Sometimes riding my bike just feels like flying. That’s what it felt like tonight, as I rode down to the Marigny to meet friends for drinks. I’d spent the day reading, thinking, writing, cleaning, and cooking, so when night came around, it was time to just fly. After a first round and some jazz (S. liked the accordion), we headed over to another bar on St. Claude. R. took his car, and D. drove S. over. Me? I, of course, rode my bike and beat everyone there. Bikes are just quicker, especially for shorter trips. I pity the fool who has to park a car. Anyway, while waiting for the others, I snapped a picture of this power pole. It is definitely a multitasker. It is holding up power, or communication, or something lines. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if all those lines just disappeared. The sky is littered with them, but I barely notice, normalized as they are. But the pole also holds this speed sign, which is itself the space for graffiti, which I couldn’t quite make out. Flyers are advertising for a couple of guys who’ll move your stuff, some sort of play in many acts, music, and other assorted happenings. I’ve missed most of them. People hang up signs, but it is a rare soul who removes them. And that got me thinking, on this eve of the anniversary of Katrina, of the many signs that remain all over this city. The local paper ran a story yesterday about the many school buildings in New Orleans that are vacant but have yet to be torn down. Their clocks are still stuck at a little after 5:00, when the power went out, and teacher’s notes  are still on blackboards. The school on Rampart and St. Claude still advertises the start of adult classes in August 2005. So much of this city is frozen on that date, on those days, when the levees broke. Others will remember the anniversary tomorrow, but for those of us here in New Orleans, we remember every single day.