Wow, I have been slow on the journal lately. I had better get back in to the habit before the avalanche of Mardi Gras is upon us in full force. For those of you not based in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Day, which is on February 24 of this year, is only the denouement of the carnival season. The most significant parades start about two weeks before Mardi Gras Day, as well as the attendant festivities. As the parade routes are distributed through many parts of the city, almost no one who lives in the core of the city is far away from a parade, so many people have parties or at least, open houses with bathrooms, near parade routes. It's a remarkably social time in a city that is already remarkably social. It's also a time that not too much happens in a city known for not having too much happening in it. Efficiency experts and bankers may decry this time of slack, but I think one of the healthiest things about New Orleans is the occasional party. Pressure valve for the city. A healthy city has art, culture, education, a strong taste for debate and the occasional party. We have a ways to go, but we've figured out at least part of the equation.

Thursday of this week, a protest of President Bush is planned. The president, who is speaking at the D-Day Museum at a $1000/plate luncheon, is not expected to actually see protestors. I guess when you're president you don't even have to see opposition. Talk about a bubble.