New Orleans Part 2: Exploration

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After Jazz Fest we spent the next week walking, eating and drinking our way through New Orleans with the help of our superbly amazing hosts, Mimi and Peter. Not only did they open their beautiful home thus making our trip possible, but they were troopers at helping us accomplish any whim/craving/adventure that struck our fancy. And if they weren’t available my friend Huster was happy to show us around. So here goes…

My Favs From Mission Explore New Orleans

-Oysters at Luke Restaurant. We almost by-passed it as we couldn’t get a table. I am so glad that we didn’t. We decided to hang in the bar for a round of oysters. Best. Decision. Ever. Chilled, crisp, fresh, salty, simple goodness.

Seriously. The bar is spinning.

-Drinks at the Carousel Bar at The Hotel Monteleone. Basically the bar is slowly spinning around the bartenders who are situated inside the carousel center. It’s a bit unnerving at first, but after a few drinks the bar usually starts spinning anyways. Where else can you play the game “how does the bartender get out when he/she has to pee?” After many absurd guesses, (I was just sure there was a trap door I was missing) the answer was simple. They hop over the bar. Oh duh. So the weak, claustrophobic and small bladdered need not apply.

-The St. Charles Street Car. So not only were we blessed with free accommodations, they also happened to be about two blocks from the St. Charles Street Car. It was a super cheap, easy to navigate, romantic way to get around.

-Discovering the HBO Show Treme. Our first day we saw filming right by our home base. We asked Mimi and Peter later and they told us it was Treme. Whenever we had any down time (we spent 10 days in New Orleans so yes we had moments where we just wanted to chill) we watched Treme. It was a cool experience watching the show while we were there.

-Fishing on the Gulf with fly-fishing buddy connection, Greg. I got to do my favorite boating activity; lounging in the sun, reading my Kindle and shooting the occasional video. I’m not sure if Greg had ever had a Kindle reading lady on his boat, but he took it all in stride. And just when we thought the day couldn’t get any better, Greg introduced us to….

I am way awesomer than I look.

-The Drive-Thru Daiquiri. A love affair was born and a daiquiri-sippin monster created. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s stupendous. One minute I’m riding in the back seat of a truck which is nothing spectacular, and the next minute I’m still riding in the back seat of a truck, but with an extremely tasty beverage in my hand. Much different experience. Did I mention the drink was about the size of my head? My particular favorite was the White Russian Frozen Daiquiri. Yes, I took the liberty of sampling a few.

-Strolling through the Garden District. Since every house was absolutely stunning our walk was more of a crawl as we didn’t want to miss anything. There were quite a few for sale. So here’s the plan. One of you can buy a vacation home and we’d be happy to come take care of it for you. Got it? And when we worked up an appetite from all that strolling we visited Stein’s Market and Deli for sandwiches. Definitely worth a stop for the tasty traditional deli fare as well as a wide selection of specialty meats, cheeses and drinks.

–YLC Wednesday at the Square free concert series. We were lucky enough to attend for the performance of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. It was jancing (jamming +dancing) mania. In between jancing I managed to devour an order of crawfish queso and chips. I love queso. I love crawfish. Together YUM. Definitely in the top three of free concerts I’ve attended. And while there Peter purchased Mimi and I both presents! I received the beauty to the left! Yes, it’s a gold octopus necklace made by local artist, Forrest Bacigalupi. Kudos to Peter for picking out a stellar piece of jewelry that is now in constant rotation.

–Mahony’s Po-Boy Shop. This shop has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, a show that never fails to leave me drooling and hungry, so it seemed like a safe bet. While my oyster Po-Boy was delish, the real standout for me was the “dirty fries”. Fries dripping with cheese and gravy, but not just any gravy, pot roast gravy with chunks of tender roast. Wow. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Ok. That’s all the reminiscing I can take. I’ve worked-up quite an appetite. I need an episode of Treme, a frozen daiquiri, and some “dirty fries”. Oh how I miss you, NOLA.

Toothpaste vs. AC Adaptor

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I thought I’d share the battle that occurred in our bathroom between the toothpaste and the AC adaptor/power cord/thingie that lives on the floor. Just because it was completely random. It went something like this:

Me: Something happened….
Micah: Yes?
Me: I was brushing my teeth and I dropped the toothpaste and when I went to pick it up it was impaled by the prongs on the AC adaptor that was on the floor. Now toothpaste is gushing out of the toothpaste’s puncture wounds.
Micah: Just put some duct tape on it. That’s probably the first time that’s happened to a tube of toothpaste. You’re like the Neil Armstrong of impaling toothpaste with a plug.
Me: Who? Chuck Norris?

I’d rather tango with a vampire.
Warning. I eat toothpaste tubes for breakfast.
Duct tape saves the day. All better.

What are you the Neil Armstrong of?

New Orleans Part 1-Jazz Festival

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So I am waayyyy behind on my promise to regale ya’ll with the adventures from our trip to New Orleans. So here goes! Since Jazz Festival was our first adventure I’m going to start there. It goes without saying that it was an awesome experience with mind-blowing music. So let’s skip start to the fun part–

My Top Ten List from Jazz Festival 2012 (in no particular order…that’s just too stressful)

1-Finding an air-conditioned spot with seats to relax and clean restrooms with no lines. Yes, this happened to us first-time Jazz Fest attendees. And it was phenomenal. First of all, it was hot. Second of all, I always have to pee and the lines at concerts are looonnggg. Somehow in the midst of all this craziness, we bumbled into an inside area that wasn’t getting much traffic because it appeared to be closed off for a private party. If you went to the right it was. To the left– free reign. A little exploration made our Festival experience that much more enjoyable. And no, I will not disclose the location of this secret Jazz Fest haven.  You’ll just have to go find it for yourself…

2-I was able to purchase these lovely earrings. After tragically loosing my first pair of Bob Marley earrings, to then have them turn up in the parking lot of my apartment months later after the snow melted, to then loosing them again; I was thrilled to find a replacement pair. My life is just better with a pair of Bob earrings in it.

3-Bonnie Rait. After she commented on the heat and how we all needed to cool off, it started raining. A refreshing, gentle rain that cut the heat perfectly. So I’m pretty sure that she willed the rain to come which makes her like a god or something. And that’s just her weather-controlling powers. I was equally impressed with her musical performance.

4-Water Stations. I am hoping at this point that it’s a given a Festival like this will have these, but even so they make me very, very happy. You bring in an unopened water bottle and thanks to the water stations can refill as you like throughout the day. It’s economically, environmentally and health friendly. Now the trick is to keep track of that water bottle throughout the day…

5-Randomly catching the Foo-Fighters performance of Everlong as we walked behind the massive crowd watching the performance. I LOVE that song. And I like it even better when I’m not being jostled and crushed by a mass of people. After nearly disappearing into the crowd at the Eagles performance to never  be seen again, we quickly learned that you don’t walk through the crowd (what were we thinking!), you walk around the crowd. Much better.

6-The Food. Not the first thing you think to rave about at a music festival, but holy cow it was nom nom extraordinaire. And in a town with such a storied food culture, you do not want to miss any chance to eat. So we did. Crawfish Sacks, Oyster Patties, and  a Crawfish Beignet Platter from Patton’s Caterers, a variety of po boys, Crawfish Monica (aka crack pasta due to its highly addictive nature)  from Kajun Kettle Foods, Inc., jambalaya, fried chicken,  beignets from Cafe du Monde and even a seaweed salad that was the perfect accompaniment to a sweltering day and fried food overdose.

7-People-watching. One of my favorite sports. Do you see those shades I’m wearing? It’s so I can stare away without seeming creepy. (It just occurred to me that the shades in themselves might have made me look creepy.) My favorite was an elderly gentleman enthusiastically grooving with a frilly, pink parasol while performing in a Congo Line. He bore a striking resemblance to my Southern Baptist grandfather. I hope to one day be able to forgive myself for not getting a picture.

8-Warren Haynes with a variety of New Orleans musicians including Dr. John, Ivan Neville and Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Roger Lewis, Kevin Harris and Efrem Towns. When we got to the Blues Tent for the performance, all the seats were taken so we piled into the aisle with the other over-flowers. I was hot, it was the end of the day and my feet were screaming. Then the performance began and I was mesmerized. The crowd thinned out and I got to do some seat dancing and rest my feet. And when it ended with Take A Load off Annie, I got to put my pipes to good use too. Drowned out by the crowd sing-along thank goodness.

9-I got to wear this beauty. Basically a belt with zippered pockets. I got it a while ago at an arts festival and I just knew it would come in handy. One day. And for the two days I was at Jazz Fest it was the star of the show. Seriously. Most clever idea ever. (You better not be thinking that this is a spin on a fanny pack.) I could store all my concert essentials, keep my hands free to do the important things like drinking and eating, possibly start a major fashion trend AND I’m thinking there must be some sort of fitness benefit from walking around with a weighted belt on all day.

10-Crossing an item off the bucket list. So I don’t actually have one but if I did, Jazz Fest would definitely be on it. I’d like to thank Leslee and Logan for getting married in New Orleans the weekend after the Festival which lead us to the brilliant idea that if we were making the trek to the wedding we might as well go all out and throw in Jazz Fest too.

Now that you’ve read this list of amazingness what’s your most recent travel adventure?

The After-Vacation Blues

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You know that feeling of let down after a big vacation? It’s a bummer. You plan the vacation, can’t wait to go on it, count down the days and then before you know it you’re on that vacation and then before you can utter “ohhhhh I looooovvve vacation”–it’s over. Like Christmas when you’re a kid. You might have even been ready to take a vacation from your vacation and to embrace your non-vacation life. But inevitably, reality will set-in, life will settle back into its routines and it’ll all seem a bit mundane compared to the fabulous adventure you just had. It’s like a major case of the Mondays. So I thought to cheer myself up I’d relive some of my favorite moments from our recent trip to New Orleans. Since it was quite a long vacation and we managed to do a lot of amazingly awesome things that I’m sure you’re dying to hear about, I’m gonna spread the wealth out over a few posts. Lucky you.

Wow.

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It’s a beautiful day and I’m cruising down the road with the windows down singing my favorite song (you know what I’m talking about). I’ve just been to the bank to deposit my paycheck (best feeling), I’ve had a productive day and I’m feeling pretty good. Then I glance over at the passenger seat to find that I decided to drive off with a little souvenir from the bank.
Seriously.This is the THIRD time I’ve done this.Is this just me or have any of you ever done this?
Please say yes. I’m starting to seriously wonder about my ability to be out and about in the world. 

Spring Cleaning

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For the past three weeks I have been on an intensive Spring Cleaning. And not involving my house, but my body. Out here in crunchy Bend the process of cleansing, ridding the body of toxins, is relatively common. Not something I’d ever considered as we all know I’m already screwed since I was raised in the South. And I’d seen too many friends choke down some odd mix of cayenne pepper, maple syrup and lemon in the name of cleansing. To be honest all this hippie-dippie gluten-free and vegan chatter around me made me want to throw-up in my mouth a little.

So what led this highly skeptical, beer guzzling, fried chicken eating girl to decide to embark on a cleanse? And a 28 day one at that?

A) I was brainwashed. With my gullible nature I didn’t stand a chance.

B) I was interested in extending my life span to continue said habits above.

C) The said benefits of cleanse-glowing skin, an increased awareness and clarity of mind, weight loss, and overall feeling of improved health were very attractive.

C) I like a challenge and trying new experiences.

D) I temporarily lost my mind.

It was the perfect storm. The factors above combined with the fact that the cleanse came highly recommended– This is life-changing stuff people! I’d be like the ugly duckling who emerged a beautiful swan after the process. It didn’t take long for my active imagination to turn this into the opportunity of a lifetime. And then my friend Hannah, aka my southern sister, happy hour buddy, totally gets my mentality cause she’s southern too, shocked the hell outta me by agreeing to do it too.

So I did it. Starting April 2 I embarked on the Arise and Shine 28 day cleanse. And I’ll try to keep it short. I had every intention of documenting the cleanse along the way, but apparently denied its treats of booze, meat, chocolate and boxed mac ‘n chz; my body said, Oh no, sister. You don’t get to torture me and then write about it. For whatever reason, throughout the whole process I had no energy to journal about it, blog, write a rant… Nada. The words just wouldn’t come. Well at least now I know what really fuels my creativity.

Basically, my diet during the cleanse was restricted to alkaline forming food–raw, organic veggies and fruit. And fruit only before lunch. You know it’s bad when you are pissed cause it’s 8 pm and you really, really want to eat a banana. I was allowed some cooked veggies (with the idea being 80% raw and 20% cooked); but no oil, salt or pepper which are mainstays in my cooking. Have you tried veggies sautéed in water? Just doesn’t have the same effect.

That’s not a balanced diet! What? But that ground beef is local grass-fed!
What I could eat.
Ummmm yummy. No, technically I was not supposed to be eating flowers.

The program follows a schedule of meals, shakes (bentonite and psyllium) and herbal supplements. So from the time I woke-up until bed time I was ingesting something every hour and a half. While that kept my belly feeling full, I can’t say I ever felt truly satisfied with what I was eating. Let’s just say I most definitely do not have a future as a raw, vegan chef. I stuck with basic. Salads, another salad, more salad, soon I was drowning in salad and the occasional baked potato or quinoa that I was allowed a few times a week. The day I discovered I could have baked Portobello mushrooms was like the Heavens had opened and sent me a present. If I closed my eyes, I could pretend I was eating a steak. Kinda.

But alas, all good bad torturous things must come to an end. On Sunday, April 22 I officially completed 21 days and decided I was done. I’m now working on phasing out of the cleanse and slowly integrating all some of the no-no foods back into my diet. Yes, I said slowly. My reborn digestive system can only take so much. Although a burger with fries and a beer sounds AMAZING. But hey after 21 days of restraint and discipline I’ve learned a few things–I can wait a few more days. But I will add a milkshake to that order.

Would you ever do a cleanse?

Love This Song…

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Maybe it’s because Gwyneth said this is the song she sings in the shower (duh) or maybe it’s just really catchy or I could be going through a love affair with Coldplay right now-I’m not really sure what it is- but I LOVE this song. It makes me want to sing and dance and hullahoop and wave my hands wildly in the air and skip (now I’m exhausted) and above all it makes me very, very happy.

(K it’s safe to say that I won’t be writing for Rolling Stone any time soon)

Coldplay – Paradise

(My apologies if the link doesn’t work for you. It’s something new I’m trying to figure out so that I can share all my song loves with you!)

In Good Company

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You may remember my blog post, Match Made in Heaven, about my love for Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs.

(Actually, considering that I received a grand total of ZERO Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs for Easter I’m starting to wonder if any of you did read it. And if you did, I guess subtle hints don’t work on you people. Better luck next year. Luckily, I bought a stash for myself thank you very much.)

Of course I knew I couldn’t be the only blogger out there with a passion for this completely healthy addiction delightful treat, but I had no idea I was in such good company. One of the bloggers I admire, drool over (that sounds creepy), wish my blog was that amazing and I was that funny follow, Jules of  GoGuiltyPleasures, along with 18 other humor bloggers all posted under the theme Better Living Through Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups last Wednesday. Needless to say, their posts and creativity blew mine out of the water. Big time. But that’s okay because at least I have some validation that the completely random posts on this blog, with the only thing in common being me, maybe are on subjects that could be somewhat funny and appealing to readers other than my fan club. AKA the fam.

What recently made your day? (Besides the picture of my mom as the Easter Bunny)

The Easter Bunny

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In honor of Easter I thought I’d share one of my favorite most memorable Easter stories–the day I discovered the truth about the Easter Bunny.

I was about 7 and I thought I knew it all. We’d been singing about Peter Cottontail at school all week and in my mind he was hopping straight for my house with presents galore. And he had exactly what I wanted-colored eggs with candy inside, a sparkly Easter basket, chocolate candy, a chocolate replica of himself that I would slowly eat, Peeps, gum, toys, more toys and more candy. You get the idea.

(In hindsight, how in the world did I think he could hop with all those presents? I had seen the movie Mary Poppins and I think I thought the Easter Bunny was carrying a purse like hers that appeared to be normal-but was in fact a bottomless pit.)

I woke-up on Easter morning to a spread. I’m ashamed to say, I was not impressed. The Easter Bunny/Peter Cottontail had the audacity to bring me CLOTHES for Easter.

To add insult to the injury, among the clothing was a jean on jean ensemble. What I would refer to today as a Canadian Tuxedo. My fashion sensibilities were offended (even at that young age I had a strong sense of what I would and would not wear). And worst of all, I was stuck with it and I didn’t even ask for it. The beautiful Easter basket forgotten, I let it rip.

I hate the Easter Bunny! Doesn’t he know I would never wear jean on jean?? Furthermore, why is this even an issue since I did not once mention clothes in my Easter wishes! Basically, in all my 7-year old glory I threw a temper tantrum.

Since the Easter Bunny was long gone (probably giving the presents that were meant for me to some other kid!), my mom received the brunt of my fury. She tried to get me to focus on all my other goodies and to let me know that it wasn’t nice to hurt the Easter Bunny’s feelings. Well, this jean ensemble is hurting my eyes! No matter what she said to calm me down, I had a response.

Finally, she said something that left me speechless.

I AM THE EASTER BUNNY!!!!! 

And with those words my childhood ended and I became an adult.

Ha yea right. I shut-up, apologized, and then believed her made-up story that she was just a representative for the Easter Bunny. That explained why she was always carrying around those bottomless pit purses–she was in cahoots with the Easter Bunny. Was she Mary Poppins???

My favorite Easter Bunny!

Car Talk

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So I was thinking today about how crazy it would be to win the lottery. And that extremely wealthy people always have the nicest, most luxurious cars that money can buy. And usually a fleet of them. Then I started thinking how I’ll probably never drive, let alone own, a car like that. (I’m not really into cars so I’m not sure where this whole thought process came from…Random!)

Then I thought about my car Dash, an Acura Legend, and cheered right up. That’s right. I love Dash. And at one time back in 1994 he was a top of the line luxury vehicle. So there, self. I drive a luxury car every day. Granted, the leather seats are worn and torn, the paint is peeling, the belts have started to squeal (in high school when my Honda did that in the school parking lot I thought I would die of embarrassment. Now it just makes me laugh. Aaahhhhh maturity) and the trunk leaks, but that’s small potatoes for a car that’s 17 years old!

The heated seats work like a charm on cold winter mornings, the sunroof allows the sunshine to stream in and it has SIX speeds. I have never driven Dash above speed 5 but still. It’s pretty cool. And you know what? If I ever win the lottery Dash is going to get a full makeover to be restored to his former glory.

Dash.

And if I keep him long enough he might even become a classic…

What is your car’s name? (It’s common knowledge cars perform much better when named.)