Shopping in the Quarter

Monday began boringly, as I tried desperately to concentrate on studying for Epidemiology. While I do like the class, I don't find the material all too gripping. So, instead, Holly and I went to pick up materials for a class we're taking in the spring intercession: Training Methodologies for Health Professionals in Developing Counties. It should be a very interesting course. Then, we headed to Mississippi!

Holly's friend is stationed there for a bit doing training, so we went to visit. And went gambling! For the first time ever! It was so much fun! However, Tuesday I began studying for Epidemiology. Then I went shopping!

Christmas shopping in the Quarter with Alana lead to some shopping and lots of eating beignets and drinking hot chocolate. How to explain how delightful beignets are? Well, start with the physical description: fried dough balls smothered in powdered sugar. While you can't laugh, talk or breath with one close to your mouth, they're warm and delightfully sugary and overall will make your day. After loading up on sugar, Alana and I headed out on Decatur to peruse the tourist shops for Nawlins things. I ended up with several types of masks, beignet mix, and a picture of the St. Charles streetcar. Although we ended up getting soaked in the rain, it was well worth the trek into the French Quarter just for the beignets. :)

Wednesday - Epidemiology final :( Watching Chicago with Alana :)

Thursday began early as I started surveying for a local clinic. The clinic, which serves mainly uninsured people, is monitoring and evaluating it mammography referral system. Throughout the semester, I've been pulling charts in my clinic and in the mammography clinic (which is free of charge) and talking with various people all in preparation for a phone survey to determine the barriers to getting a mammogram. With any luck, it will go well and we'll be able to determine why there is such a low rate of mammograms. Although phone surveying is no fun, I think the information I'm gathering will help the clinic and the people it tries to serve.

Thursday - more surveying....

Then, fun times tree trimming. Chris, my roommate, had a party to decorate his Christmas tree with eggnog and cookies. Chelsea and Laura came. Great fun :)

Friday, after my tedious surveying, I headed back to the Quarter to do more shopping with Chelsea and Laura. I didn't buy much but it was fun to look at the art on Royal Street and the kitchy tourist items on Decatur. Then I headed back to pack and babysit for Booboo (aka Malachi Gerard Sheahan IV). Slept over at Mal and Claudie's so I could get a ride to the airport but, alas, Delta changed my flights (something about my plane being stuck in St. Louis). Ended up going through Cincinnati instead of Atlanta, but luckily, despite the dire nor'easter warnings, I had no weather trouble. And I learned a fun fact! The Cincinnati airport, despite what you might think, is not in Ohio. It's in KENTUCKY! So, I got a new state on my map of those visited. Now, I'm back home, looking forward to some rest, good food, and fun times.

Celebration in the Oaks

This weekend was so much fun! After the crazy studying for Complex Emergencies and Biostats, it was a relief to be able to relax, sleep and have fun.

Friday, after Biostats, I took a long, luxurious nap... I didn't even set an alarm! It was delightful. Then, I headed to Frenchman Street for some live jazz with Megan and Alana. Have I told you how much I enjoy live jazz? It's incredible and so different from recorded jazz (which sounds like elevator music to me). But live jazz has energy and life and humor, wrapped up in good music. This weekend, I went to Snug Harbor and heard Ellis Marsalis. With a piano, drums, bass, trombone, and - get this - a xylophone! Who'd have though you could play jazz xylophone? Nevertheless, the concert was great.

Saturday, I moped around the morning, then went to a late lunch with Chelsea to get a po boy. So, this whole time I thought a po boy was more exotic than it actually is - I imagined some kind of weird meat (alligator, for example), in some kind of weird dressing/sauce with some unknown other meat. That's been my past experience with New Orleans food and I expected a po boy to be no different. I was sadly disappointed when a po boy turns out to be a type of hoaggie/sub. Yes, slightly different bread but, in essence, it's a fancy term for a hoaggie. Not that it wasn't good - it was very good - and now I can wow my Northern friends with my experiences with a po boy!

Continuing on - After the po boy experience, Chelsea and I headed toward City Park for their Celebration in the Oaks. We ran in the 2mile Run/Walk to get access to the park first! Along with Blessing, Jen, Emily and Brian, we made it through to end with hot chocolate, cookies, and iced tea. Then the lights - walking through Storyland, the Botanical Gardens and the park... everything was covered in lights and fun. There was even a Cajun Night Before Christmas! Here are some pics...

Then, I raced back to the house to go out with Mal, Claudie and Uncle Mal. We went to a wonderful steak house that I've walked past almost every day (it's at the corner of Josephine and St. Charles). Then we went to the Column's Hotel (also along St. Charles, also very fancy!).

Sunday was a relaxing day of rest and some studying!

Back in the Northeast

I'd forgotten how much I love fall! Not just the months between September and December... but the colors, smells, feeling of fall.

Over Thanksgiving (and a little before and after), I went back to the Northeast - NYC, Newark, Audubon, PA, to be exact. On Friday, I flew to Newark, NJ. When I left my house at 4am, the temperature was around 65 degrees. When I left the Newark airport at 11:30am, the temperature was around 40 degrees. Talk about a shock! When I finally got to NYC (Penn Station, to be exact) it was flurrying! Once I got over the initial shock of freezing, I remembered how much I love fall. As I walked around Fordham's campus, visiting my sister, I couldn't help but breathe deeply, walk in crunchy leaves, and shiver. When I got home on Tuesday, the realization hit me further. I took Ceili for a walk around 1am and the cold crisp smell - the pinpoint clear stars - the smell of rotting leaves - the sounds of fall - overwhelmed me. I didn't realize how much I'd missed the northeast.

(That's Ceili, in her new sweater!)

But, past the reminiscing... on Saturday, Eileen and I went to the Fordham v. Bucknell football game, the (last) home game of the season. I froze and the team lost. :( After sitting under several blankets and drinking hot chocolate, I was ready to head back out. Taking Metro North into Manhattan, we met up with Colette to try Burgers and Cupcakes, a restaurant Eileen wanted to try out... because who can resist burgers and cupcakes. The burgers were great, the cupcakes not so much. Next, we headed to Bryant Park to go ICE-SKATING!!! Again, I forgot how much fun ice-skating is. After wearing ourselves out, we headed back to Aunt Kate's for some warmth and movies.

Sunday we met up with Chrissy and walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and took the Staten Island Ferry - four boroughs in one day (stupid Queens). It was great to catch up with Chrissy! After a long (and cold, wet day), Eileen and I finally headed back to Fordham with a taxi driver who didn't know where to go! We got there safely though.

Monday - colder and rainier. We planned on going to the Bronx Zoo but my lack of warm clothes (and thicker blood) prevented it.

Tuesday - I putzed around while Eileen went to class then met up with Dad to go visit Aunt Peggy. She faithfully sat through my pictures of New Orleans (only someone who truly loves me could do that) and then we went out to dinner with Eileen on Arthur Avenue. Finally, we headed back to good ol' PA.

Wednesday - hmm... what did I do? Much of nothing.

Thursday - Thanksgiving... headed BACK to NYC for a Sheahan family gathering... all 24 of us! (Mom, Dad, Eileen, Katie, Aunt Kate, Michael, Maria, Santiago, Megan, Jim, Tommy, Dennis, Jenn, Kyle, Patrick, Brendan, Uncle Mal, Aunt Danielle, BreeAyn, Scott, Connor, Mal, Claudie, M4) A true nut house!

Friday - stupid NY parking laws! I had to get up early to go sit in the car until the street cleaner came by, drive around the block, and sit in the car again. Then we headed home. That night, I met up with Jess and we talked :)

Saturday - hung out with Smelli Muscelli! I went over to her house and we talked for a while then went to a furniture show at Chelsea Smith's house. I haven't seen her since graduation. It was a little weird but nice to hear how she was doing. Then, that night, we went to Applebee's and met up with Liz, Andy, Govind, Kyle, Jon, Andrew, Melissa, and some other people. It was REALLY weird seeing people from high school but also a lot of fun. Then we went midnight bowling. Fun day!

Sunday - oh the day of craziness! Started uneventfully with the Thomas's coming over to say hi. Molly and Kate are so big now and adorable. Riley, AJ, and Reagan are also growing... it makes me feel old 'cause Reagan's almost in middle school! I was her first babysitter! Anyway, shortly after, my dad was outside, slipped down the hill and broke his ankle (although we didn't know it at the time). Rising to the occasion by bringing out some true McCarthy stubbornness (of which every McCarthy, myself included, has varying degrees of), he decided it wasn't broken and that he could take the Thomas's family picture while kneeling! When he finally got inside and I pointed out the swelling that was occurring despite the super-tight socks he wears, he finally decided it might be a good idea to stop walking on it and go to the hospital to get it checked out.

Poor Eileen was left to leave without saying a real goodbye and I was left home alone on the last night I'd be there. Luckily, Nicole came by to keep me company and we mercilessly made fun of and gossiped about almost everyone in our high school yearbook.

Monday I flew back to Nola. Miserable flights, but I finally made it back, only 2 hours or so late. Since then, I've been doing work and being boring.

Pictures to come!