Now in rotation on our CD player: Dr. John - N'Awlinz Dis Dat or D'Udda, The Neville Brothers - Yellow Moon, Terence Blanchard - Romantic Defiance, Wynton Marsalis Septet - Blue Interlude and Louis Armstrong Greatest Hits. I'm sure we have other New Orleans music, too, but right now our CDs are in need of some serious organizing.

Houston is still in full-blown hurricane relief mode, although today I saw a traffic sign that actually displayed traffic info rather than information about where to get FEMA debit cards, or which evacuation center buses should go to. The Houston part of the effort has gone very smoothly. I am very proud of Houston, even the bureaucrats. Everywhere you go here you see optimism, people helping, people smiling even though they've been through horrible things. I know they have some hard times ahead, but I'm glad the people here have done so much to make it a little less painful.