fifteen minutes

Since I live in what is arguably the most famous neighborhood in America, ~and without question the absolute coolest one~ I’m at a loss to explain why I haven’t written about it since November. I still have no idea what I plan to say, but I’m giving myself fifteen minutes to make a post on this blog. It’s 7:02 p.m. on July 9, 2009. I’m at Molly’s on the Market on Decatur Street.

Fifteen minutes — GO!

We moved here almost a year ago. People are always asking me why we moved to New Orleans. Usually they ask this like we’re nuts for doing so. I’ve become used to this. Here’s the short version:

We both lived in Baton Rouge for 13 years. I moved to South Carolina with my oppressively controlling ex-husband. Then I divorced him. Then my current husband, who is the love of my life, came to be with me there, in the heart of the Bible Belt, where there were two religious universities within 10 miles of our house which went by the names of BJU and FU. ~bob jones university and furman university, respectively~

We didn’t belong there. We knew that. We wanted to move. Then came Hurricane Katrina. We were hurt for the city. It’s hard to go into that here on a summer evening.

I looked for, and was offered a job here in May of 2006, but as best we could determine there was a long waiting list for places to live and the change was too sudden. Little did we know it would take two more years to make it here after that.

Eventually my friend Dawn ~the only redeeming thing to come out of bju, as far as i can tell~ told me, “Moving is always going to be difficult. The sooner you do it, the sooner it will be over.” So we did it.

We cashed in retirement and spent everything we had to move here. At first, some friends told us to move to Metairie. I said no way. I said, “If I’m moving to New Orleans, I’m living in the French Quarter.”

And we do.

The transition has been rougher than I could possibly have imagined.

But we’re here. Living in the French Quarter has been a dream of mine since middle school.

It’s a silly dream, the dream of a school-girl. But it’s true nonetheless.

Sometimes those who’ve been here forever and can trace their family history deep into the city seem to have contempt for us newcomers. So be it. We’re here to stay.

We’ve cast our lot with New Orleans.

~finished with one minute to spare for spell checking. shew!~