Nosebleed to see CP3

The reason we went to New Orleans was to see the Hornets play, and they drummed the Calves by 10+. Lebron had a horrible game, but Chris Paul, CP3, was lights out. It was the first time that I actually payed attention to him for a whole game, and he is as good as they claim. The second year playmaker stole the show, breaking peoples ankles as they attempted to shadow him throughout the game. Our seats were in the 300 section, and it was pretty tight. Next trip to see the Hornets will involve a closer view.

If you were unaware the Hornets are second in their conference, 2 games behind the Spurs. They are one of the better teams in the league.

Patriotism

"Stand in front of an exhibit that you identify with."

It's all starting to make sense.

World War II Museum

We took a tour of the WWII museum on Saturday in New Orleans. It was the highlight of the trip, and we could have easily spent another couple of hours checking out the different exhibits. The setup was in chronological order, making the tour all-the-more enjoyable. Maybe this is how every museum documenting a particular event is set up? It was my first.


Karen feeling what the American soldiers felt while they knifed the enemy. She's a natural!

This is an exhibit of gliders that carried cargo and Jeeps for the Allies. These gliders, no longer than 15 yards, were released from planes when they were over enemy territory. It actually produced more harm than good as a large number of them resulted in crashes and deaths. At least John and Jeanne made it. YOUR FORGETTING THE JEEP!

Off to New Orleans

Karen and I are off to New Orleans for the weekend for the purpose of attending the Hornet's game tomorrow night as they play host to the Cavs (sound like Dick Enberg). We're staying two nights because I booked rooms tonight on Hotwire thinking the game was tonight...no refund.

So, we're going to make the most of it. Picking up John and Jeanne for a night on the town before some friends and my brother meet us tomorrow for the game.

The Economic Naturalist

The economic naturalist is a writing exercise that professor Robert Frank uses in many of his introductory economics's classes at Cornell University. His students are to make interesting questions or observations, and then come up with a logical answer using basic economic principals. The idea is to engage the students into what many consider a boring class (I don't even remember my only economics class).

The book is full of selected questions and answers that Robert Frank found noteworthy. cost of them have been edited, so that one line of thinking is heard throughout the book. Very interesting read. Robert Frank and many critics found the question below to be one of the more interesting pieces:

"Why do brides often spend thousands of dollars on wedding dresses they will never wear again, while grooms often rent cheap tuxedos, even though they will attend many formal social events in the future?"

How well versed in introductory economics are you?

New Recruit?

My brother Matthew turned 23 today, and to the uninformed this milestone marks nothing but the passing of another year. At 16 you can drive, at 18 you can vote, join the service, and enter a bar in Louisiana, at 21 you can drink and gamble legally, but what can you do at 23?

Matthew is now eligible to compete in the Lafayette Coed Soccer League, a league that has been dominated by AFC ever since I joined...just kidding! Anyway, we may have a new recruit on our hands. The only thing standing in the way is the contract.

Merry Christmas

Franklin Foundation Hospital

Tonight is the first night that I am working agency work. I recently became employed by FLEXMED. They are a local staffing company that services around 20 hospitals in a 60 mile radius of Lafayette. It's a pretty convenient gig in that I call them whenever I want to work, and they in turn find shifts for me around the area.

Tonight I am working in Franklin Foundation Hospital's ICU. They house four ICU beds, and they are currnetly all empty. That's right...I'm being basically being paid to blog, watch tv, and monitor various medical patients ECG. The hospital usually uses agency for their night shifts due to the eroding supply of nurses. They have to have someone staffed in case of an emergency.

BTW, what happened to the Saints?

Strategic Parking

Karen and I set out this morning to do some last-minute Christmas shopping, and one of the places on our list was Old Navy.

Karen - "Old Navy has the worst parking this time of year. It will be impossible to take a left when we're leaving. All of the incoming shoppers will prevent us from exiting, and we'll be there forever!"

Mark - "Where would you like me to park?" (in a calm tone)

Karen - "Let's park at the Shoe Department and walk to Old Navy."

Mark - "This is ridiculous, but if you say so."


legend - Red X is where we parked, Green line is our walking route, Green X is Old Navy, and Yellow line is the dreaded traffic to avoid.

It must be said that this was at 11:30 in the morning, and there was NO dreaded traffic.

After shopping:

Karen - "Well at least we can say that we are not those people who drive around until they find the best parking spot."

Mark - "Where else do we have to go!"

District Showdown

On Friday night I had the pleasure of officiating the STM / AHS boys soccer match. Both teams are in the same district, and many are stating that it is the new rivalry in the city. Entering the match STM was ranked second in the state while AHS was ranked fifth. The game did not disappoint!

Under the covering of a thick blanket of fog both teams played well throughout the match. Momentum shifted multiple times throughout the night. STM missed on a some great opportunities that would have given them the lead. In the 80th minute of the match Barret Broussard struck a chip shot that nicked the crossbar before finding the back of the net from 30 yards out. Both teams played well enough to win. Looking forward to catching the rematch later on in the year.

I have to say that Barret Broussard (AHS) and Chris Peyton(STM) thoroughly impressed me during the match. Their quality of play and respect for the game stuck out throughout the contest. I've been able to see these two players, through officiating, grow up in the game, and its' nice to see where they are right now. Good luck to both teams in the future.

COPS

I believe I ran into an episode of COPS today while on the way to Reds. I was behind a police car on Ayeshire, making a right onto Brentwood Blvd. when all of a sudden the squad car turned on his lights, slammed on his brakes, and darted out of the vehicle GUN IN HAND! A man exiting a yard on foot immediately hit the ground and an arrest was made.
As I regained my senses I noticed that this house was surrounded by 8 police vehicles. Thought about getting down to check out the scene, but I couldn't just block trafic so on to Reds.

NBA Trade Value

Bill Simmons is a senior writer for ESPN. Every year he writes an article(list) that discusses the most tradable (not a word) players in the NBA. (it's a long column, but very insightful)Included is a bit of sense and sarcasm that has me hooked. Why he is not a GM for some team is beyond me. Below are a few interesting points about some noteworthy players.

36. Allen Iverson
Earlier this month, did you notice the night when Boston blew out the Sixers in Philly in front of about 8,500 comatose fans and, a couple of hours later, Iverson exploded for 51 against the Lakers? The lesson, as always: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER trade a superstar for less than 75 cents on the dollar.

34. Joe Johnson
I'm hoping for the "Boogie Nights" ending here -- three more years of losing, followed by Johnson showing up like a worn-down Dirk Diggler at Steve Nash's door and sobbing, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," then asking to rejoin the Suns. Although we can skip the final scene in which Joe exposes himself in front of a full-length mirror.

18. Chris Bosh
Hands down, the most overrated young "star" in the league. How many times can we watch him get outplayed by the likes of Boozer, KG, Duncan, et al., before we say to ourselves, "All right, Chris Bosh just isn't that good?"

(I don't fully believe anything in the previous paragraph -- I just wanted to get the lunatic Raptors fans fired up for 0.9 seconds. Although it should be mentioned KG has effectively destroyed Bosh in both matchups this season, which doesn't bode well for Bosh's ceiling as a player. By the way, it warrants mentioning every year: If Detroit had picked Bosh over Darko, the over/under for Pistons' titles this decade would have been 3½. That's another one of the all-time "what ifs?")

Fantasy Failure

No thanks to Brian Westbrook's good intentions did I lose my semi-final matchup in fantasy football. In the last drive of the game Westbrook broke free for a 25 yard run, and right before he strolled into the end zone untouched he fell to the ground and allowed himself to be tackled. In doing so he secured a win for his team, but he prevented fantasy players everywhere from attaining 6 extra points. Those 6 points would have given me a victory, and a chance at immortality.

I've had Westbrook on my team ever since I began playing fantasy football, and I have never hated him until now.

Click on the pic to get a better view of the score.

Wedding pics

Karen and I have just received the digital copies of our wedding pics. Just thought I would post a couple of my favorites since everyone has been asking about them.

The deClouets and the Tree

Upon returning from the deClouet party Karen and I took a picture of ourselves with Jack and Gidget with the tree. Look forward to seeing many Jack posts as he is the most important being at 216 Antigua. Thanks John for showing me how to set the automatic timer on our camera.

deClouet Christmas Party

My cousin James and his wife Lacy had their second annual Christmas party tonight at their house. Unfortunately I was not able to make it until the end, but from what my source told me they had a good time. I entered the scene when the guys vs. girls charade game was going on. Upon entering I was COMMANDED by John to take my turn. Feeling empowered by a long commute I grabbed the cards and sounded off, earning a -1 point for my team (successive attempts yielded 3,4,5 points). In the end the guys won 65 to 35.

Kate, James and Lacie's <1year old girl, still refuses to allow me to hold her. In doing so she has claimed the title of arch-nemesis from the Monte. I'll keep you updated on future battles. Good job deClouet guys!

1st pic from left to right myself , the wife, Lacy, Kate, James, Jeanne, and John. Paul and Allison below.
2nd pic is myself Lacy and Nemesis.

Mitchell Report

Roger Clemens, Andy Petite, Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, Gary Shefield, Rick Ankeil, and Miguel Tejada.

This is a short list of the 77 current and former players who were included in the Mitchell report that was released today after a 20 month inquiry on the use of performance enhancers in baseball. Of the 77 players that were mentioned in the report only one of them cooperated with investigation. That player was Jason Giambi. All others refused to defend themselves when faced with proof of there alleged involvement.
While the list of names seems to be what everyone is crying out about, it is the message the George Mitchell sent out that seemed to have a resonating effect. That message was focused on the future of the sport and its' vast outreach.
When fans are faced with such news of their favorite players they tend to respond in a manner of disbelief or they start to defend their heroes. Mike Turico presented this viewpoint today, and when he polled the audience on the topic the response was completely one-sided. Defending their team obviously is top priority with many fans. When asking myself the same question I tend to wander into feelings of disbelief and a sense of being let down...

John and Jeanne's Wedding

This blog was started a little after this event, but I feel it's worth mentioning. My cousin John married a great girl, Jeanne Hebert, on November 3rd of this year. The wedding was held in Washington, La. and it couldn't have been a better evening for the two of them. Lots of friends and family were on hand to celebrate their marriage. A few of the picks are below, and more will be available for all to see shortly. Congrats you two!

First Christmas Tree

Karen and I bought our first Christmas tree today, and it was quite an adventure. We bought it from Vincent's Tree Farm in Kaplan, La. It's a Gard tradiution to purchase the tree from this place, so I was more than happy to become part of that tradition.

Karen failed to inform me that I would be the one sawing down the tree. Let me tell you that this is not an easy task. It requires muscle, determination, and precision. I possess none of the above. The process took 20 minutes, and when it was all said and done the deClouet emerged victorious if you discount the rash I developed on my arms from carrying it!

ISLANO Semi-final

On Sunday evening I was given the honor of officiating the semifinal match in the ISLANO soccer league. This league is by far the most competitive league in the state. It comprises ten to twelve teams that are owned by individuals in the New Orleans area. The players include ex-nationals from various South American countries, former South American pro players, and various amounts of local talent including former ODP national team players. I would place the avg. age of the teams at 27-31. Top players are payed for their performance, and top teams in the season-ending tournament win prizes from the league ($12,000, $8,000, and $ $4,000 accordingly). The winner of the game I officiated won a spot in next week's final and guaranteed $8,000! Anywhere from 400-1000 people show up in support of the teams for these matches, creating a soccer atmosphere that is unrivaled in Louisiana.

The game did not disappoint as the intensity of the players demonstrated the game's importance. A caution was issued in the first 30 seconds with a goal being scored one minute later. The game ended in a 1-1 draw. How can that happen? The league has it's own rules, but one of the teams was able to move on with the tie.

Six hour drives

Karen and I returned from Germantown Sunday night. The 6 hour drive proved to be somewhat testy due to the weather...

Let me back up a bit and inform you about the weekend (the short version). Up all night Thursday writing a paper due Sunday afternoon. Planning to call in sick on my last day of orientation (Friday) until I got wind that I was being thrown a party to celebrate this milestone in my short career at Lourdes. Go into work on four hours sleep, work until noon, and then drive to Germantown where we check in at 10:30. I officiate three quality games on Saturday, finishing the last one at 8:30. Karen, myself, and a few referees grab a bite to eat and return to the hotel around 11:00. Work on the paper for a couple of hours before dosing off. Referee a game at 8:00, finish the paper, ref at 12:30, shop with Karen, and then we decide to head home with Karen driving the first couple of hours while I sleep, or so we thought.

...Karen does not drive on the highway in rain. She would rather stop and check into a hotel for the night, so I drive four hours in monsoon-type rain until it finally stops, and Karen can comfortably drive the rest of the way. I slept the minute my head hit the headrest on the passenger side.

Anyway, we had a great time, and the semester is over!