Searching For My Thing

The remainder of my French Quarter Festival was extremely pleasant. Saw artists I had never seen, got some sun, ate some good food, even had a couple of Pat O'Briens Hurricanes.

Some standouts of the weekend....music-wise: the previously mentioned Lillian Boutte' and Los Hombres Calientes, plus Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue (awesome rockabilly style), Paul Sanchez & the Rolling Road Show (damn! Debbie Davis can sing!), The Brass-a-holics, The Renard Poche' Band (damn! Leslie Smith can sing!), and Los Po-Boy-Citos (just plain fun).....food-wise: (my yearly tradition of) beef brisket topped with a sinus clearing horseradish sauce from Tujague's, beef tenderloin with mac & cheese from Crazy Johnnie's, pulled pork sammich from The Joint, roast beef po' boy from Boucherie, and strawberry shortcake from Begue's .

It's hard to beat spending a leisurely weekend by the river with a friendly, music loving crowd eating, drinking, and watching musicians who love what they do. That crowd is such a BIG part of my Fest. I will always find humans to be fascinating creatures and there is not a better place for people watching than FQF. There are happy people everywhere. The Brass Band Stage is the biggest party. People from all walks of life come together for the funky groove. You will see kids, old people, white, black, women in tight-tight shorts, guys in hawaiian shirts, and always lots of gold teeth. It's all there. Everyone you can think of dancing, sweating, and smiling blissfully. Another happy group I witnessed was during a jam band set that I happened to catch. Not really my kind of music but they were funky enough and in the end they kind of converted me by doing the "old school" song "No Parking on the Dance Floor" by Midnight Star. I couldn't take my eyes off the group of hippie kids squirming, jerking, and flailing to the music. There was a hula hoop, a crystal ball, body glitter, unshaved legs & pits, dreadlocks, and B.O. aplenty! It was like watching a strange hybrid of the Manson Family and Austin Powers - creepy and funny at the same time. But hey, they were having a good time and weren't hurting anyone (other than the B.O.). To me, our differences make life interesting.

I was sad to see it all end and to say it was difficult going back to work is an understatement. I like my job and the people I work with but I've been feeling restless lately. Feeling the need to be creative. Feeling like I haven't quite found my "thing" yet. This is something I want to figure out. I remember when, after much indecision, I settled on accounting as a major in college (just to get it over with). My cousin Sherrie said to me, I can't believe you are majoring in accounting, I thought for sure you'd do something artistic." I didn't have an  answer for that at the time but now, looking back, I see what she meant. When I was a kid I was the first one to sing into the hair brush and dance in front of the fireplace at family functions. I also had no problem singing and dancing in the doorway of the bar downstairs from our apartment for the old men who put quarters in the jukebox. My favorite song was "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce and I usually got a Slim Jim or a brown bottle of Birch Beer after my performance. Payment enough. But as I grew older I became riddled with the insecurities that plague most adolescents. I refused the spotlight in the high school choir....the fear of that large crowd overrode any small confidence I may have had in my abilities. And yet, I still loved the thought of singing in a band. I also always enjoyed English, literature, and writing but doubted that I had any particular talent for it. And besides, what was I going to do with an English degree? Teach? That involved being in the spotlight and wasn't for me. I didn't even consider that there were other possibilities. The fear won out. It's sad when you realize that you let self-doubt prevent you from doing something that you might have loved and enjoyed doing. I settled on accounting because it was "practical" and I will always be disappointed that I let myself do that. It went against my natural way of being. Practical is not me. But as they say, you can't rewrite history. The least I can say is that with age came enough wisdom for me to be comfortable being me. I found a place that I love, and since I'm still alive and kickin' there's always the possibility that I will find my "thing".

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of My Year

French Quarter Festival is here and, I have to say, it couldn't have come at a better time. My past couple of weeks have been trying, starting with a hellacious bout of food poisoning from a "diner", progressing on to a general funk in which I wanted to sleep 18 hours a day, and finishing off with a "misunderstanding" with our landlord that has since been resolved. Oh, and I turned 41. But, enough of that shit, it's festival time! I've mentioned previously that FQF is my favorite event in New Orleans and this is why......the weather in early April is gorgeous; there is an abundance of food, drink, & music and it's ALL LOCAL; the crowd is made up of diverse, music loving people; the price of admission? FREE! And such a grand time that I tolerate going to the can in a Port-o-Potty. (Always carry an extra roll of TP.) This year, for the first time, the festival has added an extra day as a gift to locals who would rather avoid the weekend crowds, which have grown enormously over the years. I am filled with gratitude for this because I truly enjoyed my day yesterday! Actually, my musical weekend kicked off on Wednesday evening when I found out that The Soul Rebels Brass Band and Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews were auspiciously scheduled for the, after work, "Wednesday at the Square" show. The square being Lafayette Square on St. Charles Ave. in the CBD. For those acts I was more than willing to venture across Canal St. I hadn't seen The Soul Rebels in many years and they put on a dynamic, fun show. Troy & Co. were fabulous, as usual, and I don't know how much longer he will be able to play The Square. It soon won't be able to contain the crowd he draws. Called it an early night after the show in order to be up bright and early on Thursday. And.........

My Thursday started out with a massage followed by a pedicure. A lunchtime visit to Lester (boyfriend) at the Gazebo Cafe. Home for a half hour nap, gathered belongings, sunscreen application, made my way to the Mississippi. At this time I'd like to point out that the music is not the only entertainment available at a New Orleans festival......there is also the crowd. You will see quite the array of people. All ages, shapes, sizes, and colors in one place feelin' the groove and doin' their thang. The long skirt wearing, barefoot, twirling, hippie girl; the rhythm lacking, dancing white dude; the 75 year old lady on her "Rascal" bobbin' her head; the guy in the extremely tight seersucker pants with the round "dip" canister stuffed in the back pocket, taking photos....the variety is inspiring. As is the music. There is something for everyone. The first set I saw was Lillian Boutte', diminutive with a roaring voice, backed by a fantastic band with lots of familiar faces. Second set was Los Hombres Calientes, the project of Bill Summers and Irvin Mayfield - dynamic! My first time seeing them and I'm so glad I did. I then wandered a bit to pass by the Brass Band Stage and the One Mind Brass Band was sounding hot. I also realized that I didn't have any festival food. But it was time to end my day of fun. Normal routine (my overflowing clothes hamper) called. So, as I made my way slowly home through the French Quarter I decided that I wasn't going to ruin a perfect day by doing laundry AND cooking. Po' boys from (FQ institution) Verti Marte were in order.

And, just think, I get to do it all again today.