And The Grumps Continue

I'm back in humid New Orleans after several days visiting my very good Friend E, not EF but EM. She likes to look pretty and smell nice and she does. She even took me to her hair salon so I could look pretty. It was nice to be around old friends. Moving around this year means there haven't been a lot of those times where you get to sit on the couch with someone that knows about that time when you were 14 that you refuse to ever mention again and though there is that fear that it will be brought up in public conversation one day again, it's nice to know someone else in the world remembers it too. That's E and it made the weekend pretty great. Not to mention the copious amounts of whiskey drinks and amazing fried chicken, grits, and brisket mash.

The settling into a new job is wonderful and challenging, if not completely infuriating. All those culture clashes and not understanding what people really mean when they something can leave one with the grumps. It hasn't been that long and I am in the middle of environmental disaster in an area that seen too many disasters and so maybe that has something to do with it all. But it would be nice to speed time up and be in that place where you feel all settled in your new spot and know exactly what you are suppose to be doing and why before anyone says anything. But at least my fridge is filled with good cheese and cheap wine. What more can a girl really need?

Oh and a local rendition of Hedwig and the Angry Inch!

As you know, I love fashion blogs, and recently the Satorialist posted a photo of a curvy fashion blogger that created a firestorm of comments within hours, over 1000. People seem to be pissed by the use of the word curvy. As a curvy woman myself I have to say, I like the word and refer to myself as such often. Anyways, I had no idea that women didn't like that word. I mean . . . women have curves.

And people that are really worried about the use of the word curvy are not fucking paying attention to the amount of crazy shit that is happening in our world right now.

Here I'll name three:

(1) Japan is quickly becoming the stuff once only found in comic books and scary movies.

(2) There was ANOTHER oil spill in the Gulf last week that the government and oil industry lied to community members about.

(3) Climate Change

Maybe those things are why I'm still grumpy. Or maybe it's because I haven't run in two weeks. Or maybe it's the thought of 100 degree days and 98% humidity that is looming in my path towards summertime.

Off to break open that cheap wine now. But don't get confused . . . I'm no nolista.

Renee Claire

Are You Grumpy Too?

Hello Darlings,

It's me Renee, your old friend who has been too busy to stop and say hello, too busy to give you a nod on the way to the farmer's market. It's true, if I have been absent in the past with staying in touch, I've turned into those people I talk shit about behind their backs. I'm sorry.

I have been traveling, working, sleeping, and getting acclimated to Gulf coast community organizing. None of that has left room for me to do the things I love such as watching Rachel Maddow (though I am playing Friday night's podcast while I type), ride my bike (except to run quick errands), read a book (except during one particular moment two weeks ago but then I heard a jazz band outside and wandered away to find the source), run every morning (my pillow is so soft!), or read the New Yorker (I may have two months sitting on my desk right now mocking me). Must get this under control. I need a wife! She would be able to make sure this was all settled and my bills were paid. I totally understand why people get married now. Because you really do need another person to make sure shit gets done.

Barring my marriage to somebody, anybody so that the house gets cleaned, the bills get paid, and I wake up with enough time to run, I can tell you that my scheduled down time has included some beer drinking on neutral ground on St. Charles, hanging out with the rest of Treme in Mardi Gras under the bridge, trying to find that wonderful delicious wildrice mix again, and canoeing in the swamps.

Check out my photos. Warning, I don't feel like adding descriptions to any of them right now, so if you don't know what the fuck is going on . . . I'm too tired to care. Don't judge me for the photos where I'm wearing a mustache. It was Mardi Gras. I live in New Orleans. It happens.

Have you read the US Chamber of Commerce's new report on how it gets bullied all the time by those terrible, rich, and powerful community people who live near sources of pollution all over the country? It's a great read. I almost changed my mind, quit my job working with communities who are impacted by the oil and gas industry and got a job with BP.

I'm sleepy and I have no idea what Rachel is talking about and need to watch the latest episode of 90210.

Bye bye
Renee Claire