Ah, New Orleans.

Last night I returned to DC from a brief holiday to the Big Easy and as always had a great time down there. Above is a picture I took on my iPhone sunning myself by the pool and recovering from too much enjoyment the night before.

While in the Crescent City I did an interview with a stranger that I hope to have up in the next few weeks. Before then, this haphazardly updated site should see the 20th dinner article, the last of four interviews from Providence.

As always, get in touch if you want to go to dinner.

For once, I defeated laziness and wrote up the next dinner with a stranger.

Click here to read about Bob Black, a realtor in Rhode Island who manages three blogs. We met during my recent weekend trip to Providence and he was kind enough to agree to an interview at a Greek restaurant.

There is one more interview from Providence yet to be turned into an article, though my energy levels on the weekend only stay up for so long. So, expect that article when I return from next week’s trip to New Orleans.

I’m heading to New Orleans for a holiday next week, so let me know if you live in the city and want to do a dinner interview. I’ve got one interview lined up so far in the Big Easy but always looking for new strangers to meet.

Also, I updated my travel plans for the rest of year so get in touch if I’m going to be visiting your area.

As for actual articles on the site I’m hoping to have the 19th dinner interview written up by tomorrow, though laziness could intervene. We’ll see.

Time for another dinner interview? Yes it is!

That’s Mary Ann Sorrentino, a former director of Planned Parenthood in Rhode Island. She remains a fierce abortion rights advocate, but there is so much more to her history. She’s had more careers than most people experience in a lifetime, all of them interesting.

Click on the picture above or right here to read all about her.

Ah, Americans, always late to the party.

Mother’s Day was two months ago in England. Nevertheless I’ll appropriate the American version of the celebration to wish my mum a great day. But I got her a gift in March, so she better not think I’m springing for two presents.

Anyway, expect the 18th dinner with a stranger article next week. In the meantime, take a peek at my updated travel plans. If I’m going to be visiting your city, drop me a line if you’d like to organize a dinner interview.

A new dinner interview? Is it Christmas?

No, of course not, we’re only just in May, you fool. But never mind all that. Click right here to read the 17th dinner with a stranger. This time round I was in Providence to interview graphic design student Robin Tafel.

That’s a photo of me posing awkwardly with the city of Providence in the background.

What a fine place Providence is. Last weekend was my first trip to Rhode Island, where I conducted four interviews for this site and enjoyed all of them. No disasters, no arguments, just good company, (mostly) good food and, uh, a fair amount of alcohol.

Sadly, a walk through the pouring rain on Sunday and a lack of sleep led to one terrible cold which I’m only just now shaking off. On the bright side I’ll be using my weekend in bed to write up at least one of the interviews to give this site something new.

By the way, a top travel tip I discovered: never order the cheeseburger on the Northeast Amtrak train. Your body will thank you.

So I’ve dropped the ball on new dinner interviews the last few months. Try to ignore that and instead focus on the fact there will be new articles up in late April. Good thing I’m not on salary for this site.

Meantime, by way of a site update, let me tell you about a restaurant called Clyde’s in the Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood of DC.

Unlike other cities with vibrant Chinatowns, it’s entirely appropriate for DC’s to have the Gallery Place prefix, because our Chinatown is pretty much one short street of Chinese restaurants, shops and signs nestled in among the urban equivalent of a high-end strip mall.

Clyde’s is, like many of the restaurants in the neighborhood, just another bland entry in a restaurant chain’s ensemble. I went there recently with a small group of friends and was disappointed to taste food that seemed like it had been prepared hours ago and just had a quick whirl in the microwave.

I had some miniature empanadas to start with that were as dry as a Nevada water well (zing!) and as tasteless as Courtney Love on a good day (double zing!), followed by a pulled chicken sandwich that was notable only for how unforgettable it was. Alas.

There is one good thing: Clyde’s is open after midnight, which is a rarity in DC.

Next month I’ll be in Providence, Rhode Island, for a weekend break.

On the off chance you’re browsing the Internet and a) stumble upon this site, 2) are from Providence and iii) want to do a dinner interview during the weekend of Friday April 23 to Sunday April  25, click here to book a dinner.

Margarita Pracatan, the Cuban singing sensation with a better grasp on joie de vivre than your average French person, remains one of my favorite strangers interviewed for this site. I first saw her back in the UK in the mid-1990s on a television show hosted by raconteur/author/critic/everyman Clive James, and now she’s received a warm mention in James’ most recent volume of his ongoing autobiography.

In “The Blaze of Obscurity” — well worth a read even if you’re unfamiliar with James — he has generally kind words for this special woman who has made New York City her adopted hometown. These sentences ring particularly true:

She was even more exuberant when she wasn’t singing than when she was. . . . The connection was purely Platonic but the guys had to eat amphetamines to stay with her. . . . With Margarita in our lives, we could never relax — a frequent result when you finally meet your dream girl.

I tend to agree. Whenever I’m in New York I try and meet up with her. When 3am rolls around and I’m bleary eyed and can feel the onset of a headache from too much white wine, she’s still raring to pour another glass and keep on laughing, talking and singing.

I’m always looking to meet out-sized personalities for an interview, so if that’s you, or someone you know, feel free to book a dinner.