From the Observation Deck

Let the good times roll. A perfect theme for the city of New Orleans. The people of N’Ahlins are as spicy as their food and have a character that is unique in America. As I was visiting their fair city this week, I got to speak to a few cab and bus drivers as well as hotel staff. All were polite and friendly and upbeat. That must be hard to do when the temperature is 98 degrees and as John Stewart says, “The people of Louisiana’s gulf coast are cleaning the tar off their beaches to get ready for the next disaster.”

I only went down for one night on business, but of course it’s New Orleans, so there is plenty to talk about. When I got off the plane I climbed into a taxi and within a few minutes realized that my driver was probably the guy who back in 2005 during the height of Katrina was probably standing in the middle of Canal street screaming, “Is that all you got?” Seriously, it was a death ride to the hotel. But the driver kept calling me bébé (baby) in that cute Louisiana accent so I forgave him. At one point he asked me, “You aright bébé?” I’m not sure why he asked. Maybe the color had drained from my face, who knows.

During the day I got to hear President George W. Bush speak. I know many people don’t like him and that he’s not the great orator, but I like him and his speech was wonderful. He was humorous, down-to-earth, and spoke from the heart. During his time as President, he led us the best he knew how and stuck to his principles—not bowing to mob mentality or popularity contests. Anyway, it was enjoyable and a great experience.

In the evening I went to Mardi Gras World (yes, this was all “work”). Walking through the warehouse was fun as I got to see some of the floats—big and over the top for sure. After listening to a few songs from the awesome swing band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, I called it a night. My only regret was that I didn’t have time to get a Po Boy from Mother’s.

That was my third trip to the Cajun city and I chose to skip the whole Bourbon Street experience—been there and am done with that. But the music was great—and I even got to wake up to a CD of New Orleans-inspired music. The cab ride back to the airport was uneventful—thank God. And my little neighbor Cayden was thrilled with the Mardi Gras beads I brought home for him. Let’s just hope that the oil doesn’t ruin the charm of N’Ahlins. They’ve had enough trauma—even for the most laissez-faire among them.

I thought I’d start a series inspired by the very funny couple Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers called, “Really!?!”

Today’s segment of Dawn’s version of “Really!?!” is about the oil spill in the Gulf.

On the radio the other day, one of the many politicians elbowing in for airtime about the Gulf oil spill made a remark that I thought was so typical of blowhards. He said, “We don’t have a minute to waste. We don’t have an hour to waste. We don’t have a day to waste.”

“Really!?!” If any of you are as cynical as me, you can see the ridiculousness of that statement. Dude, if you don’t have a minute to waste then why did you waste time making your statement longer than it needed to be? If you don’t have a minute to waste, it stands to reason that you also would not have an hour (60 minutes) or a day (1,440 minutes) to waste. And why are you talking so much anyway? Just take action man!

Next time the media can skip the long-winded finger-pointers and just show everyone this video:

If you were expecting more intense perceptions from me regarding the Gulf oil spill, I’m sad to disappoint you. Too much pain on that subject—and it’s been covered pretty well so far. But I think it’s worth noting that we can cry at the horrendous photos of our planet being destroyed, yell at and blame greedy executives and companies, and ridicule the politicians repeatedly, but like the cat said—we want our oil so in the end what will change?

While you’re pondering that, view a clip of Seth and Amy’s “Really!?!” segment. Got any “Really’s” of your own?

So last weekend I attended an HOA meeting for my beach house community. Honestly these people are the epitome of the crazy, motion-happy, spend-happy, too-much-time-on-their-hands dysfunctional community. You’ve probably heard the HOA horror stories and I’m here to tell you that these crazy things actually happen. Many communities are healthy but this is not one of them. I don’t know how many times there were endless comments made about a motion and then after 15 minutes one of these bozos would say, “What’s the motion?”

It’s sad really because I am so frustrated by the ridiculousness of these people I cannot and will not attend any more of these meetings. Yes, I am giving up on democracy as it relates to this HOA. Seriously, how long do you think a conversation about a ramp that some crazy bat wants built should take? Five years and two hours? Yup. The construction contractor came and was so frustrated he was about to fire us as a customer. I wish he would have. Then maybe I wouldn’t have had to sit through 26 minutes of the slope ratio and drainage discussion.

So enough. Next year I’m abstaining and enjoying the beach—before the board makes us pay a toll to cross the dunes. Some of you may be saying, well then get involved if you want to change it. I saw another guy try that. He’s a good guy, reasonable, well-liked, and did a good job. These people drove him to quit. So I’ll keep my sanity and let them squabble over the size of the trees near the gate that costs thousands of dollars and gets left open all winter. I will say one more thing. If they tell me I can’t take my afternoon daiquiri on to the beach, I will lead a rebellion and it won’t be pretty. So there. All in favor? Aye!