Holiday Cheer

I am optimistic about this Holiday Season. Funny, since I haven't had a Christmas tree in 12 years. The tree just seemed like so much of an effort when no one else was going to see it, so I just said forget it. This year my mom and her best friend will be visiting for Christmas and we are in a new place, maybe that's what's putting me in the holiday spirit. I'm planning on making cookies and Christmas dinner, hanging lights and buying gifts. I've pulled out my Christmas cds and ordered my favorite Christmas movies from Amazon (which I plan to watch while eating the aforementiond cookies and drinking hot chocolate). I also made a Christmas Eve dinner reservation at the swanky Rib Room for all of us. And I have to say....I'm excited about all of it. I absolutely love buying gifts for people and I've always loved the holiday atmosphere but the holidays are not any fun when you are feeling lonely and I think that's what turned me off of the them. When I moved to New Orleans 8 years ago, I moved away from my family and long-time friends. It's definitely hard to make new lasting friendships when you are in your 30s and, I have to say, with one or two exceptions, I have not made friends here that measure up to my life-long friends. This is surely my fault, as I have a tendency to be a bit of a loner. I'd love to be more comfortable with myself socially, but as you get older you get more comfortable in your "ways". Other times, it's just that I'm too lazy to make the effort to be social. Which is a shame because life is meant to be lived and I happen to be fortunate enough to live in one of the most vibrant, exuberant cities ever. A city where age is just a number and EVERYONE is welcome to join the party. So, this season I will make an effort to shake off my normal holiday funk and raise a glass (or two) to participating in the party that is life in NOLA.

Healthy Fascination

I am truly fascinated by people who choose fruit over a piece of cake for dessert. I sit in the cafeteria at my place of employment and watch this occur over and over again and can only gaze in wonderment before taking my next bite of cake. One time as I entered the cafeteria there was a large group of people jostling each other to get to the refrigerated dessert case, I thought, "There must be something especially scrumptious in there!" When the crowd dissipated I found an empty tray that once contained.......watermelon. Again, fascinating. How do I become one of these people? And not only when it comes to dessert. I long to make better food choices all around. And, while I hold enough knowledge about food, exercise, and weight loss to be a nutritionist, I continue to make choices that I know are harmful to me. Why is this? If I have a choice between pasta with marinara or pasta with a cream sauce, you can guess what I would pick. Same goes for the choice between grilled chicken breast or a nicely marbled grilled rib eye. No contest. Why am I like this and other people are not? Is it a matter of discipline? Genetics? Whatever it is, I'd like to remedy the situation because my diet (not to mention my lack of exercise) is killing me slowly. The solution seems so simple.....just make better choices....eat less, move more....but somehow it isn't. Or maybe it is, and I'm just weak. I'm not sure. But I can't let it consume me. I'll take each day that is handed to me and make the most of it, perfect or not, and maybe, as I go along, I will genuinely want that piece of watermelon instead of a mediocre piece of cake.

A New Orleans Scene (From Some Time Ago)

It was dark when we turned on to the street listed in the "apartment for rent" ad. My roommate Mike and I had been pondering a move closer to the French Quarter and, while we looked for the address, noticed how quiet the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood seemed. A rarity in New Orleans. As we approached the place, the stillness was disrupted by a door banging open across the street, followed by voices. We turned to see three figures emerge from the lighted doorway....first, an average looking guy; second, a woman in a lavendar bathrobe and head wrap; and the third was what looked to be a goat. Their conversation stopped when they saw us and they shouted a cheerful greeting our way. We crossed the road to meet them and, upon closer inspection, realized that the person in the bathrobe was not a woman but an aging drag queen. We talked about the apartment and neighborhood while the animal quietly milled around, sniffing at us and the ground. Mike finally asked, "Is that a goat?" The answer that came was, "She's my special dog." It turns out that the drag queen had been employed by the racetrack, where they use goats to calm the horses. For some reason, they were going to have this goat "put down" so, after work, she snuck the goat to her car and brought her home. The neighborhood is not zoned for goats, of course, so she is known as a "special" dog. We continued our conversation while making friends with the "special" dog, but it was getting late so we thanked them for their help and made our way home.

We ended up not moving at that time, but how can you not love a city where there's always the possibility of having an animal loving drag queen with a goat for neighbors?