Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler!

After a month in the snow I was looking forward to heading down to Nawlin's for a little warmth, humidity, and oysters...

My interview with the LSU Emergency Medicine Department just happened to fall on the day following the NFC Championship victory over the Vikings... and the whole town was going batshit crazy by the time I touched down at Louis Armstrong. With traffic on Canal at a standstill, and drunken revelers all around, I opted to grab my duffel and join in the melee. Walking to my hotel with a Big Ass Beer, I couldn't stop grinning. I love this town.

Elizabeth had driven down to meet up for a few days before heading to Oz, and after dropping off my gear we promptly bellied up to a nearby bar and ordered a couple dozen oysters on the half and a couple Abitas.

If I had a buck for every time we heard "Who dat!?" this trip I could forego residency and buy an island somewhere. It felt like Mardi Gras and the excitement kept us jazzed until well into the morning... At 3am an entire marching band jammed down the alleyway as we watched from the balcony of the St. Ann. With a 7am interview day staring me in the face, I finally forced a few hours of sleep...

The following day, the "Who dats" kept coming, as each of the faculty members and residents we met during the course of the interviews had been up partying at least as late as I had. The day went well, and we were treated to an incredible lunch at Le Pavillon. I got the down-low on the program from Rusty Peeples, a Columbus, MS native and UMC graduate, who's a 3rd year resident. The place has made a dramatic comeback since the storm, and the training here would be pretty amazing...

Following the tour and a quick nap at the hotel, Elizabeth and I started happy hour up right with a bottle of bubbly while planning the night's hedonistic gustatory adventure. This town knows good food, good tunes, and how to throw a party. After a couple stops in the quarter for munchies, we ended up at K-Paul's for dinner. Paul Prudhomme, owner and chef, opened in 1979 and it has drawn quite a following. Delicious gumbo, succulent oysters, hearty fried rabbit, and savory turtle soup... this place is incredible.

After dinner, we wandered around the quarter for awhile before heading back to the hotel to dream of chicory coffee and fresh beignets. Nothing like a trip to the Big Easy to warm the bones, fill the belly, and punish the liver...

Oh, and I almost forgot...

WHO DAT!?

Randomness, Korean Food, and one Helluva Show

First off, let me say... Hooray, Howard is Dead! All further updates to this site will be conveyed on my shiny new MacBook... Howard will be burned, tied to a cinder block, and thrown into the sea.

Ok, so here's the story of how Korean food led me to purchase tickets to Los Angeles...

Last Friday I was cruising down 6th Avenue, ravenous, when I caught a blue neon sign that proclaimed "Seoul Food!" Being a fan of both Korean food and the occasional well-placed pun, (not to mention a Southerner) this shiny electronic proclamation struck several chords with me, and I wheeled in for a bite. Between slurps of a bowl of incredible chicken curry soup, I engaged in a little friendly banter with the waitress. She was a watercolor painter who had been living in Denver for a year now. Being the only patron, we continued to chat awhile and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had moved up from Mississippi. Not only that, but she had lived for a time in Brookhaven... I was amused that the catchy neon sign outside had initiated the meeting of two wandering Mississippians, and I thought it might be cool to catch her next exhibit, so we traded info.

As I finished off my lunch and prepared to leave, she mentioned that some of her friends from back east were coming through playing a gig at the Walnut. I had the next morning off and am always ready for some live tunes, so I asked who the band was... "Come On Go With Us", she replied. Northwest Alabama/Northeast Mississippi's very own southern-folk-rock outfit... Chris Hurt (the bassist) dated SJH for a bit, and the guys crashed with Liz and I after a gig at George St. Tavern in Jacktown. The last show I'd seen was the 4th of July throwdown at the Lock and Dam in Columbus. I called Chris to get the lowdown on the venue, the roadtrip, and their post-show couch surfing plans... Now if that's not some beautiful randomness I just don't know what is.

The show that night was incredible. Besides a couple weeks around Christmas and Thanksgiving, the guys have been touring since the last show I saw and they looked phenomenal.

Lina, an aspiring Emergency Physician from Atlanta whom I had crossed paths with earlier on the interview trail, happened to be in Denver for the weekend and came out to see the guys. Highly impressed by the show, she even offered to house the guys for the night in her room at the downtown Marriott. You can imagine the security guards faces as six dudes trailed in at 2am toting sleeping bags and blow up mattresses... Ridiculousness.

If you haven't heard these cats, do yourself a favor and jump on http://www.myspace.com/comeongowithus. You won't be disappointed.

Oh, and about those tickets to LA?

Come On Go With Us, the Viper Room, February 3rd.

You can bet your ass I'll be there with bells on...

Oklahoma City, OK - Happy 2010!

Balloons, Confetti, Happiness...

After weeks of anticipation, a 9 hour drive, and a ridiculous number of security checks, we were amply rewarded by one hell of a show. The Flaming Lips New Year's Eve Freakout was an amalgamation of trippy tunes, trippier light shows, tons of confetti, and balloons, lots of balloons...

Wayne Coyne and the Flaming Lips have been pushing the acid rock/alt rock envelope since 1983, when he allegedly stole several instruments from a local OK City church and convinced his brother to start a band.

The piece de resistance began as the last seconds of 2009 ticked away... confetti flooded the arena, balloons covered the crowd, and Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was played in its entirety...

Big smiles, Very Big Smiles...