Scent: The Magical Time Machine

I was talking to a friend today about New Orleans coffee today and as soon as I typed the word "chicory" my brain had me sitting at my favorite table at Cafe Du Monde with Nicky at dawn, watching the folks who were just getting off work and the people in the Quarter who are always walking around carrying insanely random items they found somewhere. The Quarter is always under renovation. It must be fun to get new window casings, put the old ones to the curb and show up at a friend's house a month later to find your old windows painted, turned into picture frames and hanging on someone's walls! There seems to be a very fluid definition of "trash" in New Orleans. Nicky loves it as much as I do, we ride the trolley cars, explore the Garden District and Magazine street, play in the parks and walk the city for hours. He loves the warehouse district, the Children's Museum (cheap, air conditioned and free wi-fi for mommy, what's not to love???), Crawfish Etouffee, and wants to go to Tulane when he's a big boy. I love shotgun houses, the WWII museum, the Mint, Jackson Square and the French Market. Last time we were there we got to see my favorite C.A.Cajuns at the Convention Center and I met...well, with Nicky along for the ride, I met nearly everyone in New Orleans. It was quite a switch, usually I just meet the bartenders!! We toured a plantation with Tomkat and Mark and Nicky and I had more that a few amazing nights hanging out being a family. We are saving the Cemeteries and all the other wonderful things I haven't shown Nicky yet for future visits, but we can usually swing one or two trips a year. Now I have to go search out my soundtrack to "Love Song for Bobby Long" which derserves a post of it's very own but since I will probably forget...It is amazing, the movie the soundtrack, the whole thing. Incredible songs, Travolta is wonderful, "My heart was a lonely Hunter" will make you cry. If you love Faulkner, love New Orleans or love the Delta music, it's a must see/listen. All this just from the memory of a whiff of chicory...has anyone read Swann's Way with the madelaines? Hahaha. So true, nothing takes you away into memory quite like scent.

PS Nicky asked what I was typing and heard the music and has now packed his suitcase for a New Orleans trip that is only in his head...The kid is a riot



Oh yeah, this one is for Georgie Girl, thanks for the concert, love ya sweets!

The Mundane Bane

Always in the car.....Hi!

I really hate the drive to the airport. Why didn't I speak up louder when we were choosing a place to live? Why did I let the guy who is NEVER here pick the spot?? In my next life, the one where I get to be Queen, I am going to live a LOT closer to the airport! Mark has about 8 trips this months, I am leaving Friday and My Mother in Law in going to Poland for a while so I am looking at many many trips to Hartsfield this month and it is a very long and boring way away. The good news? Look how utterly mundane the bane of my existence is! Really, my biggest problem today is just that lame! That makes me one lucky duck!



This picture is apropos of...nothing! I love this qictures of my "twins".

Oopsie!

Yup, it got past me again. I keep meaning to update this thing then I forget until someone reminds me. So, since March...I am no longer with Zenith (after 12 years I miss everyone tremendously and what WILL I do without my "Office" stories of the crazy and unusual??). I have started back to school and will hopefully be entering the Nursing program on the next submission group I qualify for in Jan 2012. Seems like forever away but I am constantly amazed at how quickly time passes. I am doing my pre-requisites now so I doubt I willl be bored in the meantime! Nicky started preK 4 and is having fun, look how old he looks in the picture! He had a big party for his birthday and had so much fun he decided he should have a bunch of parties throughout the year. It really was fun, although in the pictures all the kids look like they are waiting for the dentist. Kind of funny, kids do NOT LIKE watching another kid open presents. Mark is staying busy as ever and we will be leaving for Spain in a week - I am sooo excited! Not only a fun trip to another country but grown up time like we are married?? This should be great!

On the home front, I am actually


staying home

as in, staying put in the town I live in...and I am enjoying the hell out of it! I joined a new "club" out here, hahahaha. I have met the greatest people and I am finally having fun out here in the boonies. I even found a hairdresses I love that is not a hotel/per diem trip away! For those of you familiar with my sad tale of woe this is really really big.

Mom is doing great, Granny is okay, plodding along and we are still covered up in Horses, Dogs, Cats and People and my new pet Porch Possum. His name is GIT!!
More later, and if I love you, you know it and I love you! If I don't love you yet, I am sure I just haven't met you yet and you are just a really nifty person.
Alli