Can You Smell What The Rock Is Cookin'?

Gavin and I got my engagement ring yesterday. We decided to go to Mervis and I'm so glad we did. I got the ring of my dreams and it didn't cost the earth. Hooray! We're still debt free!

How Do You Want The Eggs On That Coonass? Visiting New Orleans

I got the chance to visit my favorite city, New Orleans, for work last week. GMiller arranged to join me. While I was in seminars, he visited all sorts of military exhibits. Of course, we took lots of pictures. Walking at Jackson Square at dusk, Gavin took this picture of the cathedral.



When we checked in the room was warm. What do you expect of New Orleans in June. Gavin fidgets with the thermostat. I promise him that the room is not nearly as hot as it will be...



That night after finding Irene's closed, we settle for a late supper at Gordon Beirsch. I'll let you be the judge of the quality of the meal based on the expression on Gavin's face.



To my delight, the Monday luncheon speaker at my conference was Chef Paul Prudhomme. I bought a book got an autograph and had my picture made with Chef. I almost cried at lunch, I was so excited.



Wandering the French Quarter I saw this sign. I don't know many cats who answer to one name leave alone two. When I holler No, No at my cats, they tend to run.



This da-glo bike was a trip. We later saw the owner zooming down Decatur shouting "I'm pretty hard to miss on this!" I'll say.



Trashy Diva is the dress shop of my dreams. I am enraptured.



Our dinner at Emeril's was only meh. It was an experience that I was curious about, since I love Tchoup Chop in Orlando. The best part of this meal was that I got some art inspiration in the ladies room. They've used photographs as some of the tiles.



There's not much graffiti in the Quarter. There aren't many people there, either. I suppose one begets the other. This piece struck my funny bone.



This cat in a Warehouse District window didn't have much to say to Gavin, but apparently he was a member of the RKD fan club. When I started talking to him, he went nuts!



A lot of New Orleans is still in ruins. One of the casualties was the Fairmont Hotel which housed the Sazerac bar. The site was said to be the originator of the cocktail, and that first cocktail is supposed to be the Sazerac, a mix of rye, bitters and anise liqueur. Sounds odd but is delicious. My back up Sazerac supply is found at Arnaud's French 75 bar on Bienville.





Before driving to Baton Rouge to see the USS Kidd, we stop at Cafe Du Monde. I like beignets. A lot.



While aboard, I place a ship to shore call. Did you know battle ships don't come with a cruise director?



Friday morning, we elect to let Fate decide where we'll eat on our way to the Audobon Zoo. We hit upon Slim Goodie's, which was awesome. Gavin got the Jewish Coonass; two latkes with eggs and crawfish etoufee on. I got the Creole Slammer which is bacon, cheese, eggs and chili over hash browns.



Look at the darling monkey I saw at the zoo.



Ooops! This is the monkey. Really.



Gavin took this Heather B shout out mermaid picture. There were several sculptures by this artist in the gallery. We visited after hours and didn't get to go in.



I came home to my very own art installation courtesy of Pepper.



Bonus photo: My future husband. Gavin proposed while we were away. Of course I said YES!


Photos not property of RKD are provided by GMiller. Thanks!

Moses, I love ya.

I am so queer for this movie. I will watch it whenever it's on, like now, and I cry EVERY TIME. The voice of God just woke up Pepper. He doesn't just talk to Moses, apparently.

I read in a great book, "Harlot By The Side of The Road" how Tziporah saved Moses when God sent a spirit to smite HIM. She circumcised him. He was set in the basket before the Bris, I guess, and Ra didn't go in for that sort of thing. So Mr. Ten Commandments was not right in the eyes of the Lord. Good thing he married a quick thinking Shicksa, or it would all be over before it began. Girls rule!

Interesting that Ralph Feinnes plays evil enslaver Rameses, a human god AND Lord Voldemort evil enslaver who wishes he were a god. HMMMM...

12 of 12 June 07

5:15 AM - Pepper is quite angry that I've shut the cover on his food dish. He huffed out of the kitchen and threw himself on the floor in a fit. I have no sympathy for him. I hope he throws a hairy cat fit and works off some of that fat.



5:17 AM - I love salmon cream cheese on pumpernickel toast.



5:20 AM - Flannel knows he's handsome, so he's trying to smarten up the place with his handsome man poses.



6:37AM - I get a great view of all the presidential monuments on my way to work. I'm going in early to prepare materials for a class I'm teaching tomorrow. It is marketing related; I haven't switched jobs.



11:30AM - This Whole Foods has a great prepared foods section. I'm sure they put it in just for us office workers. Something tells me that that part of town is pretty dead after hours.



11:48AM - Back at my desk, I can dig in to the parfait that I got for dessert. I am a fool for parfait. You will never catch me saying "Hell no I don't want no parfait!"



2:20 PM - I just found out that we're going to have to spend an extra $40k a year to complete the project that I've been working on for a year and a half. Big picture it's not that much money, but my boss is funny about that stuff.



6:40PM - I won't get a chance to exercise tomorrow, so I have to get to class even though it's late and has started to rain. Boo hoo, poor me!



6:52 PM - The rain is really heavy, which surprises me since there were no showers predicted for today.



6:55 PM - Everything looks a little more clear when Justin Timberlake is in view.



8:05 PM - Say goodbye to exercise class, everyone! Be sure to thank the nice teacher for making the muscles in your arms sizzle like eggs on a hot griddle.



8:26 PM - Again with the Washington Monument. You'd think it was the tallest thing in the city the way it's horning in all my pictures. Oh, wait... By law it IS the tallest thing in the city. Glory hound.



BONUS PICTURE: SECRET - My secret is that I love eating so much that I would rather die an early death than change anything about my diet.

It Makes You Wish There Were More Than 24 Hours In The Day

So here we are in Sin City. I was here for a work conference and GMiller was able to join me for a few days. We stayed at the Venetian, which was great. I recommend it highly.



There are very few remaining traces of old Las Vegas. I bet this store is one of them. It looks pretty old school. We didn't go in.



After a short walk on the Strip, we take the covered bridge back to the hotel. You can see over GMiller's shoulder that Wayne Brady is playing at our hotel. You know, white people like Wayne Brady because he makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcom X. The only show we saw in Vegas was Blue Man Group. It was like nothing I've ever seen before. Really interesting.



At the LV Natural History museum, we get to experience what life is like for the people of the African Cardboard Hut tribe. I think the goatskins are probably real. They also had a stuffed lynx in the children's area. Not a toy lynx, a real taxidermied lynx. Most of the fur and skin had been rubbed off one of its hind feet and you could see the wooden beetle that made up the underlying structure. That was unsettling.



Dale Chihuly is one of my favorite artists. He did the ceiling at the Bellagio and has several other installations in the hotel. We were hoping to see the Ansel Adams exhibit there, but it was closed due to another exhibit being installed. It was interesting to see the hotel public spaces and compare to where we were staying. As I said, the Venetian was definitely better.



This picture is a shout out to my friend Heather B. Even the mermaids in Vegas have plastic racks! Amazing.



This picture represents the only gambling I did. I spent $8 on the Star Wars slots, and when betting on Obi Wan to win in a fight against Darth Vader, won $107. I'm a happy miser!

12 of 12 May 07

9:23 AM - Back from exercise class with some tide me over for the weekend groceries. I did not buy an entire bag of honey. I've decided to adopt the posture of the caring suburbanite by buying reusable bags from my local organic food conglomerate. I like the idea of giving my tea the royal treatment.



10:15 AM - I have just enough time to get out of workout clothes and into a shower, then into clean clothes before Himself arrives at noon. I think the workouts are working!



11:38 AM - Sitting in my bedroom waiting for Slowpoke to put on her shoes. Buckles still confound me and I'm in my mid-thirties! God bless the people who thought of Velcro. They make shoe time fun time!



11:57 AM - I get kisses and we're nowhere NEAR a fort. Well, we probably are, but the kisses are the part you should take away from this picture. And we're driving to look at a potential house to buy together. SHAZAM!



12:15 PM - My Realtor opens the gate on the potential house. It turned out not to be our cup of tea, but I think it's important to get those forward momentum vibes out into the universe. Whatever you send out comes back to you X3. I heard that in THE CRAFT. Normally, I don't believe what I see in the movies, but that coven of teen witches taught me a lesson. I can't wait to try "light as a feather, stiff as a board" at my next slumber party. Do NOT read something smutty into that remark when you get to the thirteenth picture! Gutter-brains.



1:03 PM - I've left my plug in Treo charger at work, which won't help me on the business trip I'm taking on Monday. Best Buy is the answer. It didn't take very long to look at that house. From that you could infer that it was a) small or b)not so hot. It was both.



1:40 PM - We're still in a house hunting mood, so we swing by the National Park Seminary. We got a list of prices, with units that already have deposits. It was discouraging, and as I feared, well beyond our means. Even if people with deposits drop out, the Realtor there said that they would most likely revise the prices UP. Good grief. We're going to end up living in a van down by the river.



3:30 PM - At the Uptown theatre to see Spider-man 3. They showed a preview for the new Harry Potter movie, and I cried my eyes out. We all know that movie will end in tears. We've all read the book. I don't think I can bear it. Oh, and the movie was good. If you don't care about character development, or plot authenticity. I won't give any spoilers. I'm just saying to see the movie as "inspired by" Spider-man comics as opposed to a faithful rendering.



6:54 PM - In answer to your question, Mr. Jesus Fish Van, NO. I will be driving AS FAST AS I CAN out of that crazy site of Armageddon. You are assuming that I am going to ascend. Ha! Joke's on you, pal.



7:29 PM - I was too lazy to cook dinner, so we go out for Japanese. Udon with pickled veg for me, sushi dinner for him and cold sake for us both. Yum! Almost as soon as we sign the check, a huge thunderstorm starts. Crazy rain, wind and lightning make leaving difficult. GMiller runs for the car and swings by to pick me up.



9:10 PM - Back home we try to watch the Aqua Teen Hunger Force "Broodwich" episode. Is anyone else noticing this diabolical theme in my 12 of 12? It was so not planned. The weather is having its way with the cable and the system is kaput.



9:11 - Ever the optimist, Himself believes by mashing the control harder, the machine will be inspired to work. Alas, we don't find out whether Shake is delivered from the clutches of the demonic sandwich. Off goes the TV and off we go to bed.



BONUS PICTURE: DREAMSCAPE While this is not a fanciful picture, it is a representation of one of my dreams realized. I love this man with my whole heart, and he loves me right back.

If you are new to 12 of 12 - here are the basics:1) ALL PHOTOS MUST BE TAKEN ON THE 12TH OF EACH MONTH.2) After you post your pictures onto a webpage of your choice (Livejournal, typepad, MySpace, Flickr, etc...) please post the TIME, LOCATION, and A SMALL COMMENT in the pic.3) You own the rights to all of your pictures. The idea "12 of 12" is Chad Darnell's. While credit is not necessary, please don't credit someone else with the idea.4) The original concept was at least one body part in the picture. That idea was slowly faded away. The important part is that it is 12 pics.5) The monthly Bonus pic is a 13th picture and is optional.6) When referring to the project, please refer to it as "12 OF 12" - not "12 ON 12."7) Once completed, please e-mail or post the PERMALINK of the post AND the city and state or city and country of WHERE THE PICTURES WERE TAKEN. (If you are on vacation, it's where the pics were taken.)(The permalink is the link to the ENTRY of your page. If you just send me your website, I have to track it down. By listing the permalink, it helps for people to go back and view your previous 12 of 12 entries from previous months.)ANYONE is welcome to join in, even if you've never done it before! I hope you will.