Saturday, October 13, 2007

Hallow's Eve in the Crescent City

Anyone who has ever spent any time in New Orleans will tell you that it is a world unto itself. Most places of great size have defining trade marks and cultures that make them cities unlike any other, but at least when you're there everything still has the familiar quality that ties it in to the rest of the country we know so well. New Orleans lacks that familiarity. Everything is different down here folks. Strange and beautiful with a strong undertone of tragedy and a high over tone of showman ship. new Orleans is a city that has seen disaster after disaster, and unfortunately I believe that some part of it is just waiting for the next great moment of sorrow, something else that will work it's way in to the amazing tapestry that is the city's history. Now, with that said, can you imagine the city at Halloween? Ah, the Garden District transforms in to a layer of spider webs and ghouls and everything takes on this aire of anticipation. I love it. Not to mention Magazine Street has some pretty awesome costume shops on it!

It has been a long week but good on my end. I survive well in the corporate world and it is at the end of a week like this when I can remember that.

This post is terribly short because I find it necessary to run out the door and live. The little man's birthday is right around the corner and I must go get scary party supplies for a Halloween themed party. That's my boy, loves Halloween as much as The Sig and I do. but then again I'm not sure what I should expect from someone who is turning five. Although I must say if that kid decides to change the design of his cake one more time I'm going to scream!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

I know my absence has been long and painful, but fear not I have not been eaten by an alligator nor have I been dragged in to the murky Louisiana swamps by a swamp monster. No I have just been dealing with ridiculous Charter Cable and their absolute refusal to follow up on a order that I have had in for cable Internet. They failed to show up for installation so many times they blocked my phone number...seriously. And now that I am back in the world of the technologically normal I can once again delight you with my observances of the utter ridiculous.

Let's start with the fact that I walked in to the dreaded Walmart in the middle of September to find the employees hanging Christmas decorations. I also found this phenomenon in Walgreens. You need a good laugh, just walk in to one of the Wal-stores and check out the giant inflatable Santa hanging out next to the inflatable skeleton on a Harley. Consumer marketing at it's most amusing folks. Although as a parent of a small one this kind of tweeks me the wrong way. Does anyone else have any idea how annoying it is to hear the words "Oh look, Santa! I wonder what he'll bring me this year because I've been so good! Do you think we can buy a pumpkin to carve yet?" Just one more reminder about how much money I spend every year around the holiday seasons. Way to start giving me a minor stroke in September Wal-stores!

On to other fronts, it looks like I'm headed out to California for a visit next month. (If everything goes right with my flight) So Californians... and you know who you are... rejoice, I give up.

Living in Louisiana, for those of you who have wondered about our move, has been pretty great. There's really nothing like working in the Central Business District in New Orleans. I often lunch on Magazine in the Garden District, or walk to the French Quarter for some exercise. Good times. But we don't live in the city, and that is wonderful to me. We live in a nice house that seems to be a refuge to tree frogs. Considering how much our family likes frogs we are all doing just fine with this arrangement. The only thing that slightly bothers me is that our house is haunted, but then again we are in the creepiest state in the U.S. so I really don't know why I expected any less.

And since so much has happened in the news since I last spoke out I doubt that I will say much. I must comment on one thing though, and that's Brittney Spears.

For those of you that do not understand or know about my intense fascination with Brittney lets just say that I have always felt like someone sitting at a train station waiting and watching for that moment a switch was accidentally missed and the train derailed in to a fire ball of chaos. Little did I know that at Spears station more trains would keep being sent in to prevent the passengers from being late. I almost called the only other person I know is enjoying this fiasco as much as I am to say "Oh my God, K-Fed got the kids!!!" Brittney, thanks for keeping us entertained.