I've Never Seen So Much Pizza!

There were many titles this blog could have had. This was the only one with a G rating. This post will include very little about Red Cross since both very little happened and also New Orleans will take a while to describe.

First, though, I had to say a temporary "Good-bye" to two friends last week. Jenae and I had our last night at trivia and did pretty well for ourselves considering we were missing teammates. If only we knew our Bruce Willis movies better, we could have placed. Maggie and I are going to play again tonight at a new location, and Jenae will be greatly missed. I'm so jealous that she's getting to do an internship in DC. I want to live there at some point just on the off chance that Barack can be my friend.


The other person that is leaving Tuscaloosa is one of my pledges Molly. She's transferring to a school in Nashville that seems to be a better fit for her. I'm happy that she made that decision for herself, but I hate that this will limit the amounts of time I see her extremely. My pledges really helped me get through last year by eating with me, putting together ridiculous puzzles of the world in my apartment, and watching Into the Woods and Heavy Weights together at Wesley Foundation. I'm glad I was in town for her last hurrah. We just played this crazy game in which everyone writes down four things on slips of paper and place all the slips in a bowl. Then each member of the two teams takes turns going through all of the strips getting their teammates to guess using first words and motions, then just one word and motions, then only motions. It's really fun, and I am so glad I got to spend that time with Molly. She is a great person, and I wish her the best.



Now we move on to the madness that was New Orleans and the National Championship. Some things will stay with in the confines of the French Quarter, but I'll share what I can. The car ride down there consisted of many different conversations ranging from excitement about the game to ponderings about the sex lives of friends and even to Eryn's wedding that we planned to happen over the weekend to a man she hadn't met yet.

When we arrived at Dianna's house after picked up some Daiquiris to go (only in Louisiana), Dianna's dad made some of the best red beans and rice I've ever had. He and his wife drove the seven of us over to our hotel on Loyola in the business district of the city. It was only about a mile walk to the main area of the French Quarter. I was being really intelligent when the only pair of shoes I packed were heeled boots... My legs look great now.

The weekend was a little long for my taste, but it was filled with great times with wonderful friends and amazing food. I had this Lobster Bisque at Jax Brewery that I will get every time I return. We wandered around the mess that is Bourbon Street trying drinks and more importantly people watching. I have to spend this time warning anyone who will listen against trying a hand grenade jello shot. It comes in a syringe and you push it into your mouth while your lips are wrapped around the tip and it shoots into the back of your throat. I described it that way for a reason. It's disgusting.

Saturday night Nina and I stopped at Arby's on our way back to the room. It took a very long time just to get our food and sit down. There was so many drunk and annoying people around while I was trying to quietly enjoy my mac and cheese. One group of guys, in particular, were yelling something about camel toe, and another drunk man started yelling at them about the starting point of the line. Before they could actually through a punch, the order caller jumped between them and kicked half of them out. In New Orleans, even fast food restaurants have bouncers.

Sunday was a lazier day. I was all about taking naps since my space was sleeping on the floor. Naps meant quality time with an actual mattress. My room woke up at 8:30... Then we left at 10:30 to go get brunch at a place called The Ruby Slipper Cafe. I had a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich along with a biscuit with chicken sausage. It was too good and not very expensive if you ordered the right thing. The wait was pretty lengthy, but I think that had everything to do with it being a busy weekend.
 

Monday was game day. After a second night of floor sleep and a late night toilet paper run during which I had my sleeping shorts on backward, we woke up for yet another brunch at Huck Finn's Cafe in the French Quarter. They wouldn't let me order off the lunch menu, so it wasn't my favorite. I really wanted their lunch quesadilla but had to settle for steak and eggs. That was definitely a first world problem. We made a quick appearance at the Carousel Bar which slowly rotates followed by a nap while my friends gambled.


After my glorious nap, I took a hotel pen and the USA Today crossword with me to meet my friends at Jax Brewery near Jackson Square. As I did my crossword and other puzzles, I ate that amazing lobster bisque and a chicken cordon bleu sandwich. Some very nice LSU fans (comparatively) sat at a table with us in the downstairs of the restaurant. They were the only non Alabama fans downstairs. There was a private LSU party upstairs. They got a little upset during the first half and spilled some drinks onto out table not that anyone at our table noticed. For the most part, they were far too intoxicated or into the game to pay attention. One of the LSU girls vommed on the floor. #klassy The game was amazing to behold. The tornado pictures at the beginning caught us off guard causing many to tear up, and it reminded us of what this championship meant to the city of the Tuscaloosa. It was much more than number 14, or 9 depending on your counting. It was coming back from tragedy to lift up a community that desperately needed it. I had never imagined it would be a shut out or that LSU would have less total yards than Trent Richardson or that they would only get 3 first downs and across the goal line once. I know people are tired of the SEC, and I guess I would be as well if I were a fan of another conference. It's unfortunate for them that Nick Saban will probably win a few more before his career as a head coach ends.
  
That night I saw EVERYONE I knew to celebrate general Roll Tide feelings. When I got back to the room passing bloodied drunkards, Dianna had ordered two large pizzas for the room from a number given to her by the front desk that we are pretty sure was a personal home number. Eryn got back and watched the game again on ESPN with me to go to sleep. It was worth a second viewing. We didn't have our room cleaned all weekend, so the next morning was rough in terms of smells. Eryn had eaten a greek salad and left a box of olives out which mixed with four pizza boxes, spilled drinks, street grime, and beads to produce an interesting odor. When Eryn woke up and saw all the pizza boxes she exclaimed that she had never seen so much pizza even at her pizza party. We quickly got ready as everyone else in the room discussed how they lost their dignity over the weekend. For some it was in vomiting behind a Wendy's dumpster. Others gave random men lap dances for the Alabama win. Some wandered around alone ending up on a boat. Either way I'm glad I was able to spend the weekend with Sarah, Dianna, Nina, Eryn, Emmie, and Jho. I hope their livers recover soon.