New Orleans Null Set

.

Things I didn't do this weekend:

1. Eat crawfish remoulade, crawfish etouffee, crawfish monica, gumbo, oysters rockerfeller, soft shell crab po boys, alligator po boys, meaty white beans and ribs, fried okra, red beans and rice, sweet potato pone.

2. Drink $3 Miller Lites in the sunshine at the Fairgrounds or $6 cocktails on the streets of the French Quarter

3. Listen and dance to live zydeco, blues, rock, reggae, country, etc., fat drunk and happy with friends.

4. Enjoy my 9th consecutive Jazzfest in New Orleans. The streak is over.

Things I did do this weekend:

1. Eat jambalaya (made by yours truly) and muffalettas (made by the mostess hostess TL)

2. Drink 50 cent Miller High Lives and free Hurricanes in Cambridge, Lynn, and Sandwich, MA.

3. Listen and dance to live R&B in Lynn and (not live) New Orleans' Brass Band Jazz in Sandwich, fat drunk and happy with friends.

4. Party Jazzfest style in absentia.


I couldn't really afford it last year but went anyways. This year I really couldn't really afford it and had to pass. Since the beginning of the current millenium, the New Orleans' Jazzfest has been a big part of my winters (looking forward to) and springs (enjoying and recovering from). My yearly reboot. I couldn't make it this year but a couple fellow Fest veterans and I decided to have our own celebration. Friday night brought many beers and a disappointing Celtics' game. Saturday brought a stopover at the Lynn Yacht Club for a benefit gig for Joel's cover band (4 hours with Lynn's finest) and late night partying, chowing, drinking, hottubbing, etc at the compound in Sandwich. Sunday brought a New Orleans level hangover, a leftover jambalaya omelette, and an extremely gratifying Celtics' game*. It wasn't New Orleans, but it was a good time. And I won't be sick for a week like last year.

* The Celtics are a total mystery to me right now. How can you win 4 home games by an average margin of 25 points and then lose all 3 road games against a sub-500 team when you had the best road record in the NBA. Is the fix in? The refs did make some pretty shocking decisions in the two of those road games that I saw. And how did Atlanta all of a sudden become the loudest arena in the NBA? Their attendance has been mediocre all year and the last time they were in the playoffs they couldn't even sell out any of their games. I'm thinking they may have been piping in the extra noise. There's really no excuse though. They better get this sorted if they don't want to go 7 with LeBron (or worse). Cleveland's given them fits all year, but I still like them to take it in 6. Hopefully Orlando can give Detroit some problems and stretch out that series. With the exception of the Cavs, I was spot on with my round one predictions (though I was off with some of the predictions of how many games it would take).