Perfectly Lonely

    Valentine's Day. It's that one day of the year that seems to be equally loved as it is hated. It's an ongoing war waged between love stricken couples and bitter singles. But must one really be one or the other?? Can't we all just get along? I couldn't help but ponder this question as I celebrated my first Valentine's Day as a single girl in quite some time.

     There is no denying it. I am a romantic. I thrive off of chick flicks. I listen to Taylor Swift on repeat. I want to be wooed. Love is great. And having that special someone on Valentine's Day can be wonderful. But as Valentine's Day approached this year, I could not help but be a little relieved to be going into this one solo.

     Society creates so much hype around the holiday, and it is my observation that, most of the time, this only leads to disappointment. Couples (cough*cough...girls) get so worked up about Valentine's Day that even if Cupid himself flew his naked baby butt down from the Land of Love with a bow and arrow, it still would not be good enough. I cannot begin to count the number of "coupled" friends that I have who reported back to me this year with disappointment. Either the food at the fancy restaurant was terrible, the flowers were not their favorite or the card wasn't enough. Sure, chocolate, roses, fancy dinners....all that stuff is really nice. But often times, we fall into a pink and red coma and forget the true purpose of the holiday...myself included

     Ya know, I can't say that I missed searching the internet for the perfect "original" gift. And I certainly did not miss rummaging through grocery store isles that look as though Cupid puked pink and red all over. Most of all, I didn't miss the stress of trying to create the perfect day or moment with my significant other. This year, I was perfectly fine with being single.

     This year, I celebrated with my fellow single girlfriends...who says you need a male counterpart to celebrate the day? We gorged ourselves on the most delicious food, indulged in copious amounts of chocolate, drank more than a few cosmopolitans and watched one of my favorites...Sex and the City. If that's not love, then I don't know what is.

 My fabulous (and delicious) Valentine's Day cookies

     As the day passed, I couldn't help but be content with my life and where I'm at. Who says that we need a "better half" to feel complete? Don't get me wrong, I hope that my prince finds his way one of these days, but until then, I'm focusing on me.

    So this year, I was nuetral. I wasn't part of a love-stricken couple, and although I was single, I wasn't bitter. Maybe I will feel differently about Valentine's Day next year, but this year, I was perfectly lonely.

As always, stay tuned for more Nonsense coming soon! :)

Unathletic and Unapologetic

     From a young age, children are told by parents, teachers and mentors that they can grow up to be whatever it is that they want to be. Astronauts, ballerinas, ninjas....the sky is the limit. I wanted to be an athlete.

     When I was young, I had my heart set on being a gymnast in the Summer Olympics. My mom, knowing in her heart of hearts that her extremely long and lanky daughter was not cut out to be a gymnast, tried to discourage me by telling me that I would have to leave home and live in China...forever. I was perfectly fine with that. My mom, being a good sport, signed me up for gymnastics class. Two months later, I twisted my pinkie toe. That was the end of my gymnastic career. 

     I had a successful career as a young basketball player. At age 10, I started on an AAU basketball team that made it to Nationals in Disney World. I was in my prime. Of course, looking back now, I was half a foot taller than every other girl in the league, so it was almost like...cheating. When I got to college, I made the mistake of talking about my "basketball career" to some friends. After one game of co-ed intramural basketball, I never spoke of it again. 

     In Junior High, I experimented with softball. I joined a summer traveling league, coached by the super intense, visor-wearing, show-no-mercy, high school softball coach. He promised that after a summer under his training, you were guaranteed to make the junior high softball team. Well....I didn't. All that I got from that summer was a few good bruises and a bad sock tan.

     When I got to high school, I was your average six-foot-tall 120, pound bean pole. The volleyball coach thought I would be a star. Height does not always translate into athleticism. One year in, and several awkward spike attempts later, I traded in my knee pads for a pair of pom-poms when I made the cheerleading squad. 

      I gave my final attempt at high school athleticism to the track team. Track, in most cases, is a solo sport. You run. Easy enough, right? Wrong. I was assigned to the hurdles. You run, you jump, you run, you jump...get the picture? Well, that is exactly what did NOT happen at my first track meet. There was lots of running and jumping. In fact, I was in the lead. Right until the end. Right until my foot got caught in a hurdle, and I face planted. In front of my friends, my family, and this really cute boy that I liked at the time. I turned in my track jersey the next day. 
      
     You may call me a quitter, but, I like to consider myself a realist. I came. I tried. I failed. I'm done. 

     I was done. That is, until I moved to New Orleans and decided to try my luck with intramural sports. A college friend of mine was recruiting people for her social kickball team through an organization called PlayNOLA, so I decided to come out of my athletic retirement.

     Did you know that it is possible to strike out in kickball? Yeh, me either. But I did. Regardless, it was the the most fun I've had pretending to be athletic...ever. Maybe it was the copious amounts of beer that we consumed. This was a "social" league after all. Maybe it was the team comradery. Maybe it was the fact that our 10-year-old selves would have kicked our butts, and then laughed at us. What I do know is that I have met some really great people, some of whom are now my closest friends. Coming out of athletic retirement might just be the best decision I've made since I've moved to NOLA. Who cares that we came in last place?  

                                                                Team Awesome
                                                     (yes, that was really our name)

      So, I'm not an athlete. That is clear. But I have other talents. For instance, I'm very good at beer pong. I've been told that I am an exceptional toast maker (the speech, not the bread). I can make some mean French Onion soup. Did I mention that they are all very useless talents?? Let's just say, I'm still looking for my "knack" in life.
    
     I am not giving up on being an athlete just yet. Tonight, I will put on my jersey, and head to the football stadium for some intramural flag football. Hey, I am not giving up on my dream until I've exhausted all outlets. Needless to say, it's not looking good for me. : )

As always, stay tuned for more Nonsense coming soon!

Tourist in My Own Town

       New Orleans is my new home. And while my tiny apartment doesn't always feel "homie," and I've been forced to trade in Mom's home cooking for hot pockets, I wouldn't trade cities for anything. However, it only took a couple of days for me to realize that it is possible to live in this city for YEARS and still feel like a tourist. With an extensive selection of restaurants, bars and entertainment, there is always a new experience waiting just around the corner (literally).
    
     Last weekend, I had an old friend come to town for a "tourist" weekend. This was the perfect opportunity for me to show off some of my particularly favorite spots, discover lots of new "hot spots" and explore my new city all at the same time.

     Friday night was my time to shine. We were looking for a low-key dinner spot with good prices and even better food. I decided on one of my favorite food joints in the area, Lebanon's Cafe on Carrollton. Let me tell you...when it comes to Lebanese food, Lebanon's Cafe is hard to beat. We started with some of the best hummus and pita that I have ever eaten in my life. I ordered the Sauteed Vegetable plate, which is to. die. for. Not to mention, I had enough left over for the next three days. My "date" had the Shrimp Kabob which looked just as delicious. (If you eat seafood. I rarely do. I know. It's weird. We'll save that for another day.) We both left dinner feeling absolutely satisfied and super stuffed. Side note: Lebanon's is a BYO alcohol restaurant. They do not serve alcohol, so if you are looking to booze it up at dinner, be sure to bring your own.

     After dinner we decided to hit Magazine Street for one of my favorite local bars/music venues, Les Bon Temps Roule. I love this bar! It has so much personality, and there is generally some type of live music being played. When we first arrived, there was a fellow playing the piano, and by the time we left, a full band had assembled in the back room. They also have a great selection of beer that is decently priced. Two-dollar Pabst Blue Ribbon?? Yes, Please! Definitely a hidden gem, in my book!

     After leaving Les Bon Temps, we decided to kick things up a notch and headed to a snazzy little bar on Freret Street called Cure. Cure specializes in cocktails, and has a quality selection of beer, wine, and spirits. We chose to forgo the fancy cocktails, and opted for a bottle of wine instead. Cure's dimly lit, up-scale atmosphere is perfect for a romantic evening, or even a girl's night out. 


     Saturday afternoon was all about exploring and discovering the unknown. What better way to do this then to head to the French Quarter! We arrived to the Quarter around 5:00 p.m., and with a 10:00 p.m. dinner reservation at Bayona, (I'll get to that later) we had plenty of time to stop in to several places of interest along the way. 


       Stop # 1: Tropical Isle...home of the famous Hand Grenade. Yes, I live in New Orleans. No, I had never experienced the oh so famous Hand Grenade before. Might I add that I do not plan on having another one of these drinks again...ever. Here is a recipe for the Hand Grenade that I found online, for those of you who are not familiar. 

Hand Grenade Recipe

1 1/2 oz Gin
1 1/2 oz Grain alcohol
1 1/2 oz Melon liqueur
1 1/2 oz Rum
1 1/2 oz Vodka

       

      Stop # 2: Crescent City Brewhouse...They brew their own beer, so don't make the mistake of asking for a Bud light, Michelob Ultra, Abita, or any other type of beer that is not brewed in house. With that being said, we had some really great beer there along with a yummy baked brie dish. Delicious!

     Stop # 3: Hermes Bar at Antoine's...It looks like a fancy little joint from the outside, and we were not disappointed once we were inside. Hermes is an extension of the restaurant Antoine's which has been open since 1840. We were served complementary bowls of popcorn while we waited for our gin and vodka martinis. Needless to say, we felt fancy. :) 

      Stop # 4: Old Absinthe House...If you are dead-set on trying Absinthe, and don't mind splurging for it ($21 for approx. 2 shots) then this is the place for you! The Absinthe is prepared the traditional way (sugar cube and all)  and even lit on fire for extra effect. Let me just warn you...Absinthe tastes like licorice. If you like licorice, then you you'll like Absinthe. If not, do not waste your money. Also, pints of draft beer are priced at $7. Not appealing. But, this joint is geared towards tourists, and this particular weekend, that is exactly what I was.

      After a long day of exploring...and drinking, we finally arrived to our 10:00 p.m. reservation at Bayona, the highly acclaimed restaurant of Chef Susan Spicer. I cannot describe this experience as anything less than fantastic. The food was A-mazing, the atmosphere was perfect and the service was top-notch. Those who know me, know that I am generally picky when it comes to food. I don't like to eat anything that I "feel sorry for" (i.e. deer, duck, rabbit, etc.) or anything that is too "outside the box" or weird (i.e. snails, squid, liver, etc.) I most often stick with chicken. Well, I did have a fabulous chicken dish for my main course, but, that was not the highlight of my meal. I have discovered the most divine food ever to touch my palate. Drum roll please............................................................................

Sweetbreads. I know. Many of you are probably thinking that I mean Sweet Bread. Bread that is sweet. But ah contraire, my friends. Let me enlighten you. Sweetbreads are the pancreas of a baby cow. Yep, that's right. This girl LOVES pancreas. Weird...Who would have thought? 

All in all, I had a wonderful "tourist" weekend filled with good drinks, great food and even better company. Isn't that what Louisiana is all about?

Well friends, in the future I will try to keep my posts much shorter than this. 

For now, it's Friday night in New Orleans, and I have people to see and places to discover. 

Stay tuned for more Nonsense coming soon.

Michelle

   

And We're Off...

     Eight months ago, following a whim (and a boy), I packed five years of my life in Baton Rouge into what seemed like a million boxes and made my move to the Big Easy. While some loves dwindle and fade, my love for my new city continues to flourish.

Moving to New Orleans has been one of the best decisions of my life. It's lead me to my own personal independence and a greater appreciation for music, art, food, Louisiana culture and life, in general.

From the moment I moved to New Orleans, I have yearned for a way to document all the fun and exciting changes, opportunities and experiences that have presented themselves. I made a New Year's resolution for 2011 to create a blog, and finally, one month and a few days into the new year, I present you with Nola & Nonsense and my first blog post...ever.  

I may not know a lot about anything, but I do know a little bit about a lot of things. I plan on writing about my life here in NOLA, love (or lack thereof), random thoughts and ideas and my adventures in this amazing city. In other words: Nonsense. Stay tuned....this is bound to get interesting. : )