Bead Babes 2006

When Hurricane Katrina came roaring in and flattened New Orleans some folks proclaimed that it was the end of all the good times and even the tradition of Mardi Gras. They obviously didn't know the kind of stuff the people of New Orleans were made of!
With the city still digging out and recovering, the Krewes have been working night and day to show they were not about to let a little thing like a near Force Five Hurricane spoil the biggest ongoing party theme in history!
So for all the hard working folks and all those who intend to party just as hard we would like to present our

	03/02/06 Well Mardi Gras 2006 is over, the crowds have all staggered home and the streets have been swept clean of tons of drink cups and beaded throws. From the looks of things it was quite a party. One of the big surprises came when our Terrible Trio of Skippy, Moriarty and Ohshee called and told us to check out the live web cam from Bourbon Street and swore that they were there in the middle of the party, drinking and trying to trade beads with the girls. We grabbed a couple of screen shots of the action and although we weren't sure at the time, we think that's them waving in the background. Camera Guy said that they were faking it and were probably still in town drinking up the last of our petty cash down at a bar in the Deep Elum district. Imagine our additional surprise the next day when we got a call from the New Orleans police department to post bail for these three for disorderly conduct and trying to incite a riot right after midnight as they were closing the street. It seems that they had traded the last of their beads for one final "flash" only the flasher turned out not to be a gal but a dancer from one of New Orleans infamous "all male revues". A small "disagreement with injuries" took place with the guys trying to get their beads back. Not to worry, there were no charges filed, but Skippy has to sit on a soft pillow for the next two weeks after having his butt kicked with a spiked high heel shoe. The BladeMaster (Boss Guy) isn't too happy that these guys made off with the last of our petty cash even though they swore that it was only to meet with new gals to have pose on the web site. When asked to see what they had to show for it, all they could come up with was a few receipts for a cheap hotel, a handful of beads and a strange bottle wired up with all sorts of electronic gear. We asked them what that was all about and they told us that they met a strange little guy with thick glasses at a bar who told them that although everyone was rightfully upset about the thousands of people who lost their homes in the hurricane and flood, no one had given thought to the ghosts that have haunted those old New Orleans buildings that were no longer there. He said that on a lonely night, you could see those unfortunate spirits wandering the empty streets searching for the dwelling they had haunted for over a hundred years. They said the guy told them he was an out of work particle physics engineer who had perfected a high frequency resonance chamber that could contain these wraiths until someone could find them a new house to haunt. He told them that this one had been caught about 6 blocks north on Jackson Square and sold them the containment vessel for $75. When our Production Manager heard where the last of our money had gone, she got a bit upset and began that it looked more like a beer bottle with parts salvaged from an old VCR glued to it and that if these guys ever had a cow that they would probably trade it to someone if they were promised a handful of magic beans. She has a point, they would. However... on closer inspection of that bottle, we had to wonder...