Thinking Pink!
So many reasons to think pink!
1) Pussyfooters start up dance practice! Woot! Got to look good for the Mardi Gras parades. We recently performed for a fundraiser for Metropolitan Center for Women & Children. It was so much fun to put on the pink wig and corset and shake our groove things for a good cause.
2) October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and the color for that is pink. I'm going to be walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on the 22nd. If you would like to donate to me team (pretty please!) click here.
3) I'm going to the Halloween Tea at the Windsor Court on the 23rd (busy weekend, but that's October for you). The gals I'm going are all going to dress up as the pink ladies from Grease. The Audubon Insectarium is bringing "creepy crawly guests" with them too.
4) Baby shower this month friends adopting a little girl. I have a second shower to go to this month too but they aren't announcing the sex of the baby.

Maybe I should put Pink Panther on the Netflix que? Hmmm... that might be a good Halloween costume.

Come on September!

Ugh August. I hate August. Thank gawd it's almost over. A crazy month with the East Coast getting a one-two punch of an earthquake followed by Hurricane Irene. Here in New Orleans we are in a drought, in spite of the fact it rained every freaking day in July, but hardly at all in August. And we are also on day three of a marsh fire burning out of control in NO East. The city was blanketed in smoke today. Makes me cranky, super cranky. So it's time to look back over to some of the good time in August - go to a happy place if you will.

I think it's saying something that I didn't do a post for 08-29-11 the sixth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. But I think that was because of all the above distractions. I came across this graphic on Tumblr - very nice.

http://stephanieshift.tumblr.com/post/9555965725

The husband and I always do something to mark this day. One year we drank a nice bottle of wine we bought in CA that we had been saving. This year we went to dinner at Coquette, a wonderful French inspired restaurant in our 'hood.

The annual Rising Tide Conference was this weekend. It just gets better every year. And it's great to see all folks we've met thanks to the blogsphere. I did miss the annual group proclamation of FYYFF. Very cathardic to yell that with a whole room full of people. After the conference I got all pink and sparkly and joined my Pussyfooters sisters for the Mid-Summer Mardi Gras. Something else I can cross off my New Orleans Bucket List. It was fun but dammit was hot. A full day of stuff to remind me why I live here. Sunday I had drinks with a friends who was visiting from out of town and one of them asked me a question along the lines of "have you ever thought of living somewhere else?" Yes of course I've day dreamed about living other places. I was in NYC earlier this month and I was ready to not come home. I think I gave him a look of horror though based on how he back peddled and tried to clarify what he was trying to say. That probably wouldn't have happen two days earlier when I would have yelled "YES and get me the hell out of here."

Driven to Distraction

It feels like living in New Orleans is just a series of distractions. Once we got through the holidays, we had Mardi Gras, followed by St. Patrick's Day, French Quarter Fest and JazzFest, with all sorts of other festivals sprinkled between. I've started a post-JazzFest diet to work off off the food and libations that go along with said distractions. For me though, JazzFest is the BEST distracation of all. You can't beat the variety of music, food and arts & crafts. This year there was no rain the entire time - first time that's happened in 12 years. 

Thursday, Day 2 for us.

Gentilly Stage the second Saturday, day 3 for us.

Sunscreen and hats are very important.

The Decemberist rocked the Fais Do Do stage the first Sunday.

Actually, it's been weeks since we've had any rain. I have to water my garden every other day, my allergies are out of control, my car is covered in dust and pollen and my office building is sinking. Now our attention gets focus on another distraction, the rising Mississippi River. It's flooding parts of Memphis and other areas of north. Levees have been blown up to relieve the pressure on them and spillways are being opened. We have the Bonnet Carre spill way upriver from New Orleans that was opened Monday that funnels water into Lake Ponchatrain, which an event unto itself. There is talk of opening the Morganza spillway, which is upriver of Baton Rouge. It's going to flood thousands of people who live along the Atchafalya River, but there's no way the powers that be will let Baton Rouge or LSU flood.

Am I worried? Eh, not yet. Though I was thinking now would be a good time to make sure our "disaster kit" is up to date.

To come: my JazzFest schedule.

Grassroots Mardi Gras marching groups opt for spunk and sparkle over pomp and prestige
Published: Thursday, March 03, 2011, 9:00 AM
By John Pope, The Times-Picayune
Article in the T-P about marching groups with great photos of the Pussyfooters and other groups.

NOTE: The Pussyfooter started 10 years ago, before Katrina. :-)

Slide show of photos from the shoot above.

Krewe du Vieux 2011

G and I are in Krewe of PAN and sub-Krewe of Krewe du Vieux and our parade was Saturday. Unlike the huge super-krewe who pay professionals to make their floats and costumes we all do it all ourselves. Our theme this year was "S'il Vous Played" and everyone costumed as a huckster, sham artist, what have you. There were several meter maids, garbage collection agencies, corrupt politicians, card sharks and mimes. The crowds this year were huge! Probably because the weather was mild. It's usually freezing cold for our parade.

I was a fortune teller.

Our float. The hands were motorized.

G as a politician.

A great video of us appears on YouTube:

What I've been up to...

The 610 Stomper's Ball -their theme was 80s and/or prom wear.

My get-up for the Pussyfooter's Blush Ball

One month to Mardi Gras day!

I had all these grand delusion of posting about the building up to Mardi Gras. But I've just been too busy to post! So instead, just enjoy this wonderful video.


Mardi Gras 2010 from Cottage Films on Vimeo.

Party with a Purpose Blush Ball is tomorrow night!

Wow. It's been a VERY busy January gearing up for the Blush Ball. Weekly dance rehearsals, shopping for costume accesssories, creating the decorations to make the big black hole that is the Howlin' Wolf all pink and sparkly and FUN. Sending out email blasts and Tweets. Marketing meetings. Spamming my friends on Facebook. Selling ball tickets and raffle tickets. As usual I have over committed myself. LOL! But the payoff should be worth it. Ticket sales have been very strong. Our goal was "over 60" items for the raffle, we have around 175! And some really amazing stuff too. Gift certificates for restaurants, bars, spas and salons. I personally got gift certificates from Katy Beh Contemporary Jewelry, Lakeside Shopping Center, Finn McCool's and Mid-City Yacht Club plus some tickets to the 610 Stomper's Ball next week (thanks everyone!).

Our goal is to raise $10,000 for Metropolitan Center for Women & Children. We may actually EXCEED that figure. I got to create a BIG fake CHECK to present to Metro.

Big @ss check!

The Pussyfooters colors are pink, orange and silver and they are all about being sparkly. I didn't own anything pink before joining but not I own a TON of stuff. Claire's Boutique is a good source for pink and sparkly. Fake nails, glitter pink lip gloss and eye shadow, pink gloves and sparkly earrings. It's been fun getting in touch with my inner 12 year old girl. LOL. And I've met some great ladies.

Is it pink? check. Does it Sparkle? check.

I'm very exciting, and feeling a little (OK a lot) overwhelmed by tomorrow. A bunch of us are showing up at the venue at 9am to clean and decorate. Then I have to go home, get dressed, go back around 7pm for dress rehearsal. And THEN the party begins! OY! I'm not planning on doing much of anything Sunday. Just relaxing. And trying to wash all the glitter off me.

UPDATE: We raised $14,000 for METRO!

JAN. 29, 2011:
Blush Ball Fundraiser!Party with a Purpose!
Fundraiser for Metro Center for Women and Children (METRO)
The Pussyfooters are celebrating our 10th Anniversary by raising $10,000 for Metro Center.

January 29, 2011
Howlin' Wolf
907 South Peters
9pm - 2am

$30 advance tickets - buy from your favorite Pussyfooter
$30 plus service charge - buy on-line
$35 tickets at the door

• Featuring Big Sam's Funky Nation and DJ Brice Nice
• Performances by the Pussyfooters and the 610 Stompers
• Firehouse Cook-off by the Firefighters of New Orleans
• Win a chance at over 60 fabulous prizes in our Raffle. Tickets $5 each or five for $20. Buy now from a Pussyfooter or at the Ball. Drawing Jan. 29. Need not be present to win.

METRO's mission is to break the cycle of domestic violence and aid survivors of sexual assault through advocacy, intervention, empowerment and transformation. Click here to learn more about METRO.

Click here to download the poster. (PDF)

Click here to download the press release. (Word doc)

Click here to read article about the Blush Ball by the Times-Picayune.