Ba Chi Canteen: Yum

Sara and I grabbed a delicious Vietnamese dinner the other night at Ba Chi Canteen, a newish place Uptown that I need to go to more often.

 

We both got "bacos" (their version of a taco) and shared an order of pork egg rolls.

 

I had, from the right, the Honey Ponzu Shrimp with wasabi aioli and pickled ginger, the Ba Chi (Pork Belly) with cucumber, scallion, and hoisin, and the Sweet Chili Shrimp with basil aioli and toasted coconut. All are served in a steamed bun. YUM!

Dexter: My Thoughts

*WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW*

 

Any one could have bet on the fact that I would have something to say about the final episode of my beloved Dexter that aired Sunday night and here I am.

 

 *cue enormous sigh*

So I want to preface this by saying that I did not have any pre-set ending in my mind; I just knew that it wouldn't be a walk-off-into-the-sunset, everyone-is-alright kind of conclusion. I mean, come on, it's a show about a serial killer for goodness sake! None-the-less, I did not see the final twist coming.

 

Viewers have had to suspend their disbelief time and time again and I have happily gone along with the thought that no security camera, police officer, or innocent bystander for that matter has ever caught Dexter in the hundreds of murders he has committed, but the final scene left me feeling like I was taken for a fool.

 

The beginning of the end was when Debra dies: while certainly sad, it did not surprise me much. She has had her ups and downs on the show, highs and lows, and she had just found her way back from rock bottom, so sure it seems a little unfair that she had to pass away, but I get what the writers were doing. The fact that Dexter decided to dump her in the ocean confused the hell out of me. The ocean is where he discards the dismembered bodies of the unfortunate souls having found themselves plastic wrapped to his table. The ocean is where he dumps the scum he removes from Miami's streets. The ocean is where he buries his secrets. The ocean, in my opinion, is no place for his sister.

 

While I was still shaking my head and trying to come up with logical explanations for his actions, it became clear that Dexter had no intentions of meeting back up with Hannah and Harrison, rather, he recognized that he was "bad" for them and decided to spare them from the destruction he feels he brings to everyone close to him. A tear or two may have slid down my cheek as he called Harrison and told him he loved him. And a few more tears escaped as I realized that Dexter was driving his boat straight into the hurricane that was threatening the Florida coast. Suicide. Dexter was going to kill himself because he felt like he hurts everyone he loves or brings awful things to them due to his "dark passenger". Okay. I can go along with this. Kind of a martyr situation but sure, he is looking out for the best interest of his son. The screen fades to black. I exhale, waiting for the music to begin and the credits to start rolling but wait, there's more...

 

They cut to a man hopping out of a logging truck. He unstraps his load, then begins walking away from the truck. Is that? No. Dexter grew a beard? What? My anger grew with each step he took until he reached his humble shack, sat down at an empty table then looked up at the camera with a blank face and the screen went black again. HE FAKED HIS DEATH AND MOVED TO THE NORTH PACIFIC TO BECOME A LUMBERJACK?!?!? Are you freaking kidding me?! "Selfish" was the one word that kept popping up in mind. I was 100% okay with him dying in a hurricane, but essentially abandoning his son with a wanted fugitive, regardless of whether he loved her to, because he thought he may cause him pain if he ever learned the truth about his dad? Nope. I don't accept it. I mean, I have to accept it. That was it. The end. Adios Dexter. But I am not happy.

 

I have read a couple of interviews with the writers and producers that have clarified a few of the decisions they made, but I am still not satisfied with the finale of my favorite show. Some rationale for the lumberjack choice was that this was a profession that took him far away from Miami (though Hannah and Harrison weren't there anymore, they were in Argentina), it was a job that kept him isolated and away from a lot of human interaction, and he was punishing himself by forcing himself to be around chainsaws day in and day out (his "dark passenger" was born when he witnessed his mother be murdered via chainsaw in a shipping container when he was 3). Hmmm.... ok, that makes a little sense, but I don't know. I mean, we SAW him drive his boat right towards the storm and we are just supposed to believe that he miraculously survived that? I know that the boat had to turn up in pieces for the rest of the world to think he was dead, but I think it is far fetched to think he could swim away from something like that. I read that it was "known" that there was a life raft with a motor attached to his boat that he could have used to flee, but I'm not buying it.

 

I am sure I will re-watch the finale again, hell, I'll re-watch the entire series many times to come I am sure, but I said it right afterwards and I'll say it again: I would have been happier with Dexter dying. There is my two cents, do with it what you will.

 

I'm going to choose to remember Dexter from the first picture, happy with Harrison (the original Harrison I might add) as opposed to the latter scary version...

 

 The final scene:

Hodge Podge Post

Here is a nice hodge podge post of some things on my mind...

 

The Saints are 3-0! Fingers crossed this will continue as the season they won the Super Bowl they started with the same 3-0 standing. Looking ahead, the Super Bowl in 2014 will be on my birthday :)

 

The McMain banner for game #3

 

I am loving this song right now....

 

Yesterday I updated my phone to the iOS7 and things look weird. I am trying to adjust to the new (very bright) look, but so far the upgraded features I have figured out are cool and helpful!

 

Notice the ombre effect with text messages

 

Tonight is the series finale of Dexter and I must admit: I have very torn feelings about this. Most folks who know me know that I am quite the Dexter follower as well as a creature of habit so the conclusion of his story seems odd and uncomfortable for me. Having known for some time now that season 8 would be the last has not helped me cope with the inevitable that will be upon me in a little over an hour. I have ideas of where the writers may go with things, but regardless, this exact moment in time is the last that I will not already know what will happen and I am feeling rather sad about that. But such is life; it is only a television show, Dexter Morgan is not a real person nor are any of the other characters I have watched evolve and grow over the past few years. Even so, it should stand as a testament to the creators, writers, directors, and cast that I, and I am sure many others, hold the show on such a high pedestal and will feel a tad lost tomorrow morning.

 

Brie has me reading Outlander now. She has raved about it, as well as other books by this author. I started it this afternoon while I enjoyed a Cadbury Screme Egg...hahaha! This is the second year I have seen these out. While I no doubt scarfed it down, I kind of liked that I could only get them around Easter every year. Their limited access is part of the appeal.

 

 Today is the first official day of fall, and while it has barely reached into the 80's in the Big Easy, it is still waaaayyyy too hot to be considered autumn in my book. I am craving crisp 60 degree days! Soon enough I suppose... 

Bread Class

A few weeks back I signed up for a bread making class at Gracious Bakery that was held today. They are located down the street from work so I often find myself grabbing lunch from there throughout the week. Zack & Andy signed up as well so it was us and a hand full of other folks.

 

I didn't think to take any pictures at the beginning, but basically their main bread baker had already made the baguette dough and sectioned it off into the sizes we needed, then he taught us how to shape them. While he was showing us how to pat and roll the dough he was explaining the ingredients, the importance of each step, and all of the science behind bread making. It really is complicated stuff that requires patience and skill.

 

The shaped baguettes before and after baking

 

While we were listening and learning there was a spread of other breads we could snack on. Gracious makes pretzel loaves, ciabatta, challah, sourdough, and a multitude of other varieties. The tarragon chicken salad I often purchase comes on a green onion loaf. It is so good!

 

 

Everyone was able to make two baguettes, so on my way home I stopped by Whole Foods to get the fixings for some herb butter. I haven't made that since I lived in Roanoke and learned of its deliciousness from Roommate Sarah!

Yay! Football!

It may still be hot as hades here in the Crescent City, but it is football season too and I couldn't be more excited! The Saints did well during pre-season pulling in a 3-1 standing. Sean Payton is back in his head coach position. Rob Ryan is doing his thing with the defense. Key players are active and ready to roll. All seems right with the world...at least the world of NFL. The season opener was a home game against the biggest rival of all...the Atlanta Falcons, aka the "dirty birds". Both teams played well, but in the end the better team, the Saints, came out with the win :) I rooted them to their victory from the couch at Joseph Street! And from the couch I am cheering them on as they play the Buccaneers right now. There was an hour long weather delay due to lightening strikes in Tampa Bay, but now they are back on the field and the only thing striking in the vicinity seems to be referee flags! There have been more penalties in the first half of this game than I think I've ever seen! Currently the Saints are in the lead 10-7 but who knows...let's hope for a 2-0 start!

AV's 10k Birth Day

Last Monday was AV's 10,000th day on Earth so naturally a healthy dose of celebrating commenced. After work I met up with him at Bacchanal for some drinks and music.

 

Marigolds in my drink (edible...though I found them bitter) | Helen Gillet: a wonderful cellist

 

Through his recent travels, AV has made friends from all corners of the world and one such pal happened to be in town on this most special day. Liam hails from Ireland though he lives in Knoxville currently and met AV while exploring Iceland. He was in NOLA with a fellow Irishman and a Scotsman whose accent was very difficult for me to understand! I did a lot of lip reading and relied on context clues to follow along!

 

After being eaten alive by mosquitos, I mean, listening to the lovely music Helen Gillet was creating we made moves back Uptown to the newly opened Gasa Gasa on Freret Street for more music and spirits before calling it an evening. You only turn 10,000 days old once and I believe AV celebrated the occasion in a perfect, not-too-rowdy, just-right kind of way!

Netflix: 1 Katie: 0

Over two years ago I had a falling out with Netflix (a refresher can be found here) over their sudden price increases. Since I cancelled my account I have been reminded every few weeks via email that they "want me to come back". Typically with a few clicks of the mouse I delete their obnoxious attempts to win me over...but the other day I found myself wavering over the "Trash" option. They want my money so bad that they are willing to woo me for FREE for a month!! So I fell for it. I have re-activated my account, updated my payment information, edited my queue and added tons of shows to stream instantly. I am doing the DVDs as well since the first month for that service is also free, but... shhh... I am going to cancel that part before they charge my card! So far I have viewed multiple episodes of New Girl on my computer and received Varsity Blues in the mail. My main reason for re-joining is to watch a few shows that I have either a) wanted to see but didn't want to start after a few seasons have already aired on TV or b) have been told I "HAVE" to watch by friends. We'll see how this goes, but if I find myself not watching enough to justify the $7.99 monthly bill I suppose I can always put my account on hold again and wait for the badgering emails to begin again...

Re-Charged

Taking advantage of the long holiday weekend, I flew up to VA last Friday (of course with some delays and flight changes because apparently it wouldn't be a trip home for me without something happening...more on that later in this post). There was no particular agenda or schedule, just time spent with family and a fair amount of relaxing.

 

 

During my nearly four days in Lexington I was able to see all 3 grandparents,, most aunts and uncles and a cousin thrown in there for good measure. Not a lot of brother time...he's the busiest kid I know. Certainly not saying he is perfect, but if the rest of the people his age had his work ethic our country would be in a much better position.

 

Though my visits home are never long enough, I take what I can get and try to enjoy everything/everyone as much as possible. Despite the headaches that come with traveling, I feel re-charged and ready to tackle the next few months at work (that I know promise to be hectic and stressful).  

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Travel woes: I have been known to miss early AM fights in the past, but I like to think I have learned my lesson and have made strides to ensure I am at the airport on time (this includes my mom calling me extremely early to make sure I am up). This last trip was no exception, I arrived, parked, checked in, passed through security and was ready to roll when my zone was called to board. Everyone was seated and anxious to take off when the announcement came that the pilot's gauge indicating the amount of water on board for the sinks and toilets was incorrect and that the maintenance team would need to come out and fill it up. So we sat there and we sat there and as the minutes ticked away I knew that I was going to miss my connecting flight in Philadelphia. After about 20 minutes we finally had the green light. Sure enough, when we landed it was about thirty minutes after my connecting flight was to take off. Luckily (?) I was able to get a seat on the next metal bird heading to Charlottesville. So I let mom know that I would be later getting in. I made it to VA about 2 hours after I was originally scheduled to arrive.

 

The whole time I was at home I kept saying that I typically don't have issues flying back to NOLA, that the troubles tend to occur on my northern flights. Well, I must have jinxed myself because I had said my goodbyes and boarded the plane to head back south when the pilot came out and informed the cabin that the baggage door was off its tracks and they would need to call a mechanic to fix it, though, being Labor Day, that may take a while. So off the plane we went. Being a tiny airport, this was the last flight out so I quickly called my parents to turn around and come back to get me. While they were driving back I waited in line with the 30+ other passengers who were trying to re-book. When it was finally my turn to deal with the less than friendly US Air representative I requested a flight out of Roanoke for the next day. Once he had clicked and clacked on his computer for a minute I was set to leave the next morning. Thankfully my Roanoke flight took off without a hitch and I went back through Philly yet again before arriving in the Big Easy around 1:00pm. From there it was straight to work to try to make up for lost time that morning.

 

It is becoming predictable that US Air will have some sort of delay, cancellation, or issue causing my original plans to be altered. This was my fourth trip home in a row where something came up. I suppose there isn't much one can do to prevent these things, but it sure does make for a true test of my patience.