New Orleans

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Birds Snacking at Tulane Next to the Newcomb College Institute

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Oh, it felt so good to ride my bike yesterday that I was most especially looking forward to today’s ride. I did a quick jaunt to lunch with K. before heading down to the river. I waited with all the tourists heading to the aquarium for the train to pass, and then bike to a bench, sat back, and enjoyed the view. It has finally been good and summer rainy the past few days, and the wind is stil blowing waves, clouds rolling in. I had to get back to the office, though, so back on the bike I went, pedaling fast. My fall commute’s going to be much, much longer; might be time to practice. I grabbed a ridiculously large iced tea from the cafeteria, and on my way over to Newcomb Hall, I noticed these birds poking around in the mud we’ve finally got with their needly beaks. Yeah, y’all are going to need a bath after that meal. A woman passed me, remarking the the birds are a long way from home. Yes, yes they are.

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Cloudy Skies Over Lake Pontchartrain

Yesterday’s attempt to get a bike ride in to change the mood was foiled by rain, but today, after getting some writing done at home,  some grading done at the coffee shoppe, and a scoop of ice cream, I got on the bike and headed out for a ride. Continue reading →

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Rain at St. Charles & Something

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The day started out nicely–a little reading, a little writing–and then I graded some papers, and the mood started heading down. hill. It gets frustrating, how many students are just ill-prepared for college-level reading and writing. We are doing something seriously wrong. I moped around about it for a bit, and when the mood didn’t lift, I got on the bike, figuring that would help. But my plan was foiled by rain; I could see it before I could feel it, and that’s always a bad sign. I wear glasses–nothing fun–or safe–about riding in the rain. I snapped this picture while squished under an awning, and waited. It was the kind of rain that just sped up as the sun rolled in, and tap, tap, tap, I waited. Ok, fine, I’ll just get wet. I pedaled to the office, taught a class that left a terrible taste in my mouth, and rode home ahead of the next rain. Sometimes you just have days like this.

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Empty Lot at Galvez & Lafitte

After a much-needed day of doing absolutely nothing yesterday, and a morning and afternoon spent finishing up a project, I was ready to get on the bike and head out to see what might happen today. And then I felt the heat. Sometimes I’m up for biking in it, sometimes, not so much, and today I was in the mood for something a little cooler. Continue reading →

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Erika Wennerstrom Setting Up at One Eyed Jacks on Toulouse & Chartres

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 →

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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 →

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Construction and a Hole in the Ground at Tulane

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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.

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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 →

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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.

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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 →