Fishes, Rivers, Horses, Jazz & Hurricanes

I began today at 5:30 AM by taking horses temperatures and tacking up my trusty Pony ‘Monet’, lovingingly known as ‘Mo’ Or as I call him ‘Pumpkin’. The sun rises here, I’d say around 6 AM and it is BEAUTIFUL here at the race track in New Orleans. I did not take the following photo, but I promise you that this is EXACTLY what it looks like in the morning here-

My workplace every morning

 

Yeah.

The guy that gallops some horses for us (his nickname is ‘The Governor’ although I have no idea what his real name is, I just call him Guv.) tells me everymorning “This is God’s Country, baby”. I might have to agree. Between the worlds most beautiful and expensive horses, the sunrise, the foggy mist and the church steeples protruding into the air, I might just have to agree with ‘The Guv’.

 

After spending the morning on my trusty steed ‘Pumpkin’ I finished up around 10:30 AM and caught lunch with my friend Mindy. Mindy is from Louisiana and has spent a decent amount of time trolling about NOLA. She took me to an Italian joint just outside of the track that was really good. I had some Gnocchi (good job on the new addiction Clint). It was excellent as we dined outside in the lovely 70 or so degree weather. I was perfectly comfortable in a long sleeved cotton shirt. I love the weather here so far. Mindy and I totally pigged out and then she had to take off to go home to Houma, LA to give pony rides for the afternoon.

Being that Brett’s schedule currently requires him to be back to the racetrack around 3:30 PM he really doesn’t have much time off during the day to sight see yet. So I ventured out alone.

I drove my little Jetta downtown all by myself. All the way through New Orleans, past Bourbon and right to the Mississippi Riverfront. Parking was easy, although expensive, and I soon found myself wandering around the RiverWalk. It was great. Live Jazz, the Mighty Mississippi, food, drinks. I did some walking, found some cool interesting things I want to go back and check out. I watched some ships come in for a while, and then I decided to take a gander at the aquarium. It was way cool. Lots of neat things although I think my favorites are: the otters, the penguins and the jelly fish. They had an excellent jelly fish exhibit. The aquarium was neat, but rather like going to any other aquarium except they had a special section dedicated to the Mississippi with an overlook. I really wanted to experience something NOLA-y today so I was like, crap, I need to check out something else before I head home. I decided that for 5 bucks I’d see the IMAX movie “Hurricane on the Bayou”. IT was about Wetland Preservation Awareness and Hurricane Katrina. I kind of bawled like a baby during it. Don’t tell anyone. Anways, we need to save the wetlands!! The images of the city that I now reside in completely under water hit home for me. I never really realized how terrible Katrina was to this special, special city. Streets I drive on every day filled 8 feet with water. Just awful. People with no means to evacuate trapped, drowning, losing everything they own. The insane flooding around the SuperDome, and the people taking refuge there. I look at that SuperDome everyday from my roof top.

Every day on my way to work there’s a picket fence that was spray painted with this phrase “Survived Brenda, but Katrina was a BITCH”.

Makes me wonder everyday what happened to that person, and how they fared through Katrina. Hope everything was okay for them. It also makes me smile, because that is just like this city. Hundreds of years of bouncing back from floods and hurricanes. Really gives a place some character.

Learn more about saving wetlands at http://www.americaswetland.com/  and http://www.hurricaneonthebayou.com/

Halloween on Bourbon.

 

I began the evening with an hour wait in line to get our group ‘costumes’. Mostly our costumes were just masks and scandalous outfits, but I added a boa and butterfly wings to go with mine. 

 

Turns out its a bad idea to wait till Halloween to go shopping in NOLA. Anyways, I finally got ready, Brett and I predrank, and headed out to catch a cab to get down town (which takes a total of 5 mins from our house). well, at 7PM Bourbon street was already hopping.

Now what I speak of next shall not go anywhere other than this page. DO NOT under any circumstances drink 2 handgrenades within any one evening. Just don’t do it. I don’t care who you’re with. What night it is. How much you can ‘handle’. I vaguely remember our friend Darren saying ‘whoa, 2 handgrenades? thats rough’ and I vaguely remember replying ‘Son I could drink you under the table’. HAHA. well in either case We had fun dancing at the club. and then Brett and I wandered around Bourbon by ourselves and I got some beads… (won’t say how) and we had a merry time.  I definately ran into my neighbor Dead Eye and booty danced with him!!! hahahaha It was great. DeadEye is the shit. He’s my favorite.

Soon following the dancing with Dead Eye, I believe the Hand Grenades, Hurricanes etc etc kicked in. I lost my phone, my boa, my mask, and my wings. I told you, DONT DRINK more than 1 handgrenade in one evening.

The costumes on Bourbon were out of control, but I got too drunk and forgot to take pictures. Sorry guys. 

We didn’t even take a group photo but here’s biggity-

While he doens’t look too excited, I promise you’ve never seen a happier face than when he purchased those beads!!!!!!! hahaha…..

 

**NOTE- The green bottles in our hands are ‘HandGrenades:New Orleans Most Powerful Drink’. In my right hand is the reknowned ‘Hurricane’. Please refer to the Warning I stated above before going to Bourbon Street.

My first surgery

As I said in my first post, I am working as a vet assistant here in New Orleans. Today was my first surgery!! We had to Castrate 2 stallions, but only one ball each!!! They were ‘cryptorchids’ which basically means they had one ball up inside them and one one hanging out. Gross I know?? Well here’s the best part,  for anyone who knows me, I watched the whole surgery!! and HELPED! and gave a horse a shot!!!!! I ‘m not a total wussy any more.  I didn’t pass out!! It was even kind of cool. I’m really excited about this job because I’ve already learned alot about horses and drugs. and vet work.  And to think,  I know all of the parts of a horse testicle now!

Well

I am sitting outside on my rooftop in the sun in the 80 degree Louisiana weather. I was thinking… How long could this perfect weather last? and then I looked at weather.com. and I realized that the average high in November in South Bend, is almost as cold as it gets here, all winter long, 45 degrees. I am smiling now. Then I looked at the month of November in NOLA…. 70 degrees all month long baby. Holler. Happy Birthmonth to me!!!!! Oh and I lost my phone on Bourbon street so don’t call  me until the day after tomorrow.  Thats a whole nother story in itself. Its interesting the things that happen on Halloween in NOLA.

My Neighbor’s name is Dead Eye

When I first arrived in New Orleans, it was about 9 O’Clock at night. We own our own fifth wheel camper so finding a place to stay was easy. We camped at the track that night. The next day, after preparing for the horses arrival we went to check out our new ‘home’ or place to park our home on wheels at least. After the recommendation of our friend Mindy, we decided the safest place to park was at ‘Floor De Lis’. Get this, its three story building that sells flooring and printing products. ‘Where does the campground part come in?’ you might be thinking. The campground is on the roof of the building. No Joke. Three stories up, we park our camper and that is our home. No shit. Considering the racetrack is in a kind of ghetto part of town, three stories up is probably the best place to be.  But check this out- it has an excellent view of the NOLA skyline…

 

The view from my house in New Orleans

 

So anyways, we pull in and start to set up ‘house’ a.k.a. camp. The first gentleman we meet is Pat, who is a really nice guy and owns the building. From NOLA and genuinely interested in people. Any who… the second person we meet is our neighbor.  ” Hi YA’LLLL the name’s Dead Eye. Pleased to meet ya’ll”. Never thought I’d have a neighbor, on a roof, named Dead Eye. Thats kind of how it went, and how we met Dead Eye who happens to be a black 6 foot tall NOLA lifer. He’s great, super friendly and way helpful. A True New Orlean Guy.

 

I always said I wanted a little culture in my life.

In an upcoming post- Bourbon Street and Halloween…..

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I almost hit a rooster in the road today.

Daiquiris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New Orleans is awesome. There are no open container laws. People are constantly wandering around with beverage. Okay, sometimes they aren’t wandering, sometimes they are being carried by two friends on either side. HAHA. I saw one of those the other day around 2PM. Hysterical. Brett and I are typically at work between 4:30 and 5 AM so there aren’t many people out usually in other cities. Here, there are, but they are just getting in for the night. I’ve seen crack heads and drunks and all kinds of fun people first thing in the morning. Love it. Constant entertainment.

 

Speaking of drunks, Brett and I were exploring the city last night and decided to check out ‘Veterans’ Blvd. Neat place. Its kind of like the Grape Road (for those of you from the Bend area) of NOLA. Mall, food places, Target etc. We decided on a quaint chinese place for a quick meal while we staked out our eating places for the next month. New Orleans is FULL of awesome awesome awesome restaurants. More on that later…

As we were about to pull in to our Chinese place we noticed the BEST thing EVER. Drive Thru Daiquiris. Yes A Drive Thru window where you order liquor filled beverage and then you drive away… I KNOW RIGHT? Where were these those late nights in the bend Jessiy??? I bet we would have given out you know who’s number to the Daiquiri man. Anyways rules are, driver can’t have the straw in, but passengers can drink away. Who would have thought?? Love it. I got a Strawberry Pina Colada. Brett had a ‘Caucasian’ Haha A.K.A a white russian.  NOLA knows how to party.

Introduction

Well, Everyone else is doing it. Here’s my little stab at a blog. I’m not nearly the writer others are, so I’m just going to tell it like I see it. Nearly every day something happens to me that I find amusing, interesting or story worthy. I guess thats the point of a blog. To share lifes interesting details with others.

I am currently employed by Steven Asmussen horse racing, in New Orleans Louisiana. I help in the care and training of some of the nations top Thoroughbred Race Horses. My job choice has required me to make some interesting life changes. For one, I have lived in 3 different states within the past thirty days. For two, I live in a house on wheels, and for three, I wake up at 4 AM or earlier every day. That last one should come as a shock to most of you. More on all of that later…. I suppose that’s all of the introduction you get! Stay tuned to more posts… please check back often!