Miscellaneous Lagniappe

** Last Saturday I wondered about what happened with that fantabulous NPR radio program called Jazz Profiles. Today, I re-checked the website and noticed this message:

Jazz Profiles is not currently offered on a weekly basis. We will occasionally present archived programs as they become available.

Damn! That's a huge, crushing blow to me.

** Beautiful day today. The Arts Market of New Orleans was packed and people were of good cheer. My B-2/3 threw lots of pots. We saw lots of friendly people. And we had a great time. Hopefully, you had a chance to be part of the fun.

** Tomorrow, I'm off to DC for a couple of days to rub elbows with US Dept. of Education Title VI program officers and other Title VI NRC (National Resource Center) representatives as we attend a technical assistance conference in preparation for the next round of Title VI NRC grants.

** Thoth parades in exactly three weeks. As many of you may know, I ride in Thoth. I'm pumped. Last week, we received our float loading instructions and float assignments. If you want to know where I'm riding this year, send me an email.

** The next Random NOLA photo posting will have to wait until I return from DC. But I will get one up sometime in the middle of next week.

** I'm pulling for the Pittsburgh Steelers tomorrow in the Superbowl. I've loved the Steelers ever since they knocked off the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game in 1974 on their way to their first Superbowl victory. If they win tomorrow, they'll once again be able to claim the unshared title as the franchise with the most Superbowl victories (6). I have a theory about favorite sports teams. I believe that in most cases, favorite sports teams are of two types: (1) the "hometown" team, and (2) the dominant team at the moment of awareness of the sport. For me, that would mean I wold be a fan of (1) The New Orleans Saints and (2) The Pittsburgh Steelers. Which I am. But it also applies to other sports, too. In baseball, I am a fan of the Cincinnati Reds (Johnny Bench, Joe Morgon, Pete Rose). In basketball, I am a loyal Boston Celtics fan (Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish, Danny Ainge, etc.). I think the theory also holds true for despised teams, too. These despised teams tend to be the main rivals for my historical favorites. For instance, as a Steelers fan, I loathe the Dallas Cowboys. As a Celtics fan, I loathe the Lakers. I would also bet that, more often than not, Cowboys and Lakers fans who loathe the Steelers and the Celtics, can probably trace their preferences back to the days when they first tuned in to the Sports and followed them seriously. I'd be curious to hear if that theory holds true for the rest of you. Anyway ... Go Steelers!