Penguins: Millicent and Hubie.

Today we went to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and went backstage for a meet-and-greet (and hold and hug and ask a bunch of questions and feed - rinse, wash repeat) with our happy neighborhood PENGUINS.  It was such an awesome experience.  This actually surpassed all of my expectations and I would definitely do it again.  Some details:

• The cost is $125.00 per person for non-Audubon members (please keep in mind that this is an additional cost to the general admission ticket).  For Audubon members, the cost is $115.00 per person (general admission is free).  There are NO specially-priced children's tickets.  The cost is the same regardless of age.
• Children under the age of 6 are not permitted.  What it comes down to is that these penguins have been handled by keepers since birth - and the penguins love interacting with humans.  A grabby little toddler or screaming baby might upset the birds and make them aggressive towards humans.  
• Any child/teen under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.  Therefore, parents cannot just pay for the cost of ONE ticket for their child and expect the staff (and other patrons) to watch their kid.  Nope, it's just not happening.
• Make your reservations WAY ahead of time.  I ordered our tickets online (ten days before the date I wanted) and found out that the time and date I wanted were all full.  Since I was able to be flexible, I *did* get my second choice (you are required to pay in full when you reserve) - but next time??  I'll order a minimum of 3 weeks ahead of time.
• And... you get a Penguin Painting to commemorate your day!!

So... here are some of my pictures from the Backstage Penguin experience:

 ^^  This is Millicent.  She's 8 years old and loves people.  The penguins "volunteer" to meet people - not one bird is forced to meet the public.  The keeper will ask "who wants to go out??"  And then picks two of the *volunteers*.  There is always a minimum of four - and then the keeper picks two.  

 ^^  This is Hubie.  She is 19 months old and was born at the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.  She was hand-fed, so she really enjoys human contact.  She was very affectionate, would nuzzle, and had an affinity for sardines.  Her color is not the same as Millicent's because she's so young.  Penguins molt once a year.  So, Hubie will molt one more time and when her new feathers come in, she'll look just like Millicent (but with different markings).  :0))

 ^^  Millicent is waiting for a fish-y treat!!

 ^^  Hubie (bottom right) and Millicent (upper left) help the keeper when he lays out the canvas.  They both enjoy having their feet dipped in non-toxic paint... it's cool on their feet.  

 ^^  The girls are ready to paint!!!  

 ^^  The girls are back in their enclosure (environment/home).  There are 37 penguins in the exhibit here.  About 1/3 of them are from other aquariums from all over the United States - they are placed here when renovations happen at their zoo.  Some are still pretty wild - so they will keep to themselves and don't like to be touched.  They are easy to spot, because they don't come close to any of us... even with a bucket-full of delectable sardines!!

 ^^  Swim, penguins, SWIM!!  

 ^^  They came up on the rocks to "greet" us - well, they came for the food.  We had plenty of fish.  Bribery at it's finest!!  

^^  Penguin handler, Darwin, passing over a cutie to love on.  :0))

 ^^  A plethora of penguins!!

 ^^  Big boy reaching to get some love (and a treat!!)...

^^  This young boy, Sabo, loved-loved-loved my husband's socks.  He didn't nibble or bite at him, he just kept rubbing his head and beak on the cottony-soft-socks.  So adorable!!

According to the handlers and keepers, penguins are as smart as parrots (although they do not vocalize beyond their normal calls, whistles, squeaks, grunts, and snorts).  They are very curious by nature and after being raised at the aquarium (by humans) they are eager to get attention from everyone.

And since I just couldn't pass them up, I bought some sea turtle earrings from the gift shop.  I *really* wanted the penguin ones, but a lady in front of me snatched up the last pair. 

^^  Awesomesauce!!

And, tomorrow (well, today really, since it's past midnight), I'll be going out to lunch with a couple of my friends and some derby girls.  Life is seriously fucking wonderful.

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Abita Beer. Brew Pub. Deliciousness.

Oh, yes.

You see, it is the weekend before my birthday.  Due to work circumstances, husby will be traveling on my special day, so he opted to take today (Friday) off and whisk me away to visit the Abita Brewery (which is located in the small - but lovely - town of Abita Springs).  We've been wanting to do this for a while (okay, since we moved to New Orleans at the beginning of November 2012) and we also decided to try the Abita Brew Pub for lunch.  We had to drive across the 24-mile Causeway which spans Lake Pontchartrain in order to get to (what is referred to locally) the North Shore.

The weather today was quite muggy, which created the feeling of being in a cloud... or as in MY overactive imagination, it looked like a scene out of Stephen King's short novella "The Mist".  If you haven't read it, you might want to.  Anyhow, I digress.  This is what it looked like while crossing:

^^  It's like driving into the sky...  spooky!!  ;0))

Please ignore the EU safety sticker on the window.  It's been there since we bought our car in Germany three years ago.  I'm not really sure why the husby hasn't removed it yet...

First stop???  Lunch.  Yes, lunch.  The atmosphere at the Abita Brew Pub was really laid back - and they even had beer tap handles from all over the world as decoration.  Both of us had a good chuckle when we saw a Bitburger tap - which is one of the most popular pilsner in Germany.  I had the fried oysters and husby decided on the gumbo, made with locally-made Andouille sausage and chicken.  We also both had pints of SOS (Save Our Shores) beer.  It's a high gravity brew and it's very smooth and sweet.  Delicious!!  

^^  It's the brew pub!!  

^^  They had outdoor seating also (for al fresco dining), however it was a too hot and muggy to eat on the patio.  We opted for the air-conditioned comfort (icy cold inside)... but, I'd like to come here sometime in the fall when the weather cools down.  

^^  The pub features different daily specials. 

^^  View from our table... this building used to be the brewery, until the business took off and the owners had to move to a far bigger location.

^^  The brewery is all about being green!!  :0))

After eating a delicious lunch, we decided to explore the downtown area before heading in for our beer tasting and brewery tour.  We visited the local museum and took a short walk down the Rail-Trail.  I plan on definitely exploring some of the shops and checking out the local bakery - it smelled divine as we walked by.  They also had some beautiful looking pastries on display...

 ^^  Introduction to the Rail-Trail...

 ^^  Map and statistics about the Rail-Trail concept...

 ^^  Head of the trail...

^^  Walking towards the Abita Springs Museum (free of charge to the public)...

 ^^  Lovely little museum... they had a really friendly staff.  

 ^^  Every Saturday afternoon (from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM) the museum features an impromtu jam session with local musicians.  It's free to the public - to either play OR watch.  I'm definitely going to come back and check it out.  :0))

 ^^  The town of Abita Springs ALSO has their own "Piney Woods" Opry.  Although, I don't think that there is anyone under the age of 65 who either watches OR participates.  

^^  The fountain gracing the Abita Pavillion.  They have beer festivals here, also.

After wandering around, we finally headed over to the brewery.  They offer *free* tours AND *free* 12-ounce beer "samples".  Yes.  You did, indeed, read that correctly.  And, it's entirely self-serve.  Another plus is that people under the age of 21 are not allowed to attend.  So, for any of my friends who are Child-Free, Child-Less, or Empty Nesters, this is a great place to come and visit.  The town is quaint, the people are very friendly, and there is a great gift shop with some very funky art (for sale right beside the tees, coasters, hats, coozies, and glassware).  

 ^^  Outside the brewery, before going into the courtyard.  The placard even reads that people under the age of 21 are not allowed to enter.  I'd certainly be happy if more restaurants and pubs would stop allowing children entirely.  After all, that's what (Up) Chuck E Cheese is for, yes???  ;0))

 ^^  Fountain and greenery in the beer garden.  It was HAWT out!!  

 ^^  Feast your peepers on this bomb-diggity SELF-SERVE beer bar!!  ::swoon::  I really wish that I could have one of these in my house.  Le sigh.  A girl can dream, can't she???

 ^^  Gift shop area... also, please note that they do NOT take cash OR credit cards.  So, if you think that you'd like to buy something, you may want to ensure that you have your plastic money with you.

^^  Very surreal Purple Haze painting (one of my favorites besides Turbo Dog)...  I wouldn't mind owning this!!  ;0P

^^  I picked up this magnet for my car...  Abita Brewery is donating all proceeds from their SOS line (beer included) to agencies cleaning up the BP oil spill.  Some also goes to the wild life refuge and zoo.

^^  Braved the 24-mile long bridge and we're almost in Metairie!!

And, since we were in Metairie, we decided to swing by one of our favorite comic book stores (yes, I am letting my inner geek out for a bit) and browse around.  Well, the husby didn't find anything that he wanted... but there were a couple of things that I found.  A hardback compilation of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman" AND a graphic novel of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" originally penned by Stieg Larsson - but the comic book style adaptation was created by Denise Mina, Leonardo Manco, and Andrea Mutti (published by Vertigo).  And so I snatched up the latter of the two.

All-in-all, it's been a great day - and a wonderful start to my weekend.  Tomorrow, the plan is to grab some lunch in the French Quarter (the venue has yet to be decided... but I'm really thinking about Napoleon House or Coop's) and then we'll head off to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas.  I have a hot (cool??) date with some penguins - as we've picked up tickets for the "Backstage Penguin Pass".  I will get to touch the penguins, hold them, feed them, and after that is all done, *your* bird-buddy gets some non-toxic paint to waddle around in - and voila!!  Penguin artwork!!  No two are the same... hahahahaha!!  

Well, I'm signing off for now... I hope everyone has a fan-fucking-tabulous weekend!!!

x0x0

Drug-fully Loaded.

I had thought that I had recovered from my hedonistic San Fermin weekend unscathed.

Apparently not.

Ended up with some bruised and cracked ribs (along with various cuts, scrapes, and blisters).  Went to my doctor's office yesterday (love you, Dr M!!) and he took a shit-ton of x-rays.  Yep, I'm *officially* broken.  So, I now have a bag o' drugs (painkillers and muscle relaxers), some Lidocaine patches (HUGE), and directions to lay low for a while (about a full week).  Not that I could really do much, anyway.  The druggy-drugs make me loopy and I don't want to move.

Not that I can move... well, at least not easily.  I don't hurt BETWEEN heartbeats (hahaha)!!

^^  One of my nefarious bruises.

So, I met up with a friend for lunch and had the most delicious bacon mac-and-cheese bites (in a cheddar beer sauce) ever.  We also had a sweet and spicy chicken flatbread, Korean shredded pork tacos (with lots of cilantro and lime), grilled na'an with chicken skewers, and a salted caramel cake for dessert.  I'm pretty sure that the fall didn't affect my taste buds at all...  and we just did tasting menu/small plates/tapas thing - so it wasn't full-on gluttony.  Oh, and I drank a LOT of non-alcoholic beverages.  My mouth feels as dry as talcum powder and I don't feel like I can drink enough water to ever even make it moist.  Winning!!!

^^  Bacon mac-and-cheese bites.  These were totally delicious.  

(And no - I wasn't that drugged up - the pic just doesn't do them justice)...

I'm planning on chilling out for the rest of the afternoon.  Hopefully, I can find some cheezy TV drama...  I'm thinking it's a Judge Judy kind of day.  ;0))

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Running of the Bulls. AKA SFNO2013.

7th Annual San Fermin in Nueva Orleans

This happened Saturday...

^^  14,000 people and counting.

^^  The running route (red) and meet-up point (yellow)...

All my derby girls from TCK showed up on Friday night.  Total hen-fest, gabbing, catching up, comparing outfits, discussing stockings and socks and pub-crawls... oh, my!!  Husby thought it was quite awesome to be the only guy in the house and opted to stay home and smoke a brisket for the post-Bull-Run-dinner.  We finally all got settled in and in bed around 2:00 AM (3:00 AM for me - I was excited and my insomnia kicked in).  

Alarm clocks started going off around 4:30 AM.  Too early!!  Spicy-ass Bloody Mary cocktails were mixed and we were all imbibing by 5:15 AM.  Since the ferry hasn't been running regularly, we called for a taxi and headed over to the Sugar Mill.  The taxi ride was about $20 for the five of us - so definitely affordable at $4/each + the tip.  We all had VIP access, which included a free open bar (Sangria, screwdrivers, gin-and-tonic, Hurricanes, and Bloody Mary cocktails were just some of the drinks provided) and all the food was catered by Rouses Market (mini Muffulettas, roast beef, ham, and turkey wraps, fruit trays, cheese trays, petit fours, and mini fruit tarts)...  delicious. 

 ^^  Dark delicious Sangria and a wickedly strong Bloody Mary.  Breakfast of Champions!!

We had a group of men dressed like Elvis Presley in our area (if there is more than one, are we supposed to refer to them as "Elvii"???) and two of my girls posed with them:

^^  Knotta Cupcake, who was a skating bull - posing in all her derby glory with the sneery impersonators...

^^  Breasaurus, who was one of the runners - showing off her Elvii love with some cheezy gangsta moves...

We even had representatives from the Westboro Baptist Roller Derby League (WBRDL)... they mock and wave around crazy signs which are all in reference to WFTDA rules (essentially the roller derby "bible") and act all sanctimonious.  I joined on general principle... as an atheist, I thought this was really fucking funny and quite brilliant, actually (along the lines of True Blood's "God Hates Fangs")...

^^  Protest, protest, protest!!!  

^^  Quad loves us!!!  

There were so many people there - and everyone had something funky going on.  Here are just a few random shots from the event:

^^  Almost-naked Blue Bull runner...  he was looking all cray-cray.

^^  Even though we greased Dr Krak up with the thickest, most viscous sunburn lotion ever (seriously, it was like zinc), she still got burnt.  Her temporary prison tattoo (of the bull) might not be so temporary...  oops.

^^  A mock Cardinal getting his ring kissed by our own Angst Muffin...

After the Bull run was over, we headed over to a local bar which had it's own in-ground pool out back. It was pretty fucking awesome.  We hung there for about 2 hours (and drank more copious amounts of booze) and after that, we taxied on home to The Point.  Everyone crashed for a couple of hours for a nap, and at 7:00 PM some of our friends who didn't attend the SFNO2013 festival popped over for beer, wine, cocktails, and dinner.  Husby had everything ready for us... a smoked beef brisket, German potato salad, various styles of chips, bread and butter, and a Southern Comfort pound cake.

Then... we hit up Bourbon Street and the French Quarter.  Round two.  Everyone survived.  I have no pictures of this because my phone had totally croaked by this time.  Knotta Cupcake's phone got fried in the sun (literally - all it had was a green screen and it made chirpy noises out of the blue), Breasaurus' camera didn't shut off right and ran down the batteries, Angst left her phone at home, and I have no clue if Dr Krak took any shots while we were in the Quarter.  All I have to say is this... it's probably best if there WERE no pictures taken that night.  As it is, I don't think that any one of us would pass scrutiny for public office.  

If you get a chance, you ought to come next year.  This is a fantastic event, which is FULLY adult-oriented (for any of you child-free, child-less, or empty-nesters reading this) - children are not permitted into the VIP sections, strollers are not permitted along the running route, and IF someone does take their child, they MUST be supervised by their legal guardian at ALL TIMES.  It's a bit pricey, but well worth it - and it happens during the low tourism season here in New Orleans.  Which means that flights are really cheap, hotels have great deals, restaurants and attractions are not crowded at all.  Viva Nueva Orleans San Fermin!!!  :0))

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Jam-Packed-July.

Unlike June, the month of July is bound to be busy-busy-busy.  It's not just my birthday month (I still cannot believe that I am going to be a whopping 38 years old) - but it's a New Orleans Festival kind of month.  Although the weather will feel like we are out frolicking in the middle of a fiery hell, the booze is sure to be icy cold and company is guaranteed to be utterly fabulous.  :0))

Coming up in a mere four days (July 13th - to be exact) - is the 7th Annual San Fermin in Nueva Orleans (Running of the Bulls).  Roller derby girls dress in black and red while wearing Viking horns on their heads (to emulate the bulls), while men (mostly) dressed in all white with red sashes RUN to get away from the bulls.  Oh, and the bulls are armed with wiffle-ball bats - where they beat the poor runners with if they get caught.  The festivities start EARLY (NOLA-style) at 6:00 AM (looks like I'll be drinking my breakfast... hahaha) and end around 1:00 PM.  Everyone will be returning to my house for a siesta, and then at 7:00 PM, the party will re-start at my domicile.  There will be lots of beer and lots of wine and lots of good friends.  Excitement!!  I love to throw a good party (people usually joke that they couldn't run for public office after attending one of my soirees) and the company will be excellent.

^^  San Fermin in Nueva Orleans 2012

**Picture courtesy of www.nolabulls.com

 ^^  My tee-shirt that I received with my VIP Package

^^  My kerchief, VIP Bracelet (AKA "Booze Permit"), and Beer Number

One of the most awesome things about The Running of the Bulls is that there are NO children allowed in the VIP tent (because of the copious amounts of alcoholic beverages) and strollers are prohibited along the skating/running route.  Any and all children under the age of ten MUST be accompanied by their parent or legal guardian (which certainly narrows things down when baby carriages are not allowed).  Once again, New Orleans is catering to those without children - probably one of the last cities in the United States to do so.  ::double-fist-pump::

Another great thing that will be happening in the Point over the same weekend as the Bull Run, is the re-opening of our local library.  It's been under construction for about 10 months (it was closed when we moved here and that was in mid-October).  It's literally only a few blocks away from our house - which is great - because we won't have to go all the way to the Algiers Library (which is about a 15-minute ride down the Parkway).  

^^  Who doesn't love a local library???

The next weekend AFTER the Running of the Bulls and the re-opening of the Hubbell Library, there is the up-and-coming Tales of the Cocktail starting on July 17th and running through the 21st.  Here is a brief description:

"The five-day event, from July 17-21, will feature a series of seminars, mixing competitions, "spirited" luncheons and dinners, complimentary events and invitation-only events. Popular and up-and-coming liquor brands will be showcasing their latest products in tasting rooms. And, as always, there will be "Spirited Awards" given out in sixteen different categories, including "American Bartender of the Year," "Best American Cocktail Bar," "World's Best Cocktail Menu" and more. The top four nominees for each category will be announced on June 7, 2013 on www.TalesoftheCocktail.com."

Depending on my liver recovery from the weekend of the 13th, I may or may not make it to any of the festivities offered by Tales of the Cocktail.  I'll probably need to save my liver strength for my birthday... 

Which we will be celebrating a few days early (the husby has to go on a TDY - Tour of Duty - for a month at the beginning of August).  So, he won't be "technically" missing my birthday, but he'll be busy arranging and packing things, so we're planning the festivities a couple days early.  I'm so stupidly excited because we are going to the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas for the extra-special PENGUIN EXPERIENCE.  I have been looking forward to this since we purchased our membership back in February!!

^^  Oh, Mr Penguin... how I love thee!!

And here is my most favorite video of a baby penguin named "Cookie".  I can't play the video very often (with sound) because it drives poor Choggie absolutely apeshit crazy (and she starts looking behind EVERYTHING trying to find the source of the noise).  And although "Cookie" is currently living at the Cincinnati Zoo, we have just had three new penguins born here in New Orleans.  I certainly hope that they are available to at least see (even if we can't touch and hold them).

After the Aquarium, I anticipate going out to eat somewhere... but the "where" has yet to be determined.  I always lean towards my tried-and-true Cajun-Creole happy place, K-Paul's, but I'm also looking at some other places where we haven't tried yet.  Quite honestly, I'm in the mood for an awesomely dirty-deluxe burger from The Company Burger - but since I can go there pretty much any old time, I probably won't choose to go there for my birthday.  

So, it's looking like my July is going to turn out FAR BETTER than the previous month.  Things have been just so depressingly crazy - it's about time I have something positive to look forward to!!

Happy-happy-happy!!

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