"Tonight is the night...."

This is one of the few songs I've practically memorized from childhood.
Betty Wright is the queen of the dirty song, but this is one of her most poetic.
I think it's beautiful, one of my favorites.

Funny to think that I was listening to this as a child, humming along as it burned itself into my cortex....sitting up in the front of the school bus, chatting with the bus driver.

Mr Savage and I had struck up an odd friendship, based upon our love of soul. We middle aged black folk recognize each other, regardless of the form we sometimes take....like, say, a 9 year old white boy or a grizzled 40 year old father of three with an eye for the ladies.

While the kids in the back screamed for him to "change the channel!" we chatted.
They sulked in the back, desperate to listen to
some god-awful "white music."

He wasn't having it. It stayed firmly on WYLD.

This was his god-damned bus.
Dammit.

The bus ride always seemed to take longer than it should. We always seemed to be stopping at houses all over the westbank for brief periods of time.
Every morning he'd get off the bus for a short while and rush back in and off we'd go, but I never minded.
More time for Betty Wright.

A few years later, of course, Mr Savage was arrested for dealing drugs (which he was doing with us on the bus every morning on our way to grammar school), but he'll always hold a special place in my heart.

This one is for him.

Ash Wednesday

I had noble intentions of going downtown yesterday for Mardi Gras. It looked so nice on tv, and I was tired of being cooped up at Big Lots on the westbank all week.

So I got in my battleship of a car and drove down there.
After an hour or so of driving constantly, looking fruitlessly for a place to park, any place to park....I gave up.

It was insane, and after an hour I was frazzled.
I came back home and graded some papers and ate ramen noodles.

woo hoo.

Later on I turned on the tv to watch the meeting of the courts.
My friend Dennis had told me a while back that he was going to the Rex ball.
Some elderly gentleman friend of his invited him. He hadn't planned to go, but since he's moving to California next week (yet another friend gone), he figured he'd never get the chance.

He figured it would be mind numbingly boring, which I'm sure it was....but still, I envy him. I've always harbored a secret dream. I can't imagine they'd even let a westbanker in. It'd be like Eliza Doolittle at Ascot...I'd be wary that my dormant accent would give me away.

I've watched the meeting of the courts ever since I was old enough to stay up that late. It's foolish to watch, of course. I mean really, they could easily just slip a tape of last years event and no one would be any wiser, but I still love that sort of stuff.

Post-Tet Notes

The day before Tet (Vietnamese New Year), I got my hair cut.
Ha, who cuts my hair, tells me that it's bad luck to cook or take a bath on
New years day.

"You wash all your luck away if you bathe on New Years day," she insisted. She gave me a little lucky envelope with a quarter in it, which is now hanging on my fridge. Let's hope it works. Thankfully, it was good luck to have one's hair cut, however. We'll see.

So I rationalized and didn't take a bath or cook or shave or get out of bed, for that matter...except to drive to Mcdonalds, where they do not, it seems, seem to be in the Tet celebration mood...all day.

Shame they didn't ressurect the McRib sandwich for the year of the Pig or something.

Even if it hadn't been Tet, I would have probably done the same. I didn't seem capable of doing much else, sadly.

Today was Lundi gras. I tried to get my mother to go to the East bank, but she wasn't having it. She has a paranoia about the bridge I think, especially this time of year. Granted it took me two hours the other night to get to the West Bank in pre-parade traffic, but still...

She wouldn't leave the westbank for anything. She wanted to go to Big Lots...again.
My entire holiday seems to have been spent at Big Lots.

To add some variety, I took her to the thrift store, and I bought a 2 dollar coat from the 1960's. It needs to be pressed however. We ate a Burger King and saw "Music and Lyrics."
She liked it.
I thought it was kind of dumb.
I just kept feeling old...and paying obsessive attention to Hugh Grant's horrible lower teeth. They really are disconcerting.

I came home tonight....dodging her guilt bombs....and cooked some flan.
I don't even like flan, but I was bored. I bought the kit at Big Lots.
Now I have 4 cups of it to eat. Ugh

I got home to find a return message from a friend whom I haven't heard back from since before Christmas. She lives in the Marigny, and I wasn't even sure she was still alive. You worry, you know?

I'd hoped I'd maybe get to see her, but I don't think it'll happen. She left a long rambling message on my machine telling me about some new relationship she's found herself in. She was busy at the parades with a "huge crowd" of people. I tried calling back, but never did hear back. Ah well....

Do you ever look at porn....

....and find yourself more interested in the interior design?

Then this site is for you!

I've long had it book marked....not very often updated, but still a wonderful site.

sick

The past two days I've been sick. I stayed home yesterday, only to find myself vomitting and with a terrible head cold.
By the way, vomitting with a head cold and reading about Anna Nicole's death by possible "choking on her own vomit" is not a good way to spend the night.
("Did the diet pills I took 3 years ago just kick in and interact with the methadone that my mother must exhale....and...and...?" Well, you get the idea...)

This morning I had full intentions of going to work. Yesterday was a faculty meeting and and half day so I didn't feel too guilty about staying home, but today, well I had a test to give. When 6 am came however, I had registered maybe 1 hour of sleep and was like the walking dead. I couldn't sleep because nothing would get rid of my head congestion..Nothing. It was claustrophobic trying to sleep, besides the pounding pain. Still, I dressed, drove to school....went in, and promptly vomitted. That's when I decided to go home. Turns out most of the students were leaving early anyway, due to marching in the parade tonight. I drove to the store, got some more medicine, and now I'm in bed, after a 4 hour nap, ready for another one.
There is a complete media blackout on Anna Nicole however....well, as soon as I read a bit more about Zsa Zsa's husband, that is.

Threadbared

Just found a wonderful site, called
Threadbared
Too bizarre...too funny.