

It's been about 2 weeks since my last post and I feel like I should post some sort of update. But, I don't have anything planned. So, let me kick it freestyle for you one time. I will try to sum up the last 2 weeks for you in a freestyle rhyme(i will type what ever comes into my head, rap style, with nothing planned).
Here we go!

(Insert drums and bass line here)

so its been a while since i updated my blog
so you haven't seen new pictures of me or my dog.
I've been a busy boy, I haven't done much sleepin'
but if you you know me you know I'll never miss eatin'.
I moved from by the river in baton rouge
now I live in thibodaux on bayou lafourche.
I'm teaching 9th grade geography at Hahnville high
where the have gators on the campus and that ain't no lie.
I'm liking what I'm doin and thats a good thing
cause student teacher don't get paid that means no cha-ching.
so my pockets may be empty but thats allright
at least my pockects not weighed down when my wallets light.
its not an easy gig some kids can be a pain and that ain't cool
it's probably karma goin round for how I used to act in school.
so its thursday now and we're about to start labor day weekend
and just in time cuz this kids are driving me to drinking.
But let me let you know I love it and I'm doing fine
and though it wasn't much I hope you liked my rhyme.

Peace, I'm outta here. word to ya mom inem!

Reflections on the art of slinging hash

Lat night was my last night at the Olive Garden. I am now officially retired from the restaurant biz. I'm done and will never, ever, work in food service again. Hmmm, sounds like I've heard that line before. Oh yeah! I said it twice before, the last time being when I left Salvaggio's. Of course Katrina messed up my cushy warehouse gig and sent me to the OG. But this time things are different. I start my student teaching on Monday and should be able to parlay(sp.?) that into a teaching job come January. If not then I'll work as a substitute until I land a gig. So let's recap the places I have worked(food related) and in chronological order. I will give dates to the best of my recollection.
1.1997-98 Johnny Rays BBQ, Oh how I miss the chocolate pie and delivering catering orders in the pig van
2. 1998-2000 Olive Garden, Tuscaloosa. This was also the only time in which I have ever been "terminated" from a job. it's true, I got fired(long story-not my fault).
3.2000-2001. Alabama Grille, Tuscaloosa. I liked eating there but working there was terrible. on the bright side, they had awesome homemade cake and it was in walking distance from my apartment.
4. 2001-2002(maybe 2003) Lone star Steakhouse, Tuscaloosa. These fools actually let me be a manager.
5. 2004 Salvaggios, Slidell, La.-Best thing about this place was that it got destroyed by hurricane katrina. I know that seems like a really mean thing to say but the boss (not mr. phil) was a complete jackass. I have never in my life wanted something bad to happen to a person. I take that back, this was the one time.
6. 2006 Olive Garden, Slidell. I will give them a pass because I worked there when they re-opened after the hurricane and things were crazy everywhere. But, there were some really nice and memorable characters there, as well as some complete DA's.
7. 2006-2007 Olive Garden, Baton Rouge. By far, my favorite restaurant experience and I credit that to my co-workers, you guys (remember the time I got yelled at for saying "you guys" on my first day?) made it tolerable and sometimes even fun to come to work. I will not miss the job at all but I will miss the lovable band of characters who I proudly call friends. I also give credit to the management team. The group at the BR-OG is the best management team I have ever worked around. I I must give special mention to the general manager, Lorin Bray. Mr. Bray was the best manager I have ever worked for, with, or around. It was my honor, and I do mean honor, to call him "boss".
I have spent a good amount of time in the biz and have seen and heard a lot of things. But as I am in a reflective mood I would rather relate to you what I have learned rather than just random anecdotes.
One of the things I have learned is that it is much better to listen than to talk. Those who know me know that I can be the center of attention, but I have learned that it is a better idea to put the spotlight on others, to make them feel like they are the most important person in the room. That is how you develop relationships, and get fat tips.
I have also learned that if someone tells you that you are the best server they have ever had, it really means that they gave you a crappy tip. The verbal tip is the sign of monetary death.
Probably the thing that I have taken away from my food service experience more than anything else is that nothing beats a smile, a joke, and eye contact. In all of my years of services I had one customer complaint. Yes, only one. And I got that when I dropped a glass of ice on a little kid. Oddly enough, the parents didn't mind at all but a guy eating with the family felt that we should buy the entire meal for the entire table(by the way, the kid was not injured and by the end of the meal he had become my "little buddy"). Some people will use any opportunity to get something for nothing.
To those of you who work in the biz, remember that the people at your table or at your bar pay your bills. Be nice, try to make their day a little better, hopefully they will help make yours better.
to those of you who are sitting at the table or bar, remember that you help to pay your server/bartenders bills. If you leave nothing-they make nothing. servers make $2.13 an hour and due to the way taxes are set up they typically get a voided paycheck each week. That means zero dollars of hourly wage. They live on what you leave. Many of them are working their way through college on this money, some are single parents trying to raise a family on this money, the list goes on and on.
The point to all of this is just to say that I'm glad it's over for me. I look forward to being the one doing the eating for a change.

Although I do not remember all the names and faces, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who helped by my bills and tuition. And, to all of you who fought with me on the front line, you will always be in my heart. Always.

The Season Draws Near

Go ahead and laugh, I laugh at it myself. Some may say that I was a band nerd. Alls I'm saying as that chicks dig the uniform(especially the cape). So, football season draws near. I am excited! I think it's gonna be a great year for football fans here in south Louisiana and for those in Tuscaloosa as well. Let's begin with the NFL. Our beloved Saints have a lot of talent on the roster this year, particularly on offense, and if nothing else they will be fun to watch. Now don't misunderstand what I am saying. It's gonna be a tough season. Our schedule may not look terribly difficult but we are slated play some very tough teams. True we get to play Atlanta twice and 3/4's of their offense we be in court while we play(refering to vick, for those who may have been under a rock for the last 2 months). But, Atlanta isn't known for scoring a million points, they rely on a stout defense. Also you better believe that they will be out to prove that they are more than a one trick pony. What bodes well for the black and gold as that they can potentially score from anywhere on the field and with the talent we have can stretch the field and create a lot of mismatches and one-on-one scenarios. Defensively, I think we are stronger this year. It's still early in preseason and I fully believe that many of the issues we are most concerned about (DB's) will work themselves out as opening night approaches. The predictions on the saints vary. If your asking me, I am thinking that we will be somewhere around 11-5 and deep into the playoffs. How deep? I will not speculate, but I will say that this team is one of the most dangerous in the league, and I mean that with both good and bad contexts. If we lose Brees, We're dead.

Turning to the college ranks. I think it will be an exciting year nationally. There are a lot of powerful teams ready to stake their right to play in the national championship game. But beware, Rutgers and Boise State don't plan on slipping back to anonimity. That's not to say that they are going to the big game, rather, I am suggesting that there are some other school who are ready to make a jump into the spotlight. Rutgers and Lousville will have an affect(effect?) on things. Also watch out for some bottom dwellers who are gaining strength. Kentucky will be a factor in deciding the SEC East. They will upset at least two of the big dogs in the east this year(though I'm not sure which two). Also, Watch out for the PAC-10. We all know about USC but UCLA is tired of playin the little brother role.

But let's talk about the issue that you all really want to hear my take on. LSU @ Alabama. Let us take off our purple and gold or crimson colored glasses. You and I both know(though we may not publicly admit it) that this game could go either way. Yes, LSU has been rather dominant the last several years and Alabama has been hit and miss, but this will clearly be a game of emotion. Alabama players understand how much LSU wants to win this game. The boys in Crimson and white love their coach and their university and will not die easy in this game. On the flip side, The tigers are taking this game personally(I'll write a post on that some other time). They want this victory more than a natioanal championship. You think I'm just saying that but trust me, I hear lots of things while working at a very popular Dining establishment here in tiger-town. So, let's turn our attention to the field of play. LSU is a little sketchy at QB. They have talent there but are unproven thus far. They have lost several recievers and coach miles continues to make comments that someone needs to step up in that role, we'll have to see if someone does. In terms of running backs there is no clear #1 but there seems to be a hundred #2's. Defense, where they have been simply dominant the last couple years(minus that big oops against Tennesee 2 years ago) should be pretty strong again. But with the loss of some of their top players I would not expect them to be the fighting tigers you have become used to. They will give up some points this year, not alot, but they will not be able to stop everyone, everytime.

As for BAMA. They didn't look great last year but they did have a lot of young guys get alot of experience. Their QB started every game as a sophmore and has proven that he can make every throw in the playbook. Also, he remains calm and rarely makes mental mistakes. The offensive line returns all 5 starters (I think they were mostly sophomores last year). The running back situation is alot like LSU's. No one seems overly dominant but there are several guys who, unlike LSU, seem ready to take the #1 back position. Recievers are an issue at BAMA. They have some guys who can flat out fly but may not be the most reliable and some guys who will catch everything but lack big play speed. It'll come down to play calling to maximize what they have. Finally, the defense. Alabama has always been a defense first school. They, however, lack the dominance that they had even 2 years ago. However, the do have a couple of playmakers who can force turnovers and make big stops. All in all, they will be similar to LSU in that they will appear dominant at times and be like trying to eat soup with a chopstick other times.

So, this brings us to the issue of coaching. I will tell you who has the edge and why. But read what I have to say before unleashing your verbal assault in my direction. It think LSU is ahead of the curve on the coaching side because Les Miles has been there for a couple of years and his way of doing things is routine their now. But he has several new coaches on staff, including coordinators which means that the tigers are having to install some new systems. Alabama also has alot of new coaches this year including Nick Saban (who, though I love BAMA, i am not really a fan of). I have given this much thought and after the waying all of the issues, pros and cons, etc. have determined that Alabama has a better coach than LSU. DON'T START YELLING YET! Heres my justification for saying this. When Saban left LSU, tiger fans hailed him as the greatest coach in their history(yes, you did. be honest with yourself). In Les Miles' career at LSU he has been criticized repeatedly for being inferior to Saban(you may not want to admit it now but again, you know I speak the truth). And finally, Why is LSU taking this game so personally? because they are seeking not to prove that they are better than Alabama, but that they are better than Nick Saban. LSU, by their own actions, have determined that Saban IS a better coach than Les Miles.

My prediction for the game-like I said, it could go either way. I'll give you my pick the week of the game. I will say that at this point I lean towards LSU, but hat could be because one of my legs is longer than the other.

OK, let the swearing begin.

Thanks for your help.

We found a place. Probably less than a mile from K's job, that's good for K. It's about 30(ish) minutes for me. If anyone finds themselves in the area give us a call. Again, I'd like to apologize for using the blog as a classfied section but we can now get back to our regularly scheduled program. However, I can't post any musings just this second, I gotta pack some boxes. Oh, we're moving on the 16th or 17th, we're not sure which yet. go bye bye!

It's been a while since I posted any pics of Sadie. His one of her napping on "her futon". What a cutie!

If you can help!

I hate to do this, but it seems that Kristi and I need to move to the Thibidoux area. If you or someone you know has a house for rent in the area(Thibidoux, Houma, Raceland, Lockport, Des Allemands, etc...) please let us know.
Sorry for the shameless advertisement but desperate times call for desperate measures.