Eloquent Profanity

The reason I go to The Netherlands in the first place is to teach in Waardenburg, which is about 60km south of Amsterdam on the A2 motorway. Waardenburg isn't much, so I stay across the Waal River at the Regardz Hotel in Zaltbommel.

Zaltbommel is a city of about 10,000 people. Zaltbommel started as a classic medieval river town, a place for travelers to stop and rest, then becoming a fortress town which collected tolls from those going up and down the Waal.

The hotel is just off the A2 motorway exit, so it's a bit of a hike into the old village.



Fountain in the park just outside the city center.

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(read part 1 here)

Once you walk past the main entrance and the walls memorializing those Missing In Action in Holland in WWII, walk around the memorial tower into the cemetery proper.



A tall hedgerow and gorgeous gardens of roses border the graves.
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My flight from ATL arrived in Amsterdam around 10am, two hours late. Even with the delay, it was too early to check into the hotel, so I drove from Amsterdam down the A2 to see the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.

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Family cooking can be a challenge when there are small children in the house. Adult tastes and kid tastes can be so totally different. Here in New Orleans, the challenge can be even greater, because our Creole dishes can be complex and unappealing to kids. With that in mind, here are some tips for cooking with kids:

1. Creole seasoning is your friend. Not a lot, but just a bit can start kids on their way to appreciating spicy food. Try baked/broiled chicken where you sprinkle just a bit of creole seasoning on the pieces before putting them in the oven. They'll come out with a bit of a crust, and cooking with a bit of salt helps cut back on a diner's craving to put more on at the table.

2. Cook easily-assembled foods. Bagel pizzas and quesadillas are great possibilities. Even if you make tacos with one of those everything-in-a-box kits, the kids can help. Individual pizzas using bagels or english muffins as a "crust" can be tailored to each member of the household. Same for quesadillas or fajitas. There are no rules for toppings and content, everyone gets what they want!

3. Use wine when cooking for kids. Try this--slice boneless, skinless chicken breasts into tender-size pieces. Sprinkle both sides of tenders with creole seasoning and saute in a bit of olive oil until brown, just a couple of minutes per side. Put them in a glass baking dish. De-glaze the saute pan with a bit of white wine and pour the wine/drippings back onto the tenders. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. You get chicken tenders with a much more complex flavor. The alcohol in the wine evaporates while in the saute pan, leaving the flavor and enabling you to cut back on the salt you use.

4. Make it fast! There are a lot of easy alternatives to cooking from scratch that don't involve a lot of work. Buy some pre-cooked chicken tenders. Warm them in a pan and add a bit of white wine, heavy cream, and white seedless grapes. Serve over pasta. Don't put the sauce on the kids' plates. Instead of microwaved chicken, you now have a creative meal!

5. Serve your food to the kids. Take a look at my Chicken Bonne Femme. OK, kids aren't going to get into the sauce, with the onions, mushrooms, diced ham and wine, but they will get into fried potatoes, chicken, and bacon! Go ahead and cook for YOUR palate and dumb down the meal a bit for the kids. Creole cooking is great for this, because the recipes add complex sauces to otherwise simple dishes. Cook crawfish in a cream sauce for you, but pull some of the mudbug tails out before adding them to the sauce. Dust them in a bit of flour, saute, and you get popcorn crawfish!

If you follow the principle of refusing to eat what YOU like, you can let your imagination run wild with ways to accomodate the kids.

And it'll be fun!

We've already taken the hit, so this round of cutbacks won't impact Armstrong International.  In fact, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-05-30-airline-cutbacks_N.htm" target="_blank">USA Today's calculations</a> are that MSY will increase by 5.5% in terms of number of available seats. <br /><br />This is where the spoke-and-hub system actually doesn't hurt us.  So long as the number of seats to MSY stays the same or increases, we're in good shape.  Get to ATL, ORD, or IAH, and you can get wherever else you need to go.  <br /><br />One possible problem for New Orleans travelers may be the drop in seats at IAH.  USA Today shows <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-05-30-airline-cutbacks_N.htm" target="_blank">-8.8% change</a> there, and that's got to be Continental flights.  Contrast that with a <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-05-30-airline-cutbacks_N.htm" target="_blank">-2.4% change</a> at ATL (Delta).  Continental fliers may find themselves switching over to Delta for more possibilities through Atlanta than through Planet Hooston.  For now, Continental is still a SkyTeam airline, so you can get frequent flier credit for the changes.<br /><br />

I usually bring 3-4 things to read with me when I'm on the road, and here are this week's books:




I've got both hardcopies and e-copies of O'Brian's Aubrey-Matruin novels, and I'm currently on The Post Captain. I have it on my Palm LifeDrive, which I still get a lot of use out of as an e-book reader.

Since the flight attendants make me turn the Palm off during takeoff and landing, I always bring a hardcopy book with me:





Knight Tenebrae by Julianne Lee, a bit of fantasy I picked up at a used paperback store at home.




When some Tweeple began talking about Serenity comic books, I got @bsicomics to order the Serenity graphic novel (combines the first three comics) and I also picked up the second three, so I brought those along as well.

I also brought The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria with me (scroll down for an image), but I haven't started it yet.

One of the ideas some colleagues and I have always kicked around is expanding our training offerings into Europe. Not that Europeans don't have good computer trainers already, mind you, but I'm not bad at this. Besides, setting up shop in the EU makes sense for moving into India and other countries in Asia. The biggest complication we had with this idea was that we're Americans. The European Community has opened up borders inside the EU, but there are still a lot of restrictions and complications with EU-based companies hiring non-EU citizens to work there. Being Americans, we are considered outsiders.

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Of course I had to buy it with a streetcar on the front!

Lafitte's Cafe
6325 Elysian Fields Ave
New Orleans, LA 70122
(504) 284-7878

(Not to be confused with Cafe Lafitte in Exile on Bourbon Street)



The location has some fond memories for me. In the 1970s, the place was Luigi's Pizza Parlor. In the 1990s, it was a Bud's Broiler. The Bud's closed just before the storm, sign on the door said they lost the lease. Lafitte's opened in this location last year.

This was my second visit to Lafitte's. We went for dinner after one of my kid's band concerts about a month ago. I had one of their combo deli sandwiches with ham, pastrami, and roast beef. It was good, but way overkill in terms of mixing the meats. Kept it simple this trip, with the hot sausage po-boy you see above.

If a place uses Patton's hot sausage patties for their po-boys, I'm all over it. There's just nothing better for a hot sausage po-boy. Next trip, though, I'll tell them to leave off the fries. They were good, and I don't need those calories.

Service was excellent. I bought my computer in, so I could do some writing while I ate. The waiter saw my HP tx1419 boot Ubuntu, and we immediately got into a discussion about Gutsy and Hardy. He had some trouble upgrading to HH, and we compared notes. It's the sort of thing one encounters at a restaurant near a college campus.

Lafittes is open early for breakfast, and closes at 10pm nightly. They have an espresso machine, so they're a coffee house as well as a sandwich place. They also do the breakfast menu all day on Saturday and Sunday, for those who want a weekend brunch. Give 'em a try if you're out near UNO.

The folks at Email Our Military are giving away a copy of Final Salute by Jim Sheeler:



Sheeler won a Pulitzer for this book, and a number of my colleagues at DailyKos have raved about it.

Go here to enter the context at emailourmilitary.blogspot.com.

Wrapping up the sightseeing:



Quick lunch at In-and-Out on The Embarcadero - a double-double

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More from last week in SF:



Milan Tram 1818, in the green livery used from the 1930s-1970s



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Some photos from 18-May. I played tourist for a bit after flying in to teach a class that week in Santa Clara.



Cable car at the end of the line, Hyde St. and Embarcadero. This car has been turned around and is taking on passengers for the trip back up the hill.

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I taught a class for Hitachi Data Systems last week in Santa Clara. The HDS office there is right next to Norman Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), but, like usual, I opted to fly into San Francisco International (SFO).

The main reason I choose SFO over SJC is that there is a wider range of flights from ATL to SFO. The only morning flight combination that put me into SJC a week ago Sunday was MSY-SLC, SLC-SJC. The problem with that itinerary was that the MSY-SLC flight was on a CRJ-100 regional jet, operated by SkyWest. It's over 2.5 hours from MSY to SLC, with the Salt Lake to San Jose leg being a short hop. Regional jet seats are not comfortable for that long a period.

So, in spite of the fact that going east before going west adds an additional two hours of flying time, and I'm flying into an airport 35 miles north of my destination instead of one right next to it, off I went to SFO, so I could sit in a comfy seat.

Since I regularly fly Delta Airlines, the planes used for flights from ATL to the west coast are usually B767-300s or B757-200s. Both have 24 seats in First Class. In spite of my Platinum status with Delta, it's tough getting a First Class upgrade on the ATL-SFO flights. Flying is becoming such a hassle for so many folks that many business travelers that regularly take long-haul flights are able to get their companies to pay for business or first class travel on their flights (or at least on every other flight). Can't get an upgrade when the cabin's full of paying customers!

Because of this trend, it's even more important to narrow down the big jets when possible. The B767 has a two-aisle deck plan. The seats are arranged 2-aisle-3-aisle-2 in economy. The window seats are also wider and more comfortable than those on the B757, which is arranged in the classic 3-aisle-3 configuration. If I book a flight far enough in advance (3+ weeks), I'll pick the B767 and go for a window ("A" or "G") seat as close to the front as I can get.

I prefer window seats to aisles on the long flights because I'm blessed with the ability to sleep on planes. If I choose an aisle seat, I invariably get awakened by one of the other two persons in the row (middle or window) who need to go to the lavatory.

I had seat 11A in a B767-300 on the ATL-SFO flight last Sunday. I arrived at ATL on the 0600 flight (on a MD88) from MSY, which was uneventful. I didn't get upgraded on that flight, which was unusual. Ms. Linda in the Crown Room said my upgrade looked good, but I'm starting to think that the New Orleans gate agents don't follow the list produced by the computer system 100%. I'll check in with them directly next flight about my upgrade. We arrived at ATL on-time, at the main terminal (the "T Gates"). I shifted over to "B," had a coffee in the club, and did some work. There's a Dunkin Donuts now on "B," so I migrated there to get some breakfast, then off to the gate.

Delta B767s have the individual in-flight entertainment systems. These now include not only movies, but a number of basic cable channels, such as ESPN, HGTV, FoodTV, and others. They also have a good selection of music in all sorts of varieties. The tunes and basic TV stations are free in both cabins, but economy passengers have to pay for movies. There's a credit card slot at the bottom of the console. Cabin service was good on the flight, but I didn't take advantage of the first service, as I had fallen asleep. Tailwinds put us into SFO about 25 minutes ahead of our 1305PDT arrival (4:35 scheduled flying time).

SFO baggage claim is usually OK and didn't let me down this day. Soon I was on the airport's train system and off to the centralized rental car facility. Avis had me ready to go with no grief. I was on Hwy 101 heading into San Francisco by 1:35pm.

I chose the 2220PDT "redeye" flight home on Wednesday evening. As much as I wanted to see friends in the East Bay area, I felt it important that I get home while I still had two full days remaining in the week. We wrapped up class early in the afternoon, so I drove down to Capitola on the coast for a few hours. On the return, I went up I280 to head straight for the airport. After stopping for an iced tea and to gas up, I steered the rental back into the centralized facility, cleared Avis, and took the train to Terminal 1.

Delta's Crown Room Club at SFO is lovely, but it's got a catch--it's outside the security gate. Built at a time when this wasn't a significant obstacle, it's not that big a deal now, other than you have to make sure you factor clearing TSA into your timing. Because there are so few late-evening flights, the club's ticket agent usually announces a boarding warning that factors in the crowd at the checkpoint.

Redeye flights are usually laid-back. People in the club are having drinks, watching primetime TV, and generally settling themselves down in anticipation of sleeping a bit on the plane. I haven't been upgraded on a redeye in two years; not expecting to be upgraded here, I had a couple of glasses of wine, checked in with family on the phone and friends on the computer. The announcement came for the SFO-JFK flight, then for the SFO-ATL flight about twenty minutes later.

SFO has a priority lane for first class/medallion customers, but that didn't matter this evening; the line was empty. My flight was deaprting out of gate 48. There was a huge brouhaha going on at gate 42, however. A DL flight from Hawaii had just landed. Several SFPD officers were restraining a woman who was screaming at the top of her lungs, resisting them, swearing and cursing the entire time. The waiter at the pub next to the gate said the gate agent told him she started in like that at two hours into the flight. Airports always have some sort of unexpected entertainment.

I had a window seat in the second exit row of a B757. The seat isn't as comfortable as some, because of it's position next to the bulkhead, but the window seat ensures I won't be disturbed. The exit rows are good because they provide better leg room (have to have more space between seats so people can climb out onto the wing). The seat backs of the row ahead of you are locked, they're also good if you want to use a computer in-flight. The wine in the club had its desired effect. I was alseep while we were taxiing and didn't wake up until we were in-ange at ATL.

We arrived at ATL just before 0600EDT. It was, from all descriptions, a smooth flight. I made my way from "A" concourse to "B" where my 0820 flight to MSY was parked. After a quick cup of coffee and e-mail check in the Crown Room, I headed back down to the concourse. There's a Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken on "B" at ATL, and they do great breakfast biscuits. The line was a zoo, so I didn't have time for a biscuit. I opted for a DD coffee instead.

Delta upgraded me for this leg of the trip before I had even left. That often happens when the plane is a B757 heading to New Orleans. They'll fill the plane, but not many people are willing to pay for first class for a one-hour flight. I was able to get a bit more sleep before arriving at MSY to the "humidity wall" that's the first sure sign I'm home.

While reading the e-newsletter of the Seelos Center, I came across their announcement that they're selling a poster by Riece Walton of St. Mary's Assumption Church, location of the Seelos Shrine. For those unfamiliar with the church, St. Mary's is one of three churches that serviced the parish of St. Alphonsus, in the Irish Channel. The Irish built St. Alphonsus church on the lake side of Constance St., between Josephine and St. Andrew Streets. The Germans in the neighborhood, not wanting to share the same church as the Irish, built St. Mary's Assumption on the river side of Constance, right across the street. The old-line Creole families, along with weatlthy Irish who lived in the Garden District didn't want to go slumming at either church, so they worshipped at a small church on Jackson Avenue. The Redemptorist priests staffed all three churches.

The graphic above is a black-and-white shot of the poster. The posters for sale are full-color prints available in 20x24, 12x16, and 11x14 sizes, for $40, $30, $20, respectively.

This is a gorgeous depiction of the church. Anne Rice fans might remember St. Mary's from Rice's "Lives of the Mayfair Witches" novels. While I never taught at Redeemer in Gentilly rather than Redemptorist uptown (I graduated uni in May of 1980, and the uptown school closed and moved that fall), I've always felt a strong spiritual connection to the neighborhood and the two churches.

You can order one of the prints here.

This is another installment in the "wherein I brag about my kiddo" component of this blog, but there's an important story to be told in the bragging.



That's my youngest, having just finished his 8th grade year at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. As you can see, he was a member of the marching band. He also was one of five 8th graders who had perfect grades throughout the year and were exempt from all their final exams. He's a good kid, even if he's a bit full of himself at the moment.

Little brother's latest accomplishment almost didn't happen, because his dad is a goof. A few weeks back, Kev brought home information about a scholarship sponsored by the Seelos Center. The scholarship is for eighth graders who are entering ninth grade at Catholic high schools in New Orleans. The scholarship is awarded on the basis of academic achievement first, need second.

It's the latter criteria where I had my concerns. We're not wealthy people, but when I see "need" in one of these scholarship applications, I'm hesitant to apply. My first thought is usually, surely there must be a family out there who needs the money more than we do? Wife agreed with me, and we were about to leave it at that when our firstborn got into the discussion.

Big Brother has a different take on life in general, being both smarter and younger than his old man. He took a look at the information handout on the scholarship and said, "Look, this says academic first. He should apply. If there's a kid who is as smart as Kevin and needs the money more, then they'll give it to that kid. Not to mention you can use the money. Catholic school tuition isn't cheap and you're paying for my Ga Tech tuition as well."

He's 100% right, of course, on all counts. Kev's a smart kid and deserves to be rewarded for the hard work he's done. We're also NOT rich, and yeah, we could use the break on tuition. With fees, etc., kev's tuition for next year will come very close to $7K, and if the Seelos folks want to help us with that obligation, it's crazy not to go for that help. We can put the savings in the bank against his college tuition.

We took the firstborn's advice and applied for the scholarship. Kev wrote an excellent essay, talking about how he's heard about Fr. Seelos and St. Mary's Assumption Church (the location of the Seelos Shrine) from his dad, who used to teach at Redeemer High School (which was what Redemptorist High, located across the street from St. Mary's, became when the Irish Channel school closed and moved to Gentilly). I wrote a three-paragraph note that was included with the application and his essay, explaining our financial situation.

Last week, wife got a call from Kev's school in the middle of the day. It was Kevin, calling from the principal's office. Oh, crap, now what?

He won the scholarship.

The school's first Mass of the year always recognizes the recipients of the school's academic scholarships (4- and 5-year awards to incoming 8th and 9th graders-both of my boys received that scholarship), so Mr. Rando said they'll recognize Kev for the Seelos scholarship then. He had just received the letter that day, though, so he wanted to let us know. Like all schools, Brother Martin loves to brag on their kids as much as mom and dad do.

The moral of the story is simple: Apply for any and all scholarships for which your kids are eligible! At least up until you win the lottery.

Once I finish catching up with family upon returning from an out-of-town trip, one of my favorite things to do is to open the box from Amazon.com that's occasionally waiting for me on the kitchen table. While in Baltimore this week I ordered three books:





Bathub Admirals by Jeff Huber. I'm a sucker for military fiction, even when the author's political beliefs are diametrically opposed to mine. I learned of Huber's novel from Daily Kos, where he shares some of his regular blog posts. I enjoy supporting the writing careers of fellow Kossacks.





The Post-American World by Fareed Zakaria. Traveling outside the US, particularly since the start of Bush's War, makes me agree with Fareed-the world will move forward without the US, particularly if we continue to choose idiots for leaders. Fareed is a regular guest on The Daily Show, and his appearances are some of Stewart's best interviews.





The Bishop At The Lake (a Blackie Ryan novel) by Andrew M. Greeley. I'm currently reading a treasure I found at a used paperback store, Happy Are Those Who Thirst For Justice, one of Fr. Greeley's first "Blackie Ryan" novels. I was never a big murder-mystery fan until I discovered the character of Monsignor (now Bishop) John Blackwood Ryan of Chicago. Looking forward to this latest installment.

am actually in Hanover, MD, near BWI. the HDS office is in industrial-park-hell. The hotel is right next to a mall (Arundel Mills), though, so I've had decent food choices.

This my third trip to this office, but I've never gone into Baltimore! I wanted to watch NCIS and Shark last night, and the weather was too gloomy this afternoon. Unfortunately for sightseeing, i'm out for home tomorrow evening. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, since I'll be home!

I'll have two days home, then it's off to Santa Clara on Sunday. The HDS office there is literally right next to San Jose Airport, but the flight selection to SJC always sucks, so I'll fly into SFO. What a pity, guess I'll just have to head into SF, go to Grace Cathedral and walk the labyrinth, ride streetcars, and enjoy the city.

And Ghiradelli. :-)