Humdinger

It was, to speak lightly, the greatest party of the decade... a Mardi Gras to remember.

Some photos:

a Krewe float

mardi gras rushing

bourbon/babylon

Wild, drug-fueled, endlessly enjoyable-- I was awake for almost six days straight, working 16-18 hours a day.  Making endless amounts of money, drinking endless amounts of booze, popping the pills, doing the best cocaine I've ever stumbled across.  

Whenever I think of Mardi Gras, this is the one I'll ponder upon-- shuffling through the hazy memories like playing cards, ruminating on them, smiling about them.  My final days in New Orleans were some of the best of my life...despite the events to come.

Some Girls:

Record Lows

For the past three weeks, our house on Ithaca street has been without any warmth.  My roommate Jeana neglected to pay the gas bill, and, as a result, the gas was turned off.  That's not, I suppose, a big deal... shit happens, and I myself have been broke and without cash for necessities at times as well.  So there is no central heat, no hot water and no way to use the oven or range or dryer.  We get by without these things-- she goes to her family who conveniently live nearby and I... cope accordingly.  This whole situation is reportedly going to be rectified on Friday, at which time the past due notices will be paid and the gas will be returned.

With that healthy dose of background information doled out, now I get down to the point:  this morning, when I awoke, it was the coldest yet it's been inside the house.  The useless thermostat read 55.  I don't know what the temperature was outside; inside, it has since risen steadily to 60. Having no reason to go outside today, I haven't.  I slept until three in the afternoon because it was a way to kill the time.  I've stayed mostly in my bedroom where a space heater noisily and diligently heats the space.  I've tottered around the house a bit in a hoodie and layers.  I feel mildly unwell,  with a runny nose and a cough, but nothing that aggressively puts upon my day; anyway, it's become standard.  I've been that way for two and a half weeks. 

Thankfully we live in New Orleans, where the weather is generally agreeable.  It's not nearly as cold here as it is in, say, Chicago, or Missoula, or Anchorage.  Considering I'll be arriving in Anchorage towards the end of their winter, where, I've been helpfully informed, "the temperature generally stays above freezing in the daylight", I realize I need to buy some warmer winter clothes, something I've never really had to do because I've mostly lived in warmer southern climates.  I remember visiting Chicago in March and being generally unhappy about the snow and the cold.  At least I can look forward to the theoretical hum of a heater inside my cabin at Denali.

Into the Wild

I was patiently waiting until everything was official and true before posting the following news, and as it seems that everything is at last on the level I have little problems sharing:

I'll be spending about five upcoming months (April 17th- September 20th) on the outskirts of Denali National Park in Alaska, working for Denali Gift Outfitters and spending loads of time in the park itself, exploring the backcountry and the tallest mountain in North America.

The job is, in itself, remarkably typical of jobs everywhere-- folding T-shirts, scanning barcodes, being nice to tourists-- all for eight dollars an hour.  It's the location, obviously, that is so exciting.  The room and board is provided by the outfitter in a dorm-type situation remarkably similar to the way I spent my second year of college.

I'll still be leaving New Orleans about the first of March and begin making my way to the northwest coast where flights to Anchorage are considerably cheaper.

I am, to say the least, remarkably excited.