What a day this has been...

 

TFG has been indicted!

I can only hope that this is the first of many and that the process will lead to a trial, conviction, sentencing, and PRISON!! 

For a very, very long time!

I lived too long in the South!

 Yes, Ma'am! 26 years down South completely changed the way I exist on this planet. It dawned on me that I will take an extraordinarily long time to explain something or answer a question, which isn't exactly appropriate here in Lalaland. 

Let me explain how I came to this realization (here she goes and she can't even stop herself). 

I had an appointment with a new doctor, so even though I had done all the preliminary questionnaires online, there were still forms to sign, which I expected, and questions to answer in more depth or so it seemed to me. It seemed that way because when the nurse came in and started asking questions (while looking at her computer screen) I'd already answered, I started giving her the backstory to the questions! Now, in Savannah, this type of response was accepted and listened to, but no, not here, sweetpea! She very rudely (to my still Southern-afflicted mind) cut me off saying what amounted to "save it for the doctor, I just need straight facts." Well, there you go, missy, which is what I said, but of course, not out loud. 

Anyway, all of this got me to thinking(see what happened just then, I said to thinking, a very southern form, instead of just thinking, )  about how habits form and need to be adjusted to the situation. Code-switching is indeed not only cultural, but geographical as well. It's not only limited to speech, but also to accepted behaviors. Case in point, in certain parts of the city conversation or greetings between strangers, is uncommon, whereas, where the MITM and I live it's an accepted and encouraged practice. 

Just recently, I read a short piece on another site that spoke to the civility and generosity practiced in southern communities. Two men in line at the grocery store conversing socially when the first man's card is declined. He had deposited his paycheck just n hour before and thought it would be available in his account. Well, it wasn't, so the  gentleman behind him said, "I got it, don't worry." Now the man, guy#1, was concerned the the fellow might not have heard that his bill was $30, but guy #2 had said that he heard and would still cover it. OK, so long story short (too late even though I've edited this piece twice), guy #1 takes to that other social media site, to try and find his benefactor which of course after a minute or two, he does! So, the two men reconnect and instead of just a monetary exchange, they become friends, their families connect, and as guy #1 says, we're brothers now. Guy #1 is white and guy #2 is black and it happened in Louisiana.

Ok, now I'm not saying that something like this wouldn't happen here, but I'll tell you what (again with a southernism), it wouldn't happen in many parts of this city. Hell, you can't even get a handwave thank you when you let a car cut in front of you on the freeway! Maybe there are just too many people in L.A. now or maybe we're really just too suspicious of unsolicited interactions to be aware of each other. 

Or maybe this rain and the grey skies are making me too easily depressed.

What'd y'all think? 

 

Happy Birthday, Doc!

 Today we celebrated The Doc's 50th birthday! The family gathered for brunch at Bacari, West Adams! I hope y'all will look at the menu because it was stellar! The Doc was greeted with a round of applause when he and The Dancing Lady arrived and toasted with raised glasses of various beverages! There were gifts and laughs and as my Mama used to say (whenever we all gathered), "A good time was had by all!"

Like all of the krewe, The Doc reads this blog, so I hope y'all will join us in celebration!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOC!!

xoxo

54 years ago today!

 

WE SAID YES!

yes to Love

yes to each other

and 

today...

it's still YES!

Happy Anniversary to us!

xoxox

A time to write, a time to read

 I've let the weather get me down this past week. While rain is a good thing here in Lalaland, the rain along with cold temps and wind has laid me low. It seems I've spent the last few days inside in my pj's and bundled up in sweaters (yes, more than one) and a blanket! Oh, let us not forget the multiple pairs of socks, too. The house is heated, but I have been insanely cold! I'll stop here with my whining, but suffice it to say, I'm going to enjoy the sun and the pause in the rain today! 

It's really weird to hear from friends in Savannah talking about how warm it is there now (86 yesterday), compared to here (insanely 43) yesterday! We're looking at continued rain and cold temps for the next 10 days. I think I'll stop reading their posts on that other social media site. This cold weather has given the city an additional reason to move quickly dealing with the homeless crisis here. Mayor Karen Bass has declared the homeless issue a state of emergency. City Council has authorized money to assist in getting folks off the streets and into temporary housing with the goal of moving people into permanent housing.

One of the most disturbing things I saw coming back to the city was the HUGE number of tent encampments throughout the city! No longer was homelessness seen just on Skid Row downtown (a portion of 5th Street east of City Hall), but had manifested itself everywhere. The disparity of income had never been so visible to me, even though I was aware of it as a progressive living here for a good portion of my life. Coming back after spending 26 years in a much smaller city where the number of homeless was an actual number, not an estimate, what was happening here astounded and saddened me. I hope that the Mayor's plan for immediate temporary housing works because far too many people are on the streets in this cold and wet weather. 

Part of me, actually my entire being, wonders why the mega-churches/houses of worship, of ALL denominations, in this city, aren't opening their doors to the poor right now? 

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I don't think I have any exciting news or views to share here today. It's truly frightening to think that doom and gloom are consuming my thoughts right now. 

Somebody tell a joke.

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Something to share on a completely different subject, but it seems that last night at the NAACP Image Awards, a certain guy purposely committed an act of violence toward another person last year at the Academy Awards, received an award for his performance in a movie. Now, you may be saying, "So what happened?" Well here's the deal from someone who was there and witnessed the awareness because only a few people applauded him, and the rest of the entire audience remained silent. His peers have spoken and I couldn't agree more! (Sterling K Brown should have won)

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Enjoy your day wherever you are, sweetpeas! If it's snowing where you are, stay inside and keep warm! xoxo

I almost forgot to post this!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG KID CHAOS!!

Yesterday marked 11 trips around the sun for BKC. This year instead of presents, experiences were requested. Yesterday, we helped bake a birthday cake, BKC went out to dinner, and tomorrow we're going to one of BKC's favorite Mexican restaurants! The BIG party will be on Saturday with the entire Krewe and, by special request, the MITM's famous Gumbo. I'll try and post pics before everything is gobbled up!

Throw me something, sister!

Today the Krewe of Muses rolls down in New Orleans! This has to be my second favorite (after Zulu) krewe in NOLA. This diverse group of women celebrate, honor, and support the achievements of women throughout the year via their philanthropic work. Take a look at their page to see the satirical floats they've had over the years and also their work towards having more sustainable throws each year.

Tonight's parades will feature The Krewe of Babylon, The Knights of Chaos, and The Krewe of Muses. Thursdays traditionally start the first nighttime parades leading up to Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) when The Krewe of Zulu rolls first in the morning (8am CST) in New Orleans, followed by Krewe of Rex, Krewe of Elks Orleans, and ending with Krewe of Cresent City. All the festivities end at the stroke of midnight with the most hard-working krewe of Mardi Gras: NOLA Sanitation Workers!

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Since we're still celebrating Black History or as I like to think of it, Little Known American History Month, here's a bit of WWll history you might not be aware of courtesy of Atlas Obscura. 

It seems to during WWll there was an immense backlog of mail that wasn't being delivered to soldiers stationed in Europe leading to a decline in morale. Letters from home weren't being received, so here's what happened. 

Who says you can't learn anything from a blog??? 

It's Sunday and CARNIVALE SEASON IN NOLA watching the Krewes rollin! (plus a 5:45 UPDATE)

 We started watching the floats yesterday, but today is the lead-up for us sitting here in LA waiting for a favorite band, St. Augustine 100 (pronounced St. Au-GUS-teen in NOLA)! The first float today is The Mystic Krewe of Femme Fatale.  Followed by Krewe of Carrollton, and the last for today will be Krewe of King Arthur.

All the krewes that roll during Carnival season are reflective of New Orleans and the diversity of its population. Some of the krewes date back to the 1880s,  Mistick Krewe of Comus   (no longer rolls because the group did not want to integrate) to krewes that started within the last 20 years!

A favorite in this family is The Krewe of Zulu because the MITM's grandfather was the Zulu King in 1936, so we have a serious attachment! I know that if we ever lived in NOLA, someone we know would become a member!

Gramps was around 20 in this picture, so quite a few years before he was crowned King!  

We'll be watching the parades during the season, but the big parades will be on Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. The Krewe of Zulu will be the first parade to roll that day, so we'll be up REALLY early and, hopefully, with some coffee and doughnuts, since Cafe du Monde and beignets are out of reach!

If you are interested, you can catch the live parade on youtube!

Oh, right, today is also Super Bowl Sunday!

UPDATE: Rihanna's halftime show was FANTASTIC!!