Less than Triumphant Return

After being away for nearly two years, Tulane played their first home game this evening. It was quite nice up until the game started. I’m not really in the mood to summarize the game in great detail. Tulane looked completely inept through most of the game. I don’t think I’ve ever been so consistently pissed at a sporting event. Losing in itself wasn’t so bad but losing to a shitty team was rough. Tulane dropped balls, got sacked and the defense was not particularly effective, frequently missing tackles. Between missed opportunities on offense and defense, Tulane fell 21-33. Later this evening after I got home, I watched 16 Blocks.

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Sep302006

No Work Today

On the way to work today, I stopped by Aunt Dionne’s house for a while to help her set up a wireless router. I wasn’t expecting to be there long but the thing gave me a lot of trouble. I finally go it working but it was well after three by then. Aunt Dionne drove me to the office and I arrived sometime around four. I didn’t do any actual work when I was there. Not long after I got there, Dad and I left to drive to Slidell to see West Jefferson High play Salmen. Bianca and her daughters were there too. The game can be summarized rather simply. Salmen didn’t have a chance in hell, their offense moved the wrong way half the time and the defense couldn’t stop the run or the pass. Salmen used to be a powerhouse but I understand they lost a lot of good players to the hurricane. The final was 40-0. There was some other prep football news of circumstance this evening. John Curtis went up to Alabama to play Hoover High School, the top ranked team in the nation and won 28-14. It was pretty late when I got home but I stayed up a while and watched a few episodes of Rome.

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Sep282006

Some Work and Some Class

Dad took me to Tulane Tuesday afternoon for my one class but it was cancelled so I went to work with him that afternoon. As I recall the office was rather quiet that day but I had enough work to keep busy. Later that evening I watched Boston Legal and Cube. The movie was kind of interesting to watch but the ending was disappointing as I was expecting at least a partial explanation of purpose. I went to work with Dad on Wednesday as well, but we didn’t get to the Metairie office until three. Among other errands and a stop for lunch, we picked up Andrew from school at 2:30. I had some dictation to work on over the course of the afternoon. We left at about six, we picked up some dinner at Nacho Mama’s, the place I frequently get lunch at. Later that evening I watched Inside Man. Before going to Tulane this afternoon (Thursday), I went to get my hair cut, something that’s needed doing for a couple weeks. Professor Barron was absent from class this afternoon, although it wasn’t cancelled. We still had the test that was scheduled, but without the benefit of the review that was supposed to take place on Tuesday. I walked to Maple Street after class and went to Fresco’s Caf for lunch. I got the ham and cheese sandwich, which was decent but too big for me to finish. After lunch as I was walking back to the library, I stopped in the Maple Street Book Shop out of curiosity. I walked out with a copy of The Prince. I was in the library from about two to five waiting for my evening class. This evening’s class was mostly about the technological history of television but it was difficult to get much done in this evening’s Art and Craft of Television class. Ironically enough, The Best Damn Sports Show Period was filming right outside the Mayer building. The noise was sort of manageable until the live musical performance by Robert Randolph and the Family Band started. We took a break at that point to wait for the show to end. The band was actually pretty good. After class I took the shuttle downtown. I planned on taking the ferry to the west bank but it was closed. I went to the Sheraton for a little while and dad picked me up from there. Later that evening I watched the first couple episodes of the HBO series Rome.

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Sep252006

Back Home in the Dome

After being away for nearly two years, The New Orleans Saints returned to the Louisiana Superdome for their home opener versus the Atlanta Falcons. Seeing the team back in the dome and then win in dramatic fashion was a surreal, indescribable experience couldn’t have been written better. I’m glad to say I was there. Mom, Dad, Andrew and I went to the newly reopened Superdome this afternoon for the Saints game. Dad and I more or less planned to go to work today but we never got around to it. At around three, Dad and I left the house to pick up Mom from work and Andrew from school. After getting both of them, we headed down to the dome. With the heavy traffic, it took a little while to get there and parked. Scores of people were already there when we arrived around five. Apparently people had already been around the Superdome since this morning. The Goo Goo Dolls performed outside the dome at 5:30. I had left Mom and Dad for some breathing room by gate C just earlier. After their performance ended it got quite crowded where I was. There was some sort of stage and ceremonies at this gate that I wasn’t really aware of until they took place. After the gates ‘officially’ opened, people didn’t seem to be moving and it took a good bit of effort to escape the crowd. I met up with Dad, Andrew and eventually Mom later on and we entered the stadium. Although I’m sure coming back to the dome for a lot of people was a very emotion experience with all of the tragic context associated with the Superdome. That wasn’t really the case for me though. It’s a familiar place for me because I’ve visited it many times for Tulane football games, which is all that really comes to my mind when I think about the dome. The restoration and renovation has been a big story of late. Seeing the interior, you’d never know anything bad had happened. Everything was clean and familiar, even more polished than I recall from my previous visits. Mom and Dad had suite tickets and Andre and I sat in the terrace in section 624. We were pretty high up but there isn’t a bad seat in the dome for football. We were seated pretty early but the stands were already largely occupied. The pre-game performance with U2 and Green Day was cool. Seeing the floor audience get shuffled in and then shuffled out not long after was kind of amusing. And then there was the game, and what a game it was. Staring with the blocked punt and touchdown return, the Saints set the tone for the whole game, in which the Saints defense dominated and shut down Michael Vick and one of the best offences in the NFL. The Saints double reverse for a touchdown later on was pretty sweet as well. The Saints won 23-3. I think I can skip the box score and let it suffice to say that the game couldn’t have been better if it was scripted. The crowd was definitely an advantage to the home team, making an incredible amount of noise helping out the Saints defense. Early in the game I couldn’t even hear my own screams. All in all the atmosphere was positively electric. I’m not much of a writer so I’m not qualified to adequately describe the significance of the evening. Rest assured, history will take care of that in due course. “The attendance for the game was 70,003. Meanwhile, the broadcast of the game was ESPN's highest-ever rated program to date, with an 11.8 rating, and viewership by 10,850,000 homes. It was the most-watched program for the night, broadcast or cable, and was the second-highest rated cable program of all time.” Wikipedia Andrew and I walked back to the car through cheering crowds after the game. After watching boisterous fans leave the dome for a little while, we drove home and arrived sometime around midnight.

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Sep222006

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

Tuesday and Thursday were both very similar. I just had the architecture class in the afternoon. My Thursday evening class was cancelled. I worked a bit on Tuesday and Wednesday. Today, Dad took me to class and then home again as there wasn’t much reason to go to work. Yesterday I actually got all caught up on work for the first time in a few weeks. The last couple nights, I watched season two of The 4400. I also saw Forbidden Planet.

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Sep192006

Weekend – Monday

With the exception of church I was home all weekend, not really doing much. The football was better this weekend though. Tulane had a surprising win and Auburn beat LSU, which I watched only because high def TV is new to me. The Raiders game wasn’t on regular television which was no great loss as they were beat again this week. I only watched one ‘movie’ this weekend, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars. I was rainy today. I was expecting to work this afternoon but Dad’s glasses broke, a big deal because he apparently doesn’t have a spare. He does have some prescription sunglasses though so he was able to take me to school this afternoon. He dropped me off on campus some time after two and went on to get his glasses repaired. I went to the library for a good while, browsed eBay and such and listened to the latest TWiT podcast. Andrey saw me in the library and we talked for a good while as I haven’t seen him in quite sometime. We mostly talked about what we’ve been up to these last few months. I left the library for Jones Hall not long after five. It was good I left early as the class actually starts at 5:30, 15 minutes earlier than most evening classes. We watched a PBS documentary about radio history in Louisiana. There was a short lecture afterward discussing the early technological innovations of radio, mostly names and dates. Class was dismissed at 7:30. I called Dad and he told me to wait for him at the Boot. He was in Kenner getting some new eyeglasses. The place was pretty dead when I got there but it got crowded fast. James Gandolfini was in the bar this evening, definitely the most popular guy in the place. He was in town for the premier of All the King’s Men which took place at Tulane earlier, and definitely the most popular guy in the place. Dad arrived about an hour later. We remained there for a while before going home sometime before ten.

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Sep132006

Nearly a Full Work Day

Dad and I went to the office a bit earlier than usual, arriving at 10:45. The extra time was nice as I was able to get nearly caught up on reports and some other housekeeping matters. Doc was in the office today to see some new patients. Dad left for a while in the middle o the afternoon to pick up Andrew and bring him back to the office. We left at about six and stopped at the store on the way home. I watched a little TV and American Psycho. It nothing else, it was one of the more unusual movies I’ve seen.

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Sep122006

Last First Class

It was rainy today as it has been somewhat frequently of late. I went to work with Dad this morning for 11:45. I still had some reports waiting from nearly two weeks ago that I continued work on. I was only there until about 2:30 when Dad took me to Tulane for my class this evening. He wanted to get that out of the way before the rush of patient’s later this evening. Going to class after work probably wouldn’t be a big deal any other day but we’re open a bit late on Mondays. Not long after I got settled in the library, Mom called and asked me to walk over to Andrew’s school and walk with him back to the library or somewhere so she would not have to leave work and get him. I did so and came back to the library. Not long after five I walked over to the Newcomb building where my class was this evening. I signed up for Introduction to Visual Basic, not for any good reason. Including myself there were five students in the class. That and a few other things turned me off and I decided I’d be dropping this class. The instructor did not have a syllabus yet so the class didn’t last long, only the most basic information was discussed. Class was dismissed at 6:10. I walked over to Jones Hall where another Monday night class I was previously interested in was being held, History of Radio. This class is actually part of my major. The class was already over but I saw a syllabus on a desk and had a look at it. The professor of the class walked into the room not long after and introduced himself and spoke with me briefly about the class. Since I was finished so early I was able to get a ride home with Dad. I caught a shuttle downtown and he met me in front of the Tidewater Building. I think we had chicken for dinner this evening but I can’t quite remember. Later that night, I watched Sanjuro.

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Sep072006

Walking Tour Continued

Dad dropped my off on campus at 12:15 this afternoon for my architecture class. We met in front of McAlister auditorium where Professor Barron continued his walking tour of the campus. We walked around the Newcomb College buildings. There was a lot to talk about, although there wasn’t as much history in these newer buildings as opposed to the ones off St. Charles Avenue. After class I walked over to the new Bruno’s for some lunch. I ordered a shrimp po-boy which was decent. The new bar and restaurant is kind of nice but you can’t buy character. After lunch I walked back to the library, where I remained for a good while before I had to go to Norman Mayer for my evening class. My ‘first’ session of Art and Craft of Television was this evening. Tonight’s class was mainly about what the class will be about and some basics about TV, none of which were exactly news. This class seems like it should be enjoyable, although it seems the professor has a more than desirable degree of affection for network television, which largely sucks. Later on after class, Mom picked me up in front of the library. She was nearby at an open house for Andrew’s school. She took me to Superior Grill where Dad, Andrew, my co-worker Bianca and her family were this evening. Dad treated her and our families to dinner this evening for her birthday. Mom and I got there at about 8:45 after everyone else had been there a while. I’d met Bianca’s husband and two daughters previously, but I met her step-children, Brianee and Trey for the first time this evening. It didn’t take long for the affair to become waiting to leave. I know I wasn’t alone there. I got home at about 10:30. I can’t remember what if anything I late that evening.

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Sep062006

New TV

I went to work with dad this afternoon, for the first time in a little while maybe a week. On the way we stopped at the post office to pick up the new HDTV I ordered. It came in the mail yesterday but nobody was home. We stopped at the west bank office for a little while to drop some things off. We then went uptown to pick up Andrew from school who was getting out an hour early today. On the way Dad stopped at Rite-Aid for some things. I walked over to Rally’s for some lunch while he was in there. After picking up Andrew, we drove over to the Metairie office and arrived sometime around three. I worked for about two and a half hours on some dictation I’ve had on hand for several days. Doc was at the office today because we were closed for Labor Day. I spent the evening setting up and generally enjoying my new TV, a Philips 26PF5321D/37, a 26″ LCD HDTV. I bought this to replace the 13″ TV/VCR combo I bought when I was in high school. I’d seen this model in Wal-Mart and Best Buy and recently got one on eBay. The short of it is that I really like this TV. It may end up being one of my only buyers-remorse-free purchases, especially since I got such a good deal on it. That evening I watched Serenity on it.

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Sep052006

Campus Walking Tour

Dad dropped me off on campus at about 11:24 this afternoon for my only class of the day. I had about 45 minutes to kill so I went to the Drawing Board Caf in the basement of the School of Architecture building for some lunch. The class met in front of Gibson Hall this afternoon. Professor Barron gave a sort fo walking tour of the front end of the campus today, although about half of the class was just spend standing in front of Gibson while he discussed the history of the front three buildings. We also walked to the center of the front quad and the second green space before Freret St. He made mention of all the buildings between St. Charles and Freret. After class I went to the library for a while. Dad picked me up sometime around three after retrieving Andrew from school. I don’t remember much of circumstance taking place that evening.

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Sep042006

Back to School and Labor Day Weekend

After having the summer off, I had my first class of the fall semester this past Thursday. Although I’m not sure I’m going to keep it, I’m currently signed up for an elective class, Introduction of Architecture for Non-Majors. I’ve always had a casual interest in the subject and from what I was able to tell of the professor’s description, it fits the bill nicely. The class is taught by Errol Barron, whose work includes the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. I arrived at he first session of the class early. The only other person in the room was Vi Le, a classmate from Karr who I didn’t immediately recognize. The class seems crowded enough with twenty-something students. As I said earlier most of the class time was spend detailing what the class is about, although the professor also spoke at length about the history of the city of New Orleans as it relates to city planning. After class I waited for a few hours in the library for my evening class, Art and Craft of Television. The professor didn’t show up this evening. Someone stopped by to pass out the syllabus and let us know there was no class tonight. I was more than slightly pissed when I looked at the syllabus and found it stated there would be no class, meaning this was no sudden incident and the teacher deprived us the courtesy of an e-mail or something. Since there was no immediate opportunity for a ride some I got on an RTA bus to go downtown. When I got to Canal St. I waited a while for the Gen. De Gaulle bus but I got impatient and got a cab the rest of the way home. The driver was a civil engineering student himself who just got out of a class himself. I didn’t work this weekend, I remember that much. I also remember wasting a lot of time that could have been better spent doing something. The only non-event of circumstance was a problem with my car, it wouldn’t turn over. On Sunday, Dad discovered the starter was sticking after we replaced the ignition module with no effect. Simply tapping on it gets the car started but apparently you have to do it every time. That being the case I’m going to have to have it repaired or replaced.

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September 2006

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