Dancing with the Stars

Last night at Vaughan's in New Orleans, I got reacquainted with Kermit Ruffins who had a new set, with some old standards.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. was hanging out and he and I closed down the house second lining to 'talkin loud and saying nothing' James Brown's tribute to politicians. He had a gaggle of 20 and 30 somethings hanging around him, not minding when he gave them ample pats and squeezes on the backside. An older woman with feel tried to teach me some rhythm but it was nearly a hopeless case during the slow numbers, I've just got too much hop in me.

New Orleans is slow, I hired a couple of guys for a few days who were both happy just to have jobs, $10 or $15 an hour. One local, one from Maine, we went through gallons of gatorade working our tails off. I had dinner with a former NOLA city council at large candidate who espoused the view that the USA is on a long slow (maybe not too slow) decline. His biggest culprits were the lawyers and the lack of teaching our kids responsibility or how to do the basics.

Tonight I walked down Bourbon Street, the non-stop party and thought about the craziness of us fighting a war in Afganistan while half wits are getting fully baked out of their minds. As I sit on my porch, I can hear Kool and the Gang wafting across the Mississippi River from the Gretna festival. There is always a smile, a party and a joy in this City. Musicians all over the City from Harmonica players on the waterfront free forming jazz, to guitar playing Dylans, Zeppelin's and Floyds.

I miss my number 1 fan, my lovely wife, besitos!