Teapots At NOMA.


This is so queer, but I am kind of excited about this new special exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art; Traditions in Elegance, 100 Teapots From the Norwich Castle Museum. I've never collected fine china, but it has a fascinating history; the Europeans went wild for fine porcelain when it was first imported from China and spent years and and much effort to come up with their own version of the process, since the Chinese were not interested in sharing the secret. The slightly mad royals of the continent each tried to control porcelain making and routinely stole or kidnapped each others experts, all the while assembling vast collections that filled rooms and rooms. It was a grand passion then, and if you watch Antiques Roadshow, especially the Brit version, you can see it's still a grand passion today for a select group of mad queens. I have to admit that I get a buzz from Derby, Minton, Spode and Wedgewood; this stuff is just so nice. And I do love a cuppa.

Huge Entertainment News.
The city is abuzz with the news that movie to be made of John Grisham's latest novel Runaway Jury, will be filmed entirely in Louisiana. The $60 million production will bring a lot of work for local techs over a four and a half month period, since all filming, including studio work will be done here and only post production will be done elsewhere. It's a first for local studio facilities and hopes are high that it will lead to more. During the shooting schedule, locals will be dining out more often in hopes of catching a glimpse of stars Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz. It's a welcome change from the recent trend of using Toronto as stand in for New Orleans and the south. No offense to my Canadian friends, but the real thing is here...

The Job.
Things with the new job are going quite well. I am working six days a week, (but not over 8 hours a day), since I am training in two different departments, but it's OK, I need the time to learn what's going on and figure out what I want to do there. Strangely enough, I am actually doing production cooking in the Prepared Foods Dept. three days a week right now, something I thought I'd never do again. Much to my surprise, I am enjoying it a great deal and I'm coming home each day full of ideas for new things. I've also had some days when I have come home sore and exhausted, but after all the time I spent sitting on my ass, that's to be expected. During this second week, I've been getting back in shape and feeling much better at the end of the day. I've learned where to take a break and I am getting used to getting up at 3:30 AM. The next two days I go in from noon to 6 P.M. for the specialties dept. and get to taste cheese and learn some more about the coffees, teas and wines that we carry. Don't know exactly where I'll end up full time for the company in the next few weeks, but the possibilities are many and very interesting. I haven't been this interested in going to work in a long time.

Etta James



I watched the movie Pleasantville Monday night, which features the yummy Tobey Maguire. The basic plot is that two 90's teens get transported into a 50's sitcom world where everything is predictable in black and white. It's a kind of sweet little fable and I like the film very much. At one point as the kids start learning about life outside the the sitcom and falling in love with the newness of things, and as things start appearing in color, (especially a lovely drive through a shower of cherry blossoms), the song "At Last" by Etta James is in the background. It just blew me away, what a great R&B voice! I've got to get it a recording of it.

At last
my love has come along
my lonely days over
and life is like a song.

At last
the skies above are blue.
Well, my heart was wrapped up in clover
the night I looked at you.

I found a dream
that I could speak to
a dream that I could call my own.
I found a thrill
to press my cheek to
a thrill that I have never known.

Well, you smile
you smile
oh and then the spell was cast.
And here we are in heaven
for you are mine at last. sigh....


durlx