Frosty

There was a some yesterday, but much more today. Although the temperature was about the same, a slight shift in the wind had brought in a bit of Gulf moisture, resulting in a nice little frost that covered levee and rooftops all along the ride this morning. We accumulated only four or five riders this morning, including Joe F., and so the pace stayed slow enough for conversation. By 9 a.m. the temperature had risen from 39 to the mid-50s, and my short commute to Gibson Hall for the last work day before christmas was an easy one.

It's 2:30 p.m. right now and the place is nearly deserted. I've just finished three glasses of eggnog daiquiri. Rebecca dropped in to the office a while ago with a gallon of the delicious slurry, and although there were only three of us left to polish it off, we clicked plastic glasses, toasted New Orleans, and did our best. Now, as always seems to happen, I'm the only one left here. The lack of distraction this morning did allow me to finish off the rest of the Research Office's website re-design, however, and I'm thinking I'll skip on out of here shortly.

Christmas, such as it is this year, is just about here in the Crescent City. There is a pretty good article in today's USA Today. I particularly liked this bit:

"What makes New Orleans different, worth the billions of tourism dollars that come in every year, even worth living in, Ogden says, is its gritty charm. "We don't want gated subdivisions with cul de sacs like Dallas or Atlanta." That thought, he says, "makes me wake up in the middle of the night, screaming."

and this one:

"It's hard to work. It's hard to concentrate. I was watching TV last night, and there was a little girl who was worried that Santa wouldn't know how to find all the children, and I just broke down and cried," says Miester, who is living with her mother since her home was destroyed. She says a friend of hers went into a bagel shop, and when they asked her what she wanted, the friend burst into tears: "I want my house back!" They gave her a bag of bagels."

I leave you with this little number that someone sent to the psychiatry list. You'll recognize the rythmn.

The Twelve Days of Post-Katrina Christmas

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
The power turned back on by Entergy.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Six mail deliveries
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Seven stacks of sheetrock
Six mail deliveries
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Eight dump trucks hauling
Seven stacks of sheetrock
Six mail deliveries
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Nine roofers roofing
Eight dump trucks hauling
Seven stacks of sheetrock
Six mail deliveries
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Ten electricians wiring
Nine roofers roofing
Eight dump trucks hauling
Seven stacks of sheetrock
Six mail deliveries
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Eleven plumbers plumbing
Ten electricians wiring
Nine roofers roofing
Eight dump trucks hauling
Seven stacks of sheetrock
Six mail deliveriesFive MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergy.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...
Twelve painters painting
Eleven plumbers plumbing
Ten electricians wiring
Nine roofers roofing
Eight dump trucks hauling
Seven stacks of sheetrock
Six mail deliveries
Five MREs!
Four jugs of bleach
Three flood adjusters
Two FEMA checks
And the power turned back on by Entergyyyyy! PLEASE!PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!