I Love You Bigger Than The Sky!
Hey y’all! My first children’s book is now available. WHOOP! WHOOP! This is so exciting! This first book is a true labor of love dedicated to my beautiful granddaughters. It is also extra special because the illustrations were done by my daughter, Laura Ashley Talbot. “I Love You Bigger than The Sky!” is not only a favorite saying that my little hunny bunnies and I share, but the book is full of our favorite things that pale in comparison to how “BIG” we love each other! I know you can relate.
I love being a parent but for me being a grand- parent is a whole new kind of joy. Who knew?! It has inspired me in so many ways. Whether you are a grand-parent, parent or just have a little someone who you love really “BIG” tell them with this super cute book. This is a tuck-in time essential!
Follow the link below to order your first edition copy of “I Love You Bigger Than The Sky!” Check back for dates and locations of forthcoming book signings. Bring your copy!
https://www.createspace.com/3433038
Look for more of my upcoming children’s books to be available shortly. Thanks so much for your support!
Sharon Denise Talbot 
My NOLA Life
This is a 35 second ad showing a summary of New Orleans searches. There are additional resource links at the end of this post for New Orleans.
The sum of my New Orleans existence.
Duration : 0:0:35
Resources:
life is like a balloon
"sUPEREDS 166 weekly internet video" for jan 30 2010 titled "life is like a balloon" sUPERED the internet video artist/street performer billed as the 21 most strangest person on de internet makes a scary video that turns into a funny video about some goofy guy named bo bo balloon one of sUPEREDS characters if you like the color blue you will like this sUPERED video enjoy smile
Duration : 1 min 34 sec
Moving to New Orleans, help?
So, I’ve pretty much been fascinated with New Orleans my entire life. A year ago, I finally got to visit, and I thought maybe going there would get the whole thing out of my system. I was wrong.
I’m in school to become a high school history teacher, and I while I was in NOLA, I cam across an application for a program called TeachNOLA. They basically help teachers from all across the country get in contact with principals in New Orleans by inviting them to a conference once they have a teaching certificate. So that is what I’m planning to do, and I’ll be ready to go in about 2 years. I’m really excited! My boyfriend is coming with me and is planning on going to culinary school to become a chef, while doing some sort of building/restoration work in the meantime, his roommate and rm’s girlfriend are coming with us too so we can stay as a family (his rm wants to work in steel, btw).
So my questions are… What is the outlook for teaching jobs in New Orleans, and these other two as well? Would it be difficult to find work? What would be the best areas for us to try to move to, and what exactly should we do to prepare for this move? We’re planning on going down to stay for a couple of weeks after I graduate, what would you suggest we do while we’re there? Is this even a good idea, or am I insane? We currently live in central KY, btw.
The thing is that you have 2 more years to go so things will have changed by then. Right now the teaching situation is kind of well… Let me put it like this, there are basically two systems operating in NO; the RSD and the Charter schools. There are far more Charter schools than RSD schools. From what I am hearing from former co-workers who are still in the system, there is a power struggle going on to hand the whole thing back over to the Orleans Parish School Board, so far the school board isn’t winning. It seems that the trend is for the RSD schools to become Charter. A friend was moved from a lower grade into an upper grade because they were making the lower grades Charter and will follow those children by grade until the entire school is Chartered.
The problem is that there were teachers in this situation who were placed back in the pool, meaning they were in limbo waiting for a position. There was immediate need for teachers after the storm, but things have settled in a bit. I understand that the economy in NOLA is better than other places in the US, but it doesn’t mean that we haven’t had to cut back a bit and the Orleans Parish teachers I know are worried about cut backs and where they will fit in with this RSD v. Charter system tug of war going on.
That said, I’m not trying to discourage you, after all there are two more years before you graduate. Go for the Teach NOLA program, they are hiring most definitely, but when that does happen make sure you have a principal willing to take you on, (especially seeing how you will be first a first year and will have to be mentored), otherwise you will end up in the pool waiting for a position.
Orleans Parish is known for having a large population of at risk students. You will want to focus your studies on at risk / inner city students, and classroom management. You will need to be flexible, open to a different point of view, and have a sense of humor, to do this job. (Go to nola.com and check out the education forums and talk to the teachers there for more detailed info.) One of the biggest advantages that you will have is that you are new to the profession and have a good deal of enthusiasm. While some will not want to take on a neophyte, there are principals out there who want and will welcome new blood, so don’t be discouraged if some turn you away because you are new.
I’m not sure what steel work your friend is looking for, but there are shipyards and oil refineries who are always looking for a good welder.
Sorry so long, but just wanted to put out the whole picture.
HASECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Hoochie Coochie Ladies!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #9! TJ Fisher and Di adventures! Drinks and tea with TJ and Di! Start the day with the zany duo, and enjoy a rollicking behind-the-scenes French Quarter morning! Wake up with CNN’s anchorwoman Robin Meade, but come home with TJ and Di, and live their life! So absurd, absolutely fabulous, and slightly off kilter!
The retro-style short film begins with a montage of imagery — a colorful gay parade, the Natchez steamship, Jax Brewery, the Cabildo and St. Louis Cathedral — then the camera zooms in on zany TJ and Di breakfasting in TJ’s old-timey kitchen, in a historic Vieux Carré home on Bourbon Street. TJ’s two blonde-and-blond dogs, Colonel Dudley Boudreaux Waddlesworth and Madame Calliope de Bourbon, join the Belles of Bourbon for mealtime. A dose of local-local comedy, satire and renegade behavior!
After a wakeup-call breakfast at TJ’s haunted house, the two friends check out a French Quarter adult clothing store and happen upon Marilyn Monroe (bawdy local drag queen character and showgirl Princes Stephaney); Marilyn offers up titillating tidbits of advice, along with an outburst of vivacious singing and storytelling. Afterwards TJ plays with Baby Totie, the loudmouth squealing miniature pig, deep in the heart of one of the French Quarter’s famed secret gardens. Private. Exclusive. Surreal. Insider sneak peek at life in the Quarter. From there TJ and Di move on to Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, the oldest bar in American, then they encounter a silver-painted street performer mime. Finally the double-trouble pair wind up in front of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.
Jack Jones makes a cameo appearance in his boutique Alternatives.
Eccentric French Quarter author/Bourbon Street resident TJ Fisher and Boho-chic stylemaker Di Harris fit the mold for outrageous New Orleans characters. Both enjoy hare-brained escapades and loony-tunes humor.
See Sandcastle Queen TJ Fisher and her fiesty friend and comrade Lady Marigny Di Harris in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings: http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug.
Swamp Empress TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. TJ is the nationally acclaimed author of multiple New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Award-wining designer/artist Di owns Zogwald’s, an eclectic French Quarter boutique, and her original pinup-girl artwork graces celebrity homes. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.)
Learn more about TJ at:
http://www.tjfisher.com
http://www.tjfisher.net
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! The intersection of fact and fiction! Louisiana has a legacy of many lifetimes of passionate, flamboyant and parading women, magnificent and meaningful larger-than-life personalities, women of many mindsets, passions, nationalities and exotic traditions. Leaving an indelible mark on the world are the ladies of New Orleans: femme fatales, noblewomen, glamour girls, baronesses, placées, literary lionesses, nuns, singers, Mardi Gras maids, jazz musicians, restaurateurs, Creole belles, artists, burlesque dancers, Voodoo priestesses, entertainers, women of letters, politicians, sculptors, beauty queens, philanthropists, entrepreneurs, gens de couleur, society matriarchs, painters, shopkeepers, Storyville seductresses….??
Their stories live on, their essence lingers, their threads remain, embedded deep within the fabric of New Orleans.
The three-centuries-old French is like nowhere else in the world. Beyond the clamor and fracas of the Quarter, ancient prayers of patron saints sprout like briars of damp growth, calling forth memories. People feel a draft and thoughts of old pierce the heart. History traipses through the mind. Delicious ambrosia seems nearby, just beyond the brambles and thistles. The Vieux Carré houses the sundown and scintillation of checkered characters and centuries faintly known, misting all around. History intrudes. Filigree twists of the rise and fall of man and memories remain seamed into the bricks.
The French Quarter exudes the undertones of a tragic quality that cannot be denied; yet the hypnotic effect is otherworldly beauty, stark and startling, pure and paramount. She is a city that stirs the senses and seduces the soul, for she tampers with a person’s inclinations and toys with the mind. In New Orleans, time passes differently.
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HBO and David Simon’s lush new drama series Treme “gets” New Orleans; they definitely get it, do you? Do you get the resilient heart, soul, spirit and humor of the people and places of New Orleans…?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:5:14
SECRET NEW ORLEANS: TJ & Di Pink Caddy (3 of 3) Palm Beach Road Trip!
VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! (series) episode #18 posted! PART THREE OF A THREE-PART ROAD TRIP! TJ Fisher and Di Harris adventures! Mockumentary of disruptive misadventures! Madcap mad-hattresses! The zany Southern Belles of Bourbon Street roar through Palm Beach — in a big pink ’59 Cadillac convertible named Lulabell! Saturated with a look-at-me character and an irreverent attitude, TJ and Di relish theatrical hijinks, and juicy gossip grapevines. Eccentric provocateurs TJ and Di dare to be different, to stand out, to court controversy. In this series the unforgettable high-wattage duo descend upon the tony Town of Palm Beach like a cloudburst of electrified pink flamingoes, kitschy and embellished. Think…”I Love Lucy”…meets “The Golden Girls”…meets “Thelma and Louise”…meets “The Beales of Grey Gardens”…meets “Laverne and Shirley”…oh dear…watch out…
This third episode of a three-part series guest-stars the scene-stealers Robin Radar Beans and Alexandra Harrison, in cameo role appearances. The two actresses are real-life friends with VIEUX CARRÉ CONFIDENTIAL! co-hosts TJ and Di.
Like vintage postcards poured from a jeweled decanter, at first the retro-style film focuses on a sneak-peek view into the colorful escapades of flamboyant Di, while spending holiday time in ritzy Palm Beach. Apparently, Di has attracted the attention of the media, the society news, gigolos, gossip columnists — and the police — due to her outrageous antics of driving Lulabell Aussie-style, on the opposite side of the road, and leaving her New Orleans “Di Harris” cooler, somewhere, along palm-tree-line swanky Worth Avenue. The dialogue indicates that New Orleanian Di has accumulated a variety of Palm Beach admirers, friends and foes, while visiting polo, Donald Trump’s Mar-a-lago, and a host of other posh soirees and galas, befriending those in high and low places. Repeatedly, Di assures her husband over the telephone that, no, the sun has not gone to her head. Part-time Palm Beach TJ sounds very worried about her friend’s headlines-making behavior. Shiny Sheets!
When it comes time to depart Palm Beach and head back to New Orleans, TJ and Robin are seen yelling at Di to hurry up and jump in the Caddy. It is not revealed what Di’s particular delay is, why she is slow-pokey about getting in the car and taking off. In previous episodes, Di has been forced to ride in Lulabell’s trunk on multiple occasions. Later on the clip, TJ and Robin discuss Di’s whereabouts (back in the trunk) with Alexandra, and the trio also discusses the impending road trip back to New Orleans, with Alexandra and Robin in tow. Di remains quiet, stashed in the trunk, hidden from prying eyes, i.e. perhaps the authorities or “powers to be.” Shush! Hush-hush! It’s a secret! The traveling rat pack of gal pals crisscross the bridge back over to Palm Beach, as ditzy Di has left the luggage and cooler behind…
And so, they drop the pedal and go…go…go…in TJ’s pink Cadillac…they keep rolling along. Feeling out of sight. Who knows how far a car can get before they think about slowing on down. The possy pals take off, spending all their money on a Saturday night. Temptations always come along. There’s always somebody tempting somebody into doing something they know is wrong. But there they go — TJ, Di, Robin and Alexandra — rolling along, oozing down the street.
Finally, TJ drops Di off back off at the steps of her Faubourg Marigny “sugar shack” cottage, where the whirlwind journey began. The two argue about the return Palm Beach road trip, and how they busted Di’s Grandma Amy out of the nursing home, to bring her back to New Orleans with them. Silk stockings, arsenic and old lace!
Swamp Empress TJ Fisher and Peacock Princess Di Harris are known for their passion and soap-operish comedy. Bourbon Street resident TJ is the nationally acclaimed author of multiple New Orleans-based nonfiction and fiction works. Award-wining designer/artist Di owns Zogwald’s, an eclectic French Quarter boutique, and she is the originator of the trademark Oonkas Boonkas style.
Always at the cornerstone of eccentric behavior, TJ drives a ’59 pink Cadillac convertible named Lulabell, and Di rides a 1968 “My Fair Lady” model banana-seat Stingray. (TJ also maintains a home in Palm Beach, Florida and Di in Melbourne, Australia.) The colorfully outspoken and idiosyncratic friends can be seen in additional Tanzmanianmudbug YouTube postings:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Tanzmanianmudbug
Read more about TJ at:
?http://www.tjfisher.com
?http://www.tjfisher.net
The famed “social season” barrier Island of Palm Beach is the uppercruster home of millionaire moguls, polo patrons, privileged people, socialites, debutantes, ambassadors, Forbes 400 CEOs, Old guard Wasps, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Buffet, Rush Limbaugh, Donald Trump, etcetera.
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DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO MISS NEW ORLEANS?
Duration : 0:8:52
Reliability Toughness And Comfort Are Important In The Big Easy
People that come to New Orleans are usually looking to have a good time. The festivals, parades, shopping and good family fun are there to be had by all. In order for that to happen, there are people who work behind the scenes on a daily basis. The city workers, law enforcement and firefighters in the public sector and the cooks, cleaning people, wait staff and tour guides in the private sector are just some examples. These people are on their feet 12 hours a day many days and they need footwear that is going to withstand the wear and tear and not kill their feet. My friends that work on their feet everyday prefer to wear Rocky Boots . The quality and craftsmanship comes from a company that has been in business since 1932. You don’t stay in business that long with knowing how to make things the right way. The best place to get your Rocky Boots is Boots-USA. They have brands like CAT, Wolverine, 5.11 Tactical, Bates, Rocky, Converse, Danner just to name a few. They have free shipping and a 365 day return policy! That is as good as a beignets and coffee after church on a Sunday morning in New Orleans. So do what the working people in New Orleans do and go on over to Boots-USA and take advantage of all the deals on durable, reliable and comfortable work boots and shoes. Your feet and wallet will be glad you did.
SHELL SHOCK: “Lost In Reality” 7-15-1988 (NOLA)
This is a video I shot at Storyville Jazz Hall in New Orleans on July 15, 1988. This is SHELL SHOCK!!!
SHELL SHOCK were formed in 1980 and were the first hardcore punk band based out of the New Orleans area. Over the years the line up had changed as well as the style from straight forward hardcore punk to more of a cross over style. With many 7 inch singles and 2 full lengths and lots of touring under their belt, they were a premiere New Orleans band that is sadly missed.
SHELL SHOCK: Line up
Kirk Windstein: Guitar / Vocals
Mike “Hatch Boy” Hatch: Guitar
Mike Savoie: Bass
Jimmy Bower: Drums
Kirk Windstein took over the vocals duties after original singer Greg Hatch (hatch Boy’s brother) moved from New Orleans to SF earlier that year. This is Kirk’s 2nd gig with the band.
In November of 1988 Mike “Hatch Boy” Hatch, tragically ended his life. Months later the band carried on as “AFTER SHOCK”, then by 1990 they changed the name to THE SLUGS. Which would later be renamed CROWBAR.
Jimmy Bower and Kirk Windstein would work together again in CROWBAR and DOWN. Years later Bassist Mike Savoie would become a video director and would work with CROWBAR, DOWN and PANTERA during the course of the 1990′s.
For More info on The New Orleans scene visit nolaunderground.com
Duration : 0:2:53
On your own in New Orleans?
I’m a middle aged bloke from Sweden grown up with the music of Louis Armstrong. Finally I’ve come to the decision that I have to visit New Orleans at some point in my life. Hopefully I’m going to run the Marathon on Febrary 1, 2009, and as it looks I’ll go there on my own. I’ve read answers to questions about weather or not NOLA is safe and feel pretty convinced that it is. But would I be reasonably safe on my own, walking home from Vieux Carré to Central Business District where I plan to stay (at Baronne street) late at night? As most people, I like to think that I’ve got a reasoable amount of common sense.
As an ex-resident (I lived there until Katrina and then came back about 6 months ago then had to go back to Baton Rouge because of financial problems.) of New Orleans I can say that there are still quite a few bad places.
Don’t go around visiting the projects or anything… those are examples of the bad areas.
As for walking around in that area, it’s relatively safe from what I remember. But I’d still recommend going around the city in a vehicle most of the time.
