Mardi Gras round-up

I am officially back in the field after the lovely respite that was Mardi Gras/ my two weeks in house.  I have to say that this was by far the best of the six Mardi Gras I have attended for the following reasons:

• I love the new Jefferson parade route.  It's easy to walk to and not all of the parades use it, so it makes it easier to pace myself.  I think the lack of appropriate pacing was my problem in previous years.  I only really had one emo-moment during Endymion when I lamented my lack of throws and wondered what was wrong with me.  I did have a drunk co-worker tell me that no was throwing me anything because I looked like a dude with a mullet, so that wasn't really a shining moment on the parading front.  
• For the first time I had various friends along the parade routes, so I got to attend Mardi Gras parties.  That is definitely the way to do it.  We you tire of watching, or there is a lull in the parade you can go up to the house and relax for a bit.  Also, the food and drinks are easier to maintain and there is a working flushable toilet.  Heaven.  Also watching Thoth on Henry Clay has to be the best place ever.  There's more room and fewer people.  The perfect combination.
• My brother and cousin came.  There is nothing more exciting than other people's excitement.  Plus I got to show off my freinds and city to people. 
• I skipped actually Mardi Gras day entirely.  Zulu is too early, Rex is full of itself, and the Trucks parade is long and boring, so I gave myself permission to not go to any parades on the actual day. 

And in the whole reason-for-the-season type way, I've given up pizza for lent as I was getting too lazy in my field cooking.  Instead, for this week I made some pasta sauce, tofu and apple roll ups, and sun-dried tomato pin wheels, which really sound better than pizza anyway. 

Mardi Gras round-up

I am officially back in the field after the lovely respite that was Mardi Gras/ my two weeks in house.  I have to say that this was by far the best of the six Mardi Gras I have attended for the following reasons:

• I love the new Jefferson parade route.  It's easy to walk to and not all of the parades use it, so it makes it easier to pace myself.  I think the lack of appropriate pacing was my problem in previous years.  I only really had one emo-moment during Endymion when I lamented my lack of throws and wondered what was wrong with me.  I did have a drunk co-worker tell me that no was throwing me anything because I looked like a dude with a mullet, so that wasn't really a shining moment on the parading front.  
• For the first time I had various friends along the parade routes, so I got to attend Mardi Gras parties.  That is definitely the way to do it.  We you tire of watching, or there is a lull in the parade you can go up to the house and relax for a bit.  Also, the food and drinks are easier to maintain and there is a working flushable toilet.  Heaven.  Also watching Thoth on Henry Clay has to be the best place ever.  There's more room and fewer people.  The perfect combination.
• My brother and cousin came.  There is nothing more exciting than other people's excitement.  Plus I got to show off my freinds and city to people. 
• I skipped actually Mardi Gras day entirely.  Zulu is too early, Rex is full of itself, and the Trucks parade is long and boring, so I gave myself permission to not go to any parades on the actual day. 

And in the whole reason-for-the-season type way, I've given up pizza for lent as I was getting too lazy in my field cooking.  Instead, for this week I made some pasta sauce, tofu and apple roll ups, and sun-dried tomato pin wheels, which really sound better than pizza anyway.