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New Orleans (very long)

Yeah so, once again, it's Monday night and I have yet to do any of my French homework or art sketches.  I'm going to procrastinate a little more by telling you about my rockin' weekend.

I met L at the airport around 8 on Friday night.  We hadn't seen each other in so long, we had a hard time figuring out where to even start.  We'd both changed jobs.  I'd moved to a new city.  She'd gotten a Pit Bull named Lulu (a funny thought, no?) and had moved to a new house in the city.   

We went to the hotel and changed and went out in the French Quarter and we talked about men and what we did for New Years and how we simply must go get one of those boas and why would anyone get up on a balcony to show people their tits for a pair of $2 beads...

Until we finally got to the clubs, I forgot what it was like to be single (not that I've really been single very much) and it really was awesome to get so much attention and free drinks. 

The biggest problem was how packed all the clubs were; it was difficult to find a place to sit and talk, so finally we went into a strip club (yes, women) just so that we could hear each other.  We weren't seated for 10 minutes before a girl our age from a group of guys behind us came up to our table to see if we wanted to join her at their table.  L looks at me, "yeah, why not?"  (I have to tell you before you get the wrong idea that they were sitting way in the back and weren't paying any more attention to the strippers than L and I were.) L sat down next to one of the cute guys in the group and I sat down at one of the other chairs. 

I mainly talked to this guy to the left of me (who was telling me about his wife and children) while the guy on the other side kept saying "hey, I'm not married..." and touching my leg and generally creeping me out.  The thought passed my mind that he thought I was one of the strippers.

Finally I got to talk to the guy across from me, the one I'd had my eye on since I'd been sitting there.  We didn't get to talk for long before his friends got up to leave to go back and drink back at their hotel.  L was not interested in that, but she invited my guy out with us for the rest of the evening.  We went to 2 or 3 other places after that and had a blast, and while I am impressed that I didn't drink nearly as much as I used to when I came to New Orleans, I still drank FAR TOO MUCH.

The next morning, L and I woke up and managed to make it out into the world around noon even though we both felt like total crap (surprise, surprise).  After we had beignets and coffee and a nice dose of warm sunshine, we walked all around the French Quarter and up to Canal Street and shopped until well after 5.

We went back to the apartment and got really glammed up for our evening outing to Jacques-Imo's and the Maple Leaf, which are in the Riverbend section of New Orleans.  It had been warm earlier that day, but by this point it was well below freezing and we were not dressed for the weather.

When we got to Jacques-Imo's, there was a wait, but it wasn't too bad, so we got some barstools by the door and some drinks.  Everyone at the bar was super friendly, but we were not prepared for the actual meal experience.

The food was fantastic, and the staff were all friendly and really genuine, as though they actually enjoyed working there.  When we got to dessert, Jacques-Imo himself came to the table and offered us some "soda pop". which turned out to be some awesome champagne.  We'd ordered coffee with our dessert and he sent out cordials to sweeten the coffee.  When we got done with our meal, we went back out to the bar to finish off our champagne and hung out with the awesome bartender and Jacques-Imo.  We got our picture taken with him.  It really was impressive.  I don't think I've been anywhere with such awesome customer service.

After dinner, we went next door to the Maple Leaf (where Ray and Angel Heart were filmed) and were joined by the guy I met the previous night.  We really hit it off, and I think you'll be reading more about him!

We stayed up too late, but at 10 in the morning when L and I got up to pack and check out, I sprung out of bed all full of energy.  We had breakfast and had another marathon shopping session, which was not as pleasant as the day before for me, as my shoes were very uncomfortable and it was unbelievably cold.

Finally, late Sunday afternoon L and I went to the airport and went back to our respective cities.  We have a whole list of ideas for more trips this year, and we have plans to hang out at her place in just a few weeks. 

And I have already heard from the guy I met.  I'm thinking he's going to need a nickname, non?

Alright, off to work on French.

I Didn't Finish the List (but I Came very close) and Now I'm Sleep Deprived

Last I wrote I was embarking on a list of like 37 items that I needed to finish over the weekend.  I know you're all sitting at the edge of your seat wondering, "Did she finish?  Maybe she's still working on it.  She's awfully quiet."  Well, no, I didn't finish.  But on the other hand, I got most of the important stuff out of the way. 

And I got to talk to one of my best friends on the phone on Friday night that I'd been playing phone tag with since before Christmas.  She may be able to make it to New Orleans this weekend as well, so it's turning into a party!

Last year, I didn't do much in the way of social events, but this year my calendar seems to be filling up quick.  So of course, that means I need something new to wear since all my going out clothes are from like 2002 and we can't have that, can we?  So that was actually one of the items on my list, "Buy some new party clothes", that I actually accomplished.  I got some new jeans, a couple of little shirts and a great crushed velvet blazer that I can wear in lieu of a coat (since it is winter and all).  And of course, shoes, a purse and jewelry.   Now I just need to add "Figure out how to pay for all of this" to my running list.

I've had so much to do the past few weeks that I haven't even turned on the tv since I got back from Christmas.  My workout plan fell apart after a week.  And my french diet has turned into the grilled cheese diet.  Perhaps if I just consume a little more caffeine I can skip that pesky sleep thing altogether.

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Today has not started out particularly well.  I didn't sleep well at all last night and then I stupidly woke up and tried to tweeze my eyebrows (just a little!) and managed to pull out a hair or two that apparently are the cornerstone of my left eyebrow.  I had to fill in a little with an eyebrow definer.  I just hope they grow back.  Leave it to me to screw things up before I go on a trip where pictures will inevitably be taken in bulk.

And then a hit my lower jaw hard on my car door when I was getting in to go to work.  It still hurts.  I hope it doesn't leave a bruise.

There Will Be No Relaxin' This Weekend

In my constant quest to overschedule myself, I have managed to build up quite a lot of stuff that I need to do this weekend. I made a list.  (I cannot live without a list.)  It has 37(!) items on it.  Yeah, I make no claim that I will finish all of it.  Sadly, watching a DVD or reading a book don't appear anywhere.  But writing this blog entry does....so at least I get to strike one thing off my list now.

I will make up for all of this hard work next weekend when I get to chill out ALL WEEKEND.  I am meeting an old friend of mine in New Orleans so that we can hang out and catch up.  I am betting it has been at least 18 months since I've seen her, and I absolutely cannot wait.  When we used to live in the same city, we used to go shopping together all the time.  She has the most awesome shoes, and she really understands the value Sephora adds to our society.  She shares my fear of escalators and my distaste for talking on the phone.  We communicate entirely via pager. 

So anyway, now that my mind is full of visions of sugarplum fairies and awesome trips to New Orleans, I guess I will start tackling the rest of that list.

To the Rain I Say: Be Gone With You! (You are Spoiling an Otherwise Quite Wonderful Day)

Despite the fact that it is raining outside all day today as a prelude to more wintery weather for the weekend (finally), I am pretty sure that today is going to be an excellent day:

1- I woke up by myself BEFORE my alarm went off.  (I didn't actually get out of the bed, mind you, but this is a clear indication that I got enough rest last night.)

2- The aches in my muscles resulting from the legs and abs workout I did on Sunday has finally gone away and I can actually move again.

3-  I fried the most perfect over medium egg this morning for breakfast.  I should have taken a picture; perfection like this is just not repeatable.

4- My hair turned out fabulously today.  Of course, when I have to walk to class in the rain later today, it will look like crap.  And no, umbrellas don't help...humidity of any sort makes my hair flop.

All of that makes it okay that I have not studied at all for my French class tonight and that I haven't done a single sketch for art.  Cuz today is clearly a special day.

A Rambling Post Mostly About Bread

I have had another busy weekend.  I was having fun during the week, going back to work, starting my classes.  I was putting a lot of stuff off till the weekend, and then the weekend came, and well, I had way too much to do. 

I had a decent breakfast on Saturday of an egg and a croissant and a mocha coffee (still loving the French diet), but then it all went downhill in the food department.  I spent a lot of Saturday taking down my Christmas decorations.  I have a whole closet full of Christmas stuff, so it takes a long time.   Luckily, last year I got containers for everything and I labeled them with a Sharpie with what was supposed to go in each of them, so I didn't have that part to work out.

After that, my apartment looked sooooo empty and I still had nothing to go above the mantel, so I decided to go do a little shopping after it got dark.  (Note that I have still had no food.)  I bought the most amazing mirror for the mantel at the Hobby Lobby of all places, and that's where I bought the stupid cinnamon red hots, which have been half of my nutritional inake for the weekend.  Here's the mirror, by the way.  I wish I could have made it look as pretty as it is.  It's perfect for the room. 

I love Valentine's candy, and it's just not fair that they start breaking it out right as the New Year resolutions really get going.  After I left the Hobby Lobby I ate about 5 handfuls of the red hots and proceeded to go to the Fresh Market. 

Amazingly, I bought some fairly healthy groceries while I was on my sugar high.  I found this pack of 18 partially baked french bread rolls and, although it was far too many to get, I bought them rather than getting the one french bread loaf that I would eat a third of and then have to throw away.  When I got home, I had to try the bread of course, so I popped 3 of those babies in the oven and they were AWESOME.  Then reading the bag, I discover that you are supposed to bake them and eat them all within 24 hours.  So I have been eating little french bread loaves like crazy all weekend. 

Finally I just ate a healthy meal that included some non-french bread items and I actually got some energy back.   Apparently, man really can't live by bread alone.

I started working out again today.  I did leg weights because I hate those the most, and they're also what I need to do the most.  I am going to be crippled tomorrow.  I had to do the last set of lunges without any weights at all because my muscles were actually locking up from having too much lactic acid.  Ugh.  I am in worse shape than ever.  Shameful.

The evidence.  I really did work out.  I really do have a plan for the week.

I didn't get everything done that I wanted to this morning, but it was lovely to get my place back in order and to just chill out at the apartamento all weekend.  There may be a recap of this next weekend.

My Classes Are Awesome

Tonight was the first night of real classes.  After the introductions on Tuesday, I was really nervous.  My French class had actual French majors in it, and others who were like, "I haven't taken any French since high school, but I did spend a summer in France three years ago."  Everyone seemed to remember some actual French.  I didn't go off the deep end studying or anything, but I did do all the exercises for today's class in my head when I was eating breakfast and stuff.  Before I was sure I wasn't going to remember how to conjugate a single verb, but it is coming back to me.  I am glad they aren't into tenses yet.  That, I really don't remember.

My teacher requires a lot of class participation, and I was scared to death of speaking French aloud.  So when it was finally my turn to answer a question, I totally blanked.  I have been wandering around all week with the conjugation of avoir floating around in my head, and then, when I have to use it?  Bang, gone.  I did finally get the answer right after I got my heart to stop beating a million miles a minute so I could think.  But once that was over, I kicked ass.  I'm really starting to remember.  Yay!

My art class is great too.  My teacher is super hyper and really, really just excited about teaching us art.  We had a short slide show and then we had an hour warm up where we drew really big perfect circles on pages using pencils and charcoals.  Then big perfect squares.  Big perfect equilateral triangles.  He wanted us to get confident with our gestures and it really worked well.  Then we moved on to blind contour drawings and had to draw these really intricate bones without looking at our paper or taking our eyes off the subject.  Really neat stuff.

Don't worry, I won't bore you with this stuff everytime I have a class.  I am just so excited that my classes are real and that my teachers appear to have a clue.

A Good Overwhelmed

I am really excited about the new year.  We have some neat projects coming up at work that I am going to have a big hand in (that currently don't have any scary deadlines attached to them). 

My classes just started yesterday and I am simultaneously feeling overwhelmed but very enthusiastic about them.  My French teacher is cool, but she seems like she is really serious about teaching us the language, and the students in my class seem to be really serious about learning it.  I don't remember nearly as much as I was hoping I would and I am not confident enough in my pronunciation yet to speak aloud in class.   I've been reading my textbook aloud to myself at home so that I am not completely cold if she asks me to read tomorrow.

My art class is really intense.  Most of the people in my class are art majors.  My teacher feels like the only way to get better is to practice, practice, practice, so we are expected to produce 6 hours of sketches a week outside of class.

I am going to be very busy.  I really want a puppy, but I think I am going to wait until I get accustomed to this new schedule.  I've still got to put all the Christmas away and help get DeLush launched and start exercising.

So, I'm overwhelmed, but it's a good overwhelmed.

The Longest Blog Entry Ever

I have been away for so long I just don't even know where to start!  My vacation was excellent, but all of the driving was exhausting.  I ended up driving over 2000 miles!  I am going to have to get another oil change before the month is up.

Day One: The Big Drive

The drive up to Delaware with my Mom and Gidge went very well.  Except for the incident around the halfway point of the trip.  I had been driving for a couple of hours through the great state of North Carolina.  We left around 4 AM, so at this point, the sun was barely up, and I was starting to get sleepy and spacey.

We stopped for gas, a restroom break and a short walk for Gidgey at a Pilot station, which I generally love because their bathrooms are cleaner than the rest areas.  My Mom began pumping gas and I went in to the rest room.  I must have pulled up to the slowest pump on earth, because when I got back, she was only up to like $3.50.  So I watched the pump and she went in to the bathroom.  Then she came back and, since the gas was still not done, I took Gidgey for her walk.

While I was gone, one of the workers came up and knocked on Mom's window (she had moved into the warm car because it was sooooo cold outside) to tell her that the pump was over-flowing.  Gas was flowing over the top.  It just hadn't stopped when it got full.  So, Mom stopped the pump and was planning to go in to pay, but she needed to lock up the car since Gidgey and I had not yet returned from her walk. 

But she couldn't find the keys.  And the pump worker was getting antsy.  He had to mke sure we didn't try to start the car with all that gas underneath it; we would have to push the car out of the way.  When Gidgey and I returned, she asked me for the keys and I had this foggy memory of handing her the keys before I went to the restroom.  But she didn't have them. 

I checked my purse, my jean pockets, my coat pockets, my luggage, under the seat...everywhere...."Oh, I am so sorry."

I went back to the bathroom.  I went to the cashier's counter to ask.  No keys.  I was nearly in tears by this point.  I had lost our only set of keys and we were still hours away from my grandmother's.  Oh, and it's like 6 in the morning.

We continued to search the car.  Still, there is a pump worker wandering around, spreading sand on the gas and generally wishing he didn't have to stand there with us.  Finally, Mom shifts in some way that makes her aware of something in her pocket. 

Could it be?  Yes, she had the key the entire time.  Phew.  So, eventually, we made it to Delaware.

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Day 2: Christmas

Christmas was pretty relaxing.  I think everyone really liked the gifts that I got them.  And they were all masterfully wrapped as well, if I must say so myself.  I am always thrilled with what I get, but really concerned about whether or not they like what I got them.  This was a great year because I'd spent so much time with my Mom that I felt like I really knew what to get.   And she got me a bunch of stuff to go in my apartment that just matched perfectly: a luxurious red blanket for my bed, an urn with elephants on it that will be a masterful addition to the growing elephant collection in the den, and a set of linens for my dining room.  My grandmother got me an art set with paints, pastels and pencils in it.  I cannot wait to try that out.  I really got neat stuff this year.

I was supposed to make lasagna for our Christmas dinner (my Mom is a vegetarian, so turkey or ham is out) but we ate too much candy and opted to try out my grandmother's grilled cheese maker instead.  I became completely addicted to grilled cheese sandwiches from that point on.

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Day 3: The After Christmas Sales

My grandmother gave me $100 to spend at the after Christmas sales in Dover.  I had big intentions of going to the big department stores and getting some new makeup to replenish my supply and give me some neat stuff to review for DeLush.  But no such luck.  The department stores there really didn't have the endless fields of makeup counters that our department stores do. 

However, I did find some use for that money, of course.  I found the most awesome boots at Strawbridge's, but when I took them to the salesperson, she said that the lowest size in stock was on display.  It was a 9 1/2.  I wear an 8.  So, I moped about and tried to find something worthy of my money.  As my mom was looking for a cashier to purchase a jean jacket, I spotted some boots on a mannequin that looked remarkably like the ones I wanted.  But there were people everywhere, and getting them off the mannequin so that I could see what size they were was going to be tricky.  I was trying to discreetly balance her tipped over a bit, when my grandmother came around and helped me completely turn her over so i could see the size.  There was so much after Christmas madness, no one even took notice.  And they were size 8's!!!  I took them back to the shoe department to purchase them, and was scolded a bit for stealing them off the mannequin. But who cares?  I got them in my size and they were only 23 bucks!  Aren't they awesome?

That was all I found that day, but I still went home happy!

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Day 4: After-Christmas Shopping Part II

On the second day of shopping, we went to Rehoboth Beach for some outlet shopping and yummy Grotto's pizza.  Mmm Mmm good.  I managed to spend the rest of my money on some clothes in between running from store to store to keep warm.  It was about 22 degrees and the wind was howling.  Brrrrrrr.

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Day 5: The Family Reunion

I was hoping for a Christmas miracle.  Perhaps if I had sent out my Christmas cards on time, it would have actually happened as I envisioned it.  Some of the members of my family have been on the outs for several years and it really bothers me and I don't even live up there.  It bothers some of my close family even more, so I wrote a very short blurb in my Christmas cards about family and forgiveness, hoping that I could give everyone the necessary nudge to get back together.  I have no idea what happened to cause the great divide.  Everytime anyone starts talking about it, I just stop listening and go into my own little world.  I just want everyone to get over it and start talking again.  So I mailed the cards on Tuesday I think, but I guess with all the winter storms, they didn't get delivered until the Monday after Christmas.  Tuesday we got a call, and for dinner that night the entire family went out to dinner for the first time in maybe seven years.  I don't pretend to think that everything is back to normal, but it gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling that everyone is ready to make an effort.  Yay!

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Day Six:  The Big Drive Back and More Shopping

The drive back went much more smoothly, and we were back in Florence by a little after lunch.  I had not slept much the night before, but I was magically filled with energy and drove the majority of the trip.  I don't know what happened to me.  (Perhaps the excitement of knowing I was leaving to go on my ski trip the next day.)

When we got back, I was starved, but I really wanted a grilled cheese sandwich like the ones we made at my grandmother's house.  Mom and I decided to go to Target to see if we could find a dandwich maker like the one we got her, but we were crushed to find that NO ONE carried it anymore.  We ended up buying a ton of sale candy (Toblerone and Lindsor Truffles) and eating that as we rode around town looking for the sandwich maker.  We finally found one at Lowe's of all places.  The good news is that now I can make them whenever I want!

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Day Seven: The Party Begins

On Thursday, I woke up early and drove to my friend B's house in Raleigh where we would depart for Boone, NC.  It is awesome to see someone for the first time in ages and to just be able to be yourself and talk to each other as if no time had passed at all.  We had a great lunch whre she told me that the party had expanded a bit, from one house to two, and from 8 people to around 16 or 17.  (It actually turned out to by 19 by Saturday.)   After lunch we went to the grocery and then headed out for the mountains.  The trip seemed to fly by to me because I had already been on so many long trips.

We weren't the last to arrive, but the party was definitely on when we got there.  I am not really supposed to drink because of some medication that I am on, but I was pounding the red bulls and adding a little splash of this and that so that I felt like I was my old self.

Before dinner, B and I decided to drop off one of our cars at our house down the street so that we would only have one car to drive back in the dark on the windy roads.  I was the designated driver for the drive home, but she drove back to the party house since we took her car and as she was backing out the driveway, we realized that without any street lights, it was very difficult to figure out if we were on the driveway or not.  And it was very steep.

I looked out my window and it looked very black, but it felt solid, so I was really hoping that we were going to make it by the skin of our teeth.  Turns out we very nearly went into the ditch.  Before we realized it, she had gone off the driveway on the right about a foot, and now the front wheel was no longer on the ground.  And it is a front wheel drive car.  THANK GOD someone saw us and pulled us out as I sat in the passenger seat looking at the ditch and praying that we stayed upright.  Ugh.  Glad we didn't try any of this drunk.

B has the most awesome friends, and I felt like I bonded with all of the girls immediately.  It's been a long time since I've been in a group of girls and it felt great to interact with smart, funny girls my age.

So of course, I stayed up way too late talking to everyone.

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Day Eight:  New Year's Eve

Most of our house started with Bloody Marys before noon.  I decided that I was going to drink that night no matter what, but I thought it would be best not to overdo it, and so I stayed sober and hung out on the sofa all day, eating all the delicious food everyone was making and watching movies.  After noon, we decided to go to the lodge and watch people try to ski and snowboard in the slush.  It was almost 50 degrees, so there was no way I was going to attempt to snowboard. 

The party started that night around 5.  Everyone had brought their favorite wines and champagne, and I started tasting stuff probably too soon in the evening since we didn't eat until around 8.

After dinner I started on the bottle of Moet & Chandon White Star that I brought because I loooove it and by midnight was definitely tipsy.  But so was everyone else. 

I told the girls about DeLush and they were super excited, which always makes me excited again. 

I was bubbly and hyper for most of the evening, but it's been ages since I had that much alcohol and by 2 AM, I was done for the night.  I went back to the mellow house and watched Garden State. (Ahh)

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Day Eight: The Party Never Ends

I didn't leave my room on Saturday until mid-afternoon.  That night was the final party night, and it was supposed to be at our house, so I actually did take a shower and try to look presentable.  I would have thought everyone was hung over, but the party that night was just as wild as the nights before.  Simultaneously, there was a poker game going with some loud tunes playing, a spirited game of caps, and a showing of the worst movie ever made - Troll 2.  I participated in the movie watching since it required the least amount of effort.  I felt like a slug, but I was so out of practice for a 3 day party.

I passed out around midnight, before the festivities really got cranked up apparently.  When I asked B about it the next day, she was like "Did you take a sleeping pill or what?"

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Day 9: The Long Haul Back

Even though I had nothing to drink on Saturday and went to bed relatively early, I was exhausted for the drive back, and nothing makes you feel peppier than an 8 hour drive back when you know you have to go to work the next day. 

I got lost, there were a ton of accidents...it was bad.  The drive was gorgeous, don't get me wrong.  Just long.

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So that's it.  You're all caught up.