“Happy 93rd Birthday, Clorinda – and Happy Halloween”
Captain Jack assembled the krewe for trivia on Tuesday. What a waste – either last place or second to last – I knew none of the esoteric questions – here’s an example:
Jack claimed to know that Bluetooth was the ruler of Norway – just didn’t know the second country – I picked Denmark but think it was Finland. All those small Nordic countries get so confusing (trying to sound like an ugly American traveling through Europe.)
Kenny has taken to hosting everyone for a “Jeopardy” warm up before trivia. He provided Negronis and snacks – such a nice feature. And he’s walking distance from the venue.
I took a flight to join Diana in San Francisco on Wednesday. Our plan was to celebrate her Mom’s 93rd birthday on Thursday. The best plans – and then life happens. Before I even boarded the plane, Diana was calling to tell me that Clorinda had to go to the Emergency Room from dialysis – turns out she had an infection that kept her in hospital for a few days.
Diana slept on a bed in the hospital room that didn’t look comfortable at all for two nights. I slept alone on Gypsy Hill – Diana noting that she had never slept there alone. Here’s a sunset that was enjoyed on the hill:
Clorinda made it home on Saturday and was delighted to be back to her home and regular routines:
I flew back to New Orleans on Sunday and was home in time to watch the Sunday night Cowboys game. They were losing and I fell asleep – first mistake. Lionel (ghost) decided it would be fun to open the back door while I was napping. I woke up, had a small freak out, and called the security guy to come and check the house. No reason why the back door should be open.
Diana was able to organize the delayed 93rd birthday party on Tuesday night. It seems Clorinda had a great time:
I picked up McD from the airport on Wednesday evening and we met the Krewe at the Ghost Mansion, close to our house. Such an amazing display.
Diana has never been to the famous Gallatoire’s restaurant on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. I’ve been a few times – before Cowboys and Saints game and for my bachelor party. This place opened in 1905 and is a formal (jacket required), but very fun restaurant. They recently opened for reservations versus standing in line out front early in the morning.
I thought it would be fun to nix the ongoing commentary about never having been there by inviting Diana to join me for Halloween lunch. That turned out to be a great idea. She borrowed our neighbour’s witch’s hat and was all set to go:
The room was hopping with Halloween groups – loud and very enjoyable. We started with a classic foie gras – absolutely delicious.
Diana had a crab and mushroom dish and I had a trout meuniere – both amazing!
There were a bunch of ladies dressed up as Helen Roper from Three’s Company (a 70s TV sitcom.) I love the guy from the kitchen singing to the celebrant:
After lunch we went for a French Quarter Ramble (FQR) with a stop at the Will and the Way and then at a jewelry store where we picked out some things for Diana’s birthday.
Taylor Swift performed at the Superdome all last weekend, bringing in a lot of revenue for the city. I think the friendship bracelet on the Superdome was a nice touch:
There was a band playing when I landed at the New Orleans airport with Swiftie bracelets on the back of the stage and a Taylor cutout for photos – I like that the town works hard to make big events special:
My book this fortnight was “Same as it Ever Was” by Claire Lombardo. The book started out very well and had a number of beautifully written highlights – it was just so long and became plodding to me. The chapters jumping back and forward in chronology started to irritate me – I just wanted the story in order.
The reviews are quite mixed – a number of folks loved the book, and several didn’t like the main character, Julia, at all. Here’s the online summary:
“NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NAMED A BEST BOOK BY PEOPLE AND PARADE • The New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had (“wonderfully immersive…deliciously absorbing”—NPR) returns with another brilliantly observed family drama in which the enduring, hard-won affection of a long marriage faces imminent derailment from events both past and present.
“Infidelity, dysfunction, secrets – this family novel delivers.”—The New York Times • “Lombardo has such a fine eye for the weft and warp of a family’s fabric.” —The Washington Post • “Witty and insightful…a powerful exploration of marriage, motherhood, and self.”–Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry
Same As It Ever Was showcases the consummate style, signature wit, and profound emotional intelligence that made The Most Fun We Ever Had one of the most beloved novels of the past decade. Featuring a memorably messy family and the multifaceted marriage at its heart, Lombardo’s debut was dubbed “the literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler” (The Guardian) and hailed as “ambitious and brilliantly written” (Washington Post). In this remarkable follow-up—another elegant and tumultuous story in the tradition of Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, and Celeste Ng—Lombardo introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters, this time by way of her singularly complicated protagonist.
Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found herself on the placid plateau of mid-life. But Julia has never navigated the world with the equanimity of her current privileged class. Having nearly derailed herself several times, making desperate bids for the kind of connection that always felt inaccessible to her, she finally feels, at age fifty seven, that she has a firm handle on things.
She’s unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, an impending separation from her spikey teenaged daughter, and a seductive resurgence of the past, all of which threaten to draw her back into the patterns that had previously kept her on a razor’s edge.
Same As It Ever Was traverses the rocky terrain of real life, —exploring new avenues of maternal ambivalence, intergenerational friendship, and the happenstantial cause-and-effect that governs us all. Delving even deeper into the nature of relationships—how they grow, change, and sometimes end—Lombardo proves herself a true and definitive cartographer of the human heart and asserts herself among the finest novelists of her generation.”
The Tipitina’s record club offering just arrived – a solo Taj Mahal set that sounds great. Here’s a favourite:
Something new from Tears for Fears, still making excellent music:
A surprise from Annie Lennox (fellow Scot) from her American song book cover:
Coexist peacefully, with patience and kindness for all!