ateolf | Concluing New Orleans

Okay so we're back to it in City Park and we've done the swan boat. There's a sculpture garden also by there so we checked that out. It's pretty huge and we walked all around it and didn't even get to see all of it (to be able to get to the museum with enough time!). But the sculptures were cool and lots to see. Then we had to make our way into New Orleans Museum of Art. It was about as we remember (which is pretty awesome). There was a newer exhibit about a guy who photographs water: Nicolas Floc'h (really great stuff that was newer). After that we saw a little bit of another part of the park, something called The Peristyle and we walked around some of the paths nearby. I tried to hit one more record store called Domino Sound Record Shop. Unfortunately they didn't have any cds. They focus on reggae and world music but I noticed some good curation with other genres and experimental stuff (but vinyl, alas). We had dinner at a place called Jacques-Imo's and it was some damn delicious stuff. This was another not-fancy place but they had this thing called eggplant pirogue and it was so amazingly good. We stuffed ourselves. We had another incident of being placed in the not-main-dining-room. Oh, before we went in, we saw this chonky black cat near our car that ran away from us. So afterwards we go just a few doors down to this bar called Maple Leaf Bar. There was going to be a show and the band was soundchecking when we arrived. They were just mostly the usual kind of bluesey bar band sort of thing but the ended their soundcheck with a cover of "I Turned into a Martian" with lots of bluesey shredding guitar solos. I mean, I just laugh anytime I even hear the original Misfits song (in a joyous way...with a dash of what-the-hell-!? as is usual with the Misfits) so this incongruous cover also had me cracking up a whole bunch. Oh, and the employees of this bar had these stockings hanging for Christmas and one was a black cat so we're sure it's a stocking for that same chonky black cat we saw a few blocks away. When we first got in I had to go to the bathroom and when I came back the bartender was like "we [bartender and Mary Beth] have a bet going on what you'll order so what will it be?" and I was surprised and taken aback and I'd just drunk so much root beer at Jacques-Imo's that I was just like "I'm not thirsty" and then got water and they both "lost" the bet and then I felt awkward and bad. Later I ordered a sprite (the bartender's side of the bet (suggestion won me over when Mary Beth told me), but by this point she'd stopped attending to us and it was another bartender). Okay, that last part is boring. Anyway, I think that ends our Friday.

So Saturday we get up and check out and mostly do some gathering of stuff to pack up with us. Though we start with muffulettas at Central Grocery & Deli. Then we picked up pralines to take home with us from Loretta's. Then we went to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop so Mary Beth could have a "purple drank" and have a real Bourbon Street experience by drinkin' uh, on Bourbon Street. The building there is pretty cool. Well, then it was off in our car away from the Quarter to pick up poboys from Domilise's to take back with us. Then over to Crabby Jack's to pick up more poboys and other NOLA staples to also take back with us. Then...we hit the road! The drive back was less eventful. We took the regular long bridge out of the city via I-55. At some place in Mississippi we stopped to get gas and ate our Domilise's poboys and they were delicious. We got back at a decent hour, not too late. And I started the great work of cataloging my books and shit!!

Then yesterday, Sunday. We did a Superlo grocery run. Different day than usual so we saw completely different people! We ate our Crabby Jack's stuff (also for dinner the night before). I feel there's something else I should remember about this day but I don't.

So today. I came back to work to a production issue like I said, but it wasn't too bad. I thought it would be a bigger hassle than it ended up being. During lunch I finished reading The Age of Calamities by Senaa Ahmad. It was absolutely fantastic. It's a collection of short stories, very absurdist with a focus on historical figures and very well written. It was the early reviewer book that I mentioned recently so now I need to write a review for it soon. I ran some errands in the afternoon, dropping off my suit and extra jacket at the dry cleaner (first time I've ever taken anything to a dry cleaner! even my previous suits...I just never did that). I got a few things show up in the mail that had been waiting on hold the week we were out. I got my Santa Thing books!: The Radetzky March by Joseph Roth, Orbital by Samantha Harvey, and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (so I'm pretty excited about this haul). And I also got some cds in the mail: Ian Boddy/Chris Carter: Caged, Hayward x Dälek: s/t, and Test Dept.: Industrial Overture: Studio & Live Recordings 1982 - 1985. Okay, I THINK I've kinda caught you up on all this shit. And I'm sure I've forgotten a whole bunch of stuff. So hopefully I can remember and fill in any gaps. Mary Beth has the printed itinerary and I'll refer to that. Maybe I'll also jog my memory for any dumb anecdotes but we'll see. Anyway, for now...