64 posts tagged “family”

[let the good times roll,part 2]

Yesterday
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After the wedding we went to the hotel and changed,then went over to my cousin Jimmy's house.There was food(mmm shrimp!) there and we all just hung out and talked.Hank and Brandy stopped by for a while,which was a nice surprise :) Jimmy and his wife Blair have two kids, Frances and Laura,and a Corgi named Abby.

Sunday, we left Baton Rouge.We were going to go to a gator farm but that didn't work out.We went to a plantation,but they wanted a huge amount of money to get in so we just hung out in the gift shop which was fine with me.

We had lunch at a place called Hymel's,which from the street looks like a hole in the wall(and it's not anything special)but man was the food ever good!We ordered a bunch of boiled crabs which were yummy(very spicy though!)

On our way to New Orleans we stopped at a Cajun village.Touristy as all get out but we all enjoyed it :P Also, we stopped at Oak Alley,which is one of the best known plantations(it's the one with a row of oak trees leading up to it).We took a tour which was really interesting(our tour guide was in the dress of the time, and the women wear the dresses with the huge hoop skirts.

We checked into our hotel and after chilling out for a while we went out and explored.As it turned out our hotel was within a couple of blocks of Bourbon Street.Walking around Bourbon Street was interesting(that's putting it mildly!) There is no shortage of places to buy New Orleans-related tscotchkes.I liked the Hurricane Katrina related t-shirts(my personal favourite? FEMA: Fix Everything My A**)

We ate at Desire which specialised in oysters,but which had an extensive menu(I ordered a muffaleta(it's a sandwich with salami and cheese,and a olive salad, warmed up.It's sooooooo good!)

What amazed me was so close everything was-we walked everywhere and pretty much anywhere in the city is either walkable(if you like walking)or by street car.

Now,it has to be said that New Orleans has a certain smell to it(especially in the French Quarter) which is a mix of stale beer, pee, mold,sewage and cigarette smoke.I wonder if some of the mold smell is something of a hold over from Hurricane Katrina.By the way, we didn't see a lot of damage from Katrina.

The police block off Bourbon Street in the evenings so people can walk the length of it,which is really cool.And you can walk around with a drink in your hand as long as it's in a plastic cup(or something approximating it)

Monday,my mom, sister-in-laws,aunts,cousin,niece and I went to a cooking class(again,within walking distance,though I was sweating a LOT the whole time).The guy who taught the class was 6'9 and weighed over 400 pounds(he told us that he had recently gotten a clean bill of health from his doctor-go figure on that one!)

Kevin(that was the name of the guy teaching the class) made corn bread,pecan pie,red beans and rice and pralines. He was full of all sorts of info(he was curious about where we were from(the other people who were at our table were from Australia).

Later on we all walked over to the Cafe Du Monde which is famous for it's beignets(think doughnuts)and cafe au lait. It was too hot for hot coffee so I had a iced cafe a lait instead.After that we all went off on our own.I got a couple of really good pictures of St. Louis Catherdral(one of the civic symbols of New Orleans).

On the way back to the hotel I went to an internet cafe(I could have got online at our hotel but they charged way too much) and one of the frozen daquiri places on Bourbon Street(I had a sour apple slushy drink that had vodka in it, and it was good).The best thing is that they give you a free shooter with every drink(most of the places do anyways),and that's hard to resist :P I didn't have a hangover the next day,that's what's so amazing!

My brothers and their wives and my niece and I went out to dinner,and my parents stayed at the hotel and babysat the grandkids,which they were only too happy to do.

Yesterday we didn't have any time to sightsee because we were getting ready to come home.We said our goodbyes and headed for the airport.My brother Steve and his wife and kids were on the same flight as us.The flight was going great until we were almost in Atlanta.the weather was really bad and we couln't land,so we had to fly to South Carolina to refuel and wait til we got the all clear to go back to Atlanta.

The lady who was sitting across from me was driving me up.the.wall.She kept going on and on about having to spend the night in Atlanta.Constantly.I was convinced that the more she said it the more she was willing it to happen(but that's just me).

We did get back to Atlanta,and it was insane.A lot of cancelled/late flights.We did get home ok but not until 2 in the morning our time(yeah.)Almost everyone has a airport horror story and I can say that I have one now. :P

[let the good times roll(part 1)]

2 days ago
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We left for the airport early last Thursday,and got to the airport in plenty of time.I treated my parents to a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Our flight to Atlanta was uneventful.They showed a movie(Nim's Island)on the San Diego-Atlanta leg of the trip.We had a short layover in Atlanta,then we were headed to New Orleans.That seemed like a much shorter trip than when we went from San Diego to Atlanta.As we were flying into New Orleans we flew over Lake Pontchartrain and could see the Superdome over in the distance.

We ran into my aunt Peggy and then my aunt Suzanne(my mom's sister)right after we got there.We got our rental car and headed to Baton Rouge,with the air conditioning going full blast.That was the order of the day while we were there.That and going from one air conditioned place to the next-though some of the places had the a/c on full blast and it would be COLD.

We hadn't been at the hotel very long when we ran into my brother,his wife and their 2 kids(Remi and Jax)My brother Steve and his wife and kids, my brother Henry and I and his wife and their kids and I went out to dinner at the Melting Pot,which is a fondue restaraunt.It was a new experience, and one that I really enjoyed.It seemed like the kids weren't going to like the food,but when they found out that they could do it themselves,they got into it and LOVED it.I had sweet tea with my dinner(one of the things,along with grits that I was looking forwards to eating)

The first night we were there I didn't sleep very well-I thing it may have had something to do with the fact that I slept on a sofa bed-NOT comfortable at.all.I had a Southern style breakfast, complete with grits.

After a while the family started showing up.My uncle gave my dad and I a tour of Baton Rouge before we went to the Super Walmart(one of the biggest Super Walmarts I have ever been in)

We went to lunch at a local restaraunt-Chimes-which is a favourite of my cousin's.We had alligator as an appetizer.I know it sounds like the world's biggest cliche,but it really does taste like chicken.I had a shrimp po boy which was delicious.

The we took a driving tour of the LSU(Louisiana State University)campus and saw LSU's mascot,Mike the tiger(yes,he's a real tiger!)

The rehearsal dinner was at Boutin's,which bills itself as a Cajun experience.That it was.They had a band playing zydeco music.There were a lot of people out on the dance floor dancing to the music.I had the seafood platter which was delicious(I ate a LOT of seafood on this trip)Again, they had the a/c on full blast, to the point that people were going outside to warm up!

One of the things that was really neat was that they had a slideshow with pictures of Hank and Brandy(the groom-my cousin-and Brandy-his wife-as kids.)

For dessert they had bread pudding with a praline sauce.And I'll tell you something:I am not a fan of bread pudding but it was SO good!

Saturday we went to the State Capitol.They have an observation deck 27 floors up.I am very afraid of heights but I managed to walk around the entire observation deck without having a panic attack :P

Hank and Brandy's wedding was lovely.The church that they got married in(Our Lady Of Mercy) was beautiful.

The reception was very close to where the church was.When we got there they had stuff to eat-I really liked the meat pies.They had a little bit of spice to them(though I never did eat any truly SPICY food),Then they had a couple of pastas and jambalya(that was REALLY good!)

I did so much dancing at the wedding(in new-ish shoes)that I was worried I'd get a blister.I didn't,but my feet started to hurt after a while.

When Hank and Brandy left, we all went outside and instead of throwing rice,we blew bubbles,which I thought was really cool.

I am going to have to break this up into several parts.And I still haven't even told y'all about how crazy it was getting home yesterday.That is a story in and of itself!

[i tried to post this over at on the rocks..]

Jun 29, 2008
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but my power went out -for only 5 minutes- earlier and I'm having a hard time signing in there,and I'm worried my power is going to go out again(even though I know it won't),so I'll post what I did today here:

My parents and I went to the La Jolla Arts Festival-all sorts of art-photograpy, paintings, woodworking, glassblowing, it was ALL there!I had a fun time.Also, one of our local mom and pop bookstores-Warwick's-had a booth there and they were doing a book signing with several authors,including Sam The Cooking Guy,who has a show on Discovery Health I believe,but he started out here in San Diego,by way of Vancouver.

Later on, I swam in my parents' pool.My nephews and niece(and my brother and his wife)came over and the kids swam(and my 7-year-old nephew did his piano practise-he's only had a couple of lessons,but he's already really good!) And then my sister-in-law's sister and her so showed up and had dinner with us which was really cool.

[oh wow]

Jun 23, 2008
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George Carlin died.He was only 71.

EDITED TO ADD: NSFW,indeed not safe for much of anything,but god is this ever true!

George Carlin - Religion is bullshit.

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Yes, I know I'm a bit late to the game, but I love this

The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go

song.It was used in a iTunes advert,but I never knew who the band was until I found out the other day.

It reminds me of Freak Out by Chic, Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand and Ian Dury.

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I dreamt that I was riding the bus down in San Diego and I was waiting for the bus and I saw Ceji,but she blanked me.I know she wouldn't do that in real life,though!

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Today is my parents' 46th wedding anniversary.In this day and age, that is a LONG time!

[there and back again]

Jun 11, 2008
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So I went over to my mom and dad's house yesterday.They were full of stories from their trip, and my mom had already had her pictures developed.

The tour they were on had a really good guide, was full of all sorts of history about Spain(and Portugal, when they were there).They also went to Morocco and there are several pictures of my mom on a camel(surprisingly,my parents and their friends who they were on the tour with,were in the minority of people who actually did the photo op with the camel!(it was only like a dollar in Mororccan money).They really enjoyed Morocco,but they said that it was very exotic.

One of the places that they went to was Fatima(if you don't know the story of Fatima, Google it.).My dad said that you were constantly reminded of the fact that you were in a Catholic counttry.Their tour guide didn't gloss over the Inquisition(it was a BIG deal in Spain LONG upon a time ago)

They did not get to go to a bullfight(not that I would have been bothered by that especially..I'm not one of those PETA types :P),but there are pictures of them in one city with a bullring in the background.

Just like everywhere else, things were expensive(they would go out to dinner-and people don't have dinner 'till late-9 in the evening-and a couple of times they paid a LOT for what was a so-so meal.You live and learn.

[They made it easy for me]

Jun 7, 2008
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So I wound up babysitting just my 7-year-old and 3-year-old-niece(my 10-year-old-nephew was at a sleepover).They watched videos(we had dinner-pizza-before).

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The whole Nick Hogan thing is redoinkulous.The fact that Nick is not the only juvenile in the jail is interesting,no? I can't believe that he's complaining about his jail cell-I've seen a picture of it-it's WAY nicer than most jail cells,I must say. He should be grateful he only got 7 months.

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I watched Shot In The Heart the other day.It's based on a book by Mikhail Gilmore,who is the brother of Gary Gilmore, who was executed by a firing squad in Utah in 1977.

It went a long way to explaining why the family was the way they were.There were four boys-Gary,Frank Jr.,Gaylen and Mikhail(who was born Michael but changed it as a teenager).

The boys' mother Bessie was a Mormon,going back generations, and had a lot of Mormon superstitions that she held on to.

Their father Frank was not Mormon(raised a devout Catholic).By all accounts he had a bad temper.The film highlights things that were going on in their family when the boys were growing up.Frank Sr. died when Mikhail was fairly young(he was in his 60's when Mikhail was born).Gaylen died,and Gary died,so a family very much touched by tragedy.

One thing in this movie that would drive certain Mormons I know crazy is Mormons doing well, non-Mormon things(drinking coffee, or tea-there's a scene where Bessie is drinking tea-a no-no for Mormons).Granted,the Mormons that I have known in my life(and I've known a few) are not representative of all Mormons.They're the sort of Mormons that the very rigid Mormons(only 2 people) I know are driven *crazy* by.

[dot dot dot]

Jun 3, 2008
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I heard from my parents!Not a very long email,but they said Morocco was very exotic.Glad to hear that they're having a fun time :)

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This is cool:I am going to be babysitting my nephews and niece(ages 10,7 and 3)on Friday night.I can't wait.They're good kids so it'll be easy :)

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Yes,I went to Barnes and Noble and bought the new David Sedaris book. I LOVE what I have read of it so far :)

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This is sorta old news,but I think it's very cool that Clay Aiken is going to be a dad!(I know I've talked a bit of smack about Clay in the past but it's just that:In.The.Past.

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Had some interesting dreams last night:

The first was that I was at the airport;I was waiting for my parents,and when they finally showed up they had so much luggage it looked like we had been on vacation for a while!

The second was that I went to a movie with my parents and my younger nephews,who fell asleep right after the movie started :)

Sarah Jessica Parker, hanging out with the fam, and RIP Bo Diddley :(

Jun 2, 2008
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So I saw Sex In the City yesterday.I liked it a lot.

I was supposed to meet my brother and his 3 kids for dinner(we went to Soup Plantation).It actually worked out perfect in terms of when the buses were running after I got out of the movie(the buses don't run as much on the weekend).

I enjoyed hanging out with my brother and his 3 kids.I haven't seen them for a while so it was nice.They had just got back from a Boy Scout campout overnight.I had to call the SATC movie Girls In The City when I was around them.Works for me :)

Bo Diddley died:( Hard to believe.He was a class act,for sure.

Trying something new

May 25, 2008
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Yesterday I made a pot roast.I'd never done so before.I prefer them when they're made by my sister-in-law Rachel(she makes an *awesome* pot roast,as does my mom).Mine was okay,but the smell of pot roast is all up in my house.It's making me a little nauseous, actually.Still, I might make it again.Just not for a while :P

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I watched The Darjeeling Limited yesterday.I LOVED it.It's definitely one of those love it or hate it type movies.that's for sure.

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Yesterday was a busy day for me,I got a lot done(so I can be lazy today;tomorrow I am going to try to go to the gym and do a little housework when I get home from that.)

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I have to admit that I've only thought about my parents a couple of times a day since they left.That's good because it means that I'm keeping myself occupied whilst they're gone.I always have all sorts of adventures when they're gone.

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Green Day are playing at the Belly Up(as Foxboro Hot Tubs) tomorrow.It's kinda a badly kept secret that it's them.In any case,tickets are $20(very reasonable for the Belly Up!)I'm not going but my brother Steve is so I'll find out how they were from him.

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What part of "spoiler" in the subject line of a post do people not get?I've seen a lot of people complaining that they are getting spoilers for Bond 22...because they click on threads that *clearly* have SPOILER in the subject line.Please excuse my use of vernacular but are these people retarded?Srsly.

Just thinking makes me sweat :(

May 18, 2008
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It is still hot here . I was really listless this morning but that got better as the day went on.

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My parents and I went to a new restaraunt, Passage To India,for dinner tonight. It was GOOD.I love Indian food. I definitely have my favourite dishes,though(tandoori chicken is at the top of the list.Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. :P) We had a veggie dish,lamb kebabs(which were REALLY good) and chicken tikka masala.And rice.And raita.

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Speaking of cooking, and food, it looks like my nephew Jax is a budding cook.I'm glad to hear that.He's starting out with the easy stuff(pancakes,jello, and rice krispie treats.)That's the way I started out, with the easy stuff.I also burned a LOT of stuff,and made stuff that was inedible, before I became the good cook that I am now.

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My nephew Spencer did a video report on the California Gold Rush.They came over for dinner last night,and we got to watch it.I really liked it(but I'm more than a little bit biased :P).I have a feeling he'll get a good grade for it.

[let the good times roll,part 2]

[let the good times roll(part 1)]

[i tried to post this over at on the rocks..]

[oh wow]

[there and back again]

[They made it easy for me]

[dot dot dot]

Sarah Jessica Parker, hanging out with the fam, and RIP Bo Diddley :(

Trying something new

Just thinking makes me sweat :(

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