<p>so speaking of Mardi Gras – a box arrives for D2 yesterday from sister in NOLA. it’s HEAVY. I’m thinking… why is she spending so much postage to send something so heavy to her sister?.. must be special. D2 opens it… it’s filled with about 100 sets of Mardi Gras beads and other crap thrown from floats. I walk in to D2’s room this morning and find it newly adorned with NOLA decorations hanging from every possible surface. Must admit my first reaction was – kind of reminds me of SA!</p>
<p>and…ahem…any details about how she ended up with 100 SETS OF BEADS!!!</p>
<p>please don’t ask… this is actually a modest child… but my mind has shut down with all Mardi Gras traditions. I’m just glad she survived.</p>
<p>a note to jym–I just read your post-prom party thread which has been resurrected–you are my hero. Now, if I could just convince my daughter that she doesn’t need to spend her after-prom night at the St. Francis! (a high-end SF hotel where her prom is being held)</p>
<p>And let me have some of the Mardi Gras beads! We only have 20 strands…</p>
<p>Pour ivoryk a tall one before she reads this post, because…</p>
<p>I think there had to have been a LOT more beads than 100. 100 is how many ivoryD sent to ivorysister. Certainly, she kept the BEST BEADS for herself. I’m not picturing that Tulane dorm room sans beads? Are you, Sinners?</p>
<p>But don’t worry, ivoryk. It was certainly all good clean fun. Like I said before, that’s how it was for my S and that’s how it was for ivoryD. I know because ostriches 'R me. Don’t ask, don’t tell. That is the appropriate parental-child communication scheme re all things MardiGras.</p>
<p>yeah well, okay… I’m reading this with blinders on. I hold on to the image of jmson at that first post-Katrina Mardi Gras. It’s all good clean fun, right?</p>
<p>Very clean.
Very good.
Very fun.
:)</p>
<p>pulling my people up from page 2 and catching up…</p>
<p>Alu,</p>
<p>I was at on a college tour at Princeton last week and I kept looking for the beautiful red haired girl with her hair blowing in the wind. However, it was cold so she could have been hidden under hats and layers. Not one to blow our cover, I did have some restraint and did not yell at random people, Aludaughter, is that you?</p>
<p>Went to the NYC meet up yesterday and I am proud to say that no bail had to be posted. Astrophysicsmom, yes we remembered you and how we are so proud to also be low and irrelevant because if you can’t have those moments on the alley, where can you have them. So I am raising my glass to you, you do us proud!</p>
<p>Sybbie, if you brought any cheesecake back from the meetup then let’s put it in one of those glass-domed containers from the diners of New Jersey. We are regional-agnostic here in the Alley - fleur-de-lis from New Orleans, cake platters from New Jersey, marmots from the midwest…</p>
<p>Depending on what day it was, Aludaughter might have been in New York. Her uncle <em>saying thanks that my genetic side of the family is so far safe</em> has stage 5 melanoma and had a chemo session on Wednesday. D went into the city to keep him company.</p>
<p>Maybe the denizens could raise a glass for Uncle JD. A very young man, recently married, yes with habits that perhaps encouraged the melanoma to spread, but with a spirit that has always been devil-may-care, the black hair and blue eyes of the Irish, along with the propensity to fight in bars, prosecute bad guys, try his hand at rock-and-roll (the poetry of our day), and always always always make the wise-ass comment. If you wouldn’t mind, maybe a glass of Irish whiskey is in order.</p>
<p>Aludaughter’s hair came from the other side of her Irish-American father’s family, the grandma, who is still alive at 85 and now must see her baby boy fallen sick.</p>
<p>Here’s to JD. Sending the marmots to you darlin’. And thoughts from the Alley, a bar, where else for you?</p>
<p>here here JD. How nice of your daughter to take time to visit.</p>
<p>Yes, today we are an Irish bar. Irish whiskey and Guiness all around. Red hair and freckles being celebrated. Or black Irish coloring. Whichever. </p>
<p>We need to get all the shamrocks and such out from the boxes we shoved out back, anyway. Time coming soon to put them up right along with the Xmas/Channukah/Mardi Gras trimmings.</p>
<p>JD can lead our parade.</p>
<p>I will lead the dramatic reading of the opening paragraph from Angela’s Ashes - one of my all-time favorites.
Of course, my (half) Irish Catholic childhood wasn’t miserable at all, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the cadence of these words.</p>
<p>jmmom–
The Irish do have a way with words. That’s a great opening paragraph, as good as</p>
<p>“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>“Happy families are all alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”</p>
<p>(to name just a couple of really good openers.)</p>
<p>Agreed, mommusic. We can dramatic read Angela’s Ashes opening on St. Patrick’s Day and then Tale of Two Cities on…???.. Day? And find some Russian Day for the latter. </p>
<p>I guess we should start a Dramatic Reading corner in the naugahyde booth over near the Poetry Corner.</p>
<p>Tale of Two Cities–Bastille Day, of course!</p>
<p>Bien sur. ^^^^ I guess I had too much Guinness, working myself into the proper mood for the Angela’s Ashes reading.</p>
<p>Kathyc-
Thanks!! :D</p>
<p>Okay, since this is an Irish bar today (it still is, right?) it’s definitely the place for this:</p>
<p>“Eighth semester blues”</p>
<p>Since I dropped it into another thread, which was rude, I guess I’ll put this out here, since y’all would start to wonder when I didn’t discuss graduation etc this spring. I’ll stay pretty general, I think.</p>
<p>So, yeah, S came home over weekend. Is on his way back this morning to formally withdraw, at least for the semester. Why? Good question. Not sure myself. A combination of bad fit, denial, a tough personal experience ( a year and a half ago, but its fallout covered up realization that it was more the whole situation, not the particular one), re-evaluation of goals, and other stuff.</p>
<p>Anyway, he shouldn’t have gone back this semester, we should have seen that, we all should have talked more, but at least he’ll hopefully preserve some options for the future, a still pretty high GPA, and sanity…</p>
<p>And as Bethie said when I first mentioned this on the other thread–things usually work out okay,and that’s what I’m going to hold onto. He’s a great kid, the absolutely nicest person I know, and maybe the smartest, so, life just continues to get more interesting…slide a couple Guinnesses down this way, will ya?</p>
<p>Oh, hey, garland…isn’t this a little early to be hitting the sauce? I do think we can get into a lock-step mentality about these things. Sometimes people just need a breather and a change of scenery.</p>
<p>It would be easier if life came in neat 4-year packets, but it doesn’t always work that way. I took a break from my studies (i.e., dropped out) back in the day and returned with a lot more focus and huge motivation. It’s not that hard to go back. It’s great that you’re being so understanding about this.</p>
<p>Garland, I took the scenic route through college, completing my four year program in six. Worked our fine, proabably better than if I had taken the more traditional route.</p>
<p>I am well qualified to speak to the Irish side of life. I am 3/4 Irish, thanks to the Carrolls, Conroys and Glynns. More black Irish than red, although my beard was red for a while before the current gray. I also have a bit of the old Irish temper on occasion.</p>
<p>We have a new guest in the house: some guy named Perry Menopause. Makes everyday a new adventure. Hope he does not overstay his welcome. Must be time to get that red convertible…</p>