Hello all. Endless apologies for the long break between posts. I had a baseball draft recently, the preparations for which consumed most of my free time. That draft happened on Tuesday. The three post-free days since then can be attributed to laziness.
I'm jumping on the iTunes playlist bandwagon. A running list of what I'm listening to while typing this appears below.
I don't really have any one thing to talk about. Just some random thoughts:
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I found out the other day that our President of the USofA got a degree in History at Yale. So I'm not the only one who isn't putting their History degree to good use.
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I was looking at one of M's Mardi Gras posters this morning, and I realized I didn't really say much about the Rex parade (aside from a single sentence saying it was crowded and fun).
Rex is the King of Carnival (Carnival being the actual name for what we just refer to as Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival). His identity, and the identity of his Queen, are kept secret until the night before Mardi Gras. That's when they sail down the river into New Orleans, and everybody sees them for the first time. We were at a restaurant a block or two away when Rex 2006 arrived. We were by a window facing the river, so we saw the fireworks.
Rex rides in the Rex parade, the last parade of Mardi Gras, while his Queen sits in a grandstand at the Hotel Intercontinental. When the parade passes the Hotel Intercontinental, it pauses so that Rex may toast his Queen.
Anyway, I think the whole thing is pretty cool, so I thought I'd share.
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I really want to see V for Vendetta, but M thought it looked too violent, my brother agreed, and a friend that I often see movies with had already seen it at a preview showing.
I never, ever, go to the movies by myself (I don't eat alone at restaurants either), so it was looking like I'd be waiting until Netflix had it. But M made a compromise with me this morning. She'll see V with me if I go see the new Sarah Jessica Parker chick-flick with her. Sounds like a good deal to me!
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I'm realizing right about now that I have a lot of 80's music in my iTunes library. What exactly does it mean to be "saved by zero"?
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I thought that Jon Stewart did a great job hosting the Oscars. He was very funny, but had the misfortune of having an audience that doesn't like to laugh at themselves.
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I managed to get the house cleaned up before M got back from New Orleans. I know some of you were concerned about that.
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That's about all I have for now. Here's the random shuffle I was listening to. For those unfamiliar with this emerging trend, the rules are that you put your player (iTunes, in my case) on random shuffle, listen to everything that plays, and list everything - no omissions.
1. "Blue Flower" - Mazzy Star
2. "A Little Respect" - Erasure
3. "That Ain't Love" - REO Speedwagon
4. "Cum On Feel The Noize" - Quiet Riot (I wasn't really digging this playlist until this came on)
5. "About A Girl" - Nirvana
6. "Shock The Monkey" - Peter Gabriel
7. "Keep On Loving You" - The Donnas (cover of the REO Speedwagon song - not a very good cover)
8. "That's Entertainment" - The Jam
9. "Ran For Miles" - Gemma Hayes
10. "Saved By Zero" - The Fixx
11. "Down With The Sickness" - Disturbed
12. "Wolf" - Veruca Salt
13. "She's Not There" - The Zombies (a 60's classic!)
14. "Illegal Smile" - John Prine
Showing posts with label Mardi Gras. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mardi Gras. Show all posts
Friday, March 24, 2006
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras in The Big Easy
When last we left our heroes, they were on the way to Mr. Po-Boy for some late lunch. Having observed during my previous visit that one can combine two types of po-boy into one multi-delight sandwich, I added shrimp to the mix, resulting in a shrimp and catfish po-boy that I did not regret one iota.
That is, until we had an early dinner. Then I was regretting the 2:30 po-boy. But what are ya gonna do.
We got ourselves a nice spot for Orpheus. M's friend knew of a parking lot that's right on the parade route, towards the end, so we parked there. As luck would have it, all three cars in our little group managed to park next to each other at the end of the parking lot that touched the sidewalk. Everything we needed as far as food and drink was right at our fingertips without moving out of bead-catching range. Pretty sweet.
Harry Connick Jr. is the usual head of the Orpheus parade (that is to say, he is Orpheus), being as he's the one that founded it, but he just started a show on Broadway (The Pillow Game, I believe), so he wasn't there this year. It was a bit disappointing. I don't know if there was even an Orpheus in the Orpheus parade (does Harry Connick Jr. have exclusivity in being Orpheus?). Steven Seagal, Josh Harnett and supposedly Scarlett Johannsen (though we never saw her) were all on the lead floats, but none of them were dressed up the way Michael Keaton was as Bacchus, so I guess they were the Orpheus Reserves.
We were near the buses for a couple of the high school bands that were in the parade that preceded Orpheus (that parade was shorter and thus did not go by us). The two bands started doing a Battle of The Bands right there in the parking lot. I thought the red-and-white school got served by the blue-and-gold school, but most everyone else thought that red-white won the battle.
There were a couple of cops near us during the parade, and they were doing a great job - of talking to the young ladies that were flirting with them. There could have been mayhem in the streets, and all the cops would have noticed was the chests on their new friends.
Mardi Gras itself was a nice sunny day - the only day we had to break out the sunscreen. We watched Zulu with some friends on the big stand they always set up. Well, I didn't see much of it because the 11-year-old wasn't all that interested in the parades, so we fired trivia questions back and forth instead. I totally blanked on the name of the Steward of Gondor.
The final parade, Rex, was spent with M's cousins a few blocks down. They were all there, kids and all. It was very crowded and very fun.
Then, I had to fly outta town. For a change, I didn't have to walk all over the airports to get to my gates. The gate out of New Orleans was right by the security checkpoint, which, in turn, was right by the check-in desk. When I switched planes in Houston, my flight in and my flight out were only two gates apart. It was all very convenient.
M is staying down in New Orleans for another week to see everyone she didn't get to see during Mardi Gras Weekend and to volunteer a little. She has the time to do so, being as she's unemployed until March 13 (that's a story for another day). I'm missing her something terrible, but at least I can leave my dirty clothes on the floor without having to worry about them for a while.
That is, until we had an early dinner. Then I was regretting the 2:30 po-boy. But what are ya gonna do.
We got ourselves a nice spot for Orpheus. M's friend knew of a parking lot that's right on the parade route, towards the end, so we parked there. As luck would have it, all three cars in our little group managed to park next to each other at the end of the parking lot that touched the sidewalk. Everything we needed as far as food and drink was right at our fingertips without moving out of bead-catching range. Pretty sweet.
Harry Connick Jr. is the usual head of the Orpheus parade (that is to say, he is Orpheus), being as he's the one that founded it, but he just started a show on Broadway (The Pillow Game, I believe), so he wasn't there this year. It was a bit disappointing. I don't know if there was even an Orpheus in the Orpheus parade (does Harry Connick Jr. have exclusivity in being Orpheus?). Steven Seagal, Josh Harnett and supposedly Scarlett Johannsen (though we never saw her) were all on the lead floats, but none of them were dressed up the way Michael Keaton was as Bacchus, so I guess they were the Orpheus Reserves.
We were near the buses for a couple of the high school bands that were in the parade that preceded Orpheus (that parade was shorter and thus did not go by us). The two bands started doing a Battle of The Bands right there in the parking lot. I thought the red-and-white school got served by the blue-and-gold school, but most everyone else thought that red-white won the battle.
There were a couple of cops near us during the parade, and they were doing a great job - of talking to the young ladies that were flirting with them. There could have been mayhem in the streets, and all the cops would have noticed was the chests on their new friends.
Mardi Gras itself was a nice sunny day - the only day we had to break out the sunscreen. We watched Zulu with some friends on the big stand they always set up. Well, I didn't see much of it because the 11-year-old wasn't all that interested in the parades, so we fired trivia questions back and forth instead. I totally blanked on the name of the Steward of Gondor.
The final parade, Rex, was spent with M's cousins a few blocks down. They were all there, kids and all. It was very crowded and very fun.
Then, I had to fly outta town. For a change, I didn't have to walk all over the airports to get to my gates. The gate out of New Orleans was right by the security checkpoint, which, in turn, was right by the check-in desk. When I switched planes in Houston, my flight in and my flight out were only two gates apart. It was all very convenient.
M is staying down in New Orleans for another week to see everyone she didn't get to see during Mardi Gras Weekend and to volunteer a little. She has the time to do so, being as she's unemployed until March 13 (that's a story for another day). I'm missing her something terrible, but at least I can leave my dirty clothes on the floor without having to worry about them for a while.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Nawlins Part II
A few observations I forgot to mention before
* There are a lot of ads posted on signposts throughout the city, especially in the ruined areas, offering services for mold removal, house gutting (going in and taking everything, including the drywall, out), tree removal (these can often be seen attached to fallen trees), and such and such.
* About half of the stoplights are still not working. There are many stop signs put up in intersections that could use more than just a stop sign.
I'm sure there's more addendums that I've forgotten, but my mind's a blank, and it's probably just as well.
So on to where we left off...
The past couple days have been going to parades, missing parades because we dragged our heels, visiting friends and family, and missing more parades because we decided at the last minute to spend more time with friends and family. Pretty much a good time has been had by all.
The Endymion parade, which is one of the bigger parades with a formal ball at the end of the route and everything, got postponed on Saturday because of the potential for wind and rain (neither of which ended up happening for any significant period of time). That, apparently, is quite unprecedented, and is likely a sign that the powers that be are still a bit shaken by the harsh weather they had last August. Whatever the cause, a lot of people got bent outta shape by that. Endymion is a fun parade, with fiber optic lighting and stuff (it's a night parade), and lots of people came into the city that day to see it. The up side, however, is that last night, the people got not one, but two big-time parades to see, since Bacchus is the usual Sunday night parade on Mardi Gras weekend. The result was a huge turnout last night, which had to look encouraging from a city recovery standpoint.
M and I went into the city on Saturday to see the Tucks parade with M's cousins and their kids. A tradition among the regular Mardi Gras goers is to set up a ladder with a box bolted to the top, which the little kids can sit in and see the parade and catch the beads and such that get thrown. M and her sister did it when they were little, as did her cousins, and now their kids do it too. They looked very cute sitting up on their ladder with their arms in the air, hoping to snag something. You think I got pictures? You bet I did.
After Tucks, there were no more parades, thanks to Endymion getting postponed, so we hung out in M's cousin's scooter rental/shop for a while and watched the kids climb around on the scooters and pretend to drive. The littlest one just pulled beads out of our bead bags. Then M and I went back, chilled, and had gumbo for dinner.
We were going to go see a few Uptown parades yesterday, but first stopped by to visit M's dad's old friend Ron Swoboda (outfielder for the '69 Mets, if I may name-drop). We just ended up staying there the whole time, munching on party food and talking.
Last night, we went to the Bacchus Ball. We got dressed up in our formal wear (I went with a green vest for my tuxedo, because that's a Mardi Gras color) and headed on out for the Convention Center downtown. Traffic, of course, was lousy. For reasons unknown, the cops blocked off the exit to the Convention Center on this side of the river, so we had to cross the river, turn around and cross it again (paying $1 at the toll booth - maybe that's the reason right there) and use the exit coming from that direction. Good thing we had left early.
We also had to park a few blocks from the entrance to the Ball, a few of those blocks being other parts of the Convention Center itself. As we were walking along the non-Ball portion of the Convention Center, I was sure to remind myself that this sidewalk was where misinformed people were living for a few days (weeks?) in August/September while they waited for transportation out of town that never came because there had never been a plan to pick anyone up at the Convention Center.
The Ball was pretty good. Michael Keaton was this year's Bacchus and led the parade atop his mighty Bacchus float. I didn't get as many beads as last time, but that's OK, since you have to put all that stuff somewhere anyway. Willie Nelson was the featured entertainment, which didn't really lend itself to boogying down, but it wasn't bad either. Sean Astin and Elijah Wood were both there as former Bacchuses (Bacchi?).
Today, we're going back to Mr. Po-Boy and then into the city to see Orpheus. That's all there is today, parade-wise, since it's a work day. Tomorrow is Mardi Gras and two more parades (I think). Then I fly home. This will probably be my last post from New Orleans.
* There are a lot of ads posted on signposts throughout the city, especially in the ruined areas, offering services for mold removal, house gutting (going in and taking everything, including the drywall, out), tree removal (these can often be seen attached to fallen trees), and such and such.
* About half of the stoplights are still not working. There are many stop signs put up in intersections that could use more than just a stop sign.
I'm sure there's more addendums that I've forgotten, but my mind's a blank, and it's probably just as well.
So on to where we left off...
The past couple days have been going to parades, missing parades because we dragged our heels, visiting friends and family, and missing more parades because we decided at the last minute to spend more time with friends and family. Pretty much a good time has been had by all.
The Endymion parade, which is one of the bigger parades with a formal ball at the end of the route and everything, got postponed on Saturday because of the potential for wind and rain (neither of which ended up happening for any significant period of time). That, apparently, is quite unprecedented, and is likely a sign that the powers that be are still a bit shaken by the harsh weather they had last August. Whatever the cause, a lot of people got bent outta shape by that. Endymion is a fun parade, with fiber optic lighting and stuff (it's a night parade), and lots of people came into the city that day to see it. The up side, however, is that last night, the people got not one, but two big-time parades to see, since Bacchus is the usual Sunday night parade on Mardi Gras weekend. The result was a huge turnout last night, which had to look encouraging from a city recovery standpoint.
M and I went into the city on Saturday to see the Tucks parade with M's cousins and their kids. A tradition among the regular Mardi Gras goers is to set up a ladder with a box bolted to the top, which the little kids can sit in and see the parade and catch the beads and such that get thrown. M and her sister did it when they were little, as did her cousins, and now their kids do it too. They looked very cute sitting up on their ladder with their arms in the air, hoping to snag something. You think I got pictures? You bet I did.
After Tucks, there were no more parades, thanks to Endymion getting postponed, so we hung out in M's cousin's scooter rental/shop for a while and watched the kids climb around on the scooters and pretend to drive. The littlest one just pulled beads out of our bead bags. Then M and I went back, chilled, and had gumbo for dinner.
We were going to go see a few Uptown parades yesterday, but first stopped by to visit M's dad's old friend Ron Swoboda (outfielder for the '69 Mets, if I may name-drop). We just ended up staying there the whole time, munching on party food and talking.
Last night, we went to the Bacchus Ball. We got dressed up in our formal wear (I went with a green vest for my tuxedo, because that's a Mardi Gras color) and headed on out for the Convention Center downtown. Traffic, of course, was lousy. For reasons unknown, the cops blocked off the exit to the Convention Center on this side of the river, so we had to cross the river, turn around and cross it again (paying $1 at the toll booth - maybe that's the reason right there) and use the exit coming from that direction. Good thing we had left early.
We also had to park a few blocks from the entrance to the Ball, a few of those blocks being other parts of the Convention Center itself. As we were walking along the non-Ball portion of the Convention Center, I was sure to remind myself that this sidewalk was where misinformed people were living for a few days (weeks?) in August/September while they waited for transportation out of town that never came because there had never been a plan to pick anyone up at the Convention Center.
The Ball was pretty good. Michael Keaton was this year's Bacchus and led the parade atop his mighty Bacchus float. I didn't get as many beads as last time, but that's OK, since you have to put all that stuff somewhere anyway. Willie Nelson was the featured entertainment, which didn't really lend itself to boogying down, but it wasn't bad either. Sean Astin and Elijah Wood were both there as former Bacchuses (Bacchi?).
Today, we're going back to Mr. Po-Boy and then into the city to see Orpheus. That's all there is today, parade-wise, since it's a work day. Tomorrow is Mardi Gras and two more parades (I think). Then I fly home. This will probably be my last post from New Orleans.
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