Calmer Waters ....

..... this morning.

So ...... yesterday was mostly fun .... mostly.

I think that it's easier to deal with things when the sun is shining.  As the darkness creeps in, so do the waves.

So we got here and settled in .... which brought a couple of waves.  

A wave was waiting for me when I walked into the hotel room .... alone.  No, not just alone ....

without Jim.

But ..... then we moved on.  Went out for late lunch and had a good time.  Laughed a lot.

Came back to the hotel and then sat and talked downstairs for a couple of hours.  And that's when things began to get wavy.  

No ...... now that I think of it ..... I know exactly when the first wave hit ..... hard.

It was when we were at the restaurant and we had finished eating.  The women sat at one end of the table, the men at the other.

I looked towards the men and noticed that they had the bill and were all putting their credit cards in to split it up.  

And the wave smacked right into me.

Jim was not there.  

There was no one there for me ...... to put in "our" share.  

It. Was. Just. Me.

And it was painful.

Does that make any sense?  It's difficult to really convey what that moment felt like.

Anyway, the men would not take my "share", which I told them was very gracious ..... and then they told me that I could pick up the tab tonight ..... at Emril's.

So much for graciousness.

Funny, funny men.

So, back to us sitting around talking in the early evening.  That was just wave, after wave, after wave.  Seeing couples everywhere.  Remembering the last time I sat in that room .... and I was a couple.

And that's when I came up and made last night's post.

Then we went out to watch one of the parades.

And then things went from bad to worse .... physically.

We had been there about an hour when I started feeling ill.  I had not had much to eat yesterday (couldn't eat much of the lunch ..... blackened shrimp in New Orleans is WAY more spicy than blackened shrimp in Houston!) ..... and I was drinking a sweet frozen drink.

After about 30 minutes it dawned on me that I needed something in my stomach.  So I mentioned that to someone and then we just kept talking and watching and laughing.

And then ...... quite suddenly .... I knew my stomach was telling me to get something in it very quickly or it would get rid of anything it contained.

And so I relayed this info .... urgently.  So the whole gang (there are 11 of us ..... eleven-- get it? eleven ..... someone is the odd number) started walking towards a restaurant.  It was quite a walk and the further we walked the more my stomach tried to shove everything out of it.  I am still not certain how my throat managed to keep itself closed,  but it did.

Until we got the restaurant.

And then I knew that I had not a moment to spare ..... I went in rapidly, threw my coat at one of my friends and headed straight for the restroom.  I barely made it into the stall.

Can I just tell you how frustrating it is to be heaving in a restroom ... in a restaurant ... at Mardi Gras, and not even have a buzz???!!!  I'm sure there were people heaving all over the city that night, but they had a reason.  I did not.  

Not that I would want to have that reason .... not at all.

I'm just sayin' .....

So two of my friends walked back with me to the hotel.  She, being the nurse that she is, had some medication for nausea, which I took.

And then I went to bed.

I was out by 10:30.

Here.

In New Orleans.

At Mardi Gras.

I am SUCH a party animal.

So today it's beautiful outside.  The sun is shining and it's not too cold.

We're getting ready to go to some of the day parades ..... which are more fun because there are lots and lots of children trying to get beads, so it's fun to watch them.

The sun is shining.

Yay for that.  More sun = less waves ..... I hope.

I'm still a little queasy but much better than last night.

Maybe I should quit drinking sweet drinks and start drinking alcohol.

Ugh .... even writing that made my stomach lurch.

I think I shall stick with water.

You know .... cuz I'm such a party animal.

P.S.  Just to clear up any uncertainties, or any pictures anyone may have in their head about Mardi Gras .......

I have never seen the "dark" side of Mardi Gras.  I am aware of the tales of drunkenness, lifted tops, lewd behavior, etc.

But I am only aware of the tales.

This group of people stays on the outskirts of Mardi Gras.  I've never gone to the French Quarter, never witnessed a drunken brawl, never seen anyone's body parts that should not be seen, never seen anything remotely lewd. 

I can tell you that if we had seen any of that in 2007, Jim would never, ever, ever ..... NEVER agreed to go back.  Never.

It's very, very tame ..... at least we where stay .... on the outskirts. 

The day parades are great ..... family parades.

Our dinners out are wonderful.

We are here to enjoy each other's company and have a lot of laughs.

So ...... just in case ..... I wanted to clear that up.