At This Juncture:

We're back to our regularly scheduled blog.

Voting. Comics. Stormtroopers. Pizza.

This morning we headed out to the Algiers Point courthouse in order to vote on whether or not the Crescent City Connection (the bridge from the Westbank to the Eastbank - connecting the city of NOLA) should have an additional 20 years of tolls.  We also voted on a new Juvenile Court Judge, but because we don't have children, I just picked the name I liked best.  Not very informed, but both of the people running were from the Democrat party, so it didn't really matter to me.  Had it been a Republican vs. Democrat... well, I *am* a liberal-godless-Yankee, so I would've gone with the blue ticket.  ;0))

Oh, and I voted "no" on the bridge tolls, too.  New Orleans has the only bridge on the entire Mississippi River that has a toll (just a little bit of trivia for you).

On our walk over to the courthouse, I came across this disabled Dollar General trolley trashed underneath a "No Parking" sign.  The ironic thing, is that there isn't a damned Dollar General within 15 miles of this location.  So... it's appearance is most definitely mysterious...

^^  Abandoned trolley...

We had to cross the bridge (the same bridge we just voted on) to get to Metairie, which is where one of the bigger comic book shops are.  Here are some pictures I snapped on the way there (don't worry - I wasn't driving!!)... 

 ^^  Crescent City Connection Bridge (CCCB)

^^  Super Dome!!  You know you're in the heart of New Orleans when you see this...

With today being May 4th and all (May The Forth Be With You), we headed out to a couple of our local comic book shops to get some goodies.  Husby is an Avengers and Fantastic Four fan, and I enjoy the cheezy-ass comics like SpongeBob SquarePants and the Smurfs.  And we have:

^^  Fine promotional literature...  

^^  My Score...  all free!!  :0))

 ^^  An Imperial Guard...  right on the parkway!!

^^  So exciting...  I got to meet a Storm Trooper!!  

The only thing more exciting would've been to see Darth Vader!!

After all our comical excitement, we headed back home so that we could walk the dog (who has some serious gas - it would probably be best to NOT light a match in my living room right now) and figure out what we wanted to do for lunch.  I had a craving for pizza, so we decided to go to Mo's Pizza in Westwego.  Yes, that is *really* the name of the town.  :0))  We ordered the large supreme (minus the olives) and the pie was the size of a large hubcap.  I managed to eat 2 slices (just the goodies - no crust) and we have enough to feed us for the rest of the weekend.  Guess that gets me out of cooking.  

While we were in Westwego, we found a Piggly Wiggly!!  My brother, sister, and I used to call it the "Hoggly-Woggly" (we thought we were being SOOOOO witty - someone slap me straight now!!)

^^  Proof positive!!  Look and weep, biotches!!

Unfortunately, we didn't stop in.  However, I think I'll find a reason to head back there soon (as if I *need* a reason to shop).  

On the way back home, I was lucky enough to see a plane skywriting over the French Quarter.  It was really cool to watch and it made me wonder as to what lucky person was the recipient of the (literal) love:

 ^^  Noticed on the way home from Westwego...

^^  Almost finished by the time we were in Algiers Point...

And now we're back home.  I'm heading over to the Casey Jones in a little bit... they have pork chops on sale (family packs - $1.00/pound) and I need some libations for tonight.  I'll be heading over to S. and L.'s house tonight for some front-porch fun.  Life is good.  Very, very good.

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Lost - in my OWN neighborhood.

It's true.

I went out to take a walk (for exercise - because I'm dieting and I've reached a plateau and I need to increase my cardio crapola - like you needed to know all that, right??) and usually I just head to the ferry landing and then come back home...  the same boring route every time.

Well, I just kind of...  wandered and zigged and zagged and before I knew it, I was lost.  Pitiful, eh??  However, I did get some great pictures - and obviously, I found my way home (where I'm now writing this missive)...  and I walked three miles (according to the shitty pedometer I own - I'm always suspicious that it *really* isn't correct - nothing like a bit of paranoia to spice up the day).

So...

^^  Our local "grocery" - it's a funky old-fashioned store that sells a bit of this and a bit of that. 

^^  This is one of my favorite houses in the Point.  If it ever goes up for sale, I'd probably sell my weak soul to the highest bidder for it.  

^^  I stumbled across this gem...  didn't even know it was here.  Sadly, there are no fancy groceries to be found...  they're out of business.  Wonder if the other grocery put them out of business?? 

^^  Storefront of the closed Fancy Grocery. 

^^  Apparently these neighbors have had enough of people parking in front OR in their driveway.  The different color spray paints add that extra touch of "klass"...

^^  Algiers Point Courthouse.  This is where the husby and I procured our marriage license way back in 2002.  Room 201 on the second floor, to be precise.  :0)) 

^^  Gulf Pizza.  It is, indeed, an old Gulf gas station.  I personally haven't tried the pizza here yet (dastardly diet) - but I've heard mixed reviews.  One afternoon I'll hoof it on down and try a pie. 

^^  Unfortunately, they were closed for the afternoon when I was wandering by (which is probably a good thing, really.  The dastardly diet and all...) 

^^  Surprise, surprise!!  We don't just have a recording studio in the Point...  we also have a music store!!  The front of the building is purple - the sides??  Not painted.  Gives a new meaning to the term "storefront".  

So this concludes my adventures for today.  I didn't realize that it had been so long between posts (again) - so I'm going to make an attempt to upload the two tons of pictures that I've taken at the Aquarium of the Americas.  Look for it over the next day or two...

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Crawdaddy Craze!!

Apologies for the late post on THE crawfish boil - but it was late when I got in last night (Sunday) and I figured it would take me for-fucking-ever to get all my pictures up... and I seriously couldn't trust my spelling and grammar last night (a big-thank-you goes to (drum roll, please) a honkin' big box o' Franzia's finest "Sunset Blush" - a mere $10.99 at the Casey Jones - SCORE!!).  I also picked up some hamburger buns and a fresh loaf of Big Bunny wheat for the husby while I was there.  Oh, and a 7-pound bag of ice for S. and L., whose built-in ice-maker was very overworked with all the guests there.

So...  we'll start out with the bag of live crawfish...

^^  Oh, yes indeedy.  There are about 50 pounds of LIVE mudbugs just waiting to be decimated...

^^  And the pot cranked up to 180,000 BTUs - sounded like a Bambi forest fire!!!

^^  And our neighbor's friend - overlooking the pot/cooking...  dressed for Mardi Gras with a purple fuzzy fedora, green shirt, and gold pants.  He had only regular shoes on...  I think something with a lot super-shiny gold on his feet would've been spectacular.  :0))

^^  And the dump on to the newspapers!!  Crawfish, corn, sausage, quartered onions, tons of spices and mushrooms (which were some of my favorite things from the pot!!)

**Disclaimer:  I do not know who is drinking the Mountain Dew - but it's a sacrilege.  

^^  Digging in!!  

^^  So very delish.

So, now all you uppity-folks have seen for yourself just how a crawfish boil is done here in New Orleans (specifically - in the Point).  It was FANTASTIC.  I only wish that some of you could've been here to taste it...  made my lips tingle - spiced perfectly!!  

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Also, don't get too excited at how many posts I'm cranking out - there's just been a lot going on and I've wanted to be able to share it all with you.  Besides, Suri might blow up if I don't take some of these roasty-toasty pictures off her!! 

Cock-A-Doodle-Don't!!

We have WILD ROOSTERS in Algiers Point.  Apparently, they usually hang out in the grassy median a couple streets down from us, but one has found his way into my neighbor's yard and it will not.  quit. crowing.  Seriously.  We live in the city.  How do roosters just go wild??  Did someone import a bunch and just let them go??  I'm pretty sure that New Orleans has some sort of "no-livestock-allowed-in-your-backyard-ordinance" (although Louisiana is a weird state based on Napoleonic law, unlike the rest of the United States) - but that bird has got to go.

I think my neighbor wants to blow it away with a double-barrel shotgun.

Coq Au Vin, anyone???

^^  The Cock 

(Please note the paper plate full of food.  Apparently, our other neighbor is feeding the fucking thing.)

So wrong. Why can't I stop laughing??

To any "regular" readers I have, please don't get too excited about two posts two days in a row...  I'm not that motivated yet and I just quit eating fast food for the month of January (I couldn't commit to a whole year - didn't want to set myself up for failure) - I'm a bit grumpy because of the carby-carb high I'm sorely missing.  One of my friends who quit cold turkey (carbs - NOT booze or cigs) said that if I could make it for five days, I'd probably be okay.

So, I'm trying.

Anyhow, my stupid New Year's Semi-Resolution is not supposed to be the topic of this post.  The picture featured below is.

^^  "IN CASE OF RAPTURE CARS YOURS!"

I came across this little gem somewhere on Pacific Avenue in The Point while I was walking the dog.  I actually had to stop and look twice.  At first I was looking down at the plate and the top of the trunk had shielded the first part of the statement...  so all I read was "CARS YOURS".  So, I put the dog and reverse and had another look.  And laughed and laughed and laughed.  I have seen other plate surrounds concerning The Rapture and most of them were on the lines of "When The Rapture Comes You'd Better Grab My Steering Wheel" or some other such nonsense.  Now this???  Utterly hilarious because the owner apparently doesn't care who gets Raptured with them...  they just want the rest of us sinners to KNOW that it is perfectly fine to take the car.  

And I'm a-okay with it... including the piss-poor grammar.  

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Merry-Happy!!

Or is it "Happy-Merry"??  Either way, I hope that all my loved ones and friends have a lovely holiday evening and a fantastic December 25th (regardless of what you may or may not believe).  Our kind neighbours, S. and L. (the same most excellent people who took us to the New Orleans Saints game), invited us over for wine, drinks, and dinner tonight.  The husby opted out (he's really not one for socializing - and he had a new computer game) but I had a wonderful dinner and fun time.  

Of course, I'm really fucking weird like that - I enjoy meeting new people and eating delicious food (did I mention that S. worked as a sommelier for some of Emeril Lagasse's restaurants in the French Quarter?  And he has learned some cooking techniques from some world-renowned chefs??)...  so this was an opportunity I decided to not pass up.  Champagne with some highly-herbed goat's milk cheese, an awesome prosciutto, and a soft cow's milk cheese with a bit of a bite to it - looked like Brie, but on steroids (in a good way).  It was delectable.  For dinner, we had standing rib roast, garlic-y delicious mashed, and brussel sprouts sauteed in bacon and finished with freshly ground pepper and salt.  

Oh... and the fireworks have started (apparently, this will go on until New Year's Eve).  Unfortunately, our fickle Bow-Wow thinks it's thunder and she (all 95 pounds or so) is crammed under my desk, making funny "ro-ro-ro" noises and small growls every now and again.  ;0))

I thought I'd add some pictures of Christmas (or Holidays) here on the Point:

 ^^ Looking down my street to the lights on Canal Street and the French Quarter

 ^^ Decorated Double across the street from me...

^^ My neighbour's house - where the dinner party and drinks were... 

^^ The gorgeous standing rib roast that S. cooked.  Perfection!!

Be safe.  Be happy.  Be nice.  

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