Lagniappe

[Mith242]

Yeah I'm also a big sherbet and sorbet fan myself. I probably am more likely to eath that than ice cream.

[NCB]

Yeah I'm also a big sherbet and sorbet fan myself. I probably am more likely to eath that than ice cream.

Oh I forgot all about sherbet. I love that stuff.

[dimebag1980]

It's tough being the man at the top...

Hey, how would you know what it's like to be Neo!? Weird.

Man, anything chocolate. Anything. Especially Ben and Jerry's Fudge Brownie. yum. Though that stuff will get you fat faster than you can open up the carton. I also like frozen yogurt, which I really got into when I had to drop some weight awhile back. Very little calories, little or no fat, and great texture and taste. It's a more healthy replacement to ice cream.

Never had the Fudge Brownie one, but damn that sounds good!

There's a little yogurt shop across the street from Centenary College called "Counter Culture" that serves up some awesome homemade frozen yogurt! It's actually more of a frozen custard than a TCBY-type frozen yogurt, but it's really good. Interesting how their name plays into the college atmosphere and the yogurt culturing process at the same time. Very clever name, no doubt.

Anyway, Counter Culture has a few locations throughout the area now, and one of them is within walking distance of my office. Theyt make what they call a Humphrey Yogart... it's plain yogurt, topped with granola, banana slices, strawberry slices, and grapes and then glazed with honey!!! Mmmmm man that's some good stuff!!

[Mith242]

Wow, that does sound pretty good.

[NCB]

Hey, how would you know what it's like to be Neo!? Weird.

Never had the Fudge Brownie one, but damn that sounds good!

Haha, fine, it's tough being the man not even close to the top, but still at the top of something!

Anyway, Counter Culture has a few locations throughout the area now, and one of them is within walking distance of my office. Theyt make what they call a Humphrey Yogart... it's plain yogurt, topped with granola, banana slices, strawberry slices, and grapes and then glazed with honey!!! Mmmmm man that's some good stuff!!

Oh man, that sounds good! You wanna mail me soma-dat?

[dimebag1980]

Oh man, that sounds good! You wanna mail me soma-dat?

I'm sorry, it's blueberries, not grapes! My mistake... been a while since I've had one. but still... it's awesome!!

I can melt (edit: that's MAIL, not melt) you some, but it'll be tricky. It'll be melted before I even get it to the car, let alone get it packed up and shipped. But hey, I can mail ya some granola, strawberries, banana slices, and blueberries glazed in honey!!

Edited May 29, 2006 by SBCmetroguy

[Mith242]

I'm sorry, it's blueberries, not grapes! My mistake... been a while since I've had one. but still... it's awesome!!

I can melt you some, but it'll be tricky. It'll be melted before I even get it to the car, let alone get it packed up and shipped. But hey, I can mail ya some granola, strawberries, banana slices, and blueberries glazed in honey!!

Blueberries, even better.

[Mith242]

I have another topic to cover here. I've heard Nate and some of the others talk about the dialect around New Orleans. I was curious to hear a little about Shreveport. Brian you got any info or comparisons? Do you think the dialect around northwest Louisiana is different from say Arkansas and Texas?

[tombarnes]

Having just sampled a bottle of Coca Cola BLAK, I can't say there's a great future for it. It was OK, but rather too sweet for my taste.

[dimebag1980]

Having just sampled a bottle of Coca Cola BLAK, I can't say there's a great future for it. It was OK, but rather too sweet for my taste.

Oh my God, my wife and I tried that recently. All we could say was YUCK. Who ever thought to put coffee in Coca-Cola? That's all it was... Coca-Cola with coffee in it. Nasty. On top of that, it was $6.00 for a 4-pack at Supertarget. Wow.

Edited May 30, 2006 by SBCmetroguy

[dimebag1980]

I have another topic to cover here. I've heard Nate and some of the others talk about the dialect around New Orleans. I was curious to hear a little about Shreveport. Brian you got any info or comparisons? Do you think the dialect around northwest Louisiana is different from say Arkansas and Texas?

The dialect in northwest Louisiana is distinctly Texan. There are some cajun people, and of course there are a lot of transplants from the north, but the most prominent dialect here is just the same as you'd hear from Fort Worth to Waskom, TX. The western suburbs of Shreveport are on the state line, and Waskom is pretty-much a suburb of Shreveport and it's in Texas.

I've noticed the dialect in southern Arkansas seems to be even more southern for whatever reason. People from Shreveport and Texarkana, as a general rule of thumb, talk quite a bit differently from one another. Some people I know in Texarkana, it's hard to listen to them talk because it's so slow and "suuuuuthern."

People from your region, it seems, talk more like people from southern Missouri. That could be just the people I have dealings with from your area, but that's the impression I get.

Move over to Monroe, some 90 miles from Shreveport-Bossier, and the dialect is really strange. It's almost a combination of Texan and Cajun... it's quite different.

[Mith242]

The dialect in northwest Louisiana is distinctly Texan. There are some cajun people, and of course there are a lot of transplants from the north, but the most prominent dialect here is just the same as you'd hear from Fort Worth to Waskom, TX. The western suburbs of Shreveport are on the state line, and Waskom is pretty-much a suburb of Shreveport and it's in Texas.

I've noticed the dialect in southern Arkansas seems to be even more southern for whatever reason. People from Shreveport and Texarkana, as a general rule of thumb, talk quite a bit differently from one another. Some people I know in Texarkana, it's hard to listen to them talk because it's so slow and "suuuuuthern."

People from your region, it seems, talk more like people from southern Missouri. That could be just the people I have dealings with from your area, but that's the impression I get.

Move over to Monroe, some 90 miles from Shreveport-Bossier, and the dialect is really strange. It's almost a combination of Texan and Cajun... it's quite different.

I had wondered if Texas would have an effect in your area. For a long time I had a hard time trying to pick out a Texas accent but I think I'm beginning to get better at it. I admit I don't know accents around southwest Arkansas very well. Southeast Arkansas tends to me to be more 'Deep South' compared to the rest of the state. Deeper into the Ozarks it tends to be similar to the Appalachian accents. Northwest Arkansas, especially the most extreme two northwest counties seem to be different. I've seen it refered to as Ozark including parts of southern Missouri. A mix of some Appalachian but also with more Midwestern influence. I'll have to look up on a map where exactly Monroe is. So you can tell a difference between Arkansas and your area but not any differences over the Texas state line? Oh yeah I obviously know where Ft Worth is but I haven't ever heard of Waskom.

Edited May 30, 2006 by Mith242

[dimebag1980]

I had wondered if Texas would have an effect in your area. For a long time I had a hard time trying to pick out a Texas accent but I think I'm beginning to get better at it. I admit I don't know accents around southwest Arkansas very well. Southeast Arkansas tends to me to be more 'Deep South' compared to the rest of the state. Deeper into the Ozarks it tends to be similar to the Appalachian accents. Northwest Arkansas, especially the most extreme two northwest counties seem to be different. I've seen it refered to as Ozark including parts of southern Missouri. A mix of some Appalachian but also with more Midwestern influence. I'll have to look up on a map where exactly Monroe is. So you can tell a difference between Arkansas and your area but not any differences over the Texas state line? Oh yeah I obviously know where Ft Worth is but I haven't ever heard of Waskom.

Monroe is exactly halfway between Shreveport and Jackson on I-20. Waskom is a small town that sits just across the Texas line from Shreveport, and most people in that area commute to Shreveport to work, shop, and eat. Actually, people from Marshall also drive all the way over here for all those things and Marshall is really part of the Longview, TX, MSA. But slowly, we're stealing them away from Longview. I expect Marshall to be an exurb of Shreveport one of these days. But for that to happen, more people from Marshall have to become daily Shreveport commuters. As it is, I call Minden a suburb, but it's really more of an exurb. The drive between Minden and Marshall is somewhere between 60 and 70 miles, though you really wouldn't know it because almost half of it is driving across Shreveport-Bossier.

And yes, there is a distinct difference between here and Arkansas, but none between here and Texas. Just ask Nate or Richy or any of those other guys and they'll tell you we're Texans. Well, some call us Texans and others call us Yankees. I'm a Yankee Texan from Louisiana, I suppose... if you can possibly comprehend that!!

[Mith242]

Monroe is exactly halfway between Shreveport and Jackson on I-20. Waskom is a small town that sits just across the Texas line from Shreveport, and most people in that area commute to Shreveport to work, shop, and eat. Actually, people from Marshall also drive all the way over here for all those things and Marshall is really part of the Longview, TX, MSA. But slowly, we're stealing them away from Longview. I expect Marshall to be an exurb of Shreveport one of these days. But for that to happen, more people from Marshall have to become daily Shreveport commuters. As it is, I call Minden a suburb, but it's really more of an exurb. The drive between Minden and Marshall is somewhere between 60 and 70 miles, though you really wouldn't know it because almost half of it is driving across Shreveport-Bossier.

And yes, there is a distinct difference between here and Arkansas, but none between here and Texas. Just ask Nate or Richy or any of those other guys and they'll tell you we're Texans. Well, some call us Texans and others call us Yankees. I'm a Yankee Texan from Louisiana, I suppose... if you can possibly comprehend that!!

I guess I didn't realize Texas influenced that are so much. I had an old friend who lives in Marshall and I know he's mentioned going to Shreveport. Why do people call people in your area Yankees?

[Mith242]

In some other dialect news. I was reading about how some people think Katrina might help cause some of the New Orleans dialects to disappear with so many people now gone and spread out in many different areas. I hadn't ever thought about that.

[tombarnes]

I'm afraid that might be likely to happen. The rich variety of local speech patterns in many areas is often lost in such cases. If the residents don't return in great numbers, I see the future of New Orleans being bright, but far less colorful. Local speech patterns are but just one casualty of the storm. I truly hope that the character and charm can be preserved, but a torrent of money can wash away character as well as grime. For the sake of its soul, I hope New Orleans can retain its real identity.

[Mith242]

I'm afraid that might be likely to happen. The rich variety of local speech patterns in many areas is often lost in such cases. If the residents don't return in great numbers, I see the future of New Orleans being bright, but far less colorful. Local speech patterns are but just one casualty of the storm. I truly hope that the character and charm can be preserved, but a torrent of money can wash away character as well as grime. For the sake of its soul, I hope New Orleans can retain its real identity.

Yeah, it's just one of those things I had never thought of until I read something about it.

[dimebag1980]

I guess I didn't realize Texas influenced that are so much. I had an old friend who lives in Marshall and I know he's mentioned going to Shreveport. Why do people call people in your area Yankees?

People in south Louisiana call us Yankees, because to them we're from "way up north." Compared to the deep southern coastal part of the south, I suppose we are Yankees.

And that's cool about your friend. Marshall is a cool town as well, especially at Christmas time. If you ever get a chance to go down there, do it around Christmas. Trust me, you won't be sorry. The light the entire town square, including the court house, with over 1 million lights. They also have an ice rink they set up every Christmas season for public ice skating. Also, George Foreman and Ladybird Johnson both hail from Marshall.

Over the last few years, Marshall has been taking up more and more space in the Shreveport-Bossier real estate booklets. They have an entire section devoted to east Texas and Marshall in particular, and they advertise it as an "easy commute" for people who still want to work in Shreveport but enjoy the taxation benefits that Texas offers at the same time. Don't ask me what they are, because to be honest I'm not sure. I just know that most people I know say they wish they lived across the state line and commuted every day, just so they could enjoy the benefits.

[dimebag1980]

Since this is an off-topic uh... topic... I figured this was the best place to post this.

I'm really glad Wal-Mart is leading the revitalization of the blighted Shreve City area. I'm extremly glad for that... it's long-overdue. Our city's last quadruple homicide was even in that area a couple years back. This multiple murder, by the way, was no doubt a professional hit... a perfect crime... no fingerprints, no DNA left behind, no neighbors reported hearing gunshots in the middle of the day even though the murders occurred in two different apartments in a very densely-packed apartment complex, nothing. But that's another story for another time.

Anyway, today I met my wife for lunch (because she had to work today) so we decided to meet at the new Raising Cane's outside of downtown (yes again!!) The drive-thru was open, but the dining room wasn't, so we moved on. We went down to the Taco Bell just outside of Shreve City. Wouldn't you know, the only food I like from Taco Bell... the Chalupa... happens to be the only thing they can't make. They were out of pita bread. So once again, we moved on. This time, we went to the McDonald's in Shreve City. Now that McDonald's always makes me uneasy. It's very run-down, and across the street from it is an old, long-abandoned, boarded-up Burger King building. Needless to say, this is not a great area but hopefully that will change soon.

So anyway, as I said, I always get an uneasy feeling at that particular McDonald's. I always just feel it's going to be robbed while we're in there and that's a very scary feeling to have. Well, nothing happened... we ate our food and left. Afterward, I went across the street to take photos of the ongoing demolition at the future Wal-Mart site. I got some good pics, I think, so I then went downtown to take some photos. Wouldn't you know, I just saw, on the 10:00 news, that the Dollar General in Shreve City was robbed sometime after lunch time!? So while I was sitting there talking to my wife, munching on a Big Mac and fries, and thinking about how bad it would suck for that place to be robbed while we were eating our lunch, apparently a couple of no-good street thugs somewhere in that area were thinking what a good idea it would be to rob a business today! And that Dollar General is right across the street from the McDonald's we were eating at!! Man, I hate close calls like that... I really do. According to KTBS, a local news station, this is the third time this month that this particular store has been robbed. And to top it off, a Dollar General in Bossier City, just across the bridge from Shreve City, has been robbed recently as well. Obviously the police think the same couple of thugs might be responsible. Go figure.

Edited May 30, 2006 by SBCmetroguy

[richyb83]

Hey Brian, Vault is a good drink! I first had it last Summer on vacation in Gatlinburg. It took about 9 months to make it down here in BR. I made the mistake of drinking a Vault too late in the evening, and wondered why I feel asleep so late.

The elevation in BR is about 53 deet above sea-level. Mostly is about as flat as you can get. Down in the southeastern part of the city have some small hills in the Highland Road area. In a interesting recent article in BRBusiness Report said basically BR elevation is compared to the shape of a hand. Downtown and north BR was the palm(higher), and the fingers of higher ground going southeast. That's where Jefferson Hwy, Perkins Rd, and Highland go. Between the fingers were low-lands with bayous and watersheds. Seigen, Bluebonnet, Essen connected those fingers of higher land. The LSU Lakes was originally a swamp. The elevation starts to pick up a bit further North near St. Francisville.

Around here in BR it so culturally diverse. To the South and West some of the cajun accents are still strong. The "slang" term for French people is called a "Coon-ass". To the North and East are refered to a "Red-necks", or backward country folk. Since I am a mix of Irish and French, a live in the middle, I guess I could qualify as a "Red-ass" ha

The mix of cultures here is a pretty cool thing. I can dig-it !

ex:Kinda like a hispanic person may refer to themselves as a "Latino".

[dimebag1980]

I guess I could qualify as a "Red-ass" ha

Been to prison lately, have you!?

[Mith242]

People in south Louisiana call us Yankees, because to them we're from "way up north." Compared to the deep southern coastal part of the south, I suppose we are Yankees.

And that's cool about your friend. Marshall is a cool town as well, especially at Christmas time. If you ever get a chance to go down there, do it around Christmas. Trust me, you won't be sorry. The light the entire town square, including the court house, with over 1 million lights. They also have an ice rink they set up every Christmas season for public ice skating. Also, George Foreman and Ladybird Johnson both hail from Marshall.

Over the last few years, Marshall has been taking up more and more space in the Shreveport-Bossier real estate booklets. They have an entire section devoted to east Texas and Marshall in particular, and they advertise it as an "easy commute" for people who still want to work in Shreveport but enjoy the taxation benefits that Texas offers at the same time. Don't ask me what they are, because to be honest I'm not sure. I just know that most people I know say they wish they lived across the state line and commuted every day, just so they could enjoy the benefits.

I haven't kept up with my old friend as much. I also usually spend all my vacation time visiting family and places out west.

The elevation in BR is about 53 deet above sea-level. Mostly is about as flat as you can get. Down in the southeastern part of the city have some small hills in the Highland Road area. In a interesting recent article in BRBusiness Report said basically BR elevation is compared to the shape of a hand. Downtown and north BR was the palm(higher), and the fingers of higher ground going southeast. That's where Jefferson Hwy, Perkins Rd, and Highland go. Between the fingers were low-lands with bayous and watersheds. Seigen, Bluebonnet, Essen connected those fingers of higher land. The LSU Lakes was originally a swamp. The elevation starts to pick up a bit further North near St. Francisville.

Around here in BR it so culturally diverse. To the South and West some of the cajun accents are still strong. The "slang" term for French people is called a "Coon-ass". To the North and East are refered to a "Red-necks", or backward country folk. Since I am a mix of Irish and French, a live in the middle, I guess I could qualify as a "Red-ass" ha

The mix of cultures here is a pretty cool thing. I can dig-it !

ex:Kinda like a hispanic person may refer to themselves as a "Latino".

Thanks for the info.

Been to prison lately, have you!?

[dimebag1980]

Wow, I just found this story and am really saddened by it. The church mentioned in this article is a mere 2 blocks from the house my parents live in, which is the house I grew up in. I even attended this church when I was very young and it was a Baptist church. I recall mentioning to my wife, many times, how many creepy gothic kids live in that neighborhood now.

When I was growing up, it had become a mostly black neighborhood and the problem was with real gang violence... crips, bloods, etc. It's something you couldn't avoid if you walked down the street. These days the neighborhood has changed, though it's not any better.

I hung out with some freaky gothic kids in high school, but the kids in that neighborhood now just seem so dark and empty. My little brother is part of it. The girl next door to him is part of it. I've seen at least 5 kids on his street alone who are part of it. I really don't know what's going on with kids right now, but I know when it progresses to this level, something has gone terribly wrong.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...0/NEWS/60530018

Sorry to ramble on and on, but I just can't help being bothered by this.

[TBurban]

Wow, I just found this story and am really saddened by it. The church mentioned in this article is a mere 2 blocks from the house my parents live in, which is the house I grew up in. I even attended this church when I was very young and it was a Baptist church. I recall mentioning to my wife, many times, how many creepy gothic kids live in that neighborhood now.

When I was growing up, it had become a mostly black neighborhood and the problem was with real gang violence... crips, bloods, etc. It's something you couldn't avoid if you walked down the street. These days the neighborhood has changed, though it's not any better.

I hung out with some freaky gothic kids in high school, but the kids in that neighborhood now just seem so dark and empty. My little brother is part of it. The girl next door to him is part of it. I've seen at least 5 kids on his street alone who are part of it. I really don't know what's going on with kids right now, but I know when it progresses to this level, something has gone terribly wrong.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...0/NEWS/60530018

Sorry to ramble on and on, but I just can't help being bothered by this.

Ive heard about this here too. At my high school, we have groups of kids that call themselves "emo." Usually this is a social disorder that causes someone to be upset and have social problems. The kids who claim to be "emo" now say they slit their wrists, listen to death metal, and do drugs to help ease the pain of social neglect. It is usually the more popular kids that do this for attention. It's getting way out of hand over here.

Ive seen "gang" violence in the area before. Just last week kids got arrested for street fighting and calling themselves, "the bloods" and "the crips." Im with you when I think about it, for the safety of younger children, and even ourselves, it's a growing problem.

I respect those kids if thats what they want to be, but unless theyve got a good reason to do stuff like that, they shouldnt. These are rich kids that say they slit their wrists cause they couldnt get the Porshe they wanted, a little spoiled if you ask me.

[NCB]

I've seen alot of these emo kids around too. It seems like it's just kids who "hate the world" and try not to conform to society. I know some of the kids actually think this way and may not have the best at home and school lives, but it seems like more people are starting to do it now just to get attention.