Boudreaux & Thibodaux in Hell!

Even though I can't talk today after screaming during the Supa Bowl, and my fingers hurt from a wild flurry of texting and tweeting, I'm still janked up from last night's Saints win!!!

So, in honor of this momentous and historical event, please enjoy today's special episode of Boudreaux and Thibodaux, which I usually reserve for Friday Foibles ~~~

Boudreaux and Thibodaux die and go to hell. 

The devil assigns them the usual punishments and puts them in the pit where the heat is melting everyone. Satan returns sometime later to check on his newest arrivals and is surprised to find the Cajuns just sitting around talking their strange lingo, telling jokes and not even sweating.

"How come you're not so much as sweating here where everyone else is screaming and begging for relief from the heat?"

Boudreaux laughs and says, "Man, I was raised in da bayous of Sout Looziana. Dis ain't nothin' but May in Morgan City to me!" Thibodaux laughs long and loud and adds, "Mais yeah, ain't it da troot (truth)? I was raised up in Grande Mamou, and dis is lots cooler dan (than) dere (there)."

The devil decides to really put the Cajuns through the mill. He puts them in a sealed off cave in the pit with open blazes and four extra furnaces blasting. When he comes back a few days later, the Cajuns are sitting pretty and have barely begun to sweat. Naturally, the devil is outraged and roars, "How is this possible!? You should be melted to a shrieking puddle in these conditions!"

Boo laughs even harder than before. "Hey, I done tole you -- I was raised in Sout Looziana. You tink dis is heat?! Dis ain't nothin' but August in Cow Island!"

The devil fumes. He thinks, "Alright, a little reverse ought to do the trick," and puts the hated Cajuns into a corner of hell where no heat ever reached. It is beyond freezing. And to add to Boo & Thib's misery, he throws in massive icebergs and blasting frozen air. When he returns, the Cajuns are shivering, ice hanging from every part of them, but they are still grinning like it's Christmas.

Exasperated, the devil asks, "HOW!? How is it possible?! You're impervious to heat and here you sit in conditions you can't be used to...freezing cold, and yet you're happier than if you were in heaven. WHY?!"

The Cajuns keep grinning and after slapping each other on the back, ask, "Don't dis mean da Saints won da Super Bowl?"

Now, say it "wit" me~~~ WHO DAT?!

If you wanna catch up on everything Saints, surf here to our local radio WJBO "Saints Central" online coverage. ***SAINTS PARADE: Starts at the Superdome at 5pm Tuesday 2/9

 
 
*Cajun art graphic from BestofBatonRouge.com

Who Dat in da Black & Gold Super Bowl?

In case you haven't heard...
WE
ARE
THE
CHAMPIONS...
OF THE WORLDDDDDDD!!!

Just a taste of the New Orleans Saints Who Dat hysteria we're all enjoying...

Setting the Stage - Soul of New Orleans

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Letter to Miami:

The Saints are coming. And so are we, their loyal, long-suffering and slightly discombobulated Super Bowl-bound fans.

While there's still time to prepare -- although a few hardcore Who Dats will begin trickling in Monday, most of us won't arrive until Thursday or Friday -- we thought we'd give you a heads-up about what you should expect.

First things first: You need more beer.

Yeah, we know. You ordered extra. You think you have more than any group of humans could possibly consume in one week. Trust us. You don't.

New Orleans was a drinking town long before the Saints drove us to drink. But it turns out beer tastes better when you're winning. (Who knew?) So let's just say we're thirsty for more than a championship; adjust your stockpiles accordingly. And look. When we ask you for a go-cup, be nice to us. We don't even know what "open container law" means. Is that anything like "last call"?

It's Carnival season in New Orleans (that's Mardi Gras to you), and we'll be taking the celebration on the road. So don't be startled if you walk past us and we throw stuff at you; that's just our way of saying hello. Oh, and sorry in advance about those beads we leave dangling from your palm trees. We just can't help ourselves.

February is also crawfish season, and you can be sure that more than one enterprising tailgater will figure out a way to transport a couple sacks of live mudbugs and a boiling pot to Miami.

When the dude in the 'Who Dat' T-shirt asks if you want to suck da head and pinch da tail, resist the urge to punch him. He's not propositioning you. He's inviting you to dinner. 

And if you see a big Cajun guy who looks exactly like an old Saints quarterback walking around town in a dress ... don't ask. It's a long story.

Reason No. 2: New Orleans showed the world on Sunday that we know how to throw a victory party. We don't burn cars. We dance on them.

Reason No. 3: Even if we did lose, which we won't, leaving the stadium would be like leaving a funeral, and our typical response to that is to have a parade.

Speaking of which: If you happen to see a brass band roll by, followed by a line of folks waving their handkerchiefs, you're not supposed to just stand there and watch. As our own Irma Thomas would say, get your backfield in motion.

And hey, Mister DJ! Yes, we know you've already played that stupid Ying Yang Twins song 10 times tonight, but indulge us just one more time. To us, "Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk)" isn't just a song; it's 576 points of good memories. It's the sound of a Drew Brees touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, a Pierre Thomas dive for first down on 4th-and-1, a Garrett Hartley field goal sailing through the uprights in overtime. It's what a championship sounds like. You may get sick of hearing it. We won't. Encore, dammit.

Inside Sun Life Stadium, you may find your ears ringing more than usual. We're louder than other fans. Seven thousand of ours sound like 70,000 of theirs. Don't believe us? Ask the 12th man in the Vikings huddle.

Don't be surprised if there are more Saints fans outside the stadium than inside. A lot of us are coming just to say we were part of history, even if we can't witness it up close. The Saints are family to us, and you know how it is with family: We want to be there for them, whether they really need us or not. Because we know our presence will mean something to them, whether they can see us or not.

Come to think of it, seeing as how you're taking us in for the week, we pretty much regard you as family, too. So we're warning you now: If you're within hugging distance, you're fair game. Hugging strangers is a proud Who Dat tradition, right up there with crying when we win.

Most sports fans cry when their teams lose. Not us. We've been losing gracefully and with good humor for 43 years. Tragedy and disappointment don't faze us. It's success that makes us go to pieces. Hurricane Katrina? We got that under control. The Saints in the Super Bowl? SOMEBODY CALL A PARAMEDIC!!!

So anyway, don't let the tears of joy freak you out. We're just ... disoriented.

OK. Let's review: Order more beer. Throw me something, mister. Suck da heads. Wear da dress. Stand up. Get crunk. Hug it out. Protect your eardrums.

See you at the victory party.

Faithfully yours,
The Who Dat Nation

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Everyone's in the Super Bowl "spirit" here:

Interesting factoid for you history buffs:

When John Mecom, the original owner of the Saints, decided to name the franchise the "Saints" he called Archbishop Philip Hannan to make sure the Catholic community would not be offended. Archbishop Hanna assured Mr. Mecom that Catholics would not be offended. But he cautioned Mr. Mecom, "You do know that many of the saints of the Church were Martyrs."

Archbishop Hannan wrote a special prayer for the newly formed Saints football team. That was forty-three years ago. Archbishop Hannan is still alive and very active at ninety-six years of age. He just may have lived long enough to see "Hell freeze over!" when the Saints win the Super Bowl.

The Colts may have Payton Manning [a New Orleans native], but they don't have a prayer.

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Storm Warning!

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Fired Up!

In Saint James Parish [what y'all call counties] on the Mississippi River levee, it's tradition to have bon fires during the Christmas season. But this year brings another worthy special event: 

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General Silliness:

I pledge allegiance to The Saints, and to the great city of New Orleans; and to The Super Bowl, for which we will win; One city, below sea level, under God; with Mardi Gras & alcohol for all. AMEN!

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And just in case you wanna see the NFC Championship game clips one mo time for the goosebump factor, here it is.

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Now...'scuse me while I get ready for DA BLACK & GOLD SUPER BOWL!

GEAUX SAINTS!!!

Friday Foibles ~~ Time Flies...

Thanks to old friend Ronnie G. who forwarded this to me from his job at LSU. Glad he had a few minutes of extra time on his hands! LOL

Today's offering is called "Bored at Work." It's just what the doctor ordered to get this
BLACK & GOLD WHO DAT SUPER BOWL
weekend started right!

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Cure for work boredom:

1. Kill a few flies
2. Put them in the sun to dry for an hour
3. Pick up pen & paper and let your imagination run wild...

Tasty Tuesday Recipe ~ Cajun Pickles

I don't know what came over me last week, but I got the notion to try my hand at making pickles. Unlike most of my trial runs in the kitchen, this recipe came out well, and it really didn't take that long. And what's better than having a few jars of spicy pickles in the 'fridge, and a few to give away?

Cajun Quickie Pickles

6 pickling cucumbers (washed and dried)
3 cups icy cold water
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 Tbsp. pickling salt
1 Tbsp. pickling spice
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. dill seed
8 large cloves garlic quartered
Cayenne pepper or Tony Cachere's to taste

Cut each cuke into eight spears. Sterilize canning jars, rings and lids.

In a large bowl, mix water, salt, vinegar, spices. Stir until dry ingredients are dissolved well. Bring to a boil.

Put cucumbers in clean jars. Fill jars with hot liquid. Add garlic. Seal and put in fridge for 24 hours before serving. Crunchy, crispy deliciousness! **Makes 4 pints.

Writerly Wednesday ~~ Christian Fiction Agent

Happy Hump-Day fellow blogging scribblers! If you're interested in getting the scoop on which agent wants what, check out Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents blog. 

Yesterday's showcased agent was Steve Laube who seeks quality Christian fiction and nonfiction. If either of those is your genre of choice, go read his specs.

Happy hunting and lotsa huggage!

WHO DAT?!!

In case you're not familiar with our famous Saints chant, here it is in full~~

"Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? Who dat? Who dat?"

Wikipedia says the chant originated in minstrel shows and vaudeville acts of the late 1800s and was then taken up by jazz and big band performers in the 1920s and 30s. Staged minstrel skits had frightened black people saying "who dat" when they encountered a ghost...then the "who dat"..."who dat say who dat"...skit would play itself out. Even the Marx Brothers had a "who dat" routine.

You can hear my #1 favorite singer Aaron Neville (backed by Saints team members) singing a combo of Who Dat and When the Saints Go Marching In on GrooveShark.

So if you missed the Saints/Vikings game last night, you missed a real nail-biter and a chance to have your ears ringing with Who Dat?! The Super Dome was more packed (71,000+) than it was when it housed Katrina refugees. The blizzard of confetti at game's end was something never before seen, and Saints fans were frenzied! 

Yeah...we're now on the way to the Super Bowl...AAIEYYYYEEEEE...to face off with native son Peyton Manning's Colt's!

In overtime, the Saints won the toss allowing kicker Garrett Hartley to make a 40-yard field goal which triggered a stupendous all-night party in the City of New Orleans. And the party will continue through Feb. 7 when the Saints go marching in to Miami!

Saints head coach Sean Payton said, "This is for everybody in this city. This stadium used to have holes in it, and used to be wet. It's not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans." QB Drew Brees gave Favre due respect. ""He's a warrior, he always has been, I remember watching him in middle school. He battled, he is a competitor and he fought to the end, their entire team did. It was a hard fought battle I am just glad we came out on top in the end."

So, say it with me friends~~~WHO DAT?!

**Read full game scoopage at Reuters.
*AP photo

Three-fer {Friday Foibles, Boo & Thib, Politically Incorrect Joke}

It's a rare day when I come across a joke that can be transformed into something that fits our Cajun bad boys Boudreaux & Thibodaux, shows the foibles humans are capable of performing, AND may be offensive to several different groups of folks at once. *grin* (Apologies in advance. It's just a joke...go ahead and laugh!)

Well, today's your lucky day if you like a bargain. Here's a three-fer to get your weekend started...

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Back when Boudreaux was a young stud, he decides to hop a plane to visit some transplanted Cajun friends in California. The plane passes through a severe storm. The turbulence jostles Boo's carry-on full of hot sauce, coffee, pralines and other homegrown goodies he is toting to his pals. Things go from bad to worse when one wing is struck by a fierce bolt of lightning.

A woman passenger seated near Boudreaux loses it completely, stands and screams, "I'm too young to die!" Then she yells, "If I'm going to die, I want my last minutes on earth to be memorable! Is there anyone on this plane who can make me feel like a woman?"

There is momentary silence while everyone stares at the crazed and desperate woman. Then Boudreaux stands up. He is tall, handsome and built like a rock. His dark brown hair grazes his strong shoulders and his hazel eyes twinkle. Boo takes off his seatbelt and walks up the aisle toward the woman passenger, easily balancing as the plane sways and bucks. He slowly unbuttons his shirt and locks eyes with the now-silent woman. The other passengers are mesmerized and stare on, suddenly forgetting the dangerous conditions of their flight.

When Boo gets to the last shirt button, he yanks off his shirt and his muscles ripple. The woman (and several others nearby) gasp. In a lovely Cajun accent, he slowly speaks.............................

......"Mais sha, iron dis (this)....den (then) get me a beer!" 

 

 

 

 

 

 

arrow photo by the other Martin Taylor  

plane photo by rick

Writerly Wednesday ~~ Pen to Press Conference

Hey friends. Hope your writing projects are cooperating with you and things are going swimmingly.

I can personally vouch for friend Deb LeBlanc's conference coming up this summer. Instead of telling you about it, and how much I enjoyed and gained from it...here's the official scoop. If you've got a manuscript in the works, consider heading on down to New Orleans!
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2010 Pen to Press Writers' Retreat        

This is a one of a kind writers' retreat you simply can't pass up! Come excited and leave inspired, ready to improve your writing and get that manuscript published!

Pen to Press Retreats are five intense, hands-on, inspiring days that teach participants how to shape and present a saleable manuscript. You'll learn in a variety of settings, from workshops to one-on-one mentoring sessions to seminars. To that end, you will write and revise, have portions of your manuscript critiqued, and revise some more. This is a remarkable opportunity to transform your writing!

To top it off, throughout the last two days of each retreat, all of our participants are given exclusive, one-on-one time with agents and editors to whom they can pitch their work.

With this retreat under your belt, who can stop you?
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Participants will be assigned to a class of 20 and a team instructor. (Our instructors are all successfully published authors, many New York Times and U.S.A. Today Best-sellers, award-winners, and all are excellent teachers.). With this group, you will spend five days working on specifics to improve your manuscript. During classes and panel discussions, you'll learn details about characterization, plot, dialogue, pacing, voice, marketing, pitching, contract negotiations, etc., all of it geared around your specific work.

Agents and editors will be on hand the last two days of the retreat, and they'll be there to spend one-on-one time with you, our participants . . . writers who now have a polished pitch for a promising work!
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The dates for the 2010 Pen to Press Writers Retreat are May 25-29, 2010, and the location will be in beautiful downtown New Orleans, Louisiana.

Interested writers must submit a two page synopsis of a completed novel or novel in progress along with the first five pages of that novel. From those submissions, a maximum of 160 participants will be selected.

To find out more about the 2010 Pen to Press Writers' Retreat, visit our website at www.pentopressretreat.com. There you'll find in-action videos and testimonials from past participants. So jump on over to the website and have a look. And we hope to see YOU at the 2010 PPW Retreat!

http://www.pentopressretreat.com/

Rose & Thorn Winter Issue/Friday Foible ~~ Declassified Classifieds

Before we get to our TGIF fun, I hope you'll look over our winter issue of Rose & Thorn Journal, hot off the press today! We're *really* proud of the art, prose and poetry. Comments always welcome. [Be sure to read fellow blogger Deb Schuka's most excellent prose piece -- Green Tears!]

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What economic downturn??? There's all kinds of job opps out there~~~

Shoveling Out!

Hey y'all! Boy have I missed you and keeping up with what's going on in your lives, with your writing, your holidays, this crazy cold weather we're having, and all manner of things.

With the help of the shovel over there, I *think* I've just about dug myself out of life's avalanche which has had me buried for the last weeks of my unexpected absence from the Blogosphere and Twitterville. Whew! Won't go into details (everybody's got their own set of problems), but I do want to say THANKS SO MUCH for your emails checking in to see if I'm okay and sending well wishes. I always knew y'all were the real deal, and I really appreciate your friendship and kindness.

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We've been working hard to get our winter issue of Rose & Thorn Journal out this Friday, so I hope you'll sign up for the quarterly newsletter (which is tres beautiful) so you'll get a reminder when new issues come out. Lotsa beautiful poetry, art and prose to warm you up this frigid winter season...so go sign up, ya hear? It's super quick & easy.   :) 

The new R&T blog features writerly stuff on Wednesdays, so add that to your hump-day To-Do list! Today there's a really interesting interview you writing people might enjoy. Here's a blurb: "Brian Wilkins is the editor of Scarab, a literary magazine for the iPhone." How cool is that concept? And there's also an interview with Kristina Darling that went up last week which gives readers a peek into the processes and thoughts of a poetry & prose writer.

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I'm going to be on a shortened posting schedule for the time being, which will give me time to visit your blogs. I'll put up weekly recipes (good, cheap, easy), writerly nuggets of all kinds, and fun foibles & jokes as I find 'em.

Love to all y'all. It feels great to be back!

Photo by pictureperfectpose

Blue Moon and Cactus Blooms

May your 2010 be full of blue moon surprises 

and wings to soar over any problem that arises.

Kind family hands that hold your heart dear,

days of gentle rains and golden sunrises.

Luminous wild blossoms of all sizes,

loving good friends both far and near.

These things and more I pray and visualize

for you - gifts of the spirit in this new year.

To Do List [Page 1 of 4]

Hello from your absentee Blogland friend! I've missed you terribly, but have been running 90-to-nothing trying to keep ahead of all the alligators snapping at my heels for the last month. Don't ask. At this point, with a kaput PC and various other troubles and woes, I'm more than ready for the new year to dawn...and hopefully it will be bringing better times with it.

How are you doing with your holiday preps? As you can see from page 1 of my own To Do list, I'm wayyyyyyyy behind this year. All my plans to shop ahead by supporting online vendors, artisans and artists mostly got sidetracked. And for the first time *ever* I didn't even put up a Christmas tree or decorations. (Wahhhhh!)

Anywho, as soon as I dig out from under life's avalanche, I'll be back on regular rotations here in Blogaritaville. Until then, don't forget about me, k?   ;)

Now...what's the biggest item on YOUR current to do list?