Dangermond.org

I have been trying to fix my Time Machine on my computer for one week. Last week I took it to the Apple Store and it worked like a charm there and then I got home and nada. So I went this morning to get it fixed and learned my external hard drive was dying and that was the problem. Big headache. All consumer electronics are big headaches – there are all these service centers cropping up to deal with our big headaches.

My time machine is working, but not when I want to hit a button to walk off the planet.

I remember when Borders and Barnes & Noble opened their massive stores and I thought OH PUKE. Fear entered the hearts and minds not to mention wallets of every independent bookstore owner and customer. But there was no stopping the behemoth from populating our landscape and killing off the small bookstores – forget about I GOT MAIL, this was just not good for anyone.

And guess who saved the independents? Amazon – go figure. Who knew.

So when I passed Borders uptown in the old funeral home with signs everywhere saying Going out of business sale and when I saw the big Metairie store with the same signs, I had a good feeling that sometimes good things happen – first in Egypt and now here in our backwater – bye bye Borders.

My friend grew up in Atlanta surrounded by Coca Cola’s iconic brand images swirling around her head, and now she lives in San Francisco where she makes her art. Kim Frohsin’s a talented beast and recently finished some paintings drawing from her past and the SF Moma’s blog has a quick take on some of what she calls Cokework showing now in the Caffe Museo. The exhibit is up till March 15th – check it out.

New scientific evidence according to a study says that faking a smile when you don’t mean it makes you even grumpier or more depressed. Who knew? I was always one to try to put a smile on when I didn’t even feel like it thinking it would make me feel better but actually complaining always works so much better because if you complain enough soon you are tired of hearing yourself.

One day this little boy who wiggles and snuggles in the bath with me will grow up. Hard to imagine. This morning, I walked in the room to wake him and he said, “Mommy makes pancakes?” So guess what he got for breakfast even though I had everything out to make eggs and grits?

I was reading through some blogs and came across this band who marched in Krewe de Vieux with the Seeds of Decline. Now we’re talking.

The zoo was closed today and the nanny off so Tin and I ended up at Daneel playground on St. Charles Avenue – the same playground my mother used to take me to when I was his age. We’re going across the lake to her grave to refresh her flowers and have a picnic and maybe because the flowers have been on my dresser, she’s been heavy on my mind.

On Saturday morning when I was playing my God on Sunday playlist, Sam Cooke’s version of Any Day Now came on and brought me to my knees and a whole lot of tears.

When I was in Cuba a Swedish man said to me in a bar, “The Cubans are to music what dolphins are to water.” Well, Tin’s birthday present came early as I picked it up from New Orleans Music Exchange (after a colleague carefully researched who, what, where) and brought it home and set it up while he dined alfresco on the porch in this lovely weather. I was waiting on T to get home from the gym before showing it to him, he just saw me pulling stuff out of the box out of the corner of his eye from his highchair.

Needless to say it was love at first sight. We sang him happy birthday even though it is two weeks away and then he sang it back to us.

A bunch of us rallied to go see Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue last night at that Banks Street Bar & Grill. We traded with the nanny for her to have today off and we headed down on a Sunday night for a 10 pm show no less. When we arrived a neighbor was there who had just turned 70 and he was telling us about a T-band sprain he had. Later, T mentioned that she saw at least three guys from her knee therapist there, one I danced with!

Well we’re aging, not gracefully, and after a fun filled night, I’m ready to give up honky tonkin one more time.

Some people believe Carnival begins on Three Kings Day (Jan 6th) but last night, New Orleans officially started Carnival as Krewe de Vieux rolled and got the party going. Wonderful weather, great theme (25 years wasted), and lots of brass and lots of ass – the way we like our parades. Tin was mesmerized as he was right there in the thick of it with the brass bands, who were all terrific. He caught his first bead with trepidation and then jumped right in with hands and legs to get the next ones – a born Mardi Gras boy.

Happy Mardi Gras New Orleans – you sure know how to put on a party.