Spinning Room

I had to go lie down last night when the world started spinning. I might have one too many rum and Dr. Peppers. But I had fun with the family talking and laughing and playing Balderdash. A few people came by, including my cousin Emily, who we missed at Christmas because she was in Dubai. Mom's gumbo was, as usual, scrumptious.

After I recovered this morning, Jacob and I went out shopping. We got measured for tuxedos for a cousin's wedding next month. We went and ordered my sister's Hall of Fame gift. It is epic. We ate lunch at Cheesecake Bistro. I bought some shoes. We went to Man of Fashion to get me a shirt for next weekend, and while it was pricey, I quite like what I got. He and I had a great time together. Now everyone is putting their fancy clothes on for the big event tonight. I will have one less drink tonight.

Stupid Dog

I went for my daily walk with Tippe this afternoon. It was cold (about 43 F). All was well until Tippe decided to go swimming in a ditch. Just jumped right in. When she dried off, she stank. I just finished bathing her inside, and then cleaning up the mess that we made. It took longer to clean up the mess than to clean the dog.

It's done now. I'm headed back to Baton Rouge this weekend. The powers-that-be have chosen to induct Cara into the Redemptorist High School Hall of Fame. She's made the trip back from California for the second time in a little over a month. I'm looking forward to spending the evening with her and the rest of the family. It will be interesting.

Second Language

I got some more work done today, and I had two of my suggestions taken seriously by everyone, so it was a good day. Now I am trying to format a schedule for the Mardi Gras ball next weekend and I can't seem to get it right. I'll keep trying.

My friend from college, Federico Bevini, is Italian and lives in Milan. We reconnected on facebook, and he read a couple of posts here and asked if he could translate them and put them on his page. I said sure. So, if you're interested in seeing what my words look like translated into Italian, here you go.

Eating New Things

Sunday was dull, so no post. The highlights -- Mass, lunch, napping, a walk.

Today I went to work, and worked on a variety of things. From crawfish to custody to car accidents to railroads. Days like this I remember why I like my job. And my brain got a really good workout.

Tonight my stomach got a good workout. Linda is back in town, and Chuck invited me to dinner. The main event was rainbow trout they caught in the White River. It was really very tasty. After dinner, Julianne, Chuck, and I ate a pomegranate. Very sweet, but tough to eat. Not bad once you get the hang of it, but still sticky. I highly recommend the experience. I hope to pick some up in Baton Rouge this weekend.

Work Party

So today I hung around the house and did chores until I had to go to a Mardi Gras Ball meeting at 1300. Drank some beer, helped out with preparing decorations, and prepared the script for introductions of the Krewe of 2009. Queen Mary and Randy were great hosts, as usual, and I stayed longer than the work was happening. There was drinking and dancing and singing.

Today was one of those days weatherwise where the temperature was the highest at 0700. After that, it cooled off all day back to winter temps. Two days in the 70s were nice though.

Visiting with Neighbors

I walked the dog this afternoon and ended up at Dr. Chuck's house. He and I figured out the economic problems and the cause thereof, but we don't know how to fix it. Basically, the problem is that there are no consequences for bad behavior in our society. Chuck and I are good at that kind of thing. Then I went to dinner at Kayla and Larry's, and visited with Kelli, who is in town from Lafayette. Larry and I watched the end of Bourne Supremacy.

A Rant Against Ranting

So far, the new president has not changed my life in any meaningful way. He still has some people really angry. I don't get it. I understand why President Obama's election and inauguration is meaningful to people of color in a truly historic way. I do not blame anyone for being excited and deeply moved by the events of the last few days. I'm proud of the country for electing Barack Obama.

But I didn't vote for him because I disagree with a lot of his major policy initiatives. [Which is different from his politics -- he is a master politician, and of a different mold than Bill Clinton, who destroyed and denigrated anyone who got in his way.] For starters, and considering today is the anniversary of the Supreme Court's really poor decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, I believe that abortion is wrong. The issue is not choice, it's life. From a constitutional standpoint, I basically think that the constitution is made up of words, not "emanations" and "penumbras." The Supreme Court should have left the decision to regulate abortion where it belongs, with the individual states, rather than finding new substantive rights where they never existed.

The point is, I will support President Obama when I think he is right, and I will disagree when I think he is wrong. Odds are, I'll think he is wrong more often than not on policy, but elections matter, and my side lost. That's democracy, and demonizing the other side is not very sporting. That's why most of the public is not engaged, and part of the reason Barack Obama is president today. I just hope that "hope and change" really mean something. Pardon me, though, if I am skeptical.

President Obama

Sounds odd to say it, even though we have been preparing for a few months. I like the pomp and circumstance involved in presidential inaugurations. I watched the actual swearing in, and I would bet money that next time Chief Justice Roberts has the words to the oath written on his hand. The speech sounded good, as usual, but there was little substance, as usual. Reading it, though, I got the impression that the new president was trying to oversell how bad the problems we face are in an attempt to begin lowering expectations. I did like the imagery of the new president escorting the former president to the helicopter and seeing him off.

I pray that President Obama [I just added that word to my dictionary] meets whatever challenges he faces with wisdom and good judgment. I disagree with many of his policies, but my side lost. I hope the Republicans in the Congress have the wherewithal to put forth concrete alternatives to the more liberal policies of the Democrats and that the Democrats understand that compromise does not mean caving in to their point of view.

In other important news, American Idol was pretty boring tonight.

Many Happy Return

Woke up, goofed off, packed, drove to Many. I had a good weekend, but I am glad to be home.

A Day of Rest

What a great day. I woke up and got to hang out with the nephew for a while. We went to Mass, and the nephew was not having anything to do with sitting still and being quiet, so I took him to the back of church and hung out. After Mass, Dad, JP and I went to Tony's for boudin balls and Krispy Kreme for donuts. Mmmm.

After dropping the nephew off with his parents, Dad and I headed to Lafayette to visit the Jenjamins. The boys were rambunctious as usual. They liked their Christmas presents. I helped my godson put together his new Lincoln Log fort, which he really thought was cool. Jen and Ben were fine hosts, and it was good to catch up with them and watch the Cards-Eagles game.

We headed back home, listening to the first half of the Steelers-Ravens game. We switched back and forth between each team's home broadcast, but soon decided that the Steelers guys were far more entertaining. We got home in time to watch the end of the game. Mom was home from work and had gotten some rest, so we chatted about football and other stuff. A nice way to end a nice day.

I Am a Rock, New Orleans Is an Island

I got up early and went to New Orleans for the Bar Association meeting. It was BORING. The most heated exchange was about a policy that the house had voted on two years ago. Some folks wanted to revisit it. Ugh.

I had lunch with Dan, a friend who is a surgical resident at Oschner. He was headed to a boring meeting of his own at the Ritz Carlton downtown. We caught up on the last couple of months and our trips to opposite coasts to visit sisters for New Year's.

Next I headed to Prarieville to visit with Jacob and Charmin and to pick up JP. He fell asleep right before we left, so the drive was easy. Once we got home we ate dinner and now we're watching Kenny Chesney on TV in front of a warm fire. A nice ending to a pretty good day.

An observation about geography: I drove into New Orleans on I-55, and you drive over water for a good part of the way. I left on I-10 West, and the same is true. As for the other two routes into New Orleans, the Causeway travels over the middle of Lake Pontchatrain and I-10 East travels over a pretty good chunk of the Lake. This is by no means a new observation, but the point is, New Orleans is pretty much an island.

Collecting Goat Feathers

I had a busy day, doing these that needed to be done, but never feeling like I accomplished anything. I got the oil changed and the tires rotated on my truck, got a new radio, and got a haircut. I woke up early to get some dishes done and bills paid before I left town. And I got some work done. I also packed and visited with Buck. And now I am in bed in Pride getting ready to sleep fast so I can wake up early and make a 9 am meeting in New Orleans.

The good news is that I get to hang out with the nephew tomorrow. Yippee!

Frozen Hair

After spending four winters in Chicago, I swore I would never complain about the cold weather here in Louisiana. I have had to remind myself in the last couple of days that it's not that bad. My hair is not freezing to my ears, my nose is not constantly sore, I am not slipping on ice on the sidewalk. And if I start to complain, I realize that however cold it is here, the folks in the the Windy City, and all of the Midwest are really, really freezing their asses off.

My regular Thursday night gathering was canceled because it's Robert and Crystal's sixth wedding anniversary. I need to stay in anyway and get ready to go back to Pride right after work tomorrow anyway.

Soup for Me

The soup was well received, but I thought it needed more salt. It's hard to convince myself to put enough salt to season a big pot of soup. It was good, though, and I will do it again.

Mom confirmed that she and Dad are coming up for the Sabine Parish Mardi Gras. The theme is blast from the past, and as a member of the crew I have to dress in a style that represents the 60s or 70s. Hopefully I can get some ideas this weekend. I don't want to do disco or peacenik -- I want to be original.

I got to hang out with Dr. Chuck today. Always a good thing. I also drank K's leftover wine, which may explain why I am rambling. BTW, I prefer Pinot Grigio over Chardonnay.

Soup Weather

I forgot how busy my life is! After the weekend respite, in addition to work I have had to chaperone Open Play at the Methodist church on Monday night, a Knights of Columbus meeting tonight, and I have to cook dinner for Larry and Kayla tomorrow night. I am cooking vegetable beef soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. I had some time today, so I did the shopping and started on the soup tonight. That should make it taste better tomorrow, and the cold weather screams for soup. I just hope it's as good as when mom makes it.

Interesting grammar note: The spell check on this program says that chaperone should be spelled without the terminal e. I have always spelled it with the e at end. On dictionary.com, either spelling is appropriate.

A Relaxing Day

Sunday was a lazy day, but it had the great benefit of being quite normal. I went to Mass and then lunch with Larry and Kayla. Then I came home and watched football. I did go through my old pictures to pull out photos of Canoe, my dog who was killed by a falling limb in my driveway on 9-9-08. I had pictures from as far back as 1996, so there were lots of memories. Now if only I took the time to organize them in some coherent way.

Plankwalker

The last day I was in San Diego, before Cara dropped me off at the airport, we ate at a restaurant called C Level. We sat outside near Coronado Bay, and the view was great. Downtown San Diego, the bridge to Coronado, and the island were all visible. There were navy ships and Coast Guard cutters and sailboats. We split a chicken Caesar salad and a pulled pork sandwich. The salad was so big we thought they had accidentally brought us each one instead of a split. Cara didn't even take a bite of her sandwich, instead saving it for dinner, and I had to take some meat off of mine in order to eat it. Everything was great.

I also ordered a drink from the martini list -- I cannot remember the name, but it was pirate themed. It had Captain Morgan spiced rum (my favorite), muddled cucumbers and honeyed lemons. It was really good, and I am determined to duplicate it. I tried tonight, but I put too much lemon, so it was really sour. I also don't exactly know what a "honeyed lemon" is, so I just mixed lemon juice and honey, but that really didn't work. I also couldn't muddle a cucumber because I lack the proper equipment, so I just put it in a food processor. Lacking a shaker, I used an old mayonnaise jar to shake it. What I came up with was OK, but I'm determined to get it right.

California Service

Today was uneventful, so I thought I would write something about my vacation to California. When we first arrived, Cara's friend Juel picked us up from the airport in San Diego and took us to Cara's truck in Escondido. We stopped and ate at a Mexican restaurant. The service was horrible. We were sitting in the bar, and it took forever for our waitress to bring us menus and get our drink order. When she finally did, we watched the bartender pour our drinks and put them on the bar, but the waitress passed by them twice before she brought them to us. We ordered dinner, and then we waited. We ran out of chips, and even though the waitress passed us by several times it was a busboy who asked us if we wanted some more. Our food was finally brought out by a manager, but Cara's food was cold. We eventually got the manager's attention (the waitress was MIA) and she brought some warm food. Meanwhile, our waitress had time to send text messages and cheerily greet her friend who came in and chat for a few minutes. I needed a drink. She finally pulled herself away from her company and I ordered another beer. The bartender pulled it pretty quickly, and then we watched the waitress pass by it three times before Juel got up to retrieve it for me. The bartender stopped her and brought it to the table. I asked the bartender if the waitress always performed her job so poorly, and the bartender claimed she was just really busy. That apparently got somebody's attention because there was a helper waitress there soon after. Too bad all we needed her for was to get the check.

I am usually a pretty generous tipper, but not so much for this meal. I did leave a five-point memo about why the tip was not higher. I know the job is difficult, but it ain't that hard either.

Geaux Gators?

I had a long day today. I was up early so I could leave at 7 am to go to Lake Charles for court with my boss. I was able to focus on the arguments for the morning session, partly because I was more familiar with the cases,but after lunch I kinda zoned out. We were in Lake Charles until about 3:30 pm, which is a long day. On the way back we tried to notice things on the road that we had never noticed before, but there wasn't much except a couple of Korean churches near Leesville.

When I got back I had to go buy Rob's birthday present and a cake and some beer. I headed over to Rob and Crystal's for dinner, and we watched the first half of the Florida-Oklahoma game. Boy (my younger brother) gave me permission to cheer for Florida, the SEC school. Still, the game is not nearly exciting as last year's game. I'll try and stay awake until the end though.

I reconnected via Facebook with a friend from Italy, Federico. He was a nice guy, but like me a little shy back then. That's pretty cool.

Traveling

I've always liked flying. I like airports and planes and the odd mix of people you see. It had been a while since I took a trip, so I was excited about flying from New Orleans to San Diego. I did notice that while traveling with Cara, I paid no attention to which gate I was going to or what time I needed to be there.

On the way to San Diego, we were delayed in Houston for 2 hours because of a leaking backup hydraulic valve (or something similar). I actually got on the plane before they decided to tell everyone to get off so they could fix it. The worst part about delays at airports is that they never tell you how long it will take. They just keeping pushing the time back 30 minutes, which doesn't allow you to actually do anything but sit and wait.

I sat next to a marine who was deploying in a couple weeks with a MEU. I had a friend who once as a naval officer on one of the ships in the group that transports MEUs, and I learned about his job as well as this marine's job as an infantryman.

On the way back, I took a nap on the first flight. On the second, I sat next to two guys from New Orleans who were returning from Las Vegas. They were loud and crude and eager to share their Vegas stories. It was entertaining. Dad picked me up from the airport with Tippe, who was happy to see me.

Home

After two weeks, I finally made it home to Many this afternoon. Sadly, the first thing I had to do when I got here was got to a funeral. Nancy Rodrigues was over 90 years old, and I am friends with a few of her children and grandchildren.

I got started with the unpacking, going through mail, and laundry, which I may finish by the weekend. I put off going to the grocery store for another day. Then I had dinner at Robert and Crystal's. Addi and I played mah jong together. She liked the noise the dragons and flowers made when they make a match.

Work tomorrow. I need to get back on a decent sleep schedule, or the rest of this week will be worse than necessary.

Back on the Grid

California, specifically Julian, CA, was not exactly internet friendly. I was too busy vacationing to post anyway. I'll try to get everything up-to-date in the next few days. For now, I'll just say I had a relaxing and fun trip, but I am anxious to be home in Many tomorrow.