The other day I had a public squabble about the oil spill with a friend-of-a-friend’s-friend on Facebook, of all places. As if fishing through Facebook isn’t distracting enough, I actually took time out of a busy day (after work, of course) to partake in this heated 10-post exchange with someone whose grandfather is a significant BP shareholder. Needless to say, the end result was as disappointing as the first pang of annoyance when I read the comment that “pointing fingers is useless, and BP isn’t responsible” for what is now the worst man-made environmental disaster in American history.

Although I work in online media, I rarely have time to comment on Web articles and on my favorite blogs. Comment sections on my favorite sites are pure comedy anyway: brilliant and insightful comments get eclipsed by troll postings and misanthropic ramblings. But sometimes I still want to chime in and contribute to the dialogue

Unitarian philosopher Adlai E. Stevenson once said, “The first principle of a free society is an untrammeled flow of words in an open forum.” So in favor of this model or the “public rant,” I’m using this post to unload some things about New Orleans I’d like to share today. Feel free to do the same.

Had an awesome dinner last night? Share. Had the worst meal of your life last week? Rant. Got an idea about how to plug that nightmarish oil well? Do tell. Want to publicly extol the benefits of living in New Orleans. Go ahead.

I invite you to use this post as a free-for-all forum. Here goes…

1.    The other day my husband and I had one of the best dinners ever at Lilette. It was such an unexpected yet pleasant surprise. I plan to tell the world, one person at a time, about this amazing restaurant. It gets 6 stars in my book.

2.    I had a terrible experience at a local burrito joint that shall remain nameless. I’m not a huge proponent of the “franchising of America,” but I confess: I miss Chipotle desperately. What’s a girl gotta do to get a good burrito around here? Actually, don’t answer that.

3.    I know four people who have been to the Gulf Coast to volunteer and spent their time twiddling their thumbs. Does anyone know of an organization actively looking for volunteers?

4.    The easiest way for me to get a migraine is to drive anywhere in the direction of Veterans and Causeway.  Good news: The construction should be finished in two years.

5.    My blood pressure rises every time I see another image of an oil-drenched pelican. By next week, I might need medicine.

6.    I am so sad that John Goodman’s character in Treme committed suicide. But it was certainly fitting his last lecture was about Kate Chopin’s The Awakening.

7.    I can’t predict Treme’s plot trajectory and can’t help but wonder: Will the show endure like The Wire?

8.    “P&J Oysters, a 134-year-old family business, and America’s oldest oyster processor and distributor, closed its doors after the day’s shucking was done Thursday.” This is devastating. I had lunch at Drago’s the other day and they didn’t have raw oysters to serve. Tragic, in a word.

9.      I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to train for a marathon in this summer heat.

10.    I’m secretly disappointed that Bon Temps, La., is a fictional town. Guess I can take that stop off the road trip list.