We're The Three Best Friends That Anybody Could Have

On Friday Zack and I stayed late at work to help Sara finish a cake she was creating for a friend of hers. We worked on some fondant details but I think I was in the way more than helpful! We all laughed and had a good time though. Once we were at an acceptable stopping point we parted ways to get cleaned up then reconvened at Bouligny Tavern for dinner and drinks. Evan was working so he concocted me a fancy whiskey ginger drink that was mighty tasty. I had never eaten there before so we all split a few dishes: burger, duck confit with brussel sprouts, fried gnocchi, gouda beignets, and duck liver pate with hush puppies and tomato jam. Everything was really good!

The following day I ran some errands and went into work for a bit to tackle a project that requires a fair amount of concentration--something I don't often get to do when people are constantly talking to me, asking questions, emailing me, calling, etc. I didn't really get very far into the task though because once again, the three musketeers (Zack, Sara and myself if you haven't gathered that at this point) decided to hang out. We went to see The To Do List. Very funny but definitely not for any conservative or easily offended viewers. After laughing out butts off we dined at Five Guys (I haven't eaten at one of those in years!) while swapping horror stories from our youth regarding food challenges and bad cuisine experiences. Good times really.

 

The night was still young so we headed back Uptown, met up with Andy, and went to Le Bon Tomps Roule to listen to a brass band. I like that bar, but I hate that it still allows people to smoke inside. Going home reeking of cigarettes is so gross. Brie, Miccah, and a few others came to meet up after a while then we headed to The Saint...oh The Saint. It is a "last stop of the night" kind of bar. Packed, dark, kind of gross, typically filled with hipsters. Not really my scene, but I don't hate it. We wanted to take pictures in the photo booth but upon finding out they cost $6 we opted to take our own via iPhones.

 

We are clockwise from the top left picture: me, Sara, Zack, Andy

 

Sunday was a day of relaxing, until I had to make a cake delivery for work that turned into a slight debacle. Long story short, the paperwork I had was not the most up-to-date and did not have everything listed that I needed to deliver so I ended up making two trips from the kitchen to the reception sight, but everything turned out fine--just wasted my time. Since I was already at the kitchen I tried once again to focus on my detailed project and managed to make a little head way before calling it a day. Another episode of Dexter rounded out my weekend and now it is back to the grind...

Mega Margaritas

Last week a bunch of current Sucre girls and some former Sucre girls met up for Mexican and Margaritas. I do not like normal margaritas (too salty and tart) so I went with Strawberry. Gross. It was soooo sweet and icy. Not my thing. Peer pressure won out haha! I couldn't finish it--lesson learned! I tried Sara's Mango Margarita too, no bueno.

 

Jamie, Sara, Me, Lindsey, Mandy (not pictured Laura and her friend Erin)

 

Think I'll stick with rum, whiskey or vodka...

Nothing New

Nothing new really happening with me. The heat is definitely starting to set in down here. Upper 80's low 90's and more days than not a thunderstorm pops up at some point. This week has been same-ol-same-ol: a little work and a little play.

Continuing the trend of trying new restaurants, Zack, Sara and I went to Wayfare on Feret in the middle of the week for dinner and drinks. I had the "BL(fg)T": Bacon, Lettuce, Fried Green Tomato sandwich. Yum. Let's see, what else have I been up to? I went to see The Lone Ranger. It was long and just okay. I don't think I would see it again. Treated myself to a nice gel manicure and pedicure after work yesterday. Few things in life make a girl feel prettier than a fresh coat of paint on all of her digits and piggies! I finally got to go to the Lucky Rooster last night. It is a new restaurant downtown specializing in Asian/Vietnamese cuisine. Evan is bartending there a few days a week and gave Sara and me lots of insider recommendations on what to try. It was definitely yummy...I will be back!

I have been enviously scouring the Internet for information on my favorite shows that are at Comic Con in San Diego. I have watched clips from the Dexter panel and have been checking in on The Walking Dead's instagrams and tweets daily. TWD's season 4 trailer made me so giddy with anticipation!!! If you're interested, check it out. Converts are always welcome :)

 

 

Also, I found out about the coolest series DVD collection that Dexter will be offering this fall! I own all of the seasons already, but I am seriously considering selling them to get this awesome set:

I don't want to wish the summer away because Dexter is on right now, but I can't wait for fall when TWD is back!! I am a girl torn.

Time Flies When It's the Weekend

This weekend seemed to fly by. Friday night Sara, Zack, a few others and myself had drinks and dinner at Oak on Oak Street. We split an order of poutine (french fries with gravy and cheese curds...it's a Canadian thing) and some steamed buns with pork. Tasty stuff. Saturday I spent a sizable chunk of the day re-arranging my room. It has been so long since I have switched things up: it feels good. That evening I met up with Sara for sushi at Little Tokyo then we went to see Anchorman which was playing at midnight at the Prytania. Apparently they are now a BYOB cinema! People were carrying in 12 packs, heck, one group actually had a cooler on wheels! Now I will be up to speed when Anchorman 2 hits theaters later this year. Sunday was spent lounging, then I went to see Grown Ups 2...it was not as funny as the first one, but I really like Adam Sandler and that group of guys so I didn't think it was awful. Afterward spending some money at TJ Maxx I joined Eddie, Brie's friend who took us shooting years ago for some good ol' BBQ at Squeal. Then what better way to wrap up the weekend than watching Dexter with Brie :) 3 episodes in, 9 to go...just like the weekend hours, my precious Dexter is going by too quickly and will be over before i know it :(

Instagram For Life

Some of my recent Instagram jewels:

 

I love finding stop signs with bits of wisdom/advice on them! | Menu at Booty's in the Bywater (I will definitely be going back there--their "thing" = street food from around the globe)

I'm certainly over 21...so Maison stamped me in | Shadows of a vase on the kitchen table

Sometimes nothing beats bundling up in blankets in your bed (read that 5x fast!) | AV and Evan hanging out while Ruby demolishes a plush toy 

Honey Island Swamp Band at Maple Leaf | Ominous shot of the old Lindy Boggs hospital in Mid-City that was abandoned during Katrina (I think The Walking Dead should come shoot here!)

 

Instagram name: KTINNOLA

Phone Games

I go through spurts of downloading game apps on my phone. I have done the Drawing Something, Words With Friends, Hanging With Friends, and Scramble With Friends (read about those here) but recently I have been hung up on two newer crazes: Emoji Pop and Candy Crush.

 

 

Emoji Pop uses emojis (little pictures of things) to describe a word, person, thing, movie title, etc. and you guess the answer from the letters they provide. Sometimes I get on a roll and can get a dozen in a row with no problems, then I'll get stuck on one (like the one above...what the heck is that?!) and have to recruit help to figure them out.

 

Candy Crush has been around for a while and I feel like I see a bunch of people on Facebook playing it, but I am still new to the game. I flew through Candy Town and the Candy Factory, got hung up for a bit in the Lemonade Lake, and am now fighting my way through the Chocolate Mountains. The creators of this time sucker were clever in that you can't just keep playing and playing and playing; you have a certain number of lives and once you run out you have to wait 30 minutes before you get a new one (the pink heart in the upper left corner shows you that I have 0 lives currently and 4:56 minutes to wait until I get a new one!)

 

So while I used to play games against other people, now I am wasting my time on one-player games. I like to tell myself that these are good for my mental health and will help keep me sharp as I get older!! Haha!

Playing House

For a little over a week (with a small break in the middle) I house/pet sitted for my boss lady. She has two big ol' dogs and two fluffy cats (softest cats I have ever encountered!) that roam her house. The dogs enjoyed barking at anything that moved outside at all hours of the day & night and the cats spent a lot of time in the laundry room hiding from the noisy large beasts!

Clockwise: Nero, Clancy, Luna, and Harlow (Clancy's mom)

 

It may sound ridiculous, but it was really nice to get out of my own house even if I didn't leave town or do anything exciting. Just a change of scenery did my mind well. My four-day weekend was spent at her place watching a LOT of The Walking Dead, working on some work things, and being the biggest bum EVER!

A little mother-son bonding moment caught on camera

 

Happy Birthday 'Merica

For the first time since moving to NOLA I saw fireworks on the 4th of July! We did not go down to the river to see the explosions up close and personal mainly because Essence Fest was going on in the Quarter which meant there would be TONS of people everywhere.

 

Instead I hung out with Brie, Miccah, Krissy (her new roomies) and a bunch of their movie folks at Bayou Beer Garden in Mid-City. There were lots of people out on the bayou enjoying the nice weather.

 

 

 

Later that night I went to Dat Dog with Sara. Instead of getting my usual alligator sausage, I went for a more traditional American dog: beef! Twas yummy indeed! While eating outside at the Magazine Street location we saw a bunch of fireworks going off.

 

Happy Birthday America :)

Kayak-iti-Yat

Last Sunday evening Brie, myself and a bunch of her movie friends/new roomies went on a little kayaking adventure on Bayou St. John. The Twilight Tour (6:00-8:00pm) offered by Kayak-iti-Yat was the perfect mellow trip--not too hot or sunny, beautiful sunset, and lots of excellent people watching.

 

The gang on the bayou

 

This was only my second time kayaking, the first being in Hawaii over 10 years ago, but it wasn't hard to get in the groove. We all had such a great time that we may go on another excursion soon, this time out into a swampier area!