Retired in the Crescent City

Gerald loves this well known adage:

“Work is the curse of the drinking class”.
It’s not that he disliked work – he rather enjoyed it, especially when he could do things his way. That wasn’t always easy in the corporate world, where it’s either ‘our way or the highway’. But then there was GRAK’s way, and he managed to keep to his principles throughout all those years of managing people, meeting objectives whilst thoroughly enjoying himself. Along the way, he danced Tango in Argentina, rode a donkey in Nicaragua and collected a bunch of wacky costumes from his annual sales meetings, which will now come in handy in New Orleans. He provided much fodder for Dilbert cartoons – loved to poke fun at systems and processes. His subordinates loved him but I have no doubt that most of his management was only too glad to see the backside of him when he retired last march.

So does he miss work with all the staff, status and benefits?

Nope. GRAK was made for Big Easy living. It suits his constitution. Everybody who knows Gerry can just see him eating, drinking and making merry just like, well, just like he tried to do when he worked.

People sometimes ask us: “So what do you do all day in New Orleans?”

Can you believe that? People actually wonder what we do all day in the Big Easy – in a city with more bars,restaurants and clubs open than before Katrina; where even funerals are cause for celebration, with brass bands leading friends and strangers alike second-lining through the streets. In short, we do what we would do in any city in the USA but in the edgy, heady atmosphere of nonstop music and wacky worlds within worlds. The Spanish speakers have arrived en masse since Katrina, so we're noticing a lot more Latin spicing up the jazz. It's true - jazzy salsas and sambas and big crowds dancing to them! Oh yeah, Gerry's latest project is learning Arabic. Not to be outdone, I'm thinking of learning a new language too. Maybe Greek or Mandarin. Not sure yet. Should brush off Latin for work at El Tigre.

While walking around the Quarter yesterday afternoon, I noticed a lot more police and horses on Bourbon Street and figured that it was a show for the International Law Enforcement Convention in town this week.

So I asked a policewoman, “Is all this to show off your horses or for crowd control – bet cha a bunch of drunken Police Chiefs must get pretty rowdy!”

“Both!” She said.

New Orleans living has been tough on me – wining, dining and hitting the theatres & jazz clubs with Gerald and still getting up early for Taiji at Woldenberg Riverfront Park.

The riverfront is perfect for Taiji because the runners stay to the pathways and in their own I-Pod worlds and I get to workout in peace on the grass. That is, until this morning when an Asian fellow showed up. It had to happen sooner or later. Now this is someone who’s really got the moves! He started off with a noisy version of qigong – something Patricia had been trying to get me to do. I call it spanking yourself. But this guy was really going to it – slapping and pounding himself and making such a racket that it rattled me right out of my nice, albeit amateurish, Taiji form. And then he started his martial art routine.

Oh yeah.... uh huh...., he got de moves!... All right! ... Who d’at!

But I have faith. In 20 years or so - when I’m a very old lady - maybe I’ll have the moves too!
Si dios quiere.