More good writing on New Orleans, this time by Bill Simmons from ESPN.

Watching the city's devastation this week, I wasn't prepared for the way it would affect me. It feels like losing an old friend. That's the best way I can describe it. I feel more numb than anything.

After the shock of 9/11, like so many others, I have trouble summoning the proper reaction for catastrophes anymore. That day was so troubling, so unconscionable, my natural defense mechanisms kicked in for life. I threw myself into mindless hobbies like sports, pop culture, music and everything else, if only because that was the easiest way to stop thinking about what happened. Instead of thinking about the future of mankind, or the poor souls forced to jump 110 stories to their deaths because that seemed more palatable than burning to death, I found it easier to concentrate on things like "Mike Martz is a crummie coach" and "Where did Jennifer Connelly's breasts go?"

Read the full article, "Reborn on the Bayou," on ESPN.com.