Participated in my first Craftster swap this past month. Got matched up with Garyn whose calling is clearly handbags. Check out the loot I got (oh, BTW, the swap's theme was "menstruation" is you're trying to figure out what all these items have in common - in a vague sorta artsy way). ;) --regan

And that's why I don't do it. Judith is the 7 p.m. Demo Girl, gesticulating for the camera without realizing it. ;) --regan

So says Jonathan, pictured below at The Ginger Man, a really cool pub near Rice that he introduced me to. Jonathan, the dude who's addicted to WarCrack and introduced me to ARGs. Course, the only reason I'm not addicted to those is that I opt not to play them. :)

And a big reflective armadillo. Just cause. --regan

I'm going to miss vistas like this when I move back to the east coast. --regan

Granny would be horrified if she found out she was being broadcast across the web when it's been more than a week since she's had her hair done, but I think she's beautiful either way. :)

In related news, I am constantly reminded of what a blessing it is to be an only child.

And single. As I eat, I'm listening to a passive-agressive dude named Timothy, who is all-but-yelling at someone he's calling Honey because he missed his flight and she's going to need to work late to pick him up. I think she should tell his ass to call a cab, but this is why I'm not in a relationship.

My flight's late out of New Orleans, which is a terrific. They're holding my connecting flight, which means I'll be stuck wedged between two people who think it's my fault that they're going to be late, but I get Uno's pizza for the first time in over 5 years. Unfortunately, it's not a full-service, so there's none of that luscious broccoli cheese soup that they do. Mmm. --regan

Oops. Extra photos would be nice. Pat O's and O'Flaherty's. --regan

I adore Muriel's. For one of the newer restaurants in town, they have no pretense. Gorgeous burgundy walls, five unique crystal chandeliers in the small dining room I'm in. The best part: they don't treat single diners as second-class citizens. They have a section of the wine menu dedicated to half bottles. With the layout of the tables and how the dining rooms are architected, single diners are scattered throughout the room, not shunted to a section in the back with no view and a sign overhead that says "Here sit those who didn't have anyone who wanted to eat with them. Please begin piteous glances now."

Plus, the service is second to none. There would be a picture here of me enjoying turtle soup, but the lighting's too subtle. Instead, you get my visage getting ready to head out. Just figured out that you can watch the Sidekick screen in the mirror when taking pictures of self to ensure non-decapitation. Yaaaaay!

Self-aggrandizement followed by a shot of the Cabildo at night,

And a little of the *real* Pat O'Brien's (as opposed to the one in San Antonio).

No hand grenades for me tonight, thanks. I'd have to get up at 7 to be home by 5. I'll be hunkerin' down at my refuge, O'Flaherty's. Danny's not on stage, but I'll nurse my cider and deal. --regan

The rain broke just at 5:30, so I had time to dash out and get some obligatory shopping done at Chiwawagaga (a small store for dinky dogs). Presley now has a rhinestone t-shirt with "Bad to the Bone" on it - and a little something for our own HN mascot, Chewy (okay, so I just dubbed him that).

Photos: the statue of Joan of Arc, two shots in a new little garden off Decatur and French Market Place, a shot for Mom and Dad (it's a joke from when we came here as a family for the first time when I was like 15), and the Cafe du Monde's perfect answer to the icky weather - warm beignets and cafe au lait. Mmm. Must go. Must eat. --regan

It's pouring right now, so I'm taking a breather in the room before I head out again. The photos in order are the obligatory pictures of St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square, the courtyard outside my room, one of the residents at Louisiana Loom Works testing a rug-in-progress for tensile strength and comfort, and my favorite shop, Scriptura. --regan

Was craving ice cream on my way home from Textures Gallery. Decided to stop at Olmos Pharmacy for a chocolate malt, because I've heard theirs are spectacular.

Come to find out, it's up for sale on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4392862742&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1

In other news, when you're less mindful of your material self, you're far more likely to walk out of the house with your shirt on inside out. --regan