Spoiled

Last night we had a delivery of things for Aubrey's visit. A pac-n-play and a little bouncy chair. There is a company you can use when out travelling with your kids called Baby's Away. It is a company that rents all kind of items that you may need, but don't have room to take or don't want to lug onto a plane.

My cat has decided that the two items that are now in the house? Are for her. I crawled into bed, the pac-n-play is set up right next to it, as Lisa and Scott will be using my room while in town. Liza crawled into the pac-n-play and started checking it out. She even laid in it for a bit. Eventually she crawled out. She later decided it was a good hiding place when her and Max are playing. She would come tearing into my bedroom and vault off my stomach into the pac-n-play. Apparently when she got tired of that? She curled up in the bouncy chair and took a snooze. Can't wait to see what she does once the baby is here.

One Month Later

Last night I finally unpacked the last few boxes that I had in my room. I still have to find a shoe rack for all my shoes and then I will be official unpacked. Hanging up pictures and what not is next. I have things crammed into that room like there is no tomorrow. I will take some pics of it soon and eventually share.

Tomorrow my sister, Scott and Aubrey come to town for the weekend. I am excited about getting to see my niece again, it will be her first of many many trips to NOLA. Be on the look out for some pics of her enjoying the city. You know things like flashing on Bourbon Street, enjoying a Hurricane at Pat O's, dancing on bars.....

Chatter

Get ready for a shock. I didn't go out on Friday night. No hell did not freeze over, I just had the worst allergy attack I have ever had. I am suprised I could even move, my head felt like 1000 lbs and ready to explode. I forgot that I had some allergy medicine until Saturday morning. I took that and felt so so much better.

Saturday I decided I needed to clean up the front yard since we are having guests this coming weekend. I haven't had to garden or take care of a yard in...well ever. We go SO much done, yet there is still so much more to do. We even planted bulbs!! I hope they actually bloom now!! We spent like 4 hours in the tiny front yard. I do have pics, however with my computer being dead, well...I can't really post them until I get them on a disc. I have a lot of pics too!!

Yesterday it was trying to get the Tivo working at the new place. It is very sporadic at working right now, and the dvd player won't work either. We have to get "How I Met Your Mother" and "K-Ville" recorded tonight since we will be down the street watching the Saints game.

It is going to be a busy week getting the house all ready for our guests!! :)

They are at it again


Who out there remembers the saga of the water/sewage board? Well those frickin bastards are at it again. First it was a $3000 water bill. Like one house hold can use $3000 of water in a month. They then said it was for a year's worth because they had been estimating all year. Still it is really hard for a household to use $3000 worth of water in a year. They had been reading the wrong meter...blah blah blah. We get it all taken care of, paying $500 for the year. (remember that total) We then get another bill right after that for like $300 for the month. Um really? That sounds so right. $500 for the year and now $300 for a month? Yeah that is TOTALLY doable. We get that figured all out (again) and are now in our new place. I get home one day and the WATER IS OFF. The water board says "oops we turned off the wrong meter. it will be fixed sometime tomorrow" you know how hard it is to be without water. I mean not being able to flush the toilet is bad enough!! They did turn it on the next day....I swear a shower never felt so good.

Which brings us to yesterday. The bill arrives. Anyone want to take a shot at what the amount for the latest bill is?? Anyone? This was for a 30 day period. Yeah...it is over $600. They are saying we used over 1000k or what ever their terms are when the month before? we used like 89k. How is that even remotely frickin possible??? Unless there is a leak in a pipe (there isn't we have gone through all that) it isn't possible. They just like to mess big time with us. And whenever Kristen goes in to the water board (it is in her name so she has to go) they won't let her talk to a supervisor. They don't do that there. WHAT??? someone is obviously messing up on their job and they need to be dealt with. ugh. So frustrating.

Still gets me.


I have been listening to a certain song a lot lately that I haven't listened to in at least a year. It brings back so really awesome memories.....and some really bad ones as well. Music is amazing how it can bring back a flood of memories. I have chosen to listen to this song loudly, and focus on the positive memories it envokes.

K-Ville

I didn't hate it. I didn't totally love it though either. Some of the acting was pretty shallow, mainly by the bit players so hopefully they will be casting better extras and bit parts in the future. I loved seeing that one dude. I don't know his name...but he was on Lost for a few eppies. He was one of the bad dudes at the Riverfront Casino. Guess Harrah's was cool with filming there but not the use of their name. How many people out there know what OPP is? Kristen and I looked at each other after that was said and Kristen said "not many people are gonna get that" There were a few things thrown in there that only a New Orleanian would get (or those that are New Orleanians in their heart) After all the bad guys were captured (oh how I wish that really happened down here. That fast?) and they were talking about deals being made by the guys? I said "yeah that is all good till the D.A. and everyone else messes it up and they all go free. " Lord knows if that had really happened here? All those people would have gotten off. I also loved the chase scenes. Look they are in the Quarter, now they are in Algiers, now they are back in the CBD. I know they have to do that....I have seen it in movies filmed down here, but it amuses me to no end.

Some people are going to think it was incredibly sappy and that this stuff doesn't happen down here. Guess what? There are people that are still struggling to no end with what happened. It isn't healthy and people are fighting to move on. There are still so many obstacles in the way. Yes people really are that emotional down here.

I will continue to watch, and I hope others do as well. Like I said, it has created jobs for people out here and that is a good thing. One small step in healing.

New Season

The only thing that made the people at the Maple Leaf really cheer yesterday during the Saints game was the commericals for K-Ville. People seem to be excited for the show. It starts tonight on FOX after Prison Break. I am happy that I will still be able to watch HIMYM and then be able to catch K-Ville. I really hope it doesn't suck.

The Paulettes

Last night was a lot of fun. I was suprised and happy to see Craig Klein join Paul last night. I know Bonerama hits the road today, they are playing in Denver tonight and for some reason I thought they would have left already. So I was glad to have the sweet sounds of Craig mixed in with Paul's. Matt Perrine and his mama even showed up to take in the music. It was a wild and crazy night. Paul was playing the most random mix of music. At one point he even said he was "feeling sassy" wonder where he got that from??

Paul is the time of guy who is happy to have lots of people show up for his gigs. The set up at d.b.a isn't really condusive for a loud gathering when music is playing. Some nights people show up and are there to drink and talk and not listen to the music. (There is another side of the bar where this kind of action would be totally fine in) Last night, there was A LOT of talkers. Most of them showed up towards the end, so Paul would make is subtle comments about people talking over his music....nothing like I have heard from other people. On his last song (Foot of Canal Street) he asked people to sing along. So those of us up front did. We weren't very loud, and Paul said "I don't think the talkers heard you" So when it came time for the chorus again.....I YELLED it out....in a sing songy way of course. Of course none of us could stop laughing and didn't make it very far into the chorus. Paul and Craig kept it going. The next time the chorus came back around Kristen, Melissa, myself and Grace BELTED it out. By the time the song was over, Paul could barely sing he was laughing so hard. He dubbed us the Paulettes. I think my throat is now feeling normal again.....

Thursday Prattle

• We rode our bikes past the K-Ville set yesterday evening. They changed the name of the Maple Leaf for the filming. It was something like Spreaders or Shakers or something along that line. I do know it started with an "S". That is how observant I am. On the way back from the bike ride we got stopped from crossing a road so they could film a car parking on Dante. Kristen thought it was a car chase. Nope just a car parking.
• Our bike ride was much more pleasant and easy to handle yesterday. We rode along the levee to the Huey P. Long Bridge. It had a few hills that really got the legs burning, but the ride was so smooth. As you know the streets here in NOLA aren't the "best".
• Britney Spears song is stuck in my head. You know the one that was on the VMAs? Regardless of what most people think of her right now and that whole situation, something was done right. People are STILL talking about it, about her, about everything. She is in the spotlight nice and bright. I feel sorry for the girl. She needs some help but doesn't obviously want it right now.....
• In hopes to get that song out of my head, tonight I am heading to d.b.a. If you are a local and you read this, come out tonight or one of the next few Thursdays this month. My friend Paul Sanchez is playing from 7-10 and it one of the most fun, relaxing and enjoyable evenings of music you will have. You never know who will stop in to join him on stage, you never when you might get to hear a new song. (He starts recording next month I believe) You do know when you will hear an old fav cuz he loves taking requests. :)

I am ready for my close up.....

We got a notice in the mail yesterday that the new Fox series "K-ville" will be filming today in my neighborhood. One of the locations is one street over on Dante. The other is....wait for it....are you ready? The Maple Leaf babee. My home away from home. They will be shooting both interior and exterior shots. You know when I get off work I am gonna go and check it out. I am excited to see the show air. You can view it now if you want....I know nola.com had a link so people could watch it in advance, I like waiting. I hope the show does well because it is providing so many local people with jobs right now, including a friend and she doesn't need to lose a job right now.

So watch it when it comes on please. Give it a chance. It will help us here in NOLA.

Remembering



I am having a hard time believing that it has been six years. Six years seems like a really long time. I know for some it seems just like yesterday. More likely for those that lost someone on that day.



That day I woke up like any other day. Back then I used my TV as my alarm clock and I remember being slightly disoriented that morning. It had been a long night the night before. I had gone to see Jo Dee Messina at the State Fair. I couldn't understand what I was seeing, as I wiped the sleep away from my eyes. When my TV clicked on that morning, the first Tower was falling. I could hear the fear in Katie and Matt's voice and I just stared in disbelief. I watched for about a half hour, frozen in one spot, trying to comprehend.



I called work. I wasn't sure if we were suppose to go in. We shared the building with the DEA and I had the feeling that they may not want us there. I couldn't reach either of my bosses on the phone. I then called the CEO because I knew he was there. He hadn't heard what was going on and I had to explain. He wasn't sure and would check into it. He knew I lived nearby and told me to come on in.



I watched for awhile longer. The fear was building up inside me. I did what many other people were probably doing at that time. I called my mom. She was asleep and didn't know what was going on. My dad was still at home, reading the paper and drinking coffee. He didn't know what was going on.

I finally got dressed and headed to work. They were indeed turning everyone away from our office building. The DEA didn't feel it was safe at that time for us to be going in. I returned home where I spent the next 20 hours just watching the coverage.

I can't imagine what the people in NYC, DC and PA went through. Today we need to remember those who were lost.

Time to get serious.....

Last week when my friend Annette came to town to help with the cleaning of the old apartment, she brought me a present. Her bike. That she hadn't really ever rode. So it is in pretty darn good shape. Unlike it's new owner.

Kristen really wanted to take a bike ride on Saturday, and I had the hair brain idea that it would be a good idea to ride out to Washington Park. Right on Frenchmen St. From our house. I have no idea how long of a ride it is. Round trip it was 3 hours. My body really really really hurts today. We also took a bike ride yesterday. It was just an hour long ride. Holy hell what has gotten into me?? I have known and been saying for awhile that it was time to get back into some type of shape. To lose weight. I mean I am now 32 and it is just going to get harder and harder to lose it. I blame the insanity of Saturday's ride on the fact that I had 3 hours of sleep and/or was still possibly drunk when I suggested it. I mean who suggests that when the last time they were on a bike was probably 5 years ago??

Yeah me. I am hoping it gets easier on the bike, cuz right now? There are moments when I just want to cry it hurts so bad. It will get better right?

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly


People!! This is a special, special wonderful day. Do you know why? Because I have in my hand, a Pumpkin Spice (soy) Latte!!!! I am so happy!! It is wonderness on my taste buds.

I felt like an idiot when ordering this morning. No one knew until I told Kristen about it later....but I ordered a blueberry muffin. I didn't want a blueberry muffin. I wanted a blueberry bagel and I didn't realize I had said the wrong thing until after I had it in my hand. I think I got befuddled in my Pumpkin Spice (soy) Latte euphoria.

The Saints lost. Bad. It was hard to watch. I hope the Seahawks do much better this weekend!! Week 6 will be a hard week for me. Saints v. Seahawks. In Seattle. Anyone wanna fly me out to Seattle so I can attend???

Football

When did September start? I swear it was just Mardi Gras. Life seems to be zooming past me and I am only catching bits and pieces.

We are now entering football season. I have 2 professional teams I will keep my eye on, one being of course the Saints. The other is my Seahawks. I will also be hoping that the Montana Grizzlies will make it back to the 1AA National Championship game and crush the Bobcats of course.

Tonight is the season opener. Saints v. Colts. I have actually told several people that I don't want my bad luck/karma to rub off on the Saints so I was going to pull for the Colts tonight. Let them have it. It is going to be a good fun game and I am looking forward to getting into it. Have ya'll seen the commericials advertising the game? With Peyton Manning and Reggie Bush? In the hotel? hysterical. I love it.

Time to Bring it.

Whole New World

I have not had a full night of sleep in just over a week. At first it was various things. Now it is one thing and one thing only.

The Cats. More specifically, one cat.

We have always had the problem of Max (Kristen's cat) trying to eat Liza's food (my cat). See Max is on a diet. He gets special food. Which he doesn't like it. I mean come on, if your on a diet and someone gets better food than you, you are gonna go after it. Oh that is just me? nevermind. Anyway....Max has now taken this to a new level. I take it because we are in a much smaller space and he is feeling more comfortable in this house, but he has taken to waking me up at night by purring and meowing and kneading on me, all to wake me up so I will feed him. Kristen has gotten so she can ignore him. However this is all new to me. This is a STRONG cat. I have bruises from his kneading. Last night I got a mini back massage from him, as he tried to wake me up. He also suceeded in waking Kristen up as well, by knocking Liza's metal dish out of the plastic container it rests in. Onto the hard wood floor.

Where is my cat during all of this? She is off moping somewhere, she is a tad bit upset with me. She now has to wear a collar with a tag on it, and she HATES it.

The life of a cat is rough.

Still in a Daze

I don't know how we made it through, but we did. Friday afternoon it took Kristen and I 3 hours to clean out the basement (yes Kendra some of it was yours) and get all the dontated items out of the house or to the trash can. We then were able to start the cleaning process of the house. We got a fair amount done, and finally called it a night around 10 PM. We dragged our tired, aching and bruised bodies to the Maple Leaf for a couple of much needed drinks.

Saturday we continued the cleaning of the old house. We didn't start right away. We took advantage of the closeness to the Oak Street Cafe and had a wonderful breakfast. We finally left the old house around 6 PM. I do have to admit, with all the trouble we have had there recently? I was a tad bit emotional. I mean this place had been my home for the first 3 years here in NOLA. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend. Then I remembered all the crap we had been dealing with, and I was over it.

Sunday we managed to get the living room and dining room unpacked and somewhat organized. Which means we have room to move around in those two rooms without the fear of knocking over a pile of boxes.

Monday, was kind of a relaxing day. I unpacked about half of my room, took a two hour nap and bought groceries for the first time in almost a month.

The new place is slowly starting to feel like home. It is taking some getting used to, living in a much smaller place. I am afraid in my state of mind right now? I will forget to get off the bus at the right stop and end up riding all the way to the end.

There is so much more to say but people keep walking in and well....I can't concentrate.