new orleans stuff

Overheard on Canal Street: "I'm from Minnesota. You don't tell me to shut up, you ASK me to HUSH!"

In reference to the "wireless" stuff below, I actually had a dream about that. The day before we ordered the "high-speed Internet access", I dreamed that they fixed our lack of access by bringing in a network cable. As they entered the room, I whined, "But that's not wireless!" Then I woke up, and freaked out, thinking, why am I turning into Mark?

The swamp tour was awesome. The guide told us a bunch of stories about how he gets bit every month, the type of personalities among the alligators, commentary about failed government environmental management, how he fell down in a marsh and got bit by a snake and almost had his arm amputated, etc. I kept thinking, "Damn, dude, you better have really good insurance."

The random bars in the French Quarter mostly sucked. When asked what beers they had on tap, they inevitably said, "Miller, Coors." Even I know that's crappy-ass beer. It was better when we went into the restaurants and ordered from the bars there, because you could see their selection of alcohol. I couldn't even get a buzz from my daiquiri, and I usually am tipsy from the first few sips.

Beignets are really yummy.

We saw this homeless woman get up from her wheelchair and run over to someone else. It was so surreal.

New Orleans is full of crazy and sketchy people. Several men said to us, "Hey man, I know where you got your shoes." I kept trying to figure out what that meant. Were they trying to steal from us? That would have been a dumb way to do it, though. What does it matter if they know where I get my shoes? The driver who drove us to our swamp tour seemed nice enough, but had a glazed look in his eyes and kept cracking jokes that he laughed at silently, banging his fist on the wheel at the same time.

Harrah's has an okay buffet. Don't get the chocolate-dipped strawberries. It's dipped in cheap chocolate.

considering...

Entering this essay contest: What is on the minds of America's youth today?

What should I write?

Edited to add: Seriously, what should I write?

From this month's issue: More than 30 years ago, young people across the country staged sit-ins for civil rights, got up and protested against a misguided, undeclared war, and actually gave a damn if a president lied to them. Although a lot has changed since then, there are still racial divides, and America is once again mired in a largely controversial war. Back in the 1960s and 70s, a similar climate motivated great numbers of young people to act, organize, and take to the streets in defiance. Today it seems as if younger Americans are content to watch their MTV, fiddle with their game players, follow the love lives of Brad, Jen, Jessica, and Paris, and assume the hard work is being done for them by others. What has changed? Is it simply that we do not have motivating factors such as a draft or Kent State to bring us together, to anger us? What is going on inside the minds of American youth today?

First prize is $15k and a week in Tuscany. And a pen.

What changed?