On a rare serious note, my thoughts go out to anyone in the Gulf Coast area. Maybe I'm just being sucked into the Weather Channel doomsday mentality, but this really looks bad for the folks down there. The scene of thousands of people waiting to get into the Superdome is frightening, especially armed with the knowledge that the place has had major leaks due to rain during large sporting events in the past.

New Orleans is hands-down one of my favorite places. A place for grown-ups, and particularly those who like to eat (me) and drink (me). One of my favorite meals is the red beans and rice at a place called the Market Cafe on Decatur. It's not fancy at all, but you can sit outside, the food is delicious and they seem to have live blues and jazz music 24 hours a day. During my most recent trip to NOLA, in January, we made three visits there.

Here's hoping that everyone makes it through this safely, and that they have homes to return to.