Who is that man?

I am returned from New Orleans.  It was a good trip.  I still can't decide whether my boss doesn't like me, or whether he's just so different from me that I can't tell that he likes me.  But, it was just the two of us and I really let him get to know who I am.  I was honest, open, frank, funny, decisive, and I talked about my family and who we are and who I am.  If he don't like me now, it's his problem.  I even told him the odyssey of buying new clothes for the trips this week and next week.

On Wednesday, I got to wear my fancy new clothes.  Look at the perfect hem in those pants!

Not too bad for an old guy, right?  Of course, I walked out of the hotel and into the New Orleans humidity and every crease I had so carefully ironed in smoothed out.  But, so what.  I looked good and I felt good.  That's better dressed than I've been in a while.  And, it made me feel pretty. 

I also ran into this man in the airport on my way out on Tuesday.

This is Beto O'Rourke, Texas Senate hopeful, waiting in the airport for his flight.  He flew Southwest, which boards in (mostly) the order you check in for your flight.  He boarded somewhere around group A, number 50, which kind of surprised me (on my flight yesterday, I boarded A56).  He didn't take advantage of his fame to board earlier than the regular folk.  And, there is no first class on Southwest...I've only run into politicians in first class (remind me to tell you about managing to accidentally bump a Texas congressman with everything I carried onto a flight as I passed through first class...it really irritated him and is one of my happiest memories, mostly because it really was a happy accident).  Love him  or hate him, you cannot deny that he has excited the Texas Democratic party like no one since Ann Richards.  I walked up to him and stuck my hand out and greeted him and thanked him for giving us a voice again.  My voice cracked and I became emotional and a tear slid down my cheek.  And, he took my hand in both of his (damn that man got some big hands) and he held onto me longer than necessary and looked me in the eye with concern and asked if I was okay and thanked me for being a part of his campaign.  The lady that shook his hand before mine had an accent and said this was going to be her first time to vote since becoming a citizen and it was so she could vote for him.  She was as emotional as me.  How wonderful to be a man that sparks that much enthusiasm.  Win or lose, he's put something in motion that I don't think will stop at the end of this election cycle.

Okay, so how about a big shout out to Cajun food.  I picked the restaurant that my boss and I went to on Tuesday night.  I don't think it was exactly the kind of place he was used to eating.  It was loud and the food was good and I needed more than one napkin because you got to peel shrimp with your hands...and I was amused to watch my boss peel his with a knife and fork...and he was very adept at it.  But, it was out of place where we were.  And, I sopped up the extra sauce on my plate with a big old hunk of crusty French bread and he commented on how I cleaned my plate...he never touched one thing he ate with his fingers.  So sad.

On Wednesday, I was alone and this is what I ate.  Shrimp and grits in a bacon flavored tomato based sauce with okra. 

My appetizer was pimento caprese, slices of fried green tomato with a home made spicy pimento cheese to spread on them.  Good lawd that was good food! So much better than what I get when my northern friends pick the restaurant. 

My co-worker and I have been tasked with picking the restaurants for next week.  She's from Cleveland.  We have different goals.  She wants to impress our higher ups.  I want to eat good food...the kind you got to get your hands messy to eat right.  The kind they can get in Cleveland (I know, what's the point of travel, right?)  I've pretty much given up and am letting her take over.  It's just not worth trying to change her mind. 

My theory is if they want to eat with me, then they can go where the food is good and have a couple drinks and laugh a lot.  And, if they want to take me to dinner, then they can do the work of finding a place to eat, with piped in violin music and white table linens.  Whatever.  I'm probably still going to use my hands and maybe even need a second napkin.

Everybody have a great weekend!  We will be doing a little bit of cleaning and chores.  But, mostly, I plan to sew.  And, spend some time in my wild, overgrown garden.  The rain was good, but it made all things grow.  Even the things I didn't particularly want to grow.

Lane