Choosing Joy #8

Today, I 'found' joy as I was sifting through some old e-mails. I found one that contains a list entitled "You Know You're From New Orleans When..." It reminded me of the things I love about N.O. - it's rich history, southern charm and especially its quirkiness. Oh, and yes, each of these perfectly describes me or my family or someone I know. I thought I'd share the list with you today. Enjoy!

• The four seasons of your year are: Crawfish, Crab, Shrimp and King Cake
• When someone asks directions, you use Uptown, Downtown, Westbank & Lakeside (or down Da road, if you're from the Parish)
• You proudly claim that Monkey Hill is the highest point in the city (and have rolled down it)
• You call it a neutral ground instead of a median
• Your burial plot is 6 feet over, rather than 6 feet under
• You can pronounce Tchoupitoulas
• When someone says "Magazine", you think street not periodical
• You have no idea what a turn signal is or how to properly use it
• You take a "right hand turn" instead of a right turn
• You call all intersections "red lights"
• You know to wait a minute before going when the light turns green
• You can cross 2 lanes of heavy traffic and u turn through a Neutral Ground, while avoiding 2 joggers and a streetcar, then fit into oncoming traffic without even touching the brake
• You know the definition of "Dressed"
• You know a Poboy is not a guy with no money
• You judge a Poboy by the number of napkins used
• You refer to any strawberry soda as "red drink"
• You "MAKE" groceries
• You know that a grocery cart is actually called a buggy
• You know what K&B, Schwegmann's, Tastee Donuts and Mckenzie's was
• You like your rice and politics dirty
• You know that those big roaches can fly, and you're actually able to sleep at night
• You consider a Bloody Mary a light breakfast
• No matter where else you go in the world, you are always disappointed in the food
• You call tomato sauce "Red Gravy"
• You call your grandparents (and everyone else's grandparents) "Maw Maw & Paw Paw"
• Win or lose.... You have and will always be a Saints Fan
• You don't learn until high school that Mardi Gras is not a national holiday
• You have a parade ladder in your shed
• You bring empty grocery bags to parades
• Your first sentence was "Throw me sumthin mista!"
• You refer to different high schools as "Catholic" or "Public"
• When someone asks what school you went to, you know they meant high school, not college
• You can remove the cap to a Tabasco bottle with one hand
• You put Tony's on everything
• You call a convenience store "Time Saver"
• Rain, sleet or hail will never keep you from Jazz Fest
• You go to sleep Friday evening before going out Friday night
• You have spent many a Sundays at the Lakefront
• When you moved or went out of town, you are incredibly relieved to meet someone from N'awlins and you kiss them like you're family
• You have a monogrammed GO CUP
• Your attic or garage is filled with Mardi Gras beads (and you just can't throw them away)
• You believe that Purple, Green and Gold actually look good together
• You have to reset your clocks after every thunderstorm
• You cringe every time you hear an actor with a southern or Cajun accent in any New Orleans based movie or TV show. They try to talk like us but they can't!
• You waste more time navigating back streets than sitting in traffic
• You're walking in the Quarter with a plastic cup of beer It starts to rain and you cover your beer instead of your head
• You save newspaper. Not to recycle but for a tablecloth at your next Crawfish boil
• Someone stops and asks you for directions and you stop and help them with a smile
• You know where you got your shoes
• You consider garbage cans a legal step to protecting your parking spot on a public street
• You go out to dinner and spend the entire meal talking about the other good places you have eaten
• You exhibit your "Doubloon Reflex" by stomping runaway coins with your foot
• You're left behind at an out of town bar because you're searching for a GO CUP
• Your bank deposits are marked "FEMA"
• Your first question in any telephone call is "Where Y'at?"
• You reply to anything and everything about life here as, "only in N'awlins"
• You're not scared if someone "Ax you something"
• You know no one actually says N'awlins
• You've greeted someone with "How's your Mom an 'em?"
• You know airline is a highway and not one of the companies that flies in & out of N'awlins
• You know that the Highrise is a bridge, not a building
• You read this and laugh through the whole thing saying "Yeah u right!!"
  

Until Next Time,

Kel