Skip the Bag, Bring a Tote

For the last few years I thought I was ahead of the "being green" curve by using my once only-for-the-beach-and-weekends-away Bean Boat & Tote for general use around the city.

It made sense: when not in the car and running errands there's certain stuff you need that just won't fit in the pockets: iPod (when not in use), Nalgene, reading material, work stuff I'd carry around with no real intention of getting to it on the weekend. Then there was the opportunity to skip the bag and just load it all into the tote.


Now the rest of DC will be right along with me.

As of January 1, a $.05 tax will be added to your purchase if you need a disposable bag. If the store offers you a discount for bring your own bag (i.e. Trader Joe's) the business keeps a few pennies. The rest of the tax goes to the Anacostia River Protection Fund.

I'm not one that usually endorses additional taxes, but one that encourages the use of a Bean Tote AND protects our natural waterways, is one to support.


Image Credit: green.dc.gov

I Luv U

We are two weeks and a few days away from Valentine's Day and I have put back, oh, I think three bags of small conversation hearts. They are addictive, delicious and sugary sweet. Eating them brings back distinct memories this time on year as it usually falls around Mardi Gras and is the precursor to satiating my sweet tooth with Easter candy.



I know they are also extremely polorizing. Do you love or loath Brach's Conversation Hearts?

It's Your Ribs

Image Credit: Published in The New Yorker 11/23/2009 by Paul Noth

SG 2.0

Many of you have seen SOUTHERN GENT evolve over the last year and some even noticed the format changes that went live last week. But with the new logo complete, officially ready to debut SG 2.0.

For those of you reading SG through a RSS feed you may not have seen the new header that captures the essence of the blog and and the footer at the bottom of the webpage.

I've also added LinkWithin to each dispatch to share other posts with similar tags you might find of interest.

Much thanks to Jessica Nell Graves of Front Porch Studio and her blog, The Love List, for working with me across the last 5 months (we started in September) and making all my small edits, changes, and tweeks to get everything on point.

Black & Gold Super Bowl

I've been waiting all season to say those words and how sweet it sounds rolling off my tongue:

The New Orleans Saints are going to the SUPER BOWL!

I started getting nervous late last week, remaining cautiously optimistic, superstitious and positive, in my gut I believed. Much like the rest of the season, they would need to take it one play at a time, one quarter, half and then finish strong.



As Sean Patyon said at trophy presentation "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."

All season long this has been about the Saints, but anyone of them - Brees, Bush, Shockey, Porter, Sharper - have said this is about the fans, and the city.

There's a long road ahead 'in pursuit of Lombardi' but I believe:

Editors Note: Cowboy Mouth will be playing at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC on Friday, January 29th. If you want to celebrate New Orleans victory, Mardi Gras and being alive, get the ticket - it will be incredible.

Image Credits: Times Picayune

Geaux Marching...

This isn't my original Saints posts for today, but in keeping with tradition and superstition I want to keep it simple - bless you boys.

Now y'all join with me for Sundays' game against Minnesota (6:40 EST on Fox) to cheer on the New Orleans Saints.

WHO DAT!

Southern Voice

I wasn't a huge fan of this song till it ran during the credits of The Blind Side and now I am hooked. The concert scenes are the best part and can't wait for summer 2010 out at Nissan, now unfortunately named "Jiffy Lube Live."

Official Video Courtesy of PowerOfOneSpirit

Beer & Bubbly

A little bit redneck...

...a little bit refined.

As part of my new year's resolution to organize closets and the computer, I found these pictures trying to make order out of the chaos that is iPhoto and the pictures folder. Cheers!

Scarborough Country

I'm a huge fan of Morning Joe (brewed by Starbucks) and the banter between Joe, Mika and Willie. So much so that this Christmas I received a 19" flat screen for my bedroom to watch the trio and their guests while getting dressed in the morning.

I also received Joe's book and think it's pretty well outlined, an interesting point-of-view and worth picking up if you are into political fodder no matter which side of the aisle you stand.

Additionally, if you are in DC, Joe and Mika will be at Politics & Prose together to promote Mika's new book "All Things at Once." I'll be there, so if you are heading over, let me know so we can be introduced.

Details from www.Politics-Prose.com:

January 13, 2010 - 7:00pm

MSNBC anchor and co-host of “Morning Joe” as well as a wife and mother, Brzezinski has achieved a hard-won balance of career and family. Her inspirational memoir recounts the challenges she met on her way to success, from her childhood in a family of over-achievers (she’s the only daughter of the former National Security Advisor) to the early clinching and losing of a dream job at CBS and a stint as a stay-at-home mom. Mika will be in-conversation with her MSNBC colleague Joe Scarborough.

Location: Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NWWashington, D.C. 20008


Image Credits: www.JoeScarborough.com

Jammin' - Bacon Style

In last week's New York Times column "We Made It Ourselves" was Bacon Jam and it's seem fitting to post for many reasons, but mainly because it was about a year ago we did another bacon post.

It took Josh Henderson 4-years to perfect the recipe and while I wouldn't attempt to make it myself (something about his description of hours skimming fat) I'd like to try it with writer Charlotte Druckman's suggestion of "cheddar thumbprint shortbread cookies" and "potato pancakes".

It would also be delicious with cornbread - so thanks to WJR for sending along.

Image Credit: Jenni Geer for The New York Times

The Blind Side

Over holidays we packed in quite a few movies - Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Princess and the Frog (hey, it's set in New Orleans), Everyone's Fine, It's Complicated, and The Blind Side.

If you haven't seen The Blind Side yet, do. With college football done for the year with the Alabama victory over Texas in the BCS Championship game and sub-freezing temperatures across most of the country east of the Mississippi, this weekend is a perfect opportunity to get your fill of ball and escape the cold.

Because, this movie will be to Sandra Bullock what Erin Brockovich was to Julia Roberts - award winning.

Side Observations:

• Tervis Tumbler must have been a sponsor because half way through the film just about every shot, it seems, had an Ole Miss tumbler.
  
• Tim McGraw's "Southern Voice" rolls during the credits and unlike other singers turned actors who put their song in the movie, this one seems to fit.

Countdown to Carnival

Some folks countdown furiously from Thanksgiving to Christmas with an Advent calendar, but I prefer to countdown the days between January 6, Twelfth Night or the Feast of the Epiphany, and the pilgrimage back to New Orleans for 'Mawty Graw.'

Last year we had a few posts HERE, HERE and HERE and hope this year's posts put y'all in the spirit of Carnival no matter where you live.

Image Credit: Mardi Gras Unmasked via Widgetbox

Holiday Redux

As I mentioned in Post #120, the two weeks span from pre-Christmas to New Years was a whirlwind of parties, travel, family and great food...

It all started with a trip above the line to Hyde Park, New York for the significant other's family Christmas celebration. We missed the blizzard of 2009 that blanketed most of the eastern seaboard, but did get a chance to check out the Vanderbilt manse decorated for the holidays and return to DC for a snow day off of work.

On the 24th, I headed below the line to New Orleans for a food-fueled four days that included turtle soup and oysters at Felix's, dinner at Ruth's Chris, brunch at the Royal Sonesta, cheese fries at F&M's and an eggnog daiquiri after the Saints depressing loss.

Speaking of, I swore up and down I wasn't going to buy tickets, just head to a bar for a fan-filled afternoon of watching the Saints beat the Bucs. But a case of "fear of missing out" caused me to jump on StubHub and get tickets just in time for kick-off.

While the end zone seats were great, its unfortunate that we were behind the cursed uprights that lost us the game when the Saints missed the field goal sending the game into overtime. The Bucs won the toss and were able to drive the ball down the field for a field goal...


Technically, the celebrations wrapped up above the line in Wilmington, DE for our now third annual New Year's Eve dinner party.

But being a New Orleanian at heart, the celebration will continue into the new year with a Twelfth Night dinner tonight that starts the countdown to Mardi Gras 2010!

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the Future

My apologies for the delay in activity since the final post of SGGiftGuide: Holiday 2009. The holiday period, from the weekend before Christmas through this weekend, has been packed with trips both above and below the line which I'll be sharing stories about in the coming days.

First, however, a year and 119 posts ago I mentioned the following here:

"Thank you in advance for reading Southern Gent, contributing through comments, sharing ideas and for continue to post to your own blogs. I find them a daily sense of inspiration and doing one myself , now more than ever before, appreciate just what kind of work and thought goes into each post."

These words ring as true today on Southern Gent's first anniversary as they did on January 2, 2009; but I would be re-missed if I didn't add my sincere appreciation to a few blogger friends (Allie, ADG, & LAS), loyal commentators (CIL, DCMuller, WJR, AEV) and to the rest of y'all for being apart of SG by either reading, commenting, and/or following across the last twelve months.

Godspeed in 2010. Happy New Year Y'all!

DAM