On a happier note... we went up to see G's folks out in the country for Easter... a beautiful day for a walk.






I guess this will also serve as my Weekly Photo Challenge Entry which I just now saw is "Spring" - I'm waaay early for once. Sweet.

UPDATE: Dave has the list of other entries on his blog. Lots of flowers!

A few weeks ago, I did a post about my car being in the shop and that I was considering a new car. Well. I got my car back that Friday $700 poorer but with a new Intake Manifold, belts, spark plugs. The following weekend was the Irish Channel Parade so my car didn't move all weekend. Monday when I started to leave for work I heard a horrible dragging sound. I stopped the car and a woman walking down the sidewalk pointed to the front of my car. I hop out and what looks to be a milk crate is now wedged under my car. The guys painting the house across the street came over, jacked my car up and extracted the crate. I was pissed. I drove the car with the radio off and windows down to listen for any sounds. One sound I did hear was the high pitched squealing I just paid $700 to fix! So I went to my mechanic, told him the noise was not fixed and to check out my front end for possible damage. He had my car for four days, trying a number of things. He told me every time he'd do something, the noise would stop, but then return later. He admitted he was stumped, said I should probably take it to the dealer and refunded my money for the Intake Manifold since they had misdiagnosed the problem. I was shocked - a mechanic, admitting fault and refunding my money. He said he thought it was safe to drive but said I should take it to the mechanic sooner rather then later. The beauty of my mechanic is he is two blocks from my office. I can drop it off and walk to work. With the dealer I need to coordinate with G to drive there with me. I drove the car a few times this weekend and to work Monday with no problem. This morning I got in turned the key... nothing. I tried some of the tricks from the past - turn the steering wheel, put in the car in and out of gear, wiggled the connectors on the battery, nothing worked. I was so frustrated and fed up. I decided I am not going to deal with it today. Who knows, may it will start right up tomorrow. Maybe not but I'll be expecting to deal with it. I can call Triple A and have it towed - but where? My regular mechanic is stumped. Some one recommend Donald on Tchoupitulas. Or should I go to the Nissan dealership? Whatever I decide I've definitely decided I'm tired of dealing with this car.

Even though I've lived here since '92 I didn't realize that Easter weekend was THE weekend for crawfish. The Mad Irishman text messaged G and I that he was buying and to meet at the Rendezvous (our usual Friday hangout). When we got there, he had a table covered in newsprint and two paper bags full of crawfish, potatoes, garlic and corn. We chowed down, washing the spicey goodness down with cold beer. What a wonderful way to end the week.

Here is my belated entry for the Weekly Photo Challenge. This week's work was "JUXTAPOSE." I decided to show some before and after photos of the bedroom.

Before #1

After #1

Before #2

After #2

Hard to believe huh? Dave has links to the other entries.

Shhhhh... I'm still recuperating from Saturday's Parade Party... More photos to come.

My car was emitting a high pitched squeal whenever it was idling. G said it probably was a loose belt so I took it into my mechanics yesterday. They still haven't figured out what it is and need to keep it a few more days. ugh. My mechanic told me he thought it might be the air exhaust manifold - whatever that is - and he has to take something apart but they are slammed. Great. Times like these I think about selling my car. It's a 1996 Maxima with really low mileage, but I've been having shovel money into it that last few years. Still less than a new car note but... The Nissan Murano caught my eye and got me thinking about a "new" car. It's more than I want to spend, the new Nissan Rouge is more in my price range. Not quite as stylish but with excellent reviews are the Rav4 and CRV. Anybody out there have any of these and like to share their opinion? Too bad none come as a hybrid. Or maybe I'll just get a Vespa for short jaunts and as a back up when Max is in the shop...

And the whole reason I did this post is because I'm killing time waiting for my friend to pick me up for book club.

If recycling matters to you, listen up.

On page A-26 of Sunday's T-P there was a "Recycling Survey" by the City of NO Dept of Sanitation. You have the option of 1) cutting out, filling out and mailing in the survey in the paper, 2) calling 311 or 3) "completing" it on-line.

I, of course, decided to complete it on-line. Going to the city's web site, you have to figure out how to navigate to the Sanitation section. Which is here. Once there, you can't exactly complete the survey on-line, all you can do is download a PDF of the survey, which you then have to print, stamp and mail. I guess I'll try calling 311 and see how that goes. Seems like they could make it a little easier. Fax? E-mail? Hello?

And have you noticed on the home page of the city's website site says off to the right hand side:

The City of New Orleans is currently updating
our website to better serve our citizens and
businesses. We apologize that some content may not be current
while we build our new site

No, really?

UPDATE: I called 311 and it took less than 1 minute. And I spoke to a human being. Will my comments go the way of all the properties I listed with the Good Neighbor program? *snort*

I hate daylight savings time. I always get thrown outta whack when the time changes. Last week I was noticing that it was getting light early enough I could start walking in the morning before work. But now, it's almost 7:00 and pitch black outside. *grumble* And now everything has a freakin' clock on it so you have to walk through the house trying to find everything with a clock and change the time. The only plus is that the cats' stomachs are still an hour behind so at 5am they weren't jumping on us wanting to be fed.

Bamboozle is the word for the Weekly Photo Challenge.

I present to you, hizzhonor, C. Ray Nagin, mayor of New Orleans.

The photo belong to Nola.com and credit goes to T-P staff photo by Matt Rose.

"The Good Neighbor Program"

Need I say more?

Here is what the city said it would do LINK

And here is what happened LINK

I think it's appropriate the photo was taken during his "state of the city address" May 30, 2007.

President Bush was a close second, but he didn't bamboozle me. I knew he was rotten through and through.

Dave and Glenn have the whole list. Some really creative entries this week!

Seems like the best time I get blog ideas is when I’m driving in my car. Since I do not talk on the cell phone when I am driving, it gives my mind time to wander. Maybe I need to get one of those pocket tape recorders so I can record the thoughts and idea that come to me as I’m driving. Can’t very well jot things down while driving – I know because I’ve tried.

This morning I headed over to the Westbank to get my driver’s license renewed. It expired last week with my birthday. Didn’t get any notice in the mail. This morning it was gray, cold, windy and wet. I’m hoping it will keep others away from the DMV. Nope. Friday at 8:30 a.m. it was packed. At least I was standing in line inside the DMV office. The line stretched out the door behind me. Stand, shuffle, stand, shuffle. Took about 15 min. to get to the front of the line. As the man was pulling me up in the computer I said “I didn’t get a notification in the mail; should I have?” His answer was a vague “Yes or no. It depends.” I said “I haven’t received any notification about my driver’s license or car registration renewal in the mail since Katrina.” He nodded his head. He handed me a slip with a number on it and told me to have a seat. I sat down and my butt barely had time to warm the seat when my number was called.

At the DMV on Harvey, they have a very sophisticated system. A slip with your number is generated. There’s a LED board that lists the next 4 numbers on it. You number gets read out over the PA by a recorded voice and tells you what counter number to go to. As your number is being called, it will flash, and the number over your counter will also flash with your number on it. I looked at my number and looked at the flashing screen, then looked at my number again. That can’t be right, it’s only been a minute or so. But it was. I cross the room and sit down in front of a lady. She tells me to read the top line of numbers in the eye thing. Confirms my address. Some other woman came up and said something about calling maintenance. The woman helping me mumbled to me “I don’t know how to call maintenance. Why don’t she call?” I just shook my head, rolled my eyes and said “mmm hmmmm” in empathy. We finish up, she hands me my old license and says “You’re new license will be $21.50. Pay at the cashier when your name is called.” She barely had “called” out when I hear my last name. I scoot over to the cashier. “Stand in front of the blue screen. Smile if you want.” CLICK I have a slightly dazed look in my picture. Probably because I’m in shock this has happened so quickly. I didn’t even crack open the book I brought to read. My last license had a terrible picture. But the expression was akin to what a cop would see after pulling me over. I get in my car to leave, the clock says 8:59. Wow! And by the way, they stopped printing your social security number on the licenses. Good.

You know how people get in sync when they’ve been together a long time and especially married people. Our cars have a habit of messing up on us at the same time. The last time, G blew out a tire hitting a pothole, the same day my car overheated because it had sprung a leak. We both had driver’s license issues at the same time too. Last week he got pulled over, along with 10 other people, in a school zone. I guess the police can’t solve murders, so they enforce school zones. So be aware. With so many schools closed and none of the flashing school zone lights working it’s easy to do. The cop took G’s license and said to wait 5 days before going to pay his ticket. Fast forward 5 days… when G goes to pay the fine, he finds out that his license has been suspended for years because of an unpaid parking ticket. This is news to him. The notices had been sent to an address that he hadn’t lived in for years when the ticket was issued. He has even had his driver’s license renewed AFTER it was suspended. G told the man helping him that had he know about the ticket he would have paid it. Thankfully they waved the “late fee” and reinstated his license. The DMV and the state have our correct address, and that’s the address traffic court should have had. In fact, he had a new car at the time of the ticket, a car he bought after moving from the address the violations had been send. Go figure.

Weekly Photo Challenge "Dissolute"


Obviously I didn't shoot this photo... it's on Wikipedia... is that OK?

It's that time of the year when you never know how to dress. Will it be cold? Hot? Wet? All of the above in the same day? I'm a fair weather hikers/walker so when it gets nice I like to hit the streets. There is always something interesting to look at. All of these were taken during a 40 minute walk.

Check out His hands...

These people always have something interesting in their yard...
a ?bronze? seal and look waaaaay in the back by the edge of the fence.

I love the giant fry pan.

Awesome typography. I only just now noticed it says "1845-1907"

I'll have to go back and see what it's been the last 101 years.

And it can't be a NOLA blog with out one of these.

All of these were taken on or near this street... can you guess what it is?

This week's Weekly Photo Challenge topic is "slogan" and and the first slogan that popped into my head was the one for the New Orleans gas/meat station Wagner's. Which brings to mind other slogans of other local businesses... like...

"No Credit? You got to see the special man." "Let'er have it" "I say I say I say" LINK (with the new special man)

Not a slogan but a great product name "Boudreaux's Butt Paste" www.ButtPaste.com

We survived Mardi Gras only to be laid low by the flu that seems to be going around. G came down with it Wednesday as did my business partner, and I manged to hold out until Sunday. Neither one of us have been this sick in a long time. Not since our wedding, but that's another story. We are much better but still not 100%. Last weekend we were going to buy a new mattress but both felt too crappy. Yesterday it finally happened. Last time we were in Baton Rouge, we stayed at G's brother and he had a new mattress he bought at Sam's club that was very comfy and only $300. We've felt overwhelmed by the choices of mattresses out there, but after the test drive, we decided we're going to Sam's. We have G's father's pick-up truck so that makes the task easier. We were almost to Sam's when G comment that he was having trouble braking. *gulp* We parked safely in Sam's parking lot and G poked around under the hood. It appeared it was out of brake fluid. Luckily for us there was an Auto Zone across the street. Disaster averted and into the fray that is Sam's Club on a Saturday morning.

I was hoping that a queen-sized bed would be much larger than a full, but it's only 4-5 inches wider. I slept great last night and didn't want to get out of bed this morning. And now I finally have a room that's 99% done (still need a ceiling fan) and can decorate. woohoo! Those of you who came to G's 40th birthday party last year, may remember this room as the "food room" - big difference now huh?

Last weekend I took a box of beads to the Freret Market for recycling. And wouldn't you know it, while I was up in the attic yesterday I discovered ANOTHER box of beads I didn't know we had. *sigh* If we wanted to take down the economy of China, all we need is for everyone in New Orleans to take all the beads out of their attics and have the krewes reuse them. That would show them.

I knew "This Old House" was renovating a house in the Lower 9th Ward, I just didn't know they started showing the episodes yet. So all of you fans of New Orleans architecture and house renovation, make sure you catch "This Old House" as they renovate and put an addition to the house, plus all the slices of life and historical stuff they like to show as well. They are showing several episodes back to back tonight and I have to snicker as the host act surprised to find under the dry wall, 2-by-4s and insulation, under that wall paper (only one layer?), under that burlap and finally the barge board. Ask anyone who has renovated an old house... we found wood floor under layers of plywood, linoleum and carpet... Cheap paneling over 4 layers of wall paper over paint on the original plaster... it just goes on. It's cute how they gawk at the 12 foot ceilings and all the original details on the house. Those brackets and shutters, yah, they're original.They've seen old houses before, I guess they just ham it up for the viewers? The TV reporter for the T-P gave his review along the lines of his review of K-ville.

I got one of those "quiz" emails the other day an thought "this would be a quick and easy blog post." So here were my answers:

Things You May or May Not Know about Christy (drum roll please)

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Concession stand sales person at a movie theater

2. Slave to the curator at FSU's art gallery

3. Shoe department at JC Penney's (sparked my love of shoes)

4. Asst. Manger of an ice cream parlor

Four movies I would (I do!) watch over and over:

1. This is Spinal Tap

2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail

3. Better off Dead

4. The Blues Brothers

Four places I have lived:

1. Florence, Italy

2. Jacksonville, FL

3. Tallahassee, FL

4. New Orleans, LA

Four TV Shows that I watch:

1. House

2. The Simpsons

3. The Office

4. Saints Football

Four places I have been:

1. Whitbey, England

2. Graceland

3. Budapest, Hungary

4. Mont St Michel, France

Four of my favorite foods:

1. grilled cheese sandwich (w/ pickles)

2. sushi

3. BBQ shrimp (New Orleans style that is)

4. Thanksgiving spread (turkey, stuffing, etc.)

Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Scotland

2. a tropical beach

3. Italy

4. hiking in Utah

Four things I am looking forward to in 2008:

1. My 5yr. wedding anniversary

2. turning 40 (not really but...)

3. this year's hiking trip

4. Jazz Fest

First and foremost, in my world... it's MARDI GRAS! It's been a week of parades, dodging parades, king cake, parties and booze. Life returns to "normal" tomorrow.

For the rest of the nation it's Super Tuesday with Presidental primaries.

It is also "World Nutella Day" (mmmmmm, that's some good stuff) and "International Pancake Day".

It's also my good friend Michael's 40th birthday. Happy Birthday Mike! woo woo!

For you New Orleanians out there who are tired of filling your attic with beads and throws, recycle them:

The STRIVE Center at 1139 Napoleon Avenue (between Prytania St. and Magazine St., on the riverside corner), ph. 895-2557 is gratefully accepting EVERYTHING (beads, cups, doubloons, stuffed toys, etc.)!! All you have to do is deliver them during the day (no appointment necessary) and someone inside will help you carry the bags or boxes inside. Items don't have to be sorted.

Note: the STRIVE Center is a sheltered workshop for adult retarded persons in the New Orleans area. They can sort and package the throws and re-sell them, so they are being trained in useful local work, and also making some funds for their organization.

Also, this Saturday the Sierra Club will be collecting beads to recycle at the Freret Market. Come out Saturday, unload some beads, and buy some local food, produce, products and art.

An update on what's going on at the corner of St. Charles and Louisiana Aves...

First to my shock and amazement, the pink building that was formerly a video store then deli, is no more and has been torn down to become the future home of an First NBC. It was still standing Sunday...


They better have that debris gone before the parade start rolling. What a huge party area!

And for those wondering about the Border's that's going into the former Bultman Funeral home, here's a photo of the super gut job that has been done.


Demolitions are currently the biggest sign of change/progress in New Orleans. Everyday, something else is GONE.

Forgive me if I didn't jump for joy when I read in today's T-P:

Al Copeland reopens one restaurant on St. Charles and plans to reopen the other later this year

Isn't that special? He's reopening the tacky Cheesycake Bistro on St. Charles Ave. The tourist will be thrilled. It will be nice when they do something with the Copelands on the corner of St. Charles and Napoleon. It amazes me how such prime real estate can stay shuttered for so long. Same goes for the corner of St. Charles and Lousiana; I miss the convenience of the lame Exxon that used to be there. I'm not a big fan of any of Copeland's restaurants; it has nothing to do with the food as it does the garish decor. And I love his not-so-subtle rip-offs of chain restaurants around the country; the bad decor, the over-sized menus (both physical size and the number of items), the lame themes. I'm proud we aren't overrun with chains here. If your food stinks, you aren't going to last, no matter how fantastic your "theme" is.

Who's going to the parades to night? Not me. I'm a fair weather parade-goer thank you. I have me a fresh bottle o' Highland Park, and will be heat up the haggis and neeps and tatties here soon. Or as a friend ours put it "sucking down ground up animal parts to show appreciation for a dead poet?" Whatever!

We will be having an abbreviated Burn's Dinner I'm sorry to say. No bagpipes and our haggis will be out of a can. I'm looking forward to all the toasting on such a cold, wet day.

Host's welcoming speech

The host says a few words welcoming everyone to the supper and perhaps stating the reason for it. The event is declared open.

Everyone is seated at the table(s) and grace is said, usually using the Selkirk Grace:

The Selkirk Grace

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

The supper then starts with the soup course. Normally a Scottish soup such as Scotch Broth, Potato Soup or Cock-a-Leekie is served.

Entrance of the haggis

Everyone stands as the main course is brought in. This is always a haggis on a large dish. It is brought in by the cook, generally while a piper plays bagpipes and leads the way to the host's table, where the haggis is laid down. S/he might play 'A man's a man for aw that'. The host, or perhaps a guest with a talent, then recites the Address To a Haggis.

His knife see rustic Labour dicht the speaker normally draws and cleans a knife, and at the line An' cut you up wi' ready slicht, plunges it into the haggis and cuts it open from end to end. When done properly this "ceremony" is a highlight of the evening.

Supper

At the end of the poem, a whisky toast will be proposed to the haggis. Then the company will sit and enjoy the meal. The main course is, of course, haggis, and is traditionally served with mashed potatoes (tatties) and mashed neeps (known in England as swede or in North America as rutabaga or turnip). A dessert course, cheese courses, coffee, etc. may also be part of the meal. The courses normally use traditional Scottish recipes. For instance dessert may be cranachan or Tipsy Laird (sherry trifle) followed by oatcakes and cheese, all washed down with liberal tots of the "water of life" (uisge beatha) – Scotch whisky.

When the meal reaches the coffee stage various speeches and toasts are given. In order the core speeches and toasts are as follows.

Loyal toast

Immortal memory

One of the guests gives a short speech, remembering some aspect of Burns' life or poetry. This may be light-hearted or intensely serious. The speaker should always prepare a speech with his audience in mind, since above all, the Burns' supper should be entertaining.

Everyone drinks a toast to Robert Burns.

Appreciation Toast

Toast to the lasses

Reply to the toast to the lasses

Other toasts and speeches

Works by Burns

Closing

Finally the host will wind things up, calling on one of the guests to give the vote of thanks, after which everyone is asked to stand, join hands, and sing Auld Lang Syne which brings the evening to an end.