Shopping Alert - No Lie!

Okay, so this news is a few weeks old, but you've got to understand: I've been terribly busy rewatching Tulane Rutgers highlights. I can start bitching about Army in a few days.

Oh, yes: the shopping alert! Righteous Doc had some glamxurious green sunglasses on at Cooter Gameday a few weeks ago. Squeal! I just had to have a pair!

So they're at Anthropologie. I bought a pair over the weekend in NYC, and the ones I got were on sale for $10. They are tres cute, I am not lying!

You can buy this style online at anthropologie.com for $24.


....or you can pop over to the new Anthropologie at Canal Place before the Tulane Coach's Radio Show on Wednesday and find the really cute green pair I got for $10.


So the 4-1-1 on the radio show is that the location is awesome and you need to be there. For any true Greenwave fan, it's an incredible opportunity to chat up the players in person and also banter with Coach Toledo and the athletic department staff who are there. If you want inside scoop, the radio show is the place to be, no lie.

As far as locations for the radio show, Gordon Biersch really tops all of the other locations we've had the show. I can't imagine the radio show at the old Tavern on the Park with Tommy Bowden. Yawn.

Allegedly, Bowden was crazy zealous about even the mere prescence of alcohol. and He allegedly would not even speak directly with Sandy Barbour because he was such a homophobe.

Which reminds me, I have to share about what a bold faced liar Tommy Bowden was at his last radio show at Tavern on the Park. Christian, my @ss. His bible is probably on fire. Bowden swore up and down to the loyal TU Dat listeners in attendance that he was going to pray to God (!) that night for direction about the miraculous Clemson opportunity that had materialized out of thin air without any solicitation. He claimed he had made no decisions, but was just anguished.

- My Dear Fans, I seriously have to do a sign of the cross and pray a Hail Mary as I type this because I cannot comprehend how a self-righteous Christian would knowingly invoke God in a lie -

So my favoritest booster of all time, Sweet J, goes home after Bowden's Jimmy Swaggert moment and turns on a shortwave radio she likes to listen to before going to sleep. She picks up a Carolina station announcing that Bowden had inked a deal that afternoon and that he would be in Clemson in the morning for the official announcement on campus. Talk about WTF.

Hmmm, so glad Bowden's only real claim to fame seems to be his tenure here at Tulane. Let the record state: We were his only top 10 team and his only undefeated team. He is still, deservedly, unemployed as of the writing of this blog post. Oh wait, I hear he peddles himself out for "Faith Based" Motivational Speeches at exciting gatherings like the Appalachacola Fantasy Football League meetings and such. It's quite riveting. I hear his podium will get struck by lighting and spontaneously combusts into flames.

... So meanwhile back in New Orleans, y'all (ha! I promise I am so over Bowden) .... Gordon Biersch is on beautiful Fulton Street and with this a-mazing weather, is simply heavenly with their indoor/outdoor bar. The Gordon Biersch Bar is the closest thing to re-living Collegiate Life out on the Ren-Deck.


In addition to the lovely ambiance, their microbrewed beers are actually really delish for those of us sinners out there that don't get all waded up over the presence of alcohol. However, the best thing is that the menu is so yum and there's a TON of choices: crab dip, wedge salad, garlic fries, soft chewy pretzels, kobe burgers, tuna steak, chicken fettucini....like how can any TU Dat be sitting at home when you can have a yummy dinner and be live in person with the Greenwave at the same time? and with your cute new Anthropologie sunglasses, it's a veritable win-win situation.


Tulane Football Coach's Radio Show
Wednesdays til Thanksgiving
6-7p Tulane sports talk
7-8p Coach Toledo and Football players
Gordon Biersch Brewery and Restauraunt
Poydras at Convention Center Blvd
CBD

Roll Wave!

We made her change!

photo by bobby of nola via flickr

Mrs. Hullabaloo is a heartless tough love Town Mom.

We thought we'd start to introduce our little Town Daughter chickadees to some off-campus, outside-of-the-bubble activity and bring them to Gordon Biersch for the radio shows on Wednesdays. One at a time, rotating them - maybe we might invite them together for the homecoming week show.

Big Sky is my first Town Daughter, whose all grown up now as a Sophomore. She's a mountain west girl and had alerted us last spring that steaks and juicy fat burgers were few and far between in the campus kitchens. So after taking her to sample her very first oysters at Bourbon House Seafood and Drago's, we now always treat her to other fine New Orleans steak and burger joints.

Big Sky finds my enthusiasm for the Wave intriguing as most Tulane students do. More as observers than actual participants.

Now, to her credit - she's got the Saints Who Dat thing down. She came downtown after the NFC championship win to mingle with Who Dats on Bourbon Street. She went to the SB Victory Parade in the freezing cold. And, she texted me at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning when we were in Miami for SB weekend to let us know she went to be on the "Good Morning America!" taping in Jackson Square. It was my proudest Momma moment!

We always invite Big Sky to tailgating for football and baseball and she always obliges (well because I'm her Town Mom and she has to). She gets to sample tasty dishes lovingly prepared and mingle with Tulane fans. We are hoping that enthusiasm rubs off on her at some point.

So we pulled up to Willow Street to find Big Sky waiting for us. In a purple top.

Yes, you read that right. She was wearing purple.

H3ll to the no. Coach Hullabaloo rolled down the window and joked that he tried to hit the puddle by the curb hoping it would splash up and force a costume change.

We indeed drove her back to her dorm so she could find a more appropriate color choice. For real. Gotta start learning them somehow, right?

She found an adorable Tulane logo tee-shirt that we loved. We got to introduce Big Sky to Coach Toledo and to other Tulane fans at the radio show. Could you imagine our shame if we had allowed her to appear in purple? and as terrible Town Parents, Coach Hullabaloo and I joked with Tulane fans how we made her change before coming.

This is what we want to see, Big Sky (shot of random co-eds at homecoming): Spirited Co-Eds in Cute Tulane Apparel.


Overall, it was a great, fun show. Alex Wacha, Andrew Nierman, and Philip Davis were interviewed, as well as Coach Toledo. Can't wait for game day now!

P.S. We Love You Big Sky! (Don't hate us!)

Fine Cooking and Memo to O-Town

Props to Lisa for alerting me to this find at Sam's


All kinds of interesting recipes, so thank you Lisa for scouting it out at Sam's.

APRICOT GRILLED CHICKEN
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup apricot preserves (preferably without corn syrup, read the label)
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the preserves, vinegar, red pepper flakes, rosemary, and a large pinch of salt; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and simmer. Stir just a bit, until the sauce thickens up (about 3 to 5 minutes). Remove from heat, jar it up and let cool to room temperature before refrigerating. Bring it out to baste on your chickens when you are grilling.

Fine Cooking recommends that prior to using, warm the sauce to make the sauce smooth for basting your chickens.

So tonight is the radio show and I am so excited! Coach and Mrs. Hullabaloo are huge fans of Gordon Biersch Brewery. It's where we watched the Saints beat the Eagles for their first play off win ever; the Saints beat the Patriots in MNF; the Saints beat the Cardinals on the road to Superbowl 44 and now the home of the Tulane Football Coach's Radio Show. Hopefully it's a good Karma/Mojo zone.

So I'm looking forward to the beginning of gameweek with a visit to GB. However, before I part, MEMO to our very naive and sadly misguided visitors from O-Town: Keep your Pretentious Bullshit at home. Thank You.

Using Katrina in a "Joke" or a "Taunt" is strictly off-limits and very un-Grove worthy. Hayley Barbour is definitively a big fat idiot who will pay his due when the time comes. As former RNC Chairman, ya think he might have swindled a good deal while everybody else got screwed? In the history of politics, I assure you that this is nothing new or groundbreaking. We in Louisiana can run circles around everybody when it comes to schooling politicians in the art of fixing deals.

Mississippi = 25% Katrina damage; New Orleans+Louisiana = 75% Katrina related damage. Yet you and I both got the same sum of money (and Mississippi overall has less people!). Clearly you cannot do math, so Boot Straps my @ss. What you got was more federal money with your guv + the White House idiot both of the same party. I'll even leave out commenting on Ed Orgeron and his tasteless circling over our football team while many of the Tulane family was still on rooftops and in attics. What you got is called a handout, an entitlement, and dare I say it: welfare money. So go stew in it, okay?

Bye now. That is all.

Backflip!

photo by parker waters

It's official. Time to Get Crunk. My season tickets arrived today. Section 143. The crazies. Hey: it takes ALL kinds mes petites choux.

I hope I get to see the little blue-haired cajun lady who married a member of the 1940something olive and blue football team. She's got some passionate lungs for a lady who wears perfectly tailored pant suits with immaculately groomed hair. Such a gem.

So accompanied with my season tickets was a "Fan Guide" and an "NCAA Booster Compliance" pamphlet. They're on to me, I tell you.

According to the "Fan Guide" no outside drinks and no obscene tee-shirts. and no socially unacceptable language, gestures or behavoir. and no standing, please.

???

Except for the standing part, I think this mailing was supposed to go to UCF. You know, Bachelor Vienna's alma mater. Thee with the "I'm a UCF B*ch" tee-shirt clad co-eds and assortment of idiot fans who unceaselessly scream obscenities at 40 y.o. women and defenseless college cheerleaders. Seriously. And a completely useless UCF cop just standing there denying that there's anything to be done about such behavior. I guess that's why we in New Orleans are able to peacably have occasions such as Mardi Gras and Superbowl Parades without fun quickly turning to tragedy, turned over cars lit on fire and mass hysteria. Acting out of hand quickly earns one a trip to Broad Street and an evening in Central Lockup.

UCF has these "Town & Gown" volunteers that is like spitting into a forest fire. It's like a welcome wagon-kind of organization made up of women who somehow meandered into the wrong campus destiny. "Thank you for coming to take our verbal abuse! We're so glad you are here. Come back and see us y'all!"

Bless their hearts, the Town & Gown's should have gone to Mississippi State or University of Alabama.

So anyways, Tulane season tickets have arrived!! Yay!


Included therewith (beyond the passive aggressive pamphlets to tell Mrs. Hullabaloo to please sit and to cease and desist encouraging Tulane Students' wity slogans for opponents. oh, remind me to tell you about the $80 tee shirt I bought off an underclassman's back) is a lovely booklet with letters from THE Roch Hontas, QB/M.D. and "California Cool" #11 Ryan Griffin.

Doctor Roch lovingly writes to us Tulane Faithful that he believes "2010 Tulane Football is all about promise and potential." Roch was our "David v. Goliath" quarterback. He was considered too short to go on professionally, but by all accounts of other Hullabaloo Huddler fans, Doctor Roch was The Real Deal when it came to Tulane quarterbacks.

Opposite in the pamphlet from Doctor Roch's encouraging message, our favorite California Cool musters up a passionate letter recalling our exciting win over UTEP! Which, did I mention that I had to go to a stupid wedding and miss! ME of all Tulane Fans, to miss THIS game. I shant ever forgive the newlyweds.

Ry writes, "My heart was racing. My emotions were running wild. As we celebrated on the sideline and with our fans I witnessed the passion that Tulanians have for their [..our?] university."


See friends, Ryan is such a quiet, unemotional guy that I find his letter absolutely endearing!


At the radio shows, he barely whispers his answers into the microphone and blushes continually throughout the excruciating inquisition-like interview conducted by the punishing hard-nose commentator, Tod Grafignini.

So it is truly impossible to picture Ryan's "emotions running wild." I keep imagining Robin Williams in The Birdcage coaching the uncooperative dancer that his part is to go wild Marcia Graham, Madonna, Fosee, Fosee, Fosee...but "keep it all inside."

It is such a contrast from the days of our lovable Anthony Scelfo leaving all his emotions on the superdome turf. Here, Times Picayune photos from the controversial out of bounds/clock/referee call Homecoming 2007.



Coach Toledo dutifully sent him some letters to the NCAA about this bullhockey refereering that occured. in our house for crying out loud.

When Tulane played the University of Alabma in 2008, post-hurricane Gustav, we met one of Ant'ny's cousins who was attending Bama. We were at a little watering hole within the shadows of their stadium - the name of the establishment has completely escaped me. Tulane fans, just picture Waldo's, but transplanted in Tuscaloosa. We meet a member of the Scelfo clan, and a round of adult refreshments was promptly treated to all of us Tulane fans. Everybody was so lovely even after they beat us fair and square. Talk about model Town & Gown treatment.

So cheers to a promising season, can't wait!