Leaving 30.08N 89.95W

Our time in New Orleans is slowly coming to a close. I wish I could say I did more looking around at real estate, but I have been busy. I did look around at houses and buildings when we would go out on walks, since there is nothing else to look at, except people...who are interesting...especially in the French Quarter.

The work on the condo unit we have come to do is almost done. Mardi Gras sort of kept us from working for almost two weeks. We have finished the IKEA kitchen for all practical purposes, and now that I have actually put one together from the boxes (shown at left), I think I'm still a huge IKEA fan. I think that if you want to update your whole kitchen look every decade, then IKEA is for you because that would be real easy. BUT--if you're looking for something more substantive, then perhaps something more solid might be to your liking. They are not bad little cabinets...they're just fancy particle board, that's all. IKEA isn't very upscale; it's where the middle class of Europe furnish their homes. But it is quirky, cool, and very well thought-out. I was talking about IKEA with a friend, and she owns many antiques, but she's pretty sure she'd love IKEA. Upon reflection, I think that antiques from the Arts & Crafts era are analagous to what IKEA is doing now--artisan-designed furniture and other home products. Some IKEA stuff will stand the test of time; other things will be quickly forgotten.

After a very short break driving around central Texas, husband and I may have found our next home. AND--I may not have to change the name of my blog after all. More to come on this front once we actually commit, either via a real estate deal or actually moving there, then buying something.

We thought about staying in New Orleans many times...and it seemed like there were always better reasons not to stay than there were to stay and try to build a life and another business. *sigh* It's sad because I love this town, and yes, we'll always come and visit as time allows, but we can't commit to the Grand Dame. We've become country folk during our time out west, and once you've tasted the quality of life in a small town, you want to live somewhere with cleaner air and streets, and less crime. We've met some cool people here, and the family we have here are all just wonderful. BUT--we've also met our share of really rude people, from snotty check-out girls at every grocery store in town (except Whole Foods) to the snooty Mercedes drivers who simply cannot think beyond the three-foot circle around them that is THE universe (they shop at Whole Foods). It's not the rude people that made us decide to leave...they were just the last straw of a load of other problems that the city may or may not ever solve. There is too much uncertainty here to really feel comfortable. Maybe that's why people are so rude. How the hell do you act when you don't know if your town will even exist in ten years? What if THE BIG ONE hits this summer? It's just too much to consider...then throw in the crime, the hideous infrastructure, the pollution...it's not for us. But it has been fun. And we will come back again...maybe for the first week of Mardi Gras. That was really nice.