Mardi Gras is almost here, and New Orleans has been on my mind a lot lately. It’s been over ten years since I’ve had the pleasure of being a resident, stumbling through the French Quarter, the light too bright, the morning, way, way, way too early, trying to find my way home, but the sights and sounds remain clear in my mind and close to my heart. Mardi Gras is my favorite holiday, and at this time of year, I miss it the most.

One of my main ambitions when I lived there was to ride on a parade float, to be a member of one of the stupendous Krewes for just one night and throw trinkets to the teeming masses. I never did manage to meet the right people to get on a Mardi Gras float, but I was invited to join a friend out in Metairie (a suburb of New Orleans) to ride with her in a...

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