Me and my son

Nicholas

Today, Wednesday, November 24, 2010 at 1:27PM Nicholas was born into the world. He weighed in at 7 pound and 15 ounces and was 20.5 inches in length.

Baby!?!?

So, it's been a while. Life has a funny way of taking over and not letting you decide what you're going to do. Rather, life dictates the choices you will inevitably have to choose. Of course we all have some control but this past years has felt controlled for me.

Andrea (my girlfriend of two years off and on) is pregnant with my child. Yay. So, we're at 38 weeks tomorrow. It's exciting and scary. She's full term and this baby could come at any moment. I still got stuff I want to sell, baby stuff to put together, mental statuses to prepare for, et al. If that rugrat stays in her uterus until 42 weeks, I'll be happy (she of course will probably be writhe with misery.

I want to write about all my emotions but I fear my child will somehow read my crazy thoughts and resent me for it in the future. Lord knows if my father had written down his fears and I found it ten years postpartum, I probably would have been sad to read his fears.

This is to say, basically, that I want to be a good dad. I can be a good dad. I will be a good day. I'm just scared as hell about it.

There's my ninth month journal entry.

Five Years Ago, Today....

I posted this on a message board I frequent and thought it was necessary to have anyone who still reads my blog to see it.

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina came onshore just near the Mississippi and Louisiana border. More than 1,800 people were killed & it cost more than $81 billion in damages. It was what we call a "100-year storm". Yes, it was a disaster, both man-made and natural.

I lived in New Orleans then and do so now. It's my home. And, it's a much different place than before the storm. Some things are better, some things are just as bad. But we need people outside of the region to not forgot what transpired on that late August day. While I know many things went wrong and many of the lives lost were taken unnecessarily, it still was a natural disaster. It showed no discrimination, even if local, state, and federal government officials did.

People here perceive that most of America has forgotten about Mississippi and Louisiana, or that we should all be rebuild and restored by now. But that's not the case, and there are many different factors for why that hasn't happened. I cannot explain it all in a thread; all I can ask is for you to not forget.

If you wouldn't mind, read the semi-unbiased account on Wikipedia and help to keep us in your thoughts and [if so inclined] prayers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina

Thanks,

Jeff Watkins
Gentilly Terrace, New Orleans, LA

Beard Facts

Via: Online Schools

Summer

Summer in the south can be tragic. It's so hot and muggy that you will literally sweat and lose your breath just by walking out the front door.

Today, to enjoy the summer's heat, I sat outside on my porch, smoked two cigarettes and ate a frozen Diet Coke.

Summer days, uncomfortably warm nights.

I think Arts St. is hotter than Bienville Ave.

Gentilly Terrace is hooooooooooottttt!

I Have Moved, Again

Well, it's been a year. I guess it's time for a move. My girlfriend and I got a place and I'm now back in Gentilly Terrace (near the seminary). If you'd like my address, send me a message.

Jeff on Dr. King

Recently, Cornel West posed the following query on his website, in a section called 'Stand Up, Speak Out,' asking for the general public's response. He asked, "Do you think Dr. King's dream has been fulfilled by President Obama?"

I said the following:

No, Dr. Martin Luther King's dream was not fulfilled by the election of President Obama. Martin Luther King was about total equality for all people, regardless of race, gender, creed, or nationality. Having an African American man inaugurated as president doesn't qualify as the answer to the "I have a dream" speech. Dr. King wasn't hoping for political position; rather, he was hoping for racial equality. Dr. King wouldn't have cared that a black man got elected when racism still exists in America. Consequently, when President Obama was elected, racism didn't cease to exist. The freedom MLK sought will only be realized when there is no more racism! Dr. King spoke for black, white, red, purple, green...all colors and races, not just the race he was assigned to by the Almighty. Even though Dr. King was a human being, who was just as finite and frail as all humans, he spoke like a prophet. His words rang true then, much as they do now. Dr. King's dream will only be fulfilled when we stop hating people for what they look like and only hate the actions of evildoers.

My New Orleans Musical Hero

This is Professor Longhair. Listen to "Tipatina" and "Go to Mardi Gras".