I had every plan to finish that article today, so I spent the morning to early afternoon at home, tapping away at the computer, type, type, type, delete, delete, delete. I was trying to write the introductory paragraph to this article I’m working on, and every time I got to the road map part, I just got stuck. Continue reading
Month: June 2011
Coke Freestyle Machine at the Wendy’s on Tchoup
Today was my birthday which meant I could do whatever I wanted to do to celebrate being alive, and believe you me, I’m enjoying this whole life thing. I slept in, talked to my sister on the phone forever, and then hopped on the bike and headed out for a massage. Afterward, because it was my birthday, I left my bike on the rack and walked the several blocks to Wendy’s for a spicy chicken sandwich, add cheese, fries, and a drink. She asked me what kind of drink I wanted. I foolishly said I wanted a Diet Coke, but what I didn’t know was that I’d be filling my cup from the crazy new zillion flavor Coke machine newly-installed in the lobby. Continue reading
Construction and a Hole in the Ground at Tulane
Oh my, but I had a busy day! I was up early and worked from home until it was time to hop on the bike to campus for some quality work time in the office. I parked and locked at the mercifully empty-for-summer bike racks in front of the student center, grabbed lunch and walked over to Newcomb Hall. I snapped this picture of construction on Drill Road where the university is fixing up the street, finally. I couldn’t quite see what was down in that hole due to fencing keeping me out, but I could see some open cement pipes that I assume are for drainage. I love it when the road is opened up so I can see what’s beneath the skin, but I don’t love the loose gravel and sand that just lay in wait, hungry for front tires. I wonder what Baltimore road conditions are like. Anyway. I taught until almost nine, and when I left the building, the moon was an absolutely ridiculous glowing ball in the sky. So pretty.
Empty Lot Behind a Fence at Piety & Chartres
I got up early this morning, ate some breakfast, and then–gasp–hopped in my car for a drive to Pearl River for a horse riding lesson. I can’t remember every being on a horse in my life, so when one of those interwebz coupons showed up offering two lessons, I was on board. Continue reading
Women Jogging on St. Charles Avenue at Night
Today’s bike ride took me up to campus for summer school night school with a quick ill-fated stop at the post office–the summer heat takes its toll on power supplies, and the station on Louisiana Ave was all burned out. I wasn’t much looking forward to tonight’s class session on sexual violence. Important stuff, yes, but it’s hard to talk about, especially when it is so personal for so many of us, and for just as many, it seems, it is all overblown and women need to just use common sense and stop dressing like sluts and drinking too much. Yeah, in my experience it can be a tough dynamic to manage in the classroom. Class went surprisingly well, with most everyone staying respectful but still voicing honest opinions and concerns. When I was riding my bike home I passed a number of women out for evening runs, a wise move in our already-stultifying summer heat. As I whizzed by them I thought about how recalcitrant this idea is, that the way to solve sexual violence is for women to take all precautions, to make sure we aren’t outside alone at night and that we only drink with friends (though, especially for college women, friends and acquaintances are their most likely attackers), if we drink at all. Those simply can’t be our solutions, because the women I passed tonight need a world where they can go running after dark, and I need a world where I can bike home at any time, because that’s how I’m going to be moving through the world for the foreseeable future, and I am most assuredly not taking applications for an escort. I don’t know the answer, but I know it will mean some serious rethinking of masculinity, and as much as I don’t want to teach this stuff, I’d better stick with it.
Statue Commemorating World War I at Galvez & Tulane
I woke up early this morning and did a little reading for pleasure before taking the bike out to the Marigny for blueberry pancakes with V. and a quick tour of her place for my upcoming housesitting/squatting gig. It was bright and hot out, and the streets had that empty feeling they have on Sunday mornings when everybody who’d be up and out on a Sunday is in church and everybody else is still in bed. Continue reading
Houses Behind a Fence at Galvez & Cleveland
Saturday’s my day off, and I spent mine riding around on my bike visiting friends. I rode down to the Quarter this morning for croissants and coffee with S., mom, and friend, and it was nice to be out riding around early, catching a few tunes around the corners of the Creole Tomato Festival. Continue reading
Parking Available at Orleans & N. Johnson
I spent my day writing and reading and watching Shoah, which is the most intense piece of art I have ever seen. That’s all I’m going to say here, except that I can’t believe I’ve never seen it, and I think it should be required viewing, period. I had plans to go to the baseball game tonight, so regardless of the mood I was in, it was time to get on the bike and head over to R.’s for a carpool to Zephyrs stadium. Continue reading
Lunch & Learn at the Royal St. Charles Hotel at 135 St. Charles
Sometimes I receive an errant mail–the Tea Party’s e-newsletter, the alumni newsletter from Cal State LA (my dad went there, and we do share a last name, I guess), and earlier this week, an invitation from the Do-WAP Agency to come down to the Royal St. Charles Hotel to learn a thing or two about their conference services. Never one to turn down a free lunch (after all, I was invited), I rode my bike down there after running some morning errands Uptown. I locked my bike to a streetcar sign, took the elevator to the third floor, and discovered instantly that I was in the wrong place. No, I don’t work for a company, no, I don’t have a business card, no, I am not planning any conventions. I got a plate of Asian coleslaw (which was neither), jambalaya, and pasta “primavera” before sitting at a table with some actual conference planning professionals as they exchanged business cards and debated where to throw their company’s Essence Fest parties. “You guys do modeling too, right? Can I get your card?” I didn’t win the raffle, got three servings of bread pudding, did a tour of the rooms, and thought that yeah, I would totally book a block of rooms here, if I ever needed to do such a thing. But they need to get some bike racks. I rode home in spittling rain without slipping on wet streetcar tracks, so I would say, all in all, that ride was a win.
Man Washing Dishes at Felipe’s on Robert & Claiborne
Today’s bike ride took me to work, and it’s going to take me home, after I finish waiting at this restaurant with this long line of little leaguers and new Tulane students here for orientation so I can grab a burrito. I never really figured out how to properly feed myself during this summer school night school class; 5:45-8:45 interrupts both my early and late night eating schedule, and that 20 minute break where students are asking me this question and that and I’m just trying to take a breath doesn’t leave me much of a chance to heat something up in the microwave and scarf it down. So here I am, another burrito on another Wednesday night. I snapped this picture while waiting in line, of a guy straining black beans and doing dishes. There’s a whole world behind my not being able to make myself dinner tonight, but it is so easy to pretend this food just dropped out of the sky and onto my plate. It didn’t.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 