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I cycled through a plethora of conversations today that made me want to make note of all of them. One was with a friend who was talking about what MacArthur Foundation winners all share in common – 1) travel and 2) realizing when a situation is no longer serving them and reinventing themselves. These seem banal written here, but travel is something that puts you outside of your normal routine and makes you rely more on you than you realize. And reinventing yourself is downright scary but realizing that you will die inside if you don’t get out of what is no longer serving you is worse.

I also spoke with someone about UFOs as we actually thought we saw one – twice – today. Which is interesting because Tin kept saying “you said two times” and I couldn’t figure out what it meant and then later we saw the big orange ball of flames in the sky – twice. Weird.

Disciplining Tin – he needs a strong hand sometimes to get him in line – that is something that is going to require more reading as he is testing us, big time, and he can be spoiled but he can’t be a prima donna – that is something I won’t allow. Even stars need to be humble.

It’s midnight – the last Jazz Fester has gone – I kicked everyone out because I need my sleep and tomorrow is Monday and I need to regroup. We hula hooped, we drank, we ate, we talked, we hugged, we lamented the end of Jazz Fest, we spoke about next year – we’re done. A friend said to change the tee shirt I made several years ago that said, “I don’t know” to “It is what it is.” Amen.

Happy Jazz Fest Everybody – See You Again Next Year!

We had a wonderful last day of the Fest. We caught some Gospel going in, we saw some Cuban music at the Lagniappe Stage, we went to Congo Square and bought Tin some more bongos, we visited with friends at the Info Booth:

We headed to Gentilly where set up camp as Papa Grows Funk began their set. A man in a wheelchair was in front of us and Tin decided to make a home under him.

Then Michael Franti came on and got the whole crowd jumping. I left my friends there to finish out the Fest with the Nevilles closing out the perfect seven days.

Happy Jazz Fest and now the post Jazz Fest blues start to play

Or rather LaLa Fest begins:

This morning we went to Huevo’s on Banks Street for Mother’s Day breakfast. Tin ate tamales and I had a delicious breakfast burrito and afterwards Tin had a donut, well we both had a donut.

Then driving home a huge SUV ran a red light and was headed right into me and Jerri yelled WATCH OUT and I yelled FUCK and Tin yelled Happy Jazz Fest! And we missed having a serious accident by the hair of our chinny chin chin. We got home and Tatjana called – she’s in Slovenia with her cousin at a spa and were driving back to Zagreb; they had just missed having a head on collision.

Today when we got to the Fest, we stopped in the Gospel tent to give thanks for the angels who saved our lives today.

Yesterday as we were sitting on the porch everyone started reminiscing about my mother and the stories they told were all wonderful. My mother watching Bam Bam when he first escaped and then calling my neighbors at midnight. My mother’s belt buckle story. My mother’s sly green eyes and catbird grin. Mom – I miss you today.

Today, though, I’m a mother and was made one by a little boy who is such a blessing in my life that I have to keep pinching myself. I also have to keep telling myself that as nutty as it is, to have this beautiful, sweet and perhaps talented boy as my son, that it was meant to be, that my mother had something to do with it, that I had something to do with it, that Tatjana had something to do with it, and that even Steve had something to do with it. That I was meant to be Tin’s mother and oh what a difference to me. Happy Mother’s Day to mom, to me, and to T.

I did not go to the Fest yesterday, the reason is simple, Tin needed a day off and a good nap. Everyone and their mother said wake him up and get him out here. But I didn’t. And so the Fest came to me, like a magnet, I walked out on the porch and suddenly, one came then another then another. Happy LaLa Fest.

Tin was woken up by his two gal pals – Mignon and Calai (that he pronounces Kell Lay) and how delighted was he? So he put on a show for them with his imaginary trombone. I can see it very clearly now, pretty girls, a bone in hand, oh my – watch out, it’s Superman.

It is a human tendency to avoid downside, to sidestep risk, to take the path of least resistance, but I must say that the many times I’ve said yes and the many times I’ve said no have usually yielded the same conclusion for me – I did it my way and it proved to be the right way.

My friend said there are a lot of eccentrics that live in this neighborhood. Really? I think they are more enigmas than anything.

Yesterday, I was so tired that I fell asleep at the dining room table as my friend was showing me something on the computer. Then I laid on the sofa and went into a coma nap. Then I went to bed relatively early (10 pm) but I woke up at 4 am and it was not over!

Today is the 6th day of Jazz Fest but I spent the morning making pancakes for Tin and friends and then took a driving tour of the city that ended at Parkway where I ate only half a catfish on a bun but it feels like I ate an entire lake filled with catfish – Lord Today. My friends split a large roast beef poboy and a large catfish poboy – both dressed of course. Then one of them had to run catch a cab to fly home to New York – where he hopes to get some rest (now think about that).

Trombone Shorty comes on at 3:30 but there’s a good chance we might miss him because Tin is napping. And Mommy is not far behind. Guess he’ll just have to read about it in the paper (this morning he was  in the Times Picayune).

Ain’t this the truth:

May 07, 2011

1. Taurus (4/20-5/20)

    

   Every time you get rid of an old idea, assumption or unwanted item, you make room for a new influx of energy and growth. Today you could use a big dose of freshness, so see what you can do to empty a few closets (emotional and bedroom alike). Whether you toss a relationship, grudge or old sweater, you’ll immediately feel a sense of freedom and relief. You’ve been released from what you thought you needed — the truth is that you already have everything you need.

    

Yesterday unlike Jazz Fest past, we went about our normal day. I worked, Tin played with Margarete, and took a three hour nap, and then at 5pm we loaded up to go to the Fest. Rest, fed, and ready to roll. We went straight to the Kid’s Tent to see Gal Holiday & The Honky Tonk Revue.

Then we went by to hear Willie Nelson at Gentilly, Greg Allman at the Blues Tent, Arcade Fire at Acura and wound up at the Gospel Tent to hear Irma Thomas memorializing Mahalia Jackson. Sort of crazy huh?

We stopped at our friends’ annual crawfish boil where I ate crackers because I had to watch Tin and couldn’t belly up to the mudbugs. And then we made our way home stopping by another friend’s to see what was up. But it was going down the narrow Ponce de Leon Avenue that Tin’s Jazz Fest day began in earnest, there on the side of Nonna Mia was the Pinstripe Brass Band and Tin demanded to be let out of the chains of his stroller and to be given his trumpet. “Please,” I reminded him. “Puhleash,” he repeated to me.

And here is where the Tin man came alive, the leader of the band snatched him off from the sidelines and put him front and center while the paparazzi flipped open their camera phones. If my angel mom knew that Tin was my son, then New Orleans knows he is a child of this city – god bless these musical boys who take Tin under their wing and let him fly.

Rolling on home to the bayou, we stopped into Lyndon’s again, who was having Jazz Fest party number two, and his music was blaring across the bayou. He said his younger son is in a band and wired up his 1970 speakers with his 1970 Pioneer stere and it was like WHOA, they don’t make those like that anymore.

Thursday night, my friend said Femi Kuti was playing the soundtrack of his life, and I have to say, Friday was the narrative of mine complete with my little man making the music.