list three things every day that made me happy

1. I’ve been appointed 504 chairperson for my school, nice little mini-promotion there.
2. We are finally fully staffed, so much less chaotic.
3. Pesto pasta for dinner.

1. I got two free posters, a video, and a DVD just for telling the woman at the Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center that I’m a teacher. I want to go back to watch the rest of the cultural videos, go on a boat tour, and go to the free Cajun country music night on Mondays.
2. Driving along La-57 at sunset down to Cocodrie. Nothing but the road and marsh grass and patches of open water and pinky-purple sky. All the houses down there are built up on 15 foot stilts. It’s the open water that’s the problem, too close for comfort.
3. Stopping along La-57 on the way back after dark. No light pollution whatsoever. I think the only other time I’ve seen that many stars was in the out islands of the Bahamas.

1. Catfish po-boy at Johnny’s in the Quarter. Well worth the hour long wait.
2. Good times with friends, including splitting a dessert of fudge brownies and ice cream instead of dinner.
3. Watching Beloved.

1. Sleeping in until 9 am and not feeling a bit guilty about it.
2. Spending an hour this morning cleaning out my room. I don’t have that much space and it’s gotten out of control-not dirty, just too many little piles of paper.
3. Driving all the way down to the southeast tip of Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish, Venice, Louisiana. Stopped at BBQ House for lunch and Fort Jackson (storm damage and not reopened yet, but walked the levee and the beaches) and at a fruit stand along the highway for satsumas and juicing oranges. Took lots of pictures. Remembered again why Louisiana’s worth saving.
4. Baking delicious oatmeal-cranberry-white chocolate cookies. New recipe I found on the back of the cdried cranberry bag.

1. The Ode a L’Acadie CD I’m listening to right now.
2. Flying into the New Orleans airport. I love watching cities from the air. New York City seems to stretch on forever, especially beautiful at night. The Chesapeake Bay as you fly into Baltimore fingers out into a thousand muddy rivers. But New Orleans, New Orleans just looks so tiny and vulnerable surrounded by all that water. The Gulf, the Mississippi, the lake, the swamps. New Orleans looks like it could be swallowed up by nature at any minute.
3. The pulled pork plate with bbq sauce I got at The Joint on my way home from the airport.
4. My 4 month old niece loves playing with Mardi Gras beads.

1. I am “the beloved cookie girl of Kamp Katrina.” I’ll be in Ms. Pearl’s video too; she recorded me today talking about why I bring them cookies, how I’m going to bring chocolate cookies with red hots, and how long distance running applies to life.
2. The second batch of pralines turned out gooey. I think I didn’t cook them for long enough, but in any case they’ll make good (if sticky) finger candy or ice cream topping. I’ll tie off the boxes of homemade pralines not with ribbon and bows but with Mardi Gras beads. How very New Orleans.
3. I’m flying direct when I go home tomorrow! Now I have to get up at 5 am to do it, but it’s worth it not to have to sit in the airport all day. I’ll be wearing my “Onward. Upward. 9th Ward.” t-shirt, of course.
4. I had to get blood drawn for some routine labwork this morning, and it didn’t even phaze me. Just 2 years ago I was terrified of needles.

1. I’m going to wear my jingly Christmas tree headband to school tomorrow, that and my green shirt with a sequined Christmas tree on it. Yay for dress down day!
2. 75* and I was warm in a t-shirt and jeans taking the dog for a walk. It’ll be 25ish when I land in Maryland Tuesday morning. Yeesh, right back to reality.
3. Taking the time to make veggie chili with raisins and cashews. Tastes even better when it’s cold outside but still delicious.
4. My new “i am new orleans” t-shirt from Dirty Coast, plus free bumper stickers and a Christmas card decorated with a wreath made of crawfish and corn on the cob. So very Louisiana.

1. I’m mailing Christmas cards to everyone at school to cheer us up. Things are not going well so it’s the least I can do.
2. 70* in New Orleans.
3. Taking the dog for a walk after work.

1. Sweet potato pie from the dad of one of my students, cakes and pies all around that we enjoyed at the faculty meeting that afternoon.
2. Blindfolded trust game at the faculty meeting, blindfolded using the principal’s leopard-print scarf, no less.
3. Discovering the Maple Street Bookshop and wandering around the Riverbend area of Uptown for a bit. I love my neighborhood, but it’s a treat to be able to walk around safely after dark every once in awhile.

1. Direct flight from Baltimore to New Orleans, first time I’ve flown direct in the almost three years that I’ve been visiting/living here.
2. Saints won 30-20. Who Dat!
3. Finding my way around a new part of town en route home from dropping off my lesson plan video and peer review for TGNO.