Red Stick Ramblings

I have been back home in Baton Rouge now since Thursday. It's funny, when I tell people in other places that I am from Baton Rouge, they always repeat the name back to me, but in the best fake Cajun-French accent they can muster. "Oh, Baatonne Roooje!?!" I always smile politely and nod, but I really think this is very obnoxious. If you don't live in Baton Rouge, trust me, the natives are not impressed with your best fake accent. And we don't say it that way anyway. I've tried to come up with a correlation, like if someone from Shanghai told me they were from Shanghai, and I said, "Oh, Shunghiiyah!" Thankfully I don't do that, nor have I heard anyone try, so why try to butcher Baton Rouge?

During my few days back here so far, which is my first visit in a year, I have been re-introduced very harshly to the oppressive heat in South Louisiana. If you live in middle to northern Alabama or anywhere in Georgia, I can assure you that what you think of as hot is no comparison to this. It's not even summer yet! I ran three miles this morning (morning, as in coolest time of day), and my body insisted it had been a marathon. You can't drink enough water to keep up with the constant loss of water due to massive perspiration. Oppressive is really the only word I can think of to describe it.

On a more lively note, I have truly enjoyed seeing some old friends, several of which I had not seen in many years. Most of my visits since college graduation (in 2000) have been brief ones during which I fly in, have some pre-arranged event to attend, spend 2-3 nights max, and fly back to Georgia. This visit has been pleasant due to my current jobless state, which is allowing me to stay for a week, not have to keep up with any work issues, and I also have my car because I drove here. After my arrival on Thursday, I drove over to my friend Sarah's house for a nice visit with her, her parents, and her best friend from college. Her wedding was last night, which was a big reason I came home this particular week and why she happens to be in town. The wedding was beautiful, and it was so great to see some of the other guests. Sarah and I have known one another since pre-school, and we were in school together through high school, so we had a lot of mutual friends and acquaintances over the years. One of our best grade school friends, Brandi, was at the wedding with her mother and gorgeous little five-year-old boy. Many of our parents' friends were there, most of whom my parents still stay in touch with but who I rarely see. Additionally, several of our high school friends were there. We stay in touch decently over e-mail, but we are rarely all in Baton Rouge at the same time.

Friday night, which I sort of skipped over, I went downtown with my parents for a great evening of live music called "Live After Five". We stayed for a few hours and spent some time walking around downtown to see the buildings that my dad is involved with some business deals for. His new office was in one of the buildings, and another one is an old hotel that he and his partner will be managing the renovation of. I wish I had gotten some pictures, as it was a beautiful late afternoon downtown, but I did not bring the camera. After a few cold beers, some jambalaya for an appetizer, and a good dose of bluesy soul music, my parents and I left the downtown party for a crawfish boil. What a treat the crawfish boil was! I didn't really know anyone there, though I met a very nice couple who had adopted a child from Romania 6 years ago. I spoke with that woman for most of the party and heard about her hopes and dreams for this little boy who they rescued from a dire situation in Bucharest. I went to Bucharest in 2002 on a mission trip and saw so many children there who are without homes or families, so it was encouraging to hear of at least one success story. After a long wait for the crawfish to be unveiled, we had the pleasure of eating our fill of some of the best boiled crawfish I have ever had. They also had jambalaya, boudin balls, and huge boiled shrimp. I had a few boudin balls but mainly stuck to the crawfish. I ate until I couldn't eat anymore - it was wonderful!

Back to visiting with friends... tonight I am headed to a graduation party for Emily, a high school friend who graduated yesterday from LSU Law School. This party will take place at Emily's Aunt Mary's house, a very lively and never-disappointing party venue. Aunt Mary also hosts an annual Cinco de Mayo party which I unfortunately missed this year. So tonight I will see Emily and many of our other friends from high school: Leanne who graduated yesterday from LSU Dental School and is getting married next month, Carrie (Leanne's sister) who is six months pregnant, and hopefully Jill who's wedding I missed in March.

As you can see, it has been a busy visit so far, but I have also had a lot of time to relax. I am even working on a tan for the first time in years. Yesterday I layed out in the yard for about 30 minutes and practically burned. Reference oppressive heat as mentioned above.