"Lagniappe"
is an expression used in South Louisiana that
means "something extra". Each
year the local schools get a day off from
school. It's called Lagniappe Day.
The fun never stops in The Big Easy. Last weekend we attended Festival Internationale de Louisiane. Tuesday night we had dinner with friends in Foubourg Merigny. Last night we went to a Jazz Festival party at our friend’s house in the Quarter who is on the Jazz Festival Board – musical entertainment was Charmaine Neville. And, this is the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz Festival which we will attend and see Zachary Richard, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dr. John and possibly we’ll stay for Bon Jovi – who really doesn’t play Jazz, but us girls think he’s hot.
A pioneer in the world of acrobatic sports, Glenn Sundby, passed away on Wednesday. He was 87.
My personal connection to Glenn is this amazing photo he took of me in front of the Pyramids of Giza on our national gymnastics and trampoline tour of Egypt. At that point in time, there was no digital photography or Adobe Photoshop. It was film, therefore he caught a true, magical moment in time that was made into a poster displayed in gyms and bedrooms of little gymnasts across the country. He made me semi-famous.
I think of Glenn as a tremendous acrobatics enthusiast in shorts, t-shirt, sandals and a camera always around his neck as editor of his gymnastics magazines. USA Gymnastics, which he co-founded decades ago, released this story about Glenn’s passing. The Canadian Press: Glenn Marlin Sundby, co-founder of USA Gymnastics, dies at 87
One of the major differences between L.A. and LA is convenience. In Los Angeles, for example, if you want to go to a professional basketball game, tickets are near impossible to get or afford with an unbearable two hours of traffic to get to your seat. In New Orleans, even though the Hornets have sold to 98% capacity, the tickets are gettable at a family-friendly price with a 20-minute drive from home to dome. Easy.
I wanted to start training trampoline again here in New Orleans to enhance my stunt career. In L.A., I had to drive all the way to Orange County in traffic, a 1.5-2.5 hour drive in rush hour. Or, pay $20 per workout at a local gym to train on sub-par equipment. But what a difference Louisiana makes! I found three trampoline programs with quality equipment, two allowing me to train anytime for a very reasonable fee: good PR.
I started yesterday at the Mandeville Sports Complex with a lively group of 5th graders who were very gracious and sweet and didn’t mind at all that this crazy adult joined them in a work-out session. It was a good feeling, the comfort of home. The very nice gym owner and equally nice coaches were helpful and generous.
This afternoon I’m returning to get my butt kicked by another group of kids. The bottle of Pinot Noir I’ll have will be for the gym owner – although I probably could use a swig when I’m done.
Ash Wednesday. For traditional Catholics it’s a day of repentance. For Louisiana’s Cajuns and Creoles, it’s the day they recover from the indulgences of Fat Tuesday and they go to church to start the unbearably long lent season of clean living. For me, this year it has a new meaning. It’s the end of one party and the beginning of another.
I’m not Catholic even though as a child growing up in Louisiana I used to think I was. Everybody else was. So, I adopted the lent ritual as an opportunity to energize my direction. After years of living in other states, it is apropos that I am back in Louisiana to be reminded of the benefit of cleansing and driving toward a bluer sky after the most amazing Carnival Season ever.
So, I took the few days to play in the streets of New Orleans and Lafayette and forget about career, money, work or other practicalities. Today, Ash Wednesday, I’m attending the new party that starts now, the one that celebrates talent, curiosity and wit in a community of creative and supportive professionals. Laissez les bon temps roulez!
So. We did it. We packed up a rented SUV with stuff, dog and cat and drove across the west to land in Louisiana so I can continue my film career and be near family at the same time. Of course, it is the drastic measure spurred by economic reality referred to in an earlier post. It’s early, but at this point the least I can say is that we “Walk the Walk.” (more…)
Facebook has a new exercise for friends to get to know each other: 25 Things About Me. If my daughter-in-law wasn’t the first to send a request with her list to me, I might not have participated. But, I learned a lot about her. It’s a healthy and useful little drill. I’ve learned a lot about several of my friends that I didn’t know before and I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn more about them.
So, for friends not on Facebook, here’s the list I provided. I called it Here It Is: Those 25 Things About Me:
1. Whoever said that a woman over 30 had a better chance of getting hit by lightning than getting married was wrong. The greatest day of my life was Oct. 4, 2008 when I married the cute Scottish boy I met when I was only 17 years old (And I’ve never been hit by lightning)
2. On September 11, 2001, I thought that I could never celebrate my birthday ever again. Now it seems that 9/11 has become a “Patriotic” holiday.
For those familiar with Twitter, the social networking site that limits posts to 140 characters, you’ll know what I’m talking about. I entered my Twitter page in the Twitter Background Gallery contest in the Photograph category and I just learned that it is featured! I have no idea what I would win if I get the most votes, but that doesn’t matter. I’m simply giddy to get recognized for my design ideas.
The photo I use is from World Tumbling Champion, Jim Bertz. It was shot during my competition days and it’s of Jim and his teammates – my friends – doing handstands in the street. It was probably taken in the 70’s and has a wonderful vintage quality. I love the photo! Then, of course, I had to create a design around the photo. It was fun and I’m proud of my Twitter page.
It’s the second time I’ve entered a creative idea online. The first was the Obama photoshop contest on The Indecider.com where I gave The Prez a front row seat at my wedding last October. I posted about it recently, and if you recall I won that contest! So, maybe I should consider new career options …
Anyway, for those of you who Tweet, please go to @TwitterBGallery and vote for @Demisdouble background in the Photograph category. I would greatly appreciate it!
Just a short note at the end of this historical day: On any given day it seems that we’re all little ants scurrying around on our separate chaotic paths. However, today, we all seem to be running in the same direction driven by our higher collective calling. It’s exciting beyond words. That said, here’s a link to our vision:
Drastic times call for drastic measures. In the current economic climate, you can’t let opportunities slide. The challenge is finding and optimizing the opportunities. My experience searching for opportunities in the past includes six cross country moves. Each move produced some level of success. Therefore, once again, I find myself taking the same desperate measure again. I plan to reside in New Orleans to continue my film career in a new environment.
This move will be a little different, though. I won’t be alone. This move will be with husband and dog in tow. We will not give up our current residence, maintaining two bases of operation: L.A. and NOLA. Finally, in Louisiana, we will be near family – a plus. (Thankfully, I have a supportive, self-employed husband who can live anywhere and has lived everywhere. The dog — he’s just happy to be wherever I am. We will need to find a sufficient yard in NOLA for running in large circles at break-neck speed, however.)
Once you make a decision like this, the stress level rises. How much will it cost? Will it work? How long will it take? There are so many unanswerable questions. To reduce the anxiety, research helps reassure the decision. But, I have also noticed that subliminal messages crop up everywhere like warm embraces whispering, “Everything will be OK.” Some messages are painful epiphanies. Some are refreshing revelations. Some are gut feelings screaming loudly. Nonetheless, they emerge and regardless how hard they can be to hear, you need to be open and listen to them, hug and entertain them.
As anxious as I feel, I know that each day will calm my nerves. With the freedom to discover, each day toward advancement creates optimism. For example: Twice this past week I heard a new Chinese proverb that says, “If we don’t change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed.”
