Photo du Jour: Neon and Humvee KTMB +66

Veal Parmigiana. Eggplant Parmigana. Merlot. Abita Amber. Automatic weapon-toting National Guard Miliatary Police in desert fatigues with matching desert-camouflaged humvee.

Life in Uptown New Orleans in the areas fortunate enough not to have flooded has in alot of ways returned to normal--relatively speaking, of course. We made it out to a popular Italian place on St. Charles Avenue for dinner tonight and the place was jamming. Lots of people, lots of conversation--the food and the service were both excellent. Only one regular menu item not available (a shrimp dish) for the evening which in the NOLA post-KTMB restaraunt world is impressive as most places have extremely limited or in some cases fixed menus. So in this setting, with the swooning of Frank Sinatra in the background, all of the KTMB stuff is clensed from the mind and at least within the walls of this restaraunt its a normal Friday night. Then walks in a couple of National Guard MPs with weaponry in hand--and its remembered oh, ya, 80% of the place was flooded and is currently unihabitable and the assistance of the military has been necessary for the past three months to quell the situation. Back to reality--and for those that live upon the 20% spared high ground in the City, we remember for the 1,600th time since 4:30am KTMB +1 Tuesday how fortunate we are--almost to the point of guilt. And the cycle continues . . .