Happy birthday, Bev!

I am trying to shake this cold before Mardi Gras season kicks into high gear - the first parade is tonight - but it is really hard to be good and rest in New Orleans, especially when it's in the 70s and the awesomest season of fun is upon us.

I feel bad missing Krewe de Vieux tonight, but I think it's necessary. It's in the Quarter and I don't have any plans with anyone to go (which stings a little) and I really do need to get better! Ugh.

Somewhat relatedly, it seems like native New Orleanians do not get hung over and I wish I could acquire that talent.

Wow! It is crazy windy here. The National Christmas tree blew down.

Laura, hey!

No kidding about the freaktastic wind. The National Weather service went on and on about the wild fire risk. I hate to hear that someone didn't heed it.

Bartleby and I went out for a walk this afternoon and I ended up with dirt in my eyes and mouth. The poor little guy tried to do his thing but, just as he squatted, a metal real estate sign make the most awful noise and scared the crap back into him. Poor little dude. He was so freaked out, I thought I might have to carry him home.

It's not fun out there.

Thanks, guys!

We had that wind last week. You guys can keep it, or pass it on to England, or something. We don't want it back. We lost power for a couple of hours, and there are trees down all over.

My sister in upstate NY was saying they lost power all night. The Syracuse airport was even closed. This thing covers a wide area.

I was up at 5 this morning with the baby, and the wind was pretty scary (moreso for our apartment since we're on the top floor of the tallest building on this block). We didn't lose power, though.

Am I being unfair in finding the following annoying?

Friend drops by unexpectedly. I say "I was just about to have lunch, would you like to join me?"

"Oh no, " friend says. And stays and chats for two hours, turning down invitations to join me for lunch throughout.

Does it not seem like the friend should have either accepted the one of the lunch invitations or cut the visit short?

Your annoyance is justified.

I would just sit down and start eating. But yeah, totally missing the point.

I am so erin. If the friend was too obtuse to add, "No thank you, but you go ahead," I'd have prepped and eaten in front of her/him.

I ended a relationship with an ex over this very issue. We had become friends but he tended to camp out in my house for unreasonable lengths of time.

In the end, after repeated requests that he respect my time, I kicked him to the curb.

He said _I_ was being selfish.

Yeah. Not sorry.