Dresses for Buddy D

It was cold today. It was a cold day to bicycle through the city wearing a dress. But it had to be done.

With Krewe du Vieux last night and bicycling all around the city today, I'm pretty tired. Too tired to write. I'll let a few pics do the talking.

Here's me and Howie at Buddy D's grave:

Here we are our first stop praying to Buddy D:

Here we are at the Dome:

Then we went to Bourbon Street, and then finally home to some heat and more clothes. It's hard to bicycle in a dress. More pictures here.

Krewe du Vieux 2010

We had fun last night marching with Krewe du Vieux. It was freezing though. Freezing I tells ya.

Buddy D, Saints, Superbowl, Dresses, Bikes, Superdome, Mustaches, and Bourbon Street

Saints announcer Buddy D said he'd wear a dress if the Saints ever made it to the Superbowl. Buddy D passed away, but New Orleans, it's time, it's destiny, and it's in honor of being a Saints fan and living in New Orleans. This Sunday is the big thing that Chef Who Dat calls the "Buddy D Dress Rehearsal and 'Stache Dash.'"

Ride a bike, drink some adult beverages, wear a fake mustache, celebrate life, pray to Saints fans who passed, and join me in wearing a dress in honor of Buddy D. Here's a sneak preview of my dress to wet your appetite:

Schedule for Sunday, January 31st:

11:30 AM- Mid-City Bulldog (5135 Canal Blvd)

12:30- Depart on bikes

1:00 PM-Pay our respects to Buddy D at his gravesite (Metairie Cemetery)

2:00 PM- Mid-City Yacht Club (440 S. St. Patrick Street)

About 3:00 PM- Finn McCools (3701 Banks Street)

About 4:00 PM- Superdome

Following Superdome, bike ride down Bourbon Street

Bring a camera, you might get to see Therese crash:

Joan N. Parker, Vikings Fan

Dear Joan Parker from Minneapolis,

You're obviously upset about last Sunday's football game, so upset in fact that you wrote to the Times-Picayune to voice your disgust. You wrote that you were "appalled at how the Saints abused Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre. Tackles made after he released the ball were an obvious attempt at roughing him up, disabling him or worse." Then you correctly state that "Football is a game, not an opportunity to maim another person."

Great, and thanks for sharing. I'm reminded of that preseason game earlier this year when Favre threw an illegal crackback block at Eugene Wilson's knees, nearly ending his career. But that was totally different, as Favre's cheap shot had a major impact in the outcome of that important preseason game, unlike the actions of the Saints' defense in the NFC Championship. Furthermore, you clearly wrote Favre a similar letter and he saw the error of his ways and started playing the game with good sportsmanship as his primary goal. Also, Wilson recovered and came back to play football. Those mean Saints, by putting Favre on the ground (not just his pants) so many times, got in his head and then they had the gall to trick him and intercept his pass just like two years ago, and well, it looks like Favre was so beat up and dejected that he's likely to retire. Retire for good I mean, not like he retired from the Vikings-nemesis: the Packers. He'll need a hug, and being that he'll retire in Mississippi and not Minneapolis, I'll be sure to check in on him from time to time.

Finally, can you even imagine how much satisfaction we as Saints fans are getting from the fact that first we abused Kurt Warner and he'll soon retire? Then we did the same to Favre and he'll soon hang up his cleats. Those are two hall-of-fame quarterbacks I remind you. There certainly are plus sides to playing rough with Favre. I'm sure you'd agree with me and everyone that it is a positive that Prince won't write any more Vikings songs this season. Favre won't throw any more interceptions during the pro-bowl game, because he's too hurt from the Saints rough-housing (documented thoroughly in your letter). I hope this letter can restore your faith in the Saints. Some of them play naughty, I suppose. I blame our defensive coordinator Greg Williams. He goes after quarterbacks.

In closing, I was very upset three years ago when the Bears defeated the Saints in the NFC Championship game, and that wasn't even close. The game Sunday could have gone either way. The 12 men in the huddle, the interception, the coin toss, and then several questionable calls in overtime, if I were a Vikings fan I'd be upset too. But I'd argue that every hit against Favre was legal, and it's part of the game, and the Saints played the game of beating up the quarterback very well on Sunday.

Sincerely, Michael Homan, Saints fan

Things I Did On My 44th Birthday

• Woke up at 7:00 AM to the sound of Therese, Gilgamesh, and Kalypso singing Happy Birthday. Gil was holding a king cake with one candle in it. I was too tired to get up, so Gil blew it out and I went back to bed for another half hour.
• I was wished Happy Birthday on the phone by my mom, sister, and about 1,000 people, many whom I don't know, on facebook.
• Went to City Hall to vote early for the upcoming election. The actual election day is February 6th, but there are 9 Mardi Gras parades that day, and it's the day before the Superbowl. Vote early and vote often.
• I bought a very fancy pink dress at the Goodwill for the upcoming Buddy D Saints Superbowl celebratory bike ride next Sunday (pics will follow). I also got a pink wig, pink purse, and a pink mustache.
• At the department meeting Howie got me a king cake and everyone sang Happy Birthday. Earlier on my 35th birthday I was in the same room for my job interview. I told everyone today that I was much skinnier back then and I had a better attitude. My colleagues sighed and said my attitude was the same.
• Sadly the New Orleans Saints ticket office never called to let me know I had won the ticket raffle and was one of 2,000 people who could buy two tickets for the Superbowl. But today, every time my phone rang, I got excited thinking I had a chance. But all's well. I believe the party in New Orleans will be even better than being in Miami.
• I worked on my Krewe du Vieux outfit. The theme is "fired up" and my costume is sort of a skeleton zombie guy with flaming hair. It involves real bones and a talking staff.
• Intrigued about espionage in New Orleans. Heard that four guys tried to tap Senator Mary Landrieu's phone, and one of the guys was James O'Keefe, the guy who dressed up as a pimp to bust ACORN. Another, Robert Flanagan, is the son of U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan of Shreveport. This is going to be juicy and fun.
• Cooked a ham ornamented with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries.
• Helped Gilgamesh with spelling words and multiplication.
• Rewatched the Saints vs Vikings on the NFL network.
• Opened presents. Kalypso got me an NFC Champions hat and Gil the matching shirt.
• Went to bed thinking this was a pretty good birthday.

Doppler Effect and Environment

In class today the topic of the Doppler Effect came up, and I asked students to explain it for those unfamiliar. A very bright student said correctly that it's when a wave frequency is altered for someone who is in motion. He said an example is how the sound of a police car changes from a higher pitched sound as it approaches to a lower pitched sound when it drives away. I found that example fascinating, because in Nebraska schools I always heard it explained in relation to train whistles. I guess there are more police sirens than train whistles in New Orleans.

Solar Panels

Tired of super high electric bills, and being that we live in sunny Louisiana, Therese and I decided to invest in solar panels. It made sense for us because with our remodeling we now have very efficient windows and spray foam insulation. After some research, we hired Anthony Reis from Solar Works. The panels were installed in early November.

We purchased 16 panels, each one a Sanyo HIT Photovoltaic Module with maximum power production rated at 210 Watts. Thus we have a 3.36 KW system. It should cover, we estimate, about 2/3 of our electric use, and we hope considerably reduce our Entergy bills which average about $200 per month. To measure their productivity we have an Enphase micro-inverter. I am able to measure each panel individually and see its historical production on my computer. We decided not to get the battery backup system, so when we lose power from tropical storms and high winds, we'll still need our generator.

The total cost for everything was $26,225. We expect to get back 30% of this in a Federal tax credit and 50% more from a Louisiana State tax credit, which means our total investment in the end will be $7,867.50. That is if all goes well with the tax filing. I'm nervous about that. I've been reading about Federal Form 5695: Residential Energy Credits and the form for Louisiana. I'll let you know how that turns out in a few months.

Then today we finally got our new electric meters from Entergy. Here is a picture of the old one:

And here is a picture of our new one, a so-called "Net Meter":

We'll basically be farming energy and selling back power to Entergy during the heavy periods of sunlight and when we're at work. Then we'll be using energy in the regular way at other times. The solar panels should pay for themselves in six years we calculate. Also, we have it set up so that if we decide to expand and add panels on the roof it should be relatively simple. We might do that next year, depending on how the federal and state tax credits work out.

Fat Male Saints Fans in Dresses for Buddy D

The biggest game in the history of the New Orleans Saints will take place this Sunday at the Superdome, and earlier I invited my friend Howie Luvzus to join me. But now I have second thoughts due to some horrifying plans that Howie devised for after the game. First some background information is necessary.

Before big games a few of us visit the grave of former Saints radio announcer Buddy Diliberto, or as we affectionately refer to him, "Buddy D." In fact, here is a picture of Howie asking Buddy D for some divine intervention with our tickets to the Eagles playoff game in 2007, a game which we won.

Buddy D. famously promised to wear a dress and parade on Bourbon Street if the Saints ever made it to the Superbowl. We're planning a huge bicycle tour from Buddy D's grave to the Superdome and then to Bourbon Street on Sunday January 31st. It is being organized by Chef Who Dat and will be like his earlier Dash for the 'Stache, but only more dresses this time. More details will follow after the Saints beat the Vikings this Sunday.

But today I learned that Howie already has his dress (it's black and gold, and size 3XXX), and that he plans to bring it to the Dome this Sunday and wear it when victory seems assured. What concerns me is that this is not the first time Howie has experimented with transgender clothing. Back in 2006 Howie got his first taste, and it wasn't pretty:

Moreover, it's supposed to rain this Sunday, so if Howie is wearing a tight dress that shrinks and becomes transparent in water, well it won't be pretty. It will probably look like a giant Thanksgiving turkey marinating in cellophane wrap. God help us all.

Update: Adrastos writes about the dress mania at First Draft.

My Saints Gnome

This is my new Saints gnome. It was the best thing that I got for Christmas. It was a gift from Kalypso. I think that possessing it will bring me luck. I don't have time to write more because Kalypso and I are heading to the Superdome. The lucky gnome is standing guard near the TV and the Saints shrine.

Classy Tom Benson Doubloon

I drove to the Saints' headquarters in Metairie today to get my official Tom Benson 25th Anniversary Commemorative Medallion. As the coin says on the cover, it is minted of solid bronze. Heads is a head of none other than Tom Benson. It's a photograph glued to the front. The text states "Tom Benson (fleur de lis) 2009 (fleur de lis) 25th Anniversary (fleur de lis) 1984 (fleur de lis). It is very classy, but that goes without saying:

Tails has a picture of the Superdome and the newly acquired Benson towers with a giant fleur de lis alien spacecraft floating in the sky.

Did I mention that this doubloon is solid bronze (except for glued photo), and it is classy? I'm sure it is collectable, and me willing to share and all, I'd be willing to part with this classy doubloon for $5,000.