Jazz and West Coast Swing

Again, I am behind in posting and I don’t remember much from Wednesday. I had a reasonably full day on Thursday. I spent the whole workday getting a mid-term assignment done for online journalism. I had to write up to 1000 words on the upcoming election. I managed to finish before I had to leave for campus this afternoon. I’m not sure how well it will go over with the professor, however.This evening’s class was a continuation on interviewing which was discussed last week. Mr. Greenberg showed us some more interviews and at the end of class we interviewed fellow students for next week’s writing assignment.I finished with my ‘interviewing’ shortly after seven. I walked over to Dixon Hall where Ellis Marsalis was playing a free concert. Accompanying him were the three familiar musicians that can be seen at his Snug Harbor performances including xylophone player Roman Skakun. The auditorium was nice and crowded. Following the hour-long set, Mr. Marsalis took questions from the audience. For the most part, the questions had him speaking about his background in music including his teaching days at NOCCA. One of the questions was a request to play “A Night in Tunisia.” Marsalis quipped that he could play if he was in Tunisia at nighttime. At the end of the question period, the Marsalis quartet took a crack at the song, even though they had never played the song together before.Afterward, I went to the Reily Center for ballroom dancing this evening. This was the first week of west coast swing and there were about 26 people in attendance. I had fun but I did have trouble picking up the basic step, which really isn’t that complicated. After ballroom I ended up talking to Andrey on the corner of Willow and McAlister until I got a cab home at about 11.

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Oct282008

Catch Up

Another week gone by with no posts. There has almost been enough going on to post but I just haven’t felt like bothering. Tuesday’s advertising class was of no particular circumstance. On Wednesday we spent a lot of time learning how to use our financial calculators. Thursday’s online journalism class was about interviewing. We received out take home mid-term assignment, 1000 words on the state of the election five days out. That night’s ballroom dancing session was a lot of fun. I was finally getting used to the moves. Next week we will start west coast swing and I’ll be back to looking like a complete novice.After work on Friday, I assembled my new computer desk, a Safco 54 inch reversible top desk. The surface edges took some slight damage in shipment, but not enough for me to want to bother replacing it. I also attached a couple Balt 66350 cable management trays, which will keep all the wiring hidden. I used large binder clips top attach the trays since I’m a bit lazy and I preferred a non-destructive means of making additions to the desk. I also bought a Belkin Concealed Surge Protector which I attached to the back of the desk’s modesty panel with “Industrial Strength” Velcro. The florescent backlighting was also attached with Velcro.Finally, I installed a Humanscale M7 dual monitor arm I scored on eBay last week. It’s an absolutely beautiful piece of hardware, which is to be expected considering the obscene retail price. The only remaining piece to the puzzle in another 22 inch monitor to match the Samsung I have now.Jeff was in town this weekend which really didn’t affect me much although I was compelled to keep my door shut a little more often than usual. I watched The Motorcycle Diaries and Juno on Saturday and Sunday respectively. I didn’t have class on Monday and I elected not to go on Tuesday.

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Oct212008

Work-Free Monday

Dad took his car to the shop early this morning to fix some minor issues. The work wasn’t finished today so I took a cab to campus for class this evening. I was expecting a circumstantial lecture on Huey Long as it related to some video we watched last week and the book were reading, but that never panned out.Dad picked me up after class, which ended at about seven. He fried some hot sausage for sandwiches at dinner. I watched TV later this evening.

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Oct192008

Week of October 14

By and large this week has not been especially eventful. I got my tests back in both Louisiana politics and finance, I made Bs on both. I got an A+ on the most recent online journalism assignment. I ordered a new computer desk on Thursday and also won an auction for a Humanscale M7 dual monitor arm that will go on the desk. I won’t have it all done until November, though.I left finance class at the break Wednesday night so I could go to the debate watching event at the JL lounge. There was pizza and a good turnout like the last two such events I went too. The debate was considerably more interesting this time.Online journalism class was exceptionally short this week. I had a lot of time between the end of class and dancing. Turnout at ballroom on was very healthy this week. I don’t remember much of anything from Friday or this weekend. I spent some time looking for various accessories for my new desk such as a new surge protector and some things to manage the wiring.

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Oct122008

Week of October 6

Although I wasn’t incredibly busy this weekend, I neglected the log for a week again. I had two tests in school this week, both in Louisiana politics and introduction to finance. I think I did pretty well with both of them, more so on the former. On Tuesday I watched the second presidential debate at the viewing party in the JL lounge on campus. I hung around afterward for a little while with a bunch of students and a poli-sci professor that wanted to ask the audience questions.

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Oct052008

The Sopranos

I slept until a rather embarrassing hour this morning. I didn’t really do anything outside of cleaning up my room a bit and taking care of laundry. I watched the first four episodes of The Sopranos this afternoon. I know I’m behind the times here but I never watched this show when it was on the air. I’m sorry I didn’t though because it seems like a pretty good show and I intend to see all of it. It is somewhat unfortunate that the last TV show I really got into was another crime drama as well, The Wire, another show I am quite fond of. This evening I talked to Krystle and watched Auntie Mame.

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Oct042008

Homecoming Disaster and Swing Dancing

Mom, Dad and I went out to Tad Gormley stadium this afternoon for Tulane’s homecoming game versus Army. At 0-4, Army is the worst team in the division and Tulane should have beat them handily. It didn’t happen that way though. Tulane suffered a demoralizing and embarrassing defeat, 44-13. The game was quite sickening and I don’t especially care to document it in detail. The pregame festivities were by all accounts very successful, however.Later this evening, I went out to a dance studio on Magazine Street where a swing dancing party was taking place. A good handful of people from Tulane went. I called a cab at eight, well in advance of the nine o’clock start time but nobody ever showed up. Jeff gave me a ride out there instead. There looked to be about 50 people at the event, about eight of which were familiar faces. There was a beginner swing lesson at the start which I was a bit late to. After that there was a DJ until midnight. I didn’t dance much after the lesson but Caroline and Ireal endured my ineptitude a few times. I also got to talk with a few people new to the ballroom dancing club. Overall it was a lot of fun although it would have been ever better if the studio was air-conditioned. Afterward, I called Jeff who was still out and about. I had to wait a little while but I got a free ride home.

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Oct032008

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

I worked from 10:15 to three this afternoon. We didn’t have a doctor today so things were pretty quiet. I got to stop at the bank on the way home. Jeff came home for the weekend and brought his friend August with him. They went out to see a movie this evening and I joined them, mostly out of boredom. We saw How to Lose Friends & Alienate People. Overall it was pretty forgettable, but it was amusing in parts. After the movie we went to IHOP for something to eat.

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Oct022008

Debate and Salsa

I don’t recall much from Wednesday outside of class. I can’t quite remember what the lecture was about but there was long review of the exam next week.I worked from about 11 to 4:30 as usual this afternoon. Tonight’s online journalism class was a continuation of last week’s lecture on good writing. Class was dismissed at seven. We were assigned 500 words on tonight’s VP debate and were let out of class early enough to get home to watch it.There was a VP debate watching party in the JL residence hall at eight this evening. With an hour to kill, I sat outside the LBC for a while where a concert was going on for Tulane’s homecoming week. The Benjy Davis Project was just finishing when I got there and Reel Big Fish played after that.There looked to be upwards of a hundred people in the JL lounge for the vice-presidential debate this evening. Unsurprisingly, the audience appeared rather slanted one way. I got to watch the first 50 minutes of the debate before I left to go to ballroom dancing this evening.There were about 50 people in the riverside room this evening, another great turnout for the third week of salsa dancing. After going through the basic step again, Tammy introduced some new move that I totally didn’t get. Later on we went over steps we learned last week and I was considerably less lost.Later this evening after I got home, I watched the rest of the VP debate, some of CNN’s post-debate commentary and The Daily Show. Like a lot of people, I was surprised and impressed with Sarah Palin’s performance. Expectations were so low of course that she didn’t have to do much to come out ahead. Biden did very well too. I expect both campaigns got what they wanted.

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October 2008

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