tedwords

Kids refuse to wake up until eleven, even with the lure of a free fancy breakfast at the restaurant. I really have worn them down.

Instead we eat at iHop. Faced with a choice between healthy and fattening, I make the wrong selection. Weight Watchers will not be fun when I return.

Then gift shopping for those who did not travel with us. We buy Corb Hot Pussy Juice, a hot sauce that amuses us. Theo gets stopped at the airport with it in his bag. He is less than amused with the experience.

That afternoon I receive interesting news from the Eldredge Players. Makes me question my decision to leave. More on that later.

Woke the kids up at around eleven yesterday. I really wore than out with all our traveling the day before.

Started the day with a real Cajun breakfast...at iHop. When traveling we really like to explore the native cuisine.

After a film at iMax about Katrina, we hopped onto the Saint Charles streetcar and traveled to the Garden District. There the kids found a bookstore they loved. I came out much, much poorer, and now Ashes wants me to travel to New Orleans in October for an Anne Rice book signing at the store. Yeah, that's not going to happen.

I love the streetcars. On the way home the driver kept up a steady stream of conversation with the lady next to him about the problems of driving a streetcar, and hung out with a guy called the Captain who wore a naval hat and carried drumsticks on his pocket. The driver also saved a less experienced streetcar driver who had overshot her turn. It kept me entertained the whole way.

That night the kids graciously allowed me to choose the restaurant. I chose the Red Fish Grill and was not disappointed. Alligator sausage gumbo, crab cakes, a nice martini and an insanely rich bread pudding for dessert. I need not eat again for days.

Then a vampire tour through the town. The tour guide was a travel writer and had a great sense of pacing. All in all, a perfect day.

Traveled to the new job to get my fingerprints done and pick up my badge.

Also start planning for my trip to New Orleans with the kids. This trip is without Corb...he doesn't have any more vacation time, and he's not thrilled about me going. However, I wanted to do something special with the kids while I have the money.

As a result, I am trying to prepare as much as I can. I need Corb to travel. This is the first non business trip I have taken without him in a decade. He is a far better navigator than I am. This will present a challenge and I hope I am up to it.

The long trip back home begins.

Corb does not want to leave. Neither do I, but we do.

Sleep well that night.

Two attractions today: a visit the the Arabia museum (a steamboat that sank in the 1800s that was discovered about a decade ago) and the Real Pirates exhibit that is sponsored by National Geographic.

I also discover I did a stupid thing. Booked tickets to see a show online but the search came up for Oklahoma City not Kansas City. I bought the tickets and didn't realize it until and hour before the show (to be fair, Shelley didn't realize it, either.) I of course had in mind my trip to Okie City to shoot the tornado video the month before. I think I have been traveling too much!

Instead, we visit the Plaza in the center of Kansas City and end up having Chinese food. That makes Corb happy :)

Corn and I woke up early to head off to Missouri to meet his family. It went like this: car ride to Braintree, train to South Station, Silver Line to Logan airport, then to Dallas, then to Missouri. We are staying in Lee's Summit.

Corb's best bud in Missouri is his cousin Shelley. She has a gathering of his relatives that night...her kids, her hubby, her brother, who is a sod farmer, his girlfriend, Shelley's mom and her husband (they have been together 30 years but only married five years ago due help with health insurance.)

I instantly feel a bond with Shelley's mom. She is a big Dr. Who fan. Wears colorful mumus around the house with skull and crossbones designs that she makes herself. Spunky. I like that :)

Off to New York for my last goodbye to my friends at MetLife. The best part was the drinks after work, a special farewell party at the Croton, which is where we always end up.

I had way too many martinis, but as usual, I don't get too sick. Woke up at five on the morning feeling thirsty beyond belief.

Drove to New Hampshire with Corb and the kids, Corb's mom and Jim to celebrate the 4th of July two weeks late (they do things late in New Hampshire...actually, this is when word of the Declaration was received.)

Our hosts for the day: Corb's aunt, her tea party husband and their son, who wore an NRA shirt the entire day. We were in dangerous territory but the father only got political once and was quickly shushed by his wife. They were actually quite lovely to us and treated us wonderfully.

At night, fireworks. Corb's uncle groused about the taxpayer expense.

Tonight was the first ensemble music rehearsal for Drowsy. We worked on "Fancy Dress," which starts off the show, as well as "I Do I Do" and the finale, which of course end it.

My Drowsy was not there tonight, so I got to play the role. I like playing the role of the Drowsy Chaperone, but then again I guess most gay men do. It definitely is a diva role. I may have to find some way to push Janet down the stairs one performance so that I can take over her role.

As a bit of a surprise, my friend Scavenging Al came to rehearsal. His trip to Texas didn't work out as planned. The last friend that he was visiting turned out to be a scary Tea Party Republican who broke up with him once she learned that he supported Obama. Good thing he returned home, too, as his wife Martie has taken a turn for the worst.

One of the things that he mentioned was that the nurses at the home Martie is staying in stressed the importance of starting to create his own life apart from Martie, So I guess in some ways he was doing the right thing all along.

Things are better today between Corb and I. Of course, he thinks I'm bipolar, going from the angst of the night before to the relative high that I feel after a really good rehearsal.

I have to admit, I like creating entries on my iPad. It feels kind of intimate, the way it used to feel when I was keeping a paper journal. Not sure why that is. Plus, I find I can actually type pretty fast on this thing. I thin that's one of the advantages of being a two fingered typist. Since I don't type with ten fingers, I don't really need much room!

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPad.