Thanksgiving

I meant to to this yesterday, but slept all day instead. It was the most relaxing, stressless Thanksgiving I've ever had. For all the whining I did about being an orphan, it was kind of nice actually. In between naps, I really had an opportunity to reflect on the last year, the last six months, and figure out what exactly it is I'm thankful for.

I must say, that after coming home from my best friends birthday party, and being around all the people I love so much, the week and a half leading up to yesterday was a bit of a challenge for me. For all the years I whined about going to St. Cloud, or St. Paul or wherever, the thought of not being around my family was a rather large pill to swallow. Coupling that with the notion that I'm officially less than 6 months away from being 30....well, it felt a lot like a midlife crisis to me. Thankfully, there isn't a new corvette in my driveway.

So, on to the things I'm grateful for. I'm thankful I live in a city where there isn't snow on the ground. Matter of fact, it's raining right now. I could be complaining about how cold 60 degrees is, but it could be worse. At least I have warm clothes and a roof over my head. So, I'm thankful for that; having a job that I adore (even if I don't always adore the people I work with), that provides a comfortable place to put my head and food in my belly.

I'm thankful for my wonderful family, even though I take y'all for granted sometimes. You mean the absolute world to me and I'm so lucky to have some of the best family a girl could ask for. I love that you constantly surprise me, I love the way you make me laugh, the way you make me cry (yes, sister, you and your wedding dress are going to make me cry), the way I can come to you with a question or a problem and you'll give me exactly the answer I need, not the one that I want. I appreciate you more than words can describe. I love you.

My friends. Some of you belong in the previous paragraph, (you know who you are). I have the most amazing friends ever. Some of you I've known forever, some only a short time, but the amount of fun I have with y'all is really pretty incredible. We've done some stupid things, some crazy things, some wildly awesome things, and at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what it is we've done, because we've done it together. I love you more than life itself, because you make life worth living.

One last group of people, then a giant list of stuff I'm thankful for. It may sound odd, but I'm grateful for all the people in life that have wronged me, lied to me, cheated on me, made me question my faith in people. These are the people that teach me how to be a better person, to not take people for granted, to return a phone call even if you don't want to, to ask for what it is you want and tell what it is you don't. I've learned so much from these people about what I want and don't want in life, and while it's caused a fair amount of pain to me, I'm grateful for it. I can't thank you enough for showing me how not to live life.

And my list of stuff I'm thankful for: this pretty MacBook that I'm typing this on, iPhone, my fancy schmancy shoes, watermelon in November, red velvet cake, RSVP pens, satin sheets, the smell of bacon (and taste, really), a general lack of artistic talent, short skirts and high heels, the color purple (not the movie, the actual color), the five senses, Surly Beer, compliments, the egg rolls at Que Viet, naps, the inventor of the vibrator, kickball, gyros, humor, the Dewey Decimal system, loud music, Anchorman, tomfoolery and shenanigans, quality literature, football (even if my home team sucks), photographic evidence, passports and impulsive behavior, champagne cocktails, Jeopardy, Special K, mini-golf and go-karts, In 'n Out Burger, Random Bar Night, kittens, fantasy football, online shopping, The Simpsons, po' boys.

My New Toy!!

No, it's not the kind you think, you dirty bird. I’m typing away on my brand spanking new laptop. I heart Apple. I’m an Apple whore. First they announce the iPhone 4, and then this comes. As soon as they release the second generation iPad, you can bet your sweet ass I’ll be buying that too. I’ve become a serious technology geek since I bought the iPhone 3G. I can hardly wait the mere two weeks till the new one comes out.

Another weekend in the Big Easy is under my belt. Friday was not supposed to be anything special, just a quick happy hour with a couple colleagues. We left at our apprised time, and went on our way. My car was still at the hotel and when I walked by, a couple of our chefs were outside. I started talking to the one I knew, and then my phone rang. I was going to ignore, as I assumed it was the next friend I was meeting up with, but I didn’t. It was my assistant. Her car had disappeared. After a few minutes of trying to figure out what happened, I took her to the impound lot.

Which was closed.

So, we drove back downtown to some office building where we were told that someone would be back in 20 minutes and she’d have to fill out some paperwork, pay a fine and then they’d give her a ride to her car. 45 minutes and $165 later, she had her car back. Is that cheaper than Minneapolis? I don’t remember what mine cost to get out of hock the two times it happened. Anyhow, we went back to my local bar, Finn McCool’s where we met up with a mutual friend.

I swear I try so hard to keep my life drama free. Apparently the universe has some issue with me. I LOVE attention don’t get me wrong. But I like to be the one to draw it to myself. I don’t like it when I want to be left alone. Which was all I wanted to do. Have a couple drinks with some friends and have a low-key night.

Now, on my first trip to this bar, my assistant claims that she was roofied and that it was meant for me. I have no doubt that she was roofied, and I believe her when she says it was likely meant for me. She’s married, and quite obvious about it. Typically I wouldn’t go back to a bar where I got roofied, but this one is right down the street, it’s Irish, and I’ll try almost anything twice. So back we went.

And I witnessed my first bar fight in NOLA. What is it with guys!? Grr. That’s it, I’m going home.

Saturday I woke up super early and found a local breakfast spot. If my stupid camera on the phone worked, I would have taken photos of the best pancakes I’ve ever had. Hell’s Kitchen lemon ricotta deliciousness on a plate can’t hold a candle to the magnificence that was the bread pudding pancakes. With a whiskey cream sauce. And bacon. Mmmmm. Salty magnificent bacon. Makes everything better.

I digress. After breakfast I lounged for a bit, napped, lounged, napped. Watched a car accident unfold (see?!? I'm a magnet!). Lazy, hot, perfect. My assistant came over at some point. Found a cute little Mexican joint, another Irish pub, called it a night.

Sunday was kickball day. Haddad picked me up and we hit up the fields. Sadly I missed the start of this league by a couple weeks, but I’m a shoe-in for fall league. There was a bar on the field. ON THE FIELD. If this doesn’t have my name written all over it, I don’t know what does. Until the games actually started. I’m all about trash talking, but when you’re talking about a kid’s playground game, there’s really no need to get all Yelly McYellerson. It’s a freaking game for crying out loud.

When I witnessed the second bar fight in three days, I contemplated just watching fall league. Seriously….what is it with boys and booze and competition?! Ugh. Anyway, went out for a while afterwards and was home in bed my 9. Now that’s a Sunday Funday I can get on board with.