Sorry. No titty pics. I was in a "family" area.

Mardi Gras was strange this year. I begged and I pleaded, but no one I knew was interested in going down for the parades, so I went by myself. These are some of the pictures I took.

You'll find that the city's spirit is beaten, but not broken. Underneath all the FEMA jokes and "Chocolate City" references, you'll see a city that's fighting to live.

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

GAH! My internet is imploding!

I saw a comment you made on Poppy Z. Brite's Flickr feed and thought your name looked familiar but couldn't place it. Crazy.

(Oh. Great pics. :) )

Laissez les bons temps roulets.

I can beat that. I ran into Poppy Z. Brite's friend at Mardi Gras today and I recognized him from his pictures on her Flickr account. I was all, "Dude, I've seen pictures of you on the internet." Which is a great way to start a conversation, by the way.

Well, I was going to say "wheres the tits?" but you covered that pretty quick.

are people really like this about NO down there?

Sadly, I've heard plenty of stories like that.

Storm damage just isn't as sexy as it was last fall.

Hey, I miss New Orleans too, and I haven't been there since - shit, since 1986, or therabouts.

Okay, you have the upper hand.

OTOH, my biggest fear post-Katrina was that the powers that be would take the opportunity to turn New Orleans, or the whole Gulf Coast for that matter, into a rebuilt, shiny clean "NewOrleansLand", with all the tourism and revenue opportunities but none of the reality. I hope that your pictures, and the other stories I'm reading about the 2006 Mardi Gras, are evidence that the folks who have been there all along have no intention of letting that happen without more of a fight than they've gotten to this point.

Cheers!

When people can walk down the street dressed as condoms and grown straight men wear women's panties in broad daylight, it takes more than just some wind and water to kill their spirit.

Plus, this was the first time I've ever been to New Orleans where I wasn't afraid for my life at some point.

People were just...nicer today.

My favorite teeshirt (and the one I didn't get a shot of) simply said, "When did you get back? How did you make out?"

My other favorite teeshirt.

Speaking of Poppy, I just realized that this was her. Heh.

I see nothing wrong with celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The whole point of the festivities, as I understand them, is a last shot at life and living it up prior to the more somber mood of lent which leads to the crucifiction of Jesus. I've always saw Mardi Gras as a thumbing of one's nose at death and gloom. It is the perfect holiday to break out of the funk that holds the Big Easy.

Whoa, that's a big set! Thanks.
*starts slideshow on 2nd computer*

Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?

Yes, in the sense yhbc was getting at. Sometimes it's a very palpable ache. But no, not in the sense you mean, I don't think. It —"gone"— still hasn't quite sunk in.

Also.