I love the fact that my wife has become such a great Saints fan. To hear her scream and yell during the game with me bonds us to no end. Getting text’s from my daughter at college all during the game, my sister and Mom & Dad. This is not isolated just in my life but I bet yours too. Not wearing something Saints related has become weird.  Teachers have Black & Gold days in High School, elementary and pre-schools. You can’t drive anywhere without seeing vehicles with Saints flags. Are all of these people Sports fans? NO they are Saints fans and here’s the difference. Most teams play hard to get recognition for their individual performance or try to win a championship for the trophy or ring or bonus money. The difference when you hear any Saints player interviewed is in what they say and believe. You hear “We play for the Fans”, “We want to do well for the City”, The Loud fans made the difference in the game”, “The City and fans deserve this” These Saints are not playing for any individual achievements;   they’re not even playing for the team accomplishments. They play for you and this ole city we love so much. And we are proud of how they represent us. That goes beyond Sports, they are family. It’s like members of your family playing out there. That’s what brings out the passion and emotion in any Saints fan. It’s personal. That’s why Saints games are more like a College atmosphere because college kids play for their school much like the Saints who play for their city. It’s a very special bond that no other team has; it goes beyond Sports, its life. We have our ups and downs, sometimes relationships become strained, goals are not met, and disaster strikes but we carry on and survive and believe that everything we’ll be alright. It might take a miracle and the Saints are proof that miracles do happen. So it makes us all feel happy and excited that no matter how bad things were we can finish strong too.

I know,  how boring right,  so I’m more intrested in what food you couldn’t resolve to give up. If you had to give up one food as part of your 2010 New Year’s resolution which one couldn’t you do without?  Pizza for me. No matter how hard I try, “not gonna happen” even during lent that way when I give up meat I can still have a chesse pizza. In a recent survey most people said they couldn’t give up ice cream (59%).  Number two on the foods-we-can’t-do-without list was cheese at 52%.  Bread was third at 51%, 48% said chocolate, and 29% said they couldn’t give up pasta.

Once again it’s time to dedicate yourself to your second job, watching the multiple night’s each week of Fox’s American Idol. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great show. I just object to the latest trend in television of airing two and three episodes of a show each week for months and months. ABC does the same thing with Dancing With The Stars. I love and resent these shows at the same time. These are not television shows, they’re obsessions, maybe even addictions. I’m even getting into the Bachelor a bit. This brings to mind the topic, “What is the most addicting show on television?” Is it American Idol? I’d be hard pressed to name a show that more people have to watch every week.

Well here we go again. Season number nine of america’s favorite reality show. This may or may not be the most memorable season for two reasons. Number one Paula Abdul is no longer with the show. Ellen DeGeneres takes her place, and number two, Simon Cowell has said that this will be his last year with the show.

Paula had a pretty good following, but by no means does she have the appeal of Simon. Even Ellen in my opinion will not be able to save the show when Simon leaves. And even though American Idol is still a highly rated show, it has been consistantly losing viewers over the last several years.

Only four of the 8 seasons produced the best talent. Season number one of course when Kelly Clarkson won, the season Carrie Underwood won, and the season that Fantasia Barrino won had a very talent group in it. The last season was when the singer that should have won it didn’t, and that was the year Chris Daughtry competed.

So you see there is not that much talent out there to have a show every year and think you are going to find the next truly American Idol. Even with formatic adjustments the show still only has so much life left. Simon must have seen the writing on the wall. That’s why he’s bringing his hit British talent show to the United States, yet another American Idol.

Now for some fun.

The Top 5 Reasons Simon Cowell Is Leaving American Idol.

1. So he can spend more time with himself.

2. It’s his big chance for that Washington Redskins coaching job.

3. Ellen-a-phobia

4. He’s taking the “No Paula” thing WAYYY too hard.

5. It was his New Year’s resolution…”one he knew he could keep”.

Ready for some TV time to watch the new season of Amercian Idol, not as popular as the Saints on TV but some Idol fans are still in shock from last season when Kris Allen was crowned the winner of “American Idol’s” eighth season, beating out the flamboyant, creative Adam Lambert, who’d long been considered a favorite to win. Yet in a way, the decision was unsurprising. Allen is from Arkansas; Lambert is from California. You say Soooooo Steve. Well when it comes to “American Idol,” hailing from the South is as important as talent — something to consider when placing bets on who will win the ninth season of “Idol,” which kicks off on Fox on Jan. 12.

Think about it 6 of the 8 “Idol” winners have been from the South, including Kelly Clarkson (Texas, first season) and Carrie Underwood (Oklahoma, fourth season). A slew of finalists also have been from the South, including North Carolinians Clay Aiken (season two) and Chris Daughtry

(season five). So why is it so?

So why? It seems that “Southern” Idol contestants have broad appeal — not just personality and like-a-bility but those who span musical genres such as country, rock, pop and R&B — are vastly more successful than “Idol” contestants who closely stick to a single genre. And when it comes to spanning genres, “Idol’s” Southern contestants stand out. In other words they appeal to the larger music consumer. Carrie Underwood is not a traditional country artist she crosses over. Kelly Clarkson is the same.”

One theory about the Southern success claims that residents of the South don’t have as many opportunities to break into the music business as singers on the coasts, so they’re more inclined to go for their big break on a reality show. Another theory is that Southerners may just be good singers. Singing is a big part of Southern culture, with church choirs, jazz clubs and musical hotbeds not just the best and most recognized New Orleans scattered throughout the region.

This coming season, “Idol” will see some big changes, most notably Ellen DeGeneres replacing Paula

at the judges’ table. But one thing that isn’t likely to change is “Idol’s” Southern leanings.

Unhappy at your job? You’re not alone. A new survey suggests that only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work. That’s the lowest level ever recorded in 22 years. The deep recession gets part of the blame, because it’s become harder for some people to find challenging and suitable jobs. Also incomes have not kept up with inflation, and the soaring cost of health insurance keeps eating into take-home pay.

Economists see something more troubling about the survey. They warn that lower job satisfaction could stifle innovation, thus hurting competitiveness and productivity.

However there is good news on the horizon. According to Career Builder’s 20 percent of the businesses taking part in the the company’s latest survey said they expected to put more people on the payroll. an LSU economist predicts Louisiana will add 17-thousand-800 jobs this year.

Congratulations to our Saints on their historic season. Now the second season begins but because of their hard work this year the Saints have the first weekend off then get to play the final 2 playoff games at home in the Dome, win those and their in the Super bowl. The stressful part, lose one and the season is over. But after what our Saints did earlier in the season when everybody was healthily I believe they will dominate again and finish the season off with a win in the Super bowl. Do you believe?  Just found out the Saints will play their first playoff game Saturday Jan  16th at 3:30 at the dome. We’ll find out what team after this weekend.

One of the most inexpensive and versatile items on earth is the paper coffee filter. As you contemplate how to pack away your holiday decorations consider buying a big box of coffee filters at a Dollar Store and using them to wrap up your ornaments. But this is only one of the many alternative uses for coffee filters besides making coffee. Here are 10 other Cool Uses for Coffee Filters:

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome. Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave surfaces sparkling.

3. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

4. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

5. Stop soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent soil from going through the drainage holes.

6. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

7. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

8. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

9. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

10. Use as a disposable “snack bowl” for popcorn, chips, etc.