I think I’m right.

Look Homeward, Angel is heavily autobiographical. It’s pretty much the story of his childhood and his family and at times I found it hard to read because I knew that. I simply couldn’t divorce what I knew the reaction was to his book when he published it from what I was reading. He had some harsh words and indictments for just about everyone around him and he didn’t shy away at all from writing what he really thought of people in this book.

The other book I own of his, but have yet to read, is You Can’t Go Home Again, which is all about this reaction that his family and friends had to this book being published while he, and they, were still alive. As someone who’s thought from time to time about writing similarly barely disguised “fiction,” it’s an interesting cautionary tale. Wolfe was ostracized after Angel was released. Lucky for him, I guess, You Can’t Go Home Again was published after his death, so any lingering resentments would have had to be taken up grave-side.

Here’s one beautiful passage from the book, in a section about the death of one of his brothers:

“… we can’t turn back the days that have gone. We can’t turn life  back to the hours when our lungs were sound, our blood hot, our bodies young. We are a flash of fire — a brain, a heart, a spirit. And we are three-cents-worth of lime and iron — which we cannot get back.” — Thomas Wolfe, Look Homeward, Angel, p. 461

Here’s some pretty spring-like flowers I snapped in the Quarter:

So when I heard about the ‘tit Rex parade — that’s short for Petite Rex — which rolled Saturday in the Bywater, I knew I’d likely just discovered something new to love about New Orleans. Billing itself as the Crescent City’s only micro-krewe, the “floats” in ‘tit Rex live up to their name. They are all miniature, and pulled down the street by pieces of string. And they are masterpieces of the tiny! Such vivid detail and hard work clearly went into all of them. I was so excited to see them all.

And not only are the floats teensy, but they give away miniature throws, as well. No beaded necklaces and unsightly plastic cups here, no. Instead, if you’re lucky, you’ll get lovely little hand-beaded bracelets and tiny “coconuts.” I love this parade!

I was too excited to actually photograph any of the floats, but you can see an example of an amazing one here: http://titrexparade.blogspot.com/

And here’s a photo of my catches from the parade:

So why’s it so special? Well, for one thing, there’s the delicious brunch always thrown by another friend, who lives near the race track. Gumbo, creme brulee french toast, cheese grits, baked ham, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed mirlitons, tossed back with shots of chilled Bailey’s or champagne and oj… Perfect start to a Thanksgiving morning.

Then, there’s the track itself. The horse races kick off at 11AM Thanksgiving morning, and people flock there, thankful, I guess, for the chance to place a little wager or three on the ponies. Me? I’m not much of a gambler, but I was thankful for the number of folks who take their horse racing fashion very seriously. Big hats, small hats, outrageous outfits, elegance — it’s all out there. And I love to look at it all, as well as dress up myself. It’s fun, milling about, sipping on something cold, people watching, stopping to watch the horses run around the track, and taking a moment pre-race to survey them as they parade them around the stables. This year it was 80 degrees plus, which made it feel not entirely like Thanksgiving, but it was a beautiful day nonetheless, with the sun peeking through the clouds every now and then.

Post-track this year brought a twist for New Orleanians, thanks to the Saints playing the Cowboys Thanksgiving afternoon. So folks found places to watch the game, and eat some more. It’s a fun day here, in part, because it feels very local. I know people do come in from out of town for Thanksgiving, but at the track anyway, it feels like it’s a secret, fun little holiday just for us. And it makes me happy to be a part of it, and thankful to live here and know so many amazing, lovely, funny, kind people.

Here are a couple shots I took that day, that hopefully convey what it’s like, at least a lil’ bit. Hope your Thanksgiving was fun, too.

“We live in a world in which people are censured, demoted, imprisoned, beheaded, simply because they have opened their mouths, flapped their lips and vibrated some air. Yes, those vibrations can make us feel sad or stupid or alienated. Tough shit. That’s the price of admission to the marketplace of ideas. Hateful, blasphemous, prejudiced, vulgar, rude, or ignorant remarks are the music of a free society, and the relentless patter of idiots is how we know we’re in one. When all the words in the public conversation are fair, good, and true, it’s time to make a run for the fence.”
– Daniel Gilbert, from an essay for the Edge Foundation, found in The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2007