When the Games are Over

I've been a Saints fan since I was old enough to know what football was. I'm talking about back in the days where everybody thought it was cool to laugh at the team. All my life I have been waiting for the Saints to go to the Super bowl. I figured if we just kept at it that eventually we would have a team good enough to get to the big game and all my years of pain and suffering would be rewarded.

Then Katrina happened. Ever since then I have been bombarded with images and stories from national and local media that somehow make it seem like it was my community's fault that things happened the way they did. I have also been shown that there isn't anyone in a big hurry to help us get our lives back together. There have been thousands of hard working African American residents that have came home, went back to work and spent their own money trying to put things back together. What do we get for our trouble? We get bad services, no assistance, and blamed for our leaders own ineptness whenever a few bad seeds do something wrong. It's the kind of environment that makes everyone I know sit around and wonder out loud if it was the right thing to come back here in the first place.

Tomorrow the Saints will play the Eagles. I will be rooting for the Saints the same way I have since 1979. I would like to thank Drew Brees, Deuce, Reggie Bush, Sean Payton and all the other coaches and players for doing so well this year that I actually got caught up in everything long enough to forget what the real deal was. Unfortunately, they did such a good job that they earned a bye week. In the two weeks since their last game I have been knocked back to reality enough to remember that no matter what happens during the playoffs when it’s all over we will go back to the usual. The schools will still be messed up. The Road Home program will still be jerking people around. The mayor will only show his face in public after the citizens he really cares about (the business community) gets upset. Every surrounding parish will show through their comments and actions why we had to wait for cities in an entirely different state to take us in from danger. Then in the summer, some teenager will shoot someone and our governor will say that's the reason nothing's been done since September of 2005 except for fixing where the Saints play.

I was an obsessed Saints fan for 25 years. I'm certain there are only a handful of people that know more about the team than I do. My daddy told me that one day I wouldn't care as much. I knew that would be when we held up the Lombardi trophy as Super bowl champs and all my crying and fussing would be vindicated. I was wrong. Katrina did it on August 29, 2005. I'm just a little too conscious, my neighborhood is a little too empty and I have to drive a little too far for groceries and health care for the Saints to make it all better. It's going to be so funny the week after the season is finally over and Tom Benson starts talking about leaving again.

I still love Drew Brees though! The score will be Saints 31 - Eagles 20.

I promise not to make any references to New Orleans crime in this posting........

After watching two minutes of the I Love New York show I now understand why Tiger Woods calls himself cablaisian. I don't really want to be 100% black anymore either. The real question is where did they find the white dudes. Those white guys on that show are giving white guys everywhere a bad name. I'm not trying to put anyone on blast but if you watched the first episode and have already memorized all of the contestants nicknames you might have a problem. The culture is dying.

Will people stop sending chain text messages and killing everyone's plan? We have enough of that on email. Do you know how much it cost to send that text message to 7 people including the person that sent it to you? What if I have a friend that didn't pay his bill? Do I have to write the message down and send it to him in the regular mail so he doesn't get bad luck? I need answers.

I have been listening to the Steve Harvey show this week for the first time in the morning and it is pretty entertaining....But I have been listening to C.J. Morgan since I was in the 8th grade here in New Orleans and he needs to be on the air. Can someone explain to me how Juggy has a job and C.J. doesn't? I don't know anyone over the age of 21 that likes Juggy on the radio. Thats funny to me because he is probably older than I am. Q93 needs to do the right thing and find a spot for C.J.

"Lose one, let go to get one

Left one, lose some to win some (You lost one)

Story of a champion, sorry I'm a championYou lost one"

If you ain't feeling that song you might have a problem.

Saints - 31 Eagles - 20

Beware of the Checkpoint!!

While I was writing the truth about crime in the city yesterday our great leaders unveiled their new plan to fight the rising violence in the city. One of the ideas from our dynamic leadership is to have checkpoints from 2AM-6AM (Isn't it strange that the people who claim to be the most afraid are against a curfew? If it was that bad in your neighborhoods you would have embraced a curfew. There’s no crime in the French Quarter.). We all know what checkpoints really mean. We all know where they are going to be (they won't be on St. Charles and Nashville.) That's why I am asking all black people in New Orleans reading this to please do all of your drinking, partying and creeping by 12AM and get your ass home. If you happen to work that late at night, keep your work ID on and have your check stubs in hand when you are driving. Make all of your paperwork is up to date and all of your lights work on your car. Don't be one of the undangerous negroes that are lined up in chains after the first checkpoint. These assholes need a good media image to show in place of real solutions. Nothing will make these tourist whores happier than pictures of a line full of niggas going to central lockup at 3AM in the morning.

If you think I am just tripping remember how Nagin fought corruption by lining up the cab drivers and the brake tag women the same way.

This is how hip hop is supposed to be when a rapper acts his age.

"Lose one, let go to get one
Left one, lose some to win some (You lost one)
Story of a champion, sorry I'm a champion
You lost one"

The Truth about New Orleans Crime

Once again New Orleans residents are marching on crime and demanding answers and solutions from local officials. This usually means that someone other than a young black teen was shot. The year has started really bad as there are more murders in the city than days passed. I have to admit that for the first time in my 32 years of living here I am kind of scared. There was a time when a person was murdered and it was drug related a robbery or there was at least an explanation for why the conflict started. Now people are getting killed and no one knows why. Citizens have every right to be scared and demand answers. After everybody marches downtown and some folks make speeches that get great applause and some camera time, we need to sit down and be totally honest about why crime is and will be at a high rate for a very long time. If we don't admit to these things then there will never be a true solution to fixing the problem.

1. The black community of New Orleans has been raised in and around a culture of violence for the last 100 years. We raise our boys and girls to fight for everything! It has always had a crippling effect on our community but it became destructive after the crack era and the lost of any type of family structure for many kids. We are dealing with a generation of young people that have been raising themselves since birth and have been fighting every step of the way. They have no social skills.
2. When you have a disaster recovery process that discourages homeowners and educated people from coming back home quickly, we had to know that the criminal element would come back first because they wore out their welcome in other places. Not only that, Central City was relatively dry and there was all kinds of murders there before Katrina. The city leadership should have known that and they let the same thugs along with some new ones go back and terrorize the same neighborhoods. Meanwhile, hundreds of teachers, nurses, and working class people are making their way in other places because they can’t find a decent house.
3. The way in which the state, and local leaders allowed us to attend public school in the conditions that we did and still do is immoral, criminal and racist. When I was in the 7th grade in 1986-87, my reading textbook (which all seven classes of reading had to share) was 20 years old. Would anybody be surprised if we didn't pass a standardized test created with material we had never seen? Kids from most New Orleans public schools make it in life despite that bullshit education and not because of it. You send hundreds of adults into the world without any skills to function in society and then you want to give them all the blame later like they were born that way. I refuse to listen to any government officials opinion on crime here until they admit that their failures for the last three or four decades helped contribute to this problem.
4. Ray Nagin, the entire city council, and anybody else that wants to get involved has to go to Washington and beg, plead, and demand some money for the criminal court system. I don't care if they have to go all the way to G.W.Bush himself they have to do it. I know this is asking for something incredible since our mayor only speaks once a month but we have to pay the attorneys and get things in order down there. I can't speak for everybody but I am not calling and reporting anyone if they are going to get right back out and come after me.
5. The black community has some serious problems but is too caught up with worrying about white people to take care of it themselves. In Central City there is damn near a murder everyday. The people never look as angry as the residents of The Marigny did last week when the doctor got shot. We have to stop accepting self destruction as a way of life just because we are disadvantaged. The time has come for us to admit that if Ms. Gladys grandson kills four people it's his own damn fault. We have to call and get his ass locked up. That leads me to number 6.
6. The New Orleans Police Department has never done a good job connecting with the community and can never really solve any crime problem. This has nothing to do with the color of the officer. The fact of the matter is that there aren’t a large number of people outside of the French Quarter and the Garden District that thinks the NOPD is here for their protection. Until we all figure out what needs to be done for citizens to embrace the police department there will never be the level of cooperation needed. One thing they need to do is get out of those cars and walk around. I think one of the reasons the National Guard hasn't had any trouble in New Orleans East is that they actually go in the stores and to the coffee shop like regular guys. They even say hi when you are next to them at the stop light or passing up your street. They are very not threatening even in uniform and hummers. NOPD officers always look like they are waiting to kick somebody's ass.
7. As much trash as we talk about wanting the streets safer, we can never really do everything we need because the need for tourist runs this place. Sure, a midnight curfew would probably help out the police a lot right now since there is a shortage of officers and they are trying to get things under control. There is no way the business community wants things downtown to shut down that early. They could always enforce a midnight curfew for all parts of the city except for downtown. That would lead to every bootleg community activist to jump up and shout that it's biased and unfair. They would be right too. Sometimes, you have to do things regardless of the money. If we are not willing to do that then let’s forget the whole discussion and keep being scared.

The Price of Staying Down

On Sunday night Darrent Williams a cornerback for the Denver Broncos was shot and killed in his limo in a drive by shooting. According to reports, Williams did not have anything to do with the confrontation that led to the shooting. I’m sorry a young brother with a bright future lost his life to senseless violence. Many young brothers lose their lives and future to the same kind of violence everyday on the streets. I place no blame at all on Brother Williams. He was just a young man out trying to enjoy himself and he should be able to do that. The question I do have is why does it seem like young, rich black people with legal money seem to hang out in the same circles as thugs anyway. I see photos and clips of young rich white people out all the time and no one ever gets shot. The reason is because they only associate with other young rich people and there is nothing wrong with that. You never hear about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears getting caught up in a drive by with some trailer park trash. Only young successful black people seem to want the same status as hustlers. In the black community, hustle money is legit money so you can get access by being paid even if you are a blatant criminal. You can even get the same status and women (something else I don't understand) entertainers and athletes get. The object is not to get up and get out but to get money. Call me a sellout if you want to, but if I get my hands on a few million you won’t see Pretty Toney n’nem at any of my parties. That’s the whole reason for trying to get paid in the first place. You are supposed to want a better environment than what you had in the old neighborhood. What kind of upward mobility is that? Besides, you can help the people of the old neighborhood a lot more if you are free and safe.

The NBA All Star weekend is always a ghetto fabulous event regardless of where it is. This year it’s in Las Vegas. I would not be surprised if some young famous brother got himself hurt trying to hangout with the leader of the Vice Lords or some pimp named Silky that weekend just to keep up his street creditability. We are all going to be there like one big happy family. Something is going to happen and no one is going to be surprised.

3 Thoughts On.......

The Danziger Seven

• 
  This is just what we needed with a recovery stuck in neutral and high crime rate. Anyone who knows the NOPD knows that those guys have been on edge for years and Katrina made it worse. I just hope we are not about to see a large epidemic of Blue Flu. Living here now is bad enough. I can only imagine what its going to be like with five cops showing up for work.


• 
  If I learned anything from the Duke lacrosse rape scandal it was to not say anything until all in information comes out. Our DA, police chief, and all other leaders in this area talk too loud too soon. The only people who really know right now what actually happened up there are the policemen and the people they were shooting at. Until we see all the evidence we should all be quiet. You can’t get too angry with Eddie Jordan. Some of those officers may have actually done something. It’s his job to bring them to justice if they did. You also can’t pass judgment on the officers just yet. There were allot of strange things going on during that week of Katrina.


• 
  Regardless of the outcome of this whole ordeal, we all need to remember one thing. The district attorneys office and the police department still have to work together for the citizens of the city. I would hate for criminals to get even more of a free pass because some officers took their time responding after being upset over this trial. That is the primary reason that I am giving Eddie Jordan the benefit of the doubt and thinking he must have something solid to charge these officers with first and second degree murder while his office is under the microscope that it has been. He has to feel he’s right because this move is political suicide if he is wrong.

I'm Ready

2006 is over and 2007 is here.

That means that I have to do me.

That means that it's time to get your house in order.

Less not opening mail.
More getting my business in order.

Less not calling my family.
More letting everybody know I am doing okay.

Less getting pissed at little things I can't control
More getting pissed at bigger things that I can help change.

Less watching clips on YouTube.
More reading

Less not being able to say whats on my mind.
More fussing, because that's what I do.

Less being more concerned about other people's situation than my own
More being focused on me.

Happy New Year!

An Example of the Difference

There was a C student who the Supreme Court made president even though more people voted for the other guy. Then he used the nation's outrage over a terrorist attack to send us to war based on bad information even though we didn't really need to at the time. Now we are stuck in this country in the middle of a civil war and more troops die with each passing day. The majority of the country thinks that this war is going bad and wants it to end. He has done such a poor job that the rival political party was able to take control of the House and the Senate primarily because of his performance. Even his own dad tried to save him by sending some of his old crew to help him out of the mess. After all of that, we are now waiting for the same man to come with a new plan to fix his old plan so he can take credit and repair his legacy.

This is one of those times where I feel comfortable in making the following statement....

America would never let a black man get away with this.

Bless you Boys...especially Drew

There is too much negativity in this city to mention.....

There is nothing short of winning the lottery that could ease the stress on our lives down here in New Orleans.....

We just re-elected a man that is about to be indicted for goodness sakes....

With that being said.........

Saints -42 Cowboys -17!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to think Drew Brees for finally making me feel like my team has a legitimate shot to make the Superbowl and freeing me from the curse of Aaron Brooks. Since I was 4 years old I have been waiting for a team like this Can we just make Drew the national spokesman for our city and lock Nagin in his office? Dallas, there was a train coming through driven by Sean Payton and you got in the way. We can wrap up the division Sunday against the Redskins. I'm still mad at them ever since Dexter Manley spit on Jim Dombrowski in 1987 and the referee didn't see it(no I never forgot that..yes, I am a serious Saints fan). On Sunday I will feel revenge when we win the division at their expense.

Ten Steps Backward

It appears that not enough people in the New Orleans Metro area are reading my blog. William Jefferson won in a landslide destroying Karen Carter thanks to the influence of irresponsible community leaders, low turnout and Harry Lee. There are two things to take away from this race.

The first thing is that there is hardly anything a black public figure can do to lose any public credibility. I don't know if he is guilty or not but Congressman Jefferson did have 90K of government money in his freezer. We now live in a city that has re-elected a man under investigation for congress, and a mayor that everyone laughs at. Yet, it's everyone else fault that our recovery is going so slowly. I personally thought that he should have stepped down and not ran again. I also don't think any local officials should have supported him. We already know that Nancy Pelosi and the new leadership in Congress is not going anywhere near him. That means it was selfish and for his own gain. It's kind of like when he came back during the flood, went to the crib in his own military truck to get some "paperwork".

The most important thing is that the numbers from this election prove why this area will always be a joke. Look at the numbers from Jefferson Parish. I know the people in Jefferson Parish don't like the fact that they look racist to the rest of the country after the Spike Lee movie. They may not be racist as much as they are stupid. There isn't a thriving major city in the country whose suburbs think they can function without the use of the big city. Nobody moves to Dallas and actually live in Dallas. They live in Irvin, Cedar Hill, Carrollton and places like that. They might not live in Dallas but they know what name drives the whole area. The New Orleans area is one place where people in the surrounding cities could care less what happens in it. They want to drive into work, make their money and fill the hotels so we can send the taxes to Baton Rouge, but damn if a few people try to cross the bridge to get to dry land(how come no one ever mentions that the first part of the Westbank is actually Orleans Parish?). What if we fired shots at everybody who came here during the day to work downtown? Now, these same people including their crazy sheriff chose to vote for a candidate knowing he will either get indicted or have absolutely no power in Washington just to get back at Karen Carter. Basically, the people of Jefferson sold the city out for a personal vendetta. Jefferson and Nagin together is like political suicide for the most part. They don't care what Jefferson does in DC because most of their houses are dry and their families are not split. Their side of the levee didn't fall. This is why the people that live in the New Orleans city limits cannot be tricked into buying into that regional approach bullshit. The regional approach is going to end up just like the levee system, public schools and every other thing. In the end the people living in the city will get the short end of the stick.

We have to educate and take care of ourselves. It's definitely not coming from our neighbors.

Goodbye Nigga

It would be messed up if Kramer was the start of a cultural revolution.

Paul Mooney said that he would give up using the N word on stage because of how it is now being overly used by black people and confusing everyone.

I agree with that.

Since I don’t believe in throwing stones in the glass house I feel the need to admit that I use the word at least 50 times a day. Sadly, I have used it to describe a certain type of behavior by people that look like I do. Which almost insinuates that no one except people that look like me do the things that make me use the word. That premise alone makes the use of the word unfair to myself. Plus, as a co-worker told me while having this discussion about the word, “who defines the difference between a nigga and a black man anyway?”. That was a question that I couldn’t answer. We are hypocrites. If a white guy says the word once we want to march and ruin his life. A black man can say it all day and it‘s ok as long as we think we are not included. When I was growing up I thought of myself as a black man worthy of distinction and great achievement. That might be because my parents addressed me in that manner. Is it possible that if we keep calling the brothers niggers then they will act in the way that the name signifies?
That’s why as of today I am starting my Anti-Nigga Machine rehab program. I am going to start eliminating that word from my vocab as soon as possible. I don’t want to define my brothers like that. Plus, there are better words to describe someone acting like he has no sense. If Paul Mooney can stop saying it and Richard Pryor can stop saying it that I can. We all need to stop saying it. That way, the next time somebody uses it as a negative term it will truly be negative and the ass whipping can be done without any feeling of hypocrisy.

It hasn’t been easy. I said it five times today out of habit. That’s still down from my average of 50 so I am making big progress.

Now, if I can just get over gentleman’s clubs, Crown Royal and uncut rap videos it will be all good.

Thoughts from a Cold Ass Friday

How does the temperature go from 75 degrees on Thursday to 45 degrees on Friday? I need to watch that Al Gore movie to find out what the hell is going on.

I've been looking at this civil war in Iraq. The Shiites don't like the Sunnis and the Sunnis don't like the Shiites. The Kurds don't even want to be part of the country at all. Somebody needs to ask the question is there any other way to run that country than the way Sadaam did? I would hate to have my son or daughter over there playing referee. In the ghetto when two people want to fight that bad, everybody gets out of the way and lets them go at it.

If the Road Home Program is any indication of how the state of LA is going to handle major disasters now and in the future, everybody living in this area needs to buy a U-Haul and just be ready to relocate when the next storm comes. There is no way you could go through this shit twice.

If you want to see something that is equal parts inspiring and disheartening, watch the clips from the public housing residents protesting the demolition of the projects. I am inspired that they want to come home, but shouldn't they be trying to get a regular house somewhere in the city? I'm sorry everybody. I just don't think we should be that eager to get back in there.

The New Orleans media is the most negative local media in the country and I am willing to bet money on this. The way to get by down here is to not watch the news because if you do you will feel stupid coming back to this awful war zone full of crime to rebuild your life. There is a strong racial undertone……..Then again, the assholes who ignored opportunities to better themselves in other places just to come home early, hang on the block and do the same dead end activities that lend themselves to crime and death don't really help my case at all.

In 2007 New Orleans will hire a new inspector general to review and oversee government affairs. I am predicting now that not only will this person expose years and years of patronage, they will also divide this place down racial lines politically even worse than Katrina did. It's one thing for the poor and disenfranchised to be abandoned during a flood. The leadership of this city can get past that. When you start looking into how those same leaders have failed their own people by taking care of their own political homies for years, everybody's going to put on their dashikis and their afro combs with the fist on them and scream "No Justice No Peace!" to the top of their lungs. Everybody who's white and ask questions in 2007 is going to be a racist. It's already started. Me personally, I hope it all gets made public so some of these people can get their heads out of their ass and stop putting the same people in office under the veil of this one sided black loyalty that has only made politician friend's richer and the community poorer and more susceptible to bullshit like Katrina and broken levees. Just because the other man did backhanded deals for 100 years before you got some power does not mean it's ok for you to do the same thing especially when your people were already in the hole when you took over.

If someone reading this is good at economics I need some help. I need to know why even when my income goes up considerably, I never seem to have any money or possessions to show for it. I can't understand it. I don't have any bling, no Escalade, no stocks, bonds, CD's, property or anything. I'm living the same way I was at minimum wage.............Maybe I am a crack addict and my supplier's product is so good I even forget that I bought and smoked it. I need an intervention or a budget director.

The Saints are 7-4 and in first place in the NFC South. We swept the Falcons and that overrated Mike Vick. For the first time since I was 10 and Magnum T.A was still a professional wrestler, I have a Caucasian hero. DREW BREES IS THE MAN! San Francisco, your ass is next. Tell T.O. get some extra rest in that chamber of his because on December 10 we are coming to Dallas and bringing the drama.

Who Dat Call Da Police

It appears the NYPD has had another "accidental shooting". I don't know what happened for sure but I have three thoughts. First, there were 50 shots. One officer shot 31 times. That means he had to empty his gun and either put a new clip in or pull another gun. I am sure that car wasn't moving by then. I can understand being nervous at that time of night but it takes some calm to reload a gun and empty it again. Second, they are in a car and only one person is driving. What if the passengers in the car didn't realize what was going on? They both got shot at least ten times too. Police officers are trained to shoot accurately and have to be qualified enough that they don't hit innocent people. Then, they were undercover policemen working in a gentlemen's club. I am pretty sure they didn't have on blue uniforms and badges. Those guys might not have even known they were officers at first. There is nothing to justify 50 shots unless some shots were fired back at them. Third, nothing is going to happen. The guy that ran out of the car before the shooting will either have a long rap sheet or will be found with a gun at his house that matches the one the first cop saw and the attention will turn to him. Meanwhile, no one will take what happened seriously anymore because some crazy leader like Al or Jesse will stage a march and cause a big media event when they should be meeting with the police reps in private to get some serious changes done.

It's foolish for the black community to think they can function without the help and protection of law enforcement. However, it is also wrong that the same safety, caution, and courtesy that is extended to the majority of the population not be given to the black community when it comes to how police do their job. Let's face it, a 92 year old white grandmother would have never gotten shot by the police. That breaks down the trust and we end up with the ineffective image of police officers that the community has. I'm not anti-police because when someone does me something I want help. Growing up in New Orleans, I have seen some bad things done by the police force. When something happens in the street and people see it, there is no guarantee that the person you are reporting the crime to isn't the person that sent the guy to do the crime to begin with. That's just something that stays in the back of your mind. I can honestly say that if I was in New York and it was late at night I would stop, park my car and not move a muscle if I was pulled over even if the officer asked me to step out of the car. You want me out of the car and see my ID? You better pick me up and take it out of my pocket. I'm not going to Heaven early because you don't have the nerves to do your job the right way.

Lynching...The Forbidden Topic

I have watched the "Kramer" clip a few times. I will forgive the people in the audience that were laughing because afterall it was a comedy club so maybe they were not sure what was going on. I'm sure there are blogs all over the internet addressing his use of the N word. There is no need for me to get into that part. I will say this. I think I speak for all black people....

We need the word "Nigger" often! We even have created a different spelling for it so it won't be so offensive when we use it. Since I hear it dozens of times a day I won't consider physical violence as a valid reaction towards Kramer going off. However....no one should ever make any comments about lynching. We don't even make jokes about lynching and we laugh at everything. That is off limits. When I hear talk of "being upside down with a fork up my ass", I want to get a big ass gun and wait for the revolution to start. There will be no Emmett Till repeats without some retribution. The only good thing about that night is that Kramer was yelling at some civilized brothers. It could have been some Professor Griff disciples in there that would have burned down the damn club. That might have been cool.

Now I don't feel bad about not ever watching Seinfeld.

The Dumbest Brother

The Votes are in!!!

All precincts are reporting...

It wasn't even a close race....

I am proud to announce that O.J. Simpson has been voted as the most stupid black man in America. There is not another black man in the history of this country that would be lucky enough to escape the death penalty for killing two white people and keep showing up on TV and writing books to rub it in their faces. Any other black man that would have gotten this lucky would have went to Europe or something and never came back. Even Micheal Jackson had enough sense to know that you get out of the way if you beat the rap and he thinks playing Twister with 12 year old boys is ok. Johnnie Cochran is looking at this somewhere wishing he would have let this dumb ass go to jail. I can't believe Fox was going to let this fool actually explain how he would have killed those people.

p.s.

Isn't it amazing that Fox News is the national propaganda machine for the conservative movement in the country but almost every other show they come up with is some sick ass piece of television. How do right wing people take this channel serious when they come up with stuff like the O.J. special and things like " Who Wants to Marry a 500 lb Midget" ? It just goes to show that people will roll with any form of media that says exactly what they want to agree with.

Kind of Scary

Gerald Levert was 40 years old when he had a massive heart attack last week. I would be lying if I said that didn't scare me a little. Gerald was not a small man. Neither am I. I'm not an extremely large man but I am not a little one either. I probably could use some excersize and a diet change. I really don't do anything healthy. I eat way too much fast food during the day and fried food at night. I stopped going to the park and all I do at work is sit behind a desk. Basically, I am just living my way to the same outcome as Gerald. It's hard to let go of bad habits that feel so good. Have you ever tasted Patton's hot sausage? Having a daily cocktail or two probably doesn't help either. Situations like that are not that cut and dry for me. Grandpa was damn near 300 lbs into his 80's and he never had trouble. Of course, I don't know if he ever ate fast food a day in his life. Then I come from that old school New Orleans frame of mind where pot bellys have sex appeal on the right person. Whatever the the case is, I have to make sure I don't put myself in any unneccasary danger. There's enough of that for a young brother already.

I said all of that and still had three porkchops for lunch.....

How can you do this alone?

In life you have circumstances that give you new perspective on some things. This week I have been blessed to get a new outlook on parenting. I just want to say to all the single moms or dads out there. You are wonderful people. You are wonderful for your restraint. How you guys get up every morning, get yourself ready for work and get kids dressed and ready for school for years and years without any breaks or killing the other parent is remarkable. I have been doing it for four days and I am ready to quit my job and be Mr. Mom just to keep from dealing with that every morning. Instead of putting deadbeat dads in jail for not paying their child support. They should make them have to do the morning preperation for 3 months straight. After that, he will gladly pay back support plus interest. If you really want to add some extra spice to the morning add the following equation.

1 bubbling stomach + 30 minutes over sleeping + one three year old that hates the sitter.

It's been a beautiful morning so far....

The N.O. Spotlight

I decided once a week to spotlight a New Orleans native doing great things. I know it's election night and most people are focused on whether the donkeys or the elephants get to steal some money. Instead of talking about that right now, I want to give some love to Mr. Ron Washington. He is the first black manager of the Texas Rangers baseball team AND he is a full blooded New Orleanian (looks like an uptown brother to me).

Congratulations brother Ron. I don't watch baseball all that much but dammit I am rooting for the Rangers.

We Just Ordinary People

I’m just an ordinary guy. I like nice things but it doesn’t define me. I am cool with a good barbeque pit, all the channels on the cable box and cold beer. During my adult life that frame of mind may have hindered my professional growth. The thing is that although I probably could be more advanced, I am totally comfortable and not going crazy like some you are. Don 't take that to mean that I don't want to grow and prosper. I really do. I just think I am a pretty great guy regardless. I struggle with this mindstate because I am usually the only one around that see's it like this. Everyone appears to be in a panic to change where they are except me.
Why can’t we feel good about just having jobs and doing regular stuff. We all need to keep getting bigger houses, bigger cars and bigger debt just to keep feeding that foolish notion that somehow that makes us better people. I can’t prove this but I think we are the only group of people in this country that are never happy being regular people. We are the people who spend money on things way out of heir price range to feel included. Look at our movies, books, schools, churches and television shows. Black people pay attention to the overly blessed and gifted or the drastically ignorant and poor. It’s the upper-class or the thugs with nothing in between. Nobody recognizes the guy that works for the sanitation department or the sisters that work in housekeeping doing what they have to do everyday and are not mad about it. We are expected to want to do better than our current situation. If you do anything less than that you are considered crazy. It’s the reason why brothers lie to sisters all the time about all the things they are planning to do when in reality they don‘t plan on doing anything. It’s the reason the sisters always pick the fantasy guy and end up depressed and unsatisfied. It’s the reason our young people would rather make some rapper who brags about having things they can’t afford their hero instead of the plumber that lives across the street. It’s the reason that same plumber feels bad sometimes for actually liking his job. Nobody around him wants to be who and where they are so something has to be wrong with him. You should feel good about an honest day's work and liking what you do. You shouldn't feel bad for enjoying your modest home and still living in the old neighborhood. The pursuit of material possessions has way too much power in determining our self worth. If you have the means to shine then by all means do so. If you don't have that ability right now, don't look at yourself any less because of it. If you conduct yourself in the right way, you can shine in a hooptie.

Clifton