Cold Spaghetti

Last night, we went to Jacque-Imos for dinner with friend Sheri Fink (pictured with Will at Thoth below). We’ve been talking about going to Jacque’s for dinner since we met back in October; when Sheri (who lives in New York) was running back and forth teaching the Complex Emergencies course last fall. Now, she’s running back and forth finishing up a variety of journalism projects. By lucky circumstance, she ended up in town for Mardi Gras and we managed to schedule in a dinner on the town.

While we were at the bar waiting for a table, Sheri causally mentions this story she’s working on for the BBC — on the international influences in New Orleans cuisine. This completely makes sense, since Sheri has a PhD in neuroscience, is a Medical Doctor, respected author, humanitarian, journalist, and as she clearly has way too much free time, is also a reporter for BBC’s “The World” series on Public Radio International. We figure that, yes, the place qualifies and she pulls out her big official microphone. Jacque roams down to the bar, completely lit, having a great time, and starts handing out drinks from a bottle that Paul notes has come down from the top shelf. It’s bright green; he tells us it’s illegal in every state except Louisiana (he thinks) and fills our cups. I hear him call it “shark juice” (really, it’s chartreuse) and manage to repeat the mis-heard name enough times to be recognized as one who has already felt the drink’s psychotropic effects. Sheri impressively gets him talking about the French and Creole influences in his menu, which is very interesting. At one point we ask him what his favorite items are on the menu today and he tells us to stick with the alcohol, “cause the food here is terrible,” before we are finally sent to our table.

The mic popped up a few more times as Sheri took some sound bites during dinner (amidst our laughter) and outside with narrative of the famous truck. She had interviews lined up with Susan Spicer today; the final report should be fun to hear. We are still giddy from the incredibly good dinner and company… and are secretly hoping that she keeps getting hired to teach down here so that we can do these things regularly!

Some call it Bacchus Sunday, but as we’ve never been to Bacchus, for us it’s Thoth Sunday. Also known at the Krewe of Shut-ins, Thoth traipses through our neighborhood visiting the Children’s Hospital and several retirement centers. Earlier in the season, Thoth visits other retirement centers off the parade route — last year, the Abeona kids joined one of the centers for Thoth’s visit. The parade route includes the stretch of Magazine right in front of Whole Foods (which is a stone’s throw from our front door) so the situation just begs for a party. We donned our costumes once again (turn down the chance to wear golden boots!? not us!)

Sheri joined us for the morning — with big kudos since she’d been up all night at the Endymion Extravaganza the night before. (Remember that event? We went last year and were very sad to turn down a gracious invite to attend once again. What a seriously fun party!)

Will’s favorite throw was a plastic sword. Two, in fact. But he gave one to a friend (which Paul and I found incredibly impressive.) The 4-year old obsession with warfare is still unsettling to the pacifist parents, but we are jokingly agreed that the old-school swords are preferred to guns. Aye. Is fighting always part of early childhood development?
Kate with her throw of the season: a seriously nice stuffed monkey. Paul was holding her at the time and reported that the float riders burst into laughter when Kate took the monkey and quickly put beads around its neck. Thanks, Thoth rider! She’s been inseparable from it ever since.
Ana and Elliot danced to the marching bands!
Paul juggled. While juggling, a guy came up to Paul and asked if he got his cape on Etsy. In fact, we did. Turns out the guy had contacted the same seller to inquire of capes for Mardi Gras… and learned that she had just done capes for a family in New Orleans (us), “maybe you’ll see them,” she added. He couldn’t believe it when he saw Paul and recognized the capes. He took this picture (one with each of our cameras) so that we could send them to the Etsy seller/crafter.
Views from high on the ladder (by Paul).



Thoth was our last parade this season. We were beat. I really missed getting out to St. Charles for Tuesday’s parades; I love Zulu and there is something that feels “official” about Rex that makes me feel like I’m missing something. (Although I generally feel that Rex riders are stingy in their throws.) Still, it was a great carnival holiday and we are already thinking of how to more fully enjoy the traditions next year!

Parade performers from Xavier Prep (I emailed the photo to the school; hopefully it will get to the right people.)
Ladders lined up on St. Charles, waiting for Iris to fix whatever float malfunction was holding up the rest of the parade.
The last few floats in Tucks roaring up Napoleon. The crowd was friendly and fun.

The kids, as captured by Dad. This wasn’t even after a parade… it was yesterday after school, taking a detour to the ‘burbs on the way home to get felt and paint at the craft store. (We did attend Pygmalion last night, though.)
The float, current state. Fixins’ added tomorrow.
Boots, Paul’s and Will’s. I’m so very much in love and feel strongly that we all may need golden boots.
The ladder. Decided to keep it simple.
The Mardi Gras Superhero emblems. Hooray for felt. Hopefully, the costumes (which are more franken-costumes than actual costumes) will come together!

New business idea: online store that sells MATCHING COLORED universal garments. Matching colored t-shirts, sweats, leggings, tights, hats, turtlenecks, and more — from infant to XXL Super Tall. Finding the same color clothes for matching outfits for all of us was IMPOSSIBLE. So my fingers are crossed that the scavenger hunt over the past month is going to come together.

There is no way I’m ready for a return of the New Kids.

We weren’t up for braving the rain Friday night, nor the cold Saturday afternoon.

We did get out Saturday night (see post with loot, below), but didn’t go with all the gear until Sunday. Minor error in that we thought both parades rolled up Napoleon… in fact, Carrollton rolls down Napoleon and King Arthur rolls up. But give us credit: we figured it out before the WDSU channel 6 guy did (and boy, was he pissed).

Paul and the kids, with the ladder, on the corner of St. Charles and Napoleon (obviously.)
Looking up Napoleon. See the King’s float ahead?

Queen of the Krewe of Carrollton. (Each time we see a Queen of Krewe float, Will calls out, “that’s just like Ana!”)
Kids and Paul. We did get a “My wife is from Norway and HAS TO KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THOSE HATS” regarding the head-gear. They were $3 from MardiGrasOutlet.com out of Baton Rouge. Supplier to all our bling this year. (We got 3 of the helmets to go with our Mardi Gras Superhero themed costumes, which are still in-the-works for Friday’s debut.) Kate was all eyes for the parade. (Note that she is wearing different mittens on each hand — her request — and the multicolored one MUST go on the right hand.)

Floats, throws, and riders.






Kate’s favorite throw of the afternoon was this crawfish, which she held in a vice grip for the remainder of the parade.


These cops hung out on the corner chatting through the whole parade. I was sure one of them was going to get accidentally bonked on the head by a throw.

Right after Carrollton, we quickly moved a few blocks down Napoleon away from the congestion at the corner of St. Charles. This stretch of the start of most parades, in the neutral ground on Napoleon, is our favorite area for parade watching.

Side note: We’ve heard that folks can rent port-a-potties for the Mardi Gras season… according to the forums, you can’t put a rented port-a-potty on the neutral ground. But we saw at least two with “private” signs and locks on them — one of them was marked as a fundraiser for a local school! We are totally looking into getting a potty next year. Anyone have more detailed 4-1-1 on this?

We set up near this awesome viewing platform. I totally want Paul to build one. I have no idea how we would store or transport it. I think we’d have to leave it out the whole season in the neutral ground chained to our rented port-a-potty.
Once moved to the new location, Kate was OVER the parades. She was DONE with being on the ladder. See her below? She is trying to strangle herself with beads. Even Will was begging for her removal.She was all about climbing the ladder. Until she realized the bounty on the ground around her.
Paul took a few pictures of the parade while I wrangled squirmy Kate.

She was so squirmy that we couldn’t get her back up on the ladder, even for snacks. Finally, I wised up and realized she had a serious diaper. Damn… and we were without the diaper bag! (Totally my fault!) I took her to a church across the street that was selling food (i.e.: location for napkins) and scooped out the mashed mess as best as I could. This helped her remain somewhat content until the end of the parade.

Paul took this great picture of the cars across the street and managed to get me and Kate in front, walking back from the scary diaper incident.
After the diaper, Kate spent the rest of the parade playing Mardi Gras scavenger, picking up all the beads strewn through the grass. She then found every dog within the 6 blocks up and down Napoleon and proceeded to give each animal all of the beads she found. I’m not kidding. She even took my beads off to give them to a Golden Retriever she particularly liked. I drew the line when she started to dig beads out of an ant pile. (I think she was more unhappy with my interference than she would have been if an ant had bit her.)

Finally, the parade was over and we headed out. This is how we roll… Kate in the stroller and Will on the ladder:

Will LOVES this fish from King Arthur. He brought it to school and slept with it at nap time today… he loves it THAT MUCH. So thanks, rider from King Arthur!!!
Happy Mardi Gras!

People are often surprised when we send bags of Mardi Gras loot — how much do you get from a parade? — is a common question. This photograph, taken hastily, is an attempt to answer that question.

This represents part of the Saturday night Uptown parades… floats 16-18 of Sparta and the entire Pegasus parade. We went as is… just walked up, no step-stools or ladders. Will sat on Paul’s shoulders and I held Kate. We were out for maybe 90 minutes; including a 25 minute stall towards the end of Sparta when a float somewhere up the line had a technical malfunction. The parades include horses, live bands (including our neighbor, Mitch –no, not that one–, with Michael Hurtt and the Haunted Hearts), drum lines, high school bands, and a ton more.

Favorite throws of the night featured in the pile below included a purse with a big butterfly on it (Kate has been carrying it around non-stop all day); a huge spear (we hid it almost immediately); a pirate set complete with treasure chest, coins, earring, and dagger; huge stuffed dolphin; Sparta Trojan horses; Pegasus horses (with red manes and blue sashes); a huge snake; four footballs; and a soft plush beanie “gato.” Granted, this is a pretty decent haul for essentially one parade… but it isn’t uncommon by any means.
What do we do with all this stuff??? Well, we will divide them this week. Broken strands, stuff we don’t want, and excess pieces get donated to local charities who re-string them or use them in project-based fundraisers. A huge portion of the stuffed toys and footballs will be thrown in the Abeona parade (it’s tough for the kids to throw beads, since they tangle, so they mostly throw cups and stuffed toys). The collectables and favorites get added to their current toys — most of the them go with the puppet show animals that they play with. Other favorite throws are packed and sent to friends all over the world. We keep beads and other shiny traditional throws on hand year-round for care packages.

Still more get packed away in “rainy day” boxes. These come out on icky days for imagination play, the whole costume box (many of which I wore in junior high and high school, ranging from my Alice in Wonderland dress made by Grandma Betty to the purple dress my Mom wore in her high school portrait to a skunk costume to a Betty-Boop mask) plus the Mardi Gras masks, hats, beads, and accessories. Who doesn’t love dress up? I feel certain that every household in NOLA shares the common bond of having these boxes of fun tucked away in the backs of their closets.

Will (4 years, 2 months)

Listening, as understood by Will, is when you HEAR something and then DO exactly OPPOSITE what you have just been told. Action should be immediately followed by a cute, snappy phrase. Example:

scene: in the kitchen, making snacks for school
Me (giving Will the spoon for stirring): “Remember, it’s not sanitary to taste the dough before baking.”
Will (stops stirring, brings spoon to lips): “I’m just going to give this a little taste….”
Me: “WILLL!!!!!!”
Will: “That is TOO GOOD!”

Honesty, as understood by Will, is admitting that when you tripped your sister, you did it because that it exactly what you meant to do… because you realize that your Mom or Dad or Grandparent watched the entire scenario unfold. Example:

scene: in Granna’s bedroom, Will rolls over the floor to slam into Kate from behind, who buckles and crumples to the floor
Granna: “WILL! What happened!?”
Will starts to say I don’t know…
Granna: “WILL. Be HONEST. What was in your heart when you rolled to Kate?”
Will: “That I wanted to knock her down.”

Favorite Food: Hamburgers.
Favorite Song: Clean My Room by the Imagination Movers
Favorite Art Endeavor: Drawing Superheros and Bunnies
Second Favorite Art Endeavor: Tape.
Preferred Form of Parental Torture: Hearing what you say, but ignoring it
Preferred Form of Sibling Torture: I have it, you can’t have it
Favorite Show: The Wonder Pets
Favorite Story: Bartholomew and the Oobleck; “I Love You More” Stories
Favorite Song to Sing: Feed the Birds
Second Favorite Song to Sing: Sing
Favorite Conversation Subject: Reasons why we should let him watch “Star Wars”
Favorite Good Kid Activity: Cleaning up the kitchen table, setting the table before dinner
Cuddly of Choice: Big Toe (Ugly Doll)

Kate (20 months)

Please, according to Kate, is what you say very sweetly when you want to take away whatever Will has. Example:

scene: in the car, Will is looking at a piece of mail and Kate decides she wants it
Kate: WHINE….
Us: “Kate, use your words.”
Will: “She wants my flyer. But I am looking at it.”
Kate (in the sweetest voice possible): “Peeze, Woll, Peeze.”

Learning to speak, according to Kate, is a thoughtful process where one chooses which words and phrases to say and which to completely ignore, no matter what. Case in point: Kate will happily repeat “DAMN” after I utter it upon stubbing my broken toe, but will not ever, under any circumstance repeat the phrase “THANK YOU,” no matter how many times we parrot it to her or what bounty we hold out to encourage it.

Favorite Food: Cheeseburgers.
Favorite Song: The Monster in the Mirror (the “Wubba” Song) as sung by Grover
Second Favorite Song: Elmo’s Song
Favorite Art Endeavor: Paint.
Second Favorite Art Endeavor: Glue.
Preferred Form of Parental Torture: The Supersonic Screech.
Preferred Form of Sibling Torture: I must do whatever you are doing. Right. Now.
Favorite Show: Elmo.
Favorite Story: Elmo. A plus if Elmo has flip-up windows.
Favorite Rhyme: Ring Around the Rosie (really likes that “fall down” part at the end)
Favorite Conversation Subject: Emmy. (“Ehh-mee,” with accent on first syllable.)
Favorite Good Kid Activity: Giving her brother hugs
Cuddly of Choice: Elmo. And Ugly Dog.

One of Will’s favorite pastimes is still with us. Eventually, he’ll get it right and prefer it that way. We’re enjoying it while it lasts.