New Orleans is enjoying your baby, no covers left on the bed after the 4th time you've hit the snooze button after losing power all night and the window units are not yet cuttin it, and they're in the next room anyway.

New Orleans is hope springing eternal amidst the frustrations at Walgreens... when you're stuck behind the guy hassling the poor clerk, the only clerk who showed up today and is still sweet and kind to everyone, over six cents and you start a conversation with the aspiring film director in line behind you, proud of finding his 'director's hat,' a 12-pack of bottled water for the cast & crew and a 2-pack of mini-DV tapes all at one place so he and his gothic-be-makeup'ed leading lady can start shooting. "You should pick up a bag of ice," I said... and the poor clerk overhears and states, "we just ran out."

New Orleans is WWOZ... rolling the windows down in your car even though the heat index broke 110 so everyone you pass can join you in the call and response led by the brass band that comes out of you unthinking, like a reflex:

'ride with me'
'RIDE WITH ME'
'roll with me'
'ROLL WITH ME'
'gimme a dime'
'I ONLY GOT 8'
'gimme a dime'
'I ONLY GOT 8'
'DIP BABY DIP... SLIDE AN MOVE YA HIPS'