Today started out cold but ended up sunny and even a tiny bit warm, which meant a much better mood for my commute home than to campus. I pedaled slowly, still working on catching my breath from this stupid cold. As I rode, I thought about the past week and a half or so of the Patois Film Fest. I saw a whole bunch of documentary films, some made with budgets, most on a dime, and all dealing with really complicated social and political issues in a time and space that mitigates against complications. It’s all about the framing. I thought about that as I took a long way home and tooled around Central City. I stopped at this corner to take a picture of something that looked like a stout little lighthouse. That picture told a story I didn’t really get. I turned around to take a picture of the street sign so I could remember where I was, but I decided this picture told a better story, or at least one that shapes my experience of New Orleans every day: the new steps on the remodeled house on the corner, the bright yellow dumpster, the faded wood of a blighted house across the street, and an empty lot (this one is slated to be home to a new Baptist church), and that brilliant blue sky. Yep, that’s today’s frame. I then got back on my bike, headed home, and got the car to pick up J.. We went out to New Orleans East to sit in on the District E Master Plan hearing. One question that came up? Why aren’t there any bike lanes in that part of town? I hope the planners heard that. And if you are in New Orleans, make sure you hit up one of these meetings. The plan is important stuff. I’ll be biking to the next meeting.