” Marco!”
We flew to Dallas on Monday for our Cooper Clinic visit on Tuesday. This is where we get our full day annual preventive physical. I have to say that, driving up to Frisco to meet Finn for dinner, I don’t miss the massive highways and Dallas layouts at all. We had a lovely dinner with Finn at TruFire in Frisco – an excellent Mediterranean restaurant. I loved my falafel platter – such perfectly cooked little nuggets.
Finn was right on time and all dressed up for the evening. He had a lot of good stories to tell about his work. Two “older ladies” that fight constantly – he had to put them on non-overlapping shifts to separate them. He’s talking about finding a less labour intensive job – something in management. So good to hear him with ambition and desire for the future. He also talked about visiting the Dallas Arboretum with Holly to see the spring blooms – nice to hear him taking some time off from work. So nice to see Finn doing so well.
Our Cooper Clinic day started at 7am – thankfully we stayed at the onsite hotel and just had to roll out of bed and walk over for our initial appointments. The stress test is always the highlight of the day. This time they had us do a cognitive test while strapped into all the EKG equipment. Remember these five words “Face Velvet Church Daisy Red” – we’ll ask you about them later. I said them to myself after every individual test. Thankfully we both aced the cognitive test – “You guys are like neuroscientists.” No – we know a neuroscientist (Laura) and we are nothing like her. All the test results were good, and we’re set for another year.
On Wednesday afternoon, Denny recommended that we visit the Broadside to see the Tin Men in the new indoor theater. Sure. We met at the Bayou Beer Garden for snacks – the crab Rangoon dip was excellent – and then headed over to the Broadside for the show. Diana and Anne had a nice visit while us boys chatted.
Denny suggested Habana Café as an after concert dinner spot. This place had been trying to open for over a decade and finally did recently.
The food was great and the service equally good.
There is a piece of Bansky street art by the kitchen – very rare and worth a fortune.
Here are some other pictures from this excellent restaurant:
We met for Happy Hour on Friday at the Parkview Historic Hotel. The group really enjoyed the outdoor setting on such a perfect spring day. Even the guys got into the swing with Aperol Spritzes on the patio.
We really enjoy this porch on the side of Audubon park and with great bartenders.
Denny was working on us to attend the Yacht Rock (mellow classic rock from the 70s and 80s) at the Kingpin at 9pm on Friday. Most of us were resisting. Denny kept needling away on me until I succumbed. We had a great time.
Those ladies are dancing on a wooden cover for the foosball table.
We are glad we rallied and made the show with Denny, Anne and Thom.
Denny was working on me again to attend the Hogs for a Cause festival on Saturday. This time we held strong and rested up for all the festivals ahead. We did go and watch James Andrews at the Kingpin with Alex, Laura, and a brief appearance by Anne.
The band was very good, if not a little overly hyped up by James.
James doesn’t have the same natural showmanship as his younger brother, Trombone Shorty, but he tries. I got a kick out of the dancing from one of his younger family members:
You know a tuba solo is always close to my heart:
We started Sunday with a walk down the streetcar track on St. Charles. Then we tracked Marco on his Hawaiian triathlon. He did an amazing job, so soon after all his surgeries.
Less than 2 hours to finish. And he was 38th out of 750 competitors coming out of the initial swim. So proud of my brother in law for bouncing back with so much indomitable energy.
We just watched the Iowa ladies lose the NCAA Women’s championship – Campbell’s relatives will be so disappointed. Caitlin Clark was amazing throughout the tournament, and should certainly be picked number one in the NBA draft.
My book this week was “What the What?” by the wonderful Dave Eggers. It’s a huge subject, but I had a hard time sticking with it. Not quite as well done as Zeitoun, which resonated more closely with me. If you’re interested in learning about the history of the Lost Boys of Sudan, this is your book. It was just a bit too much removed for me. Here’s an online set of summaries:
“The epic novel based on the life of Valentino Achak Deng who, along with thousands of other children —the so-called Lost Boys—was forced to leave his village in Sudan at the age of seven and trek hundreds of miles by foot, pursued by militias, government bombers, and wild animals, crossing the deserts of three countries to find freedom.
When he finally is resettled in the United States, he finds a life full of promise, but also heartache and myriad new challenges. Moving, suspenseful, and unexpectedly funny, What Is the What is an astonishing novel that illuminates the lives of millions through one extraordinary man.
“A testament to the triumph of hope over experience, human resilience over tragedy and disaster.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“An absolute classic…. Compelling, important, and vital to the understanding of the politics and emotional consequences of oppression.” —People”
Kurt Vile played New Orleans last week. Several of my friends attended and reported a very good show:
Something great from another band that played here recently. Yo La Tengo means “I’ve go this”, like an outfielder running to catch a ball:
And here’s one from our Kingpin buddy yesterday, James Andrews, as we get ready for another festival season:
Coexist peacefully, with kindness and patience for all.