After Katrina I told my housemate, “We can’t live in fear if we want to continue to live in New Orleans”. There had been no doubt in my mind that I wanted to come home after Katrina. I know some people just stayed away. Some people came back and then had to leave. Then there are some of us who wanted nothing more but to be here. In the four years I have been here, I have realized this is really where I am meant to be. The only drawback is the rest of my family isn’t here, however that is why there are planes, trains, and other modes of transportation. I have said in the past that the friends I have made here are an amazing extended family, something that I haven’t ever had in the other places that I have lived. No wait, I need to take that back. I did in a way have it in Seattle, but it wasn’t as much, well maybe because I wasn’t really happy it was quite right. I don’t want to make it seem like I didn’t and don’t appreciate them because I do, but what I have here is so much different.
Getting back on track, we are just a few days shy of the 3rd anniversary. It is amazing to see all that is going on down here, and at the same time, what hasn’t been done yet. It is a long road to recovery. It is sad to think that it won’t be exactly the same. It can be said that is good in some ways. Bad in others.
Going back to you can’t live in fear, doesn’t mean you can’t be very aware of what is going on. If you don’t know we are in the midst of hurricane season. People keep a closer eye on what is going on in the waters these days. Fay was nice to us, we appreciated that. Florida is probably wishing she had been just as kind to them. Now brewing out there is Gustav. Gustav we need to watch. I am afraid that he is going to hurt someone bad. Once he hits the open waters of the Gulf? All bets are off. It will be that waiting game. Watching and waiting to see which way and who is going to get hurt the most.
Regardless, I will keep on coming back. It is where I was meant to be. It may be a struggle but what in life isn’t?

ETA: check out what Loki has to say....it is scary.

Don’t you just enjoy those days where nothing can go wrong? Where everything just seems to be going your way? Even if it isn’t, it doesn’t seem to matter? That is how it is for me today. WWOZ seems to be playing music that just fits my mood. The day for the most part is flying by. Just finished a big part of a project I have been working on since I got here. I have fresh flowers sitting on my desk. I have heard from a lot of my friends and families, many bringing smiles to my faces. Some making me laugh hysterically. Actually it is a quiet kind of laughing hysterically that leaves me making all kinds of snorts and coughs as I don’t want to scare the new co-workers, which I have seemed to have done anyway. I am going to enjoy a fantastic dinner with a bunch of friends, some I see almost every day, and some I haven’t seen in a real long time. My hair seems to be actually doing what I want, and staying. My clothes fit right. Yeah today is a good day. Today I made 33. (I love that phrase, never heard it until I moved here) I hope it continues to be a good day and it is a good day for everyone else!!

ETA: I totally forgot one other really good thing about today. A certain piano player I enjoy is recording his new CD, starting today. Hope that jackhammering was under control....HA!

ETA (again) that I just got a message from my sister. I can officially say it. I am going to be an Auntie again!!! WHOO HOOO!! Aubrey is going to be a big sister sometime in late Feb.

Life has been a whirlwind, even more so lately. Some bad, but mostly a lot of good. I swear a real blog post will be up here in the next few days. Things I wish to cover:

* Rest of my sister's trip here to NOLA including adorable pictures of Aubrey!!

* My trip to Montana. Yes it was for a funereal but it put me back in touch with my family, even more than before. There are pictures to be shared here as well, including a celeb sighting in the Denver airport.

* Satchmo Fest weekend and all the fun that has been had while Lisa and family have been in town. Including Pictures.

* New Work worries. Sorry no pictures there.

See lots to cover! Fun and exciting times! Stay tuned!

TO ME! 4 years ago today I rolled into this great city with my all belongings in a u-haul truck. When I got here I had no place to live and no job. That changed quickly, by the end of August I was employed and had a home to live in. Nothing compares to living here. I may not have everything I came down here with anymore, but I am still going strong!

Today are a couple of friend's birthday's as well. So to Jeff and Kristy, Happy Birthday Kids!!! :)

(more coming later in the week including pictures. I just need to be home for longer than 10 minutes!)

I am back from Montana. I have a lot of catching up to do. Pictures to post. Stories to tell. Blogs to read. However I am about to head out to the airport in a few minutes to get Lisa and co. Satchmo fest is this weekend. White Linen night. A potential grooving show at Balcony Music Club. George Porter Jr is gonna be there. Ya know it will be good. So it does appear that two of my cousins and my aunt have found this here blog. Like it is hard to find. So no stories about them. ;) Actually yeah there will be. From the highest bidder. :P

I have not fallen off the face of the earth. I am around, just been busy for the most part. Actually technically not REALLY busy, just away from the computer and experiencing life.

As for the interview. It went really really really well and I hope to find out later this week if I in fact will get the job. I had to send in a writing style sample which I did this morning and I hope they like it! It is an administrative position and the company sounds amazing and there is so much room for growth there. I know it isn't in the music business like I would like to be working in however it will be helping out New Orleans and that is something else I am passionate about. So now the waiting begins.

As I said last week, my sister, brother in law and Aubrey came to town. They arrived on Friday evening. It had been a long travel day for Aubrey, with her taking only on 45 min nap. She usually lays down at least twice a day for about 2 hours each time. (The kid loves to sleep) For that little amount of sleep she was in really good spirits. We got them to the hotel and Aubrey got settled in for bed while her dad and I ran to the store to pick up some food items for the little one. I got to hang out in the hotel while everyone ran out to meet some people for dinner. Really I didn't mind. Even if she was asleep I enjoyed hanging out with my niece. Later my sister came back to the room while I took out my Brother in Law, one of my sister's friends and one of their reps.

Saturday it was up early to take care of animals then out to the hotel to play with my niece. Scott and I did take her out for a walk, the plan had to go swimming however the storm that passed through put a damper on that. We did take Aubrey out to d.b.a to see Paul Sanchez and Shamarr Allen. They played the early set so we snuck the baby into her first bar! We snagged one of the window seats so it wasn't too loud and away from the smoke. Craig stopped by on his way to Snug to meet Aubrey for the first time and say hi to my sister. After grabbing some food from 13 I dropped the family off at the hotel then went to care for the dog I am watching.

Yesterday it was a bit more of the same, however my housemate is finally home so I didn't have to race to my house to take care of our cats. I did get a bit of sleep then went over to the hotel to hang with Aubrey again. We did take her to lunch at Mulate's (close to the convention center) and then later the convention my sister is attending had a mini Mardi Gras that included a few floats and a high school band. Aubrey caught a few beads and had great time!

I am getting off work in about an hour to spend more time with her and the rest of them. ;) Can't wait to get some more baby lovin!!

EDITED TO ADD: My birthday is in ONE MONTH!! Planning should have commenced already. ;)

I ventured out on a Tuesday night. I try to avoid going out on a "school" night, however this was something I just couldn't pass up. It was a reunion show for Royal Fingerbowl, as well as a birthday celebration for Matt Perrine, sousaphone/bass player legend. The show took place at One Eyed Jacks, a venue I have been to a few times and have loved every time. Last night was no exception. The guys actually started at 10, something that is virtually unheard of. I was sitting up on the small balcony with Matt's mom and Elyse and at first we didn't think that many people were going to show up. When the band started there weren't that many people there. Within minutes however the room was packed. For a band that hasn't played in a long time, they sounded so amazing. I can't convey the sound that they produced last night. It was killin. Alex McMurray is a terrific songwriter and amazingly wonderful guitar player and he just threw down last night. They played a lot of the Royal Fingerbowl catalog as well as a few other tunes. I do have to say I was most surprised when they played "Like a Virgin" Seriously haven't lived until you have heard Royal Fingerbowl's version. There was cake and champagne for the birthday boy during the break which lasted only 15 minutes. Again something unheard of. A short set break? shocking. I don't know if they will get together again, even if they don't you should check out some of their music!

Okay this picture is way better than the last one...here is a bit of who we are viewing as well as where why and what not. I realized that not everyone who reads this knows who was in the last picture. To me that is inconceivable! Well not really, but you get the drift. Today's picture once again features Mr. Mark Mullins of Bonerama (electric trombone god) as well as Mr. Eric Bolivar of Bonerama (drummer god). This shot was taken during the break of the AASECT Masquerade Ball. In simpler terms Bonerama played a sex ball. Okay it was a convention for Sex Educators but my small mind likes to call it the Sex Ball. I found it highly amusing that both of them had their iphones out and were busy doing whatever they were doing...quite possibly watching porn, watching Richard Simmons on You Tube. Checking emails...what have you. Addiction much? Like I am one to talk. This one is screaming out for captioning however and I am opening up the blog doors to allow it to happen. Hopefully I will still be the local Merch Goddess after this...

Seriously needs to have something good....

So far all I have is:
"Yeah I wore the Blazer, what about it??"

Last night I went and had some dinner at my lovely friend's house before they jet set off to another place for the summer. A lot of my friends are/will be out of town for the summer. That is just what some people do here in New Orleans. They get out of town to try to beat the heat, go where the gigs are, just get out. It really does quiet down here so the need for the musicians to leave is great. They do have to make money somehow! My housemate has been gone for all of June, she will be back in the next few weeks. My Bonerama boys are here right now, but will be on the road most of the summer, Pfister Sisters are in Ascona then Berlin, Leroy and Katja are heading to Finland, Grace is visiting family for a month, Roger and Elyse are hitting the West Coast for about a week, there is so many more going. I have realized that I have not left the city of New Orleans since last July. I haven't really had a longing to go anywhere. Yes it would have been nice to go to Phoenix for Christmas, but other than that? Pretty content where I am for now. Not to say I would pass up a free trip to Europe, or some sandy beach somewhere!! I do have a few people coming to visit. Lisa, Scott and my beautiful niece Aubrey will be here in about 3 short weeks. I can't wait to see them. Of course the Mulvey's will make their yearly summer pilgrimage. I can't wait to sit by the pool and just visit and have possibly a famous Bloody Mary!! Anyone have any big summer travel plans?

I did rest a lot this weekend and am feeling quite awake. It could have something to do with riding the bike to work this morning. Which means riding the bike home. I hope to make this a daily thing, so wish me luck on that!

As for the weekend, well it all started on Thursday. After work I met up with Lisa at her hotel where we sat by the pool and chatted for a bit. We then had a lovely dinner with her boss then made our way out to Frenchmen Street. Yes it was another evening of fantastic music with Paul Sanchez. This time he had Shamarr Allen sitting in with him. Paul has also offered me a small job with him, which I am going to do. I am going to hope this works out really well for the both of us! After Paul's sets ended, Lisa and I made our way over to Snug Harbor where the Pfister Sister's were celebrating their CD release. I love seeing those ladies live. They are so super talented and funny. I don't get to see them that often even though they have a weekly gig at the Spotted Cat on Wednesdays. I am usually either babysitting for Debbie and Matt or working the Wednesday in the Square. The ladies will be going overseas for most of the summer, so chances of seeing them again soon are pretty slim.

I took Friday off, mainly for a mental health break. As some of you know my job is relocating in the next few months. I am however, not relocating with them. In between training a new person and worrying about finding a new job for myself, I needed a day. I met up with Lisa, had a small lunch then I said goodbye to her and went on over to Canal Place to catch a viewing of Sex and the City. I loved it. I cried. I laughed. I did both at the same time. The only weak part in the whole movie? Jennifer Hudson. Which I found gratifying since she was so mean when I worked with her. No that didn't color my opinion, it was a very weak performance, I went in giving her the benefit of the doubt. After the movie was over I made my way home. Perused the job boards a bit, and took a nap and watched the Lost season finale. OH MY WORD. I did make my way to the Maple Leaf. Of course. I wanted to see Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes. They always put on a good show. They didn't disappoint this weekend. I got to hang out with some new friends and we all danced our butts off.

Saturday I caught up on some Tivo, a movie and cleaned up the house a bit. I then made my way downtown and met up with my friend Katja. We had grand plans to go either to Preservation Hall or to Palm Court, possibly both. We made it to neither. We sat outside in their backyard and ate food, drank wine and just talked. It was the most enjoyable relaxing evening and I was so glad to get caught up with Katja. Since she is on the road so much, we don't get to do that that often.

Yesterday was more job searching, another movie, a few errands and trying to cheer up a friend. I don't think I did that so well but will keep trying. I also have a potential great job lead that I hope comes to be. We will see.

This week looks to be pretty quiet as well. Other than some amazing shows happening this weekend. Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road show will be playing a FREE show at Tipitina's this Friday. That is right. FREE! He is having sit in with him Shamarr Allen, and three of my boys from Bonerama: Craig, Eric and Matt. It is looking to be a great show. Again, if you haven't experienced a Paul show yet, this should be the one!! If you don't live here, there is the potential of a webcast at www.tipitinas.com. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The next night Bonerama is playing at Tipitina's. It is a benefit show for Sweet Home New Orleans and Pot Luck Con I believe. Tickets are only $15.

This long weekend that we just had, well it was packed full of non-stop fun. It was a great way to kick off the summer. I had a friend come to visit the city, and we just had so much that we had to do and see, and to be seen. Like I said in my last post, we spent most of Thursday dodging rain and storms but managed to have a lovely afternoon that included a few bars, live music and friends. On Friday I went back to work, having enjoyed a half day off. When Sophia was ready to go for the day, I ran to the house, and dropped her off in the Quarter and said "have fun!!" After my day at work I met up with her in the Quarter, introduced her to the wonder of the many daquari shops then we wandered a bit more. We found ourselves in Jackson Square, enjoying the band playing when I happened to notice a familiar looking fellow. It was Terrance Higgins, drummer for Dirty Dozen Brass Band and had at one point sat in with Bonerama. He was showing friends around as well. About that time as well I got a call from Pete, saying he had made it into town and was out at the Greek Fest, so away we went out to the fest. It was a nice relaxing evening there in which I tried my first shot of Ouzo, watche the dancers and listened to the music. Of course food and conversation was had as well. Check out Pete's blog for pictures! We were not done for the evening however, once leaving there, it was time for my weekly check in at the Maple Leaf. Sophia finally got to see my home away from home and hear some music, meet even more people and soak up some of the orange lighting.

After some sleep, we were up and ready to go again on Saturday. This was a HOT and very muggy day. It was my kind of day. First stop of the day was out to Bayou Bogaloo and to see Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road show. It was a short but amazing set. I was glad that Sophia got to see Shamarr play and had a chance to meet him, as he is an amazing musician and person. We then did the tour of the devasted areas, you know the 9th Ward, Lakeview, any part of the city that isn't the Garden District and French Quarter. To me there seemed to be a lot more activity down in the 9th Ward and that made me glad. More businesses are open. We then made it down to Port O Call for some drinks and burgers. We eventually made our way over to d.b.a for a night of John Boutte. It was once again packed for him in there, everyone seems to enjoy John, whether he remembers the words or not. A few of us were reminising about the days when you didn't have to get there so early to make sure you had a seat, while it is GREAT for John, the rest of us were bummed. A bit anyway. When his sets were done, we made the trek around the Quarter to Donna's to take in a few sets by New Orleans Helsinki Connection. It was a small crowd, and it was some really nice music happening. I hadn't been to Donna's in quite a while so it was nice to get back in there.

Sunday we did a tour of the Garden District, more walking in the Quarter so some more shopping could be had then a stop at Palm Court where Lucien was playing. Sophia was tired when we left there so I took her back to my house so she could pack a bit and get some rest. I, knowing I had the next day off decided to head on down to the Maple Leaf for some Sunday fun. Which was had....Yesterday after a mad dash to the airport, a missed flight, Sophia made it home in one piece. While maybe not quite rested, she did have fun!! And so did I. It is always a good time to see the city through a new person's eyes.

Yesterday I took half a day off because I had a friend come into town. It was the first time she had ever visited the city, without her parents (which doesn't count). We made it to Napoleon House and had a little Pimms and a little food. We were then attempting to walk down Royal Street, which turned more into a game of how wet will become in between balconies? The rain just didn't let up. AT.ALL. We did do a little shopping here and there in some of the local shops. We finally made our way to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop for a drink and to hopefully wait out the storm. It did clear up finally, it was such a "chore" to have to just sit there and drink and visit. No really we probably could have stayed there much longer however we had places to go! People to see! We made it back to the car with the mandatory walk down Bourbon and right as the rain started to fall again. We pointed the car into the direction of Frenchmen Street and d.b.a. Paul and Alex put on another lovely couple of sets. There was a little Good Cop/Bad Cop, actually it was really Bad Cop/Bad Cop even though Alex tried to be good. Not many people came out that night, I don't know why? Rain smain. There is awesome music happening! That's okay we still had a BLAST and heard some amazing stuff happening up on the stage. We then headed on over to Palm Court Cafe to hear the last set from Leroy Jones and Katja. So glad to see them back in town! By the time we left there, it was storming pretty good once again. Hopefully today won't be as bad weather wise. After I get off work there will be more adventures to be had. I do believe one of them will include Pete and some Greeks!!

First and foremost a small rant, if you will. I forgot my camera yesterday. I know I should just carry it around with me for access at all times. Usually it is in my purse. I had moved it into a different bag for last Saturday night, and forgot to move it back. Thus there are no pictures, from me anyway, of the great and fantastic evening that occurred last night.

Seriously? The music was out of control. The sound that poured forth from the stage was like magic. There were at times 9 people up on stage. Paul Sanchez (of course), Sonia Tetlow, Mary Lasang, Susan Cowsill, Russ Broussard, John Boutte, Alex McMurray, Glen Andrews and a sax player named Chelsea I belive. Everyone got more than one chance to shine, play their own stuff as well as Paul's. Because that is the way Paul is, he wants to showcase everyone and just play some damn good music. I can't tell you what my favorite moment was because there was so many. Just so many. The crowd was into it, much more than I have seen in the past. People were dancing and singing and living life. If you missed it? Well it is a damn shame. However, there are more opprotunities to check it out for yourself. This weekend as a matter of fact. Paul and the Rolling Road show will be playing tomorrow night at Mandeville Trailhead, they will also be playing at the Bayou Boogaloo on Saturday from 12-12:45. Yes it is a very short set....but it will be 45 mins of glorious music!!

If you haven't caught a Paul Sanchez gig either solo, with a few people sitting in, or with the Rolling Road Show, you are missing one of the true New Orleans experiences. You never know who is going to show up, who is going to play, all you know is the sound produced at one of these gigs just wraps you up in a giant hug. The stories are classics and usually has you laughing your ass off. The songs? Well the songs speak for themselves. The Rolling Road Show usually consists of a few constants, but the rest of the players rotate in and out depending on who is available. See Paul has some of the best musicians in town playing with him. We are talking top notch fantastic musicians. Tonight we will be seeing Sonia Tetlow, Mary LaSang, Alex McMurray, I do believe Paul told me that Glenn Andrews would be there tonight, Shamarr Allen, and I am not sure who else. I am going to guess Susan Cowsill, John Boutte, and heck I don't know who else all I know it will be GOOD! So come on out to the Wednesday in the Square. Dash Rip Rock opens the whole shindig at 5:00 PM, Paul should be hitting the stage at 6:00. It is a free show, there is food, beer and drinks for sale.....enjoy some pics from the last time Paul played there!!

This weekend was a quiet one for me. Shocking and unbelievable for some I know, yet it is true. Friday after work we had a crawfish boil, and that was really the biggest event of the night for me. Unless you include the peeling of the crawfish I brought home to make pasta with an outstanding and exciting time. I wasn't in the mood for going out, and really it was time to spend a Friday night in. So that is what I did. Saturday I was up nice bright and early due to the previous nights inactivity. I had laundry going and a breakfast prepared before 8:30 AM. The rest of my day pretty much consisted of watching lame reality TV, working on this new site and laundry. That is until about 3. Really did you think I would spend all weekend doing nothing? For shame. I did go over and babysit the boys for about an hour, then once their grandmother showed up we all bundled up in the car and headed on over to Ponchatrain Vineyards for a lovely evening of friends, food and really good music by Rick Trolsen. There was a nice group of us over there showing our support and love for Rick. I do admit that I didn't get to enjoy the music as much as I normally would because I was running around after a 4 year old most of the time. He did seem to enjoy himself!! I did make my way down to the Maple Leaf for about an hour that night. I was in fact home and in bed before 1. Several people asked me where I was the night before, so I guess I was missed. Yesterday I barely left my room. I read a bit and watched a few movies. There were a few times when I just couldn't seem to keep my eyes open and would doze off into oblivion. It was a nice restful weekend. Gearing up for a potentially busy week coming up. There are two things I am looking quite forward to, one being Wednesday in the Square. This week I will not be serving beer, but helping sell merchandise. The headliner for that night is Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show. Perfect time to check them out. He won't have a few of the usual Rolling Road Showers with him as they will be in Brazil, however I do know the people he is brining in will bring a nice sound to the mix. The other is I have a friend coming to town for her first ever visit. I am excited to be able to show off the town to a first timer!!

As I had previously mentioned this Jazz Fest was just a bit different for myself. Traditions that had been set in the past, well didn't happen. I did start the first day of Jazz Fest and the last day of the Fest out on my own. What I mean by that is that I made my way to the Fest on my own and for a majority of the days would go to the stages that I wanted to go to, see who I wanted, when I wanted, eat when I wanted and what not. It was nice. I did run into people I did know on those days and did spend time with them as well. The mud factor this year made it a bit more challenging to get around from stage to stage. Some fake crocs bought at the local drugstore made it almost bearable. The rain was pretty miserable on the first weekend. It wasn't so bad at the beginning, it was as it got colder and colder out did we get more miserable. I did try out a few more food dishes this year, and I think climbing up to the top of my favorites is the softshell crawfish poboy. Yes, softshell crawfish. Pretty darn delish. The music was top notch as always. I didn't catch many of the bigger acts, I rarely do. The only one I did in fact was Allison Krause and Robert Plant. The crowds get to much for me at the bigger stages. The only day it was durable was on Thursday. Of course that was the "locals" day. It was one of the best days at the fest. The weather was outstanding and the crowds were lighter. Of course Bonerama and PBS played and both of their sets were amazing. I wasn't all gung-ho with the Burlesque dancers, I do know I wasn't the only one. But it did get people talking about the band. I would rather see it be more about the music myself that got the people talking. Don't get me wrong, people did pay attention to the music and were talking about it, could have been more if it weren't for the dancers. PBS laid it straight out and had the people groovin to the tunes. I didn't make my way up front for either band, again because of the aforementioned crowds. My favorite sets other than my two bands were, Storyville Stompers, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, Leroy Jones, and the Bingo Show.

Again it was a lot of running around for me during the Fest. I do feel like I am still in recovery mode. In addition to going to the fest everyday, I was helping out at night shows. My least favorite shows were not because of the music, oh no. The crowds were out of control which were awesome for the bands. I only had to endure being stepped on, drinks poured on me, shoved, slipping on the floor (in front of the owner of the establishment who did nothing to help me get off my ass) (no I wasn't drunk, the floor was so slick from the rain and spilled drinks). I would totally do it all over again however. I love being able to help the bands out and Jazz Fest brings out some of the coolest and best fans that they have. Both new and old, the fans were out in full force. There were a couple of times that as soon as we walked in the venue, people were surrounding the merch table wanting to buy something. I wouldn't even have time to set up anything yet! This happened with BOTH bands. Ya can't help but be happy for the bands when that happens.

All in all it was a pretty successful Jazz Fest. If we weren't enjoying music, it was hanging out with my awesome new and old friends, finding great food, or getting a cold beer.

I did find myself thinking about next year already so it must mean that I am pretty much almost recovered.

A day of rest and now we are back at it. But WAIT! some of you may be saying. Jazz Fest isn't starting back up until Thursday. Very true, but that doesn't mean that there isn't fun still happening!! Obviously today I am at work. If all goes according to schedule, Lisa should be arriving here around 2. We are going to meet up at the New Orleans arena around 4. No we aren't lucky enough to have tickets to the Hornets game. However Bonerama is going to be playing the pre-game festivities outside the arena, so might as well go soak up some of the playoff atmosphere!! Tomorrow it will be work again then I will bop on over to Wednesday in the Square where I will be pouring beer for a few hours. Hopefully this week someone will actually give me a break....I killed 5 kegs on my own last week and well...this week is going to be SO much more busy.

Thursday, well Thursday is a special day. I am hoping to see lots of people at the Acura Stage that day. Not just the bands, but the actual people. Bonerama AND PBS on one stage, back to back??? I mean how frickin lucky can one girl get??

Just to mention again if you will be in town, either visiting or living here, don't forget on Friday night that Bonerama will be doing another signing at the Jamie Hayes Gallery from 8-9! Come see the print for yourself and have the guys sign it! :) :)

My Jazz Fest has been so different this year. It has thrown me off a bit. I haven't taken many pictures so far, mainly because of the rain. Two days of rain hasn't made it real pleasant at times. For the sake of music we endure it.

Friday I got out the fest later than planned. I grabbed the only thing that has been customary for starting out the fest, crawfish bread and a Miller Light and headed over to the Fais Do Do stage. Caught a part of the Zydepunks before going over to Congo Square to browse the wares for sale. I kept running into people I know, so before I knew it, it was time to head on over to see Bonerama being interviewed by David Fricke (of Rolling Stone). It was a great interview laced with some music. Hearing the bones blast away the paddock area at the Fairgrounds was just amazing. The sound bounced of the walls and just filled the space up with the brassy ballsy music that is the Bone. Best quote of the whole interview was when Craig said that Mark learned how to dress and do his hair from Harry Connick Jr. Oh and of course when David kinda forgot that Bonerama DID have a guitar player. After the interview I had to check out Robert Plant and Alison Krause. She has the most beautiful voice. Someone said to me later that it reminded them of a mother singing lullabies. Robert? Well come on now. He is Robert Plant.

After that I bid the fest a fond farewell for the evening. I had to head on over the hotel where the manager was staying and count out some merch and get it organized for the evening. First up for the Boneramas was an artist/musician reception in the Quarter. Jamie Hayes is a local artist who has done up a rather funky and fun print for Bonerama. It is being sold at Jamie's gallery and also at the shows. The boys and Jamie signed a bunch of posters and mingled with fans. I sold a few cds and the new t-shirts that have the print on them. The best moment had to have been the one captured in the below pic:

I think George Porter Jr was happy to have one of the prints in his hands. I won't be surprised to see a George one soon. There will be another reception this Friday, May 2nd at the gallery as well. After that it was time to get everyone to Chickie Wah Wah, and blow the joint down. I was designated to sell merch in the little patio area that has just been finished.

I was quite glad the rain held off that evening.

Saturday I started out helping out WWOZ with will call, then made it into the fest just as the rain came down. We stuck it out though. Saw some Jon Cleary, Dr. John, Cowboy Mouth, Robert "Wolfman" Washington and then to the very shortened set for Paul Sanchez.

The picture turned out dark because, well it was DARK out already!! It was pouring and there was thunder and lightning. Paul only played 3 and a half songs. And let me tell you, it was the best 3 and a half songs that I heard all day. Everyone on that stage wanted to play for those fans that stayed and they gave it everything they had. Matt Perrine set the mood, as he came from the dressing room area you could hear him coming down the corridor playing "Singing in the Rain" by the time he got to the stage the crowd was cheering. It was one of the most fantastic musical moments for me. Something so simple. Craig saved us from having to stay out longer at the fest waiting for another ride, he just rocked the world last night. I was able to squeeze in a short nap before heading to the Maple Leaf. Not my most fun night there. I was selling merch out in the back bar area. It as so crowded, I got stepped on, hit in the face (it was an accident) drink poured down my back, and stepped on some more. It kinda sucked. Not the music just the whole atmosphere. It was too crowded for my liking. I didn't end up getting home until after 4:30 this morning. I stayed for about 5 songs of George's set at the end of the night and it was still packed when I left. Not as packed but enough.

This morning I was at the fest again to help out WWOZ, made it in before the rain hit again. I only caught two acts today. Leroy Jones and Gregg Stafford. It was dry in the Economy tent, just the way I liked it. The music was killin and had people second lining through the crowd. You make the best of what you can do. Like Mr. Phluffy did.

I mean no other man I know can pull off that much pink and still be straight. Seriously. I left shortly after Gregg's set to get merch ready for this evening's festivities. Nope no Bonerama tonight. Tonight it is PBS' turn and let me tell you...I am ready to hear some of their funky music. Almost craving it. But not until I catch a nap.

So Pete asked me if I did in fact make it out to FQF. I am proud to say that I did. I was a little out of it for most of the day. My body took quite a beating from being on that concrete floor in the arena for so long. My knees hurt, my feet hurt, I had blisters and was over all exhuasted. I didn't want to miss out on the fest however. I was willing to power through it. I was up pretty early on Sunday and made my way to the Streetcar. By the time it got up to Napoleon, the car was packed, yet more people kept getting on. I did run into some friends on the way, so we walked over to Ingrid's set together. Once there we did lose track of each other, but that was okay. Really all I wanted to do was to sit down and enjoy the music. Jessica showed up, and by that time I decided I wanted a Pimm's cup. The line to sit down to eat was out the door, and some people standing in line wouldn't let anyone wanting to go up to the bar and order a drink to go, well go in. Obviously some tourists and I wasn't in the mood to fight it so I wandered across the street and got myself a bloody mary. We went back to Ingrid's stage to catch the rest of her set. We weren't there more than 5 mins when I was called and asked to come and sell Merch for Paul Sanchez's gig. We sold a TON of cds for Paul, Shamarr, John and Susan.

They had a nice crowd gathered around their stage, and everyone did seem to be enjoying themselves.
As you can see here from this pic, I had some extreme bags and dark circles under my eyes, yet I did have a smile on my face. I love the way that the set was advertised as Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road show, yet he gave the stage over to John, Susan and Shamarr so they could do their thing as well. He is a gracious performer. After Paul's set we went over to Jackson Square to catch the end of the Pfister Sisters. If you haven't seen them, you really should. These ladies have some beautiful voices!!
After the set we did finally get a chance to eat (first meal of the day) and I knew exactly what I wanted to get. Vaucresson Sausage. I ordered up a hot sausage po' boy and Jessica got a crawfish sausage po'boy. We gracefully ripped them in half (okay it wasn't graceful) so we each got to try a little bit of each. Of course we had our customary hurricane together. Then it was off to Preservation Hall to see Leroy and Katja.

I was at this point starting to fade fast, so we journyed on back to my house to drop off Jessica's bag then, well it was a trip down to the Maple Leaf so Jessica could induldge in the crawfish boil. We stuffed ourselves with the spicey goodness then it was time to crash. Crash I did. I am still trying to recover. But so worth it.

One thing that just makes this city so frickin fantastic is the music. We all know that. In my case, I happen to think it IS the best thing. It is actually everything that comes with the music that makes it so wonderful. It is the food and drink that you can consume while listening to the music. It is the people that come out to hear the music. It is the different kinds of music you get to hear. I heard a nice blend of different music and I found myself falling in love with the city all over again.

On Friday I went out to the Columns on St. Charles to hear my friends play with the New Orleans Helsinki Connection. They played the happy hour set from 5-7. This was almost a perfect setting for them. They played on the grand porch that leads into the hotel. With a drink in hand and the streetcar clanging by, the scent of flowers in the air and the sounds of a nice jazz song ringing in the air made me say "yeah this is the life". However most of the people that were also sitting on the porch didn't care that there was music playing. They were all unwinding from their work week, or were there to try to pick up the opposite sex. Unless you were sitting right in front of the band? You were talking as loud as you could over them. The band didn't have microphones, so anytime there was a vocal either singing or talking? You didn't get to hear them. From where I was sitting, right next to the band, I discovered that my friend Todd hummed as he played his solos. I have seen Todd play in so many different venues and with different people but this was something new I learned about him. That should give you some indication on how close I was to the band. Later that evening there was a plethora of music going on all over town, but like I told NOLA, I was most likely going to the closest place to me. That of course was the Maple Leaf. Took in some Groovesect for a set before calling it a night. A small crowd but the set was nice.

Saturday I journeyed on over to d.b.a on Frenchmen. Normally on a Saturday it is John Boutte's set and I had told myself that have a very long hiatus of attending these Saturday night gigs of John's, that I was going to go. One of my friend's that played on Friday night plays with John on Saturdays and they had been giving me a hard time about not making it for awhile. So come hell or high water I was going to go. I found out on Thursday that John was in fact NOT playing and that Paul Sanchez was filling in. Lee was also going to be playing, and I was extremly excited to be able to see two of my most favorite musicians play together. It was a wonderful evening of music and laughter. I did get a lot of teasing from Lee and his wife, saying the only reason I came was because Paul was playing. It isn't true at all!! (This coming Saturday Paul will be filling in once again for John...and he will have not only Leroy Jones on Trumpet but Shamarr Allen) I ended the evening again at the Maple Leaf hearing Juice. A nice groovy band. A smaller crowd than the night before, but they danced the night away.

Yesterday rounded out my weekend of music. Once again taking in the sounds of Leroy Jones and Katja Toivola at the Palm Court Jazz Cafe. If you ever get the chance to get out there to hear music and eat some wonderful food do it. You won't regret it. Not only were there people there that I did know, but I met some wonderful new people as well. It made for a wonderful end to a fantastic weekend.

We have a new addition into the household. A kitten tentatively called Izzy. She adopted our front porch about a month ago. She showed up skin and bones and just wanted to be loved. We of course, the softies, provided the food. She would show up every evening and eat, snuggle and meow whenever we went inside. It became apparent soon thereafter that not only was she gaining weight from the now constant food, she was also pregnant. This sweet kitten was not even a year old and she had gotten it on! Kristen wrestled over the fact that the kitten was expecting and was wondering what to do. Take the kitten in for herself or just let her be a porch cat. I would have taken her in a second, had I been able to afford another cat. Finally last week some point Kristen did decide to adopt her as her own. She set up an appointment with her vet for early on Friday morning. This is were it got a tad tricky. We knew the time frame she came and hung out on the porch. 6-7 in the evening to sometime in the morning. We would have to crate her in that time. We didn't want to bring her into the house until we were sure she didn't have anything that would pass on to our cats. We also didn't want to crate her for a long period of time. So at 2 in the morning on Friday found Kristen and I trying to wrestle and pregnant kitten into a cardboard crate.

The prognosis of the kitten was good. Carrying no disease, a little malnourished and an issue with a tooth, but other than that, she was good. The babies she was carrying was another story. In fact the Vet couldn't detect heartbeats. Izzy was spayed on Monday. She is no long carrying kittens. It was the one thing I said to Kristen I didn't want to know about. However I do. It isn't an easy decision, but knowing the kittens were not surviving at that point made it a bit easier. Saturday Kristen left town to go to Maine. Izzy made her way to her new home on Tuesday. She has been staying in the bathroom for the time being, so her and the other two cats can get to know each other through the door. My cat didn't seem too keen at first on the new addition but seems to be doing better. Kristen's cat doesn't really seem to care and Izzy is just happy to be somewhere warm. She is still the sweetest thing. She even seems to drool a little like my sister's cat Felix does when getting loved.

Other than the vase shattering in the bathtub on her first night, there has been no disasters. I did leave the bathroom door open yesterday evening and observed the normal hissing/growling dominace dance. I did finally bring her out to the living room because she didn't seem to want to move out on her own. She did find a hiding spot where she hung out for awhile. I couldn't find her this morning right away, she had found herself a real good hiding spot under the recliner. She is back in the bathroom today, and her human mama will finally be home this evening. I am going to gladly hand over the med giving duty to her and let them bond properly.

I can't accurately explain the trip out to Cajun country. We went out to Houma to have some food and then the swamp tour. The plan was then to have some dinner and listen to some Cajun music and then head back to the city. We forgot that it was Good Friday, so we didn't get to have the dinner and music portion.

We had lunch at Boudreau & Thibodeau's. It was a great place, the service was excellent.

We split 2 platters and 3 appetizers between four of us. We had Boudin balls, oysters, crawfish, stuffed crab, etouffee, and many many other items. Almost all was fried. I didn't end up eating dinner at all that night. I was stuffed all day.

The tour that we took was Munson's Swamp Tours, the only one that is on private property and is an environmental preserve.

We saw about 30 gators, Herons, Egrets, an owl, woodpecker, turkey vultures, turtles, fish,racoons and some of the most beautiful scenery you will ever see.

I can't explain nor will the pictures quite do it justice. We had 8 people total on our boat and we were out there for about 2 and half hours. The silence in the swamp was what impressed us most. It was amazing. All you could hear were birds and the occasional splash as a gator slide into the water.

I will put a few more of my favorite pics up tomorrow....

It has been an whirlwind so far. It started on Friday with going to Rivertown's production of "Flea in Her Ear". My friend was in the show and she had been trying to get myself and Ms. Kelly to a production of hers. We both finally made it to one, I had been determined to make it to this one as I had seen a production of it in Ashland, OR at the Shakespeare festival. It is such a funny show, an this company did a great translation of it.

I then headed over to the Maple Leaf to see Anders play. Mr. Mark and Mr. Eric were sitting in with him, so it was fun to see them outside of the Bonerama environment. It ended up being an extremely long night, but it was a good one.

After a short snooze it was time to head to the Quarter to see Leroy and Katja play, then it was out to have a few drinks and catch up. I had just enough time to get home and grab the merch before heading out to the Bonerama gig. It was an interesting one, and it took awhile for the crowd to get into the music. The boys were doing their best. At one point there was some pole dancing...by a band member. It was blink and you missed it moment. Steam was literally coming off of at least Greg and Mark's trombones. Yes the event was outside, and it was COLD. At least it wasn't as cold as it had been the night before.

The weekend will be wrapped up with cleaning and heading to OZ for another stint. 6-8 today. Tune in if you get a chance. I hope the time change doesn't hurt too bad!

Last night the boys of Bonerama played at Rock-n-Bowl for a VERY packed crowd. They kicked it off just right. It was funny because there was about an area right in front of the band that no one wanted to enter into right at first. I tried to get a few people out there, and finally Eddie showed up and took charge. That and Mark told people to move on up.

I got to meet some other NOLA bloggers, which happened to be a first for myself. Lisa even made it out!! She just missed meeting Nola, Pete and Leigh. (and I mean JUST missed, ya'll probably passed either in the parking lot or on the stairs) It was great to get to chat for even just a few brief moments with all of them. I also saw L out again. Last week we met/chatted at the Maple Leaf. Met her boyfriend who knew Mark way back in the day. I was also standing at the bar when this lady asked me if I was Stacey. Turns out she knows Lisa via her blog and was hoping to meet her. Which she did!! There were a ton of people that I have met via working for the Bones hanging out last night having a grand ole time. That atmosphere was a party.

Someone needs to remind me that, it is never a good idea to skip dinner. Well actually I didn't intend to skip dinner. I wasn't hungry when we left the house to go and see Paul Sanchez at d.b.a. I was figuring I could pick something up at Mona's or 13 at some point, or eat when I got home. I had a few drinks. Can you tell where this is heading? (I didn't get sick no) I ended up not eating. But instead of going home when Paul was done I thought it was a great idea to go with a few friends to Donna's. It had been ages since I last went there. What was the harm in one more drink? Really? That STILL would have been okay. If I went home right after that. But I didn't. I went to the Maple Leaf. Suprised a bunch of people that aren't used to seeing me there on a Thursday. I got a suprise myself when I heard some familiar tones wafting towards me from the stage. I looked around the corner and there was Mr. Craig Klein. Let it be known that I stayed for both sets. I am too old to do this sometimes. I did have a great time. A lot of people I knew were out and about, the music was fantastic, conversations were had.

Bonerama at Rock and Bowl tomorrow night. Come meet some really cool people and hear some great music. I may be awake

Hotmail has been down pretty much all morning so I can not get the email I need to send the theatre resume to. It is driving me batty. I guess in the long run it is okay since I have to go home and work on it still.

There is only one downside, and really I can get over it. It runs the same weekend as French Quarter Fest. If I can get this? Kristen will have to be the merch girl for the Bones at their FQF set. Which isn't a problem, she can totally handle it.

Come on hotmail!!

One of my dear friends before I even moved to New Orleans is having a birthday today. Not only is he one of the most sweetest and loving people you will ever meet, he also plays a pretty mean trumpet. Since moving here, both he and his wife have been like a big part of my NOLA family. I hope you have the BEST birthday today Leroy!! I can't wait for the celebration

Several things to say. None of huge importance, so its comin' atcha bullet style

* For those of you who have asked to see the pics of Taylor Hicks onstage with Papa Grows Funk, don't hold your breath to see them anytime soon. See my housemate who took the pictures? She has an old school camera. With film. We will be lucky to see the pictures before next Christmas. It is just the way it is.
* French Quarter Fest will be announcing its lineup for musicians and food vendors today. I don't know honestly which one is more exciting. FOOD! MUSIC! 3 days, and it is all free! Okay the music is free. The food isn't. April 11-13th get your dancing shoes ready.
* I hit my head last night. Actually the car door slammed into my head. It still hurts. I wouldn't be suprised if I had a slight concussion. At least I didn't have a swearing fit when in happened.
* Bonerama is playing a really fun gig this weekend so if you are in town and want to check them out for yourself? This is a good one. The new field for Tulane baseball is opening up this weekend and they are having a weekend long celebration, as well as some games. Saturday at 12 noon they are having a block party in which Bonerama will perform and then they are playing the National Anthem. Feb. 29th they will be playing the National Anthem for the Hornets game.

Taylor Hicks must have loved the Leaf because he came back last night. This time he sat in for a song with Papa Grows Funk.

As we were walking up John was getting some things out of his van. We said hello and made idle chit-chat. As we started walking off we asked if there was anything we could do to help. You know carry something in. He stops and says, "wanna sell merch tonight?" Usually Rick or someone working the door will sell cds for him. Last night he brought in Tshirts as well. So I manned the table and pretty soon Kristen comes back to the table and says "American Idol in the house" He wandered around for a bit, enjoying the music. A few times he went right up front and grooved to the tunes.

Finally John called him up on stage. I can't remember right now what song they did, but everyone loved it. Kristen took a few pics, hopefully. After the song was over Taylor wandered into the back area to cool down. He spent a little time more in the bar. As he was getting ready to leave he came back to the merch table and chatted for a few minutes. We joked around. He is such a sweet guy.

Last night I had to really drag myself down to the Leaf. I was really wanting to stay curled up in bed and snuggle with the kitties. However I did want to see some of my friends so I made the 2 block walk. As I am approaching, I see a limo parked at the corner. I knew there was a slight possibility of some celeb showing up, apparently it happens, however never when I am there (and I am there A LOT). If you are not aware it is the NBA All Star weekend down here in the Big Easy, which is why I knew it was possible. Of course I was thinking more along the line of basketball players. I gut up to the door at the Leaf and Allen says "we have an American Idol in the house tonight, that Taylor guy" We proceeded to chat a few minutes and then I wandered away. I went up to the bar to say hi to Jeff and casually glance around. Nope, didn't see Taylor any where. The band is already playing and they were alright, I have seen them before and I usually don't pay attention to them. They aren't bad, just not that great. I get my drink, and have a small chat with Jeff. Then it was time to go towards the back to say hi to Rick ,who works sound. As I am walking down the hallway I can see through to the back bar and leaning up against the pool table was Taylor talking on his phone. I stop and say hi to Rick when Taylor comes wandering by. I stop him with something totally un-music related. See last time he played here in town, I bought the book he wrote. In the book he talks about this family that he was really close to. I know them. They work with my company and I talk with several of them on a daily basis. So as he was walking by I said "I know Robert" he started laughing and said "how do you know him? how do you know about that??" I told him the connection, and that I read his book. He then says "hi I am Taylor, and shakes my hand" He proceeds to talk to Rick and I for like ten minutes. We talked about him playing with George Porter Jr, Bonerama on Letterman and the massive bass sound that was coming off the stage. He then went back to his friends and they all stuck around for a long time. Enjoying the atmosphere and the night. He seemed to be having a really nice time and he was very sweet. So there was a brush with another celeb.

have never in my four years of Mardi Gras seen a ruder more obnoxious group of people than I did last night for KDV. I don't know if was because they changed routes or what. We were close to the start, at Royal and Frenchmen where they had barriers set up. They use barriers for a reason. We had gotten there about an hour and half before the parade, and there was like 7 of us. We had our drinks and snacks and just had a great time. The parades starts coming down the street and next thing I know there are 3 girls standing right in front of us, on the other side of the barrier. And the cop that is in that area isn't doing anything. Not long after it was probably 3 people deep in front of the barrier, on both sides of the street. The parade could barely get through. Ms. Grace was verbally assaulted when she asked a drunk guy to move, and he jumped the barrier and attempted to start a fight with one of our friends. We couldn't even SEE the parade. The people we asked to move started throwing things at us, because we were obviously the problem. The good thing is that the parade came down Frenchmen at the end. We were taking some of the people in our group down to Mona's to get food before the Tin Men played at d.b.a when the parade came back down, there were less people on the street and no barriers so we were able to actually see it. However by the time it came back to us it was seriously depleted. Some of the floats were gone. At least 2 of the bands were gone, a lot of the people in the walking portion were gone. All I know is karma is going to come and get those people that ruined KDV for everyone that attempted to follow the rules.

Since there are a fair amount of people reading this blog that may or may not know what this fixation I have with a certain band called Bonerama is, I thought I would regal you all with a tale of where it all began.

It all began with a certain musician named Harry Connick Jr. I had really enjoyed his music ever since college. I picked up a few of his cds and would have them on constant rotation. In July 1999 I saw Harry and his big band perform out in Seattle. I realized after finally seeing him live, that I appreciated his music more. Not just his music but the members of his big band. I ended up buying all of the CDs that he had out at that time and was now more than ever listening to his music.

In August 2001 I joined an online community of Harry Connick Jr fans. There I "met" people who also appreciated the music that was coming out of Harry Connick Jr and his band. I actually became really good friends with several people on that board. One in particular. We used to talk on the phone ALL the time. She often talked about a couple of Harry's big band members and this band that they were in and how I should check them out. I finally ordered their CD from Louisiana Music Factory to see what all this fuss was about. Of course the members were Mark Mullins and Craig Klein. The band was of course Bonerama. I can't properly relay what it was like to hear Bonerama for the very first time. Some of the most amazing music I had ever heard was pouring forth from my CD player. I couldn't believe the sounds that the trombones were producing. The CD that I had purchased was of course "Live at Old Point" the first and only CD that they had recorded at that time. Some of the other people on that board also started to listen to the band as well and loved them as much as I did. And still do.

November 2002 rolls around and I am planning a trip to see Harry Connick Jr in concert in DC. It just so happens that Bonerama has a gig booked in NYC, so several of us decide to meet up, face to face for the first time. That trip will live on in my mind forever. Not only was I meeting some of my really good friends in person for the first time, but I was going to get to see Harry Connick Jr and for the first time I was going to see Bonerama. To this day, I remember when the the first few notes were played at Tobacco Road, the stupid giddy feeling I had. I had a big smile the whole time. The music just infects you, and you have to dance. That entire weekend ended up with one more extra Bonerama gig at the Cutting Room, which officially sealed my fate as life long fan.

Not only was the music some of the most insanely brillant music I had ever heard, but the guys behind the music were and are some the nicest, sweetest guys I had ever met. They took time to talk with us on several occasions, would pretty much put up with our inane fandom.

Not long after I moved here in August 04, Mark asked me to help out at a show selling merchandise and the rest they say is history. I have the pleasure and honor of helping out the band when ever they are in town. I have seen them play in little clubs, to now recently playing in front of millions as they played the National Anthem. I know that all the people that have been on the fandom journey with me are just as pleased and excited at the growing amount of fans. The music continues to grow and be brilliant. The band will continue to grow by leaps and bounds and I hope that I will continue to help out.

Thank you for delurking and say hi!! I knew some people were reading but didn't know who. So stick around and I hope you enjoy. :)

So far the weekend has been busy. Friday night of course was the big Bonerama/OK Go show. I was surprised to hear that OK Go was starting the show out. I thought it was going to be the other way around, but it made me damn happy regardless. There was a really nice crowd and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Mark and Craig came out for the last song of OK Go and played with them. Then the Bones took the stage and totally rocked it out. At one point Damian of OK Go was totally rocking out to Bonerama off to the side of the stage. He looked like a happy little boy. He took the stage and did a few songs with them. He also wouldn't let Bonerama finish until they played War Pigs. By then him and few other members were out in the middle of the audience having fun. It was a pretty sweet night.

Yesterday I hung out having a relaxing day. We headed down the street to see Paul Sanchez play at Carrollton Station. It was a killer set from him. He started right after 10 and played for four hours STRAIGHT. He played a ton of his older stuff and he told a lot of stories that I hadn't heard before or longer versions. He had me cracking up. I have noticed that as he has been doing more of these solo shows that his singing voice has improved so much and he is so much more happy and enjoying life so much more. It has been really nice.

After he was done I headed on down to the Maple Leaf and caught the last 45 mins or so of Johnny Sketch. The place was packed and dancing their asses off. It was quite a different atmosphere than I had just been in. Apparently Drew Barrymore and Justin Long were there last night. Either they left before I got there or I just didn't see them. It is quite possible that I just didn't see them.

Later on this afternoon I am going down to the Quarter to see Leroy Jones play and then some more of Paul Sanchez. It is a good thing that I love this town. So far this weekend I have clocked in about 8-1/2 hours of live music and I am ready for some more!

I would say this story takes place about 7 or 8 months after I moved here. I was hanging out a lot with my friends Adam and Carrie, and we would often wind up at this bar in the Quarter. Yes I said the Quarter, leave me alone I had just moved here and hadn't really discovered the good places yet. One night Carrie, Adam and I were hanging out at the bar waiting for one of our friends to get off work, as he worked at the bar we hung out at. We were all going to walk down the street to see this band that Carrie was raving about OK Go at One Eyed Jacks. It was taking a little bit longer for our friend to get off work, and we all may have had a bit more than usual to drink. Finally, after some of us got a refill on the big ass beer that he was drinking we all started to wander down the street. Coming towards us was probably 5 or 6 frat guys. Possibly football players, real big. The sidewalks down here are not that wide, especially in the Quarter. So here are the 4 of us (2 girls/2 guys) and then these massive ass guys. That aren't being polite and slightly stepping out of the way to let the ladies pass. Carrie and I get pushed out either on to the street or up against the building to let them pass, I believe our bartender friend did the same. Adam however really doesn't care and walks right through the middle of them, and as he does he says "What's up assholes?" Now if you know Adam, and some of you do, you know that Adam is ALL talk, that he would never hurt a fly and is one of the sweetest people around. He was trying to be funny, unfortunately it didn't turn out so well this time. One of the guys immediately hit Adam and he went flying where he landed in the street. The other guys held back their friend as he was going after Adam some more. Adam was bleeding and I think one of guys may have had to hold me back because I wasn't going to take something like that happening to a friend quietly. It was mentioned that the guy that had hit Adam had been drinking and using all day and it was probably best if they just went on their way before he got more violent. Adam being Adam, was like "hey man! I was just joking, don't want any problems" The guys disappeared into the Bourbon Street crowd and we proceeded to clean up Adam who was bleeding a bit and covered in beer and calm Carrie down who was really upset. Adam says he still wants to go down to see OK Go so we made our way to One Eyed Jacks where we saw about two and a half songs plus the encore. Which I believe was "Cinnamon Lips" accompanied by a dance a la the tread mill one. We all had a great time, even Adam who was feeling some pain. We chatted with the guys in the band a bit after then we headed on our way.

Turns out that Adam and Carrie went back to the Quarter that night to try to find the guys to point them out to the cops. In the end it really would have been best if we had gotten the cops involved right then as Adam has pretty much been out of work since then. He was in a lot of pain down here, they found out recently that he had 5 broken ribs from that night. The hospital down here had said that they were just bruised or something like that. However he has been dealing with some medical issues when they discovered that the ribs had been broken.

For a brief time that night OK Go did give us some joy however and I have been quietly following them since. So I am pretty damn ecstatic about seeing them this Friday with Bonerama. Hopefully there will be no fights before the gig.

I am back at work today. Other than the cough, the stuffy nose and the spins I am feeling better. I think the spins are on account of I kept waking myself up coughing last night. While I got a lot of sleep yesterday, it was an interuppted sleep. I will take it however. I will embrace it, because at least I got it. The following is pics of the awesomeness of the birthday bash.

The boys on stage at the Howlin Wolf. I cut part of Steve out so I could get Bert in. Some sacrifices have to be made.

Two of my most favorite musicians in town. Birthday Boy Mark Mullins and Mr. Leroy Jones. I am proud to call them both friends.

The other birthday boy of the night, musicial Icon George Porter Jr. Seriously, the man is 60, and is still going strong. Everyone loves him.

Phil, the man behind the scene for Bonerama. Is he an angel??? Is Katja the devil on his shoulder??

One of my most favorite people in the world. Tom. He has somehow been convinced he needs to help out Phil and drives Bonerama from town to town. I was so happy to see him the other night. He rocks. Even if he is a bit confused. I mean a Yankee fan?? He lives in Boston!!!

I know for many of you that this weekend will be one of two things. A nice relaxing weekend with friends and family or a mad dash with you running around like a chicken with your head cut off. If things go the way I am planning (sshhh it could work) I will be frantic today and relaxing the weekend away.

Who really wants to be at work today? I know I don't. However I am and can make it till that 3:00 go home bell rings. I then have to race across town, wrangle a cat into his carrier and get him to the vet. I then have to get the rest of my christmas presents bought. I have to then race home and get merch together and then it will be off to the Bonerama gig at the Maple Leaf. Saturday will consist of sleeping, washing laundry and having "Christmas" with my housemate.

Kristen takes off early on Sunday, I will be watching the Saints Game. (Marisa you want to bet on it???) and more relaxing.

I am one of the poor souls NOT in retail who has to work on Christmas eve. Oh well.....I may be bored out of my skull or busy busy busy.

It all started on Thursday. I went out to see my friend Eric play at the Maple Leaf. He had Matt P sittin in with him and a few other dudes I didn't know. Half way through a jammin first set, Craig wanders in. He proceeds to sit in for the second set. The music is just so good. The few people there were all friends. I was talking, drinking, having a good time and all of a sudden it was 3. Yeah...not good when the alarm goes off at 5.

I did make it to work Friday, all day. The morning may have been rough, but I did survive. After work I attempted to take a small nap, however that didn't float so well. I then went over to a friend's house for a lovely dinner, conversation and a movie. Which I fell asleep within the first five minutes. On the way home, Kristen (who lasted until 15 mins into the movie before crashing) and I decided to swing on by the Maple Leaf. After all we had just napped. We didn't stay there too long but did get to hang out with some friends.

Saturday consisted on a run out the airport, Christmas shopping, and playing with the Playstation 2 that we bought. Kristen and I fell in love with the Sing Song game at Voo Doo Fest. We had to buy the game when we found out it was for Playstation 2 and not 3. Of course that also ment we had to buy a playstation 2. It was actually quite cheap. We both paid about $100. Merry Christmas to us. I then ran out to meet up with some friends down on Frenchmen. Ran into Neal Caine (bass player for Harry Connick Jrs big band) got to chat with him for awhile. I think he said he was here until Christmas. Then I ran down to Dos Jefes to see Rick play.

Yesterday it was Saints football, errands and carolling down at Jackson Square. Nice way to round out a weekend.

It has been a crazy busy week. I think I am still going from this weekend. See whenever Bonerama goes out of town, I seem to get busier. I end up babysitting for a certain Sousaphone player and his lovely wife. Since she is also a musician she needs a bit of help when her husband is out on the road. I have been over there Friday night, Sunday night, last night and this coming Saturday night. And I have so much fun. They have a 4 year old and a 8 month old, both are just so sweet. I had the hardest time last night however. The things that were popping out of the 4 yo's mouth was just hysterical. He has just watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special and what did he take away from that? "Good Grief" He was saying that a lot last night. What really got to me however was when we were talking about something, I asked him why a superhero would do something and he looks at me and says "what the hell?" I froze for a second and trying not to laugh I said "what did you say?" He of course could hear the laughter in my voice and grins and says "what the hell?" I tried to explain that wasn't something you say that it wasn't very nice and he just looks at me and says "Good Grief" and walked away. It was all I could not to double over in laughter.

Yesterday after waking early we went down to Camilla Grill for a lovely brunch. I love that place. I am happy that did reopen. We then went to the D-Day Museum, aka the WWII museum. My dad is a HUGE history buff and he has passed some of that on to me. So I treated him and my mom to a day out there. It really was a day out there. We went through the main part of the museum and it took us 4 hours. We didn't even make it to the new exhibit of When Baseball went to War. That is alright, I am sure that we missed a lot as it is and we will need to go back again. We then headed out to the Quarter to do some last minute shopping for my mom. After a fantastic dinner at a friends house (anyone ever heard of Hangover Soup?) we made it home. Kristen and I did venture out the Leaf for about an hour.

Now here I sit. I am debating on what I am going to do today. Maybe some shopping, maybe some decorating for Christmas. Maybe just watch TV. My parents left already so there is no entertaining to go. :) Have a great weekend!

As I was showering this morning I was amazed thinking that the Bonerama gig was just this past Friday night....and not 2 weeks ago. That is what it felt like. Yes a lot went on this weekend, however I have done more and not been so disoriented. Must be the fact that my parents are in town.

Friday night after work I took the streetcar down to the Columns Hotel. The Columns is a beautiful old house right in the Garden District. There we were able to enjoy the sounds of New Orleans Helsinki Connection in the front room. If you have never been to the Colums, they have this HUGE front porch in which they have a ton of tables out there, there is a front room with tables as well and music nightly. They have a very nice bar with a loungy feel to it. Apparently this is the place to have "cocktails". Someone I was with called it a meatmarket and I have to agree. After the gig was done, I had to run home as I only had an hour before my ride came to pick me up for I quickly organized the merch and changed clothes then was out the door for some Bonerama fun. As I said on Saturday there were several new songs. I am waiting to get the names of them all. I know one of them is "Bite Your Bitch" I must confess when I saw that title on the set list it was abbreviated and all it said was "Bitch" I thought it was about me. ;) The set included more instrument swapping and hula hooping. There was also a small strip tease. My pictures are sitting at Walgreens as I type. I will do my best to pick them up tonight. A nightcap at the Maple Leaf was had, then it was home to sleep.

I woke up early on Saturday unable to convince my body to go back to sleep. I had only 5 hours of sleep in me. After a yummy breakfast at Oak Street Cafe, I caught a few shows on Tivo then decided to tackle the house. I finally got my pictures hung up in my room and the house sparkling just in time to listen to the Grizzlies beat the Bobcats. About an hour after they were suppose to arrive, my parents finally made it to my house. We got them settled in and then out the door we went. We had dinner down on Frenchmen Street at the Praline Connection, then walked down to see John Boutte, Todd Duke and Leroy Jones playing at d.b.a. It was of course PACKED on the stage side of the bar, so we sat on the side. Ran into a few friends and had nice conversations. We were eventually able to snag a window seat on the stage side for the second set. It wasn't long after that set ended that we had to leave, as I was again selling merchandise that night, this time it was for 101 Runners. My parents did make it through the first band and the first set of 101 before they decided to call it a night. At that point they were up for close to 24 hours. After they left, I found a hard time staying awake, so I was sent out to do some dancing, that really woke me up. At one point in the front bar area it was just myself, Jason and Travis the two bartenders. Everyone else was squeezed in front of the stage dancing. I have never seen that before.

Yesterday after snoozing in a bit, we went out to the Po'Boy fest. Let me tell you that the organizers and myself didn't expect as many people as there was. It was PACKED!! It took us forever to make it from my house down to the the Maple Leaf. It is only 2 blocks away! I do think that they really needed to break up the food stalls just a bit. They put all of them on one block, along with the beer garden with the Saints game playing. It was a huge bottle neck. We did enjoy the sounds coming from both stages, a duck po'boy with slaw and ran into a lot of people. Ashley and I decided to tell my parents that this happened every Sunday in our neighborhood. It was close to the truth! The night ended fairly early, in fact I do believe I was in bed by 9 last night! Crazy but true.

I am looking forward to my parents getting to meet even more of my friends as the week goes on.

Looking back on the week, it seems like it as and endless one. We have in fact made it to Friday. I am feeling about 100 better than I was at the beganning of the week and just in time because the insanity is going to start up again.

I am going to see one of my favorite groups this evening for a cocktail hour, New Orleans Helsinki Connection is playing for the first time in awhile. The group is a combination of musicians from New Orleans and Helsinki. Hence the name. Two of my dear friends are in the band and I haven't seen them in over a month! That is unheard of for us. Granted they were overseas for a bit, but still.

After their gig ends, I have to run home and gather the merchandise then it is off to Rock-n-Bowl for an evening with Bonerama. Someone is hoping to start early, so we shall see if that actually transpires.

Tomorrow morning I need to get up early and finish cleaning up the house, doing laundry and hang up some more pictures in my room. Then I need to find a place to watch the University of Montana Grizzlies take on the Montana State Bobcats. GO GRIZ!! My parents will also arrive on this day. Saturday night I am selling merch for 101 Runners at the Maple Leaf.

Sunday there is a festival happening pretty much right outside my door. It will be a grand time with food and several great bands playing. Not to mention watching the Saints game!! Then before I know it? It will be Thanksgiving day!

I thought I would take a second to say congratulations to a few friends, they have some pretty big things that they are looking forward to in 2008.

Since Marisa has finally "let it out of the bag" to everyone and made it public, I can finally put up a goofy picture of her and tell her how happy I am for her. See come May 1st-ish Marisa will become a mommy. That baby is going to be a very lucky baby. I still can't believe you are having a kid, but I know you are going to do GREAT!!

Then there is Ms. Kaney. The one who is responsible for the Bonerama madness in my life. Could be responsible for a few more things but we won't get into that. ;) Kristy has done and got herself engaged. As I kept saying to her last night on the phone, "You're getting MARRIED!" she would try to continue on and then "You're getting MARRIED!" this went on for awhile. I knew it was gonna happen....I had a feeling. I am so very happy for you and I can't wait for the Bachlorette party....it is gonna be wild.

I have another friend who just had a baby this past Sunday and I want to tell her congrats and I hope she is snuggling with that little girl at home. I can't wait to see pics of her and to hear how everyone is doing.
Now that is out of the way....holy crap my friends are getting married and having babies....that means one of two things...I am either old or they are growning up and I am not. ;)

I think I may have over done it this weekend. I was finally feeling better, howeverI don't think I rested as much as I should have. Friday after work, I got home and watched a weeks worth of Days of Our Lives. I then watched some of the Wizard of Oz since that was on. I then headed on over to the Maple Leaf and had a fun time hanging out with some people there. It was a very quiet night, not many people out at all. The band was from Austin, TX and were actually quite good. Jeff and I enjoyed a cup of heaven (trailmix) and conversation. It is nice when your friends with the people that work at the bar.

Saturday I woke up later than I normally would even after a night of going out. I watched a few movies that I had on Tivo. It was then out to Target and Old Navy to try to find some jeans. But after seeing the prices and sizes, I left depressed and empty handed. I do not have any jeans to wear right now. They are all worn out. I do have two pairs that don't fit right now. However they are starting to fit....before I couldn't even pull them up all the way. Now I can. I then went over to the Perrine's for an evening of babysitting. Which consisted of playing fairies, playing trains, tickle fests, and rocking to sleep. It is time consuming with a 7 month old and a 4 year old! I then did go to the Maple Leaf and enjoyed some Johnny Sketch and the Dirty Notes. The band sounded awesome, and when I left...they were still going strong. I later found out that they didn't finish until 3:40 AM or so.

Yesterday morning I met up with some of the people I had spent almost all weekend with at the Maple Leaf for the Saints game. While it was a sucky ass game, I still had a lot of fun because some of the people were just cracking me up with their game commentary. I usually sit at one end of the bar and watch, but yesterday I moved to the other end. I think I will from now on stay at the new end. It was a lot more fun. I then went home and watched a really great old movie, "Asphalt Jungle". While watching that, I got a call from the Perrine's asking if I could go over since there was a last minute gig. So I spent the rest of the evening again playing fairies, rocking a fussy baby and playing cars. Both boys were not wanting to go to sleep at all...in fact the oldest was still awake when his parents got home!

Last evening as I was watching the boys, my throat started to hurt. It has since moved on to include my ear and my head. I am feeling exhuasted and achy once again. So it looks as though I am going to have to finally go to the doctor to find out what this is that ails me. I am also really looking forward to crawling into my bed and sleeping.

I had a great Voo Doo weekend. The weather was just amazing, nice and warm during the day. Cool and clear in the evening. The moon was amazing each nice as it rose. The crazy weekend started on Thursday.

It was a long busy crazy day at work. I ended up working an hour and half longer than normal. I got home in time to change clothes and then it was off to a babysitting job. That kept me busy until about 11:30. We then went out and put out fliers at several clubs for the upcoming Bonerama gig. By the time we got home it was 1 or so. I decided it was the perfect time to go to the Maple Leaf. I caught the 2nd set of the Trio's set which was kickin. I got home around 3:30 or so, slept for a few hours and then my phone rang.

The girls had arrived. It was a few of the girls that work up in Boston offices for Bonerama and PBS. They had drove 27 hours to get down here and were ready to GO! After showers and a yummy breakfast, we headed on out to Voo Doo. The girls took advantage of the massage therapist that was working in the back stage area, and we got ready for the Bonerama gig to start. It was a muddy mess out in front of the stage thanks to the rain that had occurred last Monday. It didn't matter the the hard core fans. We all danced away in the mud. It didn't look like a large crowd, because a lot of people stood back away from the the mud pit. By the end of the weekend there was no way to avoid it. We hung out taking advantage of the free food and drink, I took over "zone defense" so Debbie could also take advantage of the massage therapist. I don't mind, because those boys are just so sweet. Ben told me that he loved me and that I was a good friend. 4 year olds are just so cute!! We did eventually see a few other bands including Lez Zepplin and Kings of Leon. We didn't make it to Rage Against the Machine because a few of the girls were losing steam. We headed back to the house were pizza was consumed and beds made up. Erin, Kristen and I decided to keep it going. We went out to Tipitina's to see Ivan Neville then of course the Maple Leaf to see the band there. We made it back to the house at 2:30 and promptly crashed.

Saturday it was back out the fest early. We caught Jamie Mclean, Kermit Ruffins, the Fleur de Tease, Zydepunks, Big Sam, Ivan Neville, Smashing Pumpkins and of course PBS. It was a nice mud fest once again. Kristen and I took off a bit early as I had to get all the merch items together and wanted to rest for a minute. On the way home we made a pit stop at Walgreens to pick up a few items. We followed an SUV into the lot. Right as Kristen was asking me if she could fit into a spot, I said "they are backing up" and the SUV backed right into us. Kristen just barely had time to honk. Thankfully they didn't back up too fast, however the car sustained damage. We both had to get out of the car fast because the SUV almost drove off. The girl driving tried to say that she didn't back into us....even after we showed her the hood of the car that was slightly crumpled. It wasn't until about 2 other people came up and said that they also saw her do it did she finally say she did. Because it was a private lot, no cops were involved. The SUV wasn't even the girls, and the insurance was expired. So it looks to be a long legal battle ahead.

I ended up getting to Rock-n-Bowl right before the gig started. There was a decent crowd, so the guys turned it up a few notches and played some new tunes and mixed it up with a few older tunes that I haven't heard in awhile. It was an amazing night. For once it went on later than normal gigs at R-n-B. The girls headed on out to Frenchmen Street and I headed on over to the Maple Leaf to hear the rest of Papa Grows Funk. I heard about 30 seconds of the last song. No matter, there were a few people there that I hadn't seen in awhile so we spent a long time chatting.

Yesterday consisted of taking the girls to the 9th Ward, down to the Quarter and back to Voo Doo. And of course watching the end of the World Series. It was a great NOLA weekend.

I have been on this crazy train and feel like I barely have time to breath. It has been so much fun, and there is still so much more fun to be had. I think I get to slow down and breath a bit next Monday and Tuesday.

Being on the radio the first night was a bit nerve racking, however Dean was fantastic and he made it easy to talk to him. It is odd to think about how many people could be listening to you at that moment not only in NOLA but across the nation, make that around the world. So I tend not to think about that. I just talk to Dean and to the few people that I know are listening. A few people, including my parents didn't think it was me. Apparently I sound much different and more "professional" or some crap like that. Some people thought it would be fun to make fun of me via text message. *coughmullinscough* While my friend Rick thought it would be nice to come by to say