style

the avalanche of banana republic ads in his magazine brought us to the topic of fall shopping. he can't wait for winter clothes. which reminded us that i have none. he suggested starting shopping. but over the last few shopping trips i opened his eyes to the serious lack of wearable clothes out there for a girl smack in her mid-20s. he walks into banana republic and the gap and walks out with a suitable vacation wardrobe. i go to each store in the center twice before finding a decent sundress and pair of sandals. then he asked me what style i am looking for. i've been thinking about this all day.

between the 20-pound weight loss that literally wiped out my wardrobe in 2005, living out of a duffle bag for 4 months after Katrina and then giving all of my shit away in my decreased desire for material goods, i realized i don't even have a style. i have a few jeans, tanks tops, t-shirts, and flip-flops. nothing special, nothing i love, nothing ever to wear. no style.

craving

i am going home to new orleans next week and i can't wait because i've been dying for some things that they just don't have up here in new england. lots of stuff i don't miss, but not included:

snow balls!!! and i do not mean snow cones, they are so different that they can't even be placed in the same category. i mean a wild strawberry snowball with condensed milk and whipped cream from pandora's. ooh, i wonder if it's even open... god, that would be horrible i have been craving this for so long! (long enough to use all these explanation points even though i utterly detest that.) i've eaten so many snowballs in my life that i just took them for granted. i'd never thought of taking a picture of a snowball, or having to explain it to someone. i mean, who doesn't know what a snow ball is? same for a muffaletta? aparently, most of the world doesn't. to think we lived a block from pandora's in new orleans. we just didn't know how lucky we were...

muffalettas! i am living downtown in one of the oldest italian fishing communities in the u.s. so i assumed the muffalettas here would be outrageous, right? Nope, they don't even have them. not one. apparently, it's a new orleans thing. i'm considering even buying some premade olive salad to try to bring back on the plane with me. i'm also considering introducing myself around the self-titled best italian sandwich shop down the street and begging them to add it to their menu. i'm sure it would be a hit.

raw oysters. they have oysters on the halfshell here, however eating them is reminiscent of accidentally gulping a mouthful of ocean water. and they don't include the saltines. i'm sure my dad would love to take me to acme anyway, and i may have some even though i kinda think it's still too early in the season for good ones. any will be better than the ones here.

that being said, it's so gorgeous here it's not even comparable to new orleans. and everywhere has a smell (and i don't mean like sulfur crossing the green bridge, or rotten seafood on canal, or vomit and piss on bourbon street), like lavender and really good food and the sea. and you can't get richie's cotton candy italian ice back home or farnham's clam chowder or lobster on a paper plate for that matter. oh my god, i just realized crawfish is out too.

something is wrong with us.

hangover

i thought i grew past the can't-stop-drinking-until- every-single-ounce-of-alcohol-in-the- apartment-is-gone phase, but apparently not. here is where i'm supposed to insert i just can't drink like i used to (because i am getting old), but really, i never could drink like this, i just did anyway when i was younger.

usually i am the beer slacker, but on occasion i outdrink jack two to one. i was sick all day, but after two bowls of ice cream sundaes i finally feel ok. usually i would have stayed in bed with the covers over my head the entire day, only coming up to down a sprite (ginger ale here) every so often, but today i actually got my ass out of bed and cleaned the entire apartment (including spot mopping and taking out trash), entertained the in-laws who dropped by unexpectedly, and even did a little grocery shopping (yes, walgreens counts). it wasn't fun.

in my defense, we were celebrating. plus, the kids are coming today and so no drinking for a week or so. i hate drinking anyway, it gives you a false sense of sexy. there was a time briefly last night when i had on nothing but a red pair of jack's underwear. i'm not sure why, i can't remember and i am certainly not going to ask him (i'm hopeful he can't remember either).

falling

will you love me if this is all i ever am.
i can't do it, i don't even know how to try.
you've given me everything, but i've taken nothing
except turquoise memories, a dream of rain
and cigarette smoke.