First Stop: New Orleans!

• Well, July 4th weekend was the official start of my summer vacation and it was a fabulous start! I spent the weekend in New Orleans at Essence Fest. It was my first trip there and hopefully it won't be my last. To recap:
• We arrived on Friday afternoon and after resting in the hotel, we essentially hit the ground running. After we checked into the hotel, we walked to the French Quarter and ate at this restaurant. This was my 3rd time to NOLA and my 3rd time eating there. If you're ever in the city and want a taste of indigenous New Orleans food, stop there!
• After we got back from the hotel, we rested a bit and my friend got in some study time. We then decided to head over to the Convention Center to catch one of the seminars. Essence Fest is well known for its concerts, but you know, they have seminars about finances, relationships, the state of the Black family, education, etc. The Convention Center is HUGE and with all the vendors and people, well, we never did find the seminar location. So, after walking around and looking, we headed back to hotel to get ready for that night's concert. The line-up for the night: Salt N Pepa, Beyonce, Ne-yo, Beyonce, John Legend, and Beyonce. Uhm, as you can tell I was most interested in seeing Beyonce. LOL! We got there in time to see John Legend, who was right before Beyonce. The sound system in the Superdome wasn't the greatest. Actually, it sucked. It took me the full hour and a half of JL's performance to get used to it.I'm not even a big fan of Bey, but everyone said she puts on a great show. And they didn't lie! Beyonce certainly has every reason to believe she's that bitch!

• On Saturday, we got ourselves together in time to make it to lunch, which was another great meal! I can't see myself living anywhere but the South and one of those reasons is because the food is so good! Anyway, on to the rest of the day. After we ate, we walked back to the Convention Center and had the sense (this time) to walk through Harrah's. As we walked in, the doorman said (without checking I.D.), "You ladies are 21, right?" Uhm, yes, we are. Way to do your due diligence, sir! We then walk through the Riverwalk (which is basically a mall) and finally made it to the Convention Center. We wanted to get our makeup done since they were doing hair and makeup (for free). We found out they were booked for the day, but then one of my friends called her dad who is friends with even promoters and voila, we were able to get our makup done! They were using Cover.Girl cosmetics, and I actually liked them! Hmmm... I might just switch from M.A.C., which has been disappointing me lately.
  
• Anyway, after getting our makeup done, we walked back to the hotel to rest and get ready for that night's concert. The lineup: Jazmine Sullivan, Robin Thicke, Charlie Wilson, Anita Baker and Maxwell. I saw Maxwell back in November, but was looking forward to seeing him again. We missed Jazmine Sullivan and Robin Thicke, but got there in time to see Charlie Wilson beginning. That man puts on a show! He's a performer, all the way! This man is 50+, yet he was running across the stage like a man half his age! He DID that, for sure! Then Anita Baker came on stage. You know, I like Anita Baker, but I don't just love her. Well, love her or not, she performed for nearly 2 hours and didn't leave the stage until nearly 12:30 a.m. Mind you, Maxwell was supposed to perform at 11:45. Most of the audience was waiting for Maxwell. Uhm, why didn't that man START performing until 1:15 a.m.?! Do you know that me and two of my friends were falling asleep in the concert? Who does that? Oh, yes, people who've been waiting for 45 minutes for a performance! I suspect he was (more than) a little throwed, but the man still sang his tail off! We ended up sticking it out until 2:30 a.m. before walking back to hotel and calling it a night at about 3 a.m.

• On Sunday, my friend from NYC and her cousin from Chicago left before noon. So, that left me and my friend who lives in Baltimore. We ate in the Convention Center and tried to get into the tribute to T.D. Jakes, which was free. I can only take so much gospel, but my friend wanted to see Mary Mary. However, we couldn't get in because there were too many people. The fire marshal was there and everything. Instead of shutting the entire event down, he opted to limit the people going in. So, after standing in line for a few minutes, we went back to the marketplace area. I picked up a baby t-shirt (I feel like I needed to have something to show outside of my memories) and a few books out of the bookstore. Of course, the books were picked over, but I found some good ones. By that time, my friend needed to get back to the hotel to catch the shuttle. We got back to hotel just in time for her to get her luggage and catch the shuttle.
  
• So... and then there was one! Soon after my friend left, it started to rain. I called and spoke to the dude from Tulsa (still stumped as to a name) and we chopped it up for a while. then i called my father, to catch up and to remind him i'd be on home that week. Talking to him always cracks me up, even though he's not trying to be funny. It's something about the way he says things that tickles me for some reason. After I spoke with him, I got in the bed and slept for a few hours. I think the rain did me in, along with me just being tired from running around all weekend. I got up and ate at a French restaurant across the street from my hotel. I feel pretty comfortable about walking to the French Quarter to eat, but it was getting dark, and that made me a little nervous. After dinner, I returned a call from Tulsa dude and man, we had a FANTASTIC conversation. It's funny because several months ago I was praying for certain things to come to fruition in the relationship with CO. Well, I prayed for certain things with the assumption that they'd happen with CO, since we were together at the time. But, now, this other man comes along and presents to me the exact things i'd been praying for/about. I mean, to.the.letter. I'm still unsure if he is an answer to my prayer or a distraction. Honestly, I'm hoping it's the former and not the latter.
• On Monday, I came back to Houston. The flight was a rough one. Well, it started off rocky because of rain and the subsequent turbulence, but that quickly passed. What made it bad was I was stuck between two large men and as a result couldn't lean back all the way in my seat. And then, during the last 15 minutes or so of the flight, I felt really sick. I thought I was going to vomit. I was praying that wouldn't happen because the flight was full and I was in a middle seat and that's all I needed to happen. Thankfully, I felt better by the time we landed, but I was stiil a little sick for a few hours afterward. I hope that whatever caused that won't happen when we go to Amsterdam in two weeks.
  

• Random tidbits:

1. Biz Markie was on my flight to New Orleans. I wasn't sure if it was him since I'm not really up on my old school artists, but several other people confirmed it. I had the opportunity to sit next to him on the plane, but it'd have been a middle seat, and as we all know, Biz is a big dude!
   
2. As we were going down the escalator to Friday's concert, we see this woman calling after a man and saying, "Don't go! Don't go!" I thought it was her man, and I was thinking, "Ma'am, if he wants to leave, just let him go!" Haha! Then, I decide to look more closely and lo and behold who should it be but Malik Yoba!
   
3. While at the Convention Center on Saturday, Maxwell was spotted going to the restroom. I wasn't close enough to see him, but those who were nearly bum rushed him. The man couldn't even go to the restroom in peace!
4. I love MJ as much as the next person, but I can do without hearing some of his songs for the next few weeks. They played MJ ad nauseam at the Festival. Actually, let me rephrase that. I can do without hearing: PYT, Rock with You, Beat It, and Bad for the next few weeks.
   
5. If I never see another maxi dress again, it'll be TOO SOON! Just about every woman I saw was rocking that dress style! Oh, and in the same vein, I want to say that bras are indeed our friends. There are some women who can go without one, but those women are few and far between!

I'm getting sleepy and I think that's all I have to say about the trip. until next time...