Kiss My Gumbo

Now that I have your attention. Guys - please stay for this post too!

This May is the first ever “Global Breast Cancer Early Detection Month.” It is initiated by the “Know Now Foundation.” Not sure if it is recognized by many, but who cares - nice initiative. Kind of nice that it falls in May which is the month for Mother’s Day and we have Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Keeps the whole idea of breast cancer, self exams and mammograms going all year long! Yes, I’ve had my boob squashed for my mammogram before and will be getting another one next week.

There is also a nifty way to help you do your exams now (I am not getting anything to promote this - just saying). I am, however, familiar with the product and have read a lot about it and talked to 2 women who sell it. It is a $35 investment and you can get yourself or someone you love this early detection Breast Chek Kit. It is a little pad you put over your breast which magnifies the tissue! It helps you do a better exam and will hopefully get all us lazy examiners (me included) more motivated to do our exams. Yes, these are the same people that started the awareness month, but who cares. And this is a neat company (no - I don’t sell their stuff & no I don’t do home sale stuff - stop asking me everyone) because The Know Now Foundation initiative is founded on the “pay it forward” philosophy. Now I need to get my dead-behind off the couch and order me and my mom one of these kits! Then I need to go bug all my girlfriends to go get a mammogram. Priorities ladies!!! You are no good to your family if you aren’t here. No excuses - and don’t give me the “mammograms are dangerous excuse” (you know who you are). Undetected breast cancer is waaaay more dangerous than a silly ole’ mammogram. Heck, getting bit my a mosquito in Mandeville is more dangerous than a mammogram!

picture taken from here

***this post can be read at NOLA.com and my personal blog. Also tune in to Kiss My Gumbo Radio every Saturday from 3:00-4:00 on AM 690 WIST. Feel free to contact me greatperry@gmail.com

***Soldiers’ Angels need you!!! Support our men and women in uniform today! Ask me how!

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Well…not totally - but I’m trying to do my part. We can all agree to at least try…right?

I certainly WILL NOT tackle the topic of global warming on this blog - I leave that to the experts (scientists, Al Gore, Rush Limbaugh, Michael Crichton - LOL). I admit that I kind of miss the whole…”paper or plastic” drone high school kid bagger question. I also miss good paper bags (dang - there were so many cool things you could do with them)! The “Unknown Comic” couldn’t even get a bag anymore! Fifteen years ago I used canvas bags to grocery shop. Guess what…I pulled out the very same canvas bags the other day! D’oh - now if I could just remember to bring them to the store!

My 7 year old daughter had her eco-play at school recently. She was “styrofam” and we had to make a costume out of stryofoam (proud to say I had to borrow because I didn’t have any in the house - not that I don’t use it - just was out - but don’t tell her that). She looked cute with a cup and plate as a hat! The kids sang songs about turning off running water, turning off lights when you leave the room, recycling…yadayadayada. Same stuff - different year.

“GOING GREEN” is all the rage these days. IMHO (in my honest opinion), I think few people are completely green and many are eco-hypocrites. I confess - I threw a bottle away at the gas station the other day (cleaning out the car while pumping gas). Oh yes, threw one away at the park today too (at least I didn’t litter).

In St. Tammany we get paper and plastic recycled, but glass - haven’t figured out what to do with it. And if I have to drive 20 miles to recycle it - that doesn’t make sense either. I know that not every Parish recycles and that is pretty sad. Now to convince my family that going out to eat is “going green.” Because, trust me, I create a bunch of environmental waste when I do that that thing called “cooking.”

Sound off dear readers - tell me what steps you are taking to “go green.”

***this post can be read at NOLA.com and my personal blog. Also tune in to Kiss My Gumbo Radio every Saturday from 3:00-4:00 on AM 690 WIST. Feel free to contact me greatperry@gmail.com

***Soldiers’ Angels need you!!! Support our men and women in uniform today! Ask me how!

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Break out the bug spray!!! Skin so Soft…whatever (now I will be swarmed by Avon ladies - first one to contact me from Mandeville gets my business). I got this letter from Pelican Park (where my kids play sports) and wanted to share with y’all.

Dear Park user,

This email is a reminder to always use mosquito spray when outside and especially when visiting the Park. Spray your children and yourself whenever you are at the Park.

Mosquitoes are part of life in Louisiana and the Recreation District and Mosquito Control work hand in hand to keep the Park sprayed as much as possible. Mosquito Control regularly fogs the Park and conducts aerial sprays. Mosquito control sets traps in the Park to monitor species and numbers to help them in determining when to spray.

We learned today, that test results in the Mandeville/Park area showed a few mosquitoes that tested positive for the West Nile virus. Mosquito control has stepped up their spraying and testing of the Mandeville area.

Use of mosquito spray by all patrons will assist in protecting yourself from mosquitoes. As a service to the public, the Recreation District will begin selling spray/wipes from their concessions in the event a parent forgets their bug spray.

***this post can be read at NOLA.com and my personal blog. Also tune in to Kiss My Gumbo Radio every Saturday from 3:00-4:00 on AM 690 WIST. Feel free to contact me greatperry@gmail.com

***Soldiers’ Angels need you!!! Support our men and women in uniform today! Ask me how!

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* 6 1/2 days of school left - YIKES!!!

* Captain Papillion will be a guest on my radio show this week. Please let the kids listen (now to tell my kids they can’t go to the studio)!!! Saturday on AM 690 WIST from 3:00-4:00. The second half of the show, I will have Stephanie Hirsch, the owner of Prima Donna’s Closet (she is a character). She will be hosting a dog fashion show this Saturday night called “Canines on the Catwalk” to benefit the Humane Society. $50 for tickets (worthy cause) and kids get in free!

* Got the kids registered in CAST camp for the Wizard of Oz play. The boys will also be heading to Camp Stanislaus for a week in July (overnight -I’m a mess).

* Our first vacation day trip planned for NOMA to see the Blue Dog exhibit!

* E-how has some of the funniest stuff on the planet. How to spot a politician. How to peel a banana without the strings. How to change a lightbulb. You could spend all day looking for the dumb stuff on there that is mixed with tons of cool stuff!

*tiara tip to my friend Beth for getting me hooked on E-how!

***this post can be read at NOLA.com and my personal blog. Also tune in to Kiss My Gumbo Radio every Saturday from 3:00-4:00 on AM 690 WIST. Feel free to contact me greatperry@gmail.com
***Soldiers’ Angels need you!!! Support our men and women in uniform today! Ask me how!

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This picture was taken at the Audubon Zoo (where they all axed for you)

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I interviewed Arthur Hardy and Irma Thomas.

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“There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction”
~John Fitzgerald Kennedy~

I brag about New Orleans and how much I love it here - every single day - I really do. It is my home. Yes, even though I live on the Northshore, I am anchored to the heart of the city of New Orleans! I didn’t move here to be near Baton Rouge - d’uh. This coming weekend, yours truly and my sis-in-law will be whooping it up in the French Quarter - girls night on the town - no concealed weapons. I certainly wouldn’t take her for a night on the town in Mosul or Kirkuk!!! Do I feel safe in the French Quarter -probably as falsely safe as I always do anywhere. Will I go there thinking I may get shot - certainly not. Will I hesitate to have fun after dark - nope. Would I feel safer in Iraq - no - even though statistically I may be safer there.

It is hard to figure out the breakdown of murder, homicide and wounded rates in New Orleans anymore. Whoever was keeping score before, seems to have stopped tracking it (besides homicides), probably from pure exhaustion. There are about 73 homicides in New Orleans in 2008 as of now. As of the time I wrote this post, we also have 171 US death in 2008 as a result of the War on Terror. Now, it doesn’t take a math whiz to figure out that the New Orleans death rate is extremely high considering none of those killed in New Orleans were heroes wearing a uniform while serving their Country fighting a war. Hello! McFly! We have a PROBLEM that needs to be fixed - NOW!!!!

We are becoming too accepting of another victim, who is somebody’s child, father or brother. We are accepting that this is just the way it is now. We also note the stats of age, race and circumstances to the murders. You may not fit the description of a 18-24 yo black man who is tied to illegal activities - but you should still be concerned. It is like freaking Urban Warfare here and I, for one, want it to stop.

I have written many times about a campaign idea I have, where the mothers of victims who have either committed crimes and are now in jail and the mothers of murdered victims unite to speak out against the crime! I truly believe that these mothers are the only ones who can stop the violence in this great city right now! I think a campaign like this will make an immediate impact on the community. Ya ya ya - keep the criminals in jail, get drugs off the street, more police, more funding, keep the National Guard here…all fine and dandy. But how about dealing with something immediately? We can’t change the breakdown of the family overnight. We can’t improve the education system with the snap of a finger. We can’t stop the drug problem tomorrow. We can’t change the invincible attitude or the don’t care attitude of today’s criminals…or can we???

I’m just thinking out loud. But maybe someone will listen to me this time. If you have a better solution - speak up! You’ve got nothing to lose by commenting with your 2 cents or great ideas. I am just a concerned resident and I have said my peace - now go ahead and either slam me for living in Fantasy Land about my idea or pony-up and offer your solutions right now!

***this post can be read at NOLA.com and my personal blog. Also tune in to Kiss My Gumbo Radio every Saturday from 3:00-4:00 on AM 690 WIST. Feel free to contact me greatperry@gmail.com
***Soldiers’ Angels need you!!! Support the men and women in uniform today! Ask me how!

Filed under: Louisiana, NOLA, NOLA.com, NOLA.com blogger, New Orleans, Northshore, crime | No Comments »

Dear Princess of Positive,

Why do you do it? Why do you continue to write almost every day? How do you stay motivated to write when you only get $200 a month for your NOLA.com posts and you actually pay to host your own blog?

~Ramon - your hot fictitious pool boy~

Dear Ramon,

I first want to say that you are looking very good these days. Thanks for working so hard to make the pool crystal clear too! Well, I guess I’m hooked on writing, on sharing my thoughts, my experiences and my positive attitude (most days) with whoever will read it. I am honored that anyone takes time out of their busy day to stop and read my blog/post. I am honored that I have become part of the New Orleans community by being a blogger. I am honored that I can bring a smile to someone’s face. I am honored that people e-mail me to post events, topics or share a comment. I also hope (cross fingers) it launches me to something that pays - like a paid radio job or something else. Who knows - I’m game for anything!

Blogging is part of what I do, Ramon, paid or not. Blogging is part of my daily routine. Maybe it is an addiction (my name is Greta…hi Greta), but hey - if it is my worst vice - I can deal with it.

~Greta “The Princess of Positive” Perry~

*** This post can be found at NOLA.com and my personal blog. Also tune in your dials to Kiss My Gumbo radio each Saturday from 3:00-4:00 on WIST AM 690. E-mails are always welcome gretaperry@gmail.com

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I was told to stay in bed even though I wanted to get up this AM (what torture). The clanging of pans in the kitchen could have woken someone up from a freaking coma. There was coffee, scrambled eggs and raisin toast on a tray. I got handmade cards from each of the kiddos, 2 store bought cards and a dozen roses - life is wonderful. Princess Whinalot fetched me the paper and now I have my laptop. Oh ya, Chulo the Stupor Dog & the short bus cat stayed in bed with me to celebrate Mother’s Day too. Off to the zoo where hopefully they will keep me! Happy Mother’s Day all you Moms, Moms to be, Aunts, Grandmas, Godmothers, Kitty Moms, Dog Moms…ENJOY!!!

***this post can be read at my personal blog & NOLA.com

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Well…what are you doing or buying for the mom in your life? And if you are a mom…what are you doing on Mother’s Day? I plan to spend the afternoon at the zoo and listen to Irma Thomas perform from 2:30 - 4 and just enjoy my family.

Here is a real cheezy Mom video from Mr. T (who is by no means a singer). Safe for work!

Picture taken from here.
***this post can be read at my personal blog and NOLA.com. Tune into AM 690 WIST every Saturday for the Kiss My Gumbo show from 3:00-4:00. This weeks guests will be Arthur Hardy “Mr. Mardi Gras Guide” and the Queen of Soul, Ms. Irma Thomas.

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