The Big Easy

Early yesterday evening we got back from New Orleans, LA. It was more fun than I remembered it to be, and just as beautiful as every. Vieux Carre is truley one of the places that everyone from the U.S. must visit at least once. It is filled with so much beauty, history, ghostly encounters, and just plain fun. Even the famous VooDoo Queen Marie Laveau has a beautiful tomb. Extremely creepy? Sure. I felt like I might be cursed just by taking photos of it, but, it was too beautiful to forget.

It saddened me that the city doesn't take better care of their historic cemeteries. Ok, I realize, they are flat broke and then some due to Katrina. But, the dilapidated tombs made me feel sorry for the people who rest inside of them. Did they realize that after hundreds of years of being laid to rest that the world would soon forget and not care about their lives? I guess however, the fact that these tombs still exist at all is a miracle. Another creepy thought would be if a hurricane DID take out these cemeteries and dead bodies and skeletal remains ended up floating around the French Quarter. The city would for sure be cursed, if it's not already.

On a lighter note, the food was just as fantastic as I remembered it. Cajun hot sausage, jambalaya for breakfast, red beans and rice w/ andoulle sausage...makes me hungry just to think about it. Too bad I ate way more than my share of food. At least the majority of it was fresh food versus fast food. Although, I ate more than my fair share of fast food as well. And, can I just say, I think my body is rejecting fast food in its old age. I cannot stomach it, and haven't been able to for about a year, no matter where it is or what I get. Its guaranteed that within an hour of consuming that devilish food I get a wrenching stomach ache that makes me wish I could be a temporary bullimic. Yet, I don't seem to have learned my lesson, as I just had McDonald's for lunch today. And, yes, my stomach felt like crap until about 4pm today. I really just need to lay off the juice!

So, I think I will have a new goal of avoiding fast food whenever possible. I don't eat it all that much. I'm no junkie. But I do have a hard time denying myself when we're on the move and my stomach feels like it's about to implode if I don't give it food. Get a salad you say? Well, I'll admit that while most fast food joints have come a long way in attempting to offer healthier alternatives, not all fast food salads are created equal. Generally, you end up with a brown, wilty, almost moldy bowl of iceburg lettuce with two tomatoes and sliced carrots. I'd rather take my chances with the tasty burger and fries thank you!

We'll see how it goes I guess.