it's delightful. it's delicious. it's de-lovely

last night, my family went to galatoire's as we usually do for any big event in our lives - first communions, homecomings, easter, ballet recitals, and farewells. we realized too late that our last sunday together was about 3 weeks ago, so we had to bend and have our galatoire's supper on a tuesday night. didn't feel quite right, but it was galatoire's so i got over that really quick. for those true new orleans buffs out there, you might remember the restaurant for causing a bit of a controversy in the social scene a few years ago. a waiter, gilberto, was fired for a sexual harrassment allegation - and all hell broke loose when many new orleans socialites no longer had their favorite waiter. letters were written. glasses were flung. an entire campaign to "bring back gilberto" was launched. the letters were so funny that the "Galatoire's Monologues" were born and performed for a while around the city - with local actors just reading the letters. a float in the mardi gras parade "krewe d'etat" featured a giant papier mache likeness of gilberto's head. chris rose actually staged a coup where he went into galatoire's to release balloons with www.welovegilberto.com printed on them - to poke fun at the uproar. i just checked - the website is still up and running. seriously, only in new orleans.

i digress. so the dinner made me realize we are at the end of summer. michael leaves for school on friday, i leave monday, sarah leaves tuesday. friends in baton rouge are in baton rouge for a while. friends are working. friends are going to school. new lives have started. this is it. and it came VERY quickly. wasn't ready for that. but really, when am i ever ready for anything? never. never on time, at least. today i packed sweaters, pictures, and DVDs. i felt like that was pretty productive.

i've been listening to the "delovely" soundtrack all day. not the best movie - but a greeeeat soundtrack. cole porter could be a genius. went to sushi with two old friends - spent aaaall afternoon uptown, just catching up. 3 different people from 3 different high schools, who could come back and share similiar stories about the last 4 years. it was pretty cool. AND one of them will be in rome studying for the next few years. fantastic - ryanair flies between london and rome for like 30 US dollars. europe is sooooo the place to be.

"It was just one of those things,

Just one of those crazy flings,

One of those bells that now and then rings,

Just one of those things.

It was just one of those nights,

Just one of those fabulous flights,

A trip to the moon on gossamer wings,

Just one of those things

So goodbye, Dear, and Amen.

Here's hoping we meet now and then,

It was great fun,

But it was just one of those things."

(cole porter)

maybe it's good that i'm slipping out when i am. maybe my timing is good, in a way, for once. i don't know. we'll see. the last few weeks have been a blur, and i think it's all catching up to me.