I got up early this morning and zipped to school for a final exam. It was warm and breezy, but four hours later when I dragged myself out of Gibson Hall it was downright chilly. I walked my bike over to the cafeteria while complaining on the phone to my old friend S., who has listened to 12 years of complaintapillerring from me. After some work at the office I got back on the bike and headed to Mid-City followed by a stop in the Treme. Thump thump thump. Yeah, that’s my rim back there I feel as I galumph over these potholes. I had a flat and–don’t tell my father–I wasn’t carrying a spare tube, or lever, or a patch kit, or a pump. Fortunately J. had my car and kindly fetched me and my bike and I did my errands by car. Weird. I can’t seem to find my flat tools; I think it’s just that kind of day and that kind of riding. I’ll patch her up tomorrow.
Tulane
Cement Truck and Workers at Camp and Louisiana
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: commuting by bike means you get to ride your bike every single day, no matter what. I had a lot of stuff to do today, but I got there on my bike, which meant 12 or so miles of spinning along in the sunshine. I started with a ride over to Mid-City to help R. move into her new place (congrats!) followed by a ride to campus to meet with a student and finish up prep for summer school, which starts in two weeks. After a quick stop at the grocery I headed home. My head was busy busy, so on that last couple of miles I tried to get out of my head and really look. There was that all-white house that’s so white it almost glows, a plot of wildflowers (though I guess they’ve been domesticated if they’re living in a yard), a clump of bright orange gerber daisies, that boat (do you think it ever sees water?), and then, as I crossed Delachaise on Camp, this cement truck and a whole bunch of workers making the rust-colored cement smooth as ice in that massive driveway. Why is a cement truck unloading cement that’s spread like frosting so satisfying? This morning when I rolled out they were lacing the ground with steel, and by the time I had dropped my groceries and met with my writing group the place was all done and a little boy was hanging out and getting the skinny from the workers on the big project. I guess I’m not the only one who wants to watch.
Blue Sky & Clouds Over Lake Pontchartrain
Today was my last day of classes for the semester, and in the fall, I’ll be teaching somewhere else. It all felt rather bittersweet. I have loved teaching at Tulane. I enjoy the students, my colleagues, the Take Your Professor to Lunch program (I’ve been eating with charming students on the college’s dime for weeks now), Doug in Media Services, the two way mirror separating me from R. in our basement offices inside the old children’s anxiety clinic (no, really–it’s nice down there (that’s what she said)), and all the campus cats. Fortunately, I get to teach summer school, so I’ll be eased out slowly. Continue reading
Multi-Use Path at Audubon Park
Today was another long, 14 hour Monday, so my only ride was my commute to campus for three classes and the last meeting of my wonderful faculty seminar–I will miss my colleagues there, for sure. I will also miss my super-smart seminar students, so today’s last class meeting was bittersweet. I have had great students at Tulane–curious, smart, creative–just a pleasure to learn with, for sure. After that last class I needed to work out the feelings of saying goodbye to the majors (I’m moving on to a new job in Baltimore at the end of the summer), so I headed to Audubon Park for a few spins before my research seminar. Continue reading
A Frog in an Uptown Yard
It was blustery today–New Orleans hill training–so I spent my commute playing with gears and working to stay upright. In commuting news, that abandoned vehicle is still there with its warning sticker, and I wouldn’t be surprised to pass it for many weeks. That deep pothole on the downtown side of St. Charles right before Napoleon is just getting deeper. Continue reading
Students Listening to a Panel Presentation at Tulane
Another day, another commute to work, but today I lucked out and got to take the ride twice. I taught a couple classes, met with a couple of students, answered more than a couple of emails, and wrote a rec letter, and then rode home to zone out with some baseball (I love you, MLB.TV, and no, no part of this blog is monetized–I just like baseball) before heading back to campus for tonight’s Women in Academia panel sponsored by the Newcomb Senate. Continue reading
One Way/No Right Turn at Canal & Jeff Davis
The best thing about using a bicycle for transportation is that you are guaranteed to get to ride a bike every single day, except for those days where you stay in bed all day until you move to the couch and then back again. I didn’t have time for a ride to nowhere today, but I did need to get myself to campus, so I hopped on the Surly and headed that way. Continue reading
Mary Gray and a Giant Powerpoint Presentation at Tulane
Today’s ride was nothing but the commute, and the workday was long. I taught three classes with a short lunch break, which I used to eat both potato soup and mashed potatoes in the Faculty Dining Club. After my seminar I headed to dinner with some professors, a student, and tonight’s guest speaker. Continue reading
Student’s Mingling After Tulane’s Production of The Vagina Monologues
Today’s Sunday bike ride took me over to Mid-City for an iced tea and a vegan oatmeal raisin cookie (that actually turned out to be kind of good) with S., who is leaving town soon to spend some months farming in Fairbanks, Alaska. How awesome is that? I’m already scheming how I can go visit. I took the long way back Uptown to meet friends for dinner and then pedaled against the wind to Tulane to check out this year’s student production of the Vagina Monologues. Continue reading
Azaleas in Front of Gibson Hall at Tulane
I had one of those incredibly long days at work, 9-9, but I had a couple hours between daytime and nighttime events and spent one of them doing laps around Audubon Park. Pedal, pedal, pedal, it was just what I needed. I rolled back in to campus and stopped to take a picture of the azaleas spread out across the main entrance. That’s some wild color out there, my friends. It’s all over the city. This place is beautiful right now. When I finally headed home it was too dark to see the color, but every once in awhile, a little jasmine.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 