Welcome 2011!!

Christmas has come and gone once again and now life is filled with reflections on 2010 as well as resolutions and hopes for the coming year. My past year was an interesting one to say the least, but I am happy with the way things turned out in the end and am looking forward to a fun 2011!

**Do you say "two thousand eleven" or "twenty eleven"? I think I use both. Well, whichever you prefer, I hope that everyone has a wonderful year!**

The Girls

While in VA I was able to participate in the daily chore of taking care of the chickens, a.k.a. "the girls". Every afternoon we would go feed them their scratch, crumble & corn, refill the water, and collect eggs.

Some of the ladies eating their dinner.

An afternoon collection.

The eggs all cleaned up and ready for the carton.

It varied each day as to how many eggs we would gather, but it hovers around 40-45. I went with mom to sell them at the Healthy Foods store as well as to another lady who does a lot of baking. Chicken rearing definitely takes effort, but it is fun at the same time :)

Geaux Saints

After waiting ALL day for Monday Night Football to start, then not feeling so well when it actually began (dang headache!), I finally settled in to watch the game-- wearing my new jersey of course!

I was able to talk my dad in to watching with me, but mom stood her ground and ignored us. There was a lot of punting and mis-called plays, but in the end the Saints beat the Falcons 17-14!!! This is a BIG deal! The Falcons are now 12 & 3 while the Saints are 11 & 4, so their next games will be crucial as well! YAY :)

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

...and that dream has come true! We woke up Christmas morning to a fresh dusting of snow on the driveway, then it continued to flurry lightly the rest of the day. Mom, Dad, Bryan and I did Christmas at the house before bundling up and heading to Waynesboro to be with mom's side of the family. It was great to see everyone and catch up on the passed few months. There was plenty of food and laughs to go around!

Bryan looking like a lumberjack elf!

Tears of Happiness

Before I left for Virginia Brie and I did our little Christmas gift exchange. I am now the proud owner of a Shockey jersey!! For those of you who don't follow Saints football (I'm guessing that would be quite a few folks), Mr. Jeremy Shockey, #88, is the New Orleans Saints' Tight End.

He is 30 years old, 6'5", full of tattoos, and oh so sexy! Hehe!

Now, I may be slightly embarrassed to admit this, but I shed a few happy tears when I opened this next gift. I could tell from the wrapping that it was a DVD but I had no idea which movie it would be. Nor did I anticipate it being autographed! Charlie St. Cloud signed by THE ZAC EFRON! In case you can't read it, it says "Katie, All my love, Zach Efron"!!!!! What?!?! Yes, Brie had him sign a DVD for me :) What a great best friend!

And with a slightly different look: Mr. Zac Efron, 23 years old, 5'10", no tattoos, but still oh so sexy!

Honey, I'm Home!

Yesterday I woke up, packed my suitcase and left a lovely 70 degree New Orleans on a big ol' plane headed for Charlotte, North Carolina. By the time I boarded another plane for Charlottesville, Virginia it was dark outside (I have never flown at night). I had a window seat and thank goodness; it was beautiful to look out over Charlotte and see all of the street lights and to make things even more picturesque, it was a full moon! Gorgeous! When we landed the pilot informed us of the current weather: 36 degrees. Yuck. Mom, Dad, and Bryan were all there to greet me and we were off to Cracker Barrel for some "home cooked" food! There is snow on the ground here and it is definitely chilly, but it is nice to be home for the holidays :) Now, to wrap presents and visit everybody!!

Busy Busy Busy

Here are some photos from work I thought I would share...

Lots of macaroons in their trays... just waiting to be boxed up!

Holiday macaroons get festive packaging.

This picture does no justice for the number of packages we have been sending out recently. It took the UPS driver an hour to load everything this evening.

A macaroon "tree" made by the kitchen. They make these with all combinations of macaroon flavors/colors.

Libation Chocolate Collections. Magnolia, Port, Grand Coeur, Absinthe & Rum Raisin...for the lushes out there!!

What's My Name Again?

At work I have plenty of time to "zone out" and during this time my mind wanders to many strange places. The other day I was thinking about people's names which led to nicknames which led to people who change their names altogether. How strange would it be to one day say "I am no longer Katie Smith, don't call me by that name, I am now Camila Anderson." Weird right? Celebrities do this all the time! Here are some examples of name switch-a-roos:

Ringo Starr -- Richard Starkey
Alice Cooper -- Vincent Damon Furnier
Elvis Costello -- Declan Patrick MacManus
Billie Holiday -- Eleanora Fagan
Bo Derek -- Mary Cathleen Collins
Whoopi Goldberg -- Caryn Johnson
Elton John -- Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Rodney Dangerfield -- Jacob Cohen
Marilyn Monroe -- Norma Jean Mortensen

Who suggested these new aliases? Are/were their careers more lucrative due to the change? Were their mothers offended by their choice to change their given names? Did they change their social security cards, driver's licenses, and other forms of identification? There are so many questions!

I think I'll stick with Katie :)

New Look!

If you are reading this then I am sure you noticed I changed the look of my blog! I thought it was time to freshen it up a bit, and in all honesty I am procrastinating. That huge "to do" list is staring at me from my night stand, but I am ignoring it and pretending it does not exist. Unfortunately, I know that it is not going to go away on its own, so I suppose it is time to get up and start crossing some items off! First up: finish licking Christmas card envelopes. Oh joy.

Lose One Gain One

Nick has departed for New York for a few days to visit family and friends, so it would seem that where there had been four, there would now be only three. That is not the case however. Good buddy AV had a little mishap with a chimney fire at his place and thus has been crashing at our house. He has set up residency in the dinning room, creating a cot of sorts to sleep on and he and I are sharing a bathroom. Everyone is on such opposite schedules though, no one really sees each other much these days, so his presence has not been a problem at all. I believe the unofficial motto of our house is "the more the merrier"!!

Time Is A Tickin'

Twelve days until I fly into Virginia on a big metal bird! Twelve days to cross off every bullet on my extremely lengthy "to do" list. Twelve days. *sigh* I have things to purchase, packing to do, errands to run, things to clean, hair to pull out! There just aren't enough hours in the day.

Sucre's Little Elves

Whew! We are in full swing at Sucre now! Mondays are the worst because we have not shipped anything out since the previous Thursday, therefore we have four days worth of orders to process! There are lots of holiday workers assisting in the chaos, but none-the-less it is still crazy in the shipping & packaging department. A lot of folks and businesses seem to be purchasing edible delites for numerous people; so there can be one person making ten separate orders.

But, hey, I try to look at it as job security ;)

This is our "Mint to Be" Collection. It includes Holiday Macaroons, Peppermint Chocolate Bark, Peppermint Cocoa, and Marshmallows. Very popular.

Large boxes of the Holiday Macaroons get special packaging! The brown is Double Dark Chocolate & red is Peppermint Candy Cane.

One of the many chocolate collections. Yum :)

Joseph Street Obsession

It all started when Brie bought an iPad the other week. It is so thin and light and fun and cool--we all had to play with it! So instead of everyone sitting around in the living room waiting for their turn to play on the new toy, she bought the Sporcle app. This has changed all of our lives! It is a trivia game/quiz of sorts with a bunch of categories ranging from history to television to religion to literature. For the past week if you were to walk into our house you would find Brie, AV, Nick and me all huddled around the small touchscreen testing our knowledge of movie taglines and Greek gods. It has been tons of fun! Good thing that iPad has a long battery life :)

To Soap Up or Not?

There are two restrooms at the Sucre office/kitchen/shipping department that on any given day around 25 people share. The majority of these 25 are women, who I would wager are more likely to wash their hands post usage. However, in case any employee is unsure as to whether they should soap up or not, this bathroom (which is the size of a broom closet) reminds them in three different locations to do so! Once on the mirror, once on the door, and once on the wall! I think we got the message!

(This picture is taken looking into the mirror, hence two of the signs look backward)

Bi-Polar Weather

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana

Thursday, November 25, 2010 (Thanksgiving): 80 degrees and sunny (AC on)

Friday, November 26, 2010 (Black Friday): 50 degrees and rainy (heat on)

What the heck?!?!

Gobble Gobble Gobble!

On this, the day our beloved country designates as one to give thanks, I wanted to mention a few things that I am grateful for in my life. This past year has been kind of like a roller coaster and I am not sure I would have survived the ride without my family and friends. I am thankful for all of the support I have received from those who care about me as I have embarked on new adventures. I am thankful for all of the people I have met since moving and for all of the fun times we have shared thus far. Even though I don’t love it every day, I am thankful I have a job to go to since I have not won the lottery yet. And for good measure, I would like to say that I am thankful that the Saints have played a decent season (they have won 7 and lost 3); as it would be hard to get excited about watching the games if they got slaughtered each week!

To prepare for the holiday, Brie and I have been baking up a storm! We made a Chocolate Decadence Cake, an Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, and a Blackberry Cobbler! Shortly we will be heading off to her Aunt Barbara's house to enjoy some grub and watch the Saints beat the Cowboys!!

Words For Thought...

There are very few things in this world that you can rely on Nick to do consistently. He always goes to his Judo class every Tuesday & Thursday night religiously, he always asks how your day was at work when he sees you (and actually listens to your response!) and he always watches the PBS Newshour on Friday evenings at 6:00 p.m.

Basically the show is a few older smart folks sitting around debating current economic and political topics. Sometimes I will sit and watch it with him (it can be funny to see him get fired up about their discussions). Tonight there was a gentleman named Mark Shields talking about tax increases and he made a comment that made Nick chuckle and made me think. To paraphrase, Mr. Shields said "It's the old line about everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die." How true is that? In the context of taxes I believe he means that everybody wants the benefits that come from the government increasing taxes, but no one wants to pay more!

I am not sure why, but this has stuck with me this evening and made me think about how many times in life we want a result but are not willing to go through the process to make it happen. So, there is something to think about! Oh, and TGIF :)

Morning Glory

Hmmm... most folks know that I am a HUGE Rachel McAdams fan. She is beautiful and talented and seemingly sweet (I don't actually know her, but she plays nice characters!) However, I don't know about her latest film. Brie, AV and I went to see Morning Glory the other night. Twas a romantic comedy about Ms. McAdams playing a television news show producer who lands a job on a morning show that is about to be cancelled. Diane Keaton plays a slightly psychotic news anchor, and Harrison Ford plays a news caster who feels like this morning show is beneath him given his prior career. There is a side love story between Rachel and Patrick Wilson, but overall I just did not like the movie. Sad really. I wouldn't want to own this on DVD and if you have seen my collection, that is saying a lot.



But to switch this post to a more positive spot, here is a list of my top five Rachel McAdams films!!

1. The Notebook
2. Mean Girls
3. The Family Stone
4. The Time Traveler's Wife
5. Wedding Crashers

Poboys For Everyone!!

The Oak Street Poboy Festival took place on Sunday and while the weather was slightly overcast, it was an awesome day! Brie and I had intentions of taking the street car to the festival, however, when we started walking we realized that every car was full! So, we trekked the two miles by foot. This would not have been so bad if I hadn't been wearing a pair of flip flops that gives me blisters if I wear them too long :'(

*Waiting for the street car*

Despite my pitiful feet, we made it to the festival and met up with AV. There were three stages set up along Oak Street featuring some cool local music. Johnny Sketch was our first stop! (I have mentioned him/his band before; love them!)

*Mr. Sketch himself in the middle*

By the time we got there AV was already three poboys in, so Brie and I had some catching up to do! There were numerous vendors selling different kinds of poboys but Emeril's Delmonico caught my eye. I got the confit pork cheek with cole-slaw poboy...delicious!!! I also grabbed a cupcake from a booth of high schoolers. It was rainbow inside and super cute :)

*Me, AV & Brie*

Other bands we got to hear include John Cleary, Papa Grows Funk and Rebirth Brass Band. The day definitely included a lot of walking (from stage to stage, and to acquire more food!) but was a great time! AV enjoyed a total of six poboys by the end of the day; us gals only managed two apiece.

.

*Brie snapped this picture of my nasty blistered feet! And no, that is neither my cup, nor cigarette butt!*

Whitney Comes to Town

I had my first official friend-visit since moving down South. Whitney arrived in the Big Easy Saturday evening and we wasted no time getting into the groove of the city! My go-to dinner spot is the Rum House, so that is where Brie, Whitney and I headed! After dinner and settling in we headed out to Joe’s followed by F&M’s (or Happenings, or F&A’s…whatever!)

*Photo booth pictures are the best*

Sunday we went to Lucy’s with Brie & AV to watch the Saints beat the snot out of the Panthers! (Woo hoo!!) That night we had dinner out with Eddie at Fresco’s.

Monday we wandered around the French Quarter, ate beignets, had a drink at the Chart Room, and went to Parkway for po-boys! That night we ate dinner with Jon and Andrew then went to dba on Frenchman to hear Glen David Andrews.

Tuesday we popped into Sucre to get some sweets and bummed around (somehow got sucked into watching Millionaire Matchmaker!)

*Pumpkin Dobash--yum*

That evening we went on a Ghost & Vampire Tour in the French Quarter (thank you Groupon for the awesome deal!). While I was not spooked by the stories the guide told, it was fun, and he pointed out where Brangelina live when they are in town!


Wednesday our fun came to an end as Ms. Marker had to return to VA. I am super glad she was able to come down and perhaps a return trip for Mardi Gras in the works!!

Festive Saturday

If it is one thing that I have learned about New Orleans, it is that they have a festival for EVERYTHING!! This past Saturday Brie and I hit up two; the Coffee Festival on Freret Street and the Mirliton Festival down in Bywater. While I did not partake in any coffee, I enjoyed meandering through the craft booths and listening to the live music. The weather was exceptionally nice and perfect for outdoor fun. Once we had our fill of festival #1, we drove to the festival #2 for some lunch. I did not really know what a mirliton was, but I quickly discovered that it is a delicious green squash type vegetable. There were numerous different vendors serving a variety of dishes containing them. I had a seafood stuffed mirliton that was super yummy! We met AV at this festival and were able to enjoy the music of Gal Holiday (whom I have seen before and blogged about).

Stuffed mirliton was kind of like a stuffed pepper.

On our way out we grabbed Chocolate Sea Salt popsicles for the road. Little did we know that those popsicle sticks were going to be rigged together using hair ties once we reached the parking lot and realized that I had locked my keys in my car! Fortunately I had cracked the windows due to the gorgeous weather and could see my keys lying in the floor board. We had been attempting to push the unlock button for a few minutes when an older gentleman came up to us and offered to help. He asked me to hold his beer while he assessed the situation. *Note that this was 3:30 in the afternoon in a public parking lot with people wandering all around, so while it may sound sketchy, there was no real danger to be seen.* His hat said that he was a Coast Guard Veteran and I would guess he was in his mid-70’s. Luckily this man had a fishing pole with him and after about 15 minutes of trying, he was able to pull my keys up to the window where I could grab them! Brie and I thanked him profusely and he scurried off rather quickly. Who says folks don’t help each other out anymore? I sure am glad he was willing to take the time to lend a hand!

This coming Sunday is the Po-Boy Festival that I am looking forward to! I have been promised good music and good food!

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear

This past Saturday, October 30th, the Mall in Washington D.C. hosted Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert's Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. Of course I was not able to attend this historic event, but I did manage to catch about 75% of it on TV. While Stewart and Colbert are comedians by trade (each have a show on Comedy Central that pokes fun at the news and current events), and the rally was all in good fun, the overall message was an excellent one. Here is an excerpt from Stewart's speech that I really appreciated:

"... This was not a rally to ridicule people of faith, or people of activism, or look down our noses at the heartland, or passionate argument, or to suggest that times are not difficult and that we have nothing to fear. They are, and we do.

But we live now in hard times, not end times. And we can have animus, and not be enemies. But unfortunately, one of our main tools in delineating the two broke. The country’s 24-hour politico–pundit' perpetual panic "conflictinator" did not cause our problems, but its existence makes solving them that much harder. The press can hold its magnifying glass up to our problems, bringing them into focus, illuminating issues heretofore unseen. Or they can use that magnifying glass to light ants on fire, and then perhaps host a week of shows on the "dangerous, unexpected flaming-ants epidemic!" If we amplify everything, we hear nothing.

There are terrorists, and racists, and Stalinists, and theocrats, but those are titles that must be earned! You must have the resume! Not being able to distinguish between real racists and Tea Party-ers, or real bigots and Juan Williams or Rick Sanchez is an insult – not only to those people, but to the racists themselves, who have put in the exhausting effort it takes to hate. Just as the inability to distinguish terrorists from Muslims makes us less safe, not more.

... [Gestures across the Mall and toward the Capitol.] Americans don’t live here or on cable TV. Where we live, our values and principles form the foundation that sustains us while we get things done – not the barriers that prevent us from getting things done. Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do. Often something they do not want to do. But they do it. Impossible things, every day, that are only made possible through the little, reasonable compromises we all make.

... We know, instinctively, as a people, that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light, we have to work together. And the truth is, there will always be darkness. And sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t the Promised Land. Sometimes, it’s just New Jersey."

(If anyone is interested, you can watch the speech on Youtube.) I sincerely hope that their rally made people who attended and watched it reflect on our country and where we, as Americans stand.

Here is a link to a fun song Jon & Stephen sang together entitled "I'm More American Than You". I found it rather catchy and entertaining!

http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=363859&title=jon-and-stephen-im-more

How It Is

--The Saints finally showed up to their own game and beat the Steelers last night! Personally I think their victory could be attributed to their decision to wear their black uniforms. Sexy.

--The Giants won the World Series!!! Tim Lincecum got to pitch eight innings allowing only one run! Great game!

--After dedicating the month of October to an intense Dexter marathon, I have finally caught up and can now wait with anticipation for Sunday nights to roll around. Michael C. Hall is one hot serial killer!

--I am eargly awaiting the arrival of one Ms. Whitney L. Marker on Saturday! While I will be missing my traditional girl's weekend in Williamsburg with mom, Nita & Judy, I will be having my own girl's weekend in the Big Easy :)

--As the shopping trip tradition has ended for me, so has the see-the-newest-Saw-movie-on-Halloween tradition. For the past six years I have gone to see the latest Saw installment on Halloween, but this year I didn't make it out. They say it is the "final" Saw, but the fact that it was in 3-D detered me. Perhaps I will catch it some day.

--Still reporting to Sucre Monday-Friday. Getting the hang of things I reckon.

--And that folks is what I know :)

The 13th Gate

Last night I ventured to the state capital with Zach & Max (and others) for an evening of dinner and fear! We met up with some of their friends at a restaurant called BJ's outside of the Mall of Louisiana. It reminded me of a Cheesecake Factory because their menu looked like a mini-novel! We all enjoyed our grub which included a "pizookie" for dessert. None of us had any idea how large this pizza/cookie combo was going to be! Basically this was a large pizza-shaped cookie with piles of ice cream on top! While I did not get a "before" shot, here is one of Kirsten & Zach devouring the deliciousness which was the pizookie!!

After dinner we made our way into downtown Baton Rouge to a haunted house called "The 13th Gate". Standing in line was rather chilly but the impending fear got our blood racing! They take you inside in small groups and have you get into a service elevator that takes you down to the basement where you then lead yourselves through numerous different sections. Some of the various themes I remember include: a mental hospital, underwater/Jaws, forest/werewolves, alien/pods, arctic/caveman (which had a huge wooly mammoth that totally farted on you as you walked by!), a cremetorium, creepy clowns, alligator alley, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a pig slaughtering factory, and at the end you walked through an area that was Saw themed! Craziness! Things/people popped out at you constantly and you had to walk through tight spaces, rooms filled with mirrors, over wooden bridges, and crawl through an incenerator!

We had a little caravan formed of us holding hands! It took about a half an hour to make it through the entire thing. Overall I was not as terrified as I thought I would be, but I definitely screamed my fair share!

Baseball...A Flame Rekindled

I have re-found an old love. Baseball, the good ol' American pass time. As a young whipper snapper I watched my brother play tee ball for RARO while I played softball for them for many years. As a family we ventured to Baltimore on more than one occasion to watch the Orioles. (Brady Anderson was so dreamy!) And now, after straying from the sport, I have suddenly become a huge fan again. (In general I suppose I am more interested in sports now than any other time in my life.)

The World Series has just begun and I have chosen my team: the San Francisco Giants! It all started when I watched the American & National League Championship Series with Nick. For the American League I rooted for the Rangers to beat the Yankees, which they did. This decision was based on the fact that I have always been taught to dislike the Yankees! They are always a big rival for the Orioles. For the National League I picked the Giants over the Phillies, but this was based solely on the player's appearances! What? I am a girl, that is how I choose loyalties! The Giants have a cuter team!

Tim Lincecum, the main pitcher, has long brown hair and is rather lanky looking. However, I think he is cute and I appreciate his fierce pitching style! Also, Andres Torres and Cody Ross are easy on the eyes! Brian Wilson's extremely black beard is rather intriguing too.

Here is Mr. Lincecum in action:

As of this post the Giants have won the first two games against the Rangers. Only two more to go! Woo hoo! Next game is Saturday and I can't wait!

Boo!

As soon as the calendar flipped over to October the folks in this fun-loving town whipped out their Halloween decorations in a big way! It has been cool to drive around and see houses all decked out with spider webs, ghosts, scary lights, coffins, etc. With Halloween less than a week away, I have been told by many that locals take the holiday pretty seriously! However, I believe their loyalty will be tested this year because there is a home Saints game on October 31st at 7:00pm. Hmmm... watch the game or go out to celebrate? I heard a conversation on the radio the other day discussing whether kids should trick-or-treat on Saturday instead! And if a home game wasn't enough to compete with, the 31st is the last day of Voodoo Fest as well! Decisions decisions!

Here are some drive-by pictures I took of some spooky decorations!

(If you click on the picture it will get bigger)

New Adventure at Sucre

I started working a new position at Sucre this past week. Instead of working at the shop I am now reporting to the kitchen and shipping area. This means that I am on a Monday-Friday schedule, I do not deal directly with customers, I do not have a uniform to wear and I know that I will get forty hours a week! Basically if someone purchases something on the Sucre website I will assemble and ship their order. Also, if there is a "special order" (i.e. someone needs 100 macaroons bagged up with a sticker and a bow, or someone wants 250 chocolates for wedding favors placed in certain packaging) I put those together too. Currently we are trying to stockpile things for the holiday season in preparation for the craziness! I am only a week into this new position, but so far so good :)

Angola Rodeo

Yesterday was the day I have been waiting for since early September. It was Angola Rodeo day!! Brie, Nick, AV, Daniel, Bill, Zach, Caleb, and I hit the road around 9:00 in the morning. After a few pit stops along the way we made it to the Louisiana State Penitentiary around 12:30. It was definitely a long ride! A lot of interstate followed by Baton Rouge, then lots of long, flat, rural road. The entrance to the facility is very pretty though; it is decorated for fall near the gate then there is a long road on to the property leading to the prison that has fields of cattle and horses on either side. (First time I have seen a cow in nearly four months!)

AV was the only rodeo pro in our group, as this was his third trip to Angola. The rest of us didn’t know what we were in for! You walk into the area around the arena where there are tons of different food kiosks offering everything from fried Snickers and fried Coke to catfish po’boys and Chinese cuisine. Then there were plenty of carnival type attractions for kids to enjoy including a dunk booth, huge inflatable slides, and a place to get your picture taken with a long horned bull. Scattered amongst all of this were “hobby craft” areas that feature paintings, wooden creations (rocking chairs, picture frames, chests, etc.), and leather products (belts, hats, purses, etc.) all crafted by inmates. In one section there were signs near the items for sale that instructed you to contact the inmates behind the chain link fence about pricing. It was kind of a strange set-up; though I suppose it is the only way to make it work, but there was a long row/fenced in area that the inmates were in. It was plenty wide for them to wander around in, but most stood and watched folks browse the crafts.

Around 2:00 the rodeo began so we found our seats which were not the best as we soon found out (that is what you get for waiting until last minute to buy your tickets though!). We were pretty much ground level--in most situations that is a good thing--and therefore could not see what was going on inside the pin when people were walking by in front of us. We were to the right of the shoot the bulls came out of, but they tended to go to the left, so again, hard to see the action. At the beginning of the show we were in the shade, but as the sun moved across the sky we were slowly exposed to the hot rays! There was a large section of the bleachers to our left that was entirely fenced in where probably two hundred inmates sat to watch the rodeo.

There were forty to fifty inmates dressed in jeans and a black and white striped shirt who participated in the action. Of course there was classic bull riding then there were other less traditional events. For instance there was a game of “chicken” essentially where inmates stood in hula-hoops that were placed on the ground while a bull was released. The last man standing in their hoop won. Another similar event was set up with five inmates sitting around a red table “playing poker” while a bull was released. This was probably the most exciting thing we saw because the bull demolished the table and clobbered a few of the guys in the process! Luckily they were all able to walk out of the arena unassisted and assumingly unhurt. There were other games/events as well and the clowns put on skits in between acts. A random, yet hilarious, show in between bull events was a man with three dogs, perhaps small Collies (I really don’t know much about different breeds of dogs) that had little monkeys dressed as cowboys riding them. Yes, you read correctly: monkeys. There job was to wrangle three goats into a small fenced area. It was weird and totally amusing to see cute little monkeys riding dogs around in the dirt!

Understandably due to the nature of this rodeo, visitors are not allowed to bring cameras, cell phones, weapons, prescription drugs, alcohol, or other contraband into the facility. Therefore, I have no pictures of the actual rodeo. I did purchase a program that has a lot of information about the rodeo and the prison. They also have a website you can check out: www.angolarodeo.com. There is a nice video showing some of the action.

The traffic leaving was horrible but we jammed out to the rodeo and played “would you rather” to pass the time. Everyone arrived back at Joseph Street around 7:30 safe and sound!

Overall I would say everyone had an enjoyable time! The weather was great and the people watching was amazing. Though it was a long day, I would say the Angola Rodeo was a definite success!!

I really wanted this shirt! Now each roommate has one!

Bill, Brie & AV "tailgating" at the gas station.

Last stop before Angola!

Brothers, Caleb & Zach with the Saints-supporting Brie :)


AV was very antsy waiting in traffic when we left the rodeo!

Being Sick Stinks

I think that I am going to blame my current lack of a healthy immune system on the weather change. It is hot one day and chilly the next! Talk about bi-polar weather. The result has been me battling a cold/sinus bug for about a week now and needless to say, it is getting old. Working none-stop the past few days has not helped I am sure, but today I was finally able to relax some. I have taken liquid medicine, pills, theraflu, drank hot tea, sucked on cough drops, gone through a box of tissues and attempted to get as much sleep as possible, but I am still not back to 100%. In due time I suppose!

Little Willie

Last night I went to Tipitina's with Squire from work to see Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real perform. Lukas is one of Willie Nelson's youngest children. The place was pretty empty but the band was really awesome! Lukas sounds a lot like his dad but with a little Bob Dylan mixed in; a very nasally, squeaky voice. From what I can gather looking them up on-line, Lukas is fairly young and the band is just getting started. I enjoyed seeing them and hope that they will come back to NOLA soon, perhaps with a little more promoting people would have known about them!

(Lukas is the gentleman with the hat on)

Foods I Didn't Know I Liked

Over the past few months I have been experiencing a lot of different styles of food and expanding my palate. Along the way I have discovered things I never knew I liked! Here is a quick list of some of my new favorite foods!

Potato Salad: Honestly, I had not even tried the stuff until maybe a year ago; but now, I find that I like it, especially if it is made with dill.
Strawberries dipped in honey: Brie introduced me to this concoction a few weeks ago. I grew up dipping strawberries in sugar, but honey is another sweet option!
Sushi: I have tried sushi a few times over the years but have never felt very confident in ordering it. However, Brie and I frequent a place called Kyoto that is a few blocks away and can I just say, YUM!! Their menu has a lot of descriptions so that helps and I make an effort to try new things each time we go.
Pistachios: Not the nuts alone per say, but at Sucre we have Sicilian Pistachio gelato and a pistachio dark chocolate that are both really really good! I never thought I liked that flavor before, but now I am hooked.
Fish tacos: Some may find this strange, but I have grown to love these heavenly little things! I get them at Rum House and at Lucy’s. Grilled fish in a small tortilla with fresh light toppings are delicious!
Beans: I have always liked green beans but have shied away from other varieties. Now I pretty much like them all! As a side dish, in salsa, on a taco, however!

And just for the heck of it, a list of foods I still don’t like: pickles, mustard, coffee flavored anything, avocado, and licorice.

Brrr!

New posts three days in a row! Holy cow! I know that I have written about the weather and fall recently, but this morning, oh this morning, it really truly 100% feels like we have entered a new season. I walked out to the kitchen to refill my water bottle and the wooden floors felt chilly and the air in the living room was crisp. My handy dandy thermometer that is installed outside my bedroom door reads 68° and I can hear the wind blowing leaves around on the patio. Time for long sleeves and jeans!

Sunday: Sucre, Saints & Sushi

I went into work today under the assumption that it would be a slow, leisurely day due to the Saints playing the Panthers at the Dome. (Typically game days result in few customers, most likely because we do not have a TV to watch the action on.) Kick off was at noon, the same time I was due at Sucre. Well I was sorely mistaken! I walked into a herd of about a dozen young folks (gals and guys) who all had dolls with them. Not Cabbage Patch dolls or china dolls, but weird thin things with crazy colored hair and black outfits. They would pose them differently and then one girl would take pictures of them. It was strange to say the least. They were a nice group, but we were short handed and running out of things quicker than we could run to the back to restock. So, doll group plus tons of other customers plus too few employees equaled a lot of running around like chickens with our heads cut off.

Needless to say I was super jealous of Brie who was at the Superdome watching the Saints beat the Panthers! I have not watched the game (it is recorded though and I will get around to it) and I was trying to avoid knowing what was going on (the score!) but an older couple came up to the chocolate counter, ordered some sweets, then out of nowhere the man says “hey, the Saints won!”. Well so much for me not knowing the outcome. He didn’t mention the score, but at this point I know they won by the skin of their teeth (again) 16-14. This is not the team that has been talked up to me; these mighty players who went undefeated for a dozen straight games last season and then ultimately won the SuperBowl! We are 3-1 currently which isn’t anything to snub your nose at, but I want to see them pulverize an opponent! However, next Sunday won’t be good for me since I will be at work during that game too. But I hope they beat the Cardinals none-the-less!

Now it is 8:30 and I have taken a nice hot shower, changed into some comfy pjs and eaten my leftover crunchy roll. Brie and I are both sitting at the kitchen table (which is in the living room?!) with our computers. I am updating my blog and listening to my new favorite song (“Dog Days Are Over” by Florence + The Machine). She has headphones in as well, so I am guessing she is enjoying some tunes or perhaps watching a few movie trailers. I am sure that we are both up to speed with what is happening on Facebook. Nick is kicked back in the leather recliner manning the remote and AV is sprawled out on the couch. They are flipping back and forth between the Giants v. Bears game and a soccer match. Some gummy bears have been passed around and I believe it is safe to say that a relaxing end to the weekend appears to be under way :)

Dexter

I have been told by at least half a dozen people over the years that I should watch the show Dexter. It is about a guy who works for the police and is a serial killer, but he only murders bad guys that deserve it. “It’s right up your alley” they say, “you’ll love it!” Well, they were right!

Brie is a big fan of the show and we get Showtime here at the house, so she has begun watching the new season (#5). I am currently trying to play catch up via Netflix and Blockbuster! I just finished seasons one and two and am excited to be starting the next shortly. The only problem with trying to catch up on Dexter is that each episode is a little under an hour long, each season has twelve episodes, so quick math… I have about 48 hours of show to watch!! I better get on it!

Fall, Is That You?

I didn’t want to jinx anything by getting excited too quickly, but I think that fall, or the closest I am going to see down here, has begun! The other day when I was leaving for work I stepped outside and was greeted by a light breeze, low humidity, and sunny weather. Gorgeous! I have since ridden in my car with the air conditioner off and the windows down! We have bumped the AC down at the house too so it isn’t on as much. And, as AV reminded me the other day, it is almost to the point where I can open the door in my room that leads to the patio and have the screen pulled to let the nice weather in! (AV had my room before Billy, so he knows the ins and outs!)

Mom sent me my autumn decorations (wooden acorns, pictures of changing leaves, etc.) a few weeks back that I think I am going to set out soon! Of all the seasons, fall is definitely my favorite!

Here are some pictures I have taken in the past, all in Virginia. If I see any leaves a-changin' in NOLA I will post them too!