The Big Easy does it!

Well, we boarded the Amtrak 'Crescent' at 830 am last Saturday, bound for New Orleans. I should explain that my father worked for the railroads most of his life, including Amtrak, so I grew up in and around trains my whole life. If anyone here is clamoring for Government Sponsored health care, I suggest a trip to the DMV or a ride on the ol' Amtrak train, which was 'nationalized' in the 70's.

Our train was scheduled to arrive in NOLA at 830, but we got in 4 hours later! The locomotive broke outside Anniston, Alabama, and that was just one of our 'adventures'. The personell on the train aren't exactly
'sociable', either. I guess I wouldn't be a ray of sunshine if I had to work on this nightmare. Add to that a bunch of UGA fans drinking on the train on the way to the UGA/BAMA game, and it get's stickier. If the game wasn't a night game, you would have seen a full fledged riot on the tracks. I'm serious: these people would have jumped right off the damn thing!

After they departed ( UGA won the game in OT )a gaggle of fine fellows got on that were drinking as much as Mico and I. That's saying something. It turns out they were a 'bachelor party' en route to NOLA for a night of drunken debauchery!

Mico and I got off the train and beat it to Lafitte's to perform with the incredible Mike Hood. Mike has a keyboard delivery that calls to mind the more 'strident' pinetop pioneers of the crescent city: a little DR John here, a little Fats Domino there...You get the idea. I see big things in this guys future.

Mike lives in a sweet apartment on Bourbon Street, just steps from Lafitte's, and we ended the morning with a grand old party before we hailed a cab to take us back to the train from hell. But thanks to Mr Hood and Lafitte's for showing us such a good time.

I'm taking the weekend off even though Mudcat is playing at the Northside..Time to recharge the batteries. I may go to the Falcons game on Sunday, though.

Keep checking back for more crapulence!

E

New Orleans

Big shout out to Mike Hood and the Crew at Lafitte's Blacksmith on Bourbon street for hosting Mico and I. We are sorry Amtrak got us there 2 hours late! But a great time was had by all. I cannot figure out how to post the pics, because they are TIFF files, but it's probably for the best!!

Do you know what it means, to miss New Orleans?

The ugly stick

Rosie O’Donnell used to break her own limbs with either a baseball bat or a wooden hanger when she was a child. This revelation, as well as many about her experiences on "The View" last year, is contained in a new book she’s written due shortly called “Celebrity Detox.”

And get this: this attention seeking walking petrie dish snubs OPRAH to do an interview with Dianne Sawyer. I guess Sawyer has better caterer's!

Off to NOLA this weekend with Mico ! Look for us at Tipitina's w/ the Dirty Dozen, and then @ Lafiite's on Bourbon for the drunken 4 th set!

sure...there's no media 'bias'

NEW YORK The New York Times is denying a claim by rival New York Post that it deliberately slashed ad rates to run the now-controversial MoveOn.org full-pager earlier this week to combat Gen. David Petraeus's testimony before Congress.

A Post story today asked why the Times slashed its basic full page ad charge of $181,000 to about $65,000, which MoveOn says it paid. The ad, criticized by conservatives and war supporters, asked, "General Petraeus or General Betray Us?"

But Reuters reports that Times spokeswoman Catherine Mathis denied the rate charged indicated a political bias. "We do not distinguish the advertising rates based on the political content of the ad," Mathis told Reuters.

"The advertising folks did not see the content of the ad before the rate was quoted," she said, adding that there were over 30 different categories of ads with varying rates, based on, for example, multiple buys and other factors.

GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani joined the fray today, asserting that he is asking The Times for the “same heavily discounted rate they gave MoveOn.org” for a campaign ad this week.


POST:

According to Abbe Serphos, director of public relations for the Times, "the open rate for an ad of that size and type is $181,692."

A spokesman for MoveOn.org confirmed to The Post that the liberal activist group had paid only $65,000 for the ad - a reduction of more than $116,000 from the stated rate.

A Post reporter who called the Times advertising department yesterday without identifying himself was quoted a price of $167,000 for a full-page black-and-white ad on a Monday.

Serphos declined to confirm the price and refused to offer any inkling for why the paper would give MoveOn.org such a discounted price.

the 'quirky' kid

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20657188/site/newsweek/


Just back from the beach~ where the birth of aviation was born

Look for me this Friday at Darwins w/Mudcat and Saturday at Steinbecks w/ Mico