Wendy DeCora.com

My Mardi Gras experience has finally come to an end as I just posted the last of my photos.

The title of this post was swiped from Metroblogging New Orleans. The latest post describes just what I’ve been experiencing since arriving home on Wednesday night:

Convalescence: n. 1. Gradual return to health and strength after illness. 2. The period needed for returning to health after illness.

Carnivalescence: n. 1. Gradual return to health and strength after mardi gras. 2. The period needed for returning to health after mardi gras.

In my experience, carnivalescence usually lasts at least one week. Even if the carnivalescent isn’t really sick or weak, there is still a lack of interest in any social activity, or even routine errands. Some folks might say that sounds like depression, but no, it’s just the brain saying “Okay, you’ve had your fun, now let’s just sit on the couch, drink cocoa, and watch Court TV for a week.” Even a mundane activity such as talking on the phone or reading a book is shot down by the brain as being too taxing.

Although my mom came over to visit, return Mac, and celebrate her birthday with me on Friday and we went out shopping and eating out with Jerry & Sara for Sara’s birthday (same day as my mom’s), I haven’t had the desire to go do anything else since I returned home. Somehow I got lucky and I did not end up sick after seven days in New Orleans. I took off the rest of the week anticipating I’d be on death’s door from exhaustion, but instead of being sick, I was just tired and kind of numb.

The trip was really wonderful. I ate so much good food, walked so many miles, and heard so much amazing music. The fried chicken at Fiorella’s was a culinary highlight. I got to see Bonerama twice, the Storyville Stompers, Better Than Ezra, and got introduced to the fun, funky sounds of George Porter.

I got to walk around wearing a feathered wig. I love being able to wear costumes and glitter and colorful makeup and its not looked on as being out of the ordinary. I met a fun guy who was playing the organ with Bonerama on Friday night. He was wearing a pink wig and a dress. I saw him again on Mardi Gras morning and he was wearing a blue wig and the whole rest of him was painted blue. I have no idea what his natural haircolor is and I’d probably never recognize him in street clothes. And come to thing of it, he saw me once wearing a feather wig and the other time with my face painted wearing a top hat covered in feathers. Such is the fun of Mardi Gras.

The parades, oh the parades. What fun! I managed to see nine parades and now I understand what the hoopla is about attending them. The parades are really a key part of Mardi Gras. They are what people should think of when they think of MG, not the stupid co-eds flashing on Bourbon Street. The parades are this big party on the streets. People bring their whole family and will even camp out overnight to keep their prime parade spots. It reminded me of tailgating. Chairs and coolers and friends out hours before the actual event even starts. And for those couple of days, those little strands of plastic beads and other odd little items (doubloons, shoes, plungers, spears, coconuts, and cups) are the most valuable things in the entire world.

I encountered a lot of wonderful New Orleanians who were so welcoming and so grateful that we had come to NOLA. I think that was the most surprising and delightful, yet somehow saddest part of the trip. Its hard to come home and know that so much of the country has already moved on and forgotten about the plight of New Orleans. There are a lot of great people in the city who are working so hard to get their lives and their city back. One group who is doing a lot of really hard work is The Arabi Wrecking Krewe. I got to meet some more members of this awesome group, in addition to already knowing Craig and Stacey. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about their efforts to bring all the NOLA musicians home as they’re going to be featured on an upcoming episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition!

I don’t know what else to say except please keep thinking about New Orleans and do what you can to support this singular city that has given our country and the world so much.