~ma for your mom, askye!

Rental~ma for you mom, askye, and much of it. These housing things can be a bitch sometimes.

Rental-ma to your mom, askye.

I'm gonna have to speak with the girl I'm sharing the work station in the volunteering with. Today I was welcomed by a work station with dirty cup and plate on the desk and a working computer, after she left the place.

I may have been out of an office enviorment for a while, but this is not how people should behave in an office place, right?

Hi, all! I finally caught up, after being in Iowa for several days, and then being very busy with a 7 year old while Dan works.

I missed you, and am glad everyone had mostly happy holidays. Mine was the busiest in a long, long time.

We drove through the Iowa Blizzard of Death (and I was white-knuckled and pissed as hell at my bf for his blithe "my mom said it's ok" statement as a 4 hours trip turned into 8, with ice, freezing rain and whiteouts. But at the end of the stressful drive was a bucket of frozen margaritas, prime rib and crab legs, and a family who kept pulling me aside to tell me how much better I was than his ex, which was nice.

I've read a couple of stepmoming books, and I think I've done a pretty good job in the last couple of weeks. It's been quite a change from my hermit-like existence to living with BF and THEN 24 hours of primary caregiver to Boy. Dude, I took him to the doctor! He had to get a shot!

I have lots of new questions and perspectives on ex-spouse crazyhood, stepparenting, parenting (I was right all those years I thought it was a freaking hard job) and relationships.

We're having people over for NYE and it will be the most sedate one ever. First one I've ever hosted, and since M is here (he goes to mom's tomorrow -- I'll be honest, I am relieved AND sad, but this has been quite a change for me, so...it's a touch more relief. And I do not believe this makes me a bad person.)

I am going to start cleaning -- M is at his aunt's house this morning, and it's the first time I've been alone in 2 weeks. Bliss.

I have two bottles of Prosecco, and I am going to drink every damn drop tonight.

Dang, Erin. A doctor's visit with a shot is quite the (traumatic) milestone. And, as bad as 8 hours on the frozen, whited-out road must have been, dang, buckets of margaritas and crab legs sounds like heaven. As does a sedate NYE with friends and prosecco.

And, nope, a touch more relief does not make you a bad person. You kind of got thrown into the deep end of the stepparenting-and-meeting-family pool, and if you weren't in need of a breather by now it'd be kind of weird.

I caught up! No skipping, but some skimming (especially the math stuff).

Back from New Orleans. Had a seven course Revillion menu on Christmas night at Restaurant August which was amazing. AMAZING. Once I find the menu, I will post it somewhere. Jazz Brunch at Commander's Palace was great, though Tom had a crappy (chlorine-tasting) shrimp in his shrimp and redfish gumbo. Atmosphere was great, though, and we had many excellent cocktails there.

Also for cocktails: went to Iris, which doesn't list its cocktail menu online but it was a KILLER craft/artesianal bar with loads of homemade bitters and syrups and extracts and stuff (sorta looked like the Pharmacy Museum, come to think of it) and was in our hotel, The Bienville House.

For a more traditional New Orleans cocktail experience, we made many revolutions around The Carousel Bar, as well as Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, and The Old Absinthe House. The Chart Room, makes a hell of a Manhattan, we watched the Saints game (yikes!)at Crescent City Brewpub, and played pub trivia at Jimani, which we won once despite my massive and semi-crippling hangover.

Other food places: Cafe du Monde of course, Stanley Restaurant, where I had 2 very weird po'boys, burgers, baked potatoes, and "Monsoons" at Port of Call, The Camellia Grill, The Gumbo Shop for red beans & rice and jambalaya (and gumbo and boudin), and Mr. B's for BBQ shrimp (eh...) and Gumbo Ya-Ya (yum!!)

Ate Chinese food at 5 Happiness and Cuban food at... some place on Magazine. It was good though! Our final night was at Couchon which was freaking awesome.

Got in some culture type stuff too: The WWII/D-Day Museum, the Pharmacy Museum, and The Cabildo Museum in Jackson Square.

Grabbed a muffeletta at the Central Grocery to take home, 1 quarter of which is currently taunting me from my fridge for lunching. Took Tom down Bourbon Street for about 3 blocks before he couldn't take it anymore. It's funny how much of the horrible crazy is confined there and doesn't leak out as much as you'd think!

SO MANY PLACES I wanted to go that I didn't get to. Lil' Dizzy's, Mother's, Jacque-Imo's, Mahoney's, Green Goddess, Herbsaint.... the list goes on and on. Also, more of the museum stuff in the Quarter as well as the Fine Arts Museum.

In possibly related news, I am so tired. Ah well, gotta keep up with the laundry and heat up my muffeletta quarter!

Mmmm. Jimani has the best burgers. God I need to go back to La.

Dude, that sounds awesome.

Also I am now very hungry.

Nora! Glad you had a great time. That sounds like an awesome NO experience.