Here we go, again.......or do we?

It is at times like these (another Hurricane is bearing down on us) that I wonder, WTF I am doing living 6 blocks from Lake Pontchartrain? I just love it here, I just hate it here (during these times)! Insert the Clash lyrics.......Should I go or Should I stay?

I HATE THESE WORDS:

The Computer Models...

Projected Path of the Storm....

Apalachicola (you never hear of this place until a Hurricane is coming)

Cone of Uncertainty

Cone of Error

Landfall....

Tropical System

Tropical Storm

Tropical Depression

Storm Force Winds

Category 1

Category 2

Category 3

Category 4

Category 5

Levees

Pumping Stations

Contraflow

Voluntary Evacuation

Mandatory Evacuation

Rainfall Amounts

Eye of the Storm

Eye Wall

Storm Surge

Hurricane Advisory

Flash Flood Advisory

The Hurricane Hunters were out........

Squall Line

The price one must pay to live where one must live.

I love this place!!

Viva Cindy Jean

Viva 623 Maple

Peace Upon You

Eating Pittsburgh..........pt. 3

A Cafeteria style restaurant, low prices, very good food. Gene and I did a walk-in before deciding to eat here, the decision was a good one. I went with the Malted Pancake, Sausage and Eggs. All three were better than average, the kinda food you'd get at home, just plain good ole breakfast comfort food. I understand that this location (there have been many George Aiken's in business over the years) has been open for a very long time but will soon be reduced to rubble. That will be a shame.

Viva George Aiken's

Viva Gene

Peace Upon You.

Band of Brothers..........

PLAY THIS VIDEO

Viva Delta Tau Delta

Viva Epsilon Phi

Peace Upon You

Eating Pittsburgh..........pt. 2

At the 1980 Karnea we (a group of EPhi Delts) ventured out from the hotel for some food and stumbled upon a place calling itself "The Original OYSTER HOUSE". Ok, Oysters, in Pittsburgh??? WTF??? We skeptically went inside, discovered the "neighborhood, pittsburgh ambiance" (aka darkish and dirtyish) and took a chance with the Shrimp........NOT TOO BAD, pretty darn good in fact. Skepticism erased. Hey, the staff loved our fellow Louisianian Terry Bradshow. They can't be all bad.....those Steeler fans.

Fast forward to 2008, Karnea in Pittsburgh and venturing out from the Hotel, Gene and I found ourselves in Market Square......then........something somewhat familiar in the corner of the square.......could it be?.........yes, it was.......28 years later...."The Original OYSTER HOUSE". Now I know what your thinking....why, at an oyster house, did they not have oysters.......all I remembered were the shrimp. I know, why 28 years earlier didn't you eat the oysters......I shrugged my shoulders.....I just don't know. Oh well, back to the shrimp.....again, pretty darn good.

Another golden moment from my past replayed.

Viva The Original OYSTER HOUSE

Viva Gene

Peace Upon You

Eating Pittsburgh..........

Eating Pittsburgh, First Stop:

Since I have been waxing poetic about the good ole Sandwich lately, I thought I would introduce you to Pittsburgh’s Sandwich King. Primanti Brothers with a “bunch” of locations in the Greater Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area have long served the pictured sandwich “their #2 best seller”, Beer is #1 if you were gonna ask.

A throw back to days gone by…………when the dock workers (lots of rivers running through Pittsburgh) had little lunch time, big appetites, and not a lot of money. Result: Primanti Brothers invented a sandwich made up of Italian sliced bread, tomato, coleslaw, french fries, and the ingredients of your choice. The number 2 best seller was a philly cheese steak aka a slab of steak topped with some provolone cheese. At first look this would seem to be a case of “too much” at one time……at least for the taste buds …………....au contra’……..it was a mouthful, yes, but a wonderful explosion of good tasting down home food. The Sandwich Rocked.

Viva Primanti Brothers
Viva #2 Best Seller
Viva my lunch companion Gene
Peace Upon You.

Sammich!

A bonus of living close to one's work is the opportunity to come home for Lunch. You can make that Lunch extraordinary by using the toaster and being able to add fresh lettuce and tomato.

Those little things will take a sandwich to a SAMMICH!!!!!!! Wishing you all good eating!

Ahh yes, some of the small things in life are worth rejoicing about!

Viva Toasted Bread

Viva Lettuce and Tomato

Peace Upon You

International Marvel...........Traffic Nightmare

Yes, it is the longest bridge in the world.......and an International Marvel. People from all over the Earth come to see it.........last night after dinner with friends, the first quarter of the Saints game, and a short stop at Lakeside......Cindy and I found ourselves about 21 miles across the North bound lane.......at a stand still.......about 1/2 mile ahead a double wreck.............an emergency vehicle........came up the middle of the two lanes.......time went by......and by......and by.......and by.......get the picture?...........thought in my head (Gee I have got to take a leak, bad)...........battle through I told myself.........time went by.....time went by.........one hour and thirty minutes..........I gotta go...................Cindy approaches...........her words.....I gotta go......yikes both of us...................people all around.........they are talking about how they gotta go...................help.............open the back door of the car....open the front door.......get Cindy to stand toward the back........pretty much everyone's lights are out......................ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........relief.......time goes by.........police approach and ask us to turn around drive back to the last cross over and go back the South bound side...................we followed their instructions..........took I-10 to Slidell........then to I-12 to Mandeville.........Trip statistics: on bridge at 8:30pm home in Mandeville 12 midnight (should have been 9pm).

The last part of the trip was one in which we spent a lot of time laughing, because you see I thought to myself (shut up), if I had to pee, how many others had to pee, so when we turned around and drove the 3 miles back to the cross over we were sure to look out for the "wet" spots on the side of the road.......there were very many......the laughing got louder with each discovery.....on both sides of the lanes.

I was somewhat disappointed, at first, that Cindy would not give up her travel coffee cup as a reservoir, in the end I did not need it. Coffee cup saved.

In the end, one might say, that I, yes I, have left my mark on the GNOEC.

Viva GNOEC, Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission

Viva Cindy

Peace Upon You