Super Bowl Party 2010

Saints 31, Colts 17. Do we look a little excited?

Oh, When the Saints Go Marching . . . to Miami!

I've been getting a kick out of all the Super Bowl hype around here. Coming from Pittsburgh, where Super Bowl hoopla isn't that uncommon, it's special, seeing people so excited that their team is, finally, for the first time, going to the Super Bowl. After 43 years. It's a big deal! The Saints have such a history as a losing team. Not that long ago, they were nicknamed the "Aints" and the few fans attending games wore bags over their heads. I'm glad to be here to witness a successful year. A redemption, so to speak.

The whole "Who Dat" thing amuses me. We're called the Who Dat nation. Who Dat stems from a chat, as well as a song, that says Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints. As you can tell from this 1983 video, the Who Dat thing has been around a long time.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed and routing for the Saints!

King Cake

Eric mentioned the other day that he hasn't had any King Cake yet this Mardis Gras season. King Cakes are only sold during Mardi Gras (this year Jan. 6-Feb. 16) so one has a limited time frame in which to eat them. I picked one up in the grocery store yesterday. Sometimes they're really good, sometimes, eh, not so much. They're not cake-like at all, more like a giant danish, and they come in all flavors; strawberry, blueberry, apple, lemon, etc. Our favorites are cream cheese and bavarian creme. The fruit ones are too goopy and overly sweet. The one I bought yesterday, above, is bavarian creme and very fresh. Excellent. It's almost gone already.

Here's a little history on the King Cake. It is believed to have originated in 12th century France. They honor the three kings or wise men. The round shape symbolizes their circular route. Purple, green, and gold, traditional Mardi Gras colors, represent justice, faith, and power, respectively. I've also seen many black and gold King Cakes this season. Sorry, no, not Steelers colors this year. We're celebrating the Saints! Anyway, historically, a bean, pea, or coin was hidden inside the cake. The person who found the hidden object was declared King for the day or granted good luck for the year. Today, a tiny plastic baby, representing baby Jesus, might be hidden. To prevent choking in small children, they're usually sold with the cake, but not inside, the hiding left to the discretion of the buyer. Bon appetit!

Update on Eric's Recovery

The boys were off school today for a teacher inservice day. I took Eric for a check-up with Dr. Thompson, his pulmonologist here in Lake Charles. Eric had a pulmonary function test and chest x-ray. Doc said his x-ray looks about the same as last October, but Eric continues to show improvement in his pulmonary function. Last July, the amount of air he could blow out in one breath was 37% (of what he should be able to do based on his age and height). Today, it was 62%. How fast he could blow that breath out was 70% in July; now it's 94%. And his oxygen saturation, the SpO2, that number I obsessed over those months in ICU, was 100%. "You're doing great, man!" Dr. Thompson said. He predicts Eric will continue to improve over the next several years.

In December, Eric decided it was time to play his trumpet again. Bob and I were nearly moved to tears upon hearing those first few notes. Hard to believe he hadn't played in over ten months. He sounded so good, almost like he'd never stopped. We got him started with lessons to help him catch up. A couple weeks ago, he re-joined the school band, and has already moved up into second chair.

Eric stars in the Children's Theatre Company performance of Pinocchio Feb. 5-7. www.childrenstheatre.cc

Yes, he's doing great.

Some Favorite Things

Sam Houston High Band Boosters had a BBQ and bake sale today. I made this cake for the fund raiser. The Gum Drop Cake was my very favorite childhood birthday cake. I might have been five or six years old when Mom made it. I thought the gum drops looked like jewels on a princess crown. My birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, and I felt nostalgic. Good thing I didn’t aspire to be a professional cake decorator. I’m terrible! Icing oozed down the sides before I even got it to the school this morning. I’d be surprised if anyone buys it!

Eric and Andrew left on an overnight trip with their youth group yesterday afternoon for a Christian rock concert in Beaumont called Hot Hearts. Sounds quite Valentiney, but it’s only January. Without kids for the night, Bob and I enjoyed an evening out. We ate dinner at my favorite Lake Charles restaurant, DeAngelo’s. And their special was my favorite fish – grouper. So good.

What are some of your favorites?

Natchitoches and the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts

We awoke before 5:00 a.m. this morning and got on Rt. 171 north. Thick fog shrouded the darkness of pre-dawn. Until today, I'd never been farther north in Louisiana than DeRidder. We ambled through small towns, Rosepine, Leesville, Fort Polk, Anacoco, Many (manny), names familiar to me only from watching local weather forecasts. They call this "hill country" and indeed, there are rolling hills, very different from parishes closer to the coast.

It was Exploration Day at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA). Eric is considering attending this high school. The biggest question is whether he should start there his sophomore or junior year. LSMSA is a public state high school nestled against Northwestern State University in the charming little town of Natchitoches, pronounced (trust me) NACK-a-dish. Being a public school, there's no tuition, but we'd pay room and board. Eric is a perfect candidate for LSMSA; self-motivated, mature, independent, bright, social. Both academically and extra-curricularly (is that a word?), LSMSA has so much more to offer a kid like Eric than a traditional public high school. He'd be challenged academically, and also have outlets for his trumpet, voice, and acting talents. It's truly more like college, just a few years earlier. And the fact that it's like college is also the biggest drawback. It's a bit over two hours drive away. He'd live in a dormitory. They have one three-day weekend a month to come home, plus the usual holiday breaks. Of course, where else but in Louisiana do you get a week off for Mardi Gras? But are Bob, Andrew, and I ready to send Eric out into the world?

Natchitoches is famous for its meat pies. They're shaped like large pierogies, made of pastry dough and filled with seasoned meat. In Mexico, they'd be called empanadas. We picked up a few to go for the ride home. Sorry, no photos. I forgot my camera this morning.

Red Planet Noir

I recently read a great book, Red Planet Noir, by D. B. Grady. This debut novel intersects mystery and murder with science fiction. Mike Sheppard, a private detective from New Orleans, travels to Mars to solve a murder and nearly is murdered himself. You can order Red Planet Noir on amazon.com.