Archive for the 'big easy' Category

May 15, 2006 | Filed under: big easy, misadventures

either click on the pic, or here!

This is all footage from my first day here at the house in New Orleans. I was very freaked out and very whiny. I’m still freaked out, but far less whiny.

It’s just so very overwhelming. Sometimes we laugh about it: simply NOTHING in this place works the way it should. Not the doors (they don’t sit right), the windows (they lack glass), the fridge (freezer works, fridge doesn’t) the hot water heater, etc. etc. Everything is a ten-step process, even things like fixing a glass of water. The complete inability to have a glass of water is what sent me into full freak-out mode Tuesday. No clean glasses–not hot water to clean the glass–no soap–no ice–no desire to drink New Orleans H20 straight from the tap blah, blah, blah. A lot of my frustration stems from the fact that the last time I was here I knew where everything was, I cleaned everything (EVERYTHING), bought a bunch of new stuff (towels, pots, pans, plates) and made our little construction site into a workable home. When I returned, everything–and I mean everything; all the furniture, all our clothes, all our kitchen stuff–had been piled high into two rooms, left uncovered, and was filthy, covered with mouse turds, moldy, rusted and rotten AND had to be moved into the apartment on the side of the house where we will be living until “our” side of the house is finished. Including major appliances. I’m also covered with mosquito bites (and some other teeny bites which I’m very worried might be fleas–how gross is that?!), particularly around my ankles so my feet are all swollen…physical discomfort ain’t helping. I’m slightly ashamed to admit I spent some time in the fetal position weeping. I just didn’t know where to start. Now, five days later, the apartment is much better and I am much calmer. We have groceries, hot water, cable internet, and a working refrigerator. What more could a girl want? Of course, the power still goes off sometimes. That pushes my freak button because of all the food in the fridge. And, of course, because then the modem won’t work.

And then there’s the safety issue. There are current about 34 differently sized entry points into this house. Some are bug-sized, some are bird-sized, some are cat-sized and some are people-sized. A woman was the victim of an armed robbery on her own damn porch a few weeks ago, and the dude next door came out of his house yesterday to find his car missing. Brian has to be in NYC for five days this week, so he’s working hard to “secure the perimeter”. I expect that to be a highly productive videoblogging period, because it will keep me busy and make me feel in touch with the outside world. I really, really, REALLY need to learn how to drive.

…and have I mentioned the giant, flying roaches??

An important word about the house: most of the “damage” you see is a gut renovation in progress that started before Katrina hit town. The roof went totally kaplooey and has (mostly) been replaced, and there’s some water damage to the concrete foundation of the house. Obviously, compared to other areas of town (and actually, even compared to houses across the street, which took on a foot of water) we got off easy. I don’t want to give the wrong impression here: we aren’t the big victims, here. The house got damaged, yes, but it’s standing. That goes a long way round these parts.

May 11, 2006 | Filed under: big easy, loves, misadventures

or click here for the gore!

It was bound to happen, although I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. Bear witness to our first house renovation work-related injury. Actually, it’s not the first…just the first documented (at his insistence). Prior to dating a vlogger, injuries include electrocution barefoot on a metal ladder while holding a crowbar and drilling his thumb to a wall with a screwgun.** This will be my first video post that comes with a disclaimer: a) there’s some heartfelt and entirely appropriate swearing (although by me and not the injured, oddly) and b) watch this at your own risk. It’s pretty gross. You’ll see grosser things on “Fear Factor”, but if impalement freaks you out, this is not for you. Think of this as a sort of “Fear Factor”/”This Old House” mash-up. Maybe Brian can start his own videoblog and call it “This Old House Just Bit Me.com”. Let it be known, I really wasn’t looking while filming the majority of this video. Because, well, eeeewwwwwwww!

For the nurses and nurses-to-be: we were too caught up in the moment to realize that he shouldn’t have clipped both ends of the splinter to remove it. I work in L&D, people: wounds are not my thing.

**Sitting over my shoulder, Brian would like to point out that he knows EXACTLY what he’s doing, housewise.

April 14, 2006 | Filed under: big easy, misadventures

Click for video, please, thank you.

I have no idea what’s happened to me. I used to lead a fast and almost semi-glamourous life here in NYC. High heels. Cocktails. Late nights. Now all I want to do is get back to New Orleans and finish polyurethaning the floors.

Does this mean I’m all grown up? I don’t know how I feel about that.

This is one from the vaults. I’m still playing around with the new camera and since I’m working the next four nights I doubt I’ll be able to edit and post any of it–especially with this rotten cold abrewin’. There’s this resident at work who has been sick and she does this thing where she sneezes into the open air, or whatever else is in front of her: the computer, the patient charts, me. She says doesn’t sneeze into her hands because she needs to keep them as clean as possible. Umm…oookkaaaayy. So she’s ignoring the advent of both soap AND Purell, AND she didn’t take my suggestion that she turn and sneeze into her shoulder, an old trick I learned back in my ice-cream scooping days. So she just hurls her germs in all directions, prompting one of the other nurses to follow her with a paper towel and a bottle of Mixed Berry Mistolin. It’s nasty and now the whole ward smells like Jolly Ranchers.

Have a very happy, Happy Easter and Passover. I’ll miss this holiday weekend, but Orthodox Easter the Big One in my neighborhood anyways, so I’ll enjoy that when it rolls around.

March 26, 2006 | Filed under: big easy, un-vlogged, loves

We’re just one big happy family!

Okay…so we’re one big weird happy family…

But come on: We Rock!

And before you go calling the ASPCA on me about MaisieGene: what you see there is the magic of Photoshop. BigB and I, however, are covered with grease-based make-up and sweating like crazy…I don’t know how Mr. Simmons and the other members of KISS managed under such sticky conditions! Maybe there’s some sort of genetic link between underactive sweat glands and always behaving like an asshat.

March 20, 2006 | Filed under: big easy, misadventures

First off, a thousand thank yous. A million. I was totally overwhelmed at the outpouring of caring and warm wishes in response to my last post–just bowled over and deeply touched. I now feel a whole lot more comfortable writing/filming posts about work; the good as well as the not-so-good. Again, manymanymany thanks.

Secondly, I find myself missing New Orleans. I miss my honey and I miss my dog. They’re both still down there working on the house. Well, BigB is working on the house. Maisie is mostly lying on the porch. I miss the warmer weather and I miss my Raspberry Pearl Baby.

Being from New York City, I never did learn how to drive a car.

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