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!

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

This weekend was pretty darn quiet. I watched movies. I read. I drove from house to house to house taking care of animals. One would wonder why I am so tired. Mainly it is because I don't sleep well when I am not at my house. I also need a bit of noise when I fall asleep. I have had neither for over a week. If I get 3 hours of solid sleep? I consider it a good night right now. Yes I did go and see some music this weekend. It was the same person both nights.

Friday night I went to Carrollton Station to see Paul Sanchez play solo. Saturday night it was d.b.a and Alex McMurray sat in. I know I have said this before, so I will sound like a broken record. If you have never EVER seen a Paul Sanchez gig you need to check him out at least once. You will either get it, or you won't. Which is fine. I have seen some of the "regulars" show up with someone new to check out Paul's music and more often than not you start seeing those people again and again, and then they start bringing people. Not everyone knows who Paul is, some do and therefore don't want to check him out thinking he is doing what he was doing before. See for a really really REALLY long time, Paul was in the band Cowboy Mouth. A rock-n-roll band. Some people often say a college band. Some people (myself included) started getting bored at the shows, with the same things being said and done over and over. (I know a lot of bands do this so it isn't a dig against CM) You are either really really in the mood for one of their shows, or not. Anyway. Over a year and a half ago Paul left the band among some disputes. I don't know the full story, I don't want to know the full story, I don't NEED to know the full story. There is no law that says I can't enjoy both. Sadly CM very rarely seems to play in town anymore (like a certain trombone band I know) ;) Paul however has taken off with his solo shows. He has played Jazz Fest (okay three and a half songs before the rain forced them to stop) French Quarter Fest, Wednesday in the Square, the upcoming Voo Doo Fest. He is playing all across the country. Sometimes like on Friday night it is a solo show. Just Paul, his guitar, his songs, his stories. (point in case, I know most of the stories by now. Sometimes he gives a bit more information, but I always laugh) Sometimes it is a different musician sitting in. Could be another guitar player, could be a horn player, could be just about anyone. In the past he has had Susan Cowsill, Matt Perrine, Craig Klein, Shamarr Allen, James Andrews, Todd Duke, Alex McMurray, David Torkanowsky, Sonia Tetlow. Sometimes it is a duo, sometimes a trio, and if you are catching a festival show chances are pretty good you are going to see the Rolling Road Show. Now the Rolling Road Show consists of the above musicians, mixed and matched. Whoever is in town. And you know it is going to be an amazing show. Not only will Paul do his own music but he makes sure to showcase who ever is playing with him. Paul is a true troubadour. His songs and his stories are like a warm hug.

Paul and I knew each other as acquaintances before the storm. After the storm I helped gut out his and his wife's home. It was one of the hardest houses to work on. Not because of the muck and the nastiness but because I knew whose items it was I was tossing out on the curb. It was a pretty emotional day for everyone both happy and sad. I rarely miss one of Paul's shows because like I said, it is a warm hug every time. You just need to let the music sweep over you and take you away. Paul knows that I was the local merch person for Bonerama so from time to time he will ask me to sell CDs for him as well. He would often make comments that if he could afford me, he would hire me full time. Paul has found a way to make us both some money, so as of this weekend, I am under his employ. No this isn't something that I can live off of, but it is a start. He gave me a bunch of CDs this weekend and I am going to get them into stores, bookstores, coffee shops, where ever I can. I will get a portion, he will get a portion and the store selling will get a portion. So it is a step in the right direction.

Seeing how the job search isn't going any where fast, it could be the only income I have coming in here. I have been sending out resumes for a month and a half and have only heard back from a Temp Company. That was legitimate anyway. So I will keep chugging along trying to find something. Only a few more weeks to go. Only as slight panic setting in.

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.

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.

The past week has been crazy. Not insane crazy, just crazy. Some things good, some things bad. For once it seems to have a nice balance. If you want to call it that.

The bad? Well I am not going to go into all of it here. Some things are better left off the internet and just between the people involved. We are still looking for a place to live. We have it narrowed down to 2 places and well it isn't easy. Two of us want one place, but could go to either place. One of us doesn't really seem to like either, and the one they really want isn't even an option. It hasn't been a lot of fun at all. Once again my computer died. I kid you not. When I have two seconds at home when I don't fall asleep I will call and make them take it back. They need to physically do something. I need to do it fast. The 2 year warranty is about to be up.

The good? Well I had a nice time with the Mulvey's. A lot of food and drink were consumed. Other wonderful friend's coming into town for the day. Life seems okay when Gayle and Hank visit. Two very wonderful people. I received my per capita money this weekend. And instead of saving it for the move, and other various needs, I got another tattoo. It wasn't my whole per capita money but a chunk of it. I had been wanting to get a grizzly paw for some time, and I also knew that I wanted a dream catcher eventually. Well I found a design at Electric Lady Land that incorporated the two. I now have it on my ankle. Left, on the outside. It turned out really nice. Lisa has a picture of it on her flikr page. If you are anxious to see it, you can look there. If and when I get my computer fixed I will post a picture of it here. She also has a picture of me getting the tattoo....I think it is a cool looking shot. Of course you can see her newest tattoo there as well. Satchmo Fest was also this weekend. I only went for a couple sets. They were for ones that Leroy and Katja played at. They had me selling CDs for them, and sells went pretty darn good if I say so myself. It was really hot this weekend and the thought of dancing to music in the heat just wasn't there. I did however meet a very nice guy who has seen me out and about either selling merch or just enjoying the music. We had a nice lunch yesterday and well who knows...we will see. :)

This past Sunday also marked my 3 year anniversary here in New Orleans. It is amazing to think that I have been here for that long. So much has happened. There are many more things that will continue to happen both good and bad. You just have to keep on going.

Last night I headed out to d.b.a again for what has become a Thursday night tradition. For June anyway. Paul Sanchez has been having weekly gigs there. When I got there, I found out that Paul was actually under the weather so the other two people that was going to play with him played. Sonia Tetlow and David Torkanowsky. And it was amazing. Sonia has some amazing songs, I am sitting here listening to her CD and realizing what an incredible musician she is. I knew she was a good bass player, having heard her play with Cowboy Mouth. (She is no longer with the band) but I never really heard her play the guitar or sing. Now I am sad that Paul wasn't feeling well, however it gave me the chance to experience new music. David continues to amaze me because he had never heard any of her songs and you couldn't tell at all. He also did an amazing version of "When My Dreamboat".

Tonight is a bit of a pickle. Paul is scheduled to play at Carrollton Station tonight. Sonia is also playing with him. Also just up the street? At the Maple Leaf? It is Tony Hall. I mean last Friday no one I really cared to see was playing and now 2 in one night? I love these kind of pickles and have a feeling I will be doing a bit of back and forth there. Once again I love this town.

I am also in love with the Voo Doo Fest line up. Both Bonerama and Porter-Batiste-Stoltz will be playing. The whole line up looks stellar.

One of the things I love about New Orleans, is the music. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of music at any one time, either coming from the clubs to festivals. This weekend there will be both the Creole Tomato Festival and the Seafood Festival, in the Quarter, with I believe 4 stages. You can see club listings for every night of the week (my favorites to look at are wwoz and offbeat) There is always some good music happening somewhere in town. For example my weekend fun begins tonight. I will catch Paul Sanchez out at d.b.a for an early set. Tomorrow night I will be at the Maple Leaf for Morning 40 Federation. Saturday out at Club 300 for Rick's cd release party (amazing cd). And quite possibly a stop back out at the Maple Leaf.

In today's weekly email from Offbeat, it seems that another place has had to stop with live music. Parkway Bakery and Tavern. It wasn't anywhere I went to hear music, just to have an amazing roast beef po'boy. However, the fact remains that the city is once again cracking down on some venues/resturants/bars that have live music something about having permits. However this was not an issue before Katrina. It seems that one of the main reasons is that the neighbors are complaining. Are they complaining about the noise? The crowds? The fact that people are having fun and they are not? I have no idea. Actually, I do have a theory. I think it may be some of the newer people moving into the area. I really hope that I am wrong on that. Because really if you move into an area, knowing there is a place near by that provides live entertainment, your ass better be able to deal with it. A big part of NOLA is the music. So many of us have worked our butts off to get NOLA music back home, only to have them treated harshly in more ways than one. Other than writing to the city council, I don't know what else can be done. Don't they have better things to do with their time? I think they do.

Why is it that the short weeks tend to go by at a snail's pace, then the weekend just flies by? Friday night I got home to find that the house was actually put on the market. It was suppose to be this week. I was also informed by our neighbors that according to the realtor's website? There is an open house on Wed. We still haven't been told this from the Landlord's office. The house being on the market was the topic of conversation at the gathering all the neighbors had in the park. That was actually really fun, we got to meet a lot of the neighbors. Later we caught a set of Grayson Capps at d.b.a. We of course ended the night at the Maple Leaf. Saturday we spent part of the day out at the Freret Street Festival. Saw a lot of people I knew, some playing in various bands, some not. It was a nice HOT afternoon. Later Melissa and I went out to, yup you guessed it, the Maple Leaf. We rang in Melissa's birthday there. Yesterday was spent cleaning the house top to bottom. There was a showing of the house yesterday evening, luckily it was our next door neighbors and they are seriously considering buying the house. They would want us to stay.

Getting older really sucks. Three years ago, this would not have been a problem. Maybe it is the fact that I am not getting older, but could be that I know more people now than I did then? I am not sure, but I am in a happy exhausted state right now. You know how you pick up a biography on some celebrity or famous person and they are recalling what happened to them when they were still in the womb like it was yesterday? I don’t remember what I wore yesterday. Do all these people have photographic memories? Or is mine like a sieve? I do recall the following bits of information; they are going to come at you in a bullet style, only because that is as much as my brain can handle at this time. I really do love this time of year.

French Quarter Fest was an amazing time of music and friends. Of course of drink.
Favorite set on Friday was John Boutte, Paul Sanchez and Friends
Favorite set on Saturday was New Orleans Helsinki Connection
Favorite set on Sunday was Bonerama. What I remember, it was such a flurry of activity at the merch table that I couldn’t tell you what songs they played or for how long.
I have some pretty awesome friends.
Hoochie Mama Voodoo Pleasure Lounge is the place to be.
Rain doesn’t stop anyone during FQF
I am excited beyond excited for my friends to arrive in town today!!
Tomorrow is the wedding for two of my dear, dear, dear friends.
Friday is the Bonerama cd release party.

And the number one reason that makes me happy right now?? My sister could potentially go into labor at any time. She is starting in on that last 3 weeks, however with the news yesterday? That little girl may make an early appearance and maybe her mom can take note. HA!!!!!!

Last Friday it decided to rain quite a bit. By the evening it had all cleared up. However it made for some very soggy grounds out at City Park. Other festivals have in the past *coughjazzfestcough* have dealt with soggy grounds by putting down some hay. Not at Voo Doo. In some areas they laid down some plywood, more like particle board on the swampy areas leading to the food/drink vendors. During the daylight areas, it wasn't that bad. You could navigate around the really muddy spots. The brainiac that I am, didn't put two and two together and wore flip flops. So yes my feet did get a bit muddy but nothing to bad. There were some areas where they had dug small trenches to run cables. They failed to cover these. As it got darker, they were harder to see. The swamp pits were harder to see. The only lights set up were at the food/drink vendors and at the stages. In between, you were on your own. There was a lot of in between. I lost my flip flops at least 3 times in the mud suction. By the time I left the fest that evening? My feet were covered in mud. You almost couldn't see the skin. Another issue I had was the lack of garbage cans. I think I counted 5 throughout the entire festival grounds. Trash piled up everywhere. So not only were you dodging the mud, but now also the trash. The sound at the mainstage? Was so unbelievably loud. We stood back a good way, I can't really guestimate how far back we were and that is where the sound was comfortable. If you got any closer? You were unable to hear yourself think. On Sunday some of these things were slightly corrected. Some areas had time to dry up, some didn't. They tied trash bags to trees and barriers around the stage. I finally found one trash can at the the WWOZ stage. I even saw people walking around fairly early into the fest cleaning up. The sound seemed to be better on the main stage as well. The poor WWOZ stage didn't fair as well. There seemed to be sound issues on both days for almost all the bands. The sound completly cut out on Kermit Ruffins set on Sunday morning. He was the first one up.

As for the music? I saw some great acts, as well as some horrible acts. I really enjoyed Drive by Truckers, Ozomatli, Kings of Leon, Soul Rebels, Hot 8 Brass Band, and of course Cowboy Mouth. The Chili Peppers were okay. I can at least now say I have seen them. I wasn't a fan of the light show playing on the screen behind them. Also putting on a show was Flaming Lips. It was a spectical...the lead singer rolling through the audience in an huge inflatable ball, ballons bouncing through the crowds, streamers and confetti covering the audience, a group of dancing aliens and santa clauses, huge blow ups of aliens, spacemen and santa clauses. Notice I haven't said anything about the music? It was more about what was happening on stage rather than the music. A few songs were okay, nothing great. The Meters were alright as well. I love em to death however I have seen way better. I am glad that I got my tickets for cheap, I enjoyed hanging out with my dear friends Roger and Elyse all weekend.

It wasn't the best festival experience, but it wasn't all that bad.

I haven’t had much to say, nor the time to say it. I don’t know if I can put words into cohesive thoughts even now. I am going to give it a shot. Last week I started to feel ill. I stayed home Friday day to get some rest. That evening I went out to help celebrate my wonderful friend, Katja’s birthday. It was a wonderful evening. I was up early and out the door to spend the entire day at Voodoo Fest. I do mean the entire day. We got there to see one of the first bands. We left during the Red Hot Chili Peppers encore. I had time to race home, scrub my muddy feet (more later on the whole fest experience) change clothes and run out the door to the Maple Leaf. I knew I was going to be okay since the Meters were sitting in with the Chili Peppers. Since George Porter Jr. is part of the Meters, I knew chances of Porter, Batiste and Stoltz starting “on time” was slim. As it was, they started at around 12. We dealt with the time change that night as well. I think it was 5 (now really 4) by the time I collapsed in bed. Sunday, I was back out at the Park for another full day of music. It was a great ending however; I was onstage dancing with Cowboy Mouth right behind Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, James Andrews and Big Sam. It was pretty freakin cool. Yesterday, I couldn’t move. I slept all day. Today, I am at work however the cold that has been raging to break free is finally doing so. I thought alcohol would kill it, but it didn’t. Tonight we have a pumpkin to carve, and trick o treaters to enjoy. Have a Happy Halloween!!

I finally feel rested today. It had been a crazy weekend. After I got off work on Thursday we headed out to Craig's house. There was a mini-jam session and several of the musicians were from Japan. They donated $10,000 to Arabi Wrecking Krewe! Much needed and much appreciated. They also donated a few insturments as well. We had a yummy dinner that night with Lisa and Fam, even if the service was really really slow. I guess its the norm around here now. Friday morning started early for me. I was out the door and on my way to the Quarter at 6:45 AM. My ride, Boy Wonder, was meeting me at the corner of Decatur and Esplanade. We made it to the Sanchez household and we were working hard by 9:00. Paul and John Boutte stopped by for a bit, to thank us and see if there was anything we needed. We had a great krewe working. By the time that Shelly and Paul came back to the house with lunch, we were just getting started with taking down the sheetrock. I finally experienced the pain of being bit by Fire Ants. I really hope not to experience that again. By the time we left around 5, the house was done. Nails need to come out and pressure washing is next. At this point however, their house is safe from being demolished and the land seized. Once I was home I had about an hour to shower, change and grab something to eat. Then it was out the door and back Frenchmen street where I got to see a lot of people and hear Hot Club of New Orleans, The Japanese band, John Boutte, and New Orleans Nightcrawlers. We made it home around 2:30 AM or so. We were up by 8 and out wrecking at Mike Mayeaux's house by 9:30. We stayed there just the right amount of time (saved 5 baby mice). We headed out to Wal-Mart and then back home to get ready for the BBQ we were having at the house. Once the torrential downpour ended we had a great time! A few hours of sleep and it was back to the Quarter to enjoy Satchmo Fest. It was a great weekend filled with friends, food, music, drink (lots of drink I have a ton of beer left at the house). I will take weekends like that any day.

Today is the beginning of MY month. It’s my Birthday Month!! It is going to be a rocking month too. The following goodies are planned in the next month

-Tomorrow Lisa and Mike come to town.
-Thursday there is a Japanese documentary team in town to do a piece on AWK
-Friday is the Pub Crawl on Frenchmen Street
-Saturday its Wrecking, Satchmo Fest and a BBQ at my place. Of course it is the fantastic Kristy K’s Birthday as well!! (I doubt I am going to Satchmo Fest though….wrecking takes precedence) Saturday also happens to by my 2 year mark on living in New Orleans.
-Sunday actually attend Satchmo Fest
-Next Saturday it is a Better Than Ezra show at the CAC
-The following Friday it’s my Bonerama Birthday show. M-n-M must have known when I said something about the show in July being my birthday show that he better get one planned just a bit closer. At least that is what I am choosing to believe.
-That Monday it’s my Birthday. As of right now….no big plans. Will most likely go to Papa Grows Funk at the Maple Leaf that night and cry into my beers that I am not in Brazil with the Bone Boys.
-Tuesday after? I have the day off.
-Then we come up to the year anniversary of Katrina. I don’t know what I am doing. There is a lot planned here in the city.

That is just the things I KNOW are going to happen. I don’t know what else can happen…you never can tell right?

It was more like Lionel Richie....he closed out the Fest. Fats Domino was suppose to, unfortunelty he fell ill. Lionel looks and sounds good! Heard a few tunes by him as we were heading out. I am trying to remember everything I have done in the past week, and I can't really remember. So again with the bullets:

Friday it was koozies and Port o' Call. Then some rest and tivo catch up before heading to Maple Leaf for Bonerama. Merch was set all the way in the back. By the courtyard. Which meant we couldn't see or really hear the band. I think it was a good gig.
Saturday up early and out handing out koozies. I told them all we had to inside by 2:30 for the Storyville Stompers and we were. Probably my favorite day. We spread ourselves out at the Jazz and Heritage stage and didn't leave till Bonerama was done. We then had a few hours to kill until it was time to head to Rock-n-Bowl for the late show. This set was WAY to short. They played 30 mins. 5 songs. I did get to dance a little bit with Craig while Kermit Ruffins played "Lil Liza Jane" so that almost made up for it.
Yesterday it decided to rain right when we got out to do koozies. Wait it was rain....it was a freakin downpour. So while my fellow kooziers went back to their hotel....I went inside and saw an amazing set by John Boutte. Spent the rest of the day wandering from stage to stage. Eating and talking to friends. No gigs last night, so it was to bed semi-early. I am sure I will be going through withdrawls soon. Especially with not many local Bonerama dates in the near future. They will be taken to the road!! YAY for them and other out of town fans....sucky for me. ;) I will stay busy with PBS shows though...so that will be good.

I got on the bus this morning still pretty much asleep, the bus pulled away from the curb. I opened my book to start reading when I realized. I forgot to put on deodorant this morning. How in the HELL do you forget to do a thing like that?? Once I got to my stop I walked up to the closest store, a gas station and bought some. I didn't want to run or walk fast, cuz I sure has hell didn't need to start sweating. Its a good thing they had some, cuz its HOT out again today. So I am gonna do some quick recaps on Jazz Fest. Eventually all the pics I have taken will be up, when I have some time. That includes French Quarter Fest. As I have stated before, in the past week and a half, I have been home to sleep, shower, and change clothes. Probably never home for more than 6 to 7 hours at most.

Thursday night, Bonerama instore at Louisiana Music Factory (my crack store) it was packed and a lot of fun. Phil, Donna, Tom and I then went to Southport for the George Porter Jr. and the Runnin Pardners set. The night ended at around 3:30 AM or so. Why did I stay so late? Cuz I was helping. Phil is the manager for both Bonerama and George Porter Jr.
Friday my alarm went off at its normal time of 6:00 AM. I said, "oh HELLLLLL no" turned it off and went back to sleep. I thankfully woke back up at 8:15 and was able to call work and say they wouldn't be seeing me that day. We made it out to the fairgrounds around 12:30 where we (the krewe from the night before) gave out koozies promoting George Porter Jr and Bonerama. We were out there for about 2 hours, right outside the gates. We gave out 300 or more. We then went inside and I immediately headed for the crawfish bread stand where I was in heaven for the 4.5 seconds it took me to consume my food. We found a spot of grass at the Acura stage. I took in 2 songs of Bob Dylan, then headed across the grounds to the Southern Comfort stage where Cowboy Mouth was playing. In an eerie twist, when playing "Hurricane Party" the power went out on that stage. Coincendince? I dunno. All I know is the crowd had a great time, and after a 10 minute delay, we were back to rocking. I don't know if I have still recovered from seeing Fred's ass however. We all met up again and headed out of the grounds....we had to get on the road to Layafette for the Bonerama gig. The club they played at was so much fun. The people working at the bar were so freakin cool and so excited to have the guys there, it was very nice. I was dropped off at the house at 4:30 AM.
Saturday, we had a slower start to the day. The wind was blowing something fierce. There was severe storm warnings for later in the evening. By late evening there were even tornado warnings. Our krewe was down one as Donna decided to pass on the fairgrounds that day. By the time we got to the fairgrounds, around 1:30, Phil decided that we would just go inside and enjoy the music. So that we did. We split up again to hear different music. I went to see Leroy. The guys caught up with me there for a bit. The wind? still blowing. People were covered in dust. Just covered. In your mouth, eyes, ears, hair, if you were smart and had sunscreen on? It stuck to that. It was a gritty day but it didn't stop the music. After Leroy's set, Leroy, Katja and I wandered the grounds for a bit. It was then time to leave. We had a little bit of time, so the guys and I cleaned up a bit, we got a little bit of a peep show from the people in the hotel across the way. Seriously people....you need to make sure the blinds are CLOSED before you get in the showers!! Not just one room, but THREE!! And not one person used the bathrooms/showers but several. We then walked down the street to Howlin Wolf for the Bonerama/PBS (Porter Batiste Stoltz) show. The place was packed and the sets were smokin. Another late night, this time in around 3:30 or so.
Sunday, we got out the fairgrounds at 12:00 and by 2 had given out all the koozies. (good thing more are arriving today or tomorrow) In we went to enjoy Rebirth Brass Band, Ingrid Lucia, and the Meters. Well, Tom didn't. He went to see The Boss. After the fest, we finally for the first time in 3 days had dinner. We were having one meal a day and it was usually something from the fest. Last night? Mother's. It was then off to Republic to see Bonerama and Papa Grows Funk.
That just leaves me at work today. I am gonna miss the Bonerama in store at Tower. That is at 3:00 today. I kinda hate missing it. Even though I have just seen them so many times, and have many more chances in the next week. Last year though we worked the crowd, handing out Bone necklaces....everyone loves those. Oh well. Tonight Bonerama is at Tips for a short set. Tomorrow is a day of rest musically. Then we start all over again on Wednesday. I totally love this time of year and am so glad that it is happening.

I can barely function today. My eyes are so heavy and just want to close for several hours. But once again it was so worth it. I will put up some pics in the next few days. There will be a nap this evening before we go to d.b.a. to see Rick play. Since my brain can not form full thoughts, you get bullets again just some highlights

Beautiful sunny weather
Running into the same people at every stage.
When the NOLA "locals" start to recognize you and talk to you.
Helping Barney Floyd win battle of the bands with the rest of the Arabi Wrecking Krewe.
Hurricane Brass Band....they are so much fun.
Meeting wonderful new people.
Wandering all over the quarter.
Watching the Mayoral results come in at Lafitte's
Hearing Lillian Boutte sing.
To walking past a stage and seeing Matt Perrine up there.
Not sipping slowly, but rather sucking down.
Craig really should be mayor, he does know EVERYONE!!!
Seeing Rick and Steve on a random stage.
The crowds, it was so crowded it was wonderful
Seeing the Rads, they sounded so good.
That's all I got for now. I am gonna attempt to wake up a bit since I have to go deal with some $$ here at work. Need to be focused for that!!

Dancing in the rain....we were under severe thunderstorm watch all day yesterday. It decided to rain at the New Orleans Nightcrawlers set....a few of didn't seek shelter and just danced.

To not sipping slowing!!
Craig changed the lyrics to "oh margy" to "oh stacey"
All the yummy yummy food
Listening to Rick sing
drying off from said rain in only like a half hour
listening to good music on Bourbon street instead of the canned music normally pumped out of the businesses
only ONE person out campaigning yesterday.
The Bonerama set. It seemed way to short but maybe cuz I didn't get to pay attention to it so much cuz I was too busy selling cds!!!

handing two cds to Craig for him to sign from my sister and him handing them back like 5 mins later, with all the guys siggies.

No sunburn
Getting voting advice from Michael Mullins. (he is 5-1/2) then later a big hug from him.

The hours are slowly ticking away. I am just 2 hours and 40 minutes away from having another 3 day weekend. And I dont want to work. I so have spring fever. I just want to go lay in the sun and nap. Maybe even clean up a bit around the house and do some laundry. You know the real exciting stuff. However? After tonight? Chaos kicks in for the next 3 weeks and I could not be more excited. French Quarter Fest starts tomorrow, goes all weekend. Next weekend? Jazz Fest. Lots of stuff in between the fests as well. Not to mention the week between Jazz Fest weekends....then I go to NY to see Harry on Broadway....celebrate my mom's birthday.....then I think I will have a few days rest.

Man this is so freakin boring and lame. I apologize. I need to be doing something right now while covering the phones so I don't keep staring at the clock and wishing it would jump to be 3:25 rather than 1:25.

Just like Christmas, I can't believe NYE is tomorrow. Sunday? A whole new year. Brand Spankin New. Sparkly, Clean, and packed full of possiblities. I know I am not alone in saying I am ready to kick 2005's ass on its way out the door. Not that ALL of 2005 sucked ass. Just a few months right towards the end. In fact the whole year was pretty damn good until August 29th. Just think, only 6 more months till hurricane season starts up again. Instead of the "resolutions" I am going to say the things I am going to be looking forward to in the year 2006:

I turn 31. Not as scary as 30
I get to see Harry Connick Jr. on Broadway in the Pajama Game. Most likely on mom's 50th bday as she wants to go as well.
In less than 2 weeks I am going to be flying to Philly. Will see Marisa and Lisa there, and some boy's in a band called Bonerama. Marisa, Lisa and I will then head to NYC to hook up with the rest of the girls for two nights of fun and craziness with Bonerama.
A tribute show for Brian O'Neill at Tipitina's
The month of Feb packed with Bonerama shows, every Friday night at the Maple Leaf.
Mardi Gras. Mardi Fuckin Gras in New Orleans. With all my crazy friends.
Helping out the Arabi Wrecking Krewe.
Jazz Fest.
French Quarter Fest.
Satchmo Fest.
Hurricane Season
Possible trip back to Cali.
Possible trip to Montana to see some family.
Those are things I KNOW of. But there is much, much more that I am not even aware of yet. 2006? Will you kick 2005's ass???

I wrote this yesterday, and when out walking down Oak street to see if the Ace Hardware store was open, I found out that Rue de la Course was open. So here I am.
It is now Tuesday Nov. 1st. I have been back in NOLA since Friday. The trip home started around 9 on Friday morning, and went for the most part smoothly. Liza didn’t like being in her crate, or the car so she let me know, with 2 hours of meowing. Very loud meowing. I eventually let her out of the crate and she would settle herself either on the floor behind my seat or back in the crate, with the door open. Around the time I hit Alexandria, LA I noticed that the car was running a lot warmer than it had been. I stopped at a gas station and with some help from some nice guys (they worked with Coke and had just left NOLA) they helped me add water and coolant to the car. One of the guys noticed that the radiator cap wasn’t that great. So with some directions I was able to find an automotive store, purchase a new radiator cap, and an hour later I was on the road again. The car ran fine until I hit Baton Rouge. It would have run fine through there as well, except I hit BR at rush hour. And if you didn’t know, BR has almost tripled in size since the storm. To make it from one end of the city to the other, it took an hour where we were going maybe 5 mph. It reminded me of the trip OUT of NOLA. Although a tad bit faster. The car was starting to run hot again, since I was just sitting there. Once I got to an exit, I pulled off, got some gas, some food and let the car sit for awhile. I hit the road again around 7 and made it home at 8. 11 hours later I was home. I had gotten a call from my friends Roger and Elyse when I was crossing the lake. They told me that they were going to Maple Leaf. Brotherhood of the Groove was playing, and with the cover fee, you got a free ticket to the NOLA portion of Voodoo. How could I pass that up?? After unloading the cat and the car, I headed out to the Leaf for a few hours. It was fantastic to get to see Roger and Elyse finally. There was a fair amount of people out, a bit more than a few weeks before. I really realized I was home as the music was playing and we were dancing away. At the set break, I called it a night and headed home to sleep. I was suppose to meet with a FEMA rep at 9:30 on Saturday, however, he came on Friday to meet with Kristen. Since we were both on the lease, she was able to sign the paper work for me. So after sleeping in a bit, I started the fun task of unpacking and trying to make my room look normal again. I had moved furniture away from the windows before leaving, among other things. Kristen and I headed out to Voodoo around 4. By the time we got there, they weren’t even taking tickets anymore. We caught some of Cowboy Mouth’s set. They had started a bit late, and Bonerama was suppose to be starting at 5, so we saw about 4 songs. We then walked over the WWOZ stage, and I said to Kristen "That’s not Bonerama on stage setting up" Turns out it was Big Sam. That stage was running about a set behind. However just off the side of the stage was Roger, Elyse, Craig, and Mark. Kristen got to meet all the guys as they all eventually came over to where we were. It was her first time seeing the guys play live. She said she LOVED it!! It was amazing to be at the first NOLA show that Bonerama played. It was a short set, but it was fantastic. The day couldn’t have been any better. Weather was fantastic and everyone was very happy to be there. Even the military helicopters that flew over didn’t really have any effect on anyone. After the gig, we hung and talked for awhile, then Kristen and I headed home and collapsed. We had a few people staying with us that night, so we got to entertain them for a bit. I had been planning on going out for a bit on Saturday since there was a lot going on music wise. However I was too tired to do that. I didn’t get to see Adam and Carrie either, they spent most of the day dealing with their storage unit and decided to just start heading home. I was bummed that I didn’t get to see them, but totally understand they had to head out of town. Sunday morning started early, as our guests got up early to head out to their house to start cleaning up. They had just gotten home for the first time the day before. I headed over to Roger and Elyse’s for dinner before the Bonerama gig at the Maple Leaf. They live a block and a half away from the Leaf. A few of us headed over to the Leaf and enjoyed a set by the guys. They normally play two sets, but it was a small crowd. A bit smaller than it had been on Friday night, but since it was a Sunday I wasn’t all that surprised. I would guess that there was maybe 50-75 people there at one point. The last time the guys played the Leaf was about 2 weeks before the storm. It was kinda surreal to see them on their "home turf" since 9 weeks ago, I wasn’t sure I was going to EVER get to see that again. I even sold some merch for the guys that night. Normally I have the merch towards the back by the sound booth, but I decided to move up to about half way in the room. Yesterday, I did read through the Sunday job classifieds, and then went out to try to find some wireless. I had heard Coop’s had free wireless, but it wasn’t connecting on my computer. I heard from Katja when I was finishing up lunch and they had wireless at their house. So I headed over there and ended up chatting most of the time I was there, and gave Katja her birthday presents. I got online for about 20 mins and applied to a few jobs. By then it was time to head home. The boy needed to use my car for a few minutes, which he ended up getting a flat tire. We didn’t notice it until we were getting ready to leave for d.b.a we had to borrow my roomie’s car for the evening. Frenchmen’s street was HOPPING. The energy was amazing down there. I set up the merch right in front of the stage, this was Bonerama’s first gig EVER at d.b.a I saw my co-worker that I had evacuated with, among several other people that I hadn’t seen in awhile. By the time the guys started playing? The room was PACKED. Wall to wall people. Everyone was dancing, and yelling, and just having an amazing time. I hadn’t seen energy like that at a Bone show in a long, long time. Only 2 of the guys really dressed up in costume. Matt and Mark. Matt was Harriet Miers, with a sign pinned on his tummy that said George W. Jr. It was freaking hysterical. Mark, well he was hippy/glam. Velvet and leather. The hat with the flower was a nice touch. John Boutte even got on stage at one point and sang with the guys. All too soon it was over.
When the boy and I left it was after the 2 AM curfew. We had to go through a military checkpoint to get home, and just across from the park, there was a few military cars for another checkpoint. When we got out of the car, a cop car came by and made sure we knew we had to be inside since it was past curfew. On one hand to see all the security. Almost reassuring. On the other, its "Holy crap, the military is here, by my HOUSE" In fact as I have been writing this a humvee/jeep went by my house filled with military. Its very odd. Today I am homebound until my roomie can give me a ride to a tire shop. The spare, well the tread on that is ripping. So I am tire-less right now. That’s okay. I needed to get some rest after 4 nights of dancing my ass off. I may have worked off a 1/4 of the food I ate in TX. I am sooo glad to be home. The city is trying, at least the citizens in the city, are trying to get life back to normal. In some ways its happening. In others, it will be a long time before the city feels right. There are some areas I drove through yesterday and was shocked by the damage. And those weren’t even the worst areas!!! This post has been more about the fun I have had since being home. In most because I want to show people how life is being restored here in the city. Its weird to be here, but at the same time I am so happy to be home. Hopefully I will have the tires fixed tomorrow and I can get out to a coffee shop on Magazine and post this, as well as do some more job hunting. NOLA is alive. She will survive.

The weekend just soared by. When I realized I would have to work this morning, I was a tad sad. But I got over it quick. Because after all, today is one day closer to the invasion. Friday night, I ran out of work, ran a few errands then out to the club strut. I had a FREAKIN blast. $30 got you into any club along Frenchmen. I started at Cafe Brasil, where Mark Braud and Lucien Barbarin were sitting in with Henry Butler. This really tall blond tan guy with a goatee came up behind me and scared me....I went over and saw him play with Storyville Stompers at 13. Ran into Blue Nile a few times when Maurice Brown was playing, and out on the balcony was Troy Andrews and Orleans Avenue. All in all it was a pretty fantastic night musically. Hanging out with the boy is always a major plus as well. Saturday I went out to Satchmo Fest where I took in some Hot 8 brass band, Kim Prevost, Troy Andrews (did Lil Liza Jane!!) and Dr. Michael White. I then went home and crashed. Actually at one point I stared out the windows and prayed the house wasn't going to get hit by lighting, it seemed to be right next to the house a few times. Sunday, it was more of the same, Storyville Stompers, Henry Butler (also did Lil Liza Jane!!!), Soul Rebels and Kermit Ruffins. Not only was it fantastic musically, but you also get such a range of people at these fests. And I am all about people watching. You get a true blend of NOLA people, and it makes you realize what a great city this is. I had the best 1 year anniversary of living in this town. Nothing says happy like sweat rolling down your back, cold beer in your hand, and music in your ears.

104 years ago today, Louis Armstrong was born. So to celebrate, here in his home town of New Orleans, there will be a birthday cake in Armstrong park. With 104 candles. That's happening at 10:30,so soon. That little celebration, kicks off Satchmo Fest....nothing but good music all weekend long. There are many many many things going on, lectures, brunches, mass on Sunday, did I mention music? Tomorrow night is the club strut on Frenchmen's street. I love Frenchmen's. Full of the coolest clubs. I don't believe I am going to do the entire club strut. I will most likely end up going to see just the Storyville Stompers. Saturday and Sunday, I have a rough idea of who I want to see. After the week I have had...I am ready to just unwind with good music, some good food, and some good drinks. After this weekend? Only one more left of my 20s. Oh and 2 weeks from today? Trouble rolls into town.
Head on over to wwoz Thursdays are the best music days IMHO. Today, so far is no exeption.

This weekend was fun. And now that I think about it, I have plans already for almost every weekend (at least on day during the weekend) this month!! This coming weekend is Satchmo Fest, the following weekend Bonerama has a show at Maple Leaf, then the following weekend its my birthday weekend!!! :) :) However this past weekend, Carrie, Adam, and I (plus a few other friends) hit Camilla Grill for some greasy wonderful burgers. Then it was off to Carrollton Station for the Paul Sanchez solo show. Of course Fred made an appearance for a few songs, as did a few others. Paul is putting the finishing touches on his new solo CD, he doesn't sing on any of them, he just wrote/plays guitar. However the list of guest singers is awesome. Kevin from Better Than Ezra, the drummer from Hootie and the Blowfish, John Boutte, and many more. In fact the guys from Hootie enjoyed the song so much, they recorded it for THEIR new CD. Paul was very excited about that. And of course he did the favs from Cowboy Mouth. Carrie and I drank a lot of the "special" some rum flavored punch thing. It was strong...I don't remember a whole lot other than getting sick at the end of the night. Carrie said she did too. Not good. Saturday, there wasn't much moving going on at my house, but a lot of sleeping and staring at the TV. Around 5 I started feeling normal, so I went to my ex-roomie's birthday party. She only lived at the house for a month. It was a lot of fun, I didn't drink a whole lot that night, and was actually home early. Yesterday was cleaning and reading. I was suppose to meet Carrie and Adam for dinner. But as soon as I heard they were heading to Baton Rouge, I knew the dinner plans were off. Even though they said they would be back by 6 or 7. Yeah RIGHT. Hanging with Gayle and Hank? HA. So we are trying tonight for dinner. They are out of here on Wed...on to MS. :( So hopefully tonight.

It is officially Jazz Fest time here in New Orleans. Its my first official JF as a NOLA resident. I am more than excited. The task at hand will be to get through the next two weeks without; passing out from exhuastion, passing out in general, getting arrested, having extremly sore feet, or a bad sunburn. No it won't be that bad. I am not expecting to go the the actual fest this weekend. Tonight its the instore for Bonerama and Craig's doing his solo thing right before. Tomorrow I am missing Cowboy Mouth since they play so early. :( However Bonerama is at Maple Leaf tomorrow night, opening for Papa Grows Funk, who is recording a live CD tomorrow night. (As well as Monday night) Saturday I may go to Donna's I have not yet decided. Sunday is also up in the air. Monday its another Bonerama gig out by the water....Tuesday sleep, and then Wed Kristy comes to town!! Then it will be go, go, go until Monday. We are still deciding on a few shows....I am excited because next Friday we will get off early to go to JF, and BTE is playing then. So I will at least get to see them there. All this music, I may combust. I love music. There are several, several other people I want to see. Its just that I don't have $35 to spend for each day of the fest. If I had the money when fest packages went on sale I would have been all over that. But since I am always broke...I am only going to the fairgrounds next Friday and next Sunday. Unless I find a sugar daddy. Then I am all over going every day. Crap...that means I have to find him tonight.

Oh my jeez. I really really need to go home and get some sleep. I feel like crappola with the cold and the lack of sleep. I do have ot say it was the best weekend. I did keep pretty much a permanant buzz on so I wouldn't feel sick with the cold. It helped. However I don't think I can do that today.

Lets see Friday, as soon as it hit 5:00, I ran out of the building crying "free! free at last!!" okay maybe not yelling....but I thought about it. I walked out to the river where Bonerama was going to be playing, Mark had asked me to be there at 6:20, and since I was walking over from work, I was a little early. I grabbed a burger and a beer. After I ate, some of the guys had showed up, so I chatted with Matt, met his son Ben and his wife, talked to Bert and Brian. Soon after Mark showed up with the merch, pretty soon the fun and the madness behind the stage hit a high, and the Bones took the stage. From where I was standing next to the stage, I couldn't actually see them. So I would run over to where Kelly was standing with the boys and catch a quick glance. I do know that it was a fantastic, tight set. WAAAAAY better than the Tips show. However, I didn't get to catch much of it as I was busy selling the CDs. And that was just fine and dandy with me. I love doing that and getting to talk to so many fans, its awesome!! After the show, Mark came over and was signing CDs, most of the guys had to take off for other gigs. I counted up the dough and than ran over to the stage where the Nightcrawlers where playing. By the time I got there, they were already onstage, and I had no idea where the CDs were. Craig mentioned them at one point, but he didn't see me standing at the side of the stage, so I had to move around to stand right in front of him to get his attention. Turns out the CDs where ON the stage. I had the stage manager run up and grab some, and then we were in business. I sold about 10, which isn't fantastic but Craig was happy with it. After the show Donna and her mom came up to say hi to Craig, and they were trying to decide whether or not to go to dba to see the next Nightcrawlers set. Craig told them not to, to go get some rest, that it wasn't their kind of place. Then he looks at me and says "but Stacey is going because its her kind of place" Um what does that mean Mr. Klein??? ;) He was of course a gentleman and waited for me to finish talking to Donna and her mom, then we headed over to dba. I only stayed for the 1st set, and then took off. It was a great time, and the crowd really seemed to be into the music. How in the world they all fit on that stage, I don't know. The next morning I was up and out to Jackson Square at 11 AM to watch the Storyville Stompers. Donna and her mom showed up, after the Stompers second line we headed down Decatur and went to Fiorella's for some food, then to the Mint to listen to some Zydeco music. After lunch we headed out to Bourbon to see Leroy and Katja play. Doug Belote sat in playing drums, I think I hurt his feelings because I was so suprised to see him there. Carol and I sold all but 2 of the New Orleans Helsinki Connection CDs!!! That was awesome. Donna and her mom had left at the break to go see Craig play, so I went to go and catch up with them and saw the last half of the last song. I couldn't find Donna or her mom, but figured they were going to the back to meet Mark Braud who was playing with Craig. Apparently they had talked to him BEFORE the show. I was deemed the official Craig Klein stalker, taking the title away from Elise. Elise and her husband Roger are at all the Bonerama shows. I decided at that time to run home and change clothes then it was back out to the fest for a bit, then out to Donna's. And who should walk out....but Doug. He is playing drums for Leroy at Donna's for most of April. Very cool. It was a fun gig, but a lot of people didn't seem to be paying too much attention. Its all good. At the end of the night, I was asking Craig about the CD selling on Sunday. I said to him "Do you still need me?" His response as he gave me a giant hug was "I always need you!!" Awwww that made me feel better. I didn't want to seem like I was well...really stalking him. LOL Then I said, "So what time do you want me?" And as Donna, her mom and Craig just looked at me...I realized what I said and then added quickly "there" they started cracking up. Donna and her mom took off, and I followed shortly after. Well it was 3:30 when I got home. Back out there yesterday for Ingrid Lucia's set and part of Bucktown Allstars. I then headed out to Bourbon for Craig's fantastic set. Sold almost all of the CDs!! Craig was very happy. I also did a plug on Nola.com after the set, Craig, Leroy, Katja, Carol and I headed out the this little wine bar, just down the street on Orleans. It is actually owned by the same people who own Tropical Isle. A few random musicians came and went, including Craig. To end the night, Leroy and Katja took Carol, Nicholas (who helps organize the Ascona JF) and myself out to a great dinner. I am now just going to wait for the temp agency to call back and say they have someone then I am going to go home.

Its a Monday. Its sunny, the time has sprung forward, and I am already ready for the weekend. This weekend had some major ups and downs. Friday I didn't sleep very well. I was absorbed in watching CNN to find out if the Pope had passed away. I did fall asleep around 10, which is early for a Friday night. However I started waking up like every hour on the hour. And wouldn't be able to fall asleep again unless I turned on CNN to find out what was going on. Around 7:40 AM the cats had me up for good. Rudy, my roommates cat has taken to wanting to be in my room. Could be because that is where Liza hangs out, but also because my roommate is usually at his girlfriends. So they were playing and being really loud, and running over me. Why don't I close them out you ask? Because they sit outside the door trying to get in is why. Anyway, I finally left the house after 1:30, turns out that soon after it was announced the Pope had passed. I didn't find out till much later. We ended up going to Freret street festival. It was small and cute, and a lot of fun. We listened to a lot of bands, had some beer, and an overall good time. Later I went out to Donna's and heard the fantastic Leroy play. Craig was giving me a hard time, saying he was going to go to connick.com and post that I was yawning while they were playing. I didn't mean too....but I was tired. As I was leaving, he asked me if I would sell CDs for New Orleans Nightcrawlers on Friday night after the Bonerama show, also to sell his solo CD on Sunday. So I am now selling CDs for Bonerama, NONC, NOHC, and Craig during FQF. I can't wait!!! Its such a great way for me to meet people, and help out my friends, and show my support in a different way. The streetcar ride home took forever, as the time change happened. So the streetcar pulled up and the driver said "there will be a half hour wait so we can get back on time" um...what? I think he just wanted to stand outside and talk ot his friends. So I ended up getting home close to 5 AM. Which would have been 4 AM. So needless to say, I slept in a bit. As much as the kitties would allow anyway. I ended up going out to the Quarter and watched the "Stella" yelling contest, part of the Tennessee Williams Fest, went to the church for a few minutes, harrassed my friend Eric for a few minutes then headed home and crashed. I need to save up all energy for the coming weekend.

Okay...I am finallly all hooked up at home, and am going to attempt taking my written journal and put it online...lots of typing ahead. I apologize for the free flowing thoughts and the spelling. So here it goes:

My Move to New Orleans August 1, 2004

Its 6:15 AM, and we have been on the road since 5:20ish AM. We entered the freeway at 5:37 AM. I think we will call this day 1. Yesterday Scott (my Bro in law from now called BIL) and I loaded up a 5'x8' Uhaul trailer and part of their trailblazer. It only took about 3 1/2 hours. I was still paking some things as we went along. As soon as we were done, we headed to the downtown area so Scott could order a fresh salmon to be delivered in Phoenix next Saturday, then we went and had some sushi. By the time we got back to the apartment around 7:30-8 I felt like it was past midnight. A quick shower later, we all zoned in front of the TV. I was so tired I couldn't sleep. I finally did around 10:00. Got a good 7 hours and now, with coffee in hand we are headed up the Snolqualmie pass. Bye Bye Seattle!! The plan right now is to drive to at least SLC tonight, Denver tomorrow, where we will stay two nights with mom and dad. We will then stop somewhere in OK on Wed, in NOLA by Thursday. I think I will be sick of cars by then. The realness of all this hit a bit last night as I realized that all my belongings were in a uhaul truck, sitting on the street. Then as I took the apartment keys off the key ring, leaving non. Then as we pulled out of Seattle. Craziness.
Going on hour 13 now. Juse entered Utah about 20 mins ago. Our 4th state today. We have at least one more gas fill up to go...then we will cut across to Wyoming tonight, so that will be 5 states in one day. Have been just doing a lot of reading and listening to music. I poured over my Offbeat magazine looking at all the bands I can go and see soon. Satchmo fest is this coming weekend. I had thought it was the weekend just ending. Suprise! I willl get to see Storyville Stompers, New Orleans Nightcrawlers, of course both will be without Craig, but sill a ton of fun. I am suprised on how fast today has actually gone. Maybe because I just know how long we were going to be in the car. That must be it. Probably another hour in the car, depending on what time it is when we get to Ogden, see how Scott is doing, since has drove all day....

Day 2
Stopped in Evanston last night around 9:30 MST. 15 hours on the road. We ordered pizza and watched Zorro, then crashed. Up by 6:45 this AM. Very funny picture in the Days Inn parking lot this morning. The SUVs with uhaul trailers all in a row. We are on the road now after a gass fill up along with coffee. Short day today. We should be in Larimer, WY by 1:30-2:00, see my aunt Shoni, then to Denver. That's about 1-1 1/2 drive. Easy compared to yesterday.
Saw Shoni, Wynn and Taylor for about an hour and half. Got to mom and Dad's around 4:00, ate dinner, watched some TV and got a good night's sleep.

Day 3
Slept in, watched soaps, played online, went out for drinks, watched Open Range, and headed to bed. It was nice to have a day of "rest"

Day 4
We were on the road by 6:30 AM. Mom loaded us up with some goodies; cookies, apples, grapes, carrots, crackers, gum. Right now now its 1:44 CST and we have been on the road for 6 1/2 hours. We just drove through Russell, KS home of Bob Dole. So far Kansas has been pretty unimpressive, its not bad, just boring. We are going ot drive to Salinas, KS about 60 miles or so then head South through OK. We should end up in Dallas this eving some time. If its not too late, we will get to have dinner with Dia nad Randy and perhaps stay iwth them. We haven't decided yet. I am starting to get a bit more excited. Tomorrow, I will be in NOLA after a year long absence. I can't wait to be in that city, feel the humidity, to just feel everything. Friday we will unload the uhaul into a storage unit, then Scott will be on his way. I will spend Friday getting a cell phone and a PO box set up. I will also look at some jobs, hopefully going in on Monday to a few temp agencies. It would be awesome to be working by next week. Mid-week.

Day 5
Last day on the road!! Last night we got as far as Lewistown, TX about 15 miles north of Dallas. Its a good thing Dia called when she did, we were right by where she worked! :) So we found a hotel (didn't want to sleep on the floor at their apartment) This was around 10:15. By 10:30 PM Dia and Randy came and grabbed me, Scott wanted to sleep. I don't blame him. We had a mini drama just north of Witchita. We stopped for gas and noticed that the tread was almost completly off the driver side tire on the the Uhaul. Luckily Uhaul responded fast and we were back on the road within 40 minutes. Dinner with Dia and Randy ROCKED!! I had the best time just gabbing away with them. It will be really nice to have some friends a tad closer to me. My freaky friends that is. I was back at the hotel at 12:30 AM. I was so completly tired that I couldn't sleep. I hate that feeling, that and knowing today we would be there just upped my excitement level. We didn't get on the road until 8:48 this morning...kinda wanted to sleep and avoid rush hour traffic. We are almost to LA, now (10:14) probably about an hour away!!! Tonight, Bourbon Street.

Many Days Later (almost 3 weeks as a NOLA resident)
Craziness has been surrounding me since I got here. Lets see going back...let me see what I can remember. The Thursday we arrived, we found the guest house pretty easy. It is right on Canal Street, about a 10 minute walk from the Quarter. We got settled inot the room, brought up the stuff from the SUV (TV, Computer, Ect) and then took the street car down to the Quarter. We went to Acme Oyster House, Tropical Isle, Lafitte's and Harrah's. NOt a bad night, OH I did leave Scott for a bit at Harrah's to go and see Doug Belote play. Of course by the time I got there he was done. Also saw Steve Suter getting into his car. We (Scott & i) cabbed it back to the room and crashed around 12:30-1:00. The next morning we got a late start, around 8 or so. We headed just down the street to the local uhaul place to unload and get rid of the trailer. Let me tell you that unloading a uhaul in the humidity with a hang over is NO fun. We hauled ass, or as much as we could seeing how we were feeling. We were done with the uhaul place around 1 or so. We ran back to the room, showered then headed out to grab a bite to eat at Mother's. We shared a Ferdi special, YUMMY!! A stop at Louisiana Music Factory was next where I picked up John Gros new CD as well as Theresa Anderson's. We went back to the room and took loooong naps. Later that night I headed out to Tipitina's, my first trip there!! Saw PGF, got to talk to John for a bit and Jason Mingledorff did a killer Rick James song. Scott stayed back at the room to sleep. I got back at around 12:30. Next thing I know Scott was waking me up. It was 5:00 AM and he was leaving. I am still getting that excitement/fear/stress feeling right now as I did at that time. I stood on the balcony outside my room and watched him drive off with the thought "That's it, I am all alone in NOLA, I really did this, am doing this, ther is no going back now" I then went back to the room and collapsed, both emotionally and physically drained. I spent that day, Saturday, feeling very disconnected. I walked to the french market got a Muffelatta from the Central Market, and went to Satchmo fest. first up was New Orleans Nightcrawlers, then to another stage to see Troy Andrews, at that point I met this lady who just started chatting. turns out se was from chico, and had come down to visit her musician "friend" she had met last time she was down here. We wandered over to see Rick Trolsen play and just basked in the sun. Pretty soon, I went to see Jeremy Davenport play on a different stage, and she headed back to the friend's house. I was out at the fest for over 6 hours!!! it was AMAZING the music was fantastic and I was having the best time. I went back to the room and read for awhile. Sunday, was more of the same, seeing Storyville Stompers, Ellis Marsalis and Kermit Ruffins! I was exhausted. Again a collapse in the room. Monday I was up and moving early, I went and got a local number, a new cell phone. Oh and on the way to the Quarter, one of the house guests asked me to lunch! Then at Radioshack, one of the sales guys asked me out!! What a freaking feeling let me tell you!! I ended up going to lunch with Derek, the house guest. It was okay. I spent the afternoon looking for a job and talking to some temp agencies. That night I took a trip to Maple Leaf to see PGF again. Another great show, Tony Hall and Raymond Weber sat in, they played with Harry's funk band. Afterwards Ray was convinced he knew me. Or it was a cheesy pickup line. I am leaning to cheesy pick up line. The rest of the week that followed or at least till Wed, was spent the same way, looking for a job and an apartment. I had an interview iwth a temp agency on Wed, and went to look at an apartment I loved. I grabbed some grub and headed back to the room and just chilled. Thursday I was going to go and see Tin Men play, but never made it that far. I blame it all on the killer Jack Daniels/cokes Eric at the Tropical Isle made and the cute Johnny Depp look-a-like that was there. I ended up hanging out and talking to those two boys for a long time. So Friday I was up later and just chilled. At some point I had finally opened up a PMB, So I had a NOLA address, which made it feel more permanant. I looked at a few other apartments as well, but I was really in love with the first one I looked at, so I contacted Liz and told her I was interested. She asked if I would come over on Saturday and have lunch with her and Sou, the girl she had just rented the other room too. So I did. And that afternoon, I gave Liz a deposit!! So now I had a place ot live, but couldn't move in right away. At first we thought I could move in on the 21st, which I really didn't want to do seeing that it was my birthday and we knew that the 22nd was out for the same reason. so we set our sights on the 20th. Sou then drove me the whole 5 blocks to Carrie and Adam's place where we hung out for a bit. Carrie drove me back to my room after a bit and we made plans to go see John Gros play at DBA later that night. We had a blast even though that jackass Crawford was with us. I didn't get back to my room until 5:00 AM!! I was dead, dead, dead. Especially since that previous night I had been up until 5:30 AM trying to keep Kristy awake on her drive to/from San Fran. Insane. I don't think I moved on Sunday until 3:30 or so. Unless it was to put more quarters in the air conditioner. Carrie called about then, we were going to meet in the Quarter to go to a fundraiser for a NOLA PD officer who was shot and killed earlier in the week. the fundraiser was for her 10 year old daughter. We figured for the $15 to get in, plus raffle $$ it was beyond worth it. We saw a ton of great bands including my cutie trombone player Andy who filled in with Bucktown All Stars, ate a ton of good food and had free drinks. We left around 11 that night, the fundraiser just ending. In the end, the daughter's elementary and HS education is going to be paid for by an anyon. donor, as well as a ton more money was raised. I crashed that night HARD!! The following week, again more of the same Job hunting and interviews. going back to the room and reading. There was usually someone in the lounge watching TV already, and usually it wasn't something I wanted to watch. I did go see cutie Eric at tropical isle again on Tuesday. He is young but a sweetie! I also caught one of Mark Braud's sets at Harrah's. Thursday night I went and saw Jeremy Davenport again. OH! That previous Monday, Ray called me!! Still trying to figure out how he got my number, I think it was from John. It was a short convo and haven't heard from him since.
Saturday dawned and I still hadn't moved. Thats because the boys living there, hadn't moved out yet and were doing it that day. So my move in day was now on Monday the 23rd. Saturday it was my birthday. I treated myself to some beingets, a psychic reading, some shopping, and then some chinese food. Soon Annette showed up and we were off, to try and get her a BTE ticket, see if Eric was working, eat some dinner at TGIF. Since Annette didn't get a ticket, she headed up the street to Tower and Virgin, I went in to the BTE show, stayed until about 11:15 then met Annette back out front. We headed to Carrollton Station to see John Gros play again, and proceeded to have a great time there. I was in bed about 3:30ish and barely moved on Sunday. Monday was well, yesterday and I moved into my new, fantastic apartment!! Its on the endo fo the St Charles street car line, on Dublin. It has sooo much space, I don't know what to do and thats just in my room!! I think I almost killed Adam during the move!! I was all moved in by 2:30 yesterday. Today was spent unpacking and going to the grocery store! I think that has been my biggest thrill, no more eating out! Tomorrow another interview and more researching/applying for jobs. I need me one of those BAD!!

2 weeks later
So the day after I wrote this...I got a call. A call people dread getting. Even though they never know when it could happen. My friend's Donna and Marvin were in a car accident. Donna was badly bruised, Marvin did not make it. :( God rest his soul. I spent the rest of the evening talking to everyone, trying to find out what happened, to try to make sense of it all. I was up most of that night, I know I wasn't the only one. The next morning, I talked to Donna and was just amazed over her strength. I don't think I could have handled this as well as she has. The rest of the week was spent making plans to be there for the service, to help Donna, and to say goodbye to Marvin. Life is crazy, fragile, and scary. to appreciate it each day doesn't seem enough some times. Donna has been an inspiration to me. and I know that everything I have gone through or yet to go through doesn't compare to what si is going through or is about to go through. I am so much happier that I moved when I did. for one thing I am closer to Donna now, so whenever she needs a friend, I can get to her a bit easier. And to know that I took this chance to move here, now, rather than just sit and think about it day after day. Life is fragile, its not a game of what-ifs. Last week I flew to Birmingham and met Andrea. After a fun shuttle adventure we arrived at the hotel, where Donna and her mom were waiting for us. We went over to her house and had a quick tour. soon after Dia and Randy showed up. The we ate. It was the first of many meals. With that done, we helped Donna go through some pictures to find some great ones of Marvin to put in a collage. It really was a night of tears. Tears of sadness, and tears of laughter. It was a very sweet night really. I did feel at one time what I thought, no know was Marvin. It was like a hug and a thank you. Andrea and Dia said at some point they felt the same thing too. The next day was the service. It was a very nice service. The first preacher that spoke of Marvin really helped with that. I think Marvin would have really enjoyed it. Afterwards it was more eating. Later even more eating and talking and laughing. Seeing Donna laugh and smile was fantastic. Andrea and I stayed until Saturday.
Saturday afternoon Adam, Carrie and I hit Southern Decadance down in the Quarter. Sunday, more of the same. It was wild and crazy and a ton of fun. Monday was a recovery day. Tuesday was a 2nd job interview with an Ad Agency, and now the waiting game....