I don't know about you, but lately I've had a serious case of the blahs. I'm not sure what it is; maybe it's the heat combined with the torrential downpours we've been experiencing. It makes you want to stay in your house in the precious air conditioning. Also, if there's a threat of storms, I've developed a fear of driving my car around because I drive a tiny Volkswagen and I'm afraid that it will float away. When I first moved to New Orleans, I never understood why so many people drove huge ass trucks around here guzzling gas… Now I (kind of) do. It's so your damn car won't float away when it floods.
Usually things that I can't wait to see in the summer, I just let pass by. I missed both White & Dirty Linen nights, the Red Dress Run and even Running of the Bulls. I don't know what came over me. I guess I just got too thinking, ugh… Why do they have these things in the middle of the summer? Why not October? It's so hot!
I think the only festival I actually made it to this year was the Oyster Festival. I know. Lame.
But summer is coming to a close and, honestly, I'm not really all that sad. Fall is still my favorite time of year even if the leaves don't turn vibrant oranges and reds like they do back home. I mean, you can still go into Starbucks and get a pumpkin spiced latte! That's what's important. And it still means lots of things to look forward to that you might enjoy a little more since it's cooled off somewhat (like, barely somewhat).
Here are a few things on my list:
Southern Decadence
This has been a tradition for me ever since I was a wee tourist and I stumbled upon the Southern Decadence parade. My friends and I had just decided to come down to New Orleans for Labor Day weekend on a whim and ended up in the middle of one of the biggest gay parties in the world. I always love happy accidents. Since moving here, I always catch the parade to see what participants come up with. They're always so creative and wear such amazing costumes. This year's theme is "Peace, Love and Hope = Monkey Dance". I'm not sure what to make of that but I'm sure I'll have a great time finding out how it's been interpreted.
NOMA Movies in the Park
I'm definitely going to see The Princess and the Frog under the picturesque stars at NOMA Movies in the Park at the Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. It seems to be one of those Disney movies that you either love or you hate … for me, I love it. The first time I watched it, I think I cried ten times. Yes, I'm a huge sap.
The other movies playing at Movies in the Park are "The Birds" and "The Incredible Shrinking Woman."
Art for Art's Sake
I may have missed White & Dirty Linen night, but I'll definitely be hitting up Art for Art's Sake. It's held on the first Saturday of October, which sounds absolutely perfect.
Voodoo Music Experience
The line-up at Voodoo Music Experience doesn't thrill me like it has in the past, but I still want to go to at least one day (the day Jack White plays). As a music festival veteran, this is one of the most relaxed and down-right pleasant festivals. Unlike the big ones like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, Voodoo takes place in the fall. Ideally (you never know with the weather these days), the weather will be perfect, a little warm in the sunshine and nice hoodie weather for the evening instead of sitting in the sweltering heat all day trying to stay conscious, lest you fall asleep in the heavy sun and develop third degree burns on the half-inch spots on your legs you missed while applying sunscreen, thus taking a lot of your attention away from your favorite bands. At Voodoo you can have a few drinks, chill, relax and enjoy the weather and most importantly, the music.
Football!!!
I am excited! Granted, both of my favorite teams have been penalized out the wazoo, but I don't care. At this point, if I hear about anyone else being kicked off teams or suspended or benched, I just start having fits of laughter instead of getting angry. Sometimes I wonder how anyone can take the NFL or the NCAA seriously, but who cares… Football is upon us! Ladies, time to get prepared to start playing second fiddle to your dude's fantasy football line-up! Time to break out the Miller Lite and guacamole! I'll be hanging out at the Mid City Yacht Club on Saturdays with my fellow southern Ohio State Buckeye fans and then on Sundays hoping the Saints gives The Powers That Be the big middle finger by winning week after week while heading to the SUPERBOWL. Go Buckeyes and Geaux SAINTS!
