A New Orleans Christmas

No post tomorrow.  I'll be dining on a Christmas goose to celebrate the holiday, prepared according to an old German recipe.    In lieu of writing my best wishes to all tomorrow, I will do it now.  Thanks to our new readers.  I hope you are enjoying the ride.  If you enjoy what you find here, please spread the word and share.  What is an artist without an audience?

Six months and two weeks into my New Orleans life, I couldn't be more content.  I would like to thank everyone I have met along the way.  I am a granite-hearted New Englander used to both giving and receiving a frosty reception.  New Orleans isn't like that.  I am fitting in quite nicely and everyone, everyone has been kind and helpful, from new friends to complete strangers who are really friends yet-to-be.  In New Orleans, no person is an island.  Each is a part of the community adding to the color and flavor of each ephemeral and effervescent moment.  You can only be bored in New Orleans if you're dead and I'm not even sure about that, having never experienced first hand (yet).

I'll be watching the Bing Crosby/Danny Kaye classic "White Christmas" at the Prytania Theater on Christmas Day.  If you see me, say hello.  I'll be the chap in the wide brimmed fedora, usually the only one in the crowd.

I'm thinking about seeing two movies on Christmas Day.  With no family we don't have any plans aside from eating leftover goose.  It's a toss up between "The King's Speech" also at the Prytania or "True Grit" which I assume is playing on Canal Street.

I'm of mixed minds about True Grit.  As I've gotten older I've become a fan of a good western (I'm reading "Riders of the Purple Sage" as we speak) and I understand this version doesn't feature a lot of coarse talk and CGI.  On the other hand, as I've gotten older I have become a big fan of John Wayne.  Why mess with a classic?  I've only seen the original version one and a half times (fell asleep during the Netflix rental) but it's John Wayne being John Wayne, which is really what he settled on being no matter what role he was cast in.  We'll see.  I expect to be disappointed by the new True Grit which usually means I'll enjoy a film.  If I think it's going to be great, that's when I leave halfway through.

I'll let you know on Sunday after I dither about it and then decide to do something else.  It's a good thing the lady of the house has the patience of a saint.

The illustration above is by Stan Ekman courtesy of Today's Inspriation, a blog about mid-century illustrators where I fritter away a lot of time and learn a few things.

Happy holidays to all, peace on earth, goodwill, etc...  From the heart.
Best wishes,
WK

No trashy emergency

What can I say?  I can say the staff in the emergency room at Touro Infirmary is professional, efficient and a pleasure to deal with.  I'm not one to visit a doctor usually, but it's nice to have a fully staffed hospital down the street.  I can't wait to see the bill.

Being a medical biller, I know that insurers purchase medical services wholesale while people without insurance pay retail.  Everyone knows that only a sucker pays retail.  No insurance means that I didn't have much choice.  It's how the system is set up.  Unlike other businesses, you can't ask for a discount if you pay cash up front rather than set up a tedious payment plan.  They aren't allowed to offer discounts on prices they conjure out the air.

If a clinic were open in the dead of night, I would have much preferred to go there for half the retail expense.  It's the luck of the clock.  The nurse was nice enough to tell me what clinics are close to my home so I wouldn't have to go to a full scale hospital if my symptoms recurred during normal working hours.

Now that I know the problem, there isn't much chance I'll be seeking professional care over OTC, self-treatment until a doctor's office opens.  I woke up in the middle of the night and I said to myself, "If someone told you this, what would you advise?  You'd tell them to go to the hospital and damn the cost."  For once, I listened to reasonable advice, even if it was my own.  I opened a dresser drawer to put on a shirt and the sound awoke the lady of the house.  "What are you doing?" she asked.  "I'm going to the hospital,"  I answered.  "Do you want me to drive you?" she replied.  "Yes," was my answer.

No hubbub.  We just got in the car and took care of business.  Have I mentioned before that I am in love?

Today's illustration is the sign for the Trashy Diva shop on Magazine Street.  Have I mentioned before that I love New Orleans?