2006

Apr122006

Business Man’s Special

Rather than going to work this morning, Dad and I went to see Tulane’s baseball team play Nicholls State this afternoon. Things didn’t look great early in the game. Tulane wasn’t hitting the ball. Nicholls State scored single runs in the first, second and fourth innings. Tulane finally answered in the bottom of the sixth with six runs, partially possible by a couple of errors by the opposing team. Each team scored one more run in the eighth, bringing the final score to 7-4. Although it was certainly a nice Tulane win, they certainly could have looked better against such mediocre opposition. While we were at the game, Dad was approached by a WWL TV reporter, who asked to interview him, mostly regarding the fact that we were at a baseball game in the middle of the work day. He returned later between innings and conducted the interview, which didn’t take long. We stopped at McDonalds after the game because Dad wanted some lunch. I had something to eat at the game so I wasn’t hungry. After he finished we went to the office for a little while. Although I had some work I could have been doing, I never got around to it. We left around five, having accomplished nothing really. We went to Lakeside mall afterwards. AT the time I thought there was a Journey’s there, but it’s actually at the Esplanade. Dad and I stopped in a number of stores. I ran into Don Aperwhite, a former classmate from Karr at one of them, where he was working. Sadly, I didn’t know his name until I looked it up in the yearbook so wouldn’t have to leave a blank space here. I only bought a few t-shirts from Gap. We saw the news when we got home, channel four used a couple sound bites from Dad’s interview, most notably: “A bad day at the ball park beats a good day at the office�” This evening, I finally got a shipping tracking number for the Viliv P1 I ordered almost a month ago. Beyond that, I don’t remember anything of circumstance happening tonight.

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Apr112006

Affirmative Action

Grandma and Uncle Larry left early this morning to fly back to Georgia. I didn’t work today again as Dad would have been unable to get me to my class this evening. I left the house shortly after two to catch a bus downtown. While I’m not intimately aware of the bus schedule but I do know it runs every half hour. Something must have been up because I waited over an hour for the bus, eventually with a handful of people. As I arrived downtown later than I wanted, I didn’t really have the time to mosey around downtown. The timing did work out well in that I caught the 3:40 shuttle with just a little time to spare. I went to the library for a while after I arrived on campus. I left around 5:30 to make my way to Newman for class this evening. This evening’s speech class knocked out the rest of the debates. I think myself and a classmate I debated with went second or third, I’m not sure. Topics other than ours were gay marriage, capital punishment, and the local upcoming election. The gay marriage one was especially entertaining. Myself and Kirsten debated the instructor as there was a shortage of debate partners. We were arguing against affirmative action. Professor Hanemann was a formidable opponent, even though he apparently made no prior preparations though. I think we did pretty well. I didn’t have any trouble getting my words out. The audience appeared to be largely on our side, although they’re majority white. I was hoping to get out of class early this evening to see the mayoral debate that took place at McAlister auditorium this evening, but I didn’t get out nearly in time for that. I did get out in time to catch the 7:50 shuttle uptown. Dad picked me up in front to Tidewater to take me home. We had red beans for dinner and watched yet another jaw-dropping episode of 24 afterward. Later that evening I ‘participated’ in Star Trek 2.0, an ‘interactive’ TOS airing on G4. It involves an on-screen chat of sorts and a “Spock Market.”

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Apr102006

Sunday?

I only remember two ‘events’ taking place today. I went to Wal-Mart with Dad this afternoon. There were a couple things I had in mind that I wanted, although I didn’t necessarily need anything. It was rather crowded, especially at the check out lines. I walked out with a bed sheet and some hangars. Later this evening, I went with Uncle Larry and Andrew to Caf Du Monde in the French Quarter. There was a surprisingly sparse crowd there this evening. There were plenty of employees though. Even so, we waited a good while before we were served. After leaving there we walked through the quarter for a short while before heading back home. Uncle Larry took some pictures of the cathedral before we made it all the way back to the car.

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Apr082006

Wake

Grandma Laughlin and Uncle Larry came to town this afternoon. They were here for the wake and funeral of Vincent Panepinto, my grandmother’s sister’s husband I think. Dad took me to class this afternoon as usual. Afterward, Dad picked me up and we both went to a funeral home on Lapalco where the wake was held, starting at seven this evening. We arrived a good deal earlier than the rest of my family, and we waited in the car. I don’t suppose the wake was especially unusual, although I don’t think I’ve been to one before this evening. Basically the event consisted of a not big enough room which was occupied by the deceased, some of his personal effects, and lots of people, none of which I was acquainted with. I was introduced to a number of people. I’m not sure if how many of them were technically related to me. Before tonight, I had no idea why they called it a ‘wake,’ but I now think that perhaps there was a time when people though the noise of the crowd and conversation might raise the dead. I think we left sometime between seven and eight. I rode home with Larry, Grandma and Andrew. Aside from the fact that we had house guests, nothing unusual happened this evening.

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Apr062006

Good Night, and Good Luck

I worked from one to five this afternoon. Dad got me to class this evening with plenty of time to spare. During this evening’s media and the law class, we watched Good Night, and Good Luck. It was a pretty good movie that I’d wanted to see for a good while. I took the shuttle downtown after class this evening. I did have to wait a bit for it though. I was the only one on the 7:50 this evening. I walked to the Sheraton when I arrived downtown. I was there a lot longer than usual as Dad was already on his way home when I got out of class and presumably had some things to do. I intended to get a drink when I got there but the bar was closed, apparently because they’re doing work on the floor. While I was waiting, I continued to work on my log a bit. I happened to be sitting next to a couple of other Tulane students, named Patricia and Tenicia, and I talked to them for a while. Dad arrived shortly after nine. I was a little more tired than usual that evening. I was going to get to bed around midnight but Ami called right before I got the lights out and we spoke for about an hour and half, largely about her recent trip across the border.

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Apr052006

Too Long Work Day

Dad and I went to work for noon. I had enough work to keep me occupied for a few hours this afternoon. The office was rather busy today and Bianca was out sick so Dad was rather busy dealing with patients. That being the case, he wasn’t able to take me to class today so we called a cab at 3:45. Unfortunately the cab never came and I missed both classes this evening. We were at the office late ordered a pizza. We finally left the office around seven. Dad had to stop at Doc’s apartment to help him in. I waited in the car, for a while, and worked on my log while I waited. I don’t remember anything in particular happening that evening.

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Apr042006

Tulane Hands It To UNO

For some reason, Dad and I didn’t go to work late this afternoon. Having the morning free allowed me to get a haircut though, something I’ve needed to do for a good while. The place I’ve been going to for years closed down recently, so Dad took me to this hair salon nearby. It was a mildly unsettling experience as this place was much less like a barber shop and a lot more like an emergency room of hair. Dad and I arrived at the Metairie office at 4:30 this afternoon. I think I had some sort of work to do but I no longer recall. Dad and I left at six to go to Zypher Field. Dad and I saw Tulane play UNO this evening for the third and last time this season. UNO had absolutely no pitching to speak of tonight. The pitching was so bad there weren’t ‘that’ many hits, but there were plenty of walks and a few hit batters. Tulane just had their way with UNO, getting some 20 hits and two home runs. The final score was 19-5. I think Dad and I left just before the eighth inning. On the way home, we needed to stop at the west bank office to pick up some dictation I would be working on tomorrow. We also stopped at Walgreen’s because Dad needed something. I picked up a 24×36 poster frame, something I’ve been unable to find. I lost a framed poster on the way home from Ruston. It fell off a trailer. I bought another poster a while back and I was finally able to it back on the wall this evening. After I got home I cut the poster to size with an x-acto knife while I watched a repeat of Boston Legal.

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Apr032006

Dubai Ports Controversy

I didn’t go to work today because Dad was going to be too busy at the office this afternoon to take me to school after. When I got up he said he had to leave early and wouldn’t be able to just take me to school. He didn’t leave early at all but I put off getting ready because of what he said so I had to get to school myself this afternoon. I left the house around 12:30 and caught the bus downtown. It was over 80 degrees today. Although not unpleasant, it’s clear the last vestiges of spring are fading fast. Since I was on the east bank five hours before class I had plenty of time to fill. I was curious as to the state of the Riverwalk so when I got off the bus I hopped on a street car to go to the end of Canal Street as I wasn’t in a walking mood. This was my first time in the Riverwalk since the hurricane. A majority of the stores within were closed. When I first entered the mall I had to walk a good ways before I saw the first open shop. It was a bit depressing to see a once thriving tourist attraction so dead. Some of the big stores like the Gap and Banana Republic were open though. I mainly went because I wanted to go to the Gap and add a short-sleeved collared shirt to my meager wardrobe. As is so often the case, they only had six shits that fit the description, but I picked out one that wasn’t bad. The girl at the cash register said business wasn’t great, which was hardly surprising seeing as how many vacant ships I had to walk past to get to this store. With my new $35 shirt in hand, I continued up stairs to see the rest of the mall and to get something to eat at the food court. There was more of the same. EB Games was open, but most things weren’t. Most of the food court was unoccupied. A Pizza/Pasta kiosk was open, as was Haagen-Dazs and the Mexican place. Everything else was closed though. I got a slice of pizza and a salad before heading out. As I was leaving a Zippo lighter case at caught my eye at this pen store. I’ve never smoked or had any need for a lighter, but I’ve always wanted one for some reason. Maybe it’s the neat, familiar clicking sound they make. I went ahead and bought one, it wasn’t expensive. I walked up Canal to the Tidewater building to wait for a shuttle to go uptown for class this evening. I must have arrived uptown sometime around four. I went to the library for a good while before class this evening. I left an hour before class to go to the class room because I wanted to go over my speech in my head. There were two debates in class this evening. I was absent when the instructor went over how that would go. There were two teams of two for each debate. The first one was on abortion. It ended badly as the professor seemed outright mad at the lack of preparation undertaken by the ‘pro’ side. He threw them out of class when they seemed dumbfounded when I asked a question during the audience Q &A portion of the debate. Class was dismissed after the two debates, except for those who still had to give our persuasive speeches. There were five of us. Although there was plenty of passion and knowledge behind the topic of my speech, the dubai port deal controversy, I still screwed up the delivery. I skipped over two important paragraphs of the speech and it threw me off pretty good. I still got an ‘A’ though. Dad picked me up near the library a short while after class. We watched 24 that evening. There was a rather ‘interesting’ twist at the end of the episode.

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Apr012006

Uncle Larry’s Surprise Birthday Party

As Tulane was unable to have proper homecoming festivities during the football season due to the hurricane, they were held today during the Tulane/Rice baseball game this afternoon. Mom, Dad, Andrew and I went out to Zephyr Field this afternoon for the game. We packed some food to take along. The weather was warmer today than it’s been previously, but still very pleasant. The presentation of the court took place on a stage in front of the field before the game. President Cowen was there. The game today was very much like the one last night. It was a pitchers duel without much hitting going on, lots of missed chances. Tulane scored a run in the first. That lead held for the better part of the game. It wasn’t until the eighth inning that Rice answered with three runs, taking the lead. We had to leave the game early as we were going to Uncle Larry’s surprise birthday party this evening. As these things go, the party-goers are supposed to arrive before the guest of honor. That was regretful as we missed some impressive drama at the end of the baseball game, of course we still lost. We listened as Tulane managed to get one run in at the bottom. Although they managed to load the bases in the bottom of the ninth, they failed to get any runs in, and Tulane lost, rather disappointingly, with a final of 3-2. Several familiar faces from Dad’s family were in attendance, but I didn’t know most of the people, friends of Larry, including the owner of the house the party was held at. It was a pretty decent party. There were lots of people, 300 pounds of boiled crawfish and lots of other food. Larry was sort of surprised. Beyond that I don’t feel like describing it further. Dionne’s cousin had me ‘film’ Larry’s arrival and the opening of gifts. We left the party sometime after nine.

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Mar312006

Tulane vs. Rice – Game 1

I didn’t work today either. Dad took me uptown for about for this afternoon, with plenty for time to spare before class. This afternoon’s lecture was a continuation of that from Wednesday… I think. After class I walked to the Boot, where Dad was waiting for me. There was a rather large crowd there today. There was a crawfish boil there, likely because of homecoming festivities. Dad and I got something to eat and then drove out to Zypher Field. Tulane played Rice this evening. This series is the rematch of the Super-regional last year. We won. Not today though. Rice’s best pitcher, Eddie Degerman, pitched a fine seven or eight innings, allowing only three hits. Although Tulane had a few chances, they only scored one run. Tulane’s pitching wasn’t bad either, Sean Morgan, allowing only five hits. Rice scored three runs though, for a final of 3-1.

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Mar302006

Thursday

I was at the office from 12:15 to about five today. I don’t remember what, if any work I had to do. I got to class this evening with a few minutes to spare. I don’t remember what happened, it’s not important anyway. I got out of class a bit too late and missed the 7:50 shuttle barely. Dad picked me up in front of the Reily Center rather than waiting for the 8:20.

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Mar292006

Walk

I didn’t work today. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I worked on a Wednesday. Dad took me uptown about two. He was also there to pick up Andrew from school. Molander’s Camera, the only place in town that develops medium format film reopened near Lusher so I stopped by to drop off the roll that’s been sitting in my Mamiyaflex for many months. I decided to just walk from there to Tulane, I needed the exercise anyway and the weather was especially pleasant today. When I got there a while later I went to the library for a little while before making my way to my 4:30 class. I think this afternoon’s psychology class was about some respect of thinking. I can’t quite remember what exactly we talked about in Consumer Behavior this evening. I don’t remember taking any notes. I do remember that the instructor said the class wouldn’t last 20 minutes but that hardly happened. I think we were dismissed around 7:15. That was enough time to walk down and catch the 7:20 shuttle. It was there but the driver said the schedule was changed and the break was moved so there’s be no 7:20 shuttle but there would be a 7:50 shuttle, which should work out in my favor. I waited for a little while in the School of Business building. Cat was on the shuttle this evening so I finally got her take on the BSG finale. She was more enthusiastic than me. I have a wait-and-see attitude myself. I walked down to the Sheraton and Dad picked me up there.

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Mar292006

Tulane vs. Jackson State – 800th Post

I worked from one to five this afternoon. There wasn’t much dictation but I was busy. Dad wanted to me to make a spreadsheet detailing the patients we had before the hurricane. I got about half way done. Dad and I left shortly after five. We stopped for a Po-Boy at some place on Airline. After getting some thing for dinner, we made our way to Zypher Field to see Tulane play Jackson State University at 6:30. The crowd was rather light this evening. The weather was nice though. It was still cool, but considerably milder than past evenings at the ball park. The game was especially one sided. Jackson State’s pitching was downright embarrassing. Their pitchers, and there were a lot of them, walked some 18 and hit four players. Their offense wasn’t that great either. The final score was 14-4. After I got home I watched the episode of Boston Legal I missed and watched TV a while longer before getting to bed at a decent hour.

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Mar282006

Round Up

I ignored the log again. Consequently, this one post will catch me to today, Monday. Wednesday. I didn’t work. I think we discussed some aspect of learning in Psychology today. I don’t remember what we talked about in Consumer Behavior. I do remember there were only six other students in attendance. We got our mid terms back. I got an 80%. Again, not bad for someone who didn’t study. However, I do wish I would have got a hold of a text book a lot sooner. Thursday. Worked from about 12 to 5. I don’t remember it though. Maybe I worked on Doc’s reports. We turned in our take home mid terms in Media and the Law class this evening. I don’t remember what, if anything was discussed. I didn’t work on Friday. Dad took me to Tulane at about 2:30. I went to the library for an hour and worked the rest of doc’s dictation. At 3:30 I walked down to Loyola’s campus. Mom emailed me earlier today telling me Freddy Omar would be playing there. They were having some sort of ‘international day.’ Many countries were represented with tables and their local foods. Incidentally, I saw Freddy Omar at a similar, smaller event at Tulane last month. I was able to hand around until about 4:20. There was a test in Psychology class today. I didn’t recall there being one today and subsequently didn’t study. I think I did alright though. Since there was just a test, I was out of class by about 4:50. I called Mom, who just left work. She came back to pick me up. No Battlestar Galactica tonight. The weekend was particularly uneventful. I did talk to Ami on Monday night. She set a new date for herself to move. That brings me to today. I worked noon until about 6:30. We were at the office waiting for a late patient that never showed up because he couldn’t get a cab. I skipped speech class this evening, largely because I couldn’t quite get my presentation in order, although I worked on it for a few hours last night. This evening we had black-eyed peas for dinner. We watched 24 this evening, which was great as always.

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2006

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