A Change In The Weather


A big cold front came through last night pushing a whole lot of cold air into the area. Yesterday it was nearly 80 degrees during the day, tonight the low is supposed to be about 28 degrees or so. I can't really complain; it's been one of the mildest winters ever so far, so much more like spring than winter.

But I slept poorly last night and as I was lying in bed at 5:45 AM and wondering why I was awake and why I had woke up so many times during the night... I am thinking that this has happened to me before. In fact, lately, it seems to happen everytime a front comes through and the weather changes. This never used to happen to me... So I'm lying there, drifting in and out of sleep, half awake, wondering what is causing this...

and a face begins to flash before my eyes, one that I begin to remember
seeing throughout the night, every time I woke up for a second...


Lil Puddin! The cat has been waking me up all night! She's extremely sensitive to changes in barometric pressure; (most animals are), any time a thunderstorm is on the way, I know it long before there's any sign of the storm, she is right in my face! But it just never ocurred to me that she would be trying to wake me up at night when there wasn't a storm... she usually sleeps all night on the bed and doesn't get up until she's sure that I'm going to do something interesting. Now what do I do about this? Silly cat.



I Give Thanks...

Over the last two weeks, some other cammers have put up links to my site on theirs, and I want to mention them here and thank them. Two of the guys that I met in Vegas this January, Steve, Dazed Cam and Mikey, Funk Cam Live have added links and so has my friend from the U.K., Ford, Ford Cam. In fact, Ford has made me his "Cammer of the Month"! I encourage you to check these guys out; their sites are fun and interesting and regularly updated. Another person who did a link, but doesn't have a cam, is Noah, Noah's World. He's a rather amazing young guy from Australia who posts on the boards as "Nolly" and his journal is definitely worth checking out! (All these links and others are on my links page).

Thanks guys!

I'd also like to thank the people that have e-mailed me in the last week or so; I really appreciate your comments and words of support!

mwuah!

The irony here is so intense, there really is nothing more than I can say....

Helms pledges to make AIDS a priority
Ann Rostow, Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network
Thursday, February 21, 2002 / 12:40 PM
SUMMARY: Speaking to an audience of 800 Christian AIDS activists, Sen. Jesse Helms said he had been "too lax, too long in doing something really significant" about AIDS.

Speaking to an audience of 800 Christian AIDS activists on Wednesday afternoon in Washington D.C., Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., said he had been "too lax, too long in doing something really significant" about AIDS.

"I'm so ashamed that I have done so little," he said.

The retiring lawmaker, one of the staunchest conservatives in public office, pledged: "I am not going to lay it aside on my agenda for the remaining months I have in office."

Helms's remarks, said Human Rights Campaign (HRC) spokesman David Smith, were "intriguing, coming from an individual who has done more to ensure that the disease has gone unchecked � and done more harm to people with AIDS than any other person."

Helms has earned a zero rating from the gay rights lobbying group, and Smith adds, "you can add four exclamation points" to the score.

Helms "has thwarted at every turn an effective prevention strategy for curtailing the spread of AIDS," says Smith. "In the mid-eighties, the government knew how the disease was spread, but because of the extreme anti-gay prejudice of Jesse Helms and others like him, the government did not execute a prevention campaign to teach people how not to become infected, and as a result, people died." Jesse Helms, says Smith, "was primarily responsible" for the government inaction that allowed the epidemic to run rampant.

Yesterday's mea culpa was pronounced at the Prescription for Hope conference, organized by Franklin Graham and the Samaritan's Purse relief agency that Graham heads.

"Sermons about how to avoid AIDS are good but provide no solace to those 40 million already infected with the virus," says Graham, son of the evangelist Billy Graham, on the conference Web site. "As the church of Christ, we must reach out with open arms in love, encouragement and compassion rather than condemnation."

Helms made no reference to sexual orientation during his talk, instead noting that there is "no substitute for the joy brought by strong and healthy marriages," and instructing the audience "not to hesitate to share this truth," with others.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Makin Groceries

Prarie Belt canned smoked sausage


No, I didn't buy any of this! I just love the can. And it's a fairly honest product; not a high end gourmet treat, but then it doesn't pretend to be anything more than what it is.

While Robea and I were makin groceries out in da parish yesterday, we got into reading all the labels on the cans and just looking at all the stuff on the shelves, not just the stuff that we were going to buy. It's amazing really, there seems to be such a variety in American grocery stores; there is a lot of stuff, but so much of it is crap!

How did we get so far away from what is real food? So much of the stuff is just weird! Many of the "convenience meal" type things are simply inedible; most of the frozen meals are laughable and a lot of the new microwave products are hideous. The people who design these products try to come up with something simple to make, but it all ends up like pretend food; more like a representation of a meal. "Home cooked taste"? Not in Casa Durlx! It's no wonder that most groceries are installing kitchens and doing take out meals. This instant stuff sucks, and I think it's even worse than it has to be; it could be done better.

The other thing I noticed yesterday, (oh, we were in the store for 2 hours...) was how so much of the packaging promised some kind of health benefit. For instance, graham crackers...A Good Source Of Calcium! And the whole reduced fat, low fat, no fat thing; again, another group of products that pretend to be something, but are not. With all these "healthy" products, you would think the nations health would be better, but that's not true either. (BTW, most "health food" stores are also filled with tons of this kind of ersatz crap as well.)

We've bought into this ridiculous cycle of imitation food that is supposed to be good for us, and it's anything but. Where did we go so wrong? Why do we buy and eat these things? I think I know, but I'll get to that in a future journal entry.


A Fond Farewell

Micheal, Sammy, Wiley, Nina, durlx, and Robea


Our street is empty. The last of our visitors hit the road today. Nina headed out this afternoon for Indiana and eventually back to St. Louis. She'll be back later this year. Wiley headed down to Venice, LA for a few days. He'll be stopping back this way by the end of the week. It's been nice to walk out of the house with a cup of tea in the ayem and sit and talk with everyone. We're gonna miss em.

In the picture above, you may notice that Sammy is wearing a mask. He had just gotten up and decided that he was not ready to face the camera. I'm thinking of making some flyers up with this picture of him, sort of a reward poster... Have you seen this man? Call... and posting them all over the neighborhood...

hehe, evil grin...

Caravan of Caravans!

Now there are two...


Nina is still here and she has been joined by another friend of hers from the road, Wiley, (another welcome addition to our little neighborhood.) In talking to them, I've been thinking that I'd kind of like to hit the road in an RV... but I'll probably get over it. Both Nina and Wiley travel a lot every year and that certainly appeals to me.

Wiley has in interesting license plate



Lovely day



I've been feeling crappy for the last few days; picked up some kind of gastro flu, spent a lot of time in bed. I read three William Gibson novels; Idoru, Mona Lisa Overdrive, and Virtual Light. I love Gibson's vision of the future and cyberspace and his sense of humor.

I felt well enough today to join the crowd on the front steps and spent part of the morning chatting with Robert, Nina and Wiley. Then I got ambitious and took down the remaining Mardi Gras decorations. Now I just have to finish stowing away the stuff that's still laying around inside and do a final glitter patrol. (It's never really all gone...)


The Message Board

Just amazing! You were all very busy these last few days! There have been about 400 posts since Friday evening, and yes, I have read them all. Over all I think it's going fairly well; everyone seems to be playing nice, for the most part. Remember to respect each other; it's important to me, but I think it's important no matter what board you post on.

In case you were feeling old today...

Cora Rousseaux, 113, a witness to history



02/19/02

By Natalie Pompilio
Staff writer/The Times-Picayune

Cora Hamilton Rousseaux, a homemaker born during Grover Cleveland's presidency who lived to see both world wars and the invention of the automobile and the airplane, died Wednesday at her home. She was 113.

Mrs. Rousseaux was born in Plaquemine in 1888 and is thought to be among the oldest persons to have been born in Louisiana.

She lived briefly in Chicago, moving to New Orleans after her husband's death in 1948. She and her mother owned a four-plex on Laurel Street close to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. They lived in one apartment and rented out the other three for income, said Audrey Pierce, a longtime friend of Mrs. Rousseaux.

Mrs. Rousseaux volunteered at the church rectory, helping with housekeeping. She was the oldest parishioner of the Josephites in Louisiana.

Well into her 90s, Mrs. Rousseaux did her own cooking. She once sent Pierce on a mission to find fresh rabbit for her to prepare. She was also a talented baker.

"Her cakes would rise so high and I would say, �How do you do that?' " Pierce said. "She didn't believe in cake mixes at all."

Mrs. Rousseaux grew more tired as the years passed, but her mind remained sharp, Pierce said. She sometimes talked about her advanced age, one time noting, "I know I'm 103, but I don't really think I'm that old."

"Even as she got older, 110, 111, 112, we'd take her to church and then out to eat breakfast and for drives to Audubon Park," Pierce said.

In the final few months of her life, Mrs. Rousseaux told friends she was tired and that she missed her mother, who died in 1981. She began asking for her strong morning coffee in bed. She would have turned 114 on Feb. 18, but she told Pierce she could not attend a party her church was organizing.

On the night Mrs. Rousseaux died, Pierce heard her speaking aloud in her bed.

"She kept saying, �What are you waiting for? What are you waiting for?' " Pierce said. "She was ready. She was absolutely ready."

She was a member of the Knights of St. Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary Court No. 47, for whom she had been a volunteer cook.

A Mass will be said today at 10 a.m. at Blessed Sacrament Church, 5018 Constance St. Burial will be in St. Vincent No. 2 Cemetery. Louisiana Undertaking Co. is in charge of arrangements.

Amazing.

Ashes, ashes...




OK, yeah, I know Ash Wednesday was two days ago, but Mardi Gras took a lot out of me...

Ash Wed. doesn't have any religious significance for me, really, but it is the day after Mardi Gras and the beginning of Lent and in this town that does mean something.

First of all, you wake up to a house full of dirty dishes, plastic beads and glitter everywhere. (I washed some dishes today and the sink wasn't draining, the drain was full of glitter...) There are still MG decorations on the house that have to come down. The monkey cam has to be redone. The Mardi Gras pics have to be sorted, resized and put up on the site. The poor cats nerves are frayed and she has a cough. You don't really want to go outside because the city is still covered in trash; it takes two days to clean it up and this year there were over 2,000 tons of trash. You've got blisters on your feet from walking miles and miles through all the partying and you don't want to see another persons private parts. (OK, that last thing, you get over fairly quickly...) Valentine's Day is a bit of a blur... Mardi Gras is intense. It's an insane event, you enjoy it immensely and when it's over you've had enough. You don't want any more until next year. On Ash Wednesday you really feel it.

Now people do give up things for Lent in New Orleans. One example I'll always remember is Josef, who was Tennessee William's houseman in NO for many years. I used to frequent a bar near Tennessee's house in the Quarter and Josef was always there, but Mardi Gras was the last day we'd see him until Easter Sunday when he would come in with the most enormous Easter hat and drink himself silly once again. He loved to be out and he loved to party, but he was very serious about Lent; you might see him in the gate to the alley by Tennesee's house or on the street, but never in the bar. He wouldn't even talk to us during Lent.

So people give up smoking or drinking or meat, or something, for the 40 days of Lent. But they don't really have to make it all the way through because there are three St. Patrick's Day Parades (March 15, 16, and 17th) and an Irish American Parade on the 24th for St Joseph's day. They are typical New Orlean's type blow outs with bead throwing, marching bands and floats with the addition of the throwing of cabbages, carrots, onions and potatoes for the Irish and fava beans, roses and kisses for the Italian parades. Yes, the Italian men march through the Quarter and kiss people; they used to come by one of my favorite gay bars... It's all a lot of fun and the religious aspect of these "holidays" doesn't seem to get in the way any more than it does for Mardi Gras. Easter is another big day with several Easter hat parades in the Quarter, including one gay Easter hat parade, all in decorated horse drawn carriages. Of course, the gay parade has the best hats.

After Easter, there's only a couple of weeks until Jazz Fest, (which lasts two weeks). Then it gets rough, there's a whole blazing hot summer to get through before Southern Decadence! We muddle through somehow.


The Message Boards

I've been around these boards for quite a while; started out with Mark's old board, and I've seen storms come and go. There were times when I thought the boards would just disappear altogether because of the bad feelings and controversy; I've been surprised time after time how they bounce back. Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised, there are a great many good people that come to them and I've gotten to know many of them. I've made friends here, some of whom I've met in person and others whom I have not yet met face to face. I am often amazed at the kind of people I've met and how interesting, intelligent and witty they are.

I've also, on occasion, been stunned by the bitterness, anger and ugliness that people will show to each other. My position has been that everyone is welcome to post on my board, but that they respect each other as they do. It's supposed to be fun. If I were throwing a party at my house, I'd expect people to be laughing, talking about films, books, music, current events, (having arguments about them), gossiping a bit... but when someone starts throwing punches, that's the limit.

I also will say that I support GC; he has what is often a thankless job. He set this up, negotiated the space on the net (hosted by BadPuppy) and has to make the decisions; the various moderators contibute their opinions, but in the end it's his decision and his responsibility. I can tell you that the decisions are not easily or lightly made. I see how it is after having my own board for a while and talking to others who have one.

All that said, welcome everyone! Have fun! And give each other a break once and a while, eh?

A few more pics of Mardi Gras

After sorting through some more of the many, I decided that there were a few more pics that needed posting right now.

First of all there were the bois


Don't get saucy with me Bearnaise!


Boy on the bar


Stoopid Cupids, but cute.


Princess Stephanie, she is soooo funny!


and Kenneth, the Scot!


Wow, he was so cute and wonderful! And we were such suckers for the accent! He is actually from Scotland!

Monarch of the Glen! hehe!

Mardi Gras Day!


Yeeeeee hah! Hey, Mardiiiiii Graas!

Hysterical wonderful day!

I dedicate this journal entry to my good friend Robert.

Our Sister of Purpetual Succor


Hehe, his costume was fabu!

We had a breakfast in the patio...


Before we got into the thick of things, we were blessed by a couple of bishops, or guys like that...

bless you my sons...


It was fortunate that we had been blessed, because then we ran into the men who hate gay people!

Why don't they have girl friends?


Hehe, that's pretty obvious... who want's to date a guy who wears a T-shirt that says "Fear God" and talks about going to hell all the time...

Then we got down to Bourbon Street, (the gay end) and...

ALIENS landed!!!!



Just like it said in Weekly World News!

Well, of course, aliens didn't land... it was a fabulous day, there are hundreds of pictures...

It'll take me days to sort them out. I'll get them on line soon...


It was a fabulous day! I had so much fun with my friends here in New Orleans!

And so much fun with the people I met this weekend!

It's that kind of party. Wish you all could have been here to see how it works, everyone gets along so well...

love, durlx


ps, hi Marco!

Mo Mardi Gras!


First, today, I went to brunch at my friend George's house in the French Quarter. There were a lot of interesting people there, but the most interesting thing, picture -wise was George's odd toilet.

The square toilet...


Never seen one like that before..

So we ate our red beans and rice, and then went out into the streets and into the bars...

workin man


Then we got out on the streets again, met some sweet guys...

they were having a good time


and they were in love...


ahhhh..


Nice guys... very sweet, very happy to be alive and very much in love. It was nice to talk to them...

Then we went back into one of the bars... hehe... well...

it's just amazing...


oh...


Incredible afternoon! (There was this guy who looked like Tom Cruise..., well no, it couldn't have been him....) So many amusing people... it was great! But then we had to get back home and get into a tux for the Lords of Leather Ball.

The ball was stunning...we had a fabu time... (now I can put my tux away for a couple of months...) but on the way out, we ran into Princess Stephanie again, and ya know, she wanted me to take a picture of this boy...

Princess Stephanie and boi




Today was sooo much fun. When I say, "I wish you all were here!", I really mean it! I think if you were here, you would be having a great time.

Throw me somethin'

hehe.

Sunday

Totally blew off yesterday... woke up in the afternoon and couldn't walk! Robert and I must have walked 20 miles Friday, but mostly from one bar to the next, hehe. Today it's brunch at a friends house in the Quarter, then the streets, the bars and the bois for the afternoon, and The Lords of Leather ball this evening. The weather was supposed to be cloudy and cool today, but it's almost seventy degrees and not a cloud in the sky; perfect for picture taking!


Stay tuned...

Here we go! Mardi Gras weekend begins!

Bourbon Street fills up. (from the balcony of OZ.)


There is sooo much story to tell here! Robert and I had such an amusing time this afternoon and evening! The picture above was taken from the balcony of the club, OZ, which is across the street from the Bourbon Pub, (the two big gay bars on Bourbon Street in the Quarter). We were able to get in everywhere, get drinks easily and move around; I was able to take the pic from a balcony which is fairly unusual. Ten years ago, it would have been wall to wall packed by now, but it's a lil more comfortable at Mardi Gras these days. (So many gay guys come for Southern Decadence instead.) Still, it's very, very good! There are quite a few stories to tell about this trip to the Quarter, but not the room in this jam packed journal!

There are boys on the bar everywhere!


We viewed the boys here and there in a half dozen bars and then went to Rampart Street to see the Hermes Parade, (33 floats, 10 marching bands...fairly large parade.)

Incredible Floats


More...



The parade was pretty amazing! ...and large, but nowhere near the level of the huge weekend parades like Endemion, Bacchus or Morpheus. But this one tonight was fun, it came into the Quarter a bit, and therefore near some very amusing gay bars. Robert and I had a good time on Rampart Street.

Robert and the Legendary Connie Marcel!


We could have stayed out all night... But you can't, because we have to be up by noon and ready to go to the Quarter , (well, after lunch...) and then be ready to get home and dress for the ball tomorrow evening.

Sunday is a repeat performance, same thing, but a different ball to go to.

Monday, a lil rest... finish up the costume...

Fat Tuesday, get up early, get the breakfast ready, start pouring the Mimosas....

One other thing, just today I ran into at least 15 different people that I really was glad to see. One guy, Terry, I have known in a casual, but fairly intense way for very many years, and I saw him tonight on my way home as we stopped by the Phoenix Black Night Party. He was one of the first people I met in NO, and he keeps popping up in my life; at a party, or working for someone I know, or a roommate's trick, at breakfast, (OMG!, girl! pass the sugar!), or he was the bartender in the some new hot bar... over the years, he always seems to be there, knows the people I've gotten to know... but then he's also out of town a lot... I've never known his phone number in all these years.

We kept hugging and kisssing and laughing tonight, so glad to see each other again. What a sweetheart!

Good start for the MG weekend. Thank you Robea again for being there! I think it's going to be another great Mardi Gras...

Lots more to come!

The Big Weekend Begins

I was awakened this ayem at ten to six by the merry tinkle of glass breaking. When they delivered the paper this morning, they managed to break one of the panes of glass in my front door, which I discovered when I stepped out the door to pick up the paper. Not a big problem, but they won't be out to fix it until next week some time since everyone will be on Mardi Gras schedule until after Tuesday. (BTW, it's very important not to get arrested during MG, because you won't get a court appearance until Ash Wed.!)


A word or two about Mardi Gras balls. The original purpose of the MG ball was to present the daughters of the socially prominent families to society when they reached the age to start husband hunting, and that still holds true for the myriad straight balls held every year. The gay Carnival balls that I go to started as a satire of the straight balls, (most of which are dreadfully dull!) and proceded to become one of the most entertaining parts of the MG season. The gay krewes are mostly comprised of gay males, but there are some women members; the Krewe of Amon Ra picked a female king for the second time this year. There are two more gay balls this weekend, both usually spectacular and known for their huge costumes. I have an invitation to the one Sunday night, but not for the one Sat. (that could still change...)

This should be the last journal entry with no pictures for a while. I'll be going into the Quarter everyday, except maybe Monday, so there will be lots of pics. This city will be rolling 24 hours a day until Wed. morning!

Bits

The last two days, the weather has been totally dreary and so have I. I did nothing, except read and doze off at odd times of the day. Today, I woke up somewhat energized and cleaned the house, did laundry, those kind of things. I spent some time visiting with Nina and Robert, made a few phone calls and did a few other essential things. Nothing really to this story that a picture would bring to life.

I was thinking of going to a Mardi Gras parade tonight to take some pictures, but the weather was just nasty enough still to make me decide that tomorrow would do just as well. The weather is going to shape up well for MG; by Friday it should be just about perfect, not too hot and not too cold. Fat Tuesday should have a high of 70 and that's just right. The Super Bowl din has died away and we're back to a regular MG roar. The parades started up again yesterday and will be running every night through Tuesday, and during the day Sat., Sun. and Tuesday as well. During Friday and Saturday the city fills up totally and the party really gets down to business. (We had two more people show up from St. Louis today).

Yesterday, MTV taped a MG special, (that I think airs after MG), in Jackson Square with Brittany Spears and No Doubt, and some others. They spent four days setting up and the whole day taping. I didn't go out in the lousy weather and was glad i didn't when I read today in the paper that no one except the hand picked audience was allowed anywhere near the stage. The newspaper had a lousy picture; MTV wouldn't let them get close enough for a good one.

For those of you who use Netscape and have had problems with the cam page blinking annoyingly, I've fixed it. Some commands that work in IE drive Netscape crazy, but I just found that out. I've actually downloaded a copy of Netscape to test view my pages, so it won't happen again. If something on the site doesn't work for you, please e-mail me; I test things as much as I can, but I can't catch everything, 'cause I don't know everything.

The sun is supposed to show it's face tomorrow. I've really missed it.

One more thing...

I ran into Kelly at the ball this evening and promised that I would put this picture up.





She looks hot, eh?
durlx, photographer to the stars... hehe.

Hehe! The Petronius Ball!

It was fabulous! First we got to the parking lot and Robert chose what he thought was a safe place, next to these huge military trucks!

Robea on the military truck detail


Then we went into the ball.

It was amazing! The theme was "Fly With Us!"

Becky Allen, ( she is amazing, a straight woman who has always been there with us), came on, (in a fabulous costume!) as the Stewardess, and introduced Mikey Gill, the Captain of Petronius. (Becky said that New Orleans is the "uterus of the USA! It's the place where things start to happen!). Mikey is hilarious, he sounds like the most strange European person, ( he speaks english in the most amusing way, but he and his lover also know how to put on a show!). And then the ball began.

One of the first amazing costumes: done to the Shirley Bassey song "Goldfinger" was this huge hand! The middle finger went up and down...

Then, a Wizard of Oz bit: someone came out on a bicycle as Ms Gooch, rode arounde in ever smaller circles, laughing madly...

But, several times during the ball, there was a performance by an incredible gymnastic group called the "Dupree"s. Drop dead stunning men with incredible dancing abilities! (There were some fabulous women in the group as well.). But these guys were hot! They weren't dancers, they were gymnasts who could dance! Wish I could provide some pictures, but that was not allowed.

Yikes! The guys were stunning!

Stunning!

And at the end, all the costumes looked great together on the ball floor. As they should.

Then we left, but not before we stopped to chat with...

Princess Stephanie


Then we were on the stage for a while, disco Robea!


And on our way home, we stopped for a photo...

Durlx and Robea



hehe!

Robert and I are going to another gay Mardi Gras ball tonight; the Krewe of Petronius. It's their 41st ball. They do things a little differently than the other krewes; more of a costume party feel to it, in fact people can come in costume instead of formal wear. Me, I'll be in my tux. I haven't even begun to think about my costume for Mardi Gras day yet! I've got a little over a week...

The Super Bowl has affected me very little, I haven't been to the Quarter all week. Yesterday and today, the fighter jets have been patroling low and loud, but that's been really all I've noticed.

The election yesterday resulted in some good and some bad. The two mayoral candidates that will be in the run off election are both relatively outside of the old political machine here and both seem quit capable. I'd be happy with either one of them. Unfortunately, that horrible grinning woman got elected to the city council in my district; I detest her.

Tuesday night, AMC has a one hour documentary on at 8 EST called "Out of the Closet, Off the Screen:The Life of William Haines". It's based on the book "Wisecracker" by William Mann. William Haines was a pretty big film star, starting out in the silents, very gay and fairly out about it. At one point he left the movies and went on to become a rather famous interior decorator. He and his lover were together most of their lives. A very interesting man and an interesting story.

Well, got to get dressed. Damn! There go those fighter jets again!

Election Day

The twin spans of the Mississippi


The graphic above doesn't really have anything to do with the election, it's one of mine and I just like it. Voting is always fun here. The elections are always filled with wierdness; today's ballot for mayor had 10 people listed, including one guy whose nickname was "Chevrolet" and another whose nick was "Superman", and they were listed as such on the ballot. I swear to you, I am not making this up! The story below, from the New York Times, gives a good picture of this years election.

February 2, 2002

New Orleans, Amid Revelry, Makes Time to Vote Today
By DAVID FIRESTONE


EW ORLEANS, Feb. 1 � They cannot intrude upon the fantasy world of a Mardi Gras parade without defying a local taboo against Carnival campaigning. They can barely claw onto the airwaves without being engulfed in a fog of news about the most carefully guarded Super Bowl in history.

So a huge field of candidates who want to run this slightly ungovernable city have had a hard time making their voices heard before Saturday's mayoral primary election, which ends less than 24 hours before the football championship. Politics here has always been as much theater as policy, but this year the audience is otherwise engaged. According to the polls, nearly a third of voters have yet to decide on a candidate from among the 15 jostling to succeed Mayor Marc A. Morial.

The field mushroomed in October after Mr. Morial's bid to bypass term limits in search of a third four-year term was defeated by the voters. Some of the candidates are linking themselves to his continued popularity, while others are distancing themselves from his reputation for patronage. But even the clear front- runner, Richard J. Pennington, the police superintendent, has only about 20 percent of the vote, most polls have found. So a runoff on March 2 between the top two vote-getters in the nonpartisan primary on Saturday is considered a certainty.

Most of the tussle has been for the No. 2 spot, and the insurgent candidate now considered most likely to get it is C. Ray Nagin, an executive with Cox Communications, which operates the local cable television system. Mr. Nagin won endorsements from The Times-Picayune and the popular political and cultural publication Gambit Weekly by promising to move away from the patronage that has perennially filled municipal jobs and contracts here.

"The city and state have a reputation for being pretty free-spirited," Mr. Nagin said in an interview today as he tried to shake hands with actual voters among the football throngs on the streets. "It's not like people offer you bags of cash in dark alleys, but I think we need to change the nature of politics here by being more customer- and business-friendly."

That approach has propelled him out of the pack in recent weeks and into the front ranks. For years, the city was preoccupied with a high crime rate, but during the tenure of Mr. Morial and Mr. Pennington, murders and other felonies have dropped sharply. Mr. Pennington continues to campaign on that accomplishment, but the race has turned more on economic issues.

"The city is getting smaller, and voters are increasingly concerned about its future," said Edward Renwick, director of the Loyola University Institute of Politics. "We're down to one Fortune 500 company, and many businesses have left the city. People want to hear what the candidates will do about it."

Mr. Pennington says crime reduction and a new emphasis on education will strengthen the city's economy. "I always felt that before you could have economic development, you had to have a safe city," he said. "Now that we have that, we can concentrate on bringing businesses back to the city."

Mr. Nagin, on the other hand, has proposed selling or leasing Louis Armstrong International Airport and using the revenue to rebuild decaying infrastructure and create jobs.

Another candidate, State Senator Paulette R. Irons, has been the most explicit in tying the shrinking of the economy to municipal patronage; she promises to revamp the city's contracting system completely. But her standing in polls dropped after she said she understood the nature of crime in the city because her brother had been murdered. It turned out he had been shot by the police while robbing a supermarket.

A few classic traits of New Orleans politics have not been drowned out. A grocery produce manager on the ballot as Manny (Chevrolet) Bruno says he will have no friends to pay off because he has no friends.

And the negative advertising and campaigning that might be unsettling elsewhere are expected here, particularly because it is often unclear who is paying for telephone messages that bash various candidates. Mr. Nagin, who like Mr. Pennington is black, is often portrayed on the telephone as a tool of the white business community in this predominantly black city, but among the most vicious things said about him is that he personally raised cable television fees.



I'll try to get the lava came running again, yesterday the computer just balked and crashed over it. Two cameras seem to confuse things and I haven't been able to figure out why yet.