Le Voyage!

The New Orleans trip went really well. We didn't get everything we wanted done, but that just means we'll have to go back. Things like the Absinthe house, a hookah bar, the carousel bar, chowing on some beignets, etc...

We did have quite a bit of alligator tail, some oysters, etouffee, gumbo, crawdad tails, and some time at a voodoo joint or two. We did our ghost tour, and stayed in our haunted hotel. Saw a great live band called Chicken on the Bone, at Bourbon Bandstand, very highly recommended. Got to see a couple small parades, which consisted of a small band of a few brass instruments and drums, along with the people the parades were for. We weren't sure if they were weddings, anniversaries, or just plain "hey, let's have a parade!"s. At any rate, they were really fun to watch! Saw some boobs... business owners put a bunch of beads on their second story balconies for patrons to throw down to those who earned them. Yeah, the tradition isn't confined to Mardi Gras.

Yeah, I want to go back. And I know my mother would accompany me again.

We were there when the Hard Rock Hotel building, which was under construction, collapsed... we were about 3 blocks away from it, but yet still didn't hear or feel anything. Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies (from American Horror Story: Coven).

Halloween is a week from today. Devon and I both have our costumes. He's going to be Slappy, the ventriloquist dummy from Goosebumps, and I'm going to be a lady scarecrow. I'm really looking forward to it.

I'll leave you with a few pics I took on our trip, including a shot of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies (from American Horror Story: Coven).

Busy Be the Blogger

The trip by train to the city went alright. Not as well as I'd hoped, but hopefully still memorable. It's difficult to keep an autistic ad/hd kid entertained during 2 long train rides to a mostly-by-foot two day romp around the city. Where things he wants to do, like river boat tours, cost $40... for one of us. But that's not to say that fun wasn't had. He loved going up in one of the skyscapers to the skydeck. And we found a very interesting, imaginative and extensive playground. I just hope that he remembers it, and fondly. The fun stuff.

Just got back from a trip to see my mom's side of the family three states away a few days ago. Drove 14.5 hours one way with my son and mother. Stayed for 6 days. Once we got there, the time flew by. Suddenly we were leaving the next day to drive the 14.5 hours back.

What reeeaaalllyyy sucked was we didn't have the satellite radio I'm spoiled with in our car. AND of course, my media player was nowhere to be found. So no RoadTrip PlayList '18. Erg. And the further south we went, the more stations on the radio were... gospel, religious, etc. No thanks. And unfortunately, the radio signal was so damn rare that I found myself settling for country music.

I may have wiped blood from my ears once or twice.

(No insult meant for gospel & country music fans. It's just really, truly not for me. You all say the same about Ozzy, Manson, Ramones, and Eminem.)

So since my return, I've resumed work on the new-- wait! You nonexistent readers don't know yet! We bought a house! Our first! Moved in about a month ago. Right before the trip to the city. Anyhow, I've been working on the new place, but it's slow going. So effing busy with stuff this summer, and unsure of how I want things. Like stuff hung on the walls. And what to put in storage (now that we have sooo much more storage, thanks to the attic & basement space!). It's a process, but I've done things here and there. We'll get there.

One fairly recent occurence that hit me hard... Anthony Bourdain's death. I deeply admired him. He's inspired me to find the lesser-known eateries in the places I travel to. To find out what said places are known for, and the history and culture. When we vacationed last year and ended up going to Nashville, I watched the N'ville Parts Unknown episode a few days before. While I didn't end up going to any of the places he went, it did introduce me to two bands, The Dead Weather and The Kills. I absolutely love the album Blood Pressures by The Kills. You may think Nashville is nothing but country, but there are a few hidden gems.

Anyway... it still stings. And will for time to come.

I remember the first ep I watched... It was at my mom's house, after she came home around midnight after work. We watched his Okinawa episode. I loved it, and had to see more. I loved the way it was written and filmed. It wasn't just food, it was as I said a bit ago, culture and history. And food. And adventure. I just started reading the book that got his stardom started, Kitchen Confidential. It emanates the same spirit you see in his show. Humorous, carefree, rebellious.

Since I've been back from the south, I've started watching a new show: Orphan Black. Damn good! I'm hooked. They do a fantastic job with it. Making each "sister" her own character... and very believable, at that. Tatiana Maslany is phenomenal.

Ta.

Overdrive

Greetings. Since I've last posted, SO MUCH has happened!.... No, not really.

Summer continues. The kid went to camp, spent all week there this time. Ruled the roost, apparently.

Family vacation took place. Three days, two nights. It was nice. The zoo we went to was friggen hot. Humid, with no breeze whatsoever. The animals we never saw were obviously seeking shelter. But I really enjoyed later camping along a small river, with a spring feeding it from a hundred yards or so upstream.

Then, once home from vacation, I took another 2-day road trip to assist someone in the acquiring of vinyl records - and stands - for his up-and-coming record store. The first half of the trip was fun, the next day's acquiring of the records was fulfilling, and then... I guess we just wanted to get back home. A rather long and quiet trip back.

I remain unemployed. My last attempt resulted in "we only have part-time, at minimum wage"... Doesn't work with our budget. So I'll start actively looking again next month, and hopefully find something the pays decent and starts about the same time the kid starts school, and is something similar to school hours. Wish me luck, I'll need it...

All there is, for now. G'night.

Countdowns & Hang-Ups

Glad tomorrow's Friday. Thirty-nine days left of school I think? They've started a tear-off calendar where I work. Today we took a field trip to a local art center. The kids worked with clay, which I never really excelled at.

Speaking of art, I've decided to keep the canvas I'm working on, and hopefully make 2 more - Poison Ivy and Catwoman. All from The Animated Series. Ivy might be a challenge, but I'll sure try. Hopefully the end result will be our living room wall livened up by the ladies of Gotham...

Finished my pirate novel, now I'm reading K-PAX! Loving it. I love the movie and am pleased to be enjoying the novel just as much. It's first-person narration, from the doc's point of view. So naturally, I'm reading it with Jeff Bridges' voice in my head. And I'm desperately wanting to watch the movie the whole time I'm reading. But I'll wait.

I'm ready for my summer roadtrip, assuming it happens. My mom and I have been talking about it. We both have that desire to just pick a direction and drive. No plans, just seeing what we see. The less freeway, the better.