Going Local

When Lithus and I first moved to NOLA, we talked about wanting to get out of the Quarter. Wanted to not only hang out in the CBD. Wanting to learn the city away from the tourist spots. But the Quarter is fascinating and so much happens there. And then it became comfortable. And "our" spots were in the Quarter and the CBD and the buses are inconsistent and unreliable and then we weren't home often and, and, and, and...and suddenly. we realized that we rarely stray beyond our little circle.

That just wouldn't do.

Last night, we discovered The All Ways Lounge. (Note: If you click around the site, it's NSFW. The pictures I'm about to post are slightly NSFW, depending on how picky your work is.) The Quarter and the CBD, it's not. It's not even Frenchmen Street. It's the All Ways Lounge.

The band opening the evening was Ford Theatre Reunion. They describe their music as "circus freak music." I describe them as heavy metal zydeco. Personally, I think either works. They are a little bit genius, and reminiscent of the Dresden Dolls, for those of you who know them. Crazy talented. With a lead singer who reminds me so much of Starbuck when we were 16, that I had to keep reminding myself that this young woman and I don't know each other and it would be weird for me to go hug her (Note: these are not our pictures, nor are they from last night. They are, however, of the group and the singer, so that's something).

They were a serendipitous delight, however, because we had gone to see Clue: A Burlesque Mystery. Seriously. The board game Clue, performed in burlesque. And it was burlesque, not a strip show.There was a juggler, who took off an article every time she "accidentally dropped" a ball or a knife. There was an aerialist. There was even a fan dance.

At the end, for curtain call, they lifted the "no photography" rule, but not the "no flash photography" part of it. Thus, the not-very-good pictures. But you'll get the idea...

There was even a dose of universal justice dished out. A couple was there, so much in costume that I originally thought they were part of the show. He in his modernized 1890's finery; she in her 1940's rockabilly hybrid. Everything was over the top. Nothing was genuine or authentic. Every expression and movement was studied and projected. They were gorgeous caricatures, just like the performers of the evening. And as I became aware of the fact that they weren't a part of the show, after all, I still thought they were cool. After all, I understand deciding who you are going to be for an evening and going with it. Until they showed themselves to be asses. Pouting. Disrespectful. Assholes. Just because the place got crowded and those of us at tables had to adjust in order to see the stage. Finally, she had had enough and, with great dramatic flair, tapped a man on the shoulder and demanded that he clear her entire field of vision. And her male counterpart laid hands on the poor guy who just wanted to bring his friends to a show. At that point, the sound tech/d.j./bouncer stepped in and you can guess who got thrown out. A good reminder to us all: Karma is enough of a bitch; don't be one.

It was a great night. Getting out of the Quarter is highly recommended.

Salt Lake City

The current gig requires us to fly in and out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Generally, though, we don't spend a lot of time in the town with the airport. We fly in, we rent the car, we drive out. Only this time, we had a 5.5 hour wait for Country Boy. 5.5 hours is a long ass time to hang in an airport. But it is also not a long time in terms of doing something. Thus, the great American solution: find a mall.

It was a lovely outdoor mall:

Complete with water show:

And sock monkey in balloons:

They were even prepping for a big Halloween event to launch the holiday season:

Why, it was enough to make you wish you never had to leave! Wait...

Salt Lake City, where you can live. At the mall.

At which point, I had a conversation with Starbuck about purgatory (it's not just for Catholics any more!) and how Black Friday would be so much more interesting on ice skates with a hockey stick. There's a drinking game in there somewhere, too, given that the apartments have balconies; I just haven't quite found it yet.

Finally, though, we did have to leave our sunny, warm, sock monkey-ed oasis. Sadly. Back to the airport, to wait for Country Boy. Gotta give SLC credit ~ their cell phone lots are high tech and cool.

All in all, Salt Lake's not a bad way to pass a 5.5 hour wait.

Round Trip Tickets

The rotorwing aviation industry here in the States is...fluid, shall we say. There's always more work. There's always another gig. There are always promises. And then comes the phrase "well, you know how this industry is..."

The schedule may be, officially, two weeks on, two weeks off, but until you actually get back to the gig, you don't really trust it. We once rushed to get back to work after Thanksgiving with family, just to be told not only was work not starting the next day but there was no work for winter at all and maybe things would start back up again in April or May.

This time? Lithus has round trip tickets. He is scheduled to leave Richfield, Utah on September 18th and return to Richfield, Utah on October 1st.

I'm so excited I can hardly stand myself. I almost didn't post this, because I didn't want to jinx it. Round trip tickets. What will they think of next...

Not Always Glamorous

Back in 1995, I went to India for about three months. It was a dream come true, for so many reasons. One day, though, I found myself bored, waiting on laundry, and playing solitaire. All I could do was laugh. Even in India, sometimes, you get bored and play solitaire.

My life is pretty cool. It's certainly not many people's normal. Lots of travel. Lots of interesting places and people. But it's not always glamorous. We've been lucky for the most part. Only twice have we "lived" somewhere our feet got dirty if we walked around barefoot. Otherwise, we've run the gamut from "it's only for a few weeks" to "we're never leaving this room." Now? Now is probably best described as amusing. Or college. One or the other.

Two twin mattresses pushed together

The parlor, dahlink

Private theatre

But you know what? We don't have to share it (often) and we can walk around barefoot. It may not be glamorous, but it's rarely dull.

Another Musical Interlude

Anyone who spent any time in cowboy country can tell you, there is a difference between country music and cowboy music. While I have talked about the fact that country is alive and well here in Richfield, I haven't yet mentioned that cowboy music isn't exactly gone in these parts. The steakhouse here in town is a walk down memory lane. Curiously, the stereo system has a handwritten sign reading "Do NOT Change this music!" so perhaps I am not the only one who finds it anachronistic. Still, allow me to share with you the songs I have recognized in the two meals we've eaten there. As to why I recognize them? Well, apparently going to school in Texas kindergarten through third grade made an impact after all.


Because no talk about cowboy music would be legit without Tex Ritter.




Okay, I admit, that one I know from Col. Potter listening to it on M*A*S*H, not from elementary school.


 That one was another of Col Potter's favorites, but I also know it from school.



And my favorite (this version chosen for Denny, and because Johhny Cash) ~


More than anything else, though, I'm surprised that I knew the titles and many of the lyrics to all of these.

2700 Miles

When you drive almost 3000 miles, you see a lot. That is, after all, almost a cross-country trek (Massachusetts to Washington is 2900). But here's the secret, you see a whole hell of a lot of nothing, too.

Nothing

Nothing

And still more nothing

Sometimes the nothing is pretty.

Sometimes the nothing has a sandstorm to break it up.

But then goes back to being...nothing.

Eventually, though, nothing becomes something.

Becomes something more.

Becomes something curious.

Becomes something fun.

Becomes the whole reason you've traveled so far to begin with...

Bryce Canyon - More Pictures Than You Will Ever Need To See

We went to Bryce Canyon on a day off last week. It was breathtaking.

We stopped by the Visitors' Center, and took the obligatory photos there.

We became those people.

But we also were these people...

Actually candid, as he didn't know I was taking the picture

But more than any of that, we saw this...

On the way home, we passed by here:

And just beat the rain home...

It was a good day.