Roanoke Pals

Tuesday I headed to Roanoke to hang out with some of my peeps! I combined business with pleasure and had my car inspected and oil changed while in town. Movie Sarah, Liz, Roommate Sarah, and I met up at Wildflour for a delicious lunch. The weather was kind of scattered with it raining one minute and being sunny the next, so the Sarahs and I decided to hit up the theater to see Arthur. Cori met us there and we all laughed along at Russell Brand's newest movie.

As an afternoon treat Movie Sarah introduced us to the recently opened Frogurt downtown. There are multiple flavors of frozen yogurt you choose from, then just about any topping you can imagine! It was very yummy!

After strolling around downtown for a while we met up with Movie Sarah's boyfriend, Tony, then headed to the Grandin Village for some dinner at Grace's. We all sat and chatted for hours, catching up and swapping stories. It definitely was great seeing everyone!

Lessons From the Road

Here are some things I learned on my solo road trip:

The Sun Matters

I drove over eight hours in the dark and was quickly fading, but when the sun began to rise it was as if I caught an instant second wind!

Energy Drinks

I don't know if I believe in the power of energy drinks. I think that once you drink one you *think* you have more energy. I do believe that they make your heart race! Over the course of six hours I drank two 5 Hour Energies and one Redbull. I still felt tired but my heart was beating noticeably faster.

Pit Stops

Day time: Smile friendly at everyone. "Hi Mr. Joe Truck Driver! How are you? Happy Easter!" Leisurely stroll to and from the gas station/rest area.

Night time: Avoid eye contact. Assume everyone is a deranged serial killer that plans to make you their next victim. Walk swiftly to and from destination with your phone in one hand and keys in the other.

Variety Is Important

I relied on a combination of music (high energy, upbeat, and good to sing along tunes), podcasts (educational and entertaining), Dane Cook comedy (made me chuckle), and Netflix (comedies and musicals I had already seen so I didn't need to focus on the screen, just listen). Since I was traveling at night I couldn't call and chat with anyone, making all of my other time-passers that much more important!

Easter Surprise

For the past few weeks I have been planning and scheming a trip to Virginia. I have been texting, Facebook messaging, and blatantly asking various family members what their Easter plans were in hopes of surprising as many folks as possible! My plan was simple, leave New Orleans around 8:00PM, drive all night, arrive at Maw-maw's around noon to be there when they got home from church then go to Grandmaw's in the afternoon. Sounds simple enough right? Let it be known that I have never pulled a true all-nighter in my 25 years until this weekend. With help from Netflix, some Dane Cook stand up, and a full iPod I managed to drive the 900 miles without a sleep break. (A list of lessons I learned from my road trip will be provided in a future post.) I arrived in little ol' Lexington around 11:30AM without anyone being none-the-wiser. I would say it was a successful surprise indeed!

The Funniest Thing

I saw the funniest thing this evening when I got home from work. I parked across the street and was walking towards the front door when I saw a bird chasing a squirrel down the sidewalk. Weird. I stopped and watched them for a moment. The bird was flying super low as to taunt the squirrel who attempted to flee up a tree, but being a bird and all, he was able to continue his attack as the squirrel went up and down the trunk. Not sure if they were fighting over something to eat or perhaps territory, but it made me chuckle!

Hipstamatic

I bought a photography app for my phone known as "Hipstamatic" that has all sorts of cool features. There are multiple lenses, films, and flash options you can choose from. Sunday I went to Audubon Park with some folks then to Slice for dinner. While out enjoying the beautiful weather I piddled around with different combinations; here are some of the results:

Strawberries (duh)

Guy and his dog, Julep

Audubon Park

Caprese Salad

AV relaxing after dinner at Slice

Midnight Break-In

Last night Brie, Zach and I were watching a movie on the couch when I received a phone call from AV. It seems that he had locked his house key inside the restaurant that he works at. Being the smart fellow that he is, he had devised a plan to get into his house despite this obstacle. His proposal required a willing friend with an SUV (me!).

I drove to St. Joe's (the bar down the street) and picked him up. We then made our way a few blocks over to where he works so that he could procure a 10 foot ladder from the back of the restaurant. This is where the necessity for the SUV came into play. We put my back window down and slid the ladder in my car over the seats. Next we were off to his house to attempt to break in.

The original idea was to prop the ladder up outside of his second story bedroom window that he knew was unlocked. However, upon arrival it was clear that a 15 foot ladder would be needed to complete the task. On to Plan B. In his back yard there is a small deck beneath his bathroom window. With the added elevation of the deck it was worth a shot. My job was to hold his valuables (wallet, iPod, phone, and crisp white work shirt) and steady the ladder while he climbed to the tip top and then proceeded to leap into his window. Good thing AV is an athletic guy! He shimmied into his bathroom then acquired his other set of keys. With the keys to his house and car in hand we returned the ladder to its home and called the mission a success!

Spanish Lessons With Evelyn

I took Spanish for three years in high school and by some miracle of God got out of having to take a language in college by passing a Spanish test. For three years of public school learning I certainly do not remember much. However, Evelyn, my Honduran co-worker has been helping me out with that! She is a very motherly, Christian woman who is so sweet!

While packaging goodies and doing our work we chat about various things. Recently I have been asking how to say words and phrases in her native tongue which she happily obliges me with. Here are a few of my newest vocab words:

Rabbit/bunny - Conejo

Eggs - Huevos

Purple - Morado

Grass - Grama

No more eggs! - No mas huevos!

I need 48 four piece purple bunnies. - Necesito cuatrenta ocho cuatro pesa conejos de morado.

I drink a lot of water and have to go to the bathroom. - Bebo mucho agua y tengo ir al bano.

Yup, I am going to be fluent before ya know it! Oh, and the whole egg thing is because we have chocolate/peanut butter eggs for Easter that we have to wrap individually in gold foil. Most of the words I am learning right now are Easter in nature and work related. But I have been working on numbers (numeros) and the days of the week (Manana es Sabado - Tomorrow is Saturday) too!!

Extreme Couponing

Oh my gosh! Has any one else seen TLC's new show Extreme Couponing? I caught two episodes the other night and was mesmerized! I remember working at Kroger and being excited when people would come through with tons of coupons. It was cool to see them save a lot of money. Well, this show focuses on the women who have taken what some would consider a hobby and turned it into a full on obsession. They are saving 90-99% on huge orders! Crazy but more power to them!!

iLove

I am now the proud owner of an iPhone 4!! This pretty little piece of technology has only been in my possession for a few days, so I am still learning all of its wonders. But so far I am liking what I have discovered! I have depended on my phone to function as my primary camera for over a year now and the iPhone's camera is much sharper than my Android's ever was. (So you can look forward to prettier posts in the future!) I am also loving all of the apps that are available at my fingertips! Oh the world we live in :)

FQF

The French Quarter Festival is a four day free concert series that takes place all over the Quarter. There are 19 stages and over 150 different bands that play.

Brie and I wandered down to check it out yesterday. The weather was wonderful, and we were able to work on our tans some! We stayed at the stages closest to the River and enjoyed the breeze from the water.

There were tons of different food vendors selling everything from pizza to fish tacos to turkey legs. I opted for the Crawfish Pasta from Love At First Bite. Spicy and delicious!

The stages are spaced out so that you can meander along and hear different styles of music. We checked out the zydeco stage for a while, then caught some Walter 'Wolfman' Washington. The people watching was amazing :)

Farewell to a Breaux

Last night I went out with some friends to say farewell to our pal Jon. He is heading to New Zealand to explore and live life for six months with a possible detour through southern Asia prior to returning state side. While I do not hang out with Jon on a daily basis, he has been a regular in my life since moving to New Orleans. A peculiar New Yorker for sure, but genuinely a nice guy. I am looking forward to following his photo blog and welcoming him back in the fall!

Netflix Affair

I have had an on-again off-again affair with Netflix over the years. I once was a loyal DVD watcher, then I took a break from my account for a few months because I did not feel like I was using the service enough to warrant a monthly bill, now our relationship is one of both DVD and instant viewing. I believe that Netflix has exposed me to movies I never would have seen otherwise and for that I am grateful. Recently I have viewed such documentaries as Paper Clips, This Film Is Not Yet Rated, Fall From Grace, and Forgiving Dr. Mengele. Netflix assisted me in cultivating my love for Dexter, and has helped me rekindle my fondness for such shows as Young Riders from days gone by. When I see that little red envelope waiting for me at the door a smile comes to my face. I know that inside will be my latest choice of cinema, whether that be a romantic comedy, horror flick, or drama. While my connection with the convenient luxury certainly has morphed and transformed over time, I am planning on continuing our relationship as it is one that makes me happy!

Pet Deprived

I want a pet.

This past weekend when I was at Zach & Max's place I was loving on their dogs, Sadie & Chase. When I Skyped with Roommate Sarah the other night I saw little Hank (cat). Yesterday at Wednesday at the Square Daniel's friend brought his dog, Gizmo that let me distract him from all of the folks with food by scratching his ears.

I miss Lucky & Little Kitty.

Unfortunately I don't have the time to take care of a dog, and we aren't allowed to have pets at my place any way. I suppose I will have to continue indulging in other friend's pets for now.

Wednesday at the Square

When I was visiting last June I went to a "Wednesday at the Square" with Brie and Cicci. It is a free spring/summer concert series that takes place in Lafayette Square downtown. There are food and drink vendors, local artisans selling their work, and of course live music. I remember paroozing the items for sale and spotting a ring that I was particularly fond of. At the time I decided I did not need the ring and therefore did not purchase it. However, since then and since moving here, I have thought about that ring and looked for it in various places to no avail. But today, being Wednesday, was my lucky day! I met up with Daniel and a few of his friends to check out Trombone Shorty on this beautiful afternoon.

I also found the same jewelry designer and bought my ring!

Sunday Funday

Sunday was GORGEOUS! Brie and I both had a notion to go shopping, but being on tight budgets we decided to check out "Blooming Deals" which is a thrift store run by the Junior League. Let me tell ya, we found some steals! I bought three dresses and a skirt for $30! Cha-ching :) Once we had satisfied our need to add new inventory to our closets, we needed to satisfy our craving for crawfish! So to Lucy's we went where we met up with Zach & Max for some good ol' mud bugs, corn and spuds. Being the 119th anniversary of the first documented ice cream sundae, we headed to Creole Creamery to celebrate properly. And what would a Sunday Funday be without viewing a Disney movie?! Haha! After stuffing ourselves with ice cream we went to their place and watched Tangled, the recently released movie about Rapunzel. Overall a great day of hanging out with some good friends!

Maiden Streetcar Voyage

After living two blocks away from the streetcar line for nearly nine months, I *finally* rode that sucker Saturday night! Brie and I were meeting a few amigos down in the Quarter and thought that this was a perfect opportunity to introduce me to a new form of public transportation! I wanted to put my head out the window and see what was coming, but I was advised that could be a painful decision since there are poles and trees extremely close to the line. So, I sat with all limbs inside the car, but each time we stopped to pick up new passengers I poked my head out to see things! Twas a fun way to get to our destination on a lovely evening :)