Monday, April 28, 2008
New Orleans Jazz Fest
New Orleans! the birthplace of jazz. Food, booze, music, more food, more booze. What a place! Debbie and I went down to the "Big Easy" to catch the first weekend of Jazz Fest, and partake of some of that classic New Orleans food and tunes. This was my first Jazz Fest experience, and for the most part, my first extended stay down in NO. I had been down to New Orleans waaayyyy back in college, but only for a short weekend, and for the most part, it was spent doing what college kids do best, drink.
Let me lead off with the music! Fantastic. I can't think of another festival that showcases all of musics variety like this one. From Gospel, to Dixieland, to Zydico, to Rock and even Country. It had it all, and in the center (by all the yummy food) you can hear it all blend together. For a music lover, it is one version of heaven. We saw brass bands jamming out funk, we saw a Zydico punk band that sang in French, Spanish, English, and Yiddish. We saw a old time Dixieland band from Sweden, and a half naked guy jamming out to a brass band in the rain. Good times!
Then there was the food. It's going to take me weeks (months) to exercise off the calories I gained. We ate next to Robert Plant at Galatoire's, the "The grand dame of New Orleans' old-line restaurants." We ate at Bayona's, an amazing restaurant, with outstanding food (and service). We drank pretty much everywhere. And we enjoyed every minute of it.
For those who love music, Jazz Fest is a MUST!!! (Oh, and take a swamp tour while you're there).
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Taxes and Twin Planks
Oye, tax time! Owed some serious $$$ this year, definitely more than expected. I wouldn't mind so much, but all this money is going towards a misguided war rather than helping folks keep healthy and educated. It's been an expensive year so far, but I can't complain, I have some exciting trips planed this year which explains much of the expense.
On more fun news, I tried skiing for the first time in about 10 years. I figured I ought to be able to both ski and snow board, so I strapped on a couple of skis and hit Squaw. Ouch, muscles are not used to that activity. My right knee did not appreciate this new activity. But, at the end of the afternoon, I was getting down blue rules without too many problems. Next time, I'll snow board in the morning, ski in the afternoon, working all sorts of muscles.
Next week, a wedding in Sonoma. Life is tough out here in Northern California.