–Thursday, 1-26-2006:
Thursday morning started once again with finding myself at CC’s writing emails and trying to take care of whatever business it is possible to confront on the road. I’m almost always there by about 10am and stay until it closes for the day at noon. Thursday morning in particular, I went there in my PJ’s and my newly blackened eye, so I was feeling pretty unglamorous. Renee and I share a table, and I always get an italian soda and sometimes an everything bagel and cream cheese. I’ve started to look immensely forward to my time in the morning at CC’s. It’s become my zen of connection to home and routine while I’ve been here.
After, Becca, Renee and I headed back to Camp 516 Rue St. Philip to shower, change and get ready. We took our time, having no real time limits other than that Becca and Renee needed to be at the hotel for their van pick up at 2:45. Becca and I left just in time to once again grab lunch at Cafe Mesparo, where we split another Mufaletta, and I also got a side of red beans and rice. On the way to dropping Becca off, we stopped at a most adorable boutique where I got sidetracked and bought a “personal items case” – actually a glorified tampon holder – I’m not kidding, that I’m using to instead house all 5 chapsticks/lipglosses I have randomly floating around my purse at any given time.
From there I met up with John and Benji in their hotel room, where we worked on resumes, and I gave a crash course in formatting 101. I finally got a chance to talk to my mom and dad for more than just a second, and also heard from Megan (!!!) who was standing the airport, waiting for her and Mike’s bags, freshly back from Africa (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). We decided to head over to Cafe du Monde once more to split a batch of beignets. I had the best frozen cafe au lait, I tell you what. Crazy yummy. After, they walked me back to my house and I laid down for a bit, once again in Renee’s bed and watched some TV, worked on my blog a bit, and took a small nap.
When Becca and Renee and Garrett all got home, a plan was hatched to all go out and eat: first at an oyster bar for appetizers, and then at a place called Muriel’s. The oyster bar, of course, wasn’t really my idea of fun, so I stayed back for a bit with Becca and rallied the troops to all meet on Bourbon street and we headed together to dinner. Muriel’s was missing the keystone salad for which the trip was planned, so we vetoed the idea and set off for a restaurant that we’d been oft recommended called Angelie’s.
By this time, I was randomly starting to feel like I was getting sick, so dinner was spoiled for me a bit. Even though, I did thoroughly enjoy what bit of my pizza I could manage to eat, which was listed on the menu, I kid you not, as the “Chicken Diavolo Pizza”… Whoa.
After dinner, I came back and took a nap while most others went to various bars and clubs. Renee came back with me and took a bubble bath, then joined me in her room to watch “9 to 5,” a movie which I adore, and haven’t seen in forever. When I say “took a nap,” I should explain that my intent was rather to go to sleep for the night, since I laid down at about 10:30 and already wasn’t feeling well. When Garrett came home however, at 12:30 and woke my up to let him in, I woke all the way up, and when I tried to fall back asleep in my own room, I found it too creepy, and couldn’t. So, I decided to call Becca and the gang of hoodlums she was with (the usual, plus a newly-in-town Allen Moon), and have them pick me up to join them.
When they got here, we walked back to LaFitte’s, the bar we first went to on our ghost tour, and then we walked further up Bourbon to a corner on which there were hoppin’ dueling gay bars: Oz and Bourbon Pub. I prefer gay bars because I get mostly left alone and they play actual fun music. Of the two, I preferred the Bourbon Pub, because they played music videos that I could totally zone out and watch. We stayed there until about 3:30 in the morning, and then after Mike left, had John walk us to our place for the night.
–Friday, 1-27-2006:
Again, the day started out with CC’s and a bagel and an italian soda. After they closed, Renee and I walked back to the antique store I bought my necklace at for me to look at gifts. At the shop next door, we found silver certificates for sale in a collectables shop. We each bought one, like weirdoes, and then walked back to pick up Becca for an afternoon of window shopping. We started out at a handful of boutiques we’ve been eyeing. It was a fun stint of girlie dress up times. Eventually we needed a ‘queer eye’ and called John, and then Leo (the straight version of such advice,) to help us make some important (ha, ha) fashion decisions. I got away relatively cheaply, with two cashmere scarves… everyone else kinda broke the bank.
I split off to go get a Po-Boy sandwich, the last on my list of local favorites and New Orleans-specfic cuisine (grits, cafe au lait with chicory, po-boys, muffaletta, red beans and rice…) The only missing two are gumbo and jumbalaya, which I am precluded from doing because of the seafood content. I walked home via a couple of shops I had made a mental note to return to for gifts for others, and arrived home just in time to get ready for dinner.
The board of the New Orleans Ballet Association was taking us all out to dinner at the best seafood restaurant in the area. It’s called Drago, and it’s in Metarie, about 45 min away. We got dressed up and met altogether and arrived at dinner only mildly late, due to traffic. On the drive over we passed a number of cemeteries on the freeway. All bodies are ‘buried’ here above ground, in tombs, or crypts holding ashes, due to the low (below sea level) elevation… if you dig you hit water, and bodies flood or float away, I was told.
Dinner was pretty amazing. There were about 25 of us there, invading the third floor. We all ordered appetizers, wine, salads, and huge main courses. It’s probably the most I’ve eaten in over a year, and I didn’t even partake in the 7 dozen raw oysters and 6 dozen char broiled oysters. I did have, however, spinach and artichoke dip, a salad, and Chicken Romano, with wine and a coke.
After dinner, we all headed back and changed and all again met up, once again at LaFitte’s. We then moved on again to the Bourbon Pub (the gay bar with the music videos.) Garrett and Renee and I split off for just a bit to had to a diner to get fries and ice cream -I was cramming it all in last night – but then we headed back across the street. The night was extended several times over as more and more people we knew showed up, and I got home at 5 oclock this morning.
So right now (8:30am) finds me incredibly tired, once again in CC’s eating breakfast, finally caught-up on my blog, and about to teach a master class at Tulane University. Today has more shopping in store, and tonight looks to be another party night…