In New Orleans, I

>> met Brock’s wife (who has officially matched at a residency, though we know not where yet—congratulations!) who took me to Camellia Grill for breakfast. My meal consisted of a cheese omelette, french fries, over-buttered toast, and whole milk. I could feel the cholesterol plaques forming on the walls of my arteries. It was delicious. (I’ll be writing a lot about food.)

>> met another intueri reader. She’s a medical student at Tulane. She took me to Deanie’s Restaurant (I think the link is correct…), where I enjoyed my first shrimp po-boy. Bring on the fried stuff. She also took me on an impromptu drive through the more impoverished parts of the city, where there remain buildings that have not received any attention since Hurricane Katrina blew through. Though the water has since evaporated, there remain gutted buildings with roofs wrenched off, boarded windows, and mangled foundations. It’s sad.

>> walked along the Mississippi River. The blue-grey-brown waters endlessly churn past and carry vessels of all shapes, colors, and sizes along. Appropriately, I was unfamiliar with the water fowl in New Orleans and enjoyed watching the birds splash into the river before leaving en masse into the bright blue sky. I wonder if Mark Twain saw similar things.

>> toured a cemetary. City tours are a great way to learn history and observe how past events provide context for the present. The tour guide (a sassy woman named Madeline) informed us that the graves are above ground not because of the water table (i.e. causing the bodies to float), but because of Spanish tradition. (Perhaps any readers in Spain can corroborate this?)

>> met a voodoo priestess. She is apparently well-regarded, though, unfortunately, I understood very little of what she said.

>> walked along Bourbon Street. Loud music, open containers, flashing lights, off-key karaoke, green bead necklaces everywhere, young men travelling in packs, women wearing tight clothing, people streaming in and out of strip clubs. It was visually and aurally noisy.

>> heard a woman belt out Amazing Grace in a restaurant. A bartender suggested that we go to the Coffee Pot for breakfast and, while waiting for a table, we overheard a waitress sing. A light breeze was coming in over the water, unfurling the colorful flags along the street and causing the flowers and vines hanging down to sway. We listened and time paused for a moment. (Inside, I sampled calas cakes (fried balls of rice—tasty), creamy grits, and po-boy french toast. My sweet tooth was satiated.)

>> ate beignets. The air was warm and it was raining. Water trickled off of the green awnings of Cafe du Monde. A gaggle of teenagers sat at the table behind us, laughing loudly at their in-jokes and taking photographs of themselves as the night unfolded. Powdered sugar tumbled onto my black coat and the residue from the hot chocolate stuck to my lips. Romance blooms there.

>> did not have the opportunity to sit on a truck for dinner. Let me tell you about Jacque-Imo’s: The food there is delicious. Appetizers included cornbread drenched in butter, fried green tomatoes, and jambalaya. For the main dish, I ate the blackened redfish with mashed potatoes and collard greens. Oh. My. Goodness. Quite possibly the best mashed potatoes I have ever eaten (butter is a wonderful thing) and the fish rivalled the quality of that in Seattle. So what’s this about a truck? There is a pick-up truck in front of the restaurant that seats two. It’s cute.

>> eavesdropped on a taxi driver. He spoke primarily Creole (I think) and was clearly in a heated discussion on the telephone. One of the few phrases he said in English was, “Baby, it’s not what it sounds like.” That’s never a good sign.

>> sampled what are allegedly the “World’s Best Cookies”. And, no, they’re not the the World’s Best Cookies. Doubletree Hotels would like to think so. They’re not bad, but they are clearly engaging in hyperbole with such a bold statement.

>> got a sunburn. I know, right? I look unnaturally dark here in Seattle.

One of my favorite medbloggers stopped writing about a year ago. He cited several reasons for his departure; a primary reason included competing relationship demands. And not that other people were nagging him to stop writing; recognizing that his time and energy are non-renewable resources, he wanted to devote his efforts towards these relationships. So he said good-bye.

I took a break from intueri over a year ago. An untoward event prompted that hiatus and, obviously, I resumed writing thereafter. No untoward events have recently occurred, though I have been contemplating the future of intueri. There are significant implications (both “positive” and “negative”) in maintaining this site.

While in New Orleans, I had a conversation with someone about The Book. The Book is what I should write for “real” publication—I haven’t started writing it for a variety of reasons (they all fall under the umbrella of “I’m not ready”/”I’m too distracted”). One could argue that I blog to avoid starting The Book.

And, that being said, I still enjoy writing very much. And it’s cool to meet people through this medium (hi Molly and Amanda and Jesse and Yasmine and Terry and Patrick and Joshua and Michael and Justin!).

My ambivalence about maintaining intueri amplifies (motivational interviewing, anyone?). I am not yet sure if I shall stop writing online completely or, like others before me, continue to write, but on non-medical topics only. In another location. Quietly.

Just to keep you in the loop.