Coffe, Vacation, and N'awlins

I didn't have any coffee this morning, so now I am battling a mid-morning headache.  I am not one of those people who can drink coffee all day long, but in the morning it's definitely the first thing on my mind.  So my plan is to get in a good workout at lunch and then if I'm still feeling sleepy I will swing by Starbucks on the way back to work with an iced latte in my hands.  Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face.

That was totally NOT the overall subject of this post, but I felt the need to start off on an unrelated tangent.  Truth be told I don't really have a subject for this particular post.  I just felt the need to start typing.  Dean and I are leaving Saturday morning for New Orleans.  Bring on the catfish, the beignets, and the Hurricanes (most notably the ones at Pat O'Briens).  I love New Orleans.  I'm sure that statement has been uttered by a lot of people, but one more time can't hurt.  I have never been to a city like New Orleans before, and each time I go back I fall a little bit more in love with it.  Granted, since Dean's parents don't live directly in the city, but across the Causeway Bridge in Mandeville, I don't spend every waking moment of our time there wandering the streets of the Crescent City, but everything I've experienced thus far has been fabulous.

If you know me, you know I have a passion for history.  And you probably also know that I am a ghost story addict.  Well, when it comes to history and hauntings, New Orleans covers both areas to the extreme.  You know it's the most haunted city in America, right?  But ghosts aside, just the history of New Orleans alone is a remarkable tale.  While I canot recite every detail for you in chronological order, I have purchased several books on the topic and am utterly amazed at what has transpired through the years.  Of course, that isn't to say crazy things aren't still happening in the present day (just walk down Bourbon Street if you don't believe me), but the things people used to get away with are amazing.  

So for a week I will head south.  Chances are there won't be any blog posts in my absence, but I'm sure my three readers will be able to hold out a bit for my next riveting composition.  I'm looking forward to the time away.  While I will miss my dogs, I will not miss sitting at my desk at work for 8 hours a day, forever answering emails and phone calls, and thinking about how the weekend is so near yet so far away.  Vacations are such a blessing, if only for those few things.