Another British Petroleum Rant

Looking For A Rosy Spin On The Gulf Spill? Try BP's Blog

There is a place where the Gulf oil disaster has a silver lining. Where brave BP employees forgo sleep and comfort in the name of the greater good. Where "aw shucks" fishermen don't hold grudges and say the spill isn't BP's fault. Where the environmental catastrophe serves to bring out the best in us and reminds us of the fragile beauty of the human condition. That place is BP's company blog.

http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/looking-for-a-rosy-spin-on-the-gulf-spill-try-bps-blog.php?ref=fpi

The above piece is stomach turning to me. These BP executives are absolutely criminal.

While in Panama City Beach last week, I picked up a great, yet vulgar t-shirt. I wear it with pride. It's got an "oil spill" on it and reads:

WTF
BP?!

Time to play "Catch Up"

Hi Gang-

Hope this note finds everyone well. Other than this criminal oil gusher, all is well in the Deep South.

It's been a good couple of weeks.

Girlfriend Vickie drove in from Cajun Country a couple of Fridays ago. She, Dom and I drank a little beer and flipped some burgers.

On Saturday morning, we took off for PCB. Dummy here, forgetting that it was Saturday, thought that we'd take the "scenic route" to our condo. Pensacola Beach to Navarre Beach was a pleasant drive. Glad Vickie got to see the pretty water.

When we reached Mary Esther, traffic came to a standstill.... for what felt like an eternity. Inched our way through Ft. Walton and Destin, then said "screw the scenery" and stayed on Hwy 98, rather than do the 30-A drive through Seaside, Grayton, Seagrove.....

It's safe to assume that by the time we got to the Majestic, we were exhausted. The place was mobbed. Couldn't find a luggage cart. Followed a broad up to her place and brought her a cold beer as a trade-off for her cart.

Vickie brought oodles of food with her, so we just hung around the condo, beached it and ate ham sandwiches.

Spent alot of time on the beach all week. Went across the street to my local joint for a couple of beers with our favorite bartender, Don almost every day. Hit Coyote Ugly for happy hour a few times. Went to the Rock'It Lanes sports bar one evening and got into an argument with a local over his support of BP. He was basically making excuses for them. Got a little nasty, but it all blew over. http://www.rockitlanes.com/ Anyway, this is a really neat entertainment complex with pool tables, bowling lanes, video games, roller rink and a neat little sports bar with good food.... ate some Buffalo Wings that night for dinner.

Linda and Paul arrived on Tuesday. The four of us walked over to Pompano's for dinner. It was fair to good. Paul ate alot of sushi and seemed to enjoy it. Vickie and I had the Grouper. Mine was fried and "ok". Hers was grilled and she really enjoyed it. Can't remember what Linda ordered. Would I go back? Yes, because it's in walking distance. Would I rave about the joint? Nope. Probably won't even recommend it. I'll have to have another meal there to decide.

After dinner we stopped at Coyote Ugly for 1 drink. Paul very much enjoyed the gals dancing on the bar.

They took off around noon on Wednesday after we girls spent a couple of hours in the crystal clear water. It was absolutely gorgeous. When they left, Vickie and I walked across the street, had a couple of beers and then Don set us up with Mango daiquiri mix, Stawberry daiquiri mix, cheap vodka and a styrofoam cooler of shaved ice from his "Fat Tuesday" system. (the cartons of mix were of the same).

Walked over to Coyote Ugly for happy hour, picked up a Hungry Howie's pizza to go.... http://www.hungryhowies.com/ Yummy pizza and a daiquiri party. Very pleasant evening.

Thursday morning we got to the beach early. Algae was rolling in. Enjoyed the clear water while we could, then hopped in the car so I could show Vickie the Beaches of South Walton with a drive down Hwy 30-A. Had a Cowboy Burger at Tootsie's in Pier Park, then home for more daiquiris.

Woke up Friday morning to water full of algae. Vickie hit the road by noon. I stuck around and cleaned the condo. Attempted to do the laundry only to find that my washer would not drain. Spent much time using plastic cups to empty the washing machine. *pouting*

Meanwhile, Christine flew in from Colorado on Tuesday afternoon. She, her best buddy and Dom went to work cleaning out my mother-in-law's house. Dom rented a dumpster. What isn't going to Goodwill went into the dumpster. (Other than some furniture that Christine will take back to Colorado with her).

We had a very uneventful weekend and enjoyed our visit with our Christine.

We went into Slidell to work on the house this week. Took today off. Didn't get out of bed until about 11:30. Heavenly. Back at it tomorrow.

Nothing else to report. Dom looks and feels great. Occasional hand cramps, but other than that, he's the picture of health!

BOYCOTT BP

Just a quick check-in.... Spent a couple of hours at the cancer center yesterday for Dom's infusion. His numbers are steadily rising:

HCT: 32.6
WBC: 5.5
ANC: 3400
PLATELET: 194

*******************************************************************************************************************************

As long as I'm posting, allow me to rant about this Oil Spill. It's absolutely criminal. I am boycotting BP and I urge all of you to do the same.

BP brands to boycott include Castrol, Arco, Aral, am/pm, Amoco, Wild Bean Cafe and Safeway gas.

French Quarter Fun

Hello gang-

Hope that this post finds everybody healthy and happy. All is great here. Dom is feeling great. Not happy about having to go into NOLA for his now-monthly infusion, but nevermind. Oh, yeah.... he's back into his 36" waist Levis. Looks like Nan has inherited a semi-new pair of jeans that he can't fit into any longer. Ha!

It's been a fun week. We met Joe and Ping in the French Quarter on Friday. She needed to be fingerprinted in Metairie by Homeland Security. So, we decided to make a weekend out of it.

Joe booked us rooms at the St. Ann Marie Antoinette http://www.stannmarieantoinette.com/ This is just a block from the Prince Conti where we normally stay. We were a bit leary, but was pleasantly surprised. Very pretty little courtyard with fountains and a small pool. Cozy little bar with a very nice bartender, Lisa. Loved her. Large room. Comfortable bed. I wouldn't hesitate to return. BUT.... they gouge you for parking. THIRTY BUCKS plus tax brings overnight parking to almost $35. We said "screw it" and parked near the river for $20 overnight.

Dom and I went to the DEJA VU for lunch. http://www.dejavunola.com/ This is our favorite joint in the Quarter for sandwiches or breakfast. We split a HUGE Club Sandwich for lunch. Delicious. Have never been disappointed there. Besides, it's a wonderful place to people watch. Too much fun to see pimps and their prostitutes come rolling in late at night. Picture "Super Fly" in the 70's. Pastel suits with matching floppy hats. Yep.... just add cellphones. Channeling the character of A.J. Soprano talking to his father: "Wow! Dom! Is that a real Crack Whore???!!!" *grinning*

Went to an antique weapons dealer on Royal Street that Dom is fond of. Eventually went to Harry's Corner. Joe and Ping met us there after they finished with Homeland Security.

The 4 of us bombed around the Quarter. Ended up in Johnny Whites, as usual.

Ended up having a WONDERFUL dinner at The Pelican Club. We opted for the "Early Bird" special...menu attached: http://www.pelicanclub.com/specialevents.html
Everyone was delighted with their choices. Dom thinks it might have been the best dinner that he's ever had in the Quarter. I've always loved the place. When brother Ric is in town for Christmas, we've often done our Revillion dinner there.

We took a long walk after dinner. Joe and Ping said "goodnite". Dom bought me the obligatory martini at the Bombay Club. http://www.thebombayclub.com/martinis.html
I adore their Metropolitans. ( Absolut vodka with a splash of strawberry liqueur and
a float of champagne garnished with a strawberry) While we were there, they were giving out free mini Cosmopolitans... pushing some type of new vodka. Love that joint!

Then a quick visit to our hotel bartender to report on our dinner. Back in the room around midnight.

On Saturday morning, Dom and I went to the Deja Vu for breakfast before checking out. Too funny- At 8am in the morning, you would have thought that it was 2:00 am in the joint. Wild place. Love it!

We headed home. Joe and Ping stopped in Slidell to visit Aunt Lou. They lasted approximately 10 minutes. *smiling* Then they came up to our place.

The 4 of us went to our favorite Chinese Buffet in Bogalusa. I had told the owners about Ping and they were anxious to meet her. It was very nice to see Ping converse in her native language...laughing and smiling. She must feel so very isolated. Joe has her enrolled in an English course.... 5 days a week- 4 hours a day. She's picking up the language very quickly. We noticed a big difference already.

Came home. Played dominoes. Played Phase 10. Had a nice mellow evening. They left on Sunday morning.

Yours truly hit the BIG 5-0 on Monday. My body feels it, but in my mind and attitude, I'm still in my twenties! Went into Picayune and picked up a couple of delicious Porterhouse steaks.... over a pound each. Had 'em with baked potatoes..... for 2 nights! LOL

More big fun coming up. Cajun girlfriend, Vickie is driving in from Breaux Bridge (near Lafayette) on Friday. Saturday morning, she's going to follow me to the condo for vacation. She and her husband are normally fishing in Grand Isle this time of year. BP managed to ruin that.

Anyway..... Lovely Linda and Paul are blowing into town for the birth of his grandchild next week. So, they're probably going to stop and spend a night or two at the condo on Monday night.

OK.... getting tired just thinking about it. I shall post a pic of our pretty French Quarter courtyard and sign off. Thanks, as always for all of your encouragement, prayers and kind words!

Memorial Day Weekend

Hello gang.

I'm happy to report that Dom feels great. Looks great, too. Our friend Glenda referred to him as being "the picture of health". Man, that was nice to hear.

Had a pretty uneventful week and a fun weekend.

Headed into Slidell on Thursday to visit Aunt Lou. Aunt Lou is still Aunt Lou. Cussing like 10 sailors.... and in her nineties! Thus far she hasn't been successful in finding an apartment. Owner of Preservation Hall in the Quarter called her while we were there. He owns alot of property in NOLA, and told her that he'd line her up with something nice. So.... that'll be alot less stress on us.

Christine is blowing into town for a couple weeks mid June to clean out her grandma's house and get it ready to put up for sale. Again... alot less of a financial liability for us.

Had a taste for Chinese food on Saturday, so headed into Bogalusa for our favorite buffet. Much to my delight on Saturdays they have pounds and pounds of boiled shrimp as well as awesome coconut shrimp. I don't want to go back on weekdays anymore. Stopped at the L&C to see the gang, but found out that they don't open until 2pm now. (They used to open at 8am on Saturdays! ) The bar is for sale. I guess that Johnny and Lisa don't want to mess with it anymore. Bummer.

Dom announced that he doesn't want to mess with the swimming pool anymore. I agreed. This led to a fun visit by Wendy and her wonderful boyfriend, Bubbie. They came over on Sunday, drank some beer, loaded up the pool and all of our supplies, had a burger and a fun visit. It was great to see them again.

Yesterday, Memorial Day, it was just the two of us. Had a very mellow day. Had baby back ribs on the grill, fresh sweet corn, baked beans and tabbouleh. Good stuff!

Lovely Linda surprised me with a phone call. She and Paul are going to meet me at the condo for a couple/three nights in June right before Christine flies in. I'm tickled. They're driving in from New Hampshire for the birth of Paul's grandchild. By the time they leave, Dom and Christine will head to the condo. Looks like poor Nan might be stuck at the beach for an entire week or so!

So- nothing exciting to report this week. Hope all is well with everyone. XOXO