One of my Six Weird Things was that I was born at midnight, the stroke thereof, twelve o'clock, twenty-four hundred hours and that some confusion about my actual date of birth has followed. That would make my birthdays today and tomorrow. Also, I am the same number of years old as the year in which I was born, if you don't count the one thousand nine hundred.
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Since my last post, I quietly passed 100,000 visits to this site. Who would'a thunk it?
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Was it Paula who was talking about always having a song in her head? I always have one in mine too. Thanks to Zen, for the last couple of days they've been cheesy holiday songs like "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "Grandma Got Run Over" so I've had to intervene and force something I can stand to listen to into my bent brain. This morning, taking The Youngest to school and driving to work in my radioless work truck, I loaded "Ave Maria" and the result was a very serene Sophmom. I think I'll keep it.
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Over at Traveling Mermaid there's a very important post linking to FedEx's NFL Player of the Week voting. Mermaid explains it in her post, but a vote for Saints Quarterback Drew Brees is a vote for New Orleans' Children's Hospital, which will receive a $5,000.00 donation from FedEx if he wins. It's a good cause. Please hop over and vote for Drew! You know this is important if I can ask for it, being Atlantan and a Falcons fan, and all. Go. Do it. Now. Please. Thanks so much.
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With the holiday shopping season upon us, consider supporting the recovery effort in Louisiana by shopping online. I have a few suggestions left over from a similar post last year. If my readers want to suggest worthy merchants, please jump right in and let me know in comments and I'll slap 'em up here with link.
For everything Cajun, including some of the best hot sauces and spices in the land, check out Pure Cajun Products. Be careful opening this link at work, as it comes with some lively local music. If the music won't get you caught shopping from your desk, the site is well worth a visit, with history, local color and a l'il bit of everyt'ing Cajun, Creole and New Orleans, from accordions to chicory coffee to turduckens.
Want some fine clothing items with a little crawfish logo where the Polo pony or Izod alligator goes? Try Perlis for everything from hats to golf balls to underwear (I swear!) to fine golf clothing, all blessed with a little red crawfish (I couldn't make this stuff up). Not only will you be supporting Louisiana, but it will show. And for those of you who may have someone on your list who wants a teddy bear, look into Bear Necessities, where you can find an adorable array of themed teddy bears including the (supposedly) famous Boyds bears.
You might also check out New Orleans Surf Shop at 6116 Magazine Street. The only surf shop in the city, this family owned business sells all sorts of surf and skate board related goods as well as just plain cool stuff. While they don't have a real online store, I bet if you call them they can hook you up with something extra cool for the young as well as the young at heart on your shopping list.
Saving the best for last, when all else fails, try something sweet. You're not going to find a more interesting array of chocolates than from the fine folks at Blue Frog Chocolates where they actually sell candy that looks like a blue frog, and proudly display tongues turned blue by their confections, but you can also shop for candy assortments, gift baskets, fine hot chocolates and chai teas, as well as Italian Candy Flowers, the decoration that's good enough to eat. If your sweet tooth extends beyond chocolate, try Southern Candy Makers where it's all about pralines and toffees, turtles (as in the chocolate, caramel and nut variety) and pecans. They offer fabulous looking products with names like Jackson Squares and Bourbon Street Bark along side of old fashioned divinity, fudge and salt water taffy.
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Finally, and you guys might disagree with me and think that everybody fights and everybody says things they don't mean and everybody has to just get over it, but I think there are some things it's just never alright to say, even in anger and that first among these is "I don't care." If I mean it when I say I love you, then I always care, perhaps particularly during moments of conflict. If I hear someone tell me they don't care enough times, then I believe them. It leaves no room for hope, nothing left to talk about, no reason to stick around. For me, that's pretty much all I need to know.
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On that happy note, I want to say that I hope all ya'll are strong and well and ready for the next wave of holidays ('cause I'm sure as heck, not). I also want to ask that you keep Greg Peters of Suspect Device fame in your thoughts and prayers. He had a bovine heart valve replacement yesterday and is recovering at the Cleveland Clinic. We want him back in action and his particularly flavorful brand of dead-on local Louisiana political commentary back online as soon as possible.
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Peace, out, ya'll.
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