Hurricane

Having lived in louisiana most of my life hurricanes are a fact of life. Having lived in Baton Rouge during that time, hurricanes used to mean a few days off of school, a few hours without electricity and listening to older generations talk about the big ones like Betsy and Camille. 

I was in high school when Andrew came through and things at my house were mild. We sat around the house, read books and watched it rain steadily for numerous days. We even had a slumber party at my grandmother's house at some point as she was the first person to have her electricity restored. 

Fall of '02 brought another big storm bearing down on Louisiana but I was in Texas at the time and far removed from the situation as long as I knew my family was ok. It was a pretty ferocious storm. Stories from the menfolk in the clan tell how the hunting camp was moved back off its piers about 50 yards into the marsh and how they had to roll it back in place, how the landscape had completely rearranged itself and small ponds were now big lakes and what was once water was now land, not to mention that the duck hunting went south permanently. 

In 05, my fiance and I moved back to LA and were looking at houses, planning our wedding and focusing on starting our new life here. The day of our "Engagement Announcement" party Hurricane Katrina was the topic of discussion. Several family members stayed too late at the party and as a result were in traffic for hours on their way home to Houston. None of us had a clue what was in store. Even as we were in the midst of the storm, with all communication out with the exception of radio, we were clueless as to what was happening one hour south in New Orleans. 

Three years have passed without incident and we now have Gustav bearing down on us. The horror of Katrina and Rita coupled with the fact that we are now homeowners with property to lose, makes me realize how naive I was about hurricanes. This is the first time I've been truly afraid and the first time I've done storm preparations. With giant trees on all sides of our home, I've already assimilated the insurance papers and house documents to take to a safe place as well as the backup hard drive for my computer. I'm hoping and praying this old house can live through another hurricane. 

What happens when you cross a three day holiday weekend, with LSU's first home game of the season, which is also the first home game since LSU won National Championship, with the incoming of a hurricane?

CHAOS - pure and simple. 

Athletic heroism

Amazing feats of athletic ability have never failed to captivate our attention causing a sense of wonderment. We've marveled at Michael Jordan's dominance on the basketball court, were dumbfounded by Bo Jackson's ability to excel at two sports, were taken-aback when Tiger Woods revolutionized the game of golf and cheered when the Manning brothers won back-2-back Super Bowls, making it a family affair. In short we love winners, and we idolize champions. Yet something that underlies the idol worship of super-human athletes, at least for some, is a mandatory approval of personal behavior both on and off the field. Our most revered athletes are often our most beloved because in addition to their unmatched talent, they also display good sportsmanship both on and off the playing field. 

Michael Phelps is now among that crowd and while his 8th gold medal sealed the deal for him, in the hearts of many fans, he was worthy of the above mentioned crowd with or without the record-breaking gold medal. The media cast an international spotlight on Phelps in both the 04 and 08 olympics when they set the bar at 8 gold medals and the dethroning of Mark Spitz. And Phelps met the challenge head-on in 04 and while failing to meet the mark, was impressive across the board in both his races and his sportsmanship. In 08, he rose to the occasion, taking our breaths away with some crushing wins as well as the closest calls ever witnessed, proving himself a superb athlete and a respectable hero. He isn't cocky, he doesn't run his mouth and he respects not only his teammates but also his competitors. He also represents a sport that is still under the radar but from what I've seen is a very tough yet supportive sport. Each race tests your personal endurance, speed, and metal toughness. While you are racing your competitors in the lanes next to you, you're also racing yourself. What never ceases to amaze me is the way after each race the winners and losers congratulate each other. While being overjoyed by their own wins or crushed by their loses they never fail to reach over a lane or two and share words of support that demonstrates the level of respect they hold for the sport as well as for one another. In my mind that makes the sport and those who excel at it all the more rewarding and worthy of our respect. Watching Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals and show his exuberance for each win without prancing around or trash-talking, never forgetting to congratulate his teammates, continuously giving credit to his coach and his mother, makes him an ideal super-hero. 

After watching Phelps and his teammates capture gold last night, the gold that permanently put Phelps name in the history books, the Olympic broadcast re-aired the men's 100 meter sprint finals. While the shear speed was mind-blowing what was even more mind-blowing was the display of ego on display even during warm-ups. While I admire the speed with which these men run, their love of themselves and obvious high levels of confidence fail to register in the athletic hero category. Not an ounce of humility on the track. The winning runner who set a new world-record and crushed the competition, was celebrating even before he crossed the finish line. After such a sportsman-like finish in the water cube, this display of ego-maniacism on the track was disheartening and proved that sheer athleticism does not a hero make.