Sunday, December 09, 2007

My abusive relationship


Living in NOLA is like living in an abusive addictive relationship. You have met your soul mate, the love of your life, they complete you, validate you, make you feel the thrill of what it is to be alive in their presence. The only snag is they are also an alcoholic who likes to beat you up periodically. This is what it means to live in NOLA.

We were lucky we had a long honeymoon period - about nine months. Then things started testing our relationship. We would get to the point where it felt like we couldn't take any more and wham, we were reminded of our deep love and magic was back in the air.

I feel like I now truly know what it is to be a member of this community. And I'd like to stress this has nothing what so ever to do with a certain storm. This way of existing is NOLA in all its glory, good and bad.

I love this city therefore I weather the punches and head to Frenchman to rekindle that spark, that magic that made me fall in love in the first place.

8 comments:

Cursed Tea said...

Charlotte - sorry I've been absent - a mixture of what the current post hints at coupled with this being my busy work season has left me neglecting my blog.
Its v nice to be missed though ;)
k

TravelingMermaid said...

And you are missed! It's so true that living here is a challenge but the magic is *always* there. It's up to us to believe in it.
Feel free to email me anytime....would love to chat with ya.

NOLA Cleophatra said...

So... you've been in an alcohol stupor that last month??? Actually, reading your post blew my mind because just recently I was thinking that living here is like living with an alcoholic. New Orleans becomes another person in your life - be it a lover, child or what... and it has it's bad qualities but the good qualities! The good qualities make it all worth it. Right? I hope something bad didn't happen to you...

Cait said...

Beautifully written - I hope everything is okay...

...writes the girl who is sitting at CC's on Magazine. ;)

Mark Folse said...

New Orleans is only the Big Easy in the minds of some foolish marketeer. It is like choosing to live overseas in a country somewhat less developed than what one is accustomed to. It is a glorious cultural gumbo, but navigating the quirks and customs and all of the challenges those present takes a little of the glamour off. And of course it's poor, and there'e the crime, and the byzantine government. This city has one foot firmly in the Carribean/Latin zone to the south, and that fact continues to drive my wife (who like yourself moved here post-Katrina with only visits under her belt before) crazy.

P.S. Do drop me an email at markfolseATwetbankguideDOTnet when you have a minute.

Ashley said...

Write sometin' new, girl! You just accurately described what we all know, and is so hard to describe to somebody else.

And by the way, there's no getting over this relationship. Ever. Even when the soulmate gives you a right cross to the jaw, you will eventually forgive said soulmate.

BTW, I went to get my glasses repaired at a jeweler, and the person waiting on me was a NOLA girl, but both of her parents were from Edinburgh. Unique accent, that.

Leigh C. said...

Yes, ma'am! You got it for sure. You got it bad, just like darn near all of us. Be well. Happy New Year.

Turner Publishing said...

Sorry to leave a comment on your blog instead of sending an email - but I couldn't find your email address.

I’m going around to all the NOLA area bloggers/freelancers to let them know about our new book by a local author, the Historic Photos of New Orleans by Melissa Lee Smith. We’d love to send you a complimentary copy for possible review consideration on your blog of this book. This title is done in a large 10x10 format and all images used are culled from several archives that represent rare or never before seen photos of the Crescent City. We’re trying to get the word out to local folks, so I hope you don’t mind me dropping you a line to let you know about our books!

You can find the author locally on a panel at the French Quarter Fest on April 12th and at Jazz Fest on May 2nd from 2-3pm in the Jazz Fest Book Tent.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Best,
Rachel Joiner
Marketing Manager
www.turnerpublishing.com