I’ll try to keep this brief.

Thursday 3/12

After the last update I got home to Miles making ribollita for himself and his friend Alexis. After a rather unsuccessful (if childish) game of Go Fish after struggling with the rules and having to google them, we taught her Rummy500. Then she and Miles left, and Emo and I played two more games. I won the first, and he won the second, which was definitely more intense and enjoyable.

Friday 3/13

I feel like I’ll be writing about my wine vineyard adventures at the end of all of them because I keep putting them off. I went to dinner with Sergio, Gina, and Anita. I got some penne alle carretiera, my favorite vegetarian pasta dish. It’s a spicy tomato sauce. Johnson was there also with a bunch of people including Alexis From The Night Before. Then we hung out at a bar for a while.

Saturday 3/14

Adrian and I spent the entire day cooking and the afternoon playing rummy. He’d invited Sergio over for dinner and picked a menu. Shrimps wrapped in potato and bacon, spinach lasagne with pork Bolognese and ricotta cheese, and veal liver and onions. We took the rummy to the bar for the evening and taught Michaela and Nicole how to play. Then due to all the dance music that had been playing all night, the girls and I were convinced into going clubbing with Cristian, Marissa, and company. We got back to the bar around four in the morning and stayed after-hours for some quality time with Sergio and Adrian.

Fuori di Taste 3/15

This did not stop us from waking up the next morning and going to Fuori di Taste, a food festival that was taking here in Florence. Unsurprisingly, we ate a lot of food... tons of cheese, balsamic vinegar tasting, truffles both real and chocolate, prosciuttos, sausages, flourless egg/less chocolate cake, pastries etc. They had a little food court thing, so I got salmon carpaccio with grapefruit and arugula. But for me, the highlight was a chocolate with Darjeeling tea flavored filling.

It was a good eating day. Afterwards, on the way home, I introduced the girls to Kebab Lady. So we got more food, and then went back to their apartment to play rummy on the patio. And then we got gelato and chilled at our apartment with Adrian, Miles, and Emo. Magic tricks and mind teasers. And then I had the impulse (or rather, the encouragement) to bake a chocolate cake, which we topped with more gelato. So yeah, it was a great day.

Monday 3/16

Michaela, Adrian, and I went to a wine tasting for Antinori. It was led by their very skilled enologist Mr. Cotorella. The wines were amazing and his story and wisdom were pretty ridiculously inspiring. Afterwards, we grabbed dinner at the trattoria and then hung out with Sergio the rest of the night.

Tuesday 3/17

I had my professional cooking midterm, then Andrea took us a visit to the Market, where he introduced us to the stands he shops and cautioned us against certain less-reputable salesmen. The evening was pretty chilled out. Rummy with the roommates. And then, since both Emo and Miles are from foreign countries that aren’t the United States, I introduced them to the Saturday Night Live music videos for "Dick In A Box" and "Jizz In My Pants."

Wednesday 3/18

I had my Enology and Viticulture (aka Wine) and then my Tradition of Italian Food II midterms. The former I somehow miraculously passed and the second was pretty smooth sailing. That night Adrian was playing guitar for an aperitivo at a cultural association that we usually frequent later at night.

Thursday 3/19

Dessert Styling and Italian Pastry midterms. Nothing too notable except for that Dessert Styling was maybe half questions we reviewed and half questions we hadn’t prepared for at all. Not surprising. Thursday was more dessert-heavy than ever because I arrived to school to the pleasant surprise of carrot cake (from Bonnie) and cinnamon gelato (from the Advanced Pastry girls). And then on top of that, those were the only classes I had that held class after the exam. Styling was dedicated to sugar paste and royal icing. (Yeah, a lot of sugar.) And Italian pastries was dedicated to Rice cakes (not the light American fluffy kind) and Salame Dolce, a chocolate dessert. I needed real food, so I went to aperitivo and hung out with Johnson and Tommy The Bartender.

Friday 3/20

Another wine trip which wasn’t as eventual as the other one, but we went to a really big castle and then had an amazing lunch in Chianti at a butcher’s restaurant. That night, after a LOST viewing, I finally made it to one of Marissa’s dinner parties. She and Victoria pulled out all the stops: Orrechiete with a spicy seafood sauce, Sicilian-style Roasted peppers and eggplant, and flourless chocolate cake with strawberries.

Saturday 3/21

I made brunch for Adrian using some ingredients I’d picked up at the butcher shop in Chianti. Steak tartare to start with and then scrambled eggs, garlic sage potato wedges, sautéed beef, and red pepper jelly.

I don’t remember what we did all afternoon because all of a sudden, Adrian was making dinner. Roasted tomato, goat cheese, and onion frittatini. We had some extra buttered molds, so I made molten chocolate cake for dessert. We played rummy until Marissa came over for sangria. Barhopping. We wound up at Tommy's Goodbye Party, where I ran into Anita which was kind of awkward since I’d “stood her up” on our weekly dinner double date with SerGina.

Sunday 3/22

Adrian is taking advantage of the empty apartment by cooking all the time. An All-American Lunch was fettucini alfredo, pan-fried chicken with pan gravy, and some leftover salami biscuits that Emo and Miles had made.

Claudio, one of my former professors, had invited me to the post-renovation reopening of a sushi restaurant. Adrian and I went, but the event was so well-attended that despite the free wine and buffet, we didn’t stay. We got sandwiches from Kebab Lady and went home.

Later in the evening, anticipating hunger we went and had sushi at the new sushi place near our place. Then we played a game of rummy and tried to decipher LA Fattoria, the nonsensical but sexy game show that was on TV.

Monday/Yesterday 3/23

It was a very relaxed day. Adrian and I went to the grocery and restocked the fridge. I went to dinner with Bonnie, one of my Pastry classmates, and her mother at Mario’s restaurant. Dinner was amazing, particularly the breads and dessert which of course is what we were most interested in since we knew he was the source of them.

Tuesday/Today 3/24

I updated my journal and tried to keep it brief.

homecoming

Adrian came back at some point before Halloween (the days blend together.) Jesse Jesse was the first to arrive on Saturday morning, fresh from a UK shopping spree likely inspired by Aeri. Herbs and dried fruits and a whole new wardrobe. Diedre and Marlene came back in the evening with pictures of Greece, so the girls, Kyle and I went to aperitivo and got back just in time for Sal’s and Gerard’s returns. This was followed by a massive effort to get everyone to go out, even those who had gone to bed. This proved successful, so we went barhopping and stopped by a few clubs. Back at home, we played, up-the-river-down-the-river and kings with Ognissantinis and Frescobaldi wine and 95. Sal, Diedre (who forgot about this), and I had breakfast really really early in the morning. Cheesy scrambled eggs with diced onions, pancetta substituting in as bacon, and hash browns. Sal and I tried to play Rummy, but after one round he just had to crash.

So besides all that late-night adventuring and the day of sleeping and grocery shopping, we had a HUGE “family dinner,” and Tanjila arrived back just in time. We spent the entire afternoon and early evening cooking and snacking on chicken nuggets, fried potato skins, and broiled zucchini slices with balsamic and parm.

• Veal stew with porcini mushrooms and cipollini onions
• Rosemary bread
• Curried chicken
• Curried grown beef
• Vegetable cous cous
• Beef and porcini pasta
• Mashed potatoes
• Lots of sparkling, red, and white wines
• Chocolate pudding upside down cake
• Pear pie
• Banana pudding with sugar cookies

We also went around the table and said what we were grateful for:

• Sal – Stonybrook having a study abroad program
• Gerard – food more delicious and complicated than cereal, yogurt, and buttered pasta
• Jesse – that the best part of break was coming home
• Marlene – that we let her move in
• Kyle – a lack of drama
• Diedre – a clean kitchen
• Tanjila – the laughter we all provide
• Adrian – that someone was odd enough to put two random brothers here
• Myself – us finally having a family-style dinner together

But yeah, after that foodgasm, major food comas began. People sort of drifted off to sleep Thanksgiving style, which was made easier by the candlelight we'd dined by. We stopped combating the cave-like qualities of our living room with lights and decided to embrace its dimly lit atmosphere.
Beginning with our going out at midnight and ending with our relaxed sleepy time at midnight, yesterday was definitely the best 24 hours the apartment has ever seen.

Firenze

Happy birthday, Nick. Belated happy, Adam.

It was a good weekend. Saturday night, we went out for Nick’s birthday. Nick is one of “The Triplets” that live across in the river in Jack and Juan’s former apartment. He, Adam, and Alex (my old roommate Giuseppe’s younger brother) are “The Triplets” because “they’re all kind of the same person.” But not in a bad way. They love to go out, party, and pick up girls. That sounds like every guy our age, but they have more in common than just that. Cool guys though.
Anyway, so the three of them and all of us roommates (except Adrian who along with his visitors Neely and Aly were tired from a day of sightseeing) went out to celebrate. I guess this is a good time to say that we have a thirteenth roommate named Marlene, a little bit of Latina fire from New York. She was practically living here already because her other roommates weren’t as much fun I guess? But she officially moved in, paperwork and all, the other day.

Jesse, who enjoys baking more than cooking, made dark chocolate birthday cakes for Nick and for Adam (whose birthday was like the second night we got here). They were delicious, and Adam’s was slightly mangled but then took on a mountain theme because he’s a climber anyway. Afterwards we all went out to my (now our) favorite bar and got shots and bought Nick drinks and got pretty messy. Sergio was there, and he and Kyle finally met after hearing so much about each other and were surprised at how actually cool the other was and not just the product of exaggeration. Eventually, as the drink numbers increased, the party numbers waned, and we all split off. Sergio, his friend Rose, Sal, and I went to another club for a bit. But I stayed only for one round, courtesy of Serg. I went off to find Sal and he called me and told me he got lost and wound up at The Duomo, so we just met up at home. People here were in various states of... functionality, the more functional ones babysitting a little bit.

Me and my Daydream

Sunday I thought the sin of the day would be sloth, but mine turned out to be gluttony. We all got up late to really late. Some of us went to the bar to get some free internet. The same mass-goers as last week (Marlene, Lisa, Gerard, Sal, Nick, Adrian, and myself) all planned to go but ended up losing track of time and missing the one English mass across town. We’ll fix that next week probably. And just when I thought I’d do nothing all day, I started eating a lot. On the way home from the bar, Tom and I stopped for kebabs. And then some time later I had a bowl of cereal and donated the remains of a bottle of red wine to Gerard’s stew. And then I went with Jesse to her favorite falafel place. And then I came home and had some of Gerard’s stew. And then I showed Adrian the falafel place, and he tried a kebab from there and an egg sandwich, and I bit off some of each. And then I came home and had more of Gerard’s stew and pieces of Deidre’s orange and apple.

And Deidre, Sal, Gerard, Lisa/I (forming a team who’d trade off), played two games of Rummy500. I was winning most of the first game, probably due to the fact I was the only innocent one not affected by the these-are-stolen-cards karma. But Sal won both games. We sat at the dining table originally just singing whatever and changing words around to make the songs aout our roommates, and when that got old Sal brought out his laptop and playlists.
Around 11:30 at night, the entire apartment came to life and everyone either woke up or came home and people were milling around. Everyone went to bed late.

Gerard also made use of the random scroll paper all over our dining table by marking it as “Scripture” and beginning to inscribe all the quotable stupid things people have been saying. It won’t take long to fill up between the twelve of us.

The rest of Monday was pretty much just my chocolates and confections class. We made cremino-filled chocolates. (Cremino is a hazelnut cream made of hazelnut paste and white, milk, or dark chocolate. I love dark chocolate, but it overwhelms the nuttiness in filling. White is a good contrast to the dark chocolate shell. Milk is the best taste on its own... like Nutella.) After that, I stopped by the Chinese take-out place in my old neighborhood on the way home. I spent the rest of the evening reading (and finishing) Rosemary’s Baby, which is in our rather sizable library of books-left-by-previous-tenants, the majority of which being Florence or travel books.
We played Rummy500 again, Jesse playing instead of Sal. Team Lisandrew won, despite the jeers from Team Diedrian (Adrian was on Die’s team in spirit). We left the TV on to watch shows in Italian, which got pretty amusing. Some time after midnight, Tom and Alex came home, so Vanessa, Kyle, Adrian and I hung out with them in the kitchen. We all got hungry, so Tom donated his ingredients to my care. Red bell peppers, tomatoes, ground beef, Parmesan cheese, and pasta became… a pasta. My olive oil and Vanessa’s fresh basil helped a lot too. After everyone else went to bed, Kyle and I just talked a bit while he drew for art class. I changed his world with our discussion of the magic of aperitivo. He also said he’d help me with lighting and stuff for fashion photography, so that’s a major relief.

Today has been pretty uneventful. I wasn’t feeling well, so I missed Mediterranean Diet’s Pasta with Chick Peas and Cod with oregano and sun-dried tomatoes. Along with Vegetarian Cooking’s market trip, which Sal and Diedre assured me wasn’t that epic anyway. I figured I should take today easy rather than be sick tomorrow and miss Fashion Photography and Pairing Food and Wine, the two classes I’m least experienced in anyway.

I walked to Jesse’s Egyptian falafel place, unaware it was closed for siesta time during the afternoon. I just chilled at home and got some actual studying done and then met up with Adrian for sushi aperitivo at the wine bar near our house. Vanessa and Tom eventually joined me. (Adrian left to go see Tristana et al.) After a few glasses of wine and several shots of Swedish liquor Cristian brought back from Sweden, my head is swimming. I’m writing from The Triplets’ Apartment (aka Jack, Juan, and Anton’s old apartment) where we’re eating Pringles, watching Half-Baked, and eating the eggs and buttered toast Alex cooked. And I’m catching up with Jack and Sarah. And Aneet. And Liane. And Anna. Man, I miss them.

back to the big easy

Thursday I was off to New Orleans. I literally grabbed one of my two bags from Italy and brought it with me. Adrian picked me up and we went to lunch at Oki Nago, which was maybe the best idea he ever had. We just chilled at his house for the afternoon and then went to Buddha Belly with Rachel to play pool. I almost forgot to tip the bartender (by way of reverse culture shock!) but remembered to for the second round. Rachel and I picked up Tara, and I took her to dinner at Stella! (The exclamation mark is part of the name.) She treated me to a delicious lunch at Commander’s Palace when I left New Orleans, so I made her promise me she’d let me take her to dinner when I returned. After that, she and I went to the quarter to meet up with Ben for drinks.

Friday, I woke up pretty early. (Combination of multiple jet lags and adrenaline. I hadn’t really slept since the week before leaving Florence. But all the fun was worth it.) Second best idea Adrian ever had: Breakfast at Camellia Grill. Between that and lunch at Bluebird Café with Ben and Katie, I had a nice long phone call with Mikey and got to catch up with him finally. That afternoon, I went with a bunch of my friends to Columns happy hour. Stephanie, Sylvia, Jack, Josh, Nicole, Jody, Taylor, Tara. The names go on and on. It was so great to see everyone and some surprises I realized hadn’t left town yet. Stephanie, Tara, and I went to dinner with Girl-Kory and some of her friends at Five Happiness. After that, I met up with Ben, Katy, Mike, and some of their friends downtown in the quarter. After a little barhopping and a little separation (MiKat and I hurricane-ing at Pat O’Brien’s) we had a little episode outside of Gold Mine:

Ben and Katy had bought lucky dogs, so we couldn’t enter until they finished. Some sketchy looking white-trash-hick guy walked up wearing both a do-rag and a baseball cap. I had no voice by this point, so Ben tried to dismiss him as usual by speaking German and pretending not to speak English. I’m pretty sure our new friend misunderstood the word “Deutsch” (German for “German”) as “Douche.” He decked Ben in the face and then ran off with his two friends. Ben was prone on the ground, so as Mike and I helped him up and made sure he was okay, I just heard Katy screaming “WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?” and throwing her hot dog at him. Ben didn’t have a concussion but was pretty shook up… and was looking for his hot dog. Of course, the cops never showed up and we never called an ambulance. But ah, sweet New Orleans. The bouncers from Gold Mine brought over a bag of ice and a bunch of local complete strangers (even to each other) went chasing after the hooligans. For us, despite multiple text messages telling us otherwise, the night was over. Ben and I took a cab back to his place and Adrian’s.

Saturday morning, Emerald and I were supposed to meet for coffee and tea but ended up getting iced versions because of the heat. Adrian and I went to Jazmine Leaf for lunch with our cousins from Baton Rouge and spent the day hanging out with them. Coc, Ryan, Antonia, and we did a grand driving and walking tour of New Orleans: Uptown Cool for Blue Bell ice cream, the levee/fly, Community Coffee, Magazine, Decatur, Frenchman, Royal. We had dinner at Café Amelie and then dessert at Café du Monde. Josh and I met up and took the streetcar to meet up with Jody, Taylor, Lizzie, and The Choy Sisters for wine before heading to Madigan’s for a round of beer.

Sunday, Jody and I met up at the Tulane chapel for mass. We had some coffee and fresh bread at The Catholic Center with Miss Molly and some of the other faithful. Then we grabbed brunch at Saucy’s Café Freret. The afternoon was spent on Magazine doing some shopping and gelato-snacking with Sylvia… for old time’s sake. She took me back to her new apartment for a tour and introduction to her dog Stella. She, Jack, and I took the once-poodle to the dog park to drink iced tea, chat with their friends, and watch her frolic with other dogs. After grabbing a bite to eat at Louisiana Pizza Kitchen, we went to Bacchanal to meet up with Rachel and Tara for a few bottles of wine. They all went home after, but I hit up DBA with Stephen and Blue Nile for a bit to meet up with my friend Jenn. (I ran into another familiar face, Chad’s friend Alex, on Frenchman. Small world.)

Monday, my surrogate big brother Steven took me to lunch at Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro. We caught up with each other’s lives and, as per tradition, ate way too much. I love that guy. He drove the hour in from Baton Rouge to hang out with me for an hour before driving the hour back to go back to work. That afternoon I spent with Sylvia, Jack, and their med school friends I’d met at the dog park. They had a Memorial Day barbeque. Lots of good food but my definite favorite was what Jack prepared: Cream cheese and jalapenos wrapped in venison tenderloin wrapped in bacon. Basically deliciousness wrapped in amazing-ness. That was my last night in NOLA, so I spent it at Madigan’s so people could come and go as they pleased. Sylvia, Maureen, Stephanie AND FAMILY, Ben, Josh, Curry, and Jake all stopped by. I love NOLA, I love the people there, even the ones who aren't my friends. I can't wait to go back again.

back in U S of A

Saturday my family and Adrian’s new girlfriend Neely picked me up from the airport and took me to The Cheesecake Factory. (I can’t think of a place to get a more generously loaded plate of American food.) After lunch, we went to Whole Foods to get ingredients for dinner. I decided to make two dishes up but went with flavors and ingredients that I love and new the family would too: Seared scallops on top of a porcini and portabello mushroom risotto. Neely, Adrian, and I closed out the night with a viewing of L’Auberge Espagnole.

Sunday I woke up to mom making a delicious American breakfast. We went to church and then to another church for a baptism – my father being the godfather – and then lunch at the parents’ house. Back at home, I started unpacking while everyone else took naps. But all I really got unpacked were my carry-on bags. We made a dinner of randomness from whatever we had. I contributed a chopped salad of avocado, corn, tomato, and red onion with a lemon olive oil dressing.

Monday after dropping Neely off at the airport, Adrian and I went to El Chalan to meet our mother for lunch and then stopped by Gonzaga to get some transcript information for him and ran into some familiar faces. Always a pleasure to see the faculty. “Those damn Marins, always hanging around!” – Fr. Robert Rokusek. My family spent the evening doing something only we could believably do. Get ready. We went to Hooters for dinner and then watched Prince Caspian.

Tuesday I spent the entire day in my pajamas, something I can’t remember the last time I did. A good amount of time was also on the phone with all the friends I’ve been out of touch with since moving to Italy.

Wednesday I cleaned my room a bit while watching a marathon of the season of Top Chef. Eh. I’m a little indifferent. Still love the show but don’t love or hate (even Lisa) anyone to really get emotionally involved with the show. But I’ll keep watching.

Wednesday

Laidback day. Pain killers, breakfast, café. (Today the café lady asked me why I was limping and if I was okay. It’s nice to feel like a regular already.) Journal entries, photos, lunch, home, nap. Painkillers. Italian class. (I couldn't sit around all day, and Italian is closer than any other class and probably the most necessary one.) Lisa, who I have a few classes with, told me she volunteered to be my partner in the food writing class I missed. We have to research friggitore, frying restaurants. As far as Italian goes, today we listened to The Eagles and learned aggetivi and verbi. Good times.

When I left the building that night, I found cold, frustrated Stonybrookers gathered in the courtyard. Apparently their advisor was late to meet them for an aperitivo (happy hour, including tapa-style snacks at the bar’s discretion). Pretty much everyone I’ve mentioned so far was there excluding Liz, Prima, and Anton. They convinced us non-Stonybrookers to tag along. We went to Moyo, a spiffy bar less than five minutes away – otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed. We’d stopped in there briefly a few times, but most of us had never spent a significant amount of time there. T’was fun. Prosecco. Caprese salad topped with a (pesto?) cream. When everyone else decided to go to the American bar or out of my five-minute radius, I just went home. I grabbed a gyro at the little place next door that Liz loves/lives at. It was tasty, but I’ve been forever spoiled of Lebanese/Mediterranean food by the restaurants both good and cheap in uptown New Orleans.

My mom called, so we caught up a little. And after that I tried calling Adrian for the ten millionth time, and he actually picked up. So we talked for a good while - That will be a nice phone bill, I'm sure. But it was great to hear all about his first "real" Mardi Gras.

no longer stateside

So despite comfortably cuddling with my crazy, wonderful ex-puppy Bella, I didn’t get much sleep the night before my flight building. Very different from the eve of leaving for undergrad. Not sentimental or anxious. The excitement just started building. Isn’t it funny the way you view places you’re leaving and arriving the same way? You notice everything... the buildings, anything on the road, the color of the sky. I looked fondly on my once-small-town, now suburban, soon-to-be-harbor-side neighborhood.

My mother took the afternoon off work and my father the morning to see me off. We got to Dulles Airport with enough time to spare between check-in and boarding for the three of us to have a late lunch at Harry’s Tap Room. Nothing compared to the real place but not bad for airport food.

After that and a teary-eyed farewell, which was nowhere near the waterpark of them leaving me at Tulane for the first time, I went through the security checkpoint and waved ciao. I got a chance to talk on the phone with Adrian, fresh out of class and excited for his first non-pledge Mardi Gras.

My flight to Munich was awesome. Eight hours is nothing after you fly from Minneapolis to Tokyo. I picked “The Ultimate Gift” (so good) from the surprisingly decent movie selection. Before take off, the gentleman assigned to the window seat next to mine went off in search of his own aisle seat, so after dinner at 7:30 EST I slept until breakfast at 6:15 Europe time.

I got to Munich’s Strauss Airport for another eight hours, my layover. (Better that than rushed multiple plane changes.) I had hoped to spend a night in Amsterdam en route to Florence, but the scheduling and pricing didn’t work out. The airport was beautiful and had all sorts of expensive amenities: A gym, a spa, “gambles” (for Lauren and Chad), and a discotheque.

Sadly like Dulles to DC, Strauss is about an hour away from Munich, so there wasn’t enough time for a visit. But another town was only a fifteen-minute ride away.

aaand, I'm off!

Alright, everyone. My next entry will most likely be in and from the beautiful city of Firenze, Italia. Thank you for the phone calls and messages. I will miss you all but do my best to keep everyone up to date with all things Andrew. I usually say take care of New Orleans for me, but in this case, take care of... the United States? Ciao.

P.S. Congratulations on your engagement, Jenna and Jerry! Belated congratulations, Kara and The Dooleys' Cousin!

P.P.S. Adding those two engagements to Gisela's, that makes three wedding trips in the next one and a half years. Way to be a trendsetter, Jacque.

2008 already???

So I made it my new year’s resolution to resurrect my journal from abandonment hell. It seems a lot of you faithful readers that are now finished with college now need something to help you procrastinate from your actual lives. So be it.

It only seems right to pick up from the start of this new calendar year. I promise future entries won’t be this long in terms of words or time-span.

Since Suze4Booze’s annual new year’s parties ended their four-year run with 2007 (under the correct assumption the gang wouldn’t be as available or local this year), I rang in the new year with my family for a change. My parents, Adrian, his girlfriend Monica and I went to Jaleo for their Noche Vieja.

[I think this would be an appropriate point to note that I’ve begun a new food-oriented blog “where’d ya eat?” to spare you all hunger pangs while you read about my life and to further detail all the delicious aspects for you foodies. I usually hate links in blogs, but I will make an exception for any restaurants I happen along and end up writing about.]

After enjoying the unlimited tapas, sangria, cava (Spanish equivalent of champagne), desserts, New Year’s favors, and dancing, we came home to imbibe a little more and resurrect the Marin family karaoke machine. I mean, c’mon, we’re Asian. Good times.

I went to the Italian embassy to get my visa, and I was about five minutes late of when the visa office closed. Lucky for me, the nice consulate lady who I thought would take my info and tell me to come back took a look at my passport and noted I had the same birthday as her son, right down to the year.

My mom and I met Adrian and Monica for lunch at Zorba’s Café, which was nice because it’s usually packed but even had easy parking the day after New Year’s.

We spent the afternoon at the National Gallery of Art wandering around the Edward Hopper exhibit visiting from Chicago. I got to see my favorite painting ever Nighthawks, which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before. Unlike most famous paintings, it’s surprisingly larger in real life than one might expect. The lighting and the momentum are spectacular though. I bought a print that I have yet to frame and hang.

David came to visit me for a weekend, which was awesome. Also awesome was Ryanne’s birthday falling on the same weekend, so it was one less night I had to plan. His visit was not unlike my visit to Chicago last January: Relax, eat, drink, sleep, rinse, repeat.

so happy to see Ryanne on her birthday

He got here on Friday, and we went to lunch with Mon Mon and Jon Jon at Matuba, which is my favorite Japanese restaurant in this area. Low-key but delicious. We spent the afternoon playing sports... of the video game persuasion. Wii Tennis and the NES classic “Double Dribble.” Strangely, we can understand the physics of 256-bit tennis but 8-bit basketball is too much for our college graduate minds. We met up with Ryanne, the other Visi girls, et al for happy hour at Café Citron, where we had dinner before moving on to Porter's for the actual birthday-at-midnight countdown. Ryanne and I went upstairs to the DJ, so she could ask him to play The Cupid Shuffle at midnight. And he did! And it was awesome. Even though someone forgot the steps...

Visi '03: so purty

David and I slept away about half of Saturday before having lunch with my parents at Peking Gourmet Inn. (Adrian and Monica left for New Orleans in the morning.) He and I spent the afternoon walking around Old Town and watching the Redskins not-beat the Seahawks at Murphy’s with some brews. We grabbed dinner at Warehouse Bar & Grill and met up with my longtime friend Harry Potter Patrick to go to Clyde’s for more beers and watch the Colts/Steelers game.

He left the next morning, so I spent the next few days doing what he and Patrick recommended: Beating Super Mario Galaxy on Wii. (I almost suggested David bring his but didn’t fearing I would bore and/or offend him, but to my surprise, he would’ve considering he only has a few more stars left.) Anyway, I did beat the hell out of that game. (Beating Bowser is one thing, completist that I am, getting all 120 stars is another.) But I’m not hardcore enough to go after the 121st star. At least not yet.

I also spent a night at my even longer time friend Ludovic’s house guiding him through Resident Evil 4 (for the Wii also). We got through about two thirds of the game. But for the first time in maybe a decade, it was a sleepover that actually involved sleeping. Over.

Now I’m just resting up for a visit from my other favorite Chicago boy, Mike. Perhaps I can ask Ryanne to have another birthday since I think I’ve almost forgotten how to plan a night out.

July already?

Yeah, I'm not where the last month went either. I'm back home in New Orleans and am subletting an apartment on Pine. New roommates, both cool guys. Went out with them the other night for a few doubles, carbombs, and games of Foosball. Yesterday was The Fourth, so I went to Mon Mon & Jon Jon's (i.e. Monica and Adrian) little celebration. T'was supposed to be in her yard, but the rain location was his house. Keg, barbeque (burgers, hot dogs, ribeye), frat brothers, sorority sisters, random friends/family, Goldeneye on 64. Good times. Left to go watch the fireworks on top of the parking garage with Stephanie, Sylvia, and Peter. I forgot the view from there rivals the one on top of Stern.

last week 4/29 - 5/6

Sunday

Sunday was the TCC crawfish boil. Crawfish are good. So are red beans and rice. Yeah, that's about it. Justin made cookies that afternoon apparently, so he made a special delivery. I know there were two kinds, and they involved some combination of butterscotch chips, peanut butter, white chocolate, and something else. I don't know. Heaven.

Monday

Monday was my last psych class ever. The topic of the day was Health Stress & Coping, so the professor managed to get one last jab in:

"That's my picture of marijuana. I got it from Andrew."

And then:

"We're from the same hometown, so we have the same dealer."

I'm going to miss that course.

Calculus was a sort-of review. Not really. Say your prayers for my final exam.

American Popular Music was... the usual mayhem. Not to be outdone, the professor not only gave us a lecture about how "when you're partying or getting laid, music is in the background, but in this class, [he] want[s] it to be in the foreground!" And then told us an anecdote of how he had to go to court and testify against Juvenile for plagiarizing the lyrics "you's a fine motherfucker won't you back that ass up." I might miss that course too.

I went to Stephen's final review and then went to Kyoto for dinner with him and a few other architects. Japanese beer and wine both made appearances. I got a Stella Roll (a spicy scallop roll enveloped in tuna tataki) and a Hotbox (a rainbow box with eel, avocado, and pepper sauces).

Tuesday

Former Vice President Al Gore delivered his famous "An Inconvenient Truth" lecture. David had the hook-up and provided a few of us with reserved VIP seating, which is especially great because I honestly wouldn't have gone otherwise. But I'm glad I did. Gore was hilarious in-person (and would've surely won the election if his personality was more in attendance back then) and does the world's best impersonation of Bill Clinton. (Figures.) He also went on record to say that he is never running again.

Tara and I skipped lunch because of the lecture and because she forgot her phone, and Ben and I had an early dinner (last one, sob) and caught up on each other's apparently-very-interesting weekends.

God, this was a busy Tuesday. I went to the last 1718 for the year, a gathering which always coincides with Columns Happy Hour. Andrei Codrescu did the author reading and was hilarious. I was sad to find out he was reading from a yet-unpublished book, so I bought his tribute to New Orleans, which spans 20 years. And I relate wholeheartedly to this excerpt from it:

"How did you fall in love with New Orleans? At once, madly. ... Looking back, sometimes I think it was predestined."

As always, the bartenders are great for conversation. We were talking about old age, so one (a woman who shall remain unnamed) asked me how old I was, and then told me "You're not old! I'm over 40!!!" and (the guy, also left anonymous) asked me what my plans were. When I said they were unsure, he suggested "Travel, get drun, have as much sex as possible, and don't be afraid to forget it all." Apparently it's what he did after college. God, I love that bar.

A bunch of us moved on to The Delachaise for wine and food. I don't remember what I got, just that it was the red that paired well with the "beefy bruschetta" I ordered, which is basically bruschetta with grilled flank steak. David met up with me, and we picked up Tara and Alison to go to Balcony Bar for more drinks and more food. I was all about the beef apparently because I got a "balcony burger," which is a half-pounder with tomato, grilled onion, green peppers, mushrooms, bacon, and jalapenos."

Wednesday

Adrian finally had free time to go to the "birthday lunch" my Mom gave us in April. We went to Pascal's Manale. I got the stuffed eggplant for an appetizer, while he opted for a dozen raw oysters. I got their signature Barbeque Shrimp, which are huge and delicious. He got crawfish ettouffee. We topped it all off with bread pudding and pecan pie, respectively.

That night was also interesting. LOST and a trailer party. Then a bunch of us went out to Bruno's and then TJ Quills for a little bit, but the bar crawl ended there... for most of us. Lauren called me about half an hour later wanting to go back out, so we met up at The Rat and then went to The Boot, The Palms, and Snake & Jake's. There was a guy there proving the rule that if you get shot at or get naked at the bar, you drink for free. I'll let you guess which.

Thursday

I think I bummed around all day? Whatever. Shannon, David, and I went to Rock-n-Sake for dinner. Their clear soup is easily the best I've ever had at any Japanese restaurant, and I know that's a strange thing to remember, but it was awesome. We got a portabello tempura appetizer, which was awesome. I got an omakase (chef's choice) plate of sushi, sashimi, and crunchy rolls. Then we met up with more people and went to Spider-Man 3, which wasn't as good as the first two, but every fan should still see it anyway. The main problems with it are it's perhaps too comic-book-y (everything is more extreme; the evil, the jokes, the romance). But I still enjoyed it.

Friday

Storming and flooding. Calc final. Sleep. Dinner with Whitney and Tully at Sake Cafe. TNT. which is tuna stacked with rice, various roes, and a quail egg. And an Uptown Roll, which is a mix of fish, roe, and avocado. We stopped by Creole Creamery after, where I got an I Scream Fudge Sundae. (It's a chocolate overload. A hot fudge coated glass with two scoops of I Scream Fudge, chocolate chips, cocoa powder, whipped cream, and a chocolate covered cherry.) I can now say I've had every delicacy I've ever wanted there.

After that, Tully left and David met up with us. Monkey Hill. Drinks. Shots. St. Joe's Bar. Blueberry mojitos. Storyville. Ms. Mae's/The Club. More drinks. Stephanie's. Hookah. Waiting. Wine. Awesome night.

Saturday

I finished my adolescent psych final in fifteen minutes. I don't remember what I did all afternoon, so I probably wasted it somehow. Shannon and I went to Whole Foods and bought dinner there. Those Xochitl chips we love, guacamole, a surprisingly/insanely spicy mango and pineapple salsa, salads (mine was basically a Cobb), and a "California Club" (a huge sandwich on foccacia with turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce, and a sun-dried tomato aioli).

David, Nate, and I went out and met up with Whitney, Matt and Paul for Cinco De Mayo. Lots of Corona. Tequila shots. My roommates and I decided to do more bonding by going to Camelia Grill(!) which was as incredible as I remember. I love breakfast at three in the morning. WORD. I got eggs over easy with bacon and fries. And a chocolate cherry freeze. I let it get to my brain.

Now that I'm all caught up, I will do my best to update this reasonably on-time. Besides, what else will I do since there's no more class?

last week 4/23 - 4/28

I realize I'm behind on the updates. My apologies. Time seems to be flying by more swiftly than ever.

Monday

I don't even remember. Sorry.

Tuesday

Lunch with Tara. The Pussycat Dolls found their new Doll, and I'm never watching The CW again. At least until next season. "Why is it every time I come home to you actually watching TV, there's some half naked chick dancing on screen?" I don't know, Nate. I don't know.

Wednesday

Wednesday night Shannon and I went to the best idea she ever had. "So Sinfully Sweet" at Morton's Steakhouse downtown. Blue Frog Chocolates decided to a chocolate tasting (with a different wine accompanying each), had Morton's serve hors d'ouevres (chicken tenders, bruschetta, mushroom caps stuffed with lump crabmeat, chicken tenders, and steak tenderloin sandwiches), and had masseuses from Aveda giving rubdowns. It was quite possibly the best two hours of my life. And I got drunk because there was a different wine for each of the five chocolates and Shannon would take one sip and insist I finish the rest for her, besides my own. Watching LOST drunk really isn't as hard as one would think.

Thursday

I had lunch with Tara and then went over to my professor's house for our final class (since she cancelled the Tuesday one). I presented my screenplay. It seemed to go over well. We all brought beer since she said "no hard liquor" after "certain behavior" last time we all drank together at Juan's Flying Burrito. She made us dinner (soft tacos, pico, guac, beans, rice). Good times.

Friday

Last Friday of classes. Ever. Shannon and I decided to turn our last Friday class ever into a drinking game. (We're good at this sort of drinking-in-what-may-seem-an-unlikely-situation. Just like the end of lagniappe's Bruff Happy Hour.) That was fun. TGIOver. A little more happy hour. We went to dinner at 5 Happiness, which was sort-of-good Chinese food. Asian Cajun still reigns supreme even though it's not traditionally Chinese.

Nicole and I met up to go to Erin's Cocktail Party, which was one of the best parties I've ever been to. Almost all the guys had shirts and ties on and the girls wore cocktail (duh) dresses. She had two bars (with bartenders), all the liquors, mixers, extras (cherries, lemons, limes, olives), one could want. And kegs. And the backyard was lit up with paper lanterns. Gorgeous. I was telling Nicole that if it weren't for the ice luges and beer pong table, I could have mistaken it for, like, a "grown-up" party. Tons of fun.

When we got there, we jumped immediately into the Cupid Shuffle. Nicole has a little trouble when the directions aren't given, but it was fun. A few hours later, after splitting up and mingling with different friends, we did another Cupid Shuffle. This time Nicole had trouble even with directions. "No, Nicole. Left. Left. Your other left!"

And then we left to go to another party at the "Calhoun Castle of Craziness." Nicole doesn't remember anything past this point, but I distinctly recall her verbally abusing two drunk boys walking near us. (Not as bad as Eileen in the Mardi Gras flashback though.) When we got to the house, she went to the bathroom, and I talked to Jose, whom I'd just met. By the time she came back out, I had realized we were at the completely wrong party. It was a Latin one. And the ladies of the castle are six white chicks. so we left.

When we finally made it to the correct party a block or so further, we saw more beer pong and nurses walking around giving people "shots" to cure senioritis. Good times.
We ended up at Dillon's house in his kitchen. The two of them had what may have been the most circular of drunk debates ever. But I was amused.

Saturday

Saturday was full of delicious food. Lizzie, Wes, and I went to Domilise's for po-boys. (Another restaurant crossed off the list.) We took them to the levee and had a little picnic with them and Abita. I got the Wednesday/Saturday special of barbecued beef. Awesome. The best part of the levee layout was when the ice cream truck pulled up, and all the half-naked college kids ran for it like a bunch of children. I was part of the bunch. It was worth it. We had a potluck that night that was pie themed. Pizza pie, chicken pot pie, spinach and mushroom pie, quiche, chocolate cream pie. Awesome. I was going to make Emeril's banana cream pie with caramel and chocolate drizzles (all from scratch like at the restaurant, but seeing how the grocery was out of ripe bananas... that didn't work. I brought apple instead. Then Lizzie convinced me out to Madigan's because Maureen (among others) were there. Adrian and his new Sig Ep brothers stumbled in soon after, so that was a pleasant surprise.

here's the kick-off

Sunday

The festivities began Sunday night at Madigan's. Stephanie and I were the first ones there, so we played the world’s greatest game of pool. We're sharks. Watch out. Josh, Rachael, and Brian soon showed up. After impressing them with the last few minutes of our mad pool skills, we did a quick round then went to Walgreens. Rachael bought Josh a beard clipper as a birthday present, and we looked at birthday cards for a while. Then we went to Baskin Robbins, but only a few of us actually bought ice cream. The rest saved room in our stomachs.

We moved on to Uptown Cajun, where the majority of people showed up. Lauren, Lizzie, Becca, Nicole, Leah, Courteney, Whitney, Puja, Ben, Katy, and last but certainly not least Adrian and Monica. My parents called around eleven and then again at midnight. Good times. I think it was also around this time that people started marking the drinks they bought me off on my arm and writing signatures and birthday messages on it.

We also stopped by Bruno's, both old and new, where one of the bartenders jokingly asked Adrian and me if we were twins. I think it was here that I saw Laura and Helen. Sylvia(!) and Lizzie showed up too. Moira was there maybe? Or maybe I'm just so used to seeing her there that I just imagine her when she’s not. A bunch of Adrian’s friends were there too. Rachael and Josh played an amazing game of pool, which he totally remembers, but before that I had the honor of buying him his first legal drink first drink ever. We called G.Ho a few times. She didn't answer.

We went to The Rat, where we ran into even more people, for food and beer. I vaguely remember buying ice cream from the vending machines. And then we called it a night.

excellent Easter

Easter Sunday

Nicole and I went to Easter Mass and then got a delicious brunch with some friends. Afterwards, she, Amelia, and I went to Whole Foods. I ended up not buying veal for a few reasons:

• Nicole’s humanitarian objections to it
• it's $25/pound price tag
  
• and mainly because there wasn't enough for my stew.

“Don’t eat no meat??? Oh, that’s okay. I make lamb.”

Ten points if you know what movie that’s from.

Anyway, when Miss Vegetarian and I made it to the cashier, we were playing Price Is Right. (For the record, I would have won if he had bothered to look up the price for cippolini onions instead of just ringing them up as scallions.) Anyway, when the price went over Nicole’s guess, she said “SHIT!” really loud. The poor cashier looked terrified until we explained it wasn't the result anything he did.

Our Easter Potluck Dinner was extremely delicious.

• egg salad tea sandwiches
• salad
• my lamb stew
• corn pudding
• pasta salad
• roasted potatoes
• sweet potato fritters
• miniature brownies
• funfetti cupcakes
• strawberries dipped in chocolate

We watched the end of an America’s Next Top Model marathon. Storey and I had a great experience trying to decipher the ins and outs of female debate, both on and off screen. That segued right into the end of The Sound of Music and an episode of The Girls Next Door. I would never have guessed I’d be in a room with four girls who had such positive review of Hef’s girlfriends and their show.

Speaking of reality, Bravo needs to learn that not every occupation needs its own competitive show. They’re apparently releasing a new haircutting series, which I’ve dubbed Project Top Hair Design.

Anyway, we ended the festivities by dying eggs since the two Jewish girls had never had the fun if messy experience. One of the Christians misspelled “Easter” on her egg by leaving out the T.

Easter Monday

Adrian called me up and we went to the UC for lunch. Black Angus on Rosemary Parmesan Bread sub from Quiznos and “Mexican Pizza” and soft tacos supreme from Taco Bell. I finally figured out of the "Royal Hospital, Panama City Beach" charge that showed up on his VISA. My mom was very worried even though I assured her a $60something hospital charge couldn't have been anything that serious. Apparently Hospital is short for "Hospitality," as in charge-it-to-my-room, as in charge-the-drinks-I'm-buying-at-the-hotel-bar-to-my-room. Zoinks. S'okay, Scooby gang, mystery solved!

I spent happy hour drinking with Conrad at Bruno’s before going to the (actual) Whitney Bank on Carrolton.

I tried to go to Ninja to sit at the sushi bar and grab a quick dinner, but I forgot it was Monday. (Ninja is closed on Mondays.) So I went to Philip Chan’s Asian Cajun Bistro, which was on the walk back. I’d had my doubts and never been, but I figured I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did. Asian Cajun is “marriage of... friendliness and generosity of Asian culture... warmth and sincerity of genuine Southern hospitality.” Now that sounds like bullshit, but they made me a believer. And I hate the term “fusion,” but this place actually is. Basically the restaurant is local ingredients cooked in an expert Chinese way. I guess now I can no longer say there’s no good Chinese food in this city. Chef Chan, who I got to meet briefly, is from Hong Kong, which I consider to be not only the origin of my favorite style of Chinese food but also the Mecca of non-sushi Asian food.

I was apparently not thinking because I forgot that such an authentic restaurant would serve dishes “family style” (as opposed to fake less authentic places like P.F. Chang’s) i.e. massive portions. So I ordered an appetizer, an entrée, and some rice.

While I was waiting, they served me a salad with a dressing that tasted like a sweet faux-kimchi. Awesome. The massive appetizer was your requisite cornmeal fried Louisiana oysters, but then they were wok-sautéed with a sweet peppery sauce with sliced onions (both red and green) and garlic, served with a creamy dipping sauce. The combination of tastes and textures was almost overwhelmingly good. The “num tong” chicken was tender cuts in a Szechwan sauce served over crispy rice noodles and sliced eggplant. The fried rice was also amazing: Shrimp, crawfish, and smoked sausage tossed with eggs and scallions in rice with a gentle touch of curry flavor. The waitress set down the plate and said “Let me know when you need a box.”

I don’t usually admit defeat, but I had to surrender. On a more positive note, my fortune cookie told me “You wield more influence than you know.”

Jenna and Shannon both called me. The former stopped being a mountain-whore (ah, my affection for my friends who graduate early and I miss dearly) to come down and visit, and the latter spent the night in Houston for a free airline voucher. Jenn was tired from the drive, and Shan was MIA. So everyone apparently went to bed, which was good because I was exhausted too. We’re going out tonight.

happy Easter!

Just want to say a quick HAPPY EASTER to everyone. I had a chill Saturday. Around midnight, I met up with Mike at Harrah's. We got a few drinks at Masquerade there. No serious gambling; Chad Michael wasn't there. But we thought of him as soon as we walked in. My parents called around 3:30 in the morning, scaring the hell out of me. (Whenever someone calls too late for it to be a drunk-dial and too early for it to be a wake-up call - e.g. ADRIAN - I automatically assume someone is dead or something is very wrong.) Anyway, apparently a drunk or disoriented driver wrapped their car around a tree in a neighbor's yard and woke them up. No fatalities luckily. On the bright side, it's Easter... seems like it'll be busy in a good way!

spring break part 1: NOLA

Two thirds of my break were spent here in my beloved New Orleans.

SATURDAY

Saturday I missed ALL the St. Patrick's Day parade, which is quite different from last year. I thought I slept through the first two, but I was wrong since they ran so late. Tully drove Whitney, her friend Brittany (heretoafter referred to as "The -Ittaney's") to Babylon for dinner. Chicken tecka. Yum.

Adrian came over to use the kitchen to flex his culinary muscles. Whit, Keenan, and I went down to The Quarter to close out St. Patty's. We went to Pat O'Brien's, where we celebrated with carbombs, hurricanes, and Bailey's. Whitney and I danced to Flashdance's "What A Feeling," which I guess is "our song" now. When that died down, we went to The Palms, which was dead. Whtiney passed out, but I woke her up with the smell of sirloin steak quesadillas. Adrian and Monica were very finished with dinner by then, so I went with them to The Boot for a little bit.

SUNDAY

Tully, The -Ittaneys, and I took a Sunday Drive around the city, which may have lasted a little longer than we planned. We showed her uptown, the quarter, the marigny, and some of the destruction in mid-city. We grabbed a late lunch (mmm, chirashi sushi, salmon, yellowtail, tuna, crab, shrimp, mackerel, octopus, etc) at Mikimoto. We stopped by Blockbuster to pick up DVDs for break. I borrowed three that I forgot about and almost didn't watch.

Later that night, I went with Shannon to pick up her friend Ihita, visiting from Maryland, from the airport. Those two will be hereafter referred to as "Shanita." We met up at Port O Call with The -Ittaneys and Tony for monsoons and burgers.

Shanita was tired and frustrated with the loss of luggage, so they went home. The -Ittaneys and I went to The Pub, which rocks on "Sing-A-Long Sunday" because they play old music video, particularly from the '90s. We bought several rounds and David (my favorite bartender in the world because even though I'm never there he always remembers) gave us free shots. One was an Absolut Pear Kamikaze, which Whitney loved because its main ingredient is her favorite liquor. Then she and I chased whiskey with beer 'cause Garth said so.

After that, we went to Harrah's to play slots and Blackjack. Chad and I texted a bit. He would've been proud since it was an economically productive night.

MONDAY

Monday began with the Harrah's breakfast buffet. (bacon, andouille, smoked salmon, eggs/omelets made to order, fresh fruit, etc) We all ate too much.

After a nap, I went with Shanita to The Daiq Shack to get daiqiris (Starbucks Mudslide to wake me up) and Hana to get lunch (seaweed salad and spicy tuna, crawfish, and California rolls). We took our drinks and food to The Levy for a picnic.

The -Ittaneys and Tully met up with us, armed with daiquiris, and we played Circle-of-Death/Kings until the sun went down.

Shanita and I picked up Wes and Steve and then met up with Sam at Saltwater Grill. I love that place, but be prepared to WAIT if you order oysters. But we felt Ihita needed to try them raw. She approved. The owner gave us a baker's dozen to make up for the wait.

We met up with Josh, The -Ittaneys, and Tully and went to both old and new Bruno's for more drinks and C-o-D/K. I forgot my waterproof cards, but the bartender lent us some. Good times.

TUESDAY

Tuesday I mostly recuperated before a French Quarter afternoon with Shanita. We got dinner at Arnaud's Remoulade, which doesn't serve the largest portions, but they're tasty and filling. I recommend a Taste of Nola: Seafood gumbo, stuffed crab, and red beans and rice.

We got our palms read by Jerrik and tarot done by his daughter. He was amazing. I really do think palmistry can reveal a lot about a person. Her predictions were good to; the forecast is cloudy, with an occasional storm, but beautiful real soon.

We walked down to Frenchmen, which was chill, to grab a few rounds at DBA, and we gave part of the Brangelina Tour by showing Ihita their street, Whirling Dervish, and Angeli.

Then we hit up Tropical Isle and Pat O'Brien's so she could try hand grenades and hurricanes. She prefers the grenades. I (stupidly) combined hand grenade leftovers with hurricane leftovers and chugged it. We were all drunk, so we barhopped some more. We stopped by The Pub, where it was apparently lesbian night, so that was kind of funny, and then went to Cat's Meow. I was supposed to sing "Get Ready" with Shannon on back-up vocals, but they played "Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch" instead. All the drunk people told me I was "the best," but consider the source. Ihitia bought a little pizza (8 inches in diameter?), and we drove home.

WEDNESDAY

Wednesday we took Shannon's RAV4 to the Toyota dealership to get it checked out. We cruised the mall, like teenagers. Ihita and I hiked over (gasp) grass, her nemesis, to the Aveda Institute. She got a facial and, since it was the first day of spring, I chopped my hair off.

We went to Vietnamese lunch at Tastea Caffé. We all got bubble tea and beef. Grilled, vermicelli, and pho.

We stopped by the quarter again so Ihita could get some souvenirs.

We met up with Sam at Dick and Jenny's for dinner. I had an "escargot-boy" (a garlicky snail po-boy with creamy mushroom sauce) for an appetizer and a sampler entree (pain perdue, fried oysters, and crawfish alligator sausage cheesecake). We split a Nolamisu (tiramisu with local ingredients, Mom) and creme brulee for dessert. It's really good, but it's similarities to Jacques-Imo's invite comparison. My heart (aka stomach) still belongs to Jacques.

Back here, I went over to Whitney's to watch LOST and Saw 3, which we'd borrowed from blockbuster.

my week so far

MONDAY

My parents were still in town, so between classes, Adrian and I went to lunch with them at Hana. I ordered a Hana Special Roll to share and the combo lunch (tempura, katsu, and shumai) for myself. I had my long calc midterm and after that we went (Adrian-less) to The Columns for happy hour again before hitting up Saltwater Grill for the aforementioned (in the Friday part) 25¢ oysters and red beans and rice with grilled andouille. We hung out at the hotel for a while before grabbing a very late dinner at K-Paul's.

Mom and I both started off with a cup of champagne cream of shiitake soup with sundried tomatoes. We all split a plate of fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. My entree was a plate of duck tenders and shrimp in creole pork sauce over basmati rice. So good. K-Paul's makes their creme brulee with buried sugar pecans. Nice crunch and texture.

Then I took my parents to Harrah's since neither of them had been there yet. Mom doubled her money - at Money To Burn, Chad! - and we called it a night.

TUESDAY

No terrorism, no lunch with Tara, no screenwriting, no dinner with ben. (Canceled by Dad, canceled by her, canceled by professor, canceled by him.)

My father asked me to skip class in favor of family lunch at Felix's Uptown. Fried alligator. Sampler of red beans, jambalaya, and crawfish ettouffee.

Ben un-canceled dinner because he stopped caring about his midterm (at least for an hour), so we had dinner and caught up on each other's weekends before saying "have a good break." Just in case we don't meet up again before he leaves for Spain on Thursday.

WEDNESDAY

Adolescent Psych. Debate. No paper due, luckily. I actually took up Dining Services on their "Take-A-Professor-To-Lunch" program. So after lunch Cunningham and I went to Bruff, for free. It was fried chicken day. Awesome.

Calc. Music. Blah. Phone Calls. Fun. Nap. Great.

Lauren, David, and I went to get cannolis at Spumone in Mid-City. It was probably her best idea ever. We got cannolis, half chocolate, dusted with powdered sugar and crushed pistachios. I also sampled two flavors of gelato. (Both were so good, I couldn't pick just one.) "St. Joseph's Chocolate Almond," which was the daily special and tastes exactly like it sounds (minus the holiness), and Baci (which some of you know is Italian for "kiss"), which must be made of pure Nutella. They probably changed the name so they wouldn't get sued.

Lauren and I had dessert and then dinner. Kind of backwards. While on this Italian kick, we asked Whitney to pick us up a foot-long when she went to Subway. She was sooo nice about it, even checking exactly what we wanted. Parmesan-oregano bread, provolone or mozzarella bread. She asked if we wanted vegetables, and I replied "Are you kidding? It's LAUREN. No vegetables."

I've decided my favorite new show is "The Search For The Next Pussycat Doll." It's like America's Next Top Model but with singing, dancing, and non-clothing. I guess they want a seventh girl so that Nicole can stand in the middle.

At least it was what I watched while waiting for LOST with Whitney.

Closer to midnight, Lauren and I decided to go out. We didn't want to have to drive, so we walked to - unbelievable - TJ Quills for swiller night. We were the oldest people there. All freshmen. We saw one junior (Teddy) and one sophomore (Shivani)we knew. We played a great game of "I Never..." which is really hard when you play with someone you know well, and I managed to screw it up.

We decided to go somewhere more appropriate and wound up at Uptown Cajun. We enjoyed the Flogging Molly playlist and pitcher special for Abita. We decided to call Ted (H) since we missed him. Speaking of whom, here's my new favorite music video for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, the "group project" from last Wednesday.

"Loyola" Family Weekend 2007

I put the quotations because "Loyola," both school and student, made fewer appearances than "Tulane." Pictures coming soon.

FRIDAY

Adolescent psych. Debates. Skipped calc in favor of lunch at Franky & Johnny's with my just-arrived family and Gatto. Mom finally got boiled crawfish since she's never been here when they're in season.

We went to Columns happy hour with David and Simon in tow and when he and Adrian left, the rest of us went on a quest for my father's oysters-on-the-half-shell. Saltwater Grill apparently only serves them on Monday now (for 25¢ each!) so had to look elsewhere. We wound up at Felix's Uptown. Oysters... on-the-half-shell, Rockefeller, and chargrilled. I showed Mom my plaque at Creole Creamery next door, but we were too full of crawfish/booze/oyster and anticipating dinner, so we didn't get any ice cream.

My parents had dinner at Jacques-Imo's for the first time. We brought along David and Simon again and Whitney, who was totally hit on by Justin Long, who's better-looking in person. Or at least that's what we're going to say happened. More drinks. We split coconut shrimp, Eggplant Jacques-Imo, a few slices of shrimp and alligator sausage cheesecake for appetizers. Then we got the usual cornbread, salads, sides, and our entrees. Jacques himself came over at one point and what might be the greatest picture ever with the non-smokers and our waitress. Then, since they were impressed by the magnificence of our food consumption, she brought us ALL the desserts they were offering: a huge creme brulee, raspberry-almond cake, chocolate truffle something, and, everyone's favorite, the amazing lemon meringue cheesecake. And she gave them to us for a free as a gift from her and Jacques.

We were supposed to meet a few people for Trombone Shorty's concert at Maple Leaf Bar next door, but the wedding party there ran late and postponed the concert. Parents were tired and went back to their hotel, and we (meaning Whit, David, and I) didn't want to wait. So we went to St. Joe's (since she'd never been) for blueberry mojitos courtesy of my parents.

After that we made a wise decision and coming hom while someone could still drive. (Thanks, David.) We hung out with Claire and Ryanne at her apartment. Then I went over to Becca's to watch her blow-out all 22 of her candles (and one for good luck?). I was amazed by how beautiful the cake Amelia decorated was.


SATURDAY

Dad picked Adrian and I up and we took him to Perlis to pick up a shirt for him as a belated birthday present. We met Mom at the hotel and went to Desire: An Oyster Bar for lunch. Mom and Adrian tried boudin for the first time. I had crawfish ettoufee since the waitress said the jambalaya was too red.

We walked around The Quarter for a little bit. I showed them what Pat O'Brien's looks like in the daytime. Adrian went back to campus, and I hung out with my parents. Eventually the Benedicto Family, who live in Baton Rouge, arrived: My mom's cousin Coco, her husband Ryan, and my beautiful 10-month-old cousin Antonia.

We went with them to my father's belated (by choice) brthday dinner was at Emeril's. For our amuse-bouche, they served wonton-wrapped crawfish remoulade. I tried out their four-course tasting menu for the evening: Gulf wahoo ceviche with avocado and crispy yucca; basil-rubbed yellowtail snapper over creamy polenta with rapini, roasted garlic cloves and tomato confit; grilled North Atlantic sturgeon with red-wine-whipped potatoes and shallot bacon veal sauce; and, raspberry rice pudding with half a honey-roasted peach.

I met up with my friends for Becca's birthday at Pat O'Brien's. And I took my mom out too! Partly because I wanted to show her Pat O's and the fire fountain at night but mostly because a lot of my friends have been dying to meet her for years. We ran into Ben and his Frenchies first and then the birthday fest, hidden behind yet another wedding party. I'm not sure whether she impressed or scared my friends by knowing some of their names (from my pictures and stories). A lot of people thought she was my friend or sister. Luckily no one thought she was my date (like that woman at her office whom I punched in the face, or at least wanted to). She was worried they'd think she was some crazy "old lady," but I assured her everyone told me they were jealous what a cool mom I had. We gave Becca the requisite birthday kisses and then I got us hurricanes and gave my mommy the souvenir glasses.

The incomparable moment of the night was the present Becca got. The groom was about to give Becca a lap dance when his wife stepped in and was like "no fucking way" and told him to have his best man do it. So the best man gave Becca a pretty elaborate lab dance. Not that his wife was all too please with it after the firwt minute.

Walking down Bourbon St with my mother reminded me of the first time I walked down it, which was also with her when I visited Tulane as a skeptical prospective around this time in senior year of high school. Except back then I was sober. And so was she. She took pictures of balconies (to compare to the ones of them she took of them empty and somber in daylight), and we did the booty call with about twenty people in the street at one point. After I walked her back to the hotel, I went back to Harrah's with everyone before going to Boot O'Clock to close out the night. Claire had her first Boot pizza, another Tulane visit necessity, and then I hugged her bye since I wouldn't see her before her noon flight.


SUNDAY

We went to Commander's Palace for Jazz Brunch, which was better than I remember. The parents invited the Benedicto Family, Adrian invited Simon, and I invited Ben. The Jazz was good. The frontman had unbelievable energy, an incredibly wide smile, and what Ben noted was "a very Louisiana accent." Thicker than gumbo. All the courses were delicious, but everyone agreed the Bread Pudding Soufflé with Bourbon Sauce was the most amazing thing served and more than worth the wait.

Then the Benedictos left for BR. Everyone else intensely wanted afternoon naps/hibernations from weekend antics and overeating, so we went our separate ways. I ended up missing 6 o'clock mass with my family because I forgot to spring my alarm clock forward. By the way, I HATE SPRING FORWARD. We should just fall back until everything is even again. We were a little hungry (not that much considering brunch) so went and grabbed some oysters and other finger-foods at Felix's. This time we definitely got a few scoops at Creole Creamery, Mom and I split some chocolate amaretto cheesecake and the pink peppermint pie Rachel recommended.

We went back to the hotel suite and eventually I met up with Mike, visiting from Chicago, for a late dinner at Red Fish Grill. We had a few cocktails and shared some 1-1-1 soup (samples of crawfish bisque, turtle soup, and gumbo) and southwest salad. He had the blackened redfish and I the crawfish crusted black drum. And naturally after dinner we had a few more drinks...

Having that comfy queen size hotel bed all to myself at the end of the night was amazing.

thickset Thursday

So my day began with a phone call from Mom to talk about the money we were planning to happily spend on "Gradfest."

I put scallops that were in the freezer in the fridge to defrost before going to pick up the package mentioned in yesterday's entry. I took a shower and got presentable (for my last "senior portrait") and headed off to Gradfest. They really should change the name because it's nowhere near as fun as it sounds. It's basically the university's last chance to get you to spend lots of money on overpriced things.

I was on the phone when I heard a familiar voice that I couldn't place calling out "ANDREW MARIN!" and I ignored it for a little so I could wrap up the conversation. It was Claire "Clourkie" O'Rourke. How very exciting, and I wanted to go to lunch with her and Ryanne but had to go do boring things like class and Gradfest.

My day was a little hectic because I only got half the things done at Gradfest that I wanted to, so I got to class a little late. This was complicated by multiple phone calls trying to finalize things with each parent and with Adrian regarding this upcoming Marin Immediate Family Reunion Weekend and other matters that required immediate tending.

After lunch with Tara and a quick visit from Adrian, I got my pictures taken. Mom told me to relax, so they'd come out well, but the photographer told me I looked "great." (I guess relatively speaking because he noted that some people came in wifebeaters and poorly groomed facial hair.) I picked up some announcements, diploma frame, and cap/tassel and gown. They almost gave me the orange engineering tassel, but Tara pointed it out - thank God - so I got the gold science one.

I remedied all that "fun" from Gradfest by going a late afternoon park trip with Rachel and then a dinner with Ben. Lots of laughs that only the two of us would understand.

I took a nap, which was too short, and then went over to Shannon's to watch The Illusionist, starring my favorite actor of all time. The plot's pretty much Eduard (Edward Norton) trying to save this Duchess chick (Jessica Biel) from marrying the Prince of douche (Rufus Sewell). Eduard and Sophie are childhood sweethearts, etc. In some ways, it's better than The Prestige and some ways not, depends on what kind of movie you're looking for. The Illusionist is more romantic and less self-centered, while The Prestige focuses on upstaging your competition. And of course, Ed Norton has more acting ability than the two male leads in The Prestige combined. It's strange watching Jessica Biel not be all tough, given Stealth, Blade: Trinity, and how every paparazzi photo of her is her working out. It's like watching Sarah Michelle Gellar in a horror movie; she can slay vampires, but masked murderers and ghost children are too much?

I was waiting for her to kick ass, but she didn't.

I got back here and between that and 80s Night remembered to cook my now-forgotten scallops. I was on the phone with Adrian and then Ben while in the kitchen, so I think I seasoned the dish twice twice when I wasn't paying attention. It definitely had too much kick to it, but it was still good. Butter, garlic, ginger, peppers, a little brown sugar, and old bay seasoning... It tasted like something you'd have in DC's Chinatown. I fixed this a little by dumping rice into the boiling liquid to soak up and cook.

After that, Lauren and I went down to our usual Thursday 80s Night at One Eyed Jacks to meet up with Ry Ry, B(ig) B(rains) C(laire), the UNO guys, et al. Fun times as always.

three of my favorite ladies - photo courtesy of Lauren Mitchell

quotable Wednesday

Hmmm. In adolescent psych, we watched a video from the mid-90s on homosexuality that I, along everyone else in the back row, laughed at because it was so out-dated and had the worst arguments ever on both sides. I don't feel bad because both the straight girl and the gay guy who sit on either side of me were laughing it up. We got a few disapproving glances from some girl (an angry lesbian? I really mean no offense.) up front. Whatever.

Lunch with Lauren. WoW Wingery. Good stuff.

I skipped calculus in favor of going to a special group project.

Music class can be summed up with this quote:

"What's your excuse for missing class? Don't you dare tell me you were having an abortion!"

Then after I got the best voicemail I've ever received:

"Hey, this is Jason in the mailroom. I just wanted to let you know you had a package delivered today. there is a notification in your mailbox, and YO YO YO we'll be open at 9 a.m. WIKI-WIKI-WIKI!"

This is probably the... 10th (at least) message responding to Carter's lovely recordings on my cell phone.

Nap. Dinner. LOST. Phone call with parents. Phone call with brother:

"Hey Andrew, what's up? I'm one of Adrian's pledge brothers. He asked me to talk to you because he's shit-faced and won't remember this conversation tomorrow."