“Backup power online”
Our new generator was installed on Tuesday and it was an all day activity. We are awaiting the final new “higher bore” gas meter to be installed before we’ll be all tested and live.
The power was off to the house for a few hours in the afternoon as the install was completed. We took advantage to head out for Happy Hour. First up, 4141 St Charles, a new cocktail bar in what was/is New Orleans Seafood and Hamburger Company. The drinks and oysters were good but the atmosphere needs some work – too bright and basic.
I had intended to visit the Library before heading home – that’s the cocktail bar version and not the one that is temporarily closed due to an “abundance of caution” (personally hated phrase) about a mold issue – but it didn’t open until 5pm. The Bouligny Tavern came to the rescue. This was Diana’s first visit and she enjoyed it quite a bit – another place that’s walkable from home when the weather is reasonable. The bartender was spinning vintage jazz vinyl and we had a good chat about that. The mushroom and brie dish we ordered was excellent – a wonderful red win reduction sauce and perfectly executed. The Bouligny shares a kitchen with Lillete, a well known fine dining restaurant.
Around the same time, Anne was celebrating her real birthday with her Mom and girlfriends in Florida. You can tell Carolyn is really enjoying hosting.
We both noticed a gas smell after the generator installation. A technician came out and I showed him the spots on the patio where it was most prevalent – “You mean right here next to the gas lamps that are turned on and not lit?” Ah geez – what a couple of clowns. In our defense, we believe turning off the lamps before install and relighting when complete, should be part of the generator basic install process.
I dropped Diana off at the airport for her visit to Pacifica on Wednesday. We both have sore backs and so I was worried about her trip. She seemed to soldier through it okay.
I didn’t do much until a special event at the Prytania theater on Sunday afternoon. This is a neighbourhood movie theater with just one screen and a ton of old school character. Bruce Spizer is a local Beatles historian who has published several books about their albums and movies. This talk was about “A Hard Day’s Night.” Spizer delivered a multimedia talk for about an hour and then we watched the movie. What a fund way to pass a few hours on a hot afternoon.
You can read more about the Spizer album series of books here:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/359154-album-series
Meanwhile, Kenny and Kara were enjoying the Adirondacks and Lake Placid at her brother’s place.
And the Redwood City Campagna kids were back to school. Both at St. Francis with their dad for one overlap year:
My book this week was “The Uptown Local – Joy, Death and Joan Didion” – by Cory Leadbetter.
This book started out well and quickly became a bit tedious. Fortunately, it was a short read. The paragraphs jumped around way too much for me, without any obvious linkage in time or theme. Here’s an online summary:
“As an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.
In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan’s rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.
But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.
In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon—and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.”
Here’s another completely mellow Larry Carlton driven Crusader’s song:
And something from my recent favourite saxophonist:
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and compassion for all!