Mardi Gras Season Update, 5 days 'til Mardi Gras Day

The kids, as captured by Dad. This wasn't even after a parade... it was yesterday after school, taking a detour to the 'burbs on the way home to get felt and paint at the craft store. (We did attend Pygmalion last night, though.)
The float, current state. Fixins' added tomorrow.
Boots, Paul's and Will's. I'm so very much in love and feel strongly that we all may need golden boots.
The ladder. Decided to keep it simple.
The Mardi Gras Superhero emblems. Hooray for felt. Hopefully, the costumes (which are more franken-costumes than actual costumes) will come together!

New business idea: online store that sells MATCHING COLORED universal garments. Matching colored t-shirts, sweats, leggings, tights, hats, turtlenecks, and more -- from infant to XXL Super Tall. Finding the same color clothes for matching outfits for all of us was IMPOSSIBLE. So my fingers are crossed that the scavenger hunt over the past month is going to come together.

Taking me away from Important. Adult. Business.

I SHOULD be spray painting rubber boots, making superhero emblems, and decorating that seriously gorgeous float sitting in our outbuilding. And Emmy just called from the Mardi Gras store... I could be with Emmy in a Mardi Gras STORE!?! My priorities are way out of whack, 'cause that is what I should be doing.

Instead, I'm redoing my consent (or at least complaining about it) because the IRB people don't like that I wrote a sensible, understandable, useful form (in two languages, don't forget that part!) I didn't correctly use their template and didn't have a running footer with the version date. Apparently, you MUST use their ALL canned fill for ALL project submissions, even when it includes stuff about my salary from the research (what?!) and the potential profit in the sale of body parts (hello, this is qualitative research, people!) I understand and respect the IRB process and generally think it's super fantastic that they are mandatory, but seriously... isn't rational thought involved anymore??

Actually, what is pissing me off isn't all of that... bureaucracy I can reasonably handle. I'm ticked that I requested meetings 3 weeks ago to go over these details and was blown off... three times. So I'm irritated that NOW I'm having to make changes. I guess it could be worse... they could've flat out denied me and made me do the whole process again. Aye, when I think about all the trees who gave their lives for this submission...

Important adult business

Hooray and hoorah, I submitted a mammoth-sized pile of documents to IRB today for the Biomedical Review board. Between the multiple copies of everything, the fact that so much of the material had to be in both English and Spanish (with translation certifications), the thing was probably 250+ pages. I practically had to give a blood sample to turn it in... but it's DONE. Fingers are crossed that any review is minor. Time to move on to hiring staff... but that can wait until next week. Important work presses...

Like finishing the paint on the ladder. Adhering superhero names to our costumes. Adjusting my wig. Finding awesome costume bling. Determining which headpiece is the most appropriate for each parade. Important. Adult. Business. Get out the glue gun; it's Carnival time!

It's official: we're Mardi Gras fantantics.

Paul is making a float for Friday's Krewe of Abeona parade. He used scrap wood we had in the back from the renovation/addition. Wheels came from the hardware store, although Paul isn't quite happy with them and designed it so that upgrades may be made in the future. While it is made currently to push, he's going to attach ropes to the front if folks want to pull it instead. (It works sort of like a shopping cart when pushed from the back and is actually pretty agile, all things considered.)

A few key pieces were supplemented from wood we use to cover the front door transoms when we evacuate during Hurricane season. He figured there was something... appropriate... about using Hurricane protection materials for a Mardi Gras float.

Here it is, before trim.

While he finished trim, I primed the top of our ladder. No idea what we're going to do with this, decor-wise, but I thought it needed paint nonetheless.

Then we worked together to prime the float before going to pick up the kids. (How could we not knock off a few minutes early to enjoy the gorgeous weather? Not that everyday hasn't been like this lately!)

After dinner, while I got Kate ready for bed, Will and Paul put on the first coat of purple paint.
It's now almost 11pm. Paul just left to go to the out building to put the second coat of paint on the float. We're trying to get the big coats of paint on and done so that they have plenty of time to dry and we have plenty of time for blinging out the rest of the contraption!! We should have stocked up on battery powered lights after Christmas...!

The things we do for our kids.

This totally freaks me out.

There is no way I'm ready for a return of the New Kids.

Sunday Parades

We weren't up for braving the rain Friday night, nor the cold Saturday afternoon.

We did get out Saturday night (see post with loot, below), but didn't go with all the gear until Sunday. Minor error in that we thought both parades rolled up Napoleon... in fact, Carrollton rolls down Napoleon and King Arthur rolls up. But give us credit: we figured it out before the WDSU channel 6 guy did (and boy, was he pissed).

Paul and the kids, with the ladder, on the corner of St. Charles and Napoleon (obviously.)
Looking up Napoleon. See the King's float ahead?

Queen of the Krewe of Carrollton. (Each time we see a Queen of Krewe float, Will calls out, "that's just like Ana!")
Kids and Paul. We did get a "My wife is from Norway and HAS TO KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THOSE HATS" regarding the head-gear. They were $3 from MardiGrasOutlet.com out of Baton Rouge. Supplier to all our bling this year. (We got 3 of the helmets to go with our Mardi Gras Superhero themed costumes, which are still in-the-works for Friday's debut.) Kate was all eyes for the parade. (Note that she is wearing different mittens on each hand -- her request -- and the multicolored one MUST go on the right hand.)

Floats, throws, and riders.






Kate's favorite throw of the afternoon was this crawfish, which she held in a vice grip for the remainder of the parade.


These cops hung out on the corner chatting through the whole parade. I was sure one of them was going to get accidentally bonked on the head by a throw.



Right after Carrollton, we quickly moved a few blocks down Napoleon away from the congestion at the corner of St. Charles. This stretch of the start of most parades, in the neutral ground on Napoleon, is our favorite area for parade watching.

Side note: We've heard that folks can rent port-a-potties for the Mardi Gras season... according to the forums, you can't put a rented port-a-potty on the neutral ground. But we saw at least two with "private" signs and locks on them -- one of them was marked as a fundraiser for a local school! We are totally looking into getting a potty next year. Anyone have more detailed 4-1-1 on this?

We set up near this awesome viewing platform. I totally want Paul to build one. I have no idea how we would store or transport it. I think we'd have to leave it out the whole season in the neutral ground chained to our rented port-a-potty.
Once moved to the new location, Kate was OVER the parades. She was DONE with being on the ladder. See her below? She is trying to strangle herself with beads. Even Will was begging for her removal.She was all about climbing the ladder. Until she realized the bounty on the ground around her.
Paul took a few pictures of the parade while I wrangled squirmy Kate.

She was so squirmy that we couldn't get her back up on the ladder, even for snacks. Finally, I wised up and realized she had a serious diaper. Damn... and we were without the diaper bag! (Totally my fault!) I took her to a church across the street that was selling food (i.e.: location for napkins) and scooped out the mashed mess as best as I could. This helped her remain somewhat content until the end of the parade.

Paul took this great picture of the cars across the street and managed to get me and Kate in front, walking back from the scary diaper incident.
After the diaper, Kate spent the rest of the parade playing Mardi Gras scavenger, picking up all the beads strewn through the grass. She then found every dog within the 6 blocks up and down Napoleon and proceeded to give each animal all of the beads she found. I'm not kidding. She even took my beads off to give them to a Golden Retriever she particularly liked. I drew the line when she started to dig beads out of an ant pile. (I think she was more unhappy with my interference than she would have been if an ant had bit her.)

Finally, the parade was over and we headed out. This is how we roll... Kate in the stroller and Will on the ladder:

Will LOVES this fish from King Arthur. He brought it to school and slept with it at nap time today... he loves it THAT MUCH. So thanks, rider from King Arthur!!!
Happy Mardi Gras!

Kate. Loves. Dogs.

When walking with Kate, one must be very careful. This is because she will move, as fast as possible, toward any animal she sees... especially if it's a dog. This includes, but is not limited to, dogs walking down the street, dogs walking across the street, dogs in a house down the block, dogs whizzing by in a car, and dogs that Kate makes up in her imagination.

To interrupt Kate's love-fest with a dog, you will need to physically remove her from the animal. This will result in THE POUT.THE POUT may last an especially long time, at least until she is re-united again with her animal love, or is found a suitable replacement. Her brother qualifies as a suitable replacement. As does her family "gato," Scout. Her Daddy and Mommy do not.

When faced with THE POUT, one needs constant vigilance. THE POUT gives her certain super-powers aimed at circumventing all attempts of control. This includes, but is not limited to, kicking, running, fussing, wiggling, and going boneless. Note picture below: she is Assuming The Position. Prepare for defensive maneuvers.

What I learned in my PhD

The more I do this PhD thing, the more I learn. Don't confuse this with being trained in your field; that stuff you learn in a post-doc. PhD learning is about learning how to get through a PhD. Unfortunately, I'm not proving to be the best learner in this area... I'm too determined to actually gain something from my experience and catching on a little too late.

Today's lesson: there is a reason why PhD students do not do independent research. PhD students are better off piggy-backing something on a Professor's work agenda because that is THE ONLY WAY TO GET ANY F&%$*!NG attention.

If I weren't okay with just charging ahead on my own with no direction whatsoever, or practiced at getting feedback and advice from other areas (read: other universities, departments, persons outside my chair), then nothing in my degree program would ever happen.

Quantifying Loot

People are often surprised when we send bags of Mardi Gras loot -- how much do you get from a parade? -- is a common question. This photograph, taken hastily, is an attempt to answer that question.

This represents part of the Saturday night Uptown parades... floats 16-18 of Sparta and the entire Pegasus parade. We went as is... just walked up, no step-stools or ladders. Will sat on Paul's shoulders and I held Kate. We were out for maybe 90 minutes; including a 25 minute stall towards the end of Sparta when a float somewhere up the line had a technical malfunction. The parades include horses, live bands (including our neighbor, Mitch --no, not that one--, with Michael Hurtt and the Haunted Hearts), drum lines, high school bands, and a ton more.

Favorite throws of the night featured in the pile below included a purse with a big butterfly on it (Kate has been carrying it around non-stop all day); a huge spear (we hid it almost immediately); a pirate set complete with treasure chest, coins, earring, and dagger; huge stuffed dolphin; Sparta Trojan horses; Pegasus horses (with red manes and blue sashes); a huge snake; four footballs; and a soft plush beanie "gato." Granted, this is a pretty decent haul for essentially one parade... but it isn't uncommon by any means.
What do we do with all this stuff??? Well, we will divide them this week. Broken strands, stuff we don't want, and excess pieces get donated to local charities who re-string them or use them in project-based fundraisers. A huge portion of the stuffed toys and footballs will be thrown in the Abeona parade (it's tough for the kids to throw beads, since they tangle, so they mostly throw cups and stuffed toys). The collectables and favorites get added to their current toys -- most of the them go with the puppet show animals that they play with. Other favorite throws are packed and sent to friends all over the world. We keep beads and other shiny traditional throws on hand year-round for care packages.

Still more get packed away in "rainy day" boxes. These come out on icky days for imagination play, the whole costume box (many of which I wore in junior high and high school, ranging from my Alice in Wonderland dress made by Grandma Betty to the purple dress my Mom wore in her high school portrait to a skunk costume to a Betty-Boop mask) plus the Mardi Gras masks, hats, beads, and accessories. Who doesn't love dress up? I feel certain that every household in NOLA shares the common bond of having these boxes of fun tucked away in the backs of their closets.

Piles it Higher and Deeper Reflects on NOLA

The guy who draws PhD Comics, Jorge Cham, came through New Orleans on a trip to the Gulf Coast and wrote a comic about some of what he heard and saw in his most recent installment. Click on the comic to go directly to it on the web:

Kid Update

Will (4 years, 2 months)

Listening, as understood by Will, is when you HEAR something and then DO exactly OPPOSITE what you have just been told. Action should be immediately followed by a cute, snappy phrase. Example:

scene: in the kitchen, making snacks for school
Me (giving Will the spoon for stirring): "Remember, it's not sanitary to taste the dough before baking."
Will (stops stirring, brings spoon to lips): "I'm just going to give this a little taste...."
Me: "WILLL!!!!!!"
Will: "That is TOO GOOD!"

Honesty, as understood by Will, is admitting that when you tripped your sister, you did it because that it exactly what you meant to do... because you realize that your Mom or Dad or Grandparent watched the entire scenario unfold. Example:

scene: in Granna's bedroom, Will rolls over the floor to slam into Kate from behind, who buckles and crumples to the floor
Granna: "WILL! What happened!?"
Will starts to say I don't know...
Granna: "WILL. Be HONEST. What was in your heart when you rolled to Kate?"
Will: "That I wanted to knock her down."

Favorite Food: Hamburgers.
Favorite Song: Clean My Room by the Imagination Movers
Favorite Art Endeavor: Drawing Superheros and Bunnies
Second Favorite Art Endeavor: Tape.
Preferred Form of Parental Torture: Hearing what you say, but ignoring it
Preferred Form of Sibling Torture: I have it, you can't have it
Favorite Show: The Wonder Pets
Favorite Story: Bartholomew and the Oobleck; "I Love You More" Stories
Favorite Song to Sing: Feed the Birds
Second Favorite Song to Sing: Sing
Favorite Conversation Subject: Reasons why we should let him watch "Star Wars"
Favorite Good Kid Activity: Cleaning up the kitchen table, setting the table before dinner
Cuddly of Choice: Big Toe (Ugly Doll)


Kate (20 months)

Please, according to Kate, is what you say very sweetly when you want to take away whatever Will has. Example:

scene: in the car, Will is looking at a piece of mail and Kate decides she wants it
Kate: WHINE....
Us: "Kate, use your words."
Will: "She wants my flyer. But I am looking at it."
Kate (in the sweetest voice possible): "Peeze, Woll, Peeze."

Learning to speak, according to Kate, is a thoughtful process where one chooses which words and phrases to say and which to completely ignore, no matter what. Case in point: Kate will happily repeat "DAMN" after I utter it upon stubbing my broken toe, but will not ever, under any circumstance repeat the phrase "THANK YOU," no matter how many times we parrot it to her or what bounty we hold out to encourage it.

Favorite Food: Cheeseburgers.
Favorite Song: The Monster in the Mirror (the "Wubba" Song) as sung by Grover
Second Favorite Song: Elmo's Song
Favorite Art Endeavor: Paint.
Second Favorite Art Endeavor: Glue.
Preferred Form of Parental Torture: The Supersonic Screech.
Preferred Form of Sibling Torture: I must do whatever you are doing. Right. Now.
Favorite Show: Elmo.
Favorite Story: Elmo. A plus if Elmo has flip-up windows.
Favorite Rhyme: Ring Around the Rosie (really likes that "fall down" part at the end)
Favorite Conversation Subject: Emmy. ("Ehh-mee," with accent on first syllable.)
Favorite Good Kid Activity: Giving her brother hugs
Cuddly of Choice: Elmo. And Ugly Dog.

Things to freeze your arse off for while in DC

On Sunday, we slept until 9am, 8am Central Time, had breakfast and ventured in the 20-degree, clear sky D.C. day. Paul feared of frostbite at every turn, with good reason, since I was dragging him all over hillsides and sidewalks. We walked down to The Marine Corps Memorial, which I had never seen in person. I am embarrassed to admit it: but I didn't even know it was in Virginia (I assumed it was near the memorials along the Mall area.) I also didn't know it was so. damn. big. The thing is huge! After seeing it so many times in pictures, I was a little caught off guard when I noticed a lump in my throat looking up at it. It is surprisingly moving in person. (It is also surprising that the photograph of the monument on the National Park Service website is marred by a huge street sign in back of it. Yikes!) Can you see the Washington Monument peaking out to the right of the monument? It's a beautiful view into the District from this hillside.Then, after a 5 minute detour due to being lost, we headed into the District. We ended up hitting Independence almost all the way at the Capital, at the end of the Mall. A parking space magically appeared and we took it as a sign we should get out and go to the Museum of the American Indian.
If you went to public school in the United States, chances are pretty high that you know next to nothing about American Indians. By American Indians, or Native Americans, I mean in indigeous peoples whose residence in the Americas (South America, Central America, and North America) pre-date European settlers. What I know about Native Americans I learned mostly by going cross-country with my family when I was 16 (our first family vacation, but that is another story). The bottom line of this learning was that I uncovered the horrible truth: we (European settlers and early White Americans) were shit-heads to Native peoples and are country continues in this legacy to this day. Somehow this message got watered down in schooling.

Side note... One Big Reason for this, incidentally, was because Lynne Cheney (AKA: the Antichrist) during her tenure as the Director of the National Endowment for the Humanities in the 80s (*shutter*... a Reagan appointee... one of the many reasons that the nostalgia over 'the Reagan years' makes me hurl), she was hell-bent on an agenda for the design of teaching standards in American History. She advocated for "America-first" curriculum which heavily favored teaching U.S. students of the good 'ole days when our country's leaders were limited to wealthy, land-holding white men who own black slaves and discussed the merits of whether or not it was wise to let women learn how to read. Any type of programming which challenged the idea of the Destiny of America as some sort of Divine province worked against this ethnocentric vision. Programs which logically and realistically portrayed Native peoples or showed the happenings of history in a less-than-rosy light were Not Part of The Plan. So if you grew up thinking, "jeez, I know we've made some bad moves with Native Americans, but it's all good, 'cause we're the good guys!!" then you've got Lynne Cheney to thank. (Side note: she would rally against this very program when it was altered after her tenure at the NEH and later, she would advocate for the de-funding of the entire program. I watched her testimony on Capital Hill while I was a federal employee at the NEH's sister agency, the NEA.)

Anyway, if you grew up in the Lynne Cheney bubble, there is a cure. This museum. It is fantastic.


The inside has a huge open atrium that circles up (not unlike the Hirschhorn) -- like the inside of a huge hive. I only took A Photograph inside (below, of an Aymara Reed boat).

We didn't have enough time to enjoy all of the exhibits but were incredibly impressed with what we did see. I think my favorite exhibit was on the Contemporary Lives and Identities of Native Peoples, focusing on several tribes (the Igoolik in Canada and Pamunkey in Virginia are the ones that I can remember). The honesty and clarity within the presentation of materials was striking. Other areas that stood out were pieces that illustrated the impact of disease in Native peoples as a result of Contact (a word capitalized through exhibits) and the immense quantities of gold and treasures stolen. The range of quotations, thoughtful and memorable soundbites, and video clips were impressive. The Museum is a beautiful tribute to what must have been an incredible creative partnership. I strongly recommend taking the kids and giving it a go... can't wait 'til our kids are old enough to appreciate this sort of thing.

***
Across Independence was the Department of Education (where we parked) and after dragging Paul around the Mall, I noticed the little read school houses covering every entrance of the building. I had to get a closer look.

See the bell? It's a school bell from Milford, Pennsylvania. The plaque reads:

Milford School Bell
Dedicated November 13, 1989
As an enduring symbol of the United States Department of Education's goal to educate every American to his or her fullest potential.

George Herbert Walker Bush
President of the United States

Lauro F. Cazavoz
U.S. Secretary of Education

How nice! It's to symbolize the Mission of the Department of Education to provide a quality education to all American children. What is that, in back of the bell? Those little red houses? What do they symbolize? A closer look:

Expensive edifices with no purpose, reminding us that the No Child Left Behind program reigns this country. You know, the program that works fitfully against the message on the "enduring symbol" emblazed on the monument that sits in front of the building. Ack! The irony!


***
We drove more around the District (read: got lost a lot) and finally determined that it would be too long of a walk to see the WWII memorial. Instead, we drove down to Hain's Point, stopping along this bridge, by the George Mason Memorial.

Hi George!
Finally, we got to Hain's Point (read: got lost and almost couldn't find it). The Awakening was still there. The sky was crystal blue and we were the only ones there. (See that red car in the corner? That was the Ford Mustang the rental agency upgraded us to when we gave her Mardi Gras beads at check-in.)
Looking out Hain's Point.
Will would have LOVED this sculpture.
***

It took us about 30 minutes to get the airport (26 minutes were lost) and we had an easy trip back (read: there were no kids to wrangle). Great trip!