Mardi Gras is over… now back to the real world! February 22, 2010

Mardi Gras was kind of wonderful this year.  Everyone was in the best of spirits after the big Saints victory and people were excited to have an excuse for lots of parties.  Last year was our first Mardi Gras so we went to EVERY SINGLE parade that was uptown, but this year we took it a little more easy.  We went to most of the parades, but we did skip a few.  Last year I was sick for Endymion and Zulu so I didn’t make it to those two but this year I swore to myself that even if I was coughing up a lung, I would go to those two parades, and I did!  And they were AWESOME!  We got some great beads at Endymion including a bunch that light up.  Our friend Stephen knew someone on the parade, and his cousin was also riding so they both threw us a lot of good things.  Stephen got some beads with a woman with light-up titties and Ken got rubber frogs (like rubber duckies) that said “You may me horny baby!”  Then at Zulu I got 2 coconuts!  I kept one for myself and gave the other one to our friend Stephen.  The best beads I got, by far, though, were at the Orpheus parade.  This woman just looked at me and tossed me those HUGE beads with painted mask on them.  They were kind of awesome!  I yelled “THANK YOU!” to her right after I caught them.

Living in New Orleans for the past few weeks has been sooooooo distracting… there was the Saints victory, the Saints parade, then my in-laws came into town for Mardi Gras and of course we had all the Mardi Gras parades.  A few days after my in-laws left town, Ken’s little brother, Adam arrived for a visit to surprise Ken.  We had been planning this for about four months and everyone was in on the secret except for Ken.  Saturday morning, Ken was studying at home and I told him I had a Skills Class, so I left, and drove to the airport to pick up Adam.  He and I went to pick up the ice cream cake for Ken’s surprise party that night, and we dropped it off at the restaurant where we were having his party, then we went home.  I walked in and said “Ken!  Your birthday present just got here!  Come see!”  So he walked in and saw Adam and his jaw just kind of dropped for a moment and he was literally speechless!  It was incredible.

Here are some pictures from the various birthday celebrations, and of course a picture of the look on Ken’s face when he first saw Adam standing in the doorway!

So now Adam is here until Friday for his first visit to New Orleans.  On Saturday we walked around Audubon Park for a while and showed him the Mississippi and the levees.  Yesterday we walked around the quarter for a bit and got hurricanes and beignets.  As far as the rest of the week is concerned, I’ll probably take him to lunch a couple times and we’re going to two great restaurants… Commander’s Palace on Tuesday and NOLA on Thursday.  Ken’s actual birthday is Friday the 26th and Adam leaves bright and early that morning.  Should be fun!  And I hope I can show him some other things as well… maybe we’ll drive around the Lower 9th Ward one day, and I should take him on a walk around the Garden District.  We’ll see what we have time for.

Saints Victory Parade February 10, 2010

Apparently the Saints Victory Parade last night was the most highly attended parade EVER in New Orleans… more than any Mardi Gras parade in all the decades that Mardi Gras parades have been happening.  It was absolutely incredible!  We watched from Loyola and Poydras, right where they turned around the corner and we had a wonderful view.  The crowd was so enthusiastic and festive, it was incredible.  I can’t even describe the excitement that has been palpable in the air in the past few days… let’s just hope this happiness and sense of celebration continues in the next few months as well!

Below are some photos I took from the parade:

Yesterday was INCREDIBLE! February 8, 2010

I cannot even begin to describe what it is like to live in New Orleans right now.  As soon as the game ended last night, the whole city went into celebration mode.  We went down to the French Quarter to participate in the festivities on Bourbon Street!  Everyone was high-fiving left and right.  Race barriers went away for hours and everyone was enjoying a city-wide party.  Walking down Bourbon Street was close to impossible but the excitement was contagious.  Cheers of “Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat? Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints?” broke out every 20 seconds, and people were exclaiming in disbelief, “WE JUST WON THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!”  It was absolutely insane.

Police blocked off Canal Street so that the celebration in the French Quarter could overflow onto surrounding streets.  Apparently there was no purposeful violence whatsoever last night: only a couple of accidental shootings from celebratory gun shots.  Aside from that everyone was happy and joyous.  It was absolutely incredible.

After Bourbon Street, we found ourselves at Cafe du Monde where the celebration continued.  We started several “Who Dat?!” cheers and watched people do some dangerous things on the tops of cars driving down Decatur Street.

This morning we bought 6 copies of today’s Times Picayune which says “AMEN!” because the Saints finally had the Superbowl win they’ve been waiting for for 43 years!

Unfortunately my own camera was acting up last night so the following photos are borrowed from friends.

The best thing about last night’s win is that Mardi Gras day is a week from tomorrow!  Tomorrow the City is putting together a Saints Parade that the whole city will come out for, then Mardi Gras weekend parades start on Wednesday.  As many have pointed out, this is going to be the most festive Mardi Gras ever!

And boy does this city deserve it!

Superbowl February 3, 2010

Growing up I HATED football.  My parents watched the 49ers play EVERY Sunday during football season and I basically wasn’t allowed to talk to them during the football game.  I’d come to them with a paper for them to edit or a question about a homework problem and they’d ignore me or say “not right now, we’re watching football.”  I guess I felt like a jealous older sibling, so I resented the game of football and was never able to enjoy it despite their attempts to sit me down and explain the game to me.

When I started dating my now husband, he wanted very much to share his passion for football with me.  He grew up in New England so he’s a legitimate Patriots fan, so naturally to explain football to me, he had me watch Pats games with him so they’re the first team I really got into.  I watched every single game of theirs that season that they were undefeated and then they lost in the Superbowl and it was a huge letdown.  Ken loves telling the story about how right after the game I called my mom in tears and said “Oh well… next year in Jerusalem!”

People always ask me why I’m a Patriots fan and I have to go through this long explanation… well I hated football growing up, but my husband’s a Pats fan so when they win he’s happy and I’m happy, so I’m a Pats fan.

But this year… the Saints were undefeated for the beginning of the season… and this city is the best place to be for that kind of season because every game was a party.  There is no city in America that knows how to party better than New Orleans.  So every Sunday we geared up to watch the game… I’d put on my Saints jersey, Ken would put on his Saints hat, and we’d watch with all the locals and let me tell you, the festivity and the joy and spirit is contagious.  We both caught Saints fever and going into this Superbowl the whole city is gearing up for some great times in the next few weeks… we’ve got the big game on Sunday, followed by a Saints parade on Tuesday (win or lose!) and then Mardi Gras is right around the corner, with Drew Brees as the King of Bacchus!

So really all I’m saying is GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!

Loyola Law School’s Public Interest Law Group: 30th Anniversary Celebration TONIGHT January 30, 2010

I don’t know if this will help at all… but I figured I’d put it out there.  We can use all the help we can get!

I am the President of the Public Interest Law Group at my law school here in New Orleans and this school year is our 30th Anniversary in existence at the school!  Tonight we are having a party to celebrate and it is open to the public.  It’s from 6-9 PM at the Howlin’ Wolf.  Tickets are $25 at the door and that gets you in to see a wonderful band, called Mia Borders.  They are playing at Jazz Fest this year, so they’re pretty amazing!  Cost of admission includes free dinner and free beer.

The famous Krewe du Vieux parade is tonight in the French Quarter so luckily since our event is within walking distance, you can come to both our event AND the parade!

We hope to see you there!

Any money that we make beyond the cost of the event will be donated to Partners In Health, an organization headed by Dr. Paul Farmer that is working on relief efforts in Haiti.  So it’s for a worthy cause!

PILG Flier

Penny January 26, 2010

It’s been a little over a week and Penny has definitely started to settle in.  I imagine there will be a few more adjustments as she gets older and gets more used to us and the house, but I’d say things are going really well.  She doesn’t seem all that into cuddling or sitting on our laps but I imagine that may change with time and especially as she gets older and less interested in playing all the time.

We no longer have to use treats to get her to come out of hiding–she does so all on her own now, to play or even to get pet.  She lets both of us brush her and occasionally she’ll sit on one of our laps or at least next to us all nuzzled up.  She seems to have gotten used to our schedule too, as we haven’t heard her playing or knocking anything over at night for a few days.  She also seems to understand that in the evenings when it’s dark out we hang out in our study getting work done.  She usually finds a cozy place to lie down and rest or she walks around making mischief!

Every night for about an hour or two, she goes into this frenzy that I like to call “Crazy Cat Hour” when she runs around like crazy, back and forth across the house, she hides behind things and pounces on imaginary bugs and mice.  It’s really quite amusing!  Hopefully she’ll only be crazy for the first 2 years and then she’ll calm down a little as she settles into cat-hood as opposed to kitten-hood.

WHO DAT?!?!?! January 25, 2010

THE SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPERBOWL!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks folks, that’s all for now!

WHO DAT?!?!?! and Neshama Carlebach! January 24, 2010

So we just got back from the Quarter (again!)… I don’t understand how we’ve gone to the Quarter like 3 times in the past 2 weeks and before that we probably hadn’t been since last spring.  Weird.  Anyways… this city is going INSANE for the game tomorrow and for the Saints in general.  We went to the Piano Bar at Pat O’s and “Who Dat?!” cheers broke out every few minutes.

Also, they played the song “Oh when the Saints… go marching in…” twice while we were there.  Even if we don’t go that often (cause it’s too touristy and the wait’s always too long), the Piano Bar is really pretty amazing.  For those of you who have not been there, it’s basically dualing pianos (I guess…).  There are two, each playing a piano and they go back and forth playing songs that people sing along to.  You can make requests by writing them down on a napkin or even on a dollar bill that you send up as a tip, and people sing and get up and dance, and it’s just a wonderful time!

On another note (but musically related), last night Ken & I went to services at Beth Israel.  There were separate mens and womens services because Neshama Carlebach (daughter of the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach) was in town and was leading services for the women.  She has one of the most beautiful singing voices I think I have ever heard.  On top of that, though, her voice when she speaks is beautiful as well, and she’s one of those people who always seems to have something deep and profound to say, so she really makes you think.  It was just wonderful.  Carlebach services are also just one of my most favorite things about Judaism… the melodies are beautiful, and everyone gets up to dance and sing and clap their hands.  For me, that’s what Judaism is all about… celebrating our religion, culture and beliefs.  I remember first being introduced to Carlebach services when I was in Israel on Birthright.   Oh it was wonderful!

I’m curious… January 20, 2010

So according to the little “stats” thing where you can see how many people are reading your blog, I’ve been consistently getting over 100 views per day on my blog.  Now I know this can’t be all friends of mine who are looking at it so I’m curious to know who the rest of you are?

Please comment and let me know who you are… I’ve noticed that my entry on pigs seems to be the most popular–it’s gotten 493 views in the past week alone!  So who are you?  Tell me a little about yourself and what kinds of things you’d be interested reading about?

Thanks!

Penny January 20, 2010

So our kitty’s name is Penelope or Penny.  So far things have been progressing really well and we’re both happy and excited to see how her personality changes each day.  As you know, yesterday she was hiding under the washer and drier and that kind of freaked me out… I didn’t like the idea of her being behind there when I have to do a load of laundry or something.  So we moved her litter box, food and water into the living room.  Then she started hiding under the futon.  She came out a few times if we coaxed her out with a treat and she’d play with us, walk around to explore everything, and she’d even lie down and nuzzle up to us a little.  After maybe 10-15 minutes, she’d go back under the futon.

Today, each time she comes out from under the futon she seems to come out a little longer, to explore and to play.  She also let both of us brush her and touch her paws (which I’ve heard is a sign that she trusts us and sees us as her “parent” since we provide her with her food and grooming).

I’m starting to feel much more at ease about everything which is good since yesterday I was feeling really nervous and on edge all day about everything kitty-related.  I think as we get into our normal routine for the semester and as the kitty starts to adjust more, it will be really nice to have her here.

Here are a couple pictures I took yesterday (on my phone so they’re a little blurry) while she came out to play with me.

Since I’m one of those people who likes to be super organized about everything I do, I was trying to come up with a “schedule” of sorts for each day with the kitty… here’s what I’m thinking:

6:30-7:30: wake up, have breakfast, play with the kitty, feed her and give her water

7:30-8: get myself ready for the morning

8-10:30ish: do whatever I’m doing in the morning (whether it’s class, going to the gym, getting work done, etc.)

10:30-12: lunch, feed the kitty, get ready to go out

12-5: do whatever I’m doing in the afternoon (class usually)

5-5:30: play with kitty, snuggle with her on the couch

5:30-9:30/10: dinner for us people, get work done

10ish: play with kitty, snuggle with her, feed her & give her fresh water, clean out her litter box

10:30/11: go to sleep and hope that she doesn’t start meowing at 4 or 5 AM!

Get up and start it all over again!