Prince Conti Hotel right off the French Quarter is where I'm reporting from. Just had Subway after two days of crawfish, shrimp, raw oysters, and no room for desert. The fellas are out tonight never having really been to New Orleans. Hopefully the Quarter doesn't turn them out becaue it has that power. I've been here several times and tonight I'm staying in and catching up on cable TV. "Scare Tactics" and "Cash Cab" are hitting.
We spent the day with industry peeps. We had a late lunch at an historical restaurant (where I had overpriced crawfish etoufee) that used to be a slave trading port and civil war planning base. Can't recall the name and can't find the paper I wrote it on. Either way, NOLA is full of places such as this.
After lunch we did the tourist walk to Charters over to Cafe Du Monde, etc. This time around, I ventured to St. Louis Cathedral, my first visit ever inside a Catholic church. I had a moment. I'm a sucker for beauty and this place made me a straight up Blow Pop. Marble floors, pristine art on the walls, ceilings, and in the pulpit. I had a talk with Mary, thanked her for being a vessel. After that I headed over to the Moonwalk on the Mississippi. Our road manager fell asleep on the stairs outside. A picture may start floating on the JTNL sight thanks to John. Our road mgr, also got to tour the cemetery where he took amazing photos. We were all glad to be in NOLA on a day that was sunny and perfect for the free time we had.
After that, we headed back. I had to wash because I had on the last clean pair if you get my drift, so I was pretty desperate to not let Tuesday get away from me. Also, the photo shoot I had scheduled was cancelled so washing became primary. I ended up at the Three Legged Dog on Burgundy St.. This bar/eatery/gameroom/washateria was where I spent an hour and thirty minutes. I sat around wondering how many people had actually come to wash and ended up getting washed. Did I mention this place is open 24-7-363? Yeah, that dangerous of a place. I made it out because I only had enough cash to wash and dry my clothes, which was an economical $3. We need a place like this in the Cliffs.
After I washed, I headed back to the room where we all chilled out, checked emails, and socialized about the past few days. Kansas headed out alone and wandered the Quarters. He seemed renewed when he returned. We all spend time to ourselves in our own way. Jord-O was lucky that his family was in town and he was able to spend the last 24 hours away to be with the newest addition: Little Miss Tuesday who is simply a yummy-yummy baby with her father's hair and her mother's eyes and smile.
It gets lonely being away from family and friends so we are always greatful to see those we love when we're out and about or to hear from folks. I know you may be thinking we're all out having fun, meeting new people, and seeing the world as we do shows, but more often than not, we're reaching out to those back home, letting them know we're okay and making plans for the return home. Sure, I wouldn't change this moment with JTNL for the world and I pray to see us get better at what we're doing. To shine before the world. However, it's moments like this when I'm reporting from the field that my heart can get a little heavy because there never a place like home. Or home away from home.
I talked to my mom, she said it's ice and sleet in Dallas. You all stay warm, we're coming with the sunshine in a few days.
Lastly, I want to write something about the rising unemployment. I heard today that like 70,000 jobs were lost today. I think it's time for people to prepare. Don't sit back and wait for change . . . it's already happening. If you have a job and you're not happy, you need to find a reason to be happy because we can no longer take employment for granted on any level. Pray for those who are looking and if you are looking, think about your other talents or reconnect to dreams you had before you ever worked a day in your life. I have no real solutions, but I've read the history on the Depression and we're pretty much embarking on something similar. This has hit home for me with people I love and I'm glad I have resilient, talented, strong people dealing with their unemployment. But it's going to be up to us to help us get through whatever tough times are upon us. Until next time. Stay familiar.
Love,
Mo
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