2005

Feb092005

DDR and Cheesecake

After taking our good old time to get up, Ami and I went to visit Andrey this afternoon. He came to pick us up around noon. It was raining rather heavily when he arrived so he just came inside for a little while. We left a few minutes later, the rain let up a little bit, but not too much. Andrey took us to his house to hang out for a while. While there we talked and played DDR for a while. Ami and I intended to go downtown in the evening and meet Khadijah later, as she was coming in town this evening. Andrey was unable to join us this evening but he was willing and able to take us to the ferry. He dropped us off there around four. Ami wanted to do a little shopping so we went to the Riverwalk after getting across. We were there for a little while we walked around a bit. Ami bought some jewelry and a smoothie while there. We eventually left and decided to go eat. We had to wait a few minutes for a train to pass outside the Riverwalk. After it did we walked up N. Peters to the Virgin Megastore so Ami could look for some CDs. We were there for a little while, Ami did buy some things. After leaving there we decided to go eat. I hadn’t really thought about where to go so we just started walking. We soon walked by the Gumbo Shop, a place I had been recently and know is decent so we ate there. I had the crawfish etouffee and Ami had a sandwich she didn’t like. While we were there, Khadijah called and said she was on her way from the airport. We arranged to meet her after Ami and I finished dinner. When we did finish we heard from her again and walked to Canal and St. Charles to meet her. We stood there for a few minutes. She called again and asked us to meet her down the street at a hotel where a friend of hers works. We met her there and spoke briefly before expressing a need to eat something. We walked into the hotel to a restaurant inside called ‘Cobalt,’ an expensive, well-decorated place with a very sparce menu. It didn’t take long for Kali to decide she didn’t want to eat there. It did take a few minutes to convince herself to to get up and leave though. Not long after getting outside she deciced she wanted to go to the Cheesecake Bistro, which was a little ways down St. Charles. We walked there, although it was a longer stroll than I first thought. It must have taken around 20 minutes to get there. We were seated about ten minutes after we arrived. Having just eaten I didn’t really want anything so I just got a drink. I did try some of Khadijah’s crawfish egg rolls though. Ami was the only one who got cheesecake. We were there for a few hours. We sat in the lobby of the adjacent hotel for a few minutes while we waited for our ride to arrive, courtesy of a friend of Khadijah’s, Robert. Before going home, we stopped at Wal-Mart because Khadijah needed some groceries for tomorrow. Ami and I went inside with her while Robert waited in the car. It didn’t take too long but we could have been faster. Ami and I got home around midnight. Instead of going right to bed like a should have, I watched Crimson Tide, which was actually pretty decent. Lights out at three.

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Feb082005

Mardi Gras 2005

I got up around 9:45 this morning and got ready to leave the house for the day. Ami had called the night before and asked to stay at my parent’s place for the remainder of her stay in New Orleans, for reasons I already well understood. She had asked that we pick her up in the morning so Dad and I left the house around 10:30 to pick her up from the place she was staying on Freret St. We were able to get there with little trouble although we had to take Tchoupitoulas to avoid the Rex and Zulu parades which were running this morning. We arrived shortly after 11. Dad dropped off Ami and I on Canal St. and took her bags home with him. Neither of us had eaten yet so we went to get some lunch. We walked to the Olde Nawlins Cookery. I got the crawfish etouffee and Ami got red beans and rice. Although I’m rather fond of the bread pudding there, I didn’t have any room for it. While we were eating, we talked with Bianca. She agreed to meet us a little later. After lunch, we walked around a bit, through Bourbon St. a bit and eventually made our way up Canal St. to where we’d meet Bianca. The Zulu parade was passing down Canal while we were walking so we saw a good portion of the procession. Bianca made it across the river while the parade was still going on. Ami and I were on the opposite side of the street and I thought we’d have to wait for the parade to end before we could cross to get to her. Bianca found a way though and surprised us by finding her way right behind us and yelling. We all stayed for the remainder of the parade and caught a handful of throws. After the parade, Bianca wanted to visit a couple of shop to we wandered through the quarter to one of them and only stayed for a couple minutes. We then took a ‘scenic route’ to the other one and found it was closed. We continued meandering our way through the quarter until we deemed it necessary to sit down somewhere for a while. Bianca hadn’t eaten yet so we eventually found a place and took a table in Angeli on Decatur. Service was rather slow but that didn’t matter much since we wanted chairs more than food. I just got a drink and Bianca got a sandwich. Ami had a piece of cheesecake. While we were there it rained for a bit, setting the tone of the weather for the rest of the evening. Ami wanted to go to the Virgin Megastore afterward. We walked there and found it was closed. We then decided to try the Riverwalk and made our way there. We walked through there for a little while. Ami bought some jewelry while there. We didn’t stay at the Riverwalk very long and eventually made our way out to see if there were any more parades to catch. We walked up Canal and took a spot to see the rest of the Trucks parade. It’s a pretty long procession of some rather generic looking floats pulled by big-rig tractors. Ami and Bianca had a lot of fun collecting throws from the parade. Ami built another weighty collection of beads around her neck. After the parade ended a little before six, we walked a short distance to McDonalds to get something to eat. We just took some seats for a little bit while Bianca tried to sort through and untangle all the beads they got. We eventually did get some food when the crowd in the restaurant died down a bit. Having sorted beads and eaten, we left and made our way to Bourbon St. We walked most of the length of the street in the quarter, treading carefully through the crowds and over the trash, as well as taking in the ‘sights.’ I found things to be reasonably tame as compared to the anecdotal evidence I’ve heard in the past. The crowds were pretty thick but not so bad that you couldn’t move. Having walked down a ways and past most of the circumstance, we walked across to Royal St., where the crowds and the atmosphere were a bit more subdued. We made our way to Caf Du Monde to sit down for a bit and get some beignets. We all split and order. Bianca said she needed to be home a bit early and wanted to take the bus home so walked with her up garbage-laden Canal St. to the bus stop and waited with her for the bus to arrive. It must have been about ten minutes for it to arrive. It did and we said our goodbyes. Ami and I then made our way down Common to the Pelican Bar at the Sheraton for my parents to arrive to pick us up. They went to Aunt Dionne’s this evening to visit and drop off my brothers who were spending the night there. We were there for a little while. We both got something to drink and talked for a bit. Ami called Khadijah and we both spoke with her briefly about her upcoming stay in New Orleans tomorrow night. My parents arrived around ten and we went home. After getting home I cleaned up and got some laundry started. I’ll also need to clean my shoes. Ami and I watched an episode of Carnivale we both missed from Sunday before going to bed. Ami took my room and I slept in my brother’s room as they were both away at present. I typed up this entry before going to bed at two o’clock.

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Feb072005

The End of Fuses

Today was pretty dull as compared to the last few days. I was home all day as I never really heard from anybody about plans to go anywhere. I heard from Bianca in the early afternoon but nothing materialized so I spent the day at home. The only event of circumstance today was some electrical work being done on the house. We had a fuse box in the back of the house which had been a growing source of problems, none of any real seriousness though. A set of outlets in the kitchen went out yesterday and the fuse was not to blame. An electrician replaced the ailing fuse box with a set of circuit breakers, fixing a few problems and putting an end to the repeated hassle of changing fuses. The process seemed rather quick, the power was shut off in the house for only a couple hours. My parents also got a pretty good deal price wise, in spite of having them come on such short notice, and arguably on a holiday around here. Late in the evening I watched a movie while I folded some socks, which I had washed earlier.

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Feb062005

Ami and Bacchus

Later in the afternoon after church, I went to meet Ami and Shani in the Quarter, both of whom I hadn’t seen in quite some time. I haven’t seen Ami since she moved to Arizona last August. Dad dropped me off at the ferry landing just before five. I met them in front of Caf Du Monde after getting across. We decided to go eat and walked to the Hard Rock Caf down the street. It was crowded but we were seated promptly. I just had the house cheeseburger and fries. Having eaten we stopped in Walgreen’s briefly so Ami could get something. We then walked across the street to the Virgin Megastore and ended up browsing around in there for a good while. After we left there we weren’t really sure what to do. I suggested we walk to the Pelican Bar at the Sheraton. When we got to Canal St. we saw that the Bacchus parade had not yet passed and decided to wait and see it. We stood on Canal and Magazine for a good while before it arrived. It was more than somewhat cold outside, but not unbearable. The parade did finally arrive perhaps an hour after we took out spots. It was a nice parade, but being at the end of the route meant there were substantial gaps in the procession, which kinda killed the mood in my opinion. When the first float arrived where we were, there was some sort of problem with the tractor that was pulling it. Another tractor arrived and the parade resumed 15 minutes later. That delay didn’t do much for the gaps though, although they grew a bit less significant as the parade progressed. The floats were generous with their throws. I don’t really get into catching things but I caught a healthy number of beads that would have otherwise hit me in the face. I got hit a few times anyway, once in the head with a bag of white ones. After the parade passed I called Dad to meet him at the bar he was at nearby. He was no longer there though, as he went to pickup Jeff. I decided to walk with the girls to Shani’s car, parked on Frenchman St. As we were walking, Dad made his way to Frenchman St. to meet me. We stopped on the way a couple times as Shani ran into people she know. I said goodbye to Ami and Shani when I reached Dad’s car. We went home and arrived around 1 AM. I finished watching Soylent Green and went to bed.

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Feb052005

Endymion and the Associated Party

I wasn’t really sure how I was going to spend my day this morning. Ami arrived from Arizona this morning and I was invited to a party this afternoon. I decided over the course of the afternoon to go to the Endymion hosted by a friend of Melanie’s. Dad dropped me off before 4:30 in the afternoon, just before the parade started. I had considerable trouble reaching the house on City Park Avenue where the party was. It took me well over a half hour to reach the house. There was no answer the first and second times I went, and I wasn’t even sure if anyone was there. Making a cell call was diffucult in the area so I was unsure where she was. By about six o’clock I was pretty pissed, feeling I had wasted my time. I went back to the house a third time and someone finally answered. I pounded on the door this time. Melanie had been there since three o’clock, which wasn’t exactly reassuring. After having a warm place to sit for a while with good company I regained my good mood. It was a nice little party with about 30 people I didn’t know. Apparently Melanie was only acquainted with just a few herself. Later in the evening Melanie, myself and a handful of other guests watched Ghostbusters and later Labyrinth. It was an interesting crowd to watch the movies with as many seemed to know all the lines. Later in the evening, Melanie’ father offered to give me a ride home, which was rather nice. I got back sometime after one and went to bed not long after.

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Feb042005

Day at Work – Evening with Melanie

I went to work today, slightly earlier than usual but still late by the world’s standards. I took lunch not terribly long after arriving. I got ham and swiss on toast and cheese fries from the deli across the street and ate there, as there was no space to eat at the office. I worked on reports until we left the office around three, after Dad finished getting some mailing ready to go. I went to visit Melanie at her house this afternoon; Dad took me over there after work. Not too long after I arrived, Melanie decided I had to see The Blues Brothers, one of those classics I haven’t got around to yet. Melanie made tacos for dinner after the movie was over. We decided to watch some TV while eating. We decided to watch A Knight’s Tale. It then occurred to Melanie’s sister, Lauren, that they had it on DVD and there was a certain logic to just watching that, so they found the movie and put it in. Melanie and I talked and such for a while after we finished watching the movie. Dad picked me up after eleven. He had Jeff with him, who he had picked up from Aunt Dionne’s. I think I may have continued watching Red Beard after I got home but I’m not entirely sure.

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Feb032005

Salty White Beans

Marketing class was short this afternoon. Ms. Snell briefly discussed consumer behavior. Dad picked me up after class to take me to work. We remained until six when we went home. We had white beans for dinner, which Dad had prepared before we left this morning.

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Feb022005

Now Quite as Bad Wednesday

I woke up feeling more miserable today than yesterday but hoped I would feel better as I took some Sudafed for my allergy symptoms. I got to work around 11:30. I vacuumed and did a report and then had lunch. I felt a good deal better after lunch and continued working until we left the office around three. Dad dropped me off in front of the school on St. Charles and I walked up to the library. I remained there for a couple hours. I left shortly after five to walk to this evening’s class. We watched Sunset Blvd. in film this evening. It’s a good movie that I’ve seen before. There was some trouble getting started though as the projector wasn’t getting any electricity. Some folks came by with an extension cord to get it working. A fuse must have blown as the outlet near my seat was out too. Class was dismissed immediately after the movie just after eight. I walked up to Freret as I was going to take a bus downtown to meet dad who was at the Hornet’s game this evening with Andrew. The medical school shuttle was there and I just caught it before it left. After the short ride to Tulane Ave., I walked down to Canal St. to go to the Sheraton to have a seat for a while until the game was over. I had forgotten that there were three Mardi Gras parades this evening so I walked right into an nice big crowd. There was a parade going by as just as I was walking down. I had to take a couple detours to get where I was going. I finally took a seat in the Pelican Bar and sat for a while. Dad called around 9:30. I figured he could just pick me up behind the hotel but I didn’t yet know there was another parade right behind the one I saw so roads were still blocked. I walked up to Tulane and University where Dad picked me up. I was up for a while on the computer before going to bed in the evening.

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Feb012005

Not the Best Tuesday

The runny nose and allergy symptoms I’ve been having these last few days became more than a nuisance today. I felt pretty crappy all day. I got through this morning’s marketing class ok. Ms. Snell went through chapter four and I got a copy of the textbook. Dad picked me up after class to take me to work. I did a good number of reports, although I felt rather miserable. I didn’t do much work after doc arrived. I sat in the back for about an hour and tried to rest my eyes a bit. I decided no to go to this evening’s class, although I didn’t leave the office till after seven this evening so there was no great benefit. I ate dinner when we got home, Dad started some slow-cooked white beans before work this morning. I went to bed early not too long after that around nine. I didn’t sleep very well between illness and the loud rain around 3 AM.

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Jan312005

Review Writing and Birthday Cake

I went to work at 11:30 this morning with plenty of work to do. There was some dictation that sat over the weekend that wasn’t finished last Friday. I worked on that for a while before leaving the office at 4:30 to go to this evening’s class. Before getting to class, we picked up Andrew from school. He and Dad went to the Hornet’s game this evening. Before dropping me off, we all got something to eat from the Frostop. Dad dropped me off on campus with just enough time to get to class. During this evening’s review writing class, we went over each student’s product review, which was due today. I wrote a review on my laptop, which the professor didn’t much like due to the highly technical vocabulary it contained and it’s lack of ‘personality.’ After she went through everyone’s work, we were given some time to improve out papers based on her suggestions, class time called the ‘writing workshop.’ I think I got the techno-babble down but I doubt I added much personality to the review. Before class was dismissed, she lectured for a bit and gave us out next assignment, reviewing an internet message board. That should be an interesting undertaking. After class I saw that is was raining rather heavily. It had been raining with reasonable frequency throughout the day. I had planned to visit Melanie at her house for a little while this evening. It would figure that I left my umbrella at home this morning. Luckily, her dad was good enough to give me a lift to her house given how wet it was. Not long after I got there, they resumed Goldeneye, the movie they had been watching. Tomorrow is Melanie’s 21st birthday so we all had some cake before dad arrived to take me home. Later in the evening, I watched a bit more of Red Beard. I though I was going to finish it tonight but I only made it to the intermission before going to bed.

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Jan302005

uh…

Well I remember going to church today. I remember having to take a bit of a detour around a Mardi Gras parade route.

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Jan292005

Tulane vs. Louisville

Most of the day was devoid of circumstance. I watched some TV. A neighbor’s dog was camping out in our garage most of the day. This evening, Dad, Andrew and I went to see the Tulane’s basketball team play Louisville. The game wasn’t remarkably entertaining as Louisville dominated the entire affair; of course that wasn’t surprising since Louisville is ranked 12th in the nation. The final score was 105-69. We were in no hurry to leave after the game. Dad wanted to talk to someone in the press box and Andrew played on the court with some other kids for a little while. I had my camera with me during the game. I only took a few shots and I doubt there was a single good one of the bunch. Later in the evening I was on the computer for a while.

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Jan272005

Dinner, Movie, Conversation

Dad and I left the house considerably earlier than usual this morning as he had a doctor appointment this morning. We left the house just after nine to make the 9:40 appointment. He was seen on time. While I waited, I surfed the net using a WAP that was somewhere in the building. He was done about a half hour later, after which Dad took me to the mall for my noon class. I arrived at the mall around 10:30, leaving me 90 minutes to kill. I went to the lab for a little while. I called Ann and we had lunch at 11. I had some pizza and pasta from Sbarro. Ann said she intends to quit her job at the bookstore but I wouldn’t bet the farm. I went up to class after lunch. Ms. Snell covered the rest of chapter three regarding marketing ethics. Class was dismissed around 12:45. Dad picked me up afterward to take me to work. He left shortly after we arrived to go to the east office. I had enough to largely stay occupied until I left around five when dad picked me up. He dropped me off in the quarter as I had a date with Melanie this evening. The rest of my family went out to eat as well this evening as today is Andrew’s birthday. Melanie and I had dinner at the Gumbo Shop. She was just over a half hour late something to do with the cab. I had lots of time to look at the menu. I picked the jambalaya. Melanie picked the same when she arrived. Before that we both had a cup of their chicken andouille gumbo, which I understand is their most popular item. It was good, although hardly legendary. Neither of us was able to finish the jambalaya. After dinner we walked down to Canal Place. We went to see The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. We were a bit early so we went up to the Wyndam’s 11th floor lobby to sit for a little while and wait for seating to start. We got up a little before 7:30 and took our seats in the movie. To say the least, The Life Aquatic is unique in many respects and quite amusing. After the movie ended a little while before ten, we went back up to the lobby to sit down for a bit before going home. We ended up talking for about five hours. At quarter to two we both agreed it was time to go home. We walked down to Canal St. and got cabs home. I didn’t have any cash on me but a driver let me buy gas to pay the fare. I got home around 2:30 and went to bed shortly thereafter.

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Jan262005

Work and Film Noir

I went to work this morning and arrived around 11. I did some work involving filing, but that was about it. Dad took me uptown a short while later for this evening’s class. I got there around three. I sat in the library for a little while and later went to the Boot and got something to eat. I sat around there for a while and then walked to the quad near the Norman Mayer building and took a seat nearby for another short while. While there I briefly spoke with someone who was interested in my laptop. She happened to know a student I knew from working at the book store. This evening’s film class pertained to film noir. After a short discussion, we watched The Maltese Falcon. Dad picked me up in front of the library a short while after class. On the way home we listened to the end of a Tulane basketball game versus Houston. The had held a lead through most of the game but Houston shortened the lead and managed to tie the game with less than a minute remaining. Freshman Taylor Rochestie scored in the final seconds of the game, sealing the win. Rochestie is the same player who won Tulane the game at the buzzer last week versus UAB. This win broke a nine game winning streak for Houston at home. I was in front of the computer later in the evening and talked to Melanie and Ami online for a while before going to bed.

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2005

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