Party Time!

I was so excited when Dad was all better. If it was a purely altruistic sense I guess I would have felt more calm, happy, contented and maybe a little pleased with my commitment and the good fortune that he had recovered. But it was more then that I was thrilled to be free again. I realize that the only freedom that I had lost was my own ability to live fully in my own skin, and that that was limited only by myself. But, facts is facts (even if they are subjective experience) and I "need" freedom and/or community to feel "Right".

So, the adventure continues!

I had promised old friend that I would visit her in New Orleans while I was south this winter. I had planned to go once before and was not able to make it, this year time I figured I would be fashionably late, and just in time for Mardi Gras. My Stilt Dancing associate (Mark Alexander) and I took a week to see the final blow out. When I got there I was confused about who was Cajun and who was Creole. Everybody was excited about the superbole and all, screaming "Who Dat, Who Dat!" And with the floats going by and the copious quantities of beer I couldn't tell What was going on! I could remember though that "Katie is Cajun" that made it easy, and Katie was more then generous with our accommodations. She has a very nice flat in the Garden District she shares with the most charming fellow, Peter by name. And let me tell you, Katie's grandmother must know how to cook, 'cause she taught Katie how to cook, and Katie made the best darn Gumbo I ever had. The food on Bourbon Street was alright too I guess and the crowd was as thick as molasses. Up on stilts everybody wanted to take pictures with us and we'd hav'ta to swat 'em off like horse flies if we wanted to get some peace. But we were there for the attention and we loved it! When we finagled our way into the Bacchus ball that was tops. There were so many pretty ladies there all dressed up with there money, talkin to me, makin their boyfriends faces all red... I couldn't ask for more. And I got announced over the loud speaker, and danced for thousands... Just before getting kicked out. Oh, boy!

So that was New Orleans, mostly partying. I did get to see the city by bike for a day, it's a beautiful city. I think I might like to stay for a few months some time and learn to cook and see the city when it's not crazed. On one hand of course had the zealot on my shoulder yelling things like "This place if fucking disgusting! Look at all this trash! These people don't care for anything! blah,blah,blah." On the other I could feel the spirit of carnaval. I realized that the only thing that has ever brought me any sense of goodness in life has been yoga, and although I wasn't planning on giving up anything for lent I renewed my somewhat dampened faith in yoga. I think of a Tantric story of a boy who visits a yogi king. The boy gets to the palace and the king is drinking and eating meat and there are dancing girls... He is disgusted but, not wanting to offend the king, and because he had come so far he asked for a teaching. The king gave him a spoonful of oil and said that if he came back in a few hours with the oil intact he would give him a teaching...