JYAAACKPOT!!!!

Well for those of you wondering, we survived that alligator, and court didn't buy crocs and we returned safely to dry land. Upon getting back into the city we parked the car and went to play our standard 30 minutes at Harrahs. When we started out we weren't expecting anything except losing money...however....court had to go and screw up our plans....How could she screw up the plan of losing money you ask? Well here's how.Yup....your eyes aren't playing tricks...nope that isn't the little default screen to entice you to play. You are looking at a 10, J, Q, K, A of diamonds...royal freak'n flush! Court screwed up our plans in a big way by winning ONE THOUSAND SMACKERS!!!! IN YOUR FACE HARRAHS TRYING TO GET US TO SPEND MORE ON PARKING THAN $35!!! MWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! suckers. We sure showed them! Don't mess with the Ligers. It woulda been better for them to just give us the parking for free! Buuut nnoooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooo! They had to try and take more of our money, when what really happened was we got a months worth of parking!! HAHA!!!

After that we promptly cashed out and got the heck outa there before the casino could guilt trip court into losing her money.
We then headed out to our original destination for the day, Cafe Du Monde. About half way there the folly of Shoney's caught up with your author as he proceeded to get nauseous, light headed, and could barely walk....But he trucked on for the promise of fried dough covered in powdered sugar awaited him at the end of the arduous journey. Along the way the group came across a large gathering baring the way to deep fried gloriness. Stopping for a moment to see what the hubbub was about the group witnessed quite the spectacle. It was a group of street performers and these were no ordinary performers like those human statue posers in the evil land of Bourbon Street. The performers found here were schooled in the way of the dance and the cracking of wise.
After the show we journeyed the last few yards to Cafe Du Monde where the fried goodness awaited in all its golden awesomesauce. We picked up 2 orders, a couple coffee's, 2 sodas, and a bottle of water. The savory delights were devoured forthwith and the beverages guzzled (except for the coffee....ouch). Feeling revitalized the group headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Halloween parade which would be starting at 7:30! We are totally stoked!!!!

See you later alligator, after 'while crocodile

My oh my what a morning! With 3 people getting to bed late it was an early morning. Adam and Erin getting in late from the Quarter and Mark staying up late reading cause he couldn't sleep with the Harley Davidson in his ear that was the snoring from Daaaaa Bearssss...

So everyone was a little on edge in the morning as we drove around trying to find Cafe Du Monde...which once we found saw there was a half mile long line and thus a quick change of plan was needed so we could get to the Swamp Tour. We ultimately decided to get closer to the tour location and just eat somewhere around there....so the amaaaazing delicatessen known to the world as....Shoney's....that's right....the AYCE buffet known for causing massive gastrointestinal problems in all it's patrons was the source of "nourishment" of choice for the hungry ligers....in hind sight not the best idea before a 2 hour long tour taking place in an alligator/croc filled swamp on a rickety boat...but I digress. Going down the food wasn't "terrible" per say...the french toast sticks and bacon were actually quite good. So after our bellies were full and the billing issues sorted out, cause employees at Shoney's apparently can't split a check without over charging on 2 of the bills and spending 15 minutes figuring out how they triple charged someone.

But enough on breakfast...that's not what you are here to read about....is it? You want to know why I'm talking about alligators and crocodiles....well here is why I'm talking about them...



Yes...that is exactly what it looks like....It *IS* a crazy ass cajun who is out of is fraking gourd trying to feed his hand to an alligator all so he can drag it kicking and screaming on to the boat by the mouth. That's right boys and girls, the Ligers went on a crocodile and alligator hunting swamp tour. What does our senior crocodile and alligator hunting correspondent, Courtney, on location think about them?

"I like them!"

And what do you like about them?

"They eat like this! AAAHHH!!!"

That's...a lovely impersonation there court....

"Don't make me come over there."
"Ahhhhhh SNAP!"

Whoa! ok Court...you win....they eat like that...
At any rate we got to see some crocs and alligators up close which was kinda nifty. It certainly did keep us all on edge, as displayed here as Ann(e), Erin, and Adam all keep a fearful watch out for a giant swamp monster to devour the boat.

AAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! LOOOOOK OUT!!!!!!

Will the Ligers survive the monster croc?! Will Batman arrive in time to stop court from buying a pair of crocs?! Tune in later! Same Bat-Time! Same Bat-Blog!!!! DUNT DUNT DUNNNNN!!!!

Sir, can you spare a ka'watah?

After rousing the bears, the ligers were ready to set out on adventure again. This time their quest for fun lead them in to the dark evil realm of Bourbon Street in the French Quarter, where drunkenness and debauchery are on every street corner. It was truly a horrifying journey to hunt out where the beginning of the ghost tour would be later that night. The group had to battle their way through drunks with beads...













and living statues...














and cats with a need for beer? Oooooh, mmmyyyyyyy!


















After doing battle with the creatures of the Quarter (and 500xp later) the group settled down for a short rest at the ACME Oyster house (no rocket roller skates were included :'( ). For a place known for their oysters, name not withstanding, your author must report that their oysters are....TERRIBLE!!!! I seriously have had much better oysters in KANSAS. At ACME they were small, some kinda greenish, and inky and every one had bits of oyster shell in them....it was an even more horrifying experience than the Quarter itself. That said, all the other food was pretty darn good. Courtney had a fried Oyster and shrimp Po'Boy with Tabasco mayo, which was tasty. Ann(e) had half a catfish and hush puppies, which sadly "the sandwich fell apart like the Berlin Wall." -(Ann(e)) Adam had the red beans and rice, which was amazing. Erin had a.....Cheeseburger....which was also good. And Mark had the seafood etufee which, not Aunt G. quality, was still passable.

After the adventurers had their fill they set out into the night for the hunting of spirits, goblins, and ghouls...alas...we found.......none....The tour, however, was quite entertaining and well worth the $20. If you are wanting a bit of a different history angle on NOLA look up the Haunted History Tours crew, they do a good job...and will help you stalk Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie by pointing out their house on the tour route. So +10 points for that. :-D

We also got to see a house that used to be owned by Nicholas Cage. Which is supposed to be the most haunted house in the country. Apparently the first owner mistreated all of their slaves there, murdering a number of them in horrifying medical experiments.

After the tour the group temporarily went separate ways with Courtney, Mark, and Ann(e) heading back to the hotel, and Erin and Adam (who apparently had not had their fill of crazy) went back to bourbon street. When they returned they promptly crashed.

Ligers Take New Orleans

After our miraculous arrival in NOLA our first stop was our hotel...as it was 11:30 at night and the navigator was tired of navigating.

When we set out into the city we started out the day right, as all good explorers should, with a nice balanced breakfast courtesy of Betsy's Pancake house. Where we had some interesting cajun spiced hash browns with rice, and Adam met "one of the nicest people ever." However, Adam, then quickly proceeded to kill the upbeat mood by asking one of the waitresses if she was "The Betsy" to which we found out that she was not...and that The Betsy was murdered when her home was broken into two years ago, God rest her soul.

After we finished fueling up we set out for our second hotel and got checked in, however, contrary to what the lady had told us when we called, our room was not ready yet so we ended up parking the car at the Harrahs and gambled for 30 minutes to get our free 24 hours worth of parking. As opposed to, probably the more prudent option, of paying $35 per day to park at the hotel. But as all good Ligers say, "prudence be damned."

After we played our 30 minutes we started walking around the riverfront. We took the ferry across the river and got some good scenic views of the French Quarter (apparently pronounced Ka'watah here) from the river.











When the boat returned to the original dock we stopped in at the "Time Out Bar and Grill" where we had Gator Bites (deep fried alligator sausages), and Po'Boys. Courtney and Ann(e) had the Catfish, Erin and Adam had the Chili dog, and your illustrious author had the Crawfish. All of which were good. That said, for those who travel to NOLA, it was on the pricier side of Po'Boys, at $14 per sandwich, and no free soda refills, and isn't the best Po'Boy in town.

After our fill we did a little window shopping in the near by strip mall, went back to our car and got our stuff and headed to the hotel as we got the call that the room was ready.

The hibernation of the bears: A short film by (e) and Giggles

Friday afternoon Giggles and (e) were startled by a strange noise in the room. Upon further investigation they discovered two bears decided to hibernate in the bed next to theirs. Frightful indeed!!

Thursday night

Our journey started at a gas station in Franklin, TN. The gas station attendant wished us well and we headed out with a bag full of snacks.




Things learned on the road trip:

1. Mark is the worst navigator in the world...its amazing we made it to New Orleans
2. There is NOTHING in Alabama, including food, gas, and teeth
3. The south is obsessed with Subway
4. Five people don't fit well in one bed
5. It's windy enough to pick up an army strong man

The Ligers Pounce

Good day everybody, this blog will be for our group of college friends to post the wacky goings on of life after college and our interaction with the "grown up" world. We shall try to keep our posts at least mildly entertaining. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our little corner of the web.