Sunday night, the New Orleans Saints made it to their first Super Bowl in team history when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, 31-28 in overtime. The city of New Orleans, and most of the state of Louisiana, is excited about the opportunity to play the Indianapolis Colts for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. I think it’s safe to say everyone here would be happy to see that trophy make its way down to the Big Easy.
Everyone except me and Angie, that is. We’re hoping the next two weeks blow by as quickly as possible.
It’s all because of Hurricane Katrina. You remember Katrina, don’t you? If not, you must either live in a foreign country that has moved on with its own problems, not have access to television, newspapers or the internet, or possibly both. In short, Katrina almost reclaimed the city of New Orleans in August of 2005. Maybe you remember that the city hurt its own cause by not really caring if the levees that protected the city would actually work if a hurricane hit them in the right way. “That’ll never happen!” shouted politicians over Oysters Rockefeller and hurricanes*. Then Katrina hit, and a lot of politicians looked like absolute morons**.
I know Hurricane Katrina messed up New Orleans pretty badly. Angie knows it better than I do: she had to work an emergency shelter in Shreveport, and heard all kinds of tales about what had happened to people. One man lost his house, hit boat and his motorcycle. He had just finished paying them all off, but didn’t think to get them insured. Oops!
We get it, we just don’t care at this point. I know we hear about it more than most, what with us living in Louisiana, but I don’t imagine I’d care any more if I lived further away. It’s gotten to where Angie has developed a nervous tic of rolling her eyes completely around in the sockets whenever she hears the word “Katrina”.
Why is this a problem? Because New Orleans will play in the Super Bowl in two weeks. That’s two weeks of local news reporting how this rag-tag group of athletes faced personal and social hardship in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and are just now bringing hope back to the desolate city. It kind of warms your heart, doesn’t it? It’s almost TV movie material. Saints quarterback Drew Brees would be played by Bill Pullman, or possibly Jack Black.
We’re going to be drowning in Katrina news***. Angie will probably start seizing in a few days. I don’t think that’s something a pregnant woman should have happen to her. I’ll be up to my ears in tales of hope, and how athletic millionaires had to stare into the abyss. I bet the abyss stared back and said, “Geez, that’s awfully rough, why don’t you go buy another SUV? That always cheers you up. Oh, and maybe donate, while you’re at it.”
In two weeks, some team will win the Super Bowl. I’m pulling for the Colts, but maybe a win by the Saints will finally exorcise this silly demon hanging over New Orleans. Maybe we’ll have talked about Katrina until we’re all tired of it, and we can move on to more pressing problems.
Or, you know, we can go with status quo and continue to gripe about it. I’d better get a mouth guard for Angie so she doesn’t swallow her tongue.
*It’s a drink popular during Mardi Gras, or any other time you need to forget something really quickly.
**The mayor was re-elected, however, proving that New Orleans is, as a whole, crazy.
***See how I used a weather metaphor to describe coverage of a weather event? Hello, Pulitzer.
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