PCB /to/ NOLA /to/ Biloxi and back /to/ PCB.

An epic amount of travel for three whole days... but I'm not complaining.  Had to get my biopsy done on in NOLA on Wednesday afternoon (1:00 PM - but I left PCB at 6:15 AM that morning), then ran some errands (picked up a couple of cases of Abita Beer, gumbo file, cajun spices, a small bag of red beans, and some petit fours), grabbed a rotisserie chicken and NOLA-style potato salad (for dinner).  I also provided some pre-mixed cocktails, Long Island Iced Tea (Cuervo Skinny) which were not at all disappointing!!  I wish I took a picture of it - because it was delicious and not the shit-tastic mess I was thinking it would be - at all.  Yum!!  L and I had our cocktails and front-porched it (my most favorite evening thing to do in my old 'hood).

(Looking down my street from the awesomeness of the front porch!!)

The Vee-Dubs was glad to be back in her old neighborhood, too.  I still have the NOLA inspection sticker on the front (even though my license plate is from Florida now).  Since N & L rent out my old house, I street-park now... no more fancy for me!!

(There she is... back where she should be... minor dents and all!!)

After all the excitement of Wednesday night, I reluctantly packed the car on Thursday morning - but it wasn't as dreary as I was expecting.  I headed to Mississippi to pick up one of my very good friends and treat her to a night out (did someone just say "Girl's Night"??  Oh, yesssssssss!!!).  We booked a room at the IP Casino in Biloxi, which is a casino, resort, spa, pool on the 11th floor, and excellent room service.  This is our second visit and it was just as fun as the first time around!!  I had brought some "Hurricane" pouch drinks from New Orleans, and we started with those...

(You know, because I just came in from NOLA - we had to toast the city in our own way!!)

Then, we went exploring around the casino, checking out the pool, taking various elevators (all which seemed slightly shaky and a bit dodgy) and came across this gem (can't say that either one of us was really interested in attending this concert - for fuck's sake, I thought she was dead or in a loony bin - but apparently is still doing the B-level casino concert bit)....

(She's had so much plastic surgery, if she sits near a campfire, she'll either go up in flames or simply fucking melt!!)

Yeah, you read that right.  Liza - in the plasti-flesh.  We had such a good giggle over all that - it was hilarious.  I think that a good portion of the Q-tips may have hit up the box office, though.  The elevators going up there were full!!  

We headed back up to our room, to open our big ol' box o' Franzia (Sunset Blush - the boxed-bagged wine that never stops) and proceeded to have a fabulous time watching "National Lampoon's Vacation" and catching up on all the cray-cray shit that's been going on in our lives.  This, of course, is way better than drinking and texting or Skyping... and we took advantage of it - staying up fairly late (well, really late), ordering room service.  In the morning, we ordered room service and got pancakes with a bourbon-apple sauce to spread on them.  It was a great evening!!!

And guess what?????  I didn't get *dangerous*!!  I could have, you know.  I had alcohol, ice, and a cheaply serrated "knife" that I'm pretty sure (had I been sober enough), I could've ground into a shank.  That never happened.  The proof???  Right here...

(It would've taken me half a week in a prison hole in order to make THAT a killing weapon.  Sorry, C.!!  I did my best to appease the peanut gallery, but I guess I failed miserably at that.  Le sigh.)

So, we check out of the casino this morning, and I was back on my way to PCB.  Got home before the husband did, emptied out the car, and then we went out to one of our favorite seafood shacks.  I don't have a lot of pressing stuff to do this weekend, and the boob hurts a bit, but I'm sure I can just hack it off if it becomes a bother.  

And if you're feeling adventurous or need some kind of entertainment....  play THIS.  It's Dangerous!!!

Two Weeks of Travel.

After a very quiet Fourth of July (and it was quiet - living in the 'burbs ensures that), I now have a busy two weeks coming up.  On Wednesday morning, I'll be heading back to New Orleans.  My visit is two-fold... I'll be getting a needle biopsy done and then a new audio system put in my car (part of my 40th birthday gift).  I'm getting a touch-screen system with all the bluetooth stuff for my iPod, iPad, and iPhone that will automatically sync.  That makes me so happy!!  Also, I can watch movies if I want, also (or at least my passengers can).  This almost makes up for the needle biopsy and very short trip to NOLA.

However, on the way home from NOLA, I'll be picking up a very good friend and we're planning on having a Girl's Night Out at the IP Casino in Biloxi!!!  Pool, poolside service, room service, and of course our favorite box o' wine will make this a memorable stay!!  I can't wait to catch up and just hang out with one of my close friends for a night.  No husbands, no kids, no dog, no cats... nothing but some relaxation and fun.  I don't even care if I get a sunburn!!  :0))  I'm hoping my friend can catch some good pics with her camera and that the weather holds so that we can enjoy an excellent sunset.  I'm so fucking EXCITED!!!

Next week, on Friday, husby and I will be flying up to Washington D.C. for a wedding.  One of my very favorite nieces is getting married and we've decided to make a mini-vacation out of it.  We're staying at an upscale hotel (with a double-person jacuzzi in the room), 24-hour room service, fluffy towels, robes, and poolside access.  We only have to be at the wedding on Saturday night (and that is at La Ferme Restaurant - and it looks so delicious!!) and the rest of the time is our own.  I'm looking at other dining options and maybe going to the aquarium in Baltimore.  Hell, we might just be lazy and pampered... either way, it's a getaway.

I'm still undecided as to whether or not I'll be going to St Louis in August.  Husby is going to be there for over two weeks, and I could fly in and crash at his hotel with him, easy peasy.  Just don't know if I want to deal with traveling that soon again or not.  Next summer, we have a month long trip to Germany (going to both Ramstein and Landstuhl) and there's also a trip to Japan coming up in the early spring.  I look forward to going back to Germany (although I'm pretty sure I'll be spending most weekends in France) and I've never been to Japan, so that should be interesting.

And in between all those things??  House buying, painting, flooring, and moving.  Let's not bring all that up right now.  I want to ride on this good mood for a while!!

Friends-Drinking-Franzia-Saturday.

This might sound weird.  And maybe it is... but for some of you who don't have friends close by, it'll make sense and it may appeal to you.  Who knows?  For me??  It's better than wine-ing it up on your own, only to drunk dial someone who may not appreciate your consideration post-midnight.

I drink and message with one of my good friends.  It's a planned event.  Really.  Repeat after me:  "This is a planned event".  There's only a couple of steps involved and then, voila!!  Are you interested??  Follow these directions:

1. Find one of your good friends who may be in the same predicament as you.  They could be in a new area (with no friends to hang out with), in an area where drinking is frowned upon (the debbil you say!!), friends that don't drink (my idea of horror), or maybe they are home with the kids or family or in-laws and such (and therefore; they NEED to drink).  Make contact.  Set a date and time.
2. Determine what you're going to drink.  Tonight, I enjoyed a cool 3-litre box of Franzia's Famous "Sunset Blush" - on sale for $8.00 at my local Winn-Dick-Me (AKA "Winn Dixie").  My drinking buddy's husby picked her up the same thing.  
3. At set time, start messaging, texting, Skyping, or whatever.  Get silly and funny and take pictures and laugh.  Get snockered.  Enjoy each other's company.  Do the Girl's Night thing from miles and miles away.  Best of all... hang out with someone you adore and don't be lonely.  

Start the fun with this:

You're merely $8.00 to fun with one of your besties online!!!

Then, just start sending pics to each other.  I took a pic of my favorite wine slurping cup... a Dr Seuss holographic tumbler, along with my favorite movie character, The Dude (from 'The Big Lebowski') and a finger puppet of Dali.  This is what I sent (because my Sunset Blush Buddy gave me The Dude early for my birthday):

So, it's a little dark... but can you FEEL the happy????  I can!!!

I'm not going to bore you with the rest of our conversation, but I enjoyed my time with her immensely.  Of course, it's not going to be as awesome as hanging out in person with someone... but if you're wanting company and you're on your own, this is a pretty good solution.  It's been a great night!!

Road Tripping. New Orleans. Popping In.

***Sorry about picture sizes... they are a bit blurry***

I left on Saturday to head back to New Orleans.  Sadly, I don't think that I expected the reaction I had... once I drove into the city proper, I cried.  The Super Dome, the Smoothie Center, the Crescent City Connection, the mighty Mississippi River, and of course, my old "barn" of a house (L & N live there now, so it's like having family living in a multiple-generation home).  

***The sign on |10 directing me to the Westbank (AKA "The Bestbank")

Of course, we front-porched it.  That was after going to eat at this excellent hibachi and sushi restaurant in Metairie...  Shogun.  My host and hostess (S & L) have been going there for 17 years, and let me tell you, that restaurant did NOT disappoint.  A large hot sake, soup, salad (ginger dressing to die for), special hibachi rice, spicy noodles, and I had the seafood combination (lobster, sea scallops, and shrimp).  Veggies included zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and sprouts... the mushrooms were my favorite (they just absorbed all the sauces and spices).  Nothing was bad.  Highly recommend and I'll do a Yelp review tomorrow.  

Grabbed lunch with L on the go... she had a ton of errands to run, and guess what??  I did, too!!  Husby is in St Louis for the rest of the week, and I kept getting texts.  So... Abita Beer party pack, Cafe du Monde chicory coffee, sweet and salty honeyed cashews, Richard's fresh green pepper (read "spicy") smoked sausage, NOLA potato salad, and comic book store items.  And... delicious soaps from a soap maker that's local.  They smell almost like a fresh French milled soap, but the price was right and I picked myself up some and picked out two additional for a VERY good friend of mine.  I didn't find a tee-shirt that struck my fancy at the comic place, so I ended up getting the new "Fight Club 2" comic.  Honestly, I could go wild in Crescent City Comics... they had some of the best graphic novels ever and I could've blown a whole lot of money in there.

For dinner on Sunday, S made homemade ricotta and Italian sausage raviolis with a sauce to DIE FOR.  Deliciously excellent.  :0))  I need to pick up on some of his tips and tricks and start using my Kitchen Aid professional mixer far more often.  Seriously!!  Plus, it's relatively easy but looks FABULOUS when finished.  

**Disclaimer:  I did not take food porn pics.  Apologies.** 

Monday was nothing but appointments.  I've been deemed healthy by my internist.  YAY!!!  Met a friend for lunch (between appointments) and went to Manhattan Jack - she was craving bagels with lox.  I pouted, because I was too late for an everything bagel that I wanted (sold out) and they stopped making their Monte Cristo sandwiches (one of my utter and absolutely favorite nom-nom-nom foods).  Haven't found a replacement since they took theirs off the menu.  Definitely can't find them here in Florida, so....  boo!!

Spent an uneventful night because I was planning on stopping at Rouses AGAIN and I was wiped out by all the go-go-geaux!!!  pace that we went with all weekend.  So, I ended up leaving NOLA around noon-ish on Tuesday, but there was a great reason.... I could spend some down time with Cat!!!!!

I was, indeed, able to stop in her area on the way home... bearing gifts of candy cashews AND peanut-brittle type peanuts.  She shocked me by giving me my birthday gift early...  it is THE DUDE from the 'Big Lebowski'.  Check it out!!

She knows me and put a lot of thought into it.  :D

Her husband, M, found me two of my obsoleted favorite cartoon shows... 'The Oblongs' and 'Moral Orel' and burned them to disk for me.  HAPPINESS!!  So, with that awesomeness, I'm going to sign off for now.  Thank you so much, Cat!!!  Treasured forever!!!  x0x0

Visitors. Happy Time!!

Yesterday, I had some old friends pop into town.  It was crazy because they've been doing shows all across the US and had some gigs lined up in Pensacola and in another nearby area. I was thrilled because I hadn't seen Nikki or Jason for almost a year.  The last time they visited was when we were living in NOLA last summer.  Naturally, I invited them over to hang out and stay overnight if they wanted and we had a blast!!  They also have the distinction of being my very first company from out-of-state.  My apologies if my phone went unanswered and messages were left unread.  I'll catch up with you today.  :0))

Ordered out Chinese delivery, got into some wine, caught up on our families, mutual friends, and some interesting stories.  The dog was even over the moon to have them here!!  :0))  We figured out that we've been friends for 10+ years... and I love them because no matter how long it's been between visits, it's like no time has passed when we're finally together.

Nikki also gave me a copy of her newest album (I have them all, now!!) and I'm probably going to see them next week after I get back from New Orleans (I'm heading there on Saturday morning).  This week has been far better than I ever expected and I must've had some weird premonition, because I cleaned my house (seriously deep-cleaned to get rid of the shitty germs from the crap-tastic cold that I had for almost 10 days) and things were back to (what my version of) normal (is).

So... I had great friends come to visit and on Saturday I'm headed out to visit some of my favorite people and be the guest instead of the hostess.  It's like the best karma trip ever.

You can find this by contacting Nikki directly through her website...

If you mention Juggsy or JuggsBunny, she'll autograph it for you.  :0))

I'll be taking some pics of my meanderings through Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and I'm going to try and blog while in NOLA.

It's amazing how a surprise visit can really lift your spirits.  x0x0