So there are some people out there still checking out our blog! My apologies for having not updated it in so long. It’s a rainy cold day in New Orleans but it’s carnival! The World’s Greatest Free Show goes on, in fact 5 parades are rolling down St. Charles Ave today. They started at noon and every once and awhile the sound of a marching band drifts in. There are some people who think Mardi Gras shouldn’t happen since so many people are still displaced from their home, stuck in Houston, Atlanta, etc. Mardi Gras is like Christmas, even if there were no parades, people would still get in costumes, throw beads, catch beads, and make merry. If City Hall decided not to put up a tree for Christmas, would that mean Christmas isn’t happening? Of course not. Plus the parades aren’t paid for by the city, they are paid for by the krewes that ride the floats in the parade. The city has to pay for trash pick up and overtime for police officers. So get down here and spend your money and catch some beads. If you can find a hotel room. My father’s coming for a visit, today as a matter of fact. He was trying for next weekend, closer to my birthday, but all hotels were booked. Several of the larger hotels downtown still have not reopened and others still have people living in them. FEMA’s new cut off date is March 7. I think there are still people living on the cruise ship too. The FEMA trailers in the park behind our house sit empty. The workmen have been gone for weeks, and the newspaper said people were supposed to move in Feb. 14. Doesn’t look like that has happened.

Is everything back to normal? Hardly. In our part of town we still only get trash picked up once a week and no recycling. Mail delivery is regular but it still takes a long time for mail to reach us. Still no bulk mail, magazines or third class mail. FedEx and UPS seems to be doing better. There are still part of the city that don’t have mail delivery. Or gas, electricity, phone, water, cable... I was reading a story in the paper today, the guy said he goes over to his father’s house to shower because he has gas for hot water, and his father comes over to his house because he has electricity. People are living in gutted homes making due. Many people have waited in vain for a FEMA trailer. The universities have reopened, but all at a smaller scale. Large parts of the city are still disaster areas, like the hurricane happened a week ago, not 6 months. Water mains continue to break so holes appear in streets either from the break or crews who have come to fix them. Traffic lights go out frequently. Everyone around here has gotten much better at 4-way-stops since so many traffic lights are still out.

The upside, if your business is open, you are busy. Both Greg and I have more work than we know what to do with. Greg left the company he was working part time and has rented a space in my office and is 100% on his own. People have become more politically active. Groups keep forming for change - levee board consolidation, trash pick up groups, “Women of the Storm” -- a group of women who went to DC to personally invite every senator and congress person to visit New Orleans and tour the destruction, trip paid by the women. We will have elections in April. About 6 people have officially announced they are running for Mayor, and a few others are pending. I still support our current mayor, even after his crazy “chocolate city” and “God is punishing us” comments. Not only do you see Mardi Gras floats and costumes poking fun at blue tarps, MREs, and refrigerators, you also see a lot of chocolate references. Tulane hospital said they are opening in time for Mardi Gras. That makes 3 functioning hospitals in the city. Our favorite wine store has opened a mini-store a few blocks away while they rebuild their building. And maybe best of all, JazzFest is happening. I’m very happy about that.