Sunday, July 26, 2009

ah bele chere

It was a little nuts to go to New Orleans one weekend and then be plunged in Bele Chere the next. Nuts in a good way, like, strolling around town with a beer seemed much more natural than usual but then also nuts in the usual bele chere way: the crowds! The heat! The music! The aroma of fried things! The nonstop utterly batshit insane street preacher action!

I had to work it, of course, as I do every year, so I took a lot of pictures (surprise, surprise) and I'm pleased with them as a whole. I like the new, improved, smaller, more local Bele Chere - it was good to see local buskers on the streets instead of nothing but professional festival types from all over; I ran into lots of local people; I am delighted at the end of the abominable ticketed concerts and all in all, I vote we keep the new festival layout and attitude. I ate at the Mamacitas booth (excellent) and the Mela booth (not as excellent) drank beer and wandered across every inch of pavement in downtown. I saw Stephanie's Id, who were great as always, Cracker, who also rocked, a few songs by David Hold and the Lightning Bolts, wonderful bluegrass and then I tried valiantly to see the Old 97s - seeing as how I really, really wanted to see them, more than any other band - but I crapped out about an hour and a half before they were supposed to start when I realized that I simply could not walk another block or take another picture or do anything except go to the Admiral and sit down with a PBR. Ah well. They're on my ipod anyway.

AND, in a first for this blog, here's a quiz! How fast are YOU going to hell? How many of the things listed on this sign are you? Leave your numbers in the comments! I am clearly going to hell, myself, because I can check off 12. I feel that is doing pretty well and my handbasket on AC/DC's highway should therefore be damn luxurious. Will see you all there!

9 comments:

MissPinkKate said...

Just 6 for me :(

Anonymous said...

could be 6, 7 or 8

Kathryn said...

He left off just plain pagans, so only 11 for me. I figure Buddhism counts a little. We also saw a guy with a sign touting the hell-boundedness of "monosexuals" which we had to google, and apparently it just means anyone attracted to only one gender, be they opposite or same. So according to that guy, only the bisexuals make it into heaven. So many rules!

Petulant said...

Only 11 for me also. If Buddhism counts, I guess I should say 12 for reading the Tibetan Book of the Day. If there was a "Pagan" that would put me at 13. Kinda. Alas, poor me has to settle for 11. Perhaps next year the sign will have more criteria.

Thank you F. This photo really brightened my day.

mygothlaundry said...

Yeah, I confess to pushing my numbers a little by adding Hindu on the strength of having read some of the Ramayana and being able to give a brief tour of the Walters' Indian art collection. But I might be sort of Hindu! I believe in reincarnation more or less! Hee.

Edgy Mama said...

Catholics, Mormons and Jews are in danger of Hell's Fire? Duuuuude.

I'm at 6 or 7. I have Mormon family, so that might count against me.

Jeremy said...

I got 9. But I must say, if all those people are going to hell, we're gonna have fun! I'll bring the booze.

rockygrace said...

Crap! I only got 7.

Andrea said...

One of those things is literally my middle name.