Laissez les bons temps rouler!

(With apologies to Hunter S. Thompson)

My attorney and I went out to Luling, TX last weekend to catch The Watermelon Thump (if you were wondering, the prize winning melon went for $10,250 in the auction), and were subjected to perhaps the worst example of New Orleans style cooking ever. While the good people of Luling take their melons quite seriously, with two different Watermelon queens in residence, the Cajun cooking was dismal.

But, my attorney, in her wisdom, has decided that we need the real thing. So, on Tuesday next, I'm off to New Orleans for the first time. I hope to eat and drink myself stupid, but I also hope to see the parts of the city left behind in the rebuilding post-Katrina even though the idea of "disaster tourism" leaves me deeply uneasy.

I was supposed to head that way to spend Thanksgiving with friends before the hurricane intervened, and I'm eager to go now, not for what once was, but for what it is in the process of becoming.

Here's Watermelon Queen #1

Emu Oil Is Then New Snake Oil

Which begs the question: How does one extract oil from an emu?

Dog Days

Yesterday, I was directed to this Times op-ed by Arthur Phillips, whose debut novel, Prague would be near the top of my list of underrated and under-read contemporary novels.

It is poignant for me, as Lucy is slowing down, bowing to the demands of age and time. On a recent visit to the vet, she was called "elderly," she no longer tolerates long walks well and, while she will still swim to the point of exhaustion, it takes a lot less time to get there.

I've been considering adding another dog to the mix now. It's said that elderly dogs gain back some vibrancy when a puppy is added to the home, but it would mostly be for me, as a small buffer against a grief I know is coming sooner rather than later.

Some, perhaps many, would find it sad that the most enduring and longest relationship of my adult life is the one I share with my needy, sweet pup, and I can almost agree with them.



Almost.

Salud!

Clean and Sober President Bush seen at the G8 Summit, the night before taking ill with a mysterious "stomach ailment."



I've suffered from that ailment myself from time to time. I find a couple of advil and a big glass of water before bed often help.

A Few Things From, To Borrow a Phrase, Around The Houses

First and foremost, massive congratulations to Weasel and Jessie on the arrival of Scout. I owe Weasel some retribution because, in an unlikely turn of events, the Yankees took two of three from the Sox in Fenway last week.

Seeing as Scout is only recently arrived on the scene (and had the good sense to be born during a Sox/Yankees series), and I’m sure Weasel and family are quite busy with the adjustment, my terms will be simple: Weasel, please change your profile picture to a shot of young Scout sporting the “Yankees Suck” gear I sent your way for a couple of weeks.

Second, Wes was here for the weekend and it was terrific to see him and show him around some of the more kitsch aspects of Austin. They don’t have things like Roller Derby and Chicken Shit Bingo in New York, and I think it’s important that people get to see that sort of thing.

Finally, in the last few years a number of my friends have struggled with infertility as they attempted to expand their families. Many of those journeys have been well documented on the web, from the woman’s perspective. Rarely, has a man been brave enough to go public with the details, from his side of the story. That’s changed. Jeremy, who in a twist of fate is married to someone I once spent a fair bit of time with, is blogging about his and Asia’s quest to have a child. Kudos to Jeremy for his openness and courage and I wish the two of them the best of luck.