This weekend was the 3rd Annual Taco Party at my cousin’s house in New Orleans. A weekend getaway with my favorite cousin, Mish at her place in New Orleans is always worthy of a post in my “Top 100 Days” blog collection. The two off us kicked of the weekend with dinner at one of her favorite Italian places. I had arrived in New Orleans earlier than we had thought I would, so we were a little over an hour early for our 9 o’clock dinner reservation. As we walked up, my cousin was saying she was hoping they could work us in early. This made laugh. We were walking up to the same establishment that my cousin once got us a table at without a reservation the weekend of the New Orleans Rock n’ Roll marathon. Have you ever tried to eat at a Italian restaurant the weekend of a marathon? Marathon amateurs are committed to the refined carb gluttony.
I reminded Mish of this, and she explained to me that they have a new matri’d, and that she doesn’t know the new one yet. We walked into the restaurant and Mish told the matri’d that we have a reservation, but that it is for a later time. The man’s eyes lit up; he said her last name followed by her first name, and then he reversed it back, saying her first name and last name, and asked if this was indeed her. People that know Mish think the world of her. She is a brilliant, unpresuming woman. Her comfort in being who she is gives the rest of us the comfort that we need to be who we are. She lives on this amazing street in New Orleans where everyone is always looking out for everyone else, and there is a strong sense of family and community. Mish seems to think that this the NOLA way. While New Orleans is without a doubt one of the friendliest cities in the US, Mish is oblivious to the fact that she is a catalyst of this sense of family and community on her street. She is kind, always looking out for others, being who she is, and they in turn do the same, which in turn makes others do the same. In time, that sense of family and community develops.
I digress… 🙂
Back to the matri’d. It didn’t seem out of sorts to me that he was so excited to meet her, and that our table was going to be ready for us right away. It threw Mish off for a second. Then the man revealed that they have the same last name. It is not a very common last name, and he had seen it on the reservation list, and was interested to meet the woman that he shared a last name with. This made laugh as it was just a random coincidence, but it got us a great table.
We shared a pasta dish and a stuffed lamb chop; both paired perfectly with a bottle of one of my favorite pinot noirs. We laughed and we caught up about our recent life adventures.
It had been a long day, a long week, but I wasn’t ready to call it a night, so we headed to the Abby, which is my cousin’s go to bar. I always like it when we walk into the Abby, and we see people that she knows from hanging out there, and they all know me as her cousin that she has shared stories about. We drank a few at the Abby, and then we did a little New Orleans bar hopping. I fell asleep that evening without a worry in the world.
The next day we grabbed breakfast, and picked up a few things for the party. Mish wanted to go vote, and I wanted to go for a run. I went for a fabulous 8 mile run through the streets of New Orleans. I could have run at least another 3 miles. The weather was perfect, and it was so much fun checking out the streets of New Orleans via my running shoes. At one point, I ran through an ice cold water fountain. Along the way, I was offered a slice of pizza, beer and a hug. All of this made my run even more entertaining.
After my run, Mish and I finished up the cooking for the party, and before long it was party time. The food was delicious, and the band was awesome. Everyone was catching up and meeting new people. I had met someone online that lives in New Orleans, and he came to meet us. I was impressed with how comfortably he walked into a house packed with strangers, most of them lesbians. He was one of only a few men at the party. It is easy to bond with people that we have lots of things in common with and that look like us because we know ourselves, and that is simply an extension of what we already know. It is much more rewarding and meaningful, albeit more intimidating, to approach and get to know someone that is outside of our usual social boundaries. The man was nice, and I did not feel like I needed to baby sit him. Every time that I went to go catch up with Mish’s friends that I have gotten to know over the years, I would return to find him engaged in a conversation. Mish and I told him our stories of growing up on a farm together. He told me stories about being born and raised in New Orleans. I enjoyed his company and his good night kiss.
Today, Mish and I enjoyed a healthy breakfast, and the I headed to the airport and back to Houston. I feel relaxed, happy and recharged. I am looking forward to the week ahead.
