a NOLA sixer that won’t get you fucked up

odd concept, huh?

this was nikki’s second trip to the big easy, and as i previously mentioned we enjoyed ourselves enough to where we’re debating relocating the juneteenth xx bbq from vegas to there due to proximity, possible venue, and hosts. next time we’ll fly, plus, we now have practice:

but here’s a few other things from along the way:

1. hotter than high school love:

the logo’s changed but the quality hasn’t…down side is they’re no longer in lockhart, but they ARE along i-10 on the way to houston, so this is an always stop for me along the way. brings back good memories – and was also (back when they had the old logo, at another location) the first picture i ever uploaded off a phone (back then the camera ATTACHED to the phone via cord).

2. the devil did NOT go down to texas:

i’ve mentioned this a time or two, but texas is (to my knowledge) the only state in the union large enough to where an interstate (or any other highway for that matter) spans enough landscape to clock in an exit number “666” (i-10 actually goes up to 880 or so before it resets at the sabine river) but you won’t ever FIND that exit. or the mile marker. not that it’s been stolen by pseudo devil worshiping teenagers; lest we forget texas is the buckle of the bible belt, so there’s not even a hole in the ground where the post that held it used to be…you pass mile marker “665”, and two miles later you pass “667” – there’s no exit nor marker in between…you godless heathens!

3. fight with your spine and you always lose:

i can only guess it was the stress and such, but my lower back locked the fuck up when we were getting everything loaded up…not from heavy lifting or anything, but when i slightly stooped over to look for my notebook adapter (still m.i.a., i should add). it made the drive there a bit uncomfortable, but a few jack & gingers (jack daniels & ginger ale) seemed to do the trick, coupled with a memory foam mattress and some…um…lower back exercises in repetition if you know what i’m saying and i think you do.

4. the surprise hook up for cheap booze:

back to that whole “buckle of the bible belt” thing, if you grew up in texas (as i did) you get used to “blue laws”, where the booze sales are restricted – not after 9pm, not on sundays, etc. but in NOLA? no rules! so swing by costco, come home with this:

not bad – and this was their SECOND run for booze for the fabulous cocktail party / reception held on our wedding anniversary. we (the ufc & i) did their trees to make the patio pretty:

the house looked pretty on it’s own:

and a good time was had by the two hundred some odd of their friends that attended…

5. lodging the second

this was the first trip i’ve had to new orleans where i stayed in two different places. the first time i was in and out the same day, then a bad hotel experience, and then always at bret & leo’s (the place on number four). this time we bailed to a hotel half way through to be closer to the quarter, and to let the boys get their place all dolled up for cocktailapalooza. we ended up here:

the interesting part? most of the windows don’t have natural light, so you really don’t know what time of day it is when you’re inside unless you actually look at a clock. it’s like vegas – i slept till almost 11am the last day we were there and had no idea, getting kinda panicky when i woke up. that’ll learn me!

and finally…

6. a six pack of words to close out the sixer:

alligator omelets and bottomless bloody marys

now that’s breakfast in new orleans!