Friday, January 29

Defend Who Dat!

If you don't know already....you should... Count the NFL among the growing members of the WHO DAT NATION. After all, they own the phrase -- or so they say in cease and desist letters sent out to at least two local T-shirt retailers earlier this month. In letters sent to Fleurty Girl and Storyville, the NFL ordered the retailers to stop selling a host of merchandise that it says violates state and federal trademarks held by the New Orleans Saints. Among the long list of things the NFL says is off-limits without a licensing agreement are some obvious violations like the official logo of the Saints and the team's name. But the one that stands out is "Who Dat." Who knew? The NFL, noting a 1988 trademark the Saints registered with the Louisiana secretary of state, says it has exclusive rights to the phrase and demands that the retailers stop selling it. The Saints claim it has owned the "Who Dat" trademark since 1988. Obviously the NFL has fallen in love with Who Dat because, the day after the Saints beat the Vikings, the league filed to register the phrase "Who Dat" with the Florida Department of State.
Give it up NFL, Who Dat belongs to the ages!!!

Monday, January 25

Buddy Diliberto famously vowed to don a dress if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl.
The legendary sportscaster died before he had a chance to make good on that promise, so we asked our artists, with the Diliberto family's blessings, to imagine the scene in heaven after Sunday's historic victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Behold the Super Bowl-bound Buddy D, clicking his heels and giving the angels an eyeful.

By Times-Picayune Staff

Good Day!

Birthday Treats...
Yummy Petite Fours
Delicious Ice Cream
Savory Mozzarella, Olives, and Artichoke Hearts
Breakfast Brunch: Banana Foster French Toast

Sunday, January 24

Miami Bound

People in the Streets! Cars are honking! Fireworks going off all over! Cheers Saints!!!

Who Dat!

Happy Birthday To Me

Saturday, January 23

Saturday, January 9

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Another HARD FREEZE tonight! Today's high was only 31 and it's already 26 outside now. This was the frozen water from the splatters of my outside dripping faucet. It's COLD, but luckily no busted pipes so far!

Movie Night

Went to go see AVATAR at the IMAX in 3D with the ladies Friday night. Got a little carried away with the glasses and the camera.

Wednesday, January 6

Phunny Phorty Phellows

All this revelry is in keeping with the motto printed on a Phunny Phorty Phellows 1896 bulletin: “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men!” The Phunny Phorty Phellows first appeared on Fat Tuesday, 1878, when they began the tratition of following the Rex parade. Since that time, the Phunny Phorty Phellows have made distinguished themselves as one of the liveliest additions to Mardi Gras with their hijinks and well-meaning mockery of the day’s events (one 1881 float depicted Rex’s traditional symbol, the Boeuf Gras, as a heifer). The original Phunny Phorty ceased parading and ultimately disbanded in 1885.In 1982 the Phunny Phorty Phellows became the official heralds of Mardi Gras with their Twelfth Night ride in a traditional New Orleans streetcar announcing that, at last, the pre-Lenten season of “phun and phrivolity” had arrived.
Humor and whimsy are still very much a part of the Phunny Phorty tradition with some members favoring costumes inspired by current events and the peculiarities of local culture. Masked revelers gather at the streetcar barn in Uptown New Orleans for the Twelfth Night ride and get into the spirit of the event by carrying signs and banners with humorous slogans and messages. There are champagne toasts and second line dancing as the sounds of the famous Storyville Stompers New Orleans Brass Band fill the air; the Phellows, after cutting a ribbon and announcing, “It’s Carnival Time!” then board a decked-out party streetcar.
While on their merry way, the Phellows and other revelers sip champagne, eat King Cake, dance and let fly with the very first beads of the Mardi Gras season. There are two King Cakes used for this phirst night phrolic, one for the female members and one for the gents. Custom dictates that whoever takes the slices containing the plastic Carnival babies are declared Queen and Boss Phellow for the year.
Mardi Gras 2010 will mark the 29th year that the Phellows have kept up this Mardi Gras tradition. Phellows and revelers will board at the RTA streetcar barn, located on Willow Street, at 6:30 p.m. on Twelfth Night, Wednesday, January 6th, 2010. The Phunny ride will begin at 7:00 p.m. sharp The streetcar, which, traditionally, is still bedecked in it’s yuletide dressings, will leave the station for a route that will take the partying Phellowsto the Lee Circle on uptown to Napoleon turnaround and then back to the barn. You can’t miss the streetcar, it’s the one with the really noisy party inside and a big sign hanging from it reading: “It’s Carnival Time!”

Tuesday, January 5

"I got the Baby!"

Starting tomorrow, this is what you'll see in our office until Mardi Gras...We all make New Years resolutions like losing weight, quitting smoking and drinking, saving money, and eating healthier food. In Louisiana, it is a bit more difficult to keep resolutions like these with Carnival season right around the corner. In the land of Twelfth Night revelry, opulent Carnival balls, wild parade parties, and king cakes, we might as well wait for Lent. It has become a tradition in offices and schools throughout Louisiana to give weekly king cake parties. Whoever finds the little pink plastic baby inside the king is supposed to buy the next king cake or host the next gathering. Thank goodness for those chefs who started putting cream cheese, lemon, and other fillings in those ghastly dry king cakes sprinkled with colored sugar.
I adhere to the first Carnival season Krewe's motto: "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the best of men!" So, whether you're a saint or a sinner, your New Year's resolutions are bound to come face to face with a king cake in this state. If you are really worried about your waistline, just remember what Jay Leno says: "Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now the average...which means, you have met your New Year's resolution."

Monday, January 4

New Year's 2010

Oh, New Year's!
Happy 2010

Celebration in the Oaks

Here are some of the pictures from the night some of the girls and I visited Celebrations in the Oaks at City Park before Christmas.
I loved the little gator lights all around the park!
MMM...we got the Hot Buttered Rum!Mr. Bingle is a fictional character, a snowman assistant to Santa Claus. Originating as a mascot of the Maison Blanche department store in New Orleans, the character was later marketed by Dillard's and remains part of the pop-culture of the Greater New Orleans area.
Hope everyone had a Very Merry Christmas!