September 2005


Friday

I was up with enough time to get cleaned up and get some breakfast before my only class today at 11:00. This afternoon’s French class involved some simple pronunciation rules associated with letter accent marks. I went to Tolliver for a while after class and stayed there for a while. Later in the day I ended up with Khadijah and Bianca and we borrowed some guy’s car to go to a beauty supply store. I got some super glue while there with the hope of fixing the tracks of my dresser drawers didn’t work. I had dinner with a number of people from my dormitory this evening. I was home by seven because I wanted to watch TV. The season finales of Stargate SG-1 and Battlestar Galactica aired this evening.

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Greed!

I was up and out the door around nine this morning. I had time before my 10:00 Economics class to get some breakfast, a waffle today. At the start of this morning’s class, there was a representative from the Wall Street Journal that addressed the class for a few minutes and basically advertised the paper. I guess the paper has a program with the school to give business majors free access to the print and online additions of the paper. The lecture was short, regarding the definition of economics, needs and wants. After that a lengthy video was shown, Greed! with John Stossel (February 3, 1998, ABC News Special). The short of it was “greed is good.” I went to get some lunch after class and ran into Bianca and had lunch with her. Socialolgy class was ok. I now regret my choice of seat. The podium blocks most of the whiteboard and seats are assigned in this class. I had enough time for a short walk and a Coke before my 4:00 history class started. This afternoon’s class regarded the end of Reconstruction after the Civil War. The second half of the class was about myths about violence in the frontier west. I met Khadijah, Bianca and some of their friends after class. I was supposed to meet them for dinner but I told them I’d be out of class an hour before I actually was. I ended up handing out with Kali and her old roommate for a while. We perused through the art building for a good while. Eventually I went back to Kali’s dorm to retrieve my cell phone charger, which I left there earlier this week. We later went to Tolliver for something to eat and I remained for a while after she left. I made it back to my dorm shortly after nine and eventually went to bed.

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First French Class

I was in no hurry to get up this morning as I only had one class at 11 o’clock. Today was my first day in Elementary French. I missed Monday’s session. Overall it was a pretty good class, considerably smaller than my other ones, there couldn’t have been more than 25 students. Most of the class was spent doing oral exercises, simple greetings and such. After class I went to Tolliver Hall and spent a good deal of time hanging around there with my laptop. Bianca joined me a while later and worked on some of her homework. At around six we went to dinner and ate with Josh and my roommate John. Later in the evening Sarah took Bianca and I to Wal-Mart as I needed a number of things including bed sheets. Hopefully I won’t have to make any more runs over there as I’m not making any money at the moment. We got home around nine. I didn’t do much this evening aside from making my bed.

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First Classes

I got up around nine thirty this morning, just enough time to get ready and get to my first class this morning, Introduction to Economics. This is one of those intro courses with 100+ students. There were at least a dozen Tulane football players in the 10:00 class this morning. All the professor did was basically read the syllabus and class was dismissed within five minutes. I went back to Khadijah’s dorm and then went right back out to get myself a post office box and check Kali’s mail. It didn’t take very long. The RA on the first floor was less than pleased when I used Kali’s key fob to get into the dormitory and escorted me to Kali’s room. Not too long after I got back we both left. Kali had an eye doctor appointment to get some contacts. I got my things together and we took them down to Sarah’s car. Sarah came with us and a few other friends on a ‘camping’ trip a while back so we were already acquainted. She was waiting to pick us up downstairs. I accompanied Khadijah to the eye doctor and left my things in her car until after she’d pick us up again after Kali’s appointment. I had my laptop with me so I was able to catch up on some log entries while I waited. Sarah showed up at the clinic after a while. Khadijah was finally done sometime around 1:30. We then went by Cottingham to drop off my stuff. I had planned to join Kali and Sarah for lunch but I had a class at two, Introduction to Sociology. The teacher took roll of the some 115 students, exhaustively went over the syllabus and discussed at least part of the first chapter of the book. The instructor seems decent enough but I have a feeling the class will be less interesting than it could be. After that class ended around 3:30 I went to the cafeteria for something to eat before the upcoming 4:00 class. I saw Joy Hatfield on the way, someone else I went to high school with and haven’t seen since graduation. We actually worked interships at the same company together one summer. U.S. History, 1877-Present dragged into the evening today. The [professor seems like a nice.guy. Judging from what he spent a lot of time talking about it was as if he though all his students were just starting their forst semester with all his comparisons to high school. He also went over every detail of the syllabus and gave his first lecture today, regarding Reconstruction after the Civil War. 1877 marks the end of reconstruction. After class I saw Khadijah at KLPI just as I was about to call her. I sat with her for a while while she opened the mail, which had obviously piled up at the station. At about seven I left and went to my dorm room. I spent some time there rearranging the furniture and unpacking. Later I called Khadijah and walked over to her room to pick up the last of my things that were there. I ended up hanging around with her for a while. We eventually went to get some ice cream and ate it out at the ‘red tables’ with an acquaintance of Khadijah’s named Steve. We eventually left and I finally did get my things and went back to my dorm. I checked a number of things online before going to bed around midnight.

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Running Around

I woke up sometime around eight o’clock this morning. Khadijah had a class around nine and I had several things to do this morning. Khadijah walked me around for a little bit between a few buildings. I don’t really feel like detailing all the back-and-forth that took place this morning. Suffice it to say I went to and fro for a good part of the afternoon. Khadijah and I had breakfast in the cafeteria shortly after nine this morning. I learned I wouldn’t be receiving a Pell grant anymore as my parent’s income was reported as higher and my EFC exceeded whatever their limit is. Ofcourse no longer having a viable business certainly affects that but they didn’t have much to tell me though. I visited the campus bookstore. I scheduled my classes and got an ID and dorm room assignment today in Cottingham. It’s an old building but clean comparatively. Sometime after four I met Khadijah and was with her for a while at the radio station where she works. She showed me around, which didn’t take long as it’s a pretty small facility. I met Bianca and some of her friends for dinner at five this evening. Among them was my new roommate, Jonathan seems like a nice enough guy, not somebody I need to worry about. I also met some other friends of hers who I assume are all fellow engineering students. After dinner Bianca showed me the buildings where my classes will be held. Three of the four are in one building so it didn’t take long. We both went to one of her friend’s dorm rooms after that, I think his name was Josh. We stayed around there for a while as Bianca did some homework and we all talked for a while. I left not too long after Bianca left and went back to Khadijah’s dorm. We intended to move my stuff to my new dorm room this evening but her car broke down. We’re guessing the battery is dead. It was parked and not used for several months although it did work for a while when she first retrieved it. It wouldn’t start or do anything really, as if the battery was disconnected. As it was already late and I didn’t feel like bothering so I just stayed another night in Kali’s dorm. Before bed we both watched Donnie Darko.

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Ruston

It’s hard to say when exactly the day started as I boarded the Greyhound bus sometime after midnight. Sleeping on the bus was pretty hard although I think I dozed off on a few occasions. The bus made a few stops which were impossible to sleep through with the interior lights on and the driver on the public address system. The bus made stops in Birmingham, Meridian, Jackson, Vicksburg and Monroe, LA. Between being late in arriving in Anniston where I got on and an overly long layover in Jackson, MS, the bus was about 45 minutes late in arriving in Ruston, Louisiana. The Greyhound bus stop in Ruston is at a gas station. Khadijah and Bianca were there to greet me. I’d seen Bianca a couple weeks ago but I’d not seen Khadijah since the end of June. At some point we dropped off my luggage at Kali’s dorm room but I don’t really remember the order anymore. We made a few stops. We had lunch at a Chinese buffet. The food was alright tasted exactly like the food at the Chinese buffet in Algiers. After that we went to Wal-Mart because I needed some things. I bought towels and some other more-or-less necessities. We stopped at a storage facility to pick up some stuff Khadijah left here in Ruston. We took Kali’s things up to her dorm after dropping off Bianca. With that out of the way I got my computer online and checked on some things and talked to a couple people online I haven’t spoken with in a little while, including Mylena. While I was doing that, Lindsey Simms stops by Kali’s dorm. We visited for few minutes before she left. I don’t think she accomplished whatever it was she intended to with her visit. I got to know her prettyt well during my senior year of high school but we didn’t really stay in touch. Khadijah put on Shrek 2, which we sorta watched. This evening, Khadijah and I went to an evening church service at the Ruston Church of Christ. We got a ride with Scott, one of Khadijah’s friends. The service was nice, pretty traditional. The sermon was pretty confusing for a first time visitor however. I had something to do with evangelism. The whole service referred to ‘teachers’ and ‘students,’ and not in a metaphorical sense. After the service Kali and I went to a short youth group meeting, which pertained to preparations for an upcoming fellowship event. After church, Khadijah and I accompanied a couple of her friends, Rachel and Randy-Lynn, to get something to eat. We went to a Popeye’s by the campus. I wasn’t hungry but I got a little something so I wouldn’t be just sitting there. We must have been there eating and talking for about an hour. After that, Randy-Lynn drove us back to campus. Khadijah and I talked for while before bed.

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To School

Mom, Andrew and I left Uncle Larry’s house this morning to back to Alabama to meet Dad. It was about a two hour drive from Lawrenceville to Talladega. Everyone that was there when we left was there when we arrived again. I got a look at the stuff dad retrieved from our house during his visit last week. He bought pretty much all of my clothes, the photographs I left and my CDs outside of my clothes I didn’t ask him to retrieve much else. Shortly after arriving we made a couple stops. First we went to a church that was giving out various items, mostly clothing, to hurricane victims. With all my clothes in hand I didn’t need anything and felt pretty out of place there despite my situation. After that we stopped at Wal-Mart as I needed a large duffle bag to put my things in. I also got some things I didn’t need like a new swiss army knife and a battery charger. I spent the better part of the afternoon washing and folding my clothes and packing all my things which were laid out on the floor in a room. It was kind of a big job but I got it done in less time than I would have expected. Uncle Larry (and maybe John too) fried some shrimp and fish and made some kabobs for dinner. The shrimp and fish came from Uncle Larry’s fridge at his house in New Orleans. Someone managed to retrieve it in time to save it. I suppose that was the last time I’d be eating Louisiana shrimp for a good while. I got to see pictures of our house that they shot while in New Orleans. The house is fine, although the tree in our front yard looks like it exploded. There are large fallen branches in three or four directions. A large part of the tree fell in front of the house, blocking the front windows and front gate. Our house is Later in the evening around 10:30, Mom and Dad drove to Anniston where the nearest bus station is. We got there early and the bus was a few minutes late so we were waiting there for a while. The bus arrived sometime after midnight, at which time I boarded the bus.

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Mill Creek Football

Louisiana Tech finally got my application processed this afternoon. I made several phone calls to the admissions office over the course of the day I sorta got the impression they were tired of hearing for a movie and gave me a reason to stop calling. That was the only progress made on the school front though. We all went to a high school football this game. I didn’t have interest in the game but I did need to get out of the house for a while. Chelsea plays in her high school band, which compels her parent’s to attend the football games. Mill Creek High played another whose name I can no longer recall. Suffice it to say they have a better football team. When we arrived at the school around seven I remarked on how surprised I was at the size of the school it’s an insanely large complex compared to the schools in New Orleans. Andrew’s school was next door so I got a look at it as well. As for the game, Mill Creek looked pretty decent in the first half, especially for a team belonging to a school only two years old. However, they made some back-breaking mistakes including a handful of interceptions. Both of the school’s bands performed at halftime. Chelsea was unable to play her instrument, bass clarinet, as her right arm was in a sling, but she was still in the formation, presumably to fill her space. The home team looked pretty dismal in the second half. I think the final score was 35-21, pretty respectable considering. I wasn’t paying nearly enough attention to say when or if the visiting team pulled their first string. I don't recall anything of circumstance taking place after we got home.

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No Change

I got up a bit late at 10 this morning. After getting myself cleaned up and eating breakfast, I checked to see if any progress was made with the applications processes for school. My FAFSA application finished processing this afternoon but not much progress was made on LA Tech’s end of things. I made a number of phone calls with no real results since my application hasn’t been processed yet. Financial aid took some information from me for some form or whatever. I did get reasonable assurance that I would be settled in shortly after arriving. I talked to Bianca this afternoon. She said she’d be able to help me out with some things, maybe even get housing and classes scheduled for me, which would be rather nice since I may not arrive before classes start on Monday. Mom and grandma made chicken stew for dinner. Late this evening I watched Titanic, a movie I’d been intentionally avoiding but finally capitulated and gave up three hours of my life. It was actually a pretty decent movie. It was certainly interesting to see the ship interiors recreated by a big-budget Hollywood production.

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Progress

I woke up some time after nine this morning. I spent a good part of the day doing what I was doing yesterday. I completed the FAFSA form with the help of a nice lady at an IRS Tax Advocacy office. Getting that done was a big relief and I now feel a lot better about the whole transferring situation. I made some phone calls to LA Tech but didn’t make any real progress. My application still hasn’t been processed. I was told the application I filled out online had not been printed out yet. I think that says all that needs to be said about their IT systems. Andrew’s ‘first’ day of school was today. I understand it went pretty well. We had meatloaf for dinner, which Aunt Ann actually cooked yesterday with the spaghetti to save time. I don’t remember doing anything of circumstance in the evening.

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Going to Tech?

I spent the better part of the day doing what needs doing so I can temporarily transfer to Louisiana Tech for the fall semester. While I’m not really looking forward to it, I need to fill the hours and I do have friends there. I applied online this morning and called the school. I neglected to fill out a renewal FAFSA which I got mostly done. I still need some tax information, however. Mom spent some time today making the arrangements for Andrew to attend school here in Georgia. Aunt Ann made spaghetti for dinner. With Aunt Lauren and Chelsea gone, there was more room in the house and I slept in a real bed this evening… the first time in about a week I guess.

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The House is Fine

I got around nine when everyone in the house had breakfast. This afternoon, the house emptied between a Braves game and shopping. We took some family pictures before they left. I stayed home to try and make some phone calls regarding enrolling at Louisiana Tech and checking on friends. All I managed to do was wake up Ami. I watched High Fidelity with the TV free. Uncle Larry, John and Dad made it into town today as residents of Jefferson parish were allowed to return for a little while to check on their property and take some thing with them. Uncle Larry’s house is fine. John actually had electricity in his apartment. Dad was able to reach our house today as well. The house is fine. He said there were a lot of downed trees in the neighborhood, including one in our front yard. The nine foot satellite dish inn the back yard was blown down too. Other than that, the house was untouched. The boards were still in the windows, none broken. There was no flooding in our neighborhood. I don’t believe Dad took much if any of our stuff today. Between the boarded up windows and no power, it was rather dark in the house and Dad didn’t have a good flashlight. They’re supposed to try and come back tomorrow. There were leftovers for dinner this evening. I watched Amlie. Ami called over here while I was watching the movie. I guess we both got turns at forgetting the time zones. It was the first time we'd spoken in a couple weeks, but I didn't have all that much to say, in spite of recent circumstances.

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Car Wash

I got up pretty early this morning, not exactly sure when. It was in time for some blueberry muffins for breakfast. A little while after breakfast I vacuumed and washed Mom’s can with help from Uncle Larry. The concrete dust that got on our car while in Memphis was still on the car, and stuck on pretty good after baking in the sun for days and going through a touchless car wash that was obviously no help. The job took well over an hour, maybe two. I heard from Roxana today, she is alive and well in Tennessee. Dad also heard from the doctor, who we haven’t heard from since Sunday. He was evacuated from the Astor Crown Plaza Hotel to Houston and is on his way to Dallas. Later in the afternoon most everybody went up to a pool in the neighborhood. I just came along to get outside for a while rather than go swimming. I saw a recent satellite picture of our house today. The resolution wasn’t great so all we can be certain of is there’s no water in the house. It kind of looks like there was just minimal wind damage in the neighborhood with lots of downed trees. It appears as if a neighbor’s try fell towards the left rear end of the house, although I don’t think it caused any structural damage. Again, I can’t be sure until we can see better pictures or just go home. I finished watching Touch of Evil this evening. I started watchingn it almost two weeks ago but circumstances prevented me from seeing the rest promptly. Uncle Larry grilled some chicken for dinner, which was quite good. Later in the evening, Arien, Andrew and I played Monopoly. I handled Andrew and Arien with ease, although they’re alloy younger than me so it’s no accomplishment. Aunt Ann walked in as we were finishing up around 12:30. We had no idea it was that late and went to bed soon after.

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Lawrenceville

I got up around nine this morning to talk that residents would be allowed into Metairie temporarily on Monday so Uncle Larry and some other folks were talking about going back. Mom, Andrew and myself left this morning to go see some family in Lawrenceville, Georgia, a spacious suburban area about half an hour east of Atlanta. Another Uncle Larry, Aunt Ann, and my cousin Chelsea live there. Grandma Laughlin, Aunt Lauren and my cousin Arien evacuated there as well. It was about a two hour trip from Talladega. I helped move some furniture into the house shortly after arriving and getting something to eat. Aunt Lauren, Arien and I went to Wal-Mart for a few things in the afternoon. I spent some time online this evening. I was rather tired throughout the day and dozed off in Larry’s office.

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