I am sitting at home, when I should be at work. I am sitting at home in general silence. I am nursing a pair of the largest tonsils known to man (or woman). They are disgusting - covered in white gunk and making it very painful for me to coax anything by them. They are also preventing me from participating in my other hobby at which I am particularly adept at - talking!!!!
So I sit in silence nursing my tonsils, trying to forget that my head pounds every time I stand up and ponder the genesis of this sudden bout of disgusting bacterial infection. My conclusion is to blame my wonderful night in the French Quarter on New Years.
We went to Jackson Square and heard Kermit
Ruffins doing his magic. It was quite brilliant until Mayor
Nagin got up to count in the New Year (which he did with the help of the radio - which struck us as odd
because surely the local radio should have been covering the event not the other way round). The minute
Nagin appeared the once joyful crowd were silent and "lead balloon" was the phrase that kept repeating itself in my head. This being
N'awlins they don't drop a ball for New Years but a "gumbo pot" with
fleur di lys on the side. This also being
N'awlins the pot got stuck half way down .... Once the fireworks started they played hideous band music way too loud from the speakers - one can only presume it was to please the Hawaii and Georgia football fans but it really was very uncool.
So we headed to find alcohol. This wasn't a difficult task, it was the French Quarter on New Years. I was out with all my girl friends - five in total - and they were all knocking them back. I on the other hand was not drinking, due to some problems with migraines and alcohol (no I'm not pregnant). I was worried this would hinder my enjoyment of the evening but it didn't at all and I had a brilliant time entertained by my drunk and drunker friends. We made it over to Frenchmen Street and joined the hippies that were banging on shit attached to some old guy's cart. Some guy thrust sticks into our hands and we banged a few things before the guy who "ran" the cart came and had a fit because apparently you are supposed to pay for the
privilege of making "music" "banging" on shit with hippies in the French Quarter.
Our evening ended late. It was 4.30am by the time I got home having deposited the drunk and weary to their homes. (I was very glad to be sober as the drivers out at that time were very scary!!) I had a
sore throat from yelling too much and went to bed. Then my sore throat developed into these
gigantic tonsils!!! My friends? They are all healthy and bouncy!! My realisation - alcohol works like taking vitamin C in
N'awlins and I didn't take any to kill off the bug that I got. Next year I'll know better and get someone else to drive home!!
