Another fish, I have more.

I cannot believe I got this pic on here and I doubt I can ever do this again. Windows 7 is not my friend. This pic was taken with my new phone. It is a free Motorola. I paid for the computer but not the phone. I had to take the fish pictures twice as the first time I did not click the right button and never took a photo. Paid under 400 for the computer and nothing for the phone with a 20 dollar reduction in my bill and more shit than I will ever use. I have unlimited WIFI and that kind of stuff and what would I use that for anyway. I am not going to sit on the train and look at a phone for 4 hours. Big Daddy is jealous, he says my free phone is better than his new Blackberry-company issued-and he is having fun playing on it.

We had a wonderful lunch at Roma Cafe and went shopping at Trader Joe's. Tomorrow the furnace people are coming for a check up and it is election day. Who to vote for?

This is just nuts

This bookstore is in the hood and was our target for an after lunch visit. It is huge with 4 floors, no a/c and just stairs. This was definitely sweat city yesterday. I did find 2 books, one of the Presidents favorite meals in the White House-a coffee table book-Tricky Dickie was the Prez at time it was written. I was overwhelmed with the books, there are 2 carts outside the entrance with free books. Unbelievable.

Punkin Head and I started out with lunch at Roma Cafe in Eastern Market which was nice. His choice and it is fun; the waiters still wear full black suits and ties and only men serve. Then we went to the bookstore driving through Detroit. The traffic was very sparse.

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This picture would be much better with a fancy camera, but that is not in my near future due to circumstances out of my control-more on that below. The is American Coney Island and it's next door neighbor Lafayette Coney Island. World famous landmarks here in the Motor City.

When we got home PH proceeded to look at my computer as I was bitching mightily over this Chinese cobbled piece of shit. He did a lot of fixing and what not and today it seems to work okay except I could not do the NYT crossword as per my usual routine. Thankfully I remembered I had Firefox and was able to do the puzzle there. Don't know what happened but as long as I have the puzzles I am okay.

Then out of the blue I get a phone call on my land line. This is not a usual occurrence. My cell phone carrier, Sprint, was calling to ask if I had noticed that my cell phone had been turned off. July 3 to be precise. My life is the opposite of what it used to be when I used up 2 phones and 3 batteries a day. I only carry the cheap piece of shit cell phone for safety. But really, it took 22 days for them to tell me my mobile was hacked. Big Daddy's was shut off too. The hackers guessed my answer to the trick question and started calling Cuba. WTF. Though I gotta admit I did pick the easiest question so I could remember it. Now I have to go to the hell hole phone store and get it turned back on and find a new phone as long as the dregs of society and I are hanging out together. I did tell the really nice fraud lady that the store was managed by the devil dogs from hell and I inquired if they had put a container of Xanax at the door yet. She chuckled and said no. Obviously she has never visited the actual stores. The next closest store is an hour away next to a mall/shopping area that requires much more than a Xanax to even think about visiting a phone store there. Oh, the reason I need to visit the store is I must show photo ID to get the phone turned back on. Fie on you Sprint.

It also appears I may need a new ice maker. So new ice maker, new phone, new computer, new furnace, the camera may have to wait.

Vacation is winding down

I can not believe I am actually ready and looking forward to coming home to China. Kind of a reality check on the things I need to change when I get back and what I can do to make our lives there easier. Oh, and I have to take down the free Christmas tree from Meal Bay.

Visited Mother-in-law today and the drive was not bad. She seems to be having some hearing difficulty and the old people's refusal to spend money. She won't get DSL as she is being frugal. I told her, spend all your money and your kids will take care of you if you are broke. She has great pensions and no bills. Indulge yourself. And with kids and grandkids all over the world, go for it. She would love FB if she had access other than dial-up and could talk to all the kids and grandkids whenever she wanted. And she is complaining no pictures, her daughter told her "they are all on FB." Saw my brother, the silver fox, at a Christmas gathering on a FB picture and I have not seen him in years. Go figure.

Trip back from New Orleans was fine, we were not cancelled for the huge storm in the east, but my Punkin Head and the Lady are out there in New England and I hope they are OK.

New Orleans has lost a beat. Well, more than a beat. It has lost the vibrance and hint of decadence that always simmered on the back burner. It was frankly boring at times. No Victorian figures wandering the streets with history lessons, decorations were minimum, no weddings, and no Christmas music. This street performer came to sing under my balcony as there were no people on the street and I told him "Christmas". He had a huge and beautiful voice and suddenly he started getting tips when he sang a hymn or two.

Most of the musicians were faux cowboys and they were loud and horrid. I called the front desk to ask them to move the "Kettles" from under my second floor balcony and to make a formal complaint and they backed down and refused to call the noise ordinance people. (Hah, I now have that number myself.) They told me it was a public street and sidewalk. And then the porters (who only showed up when they wanted to rag on their girlfriends outside the front door) tried to tell me I could not smoke 6 feet to left of the front door, only 6 feet to right. I can guess you all know how that went, public property is public.

The good was the food, we found Jimmy Luizza again at Antoine's and had a wonderful dinner and a new signed Holiday menu, crabmeat ravigot and pompano with lump crab. Found Joe at the Bistro and had a wonderful duck dish. Revillion dinner at the Rib Room had good food but not so good experience. This old bag turned around and started screaming in my ear that she had lost her valet ticket. She was screaming at our waiter that was across the table from me. I mean, really lady, if you are well over 65 and can not keep track of your shit---you need help. A keeper or a bubba. So the waiter is trying to get to her and she keeps shouting until she finds it. When she is done, I politely asked her if everything was ok. When she said yes, I told her "do not bark in my ear again". Everyone ran for cover and she Harumpped. Hilarious.

We only found one museum open, a photography exhibit of the 7th ward through the old times to Katrina and some rebuilding.

Tomorrow is lunch at Roma Cafe in Eastern Market to see and old friend and then laundry and packing for the trip home.