2008

May152008

Catch Up

Although I haven’t been particularly busy since school ended on Sunday after my weather and climate exam, I’ve been neglecting the log. Not a great deal has been going on. I’ve been working in the day and had my evenings free. I’ve been blowing the extra time in front of my computer and getting things cleaned up around the house. Last Thursday night I went to Andrey’s house for a small party before all his friends left town for the summer. There were several familiar faces there, Andrey cooked hamburgers. This week I also spend some time preparing for an upcoming trip.

Comments Off

May062008

Pirates Exam

Dad left the house early this morning to work at the west bank this morning leaving me at the house for a while. I probably should have spent the free time studying but I read that there was a Zune software update so I fooled with that for a while. There was no large noticeable change for me as I don’t use the marketplace. Both the firmware and software seem a bit more polished, however.Dad swung by around noon to pick me up and take me to the mid city office. I spent most of the workday studying for tonight’s exam. I did stop at about 1:30 to get lunch at Subway. At 4 I left for the day to take the streetcar downtown so I could catch the shuttle to campus.This evening, I took the final exam for pirate societies class. It was another written exam with 10 short answer identifications and three essays. Thanks to my studying I think I did well on the IDs. I did well enough on two of the essay questions but I didn’t know enough about buccaneers to flesh out the third essay.Dad picked me up after class. Later this evening I watched the Indiana primary coverage, which dragged on after midnight, with Hillary Clinton winning just barely.

Comments Off

May052008

History Exam

There was no hurry to get to the office this morning. I had time to get lunch before we left today. I only worked on a couple reports today before I left for the day at three. Dad dropped me downtown for the 3:10 shuttle.I went to the LBC after getting to campus. I stopped in the bookstore for some bluebooks and ran into Larry, my old boss who I saw play with New Leviathan this past weekend at Jazz Fest. We spoke for a little while, mostly about the fest and other gigs the orchestra has played. Before my final exam this evening I did a little studying before heading to Hebert.This evening was the history in everyday life exam, which consisted of several short answer questions and four essays. I think I did reasonably well but the professor may not like the short length of my essays. Dad was waiting for me out front when I finished, about an hour after the exam started.I didn’t do much later this evening outside of watching the final quarter of the Hornets game.

Comments Off

May042008

Jazz Fest 2008 Comes to a Close

Dad gave me a ride to the fairgrounds before he went to church this morning. This was the last day of the festival and I spent most of it wandering around as there were no acts I was especially interested in seeing. I arrived early and got a daiquiri at Liuzza’s to nurse for a while before heading inside. I spoke with a fellow New Orleanian, Claire, for a little while, mostly about the festival and our affection for the city.I got through the gate shortly before 11. I went to the nearby gospel tent to see the some of the first act of the day there, the New Orleans Spiritualettes. After the first two numbers there I walked the short distance to the jazz & heritage stage to see the Loyola University Jazz Ensemble. They were pretty good. I spoke briefly with a gentleman who was related to one of the students playing, Andrew Wright on guitar. He asked if I would take some pictures of his nephew, which I did.After I left there I went to get lunch. I picked the crawfish strudel and white chocolate bread pudding. I took it to a tree at the folk village so I could eat in the shade and be nearby for the Native American pow-wow at 12:30. I wanted to see this because I got some interesting pictures of it last year. There was a different group doing it in 2008, however, and the participants were in traditional dress rather than elaborate costumes. The pictures I shot didn’t come close to what I managed last year though.After leaving the folk village I wandered around and wound up at the jazz tent where Jonathan Batiste. I stayed for a couple numbers and attempted to shoot a handful of pictures. I then wandered back to the grandstands and sat in on a food demo at the “Zatarain’s Cajun Cabin” outside which had just started at 1:45. Mike Gowland of NOFD and Fireman Mike’s Kitchen was making what he called “Shrimp Caila,” which I can best describe as a creamy barbeque shrimp. While he was cooking and not talking about the food he spoke about the New Orleans Fire Department including goings-on related to Katrina and daily life for firemen, which was pretty entertaining. A good crowd had gathered including several fellow firemen by the time he finished cooking. Everybody got a sample of what he cooked, which was quite good. The only trouble is you had to peel the shrimp yourself which is a bit messy.I heard from Patrick during the demo and he told me he’d be at the fairgrounds for Galactic so I went by the Gentilly stage to meet him but I guess he was having trouble getting to the fairgrounds, perhaps just because he parked far away.Shortly after three I left there to do to the Acura stage for Santana. He had already started when I approached the stage. I got a spot between the medical stent and the stage dead center, not close enough to get any decent pictures though. I stayed there for about a half hour before I decided I’d had enough of the crowd. I wandered around a while and saw some of Abagail Washburn before deciding I was hungry. I wanted to try the fried chicken and jambalaya but the lines were too long. I got a muffuletta instead and took it the WWOZ hospitality tent to eat in peace.After I finished I walked over to the jazz tent to hear some of Dianne Reeves. I didn’t stay long because she was nearly finished and the tent was packed. I couldn’t reach Patrick on the phone so I decided to see if I could find him by the Acura stage. I was finally able to raise him on the phone and we agreed to meet by the blues tent. It took him a good while to make it there, it was exceptionally crowded so it was hard to get around. He eventually showed up with some friends, Chelsi and Valerie. The Derek Trucks band was playing inside the blues tent but it was jam packed inside and there was a significant crowd outside. We remained outside the tent, mostly talking for a good while until near the end of the show when we were able to creep into the tent for the end of the sho, extremely enthusiastic and continuing applause, and subsequent encore.A short while after the show Chelsi and Valerie departed and Jenna and Danielle, both of whom I first met last week, joined us. Patrick agreed to give me a ride to the riverfront so I could get home easier than waiting at the cab stand. The walk to his car, which was backed at the art museum, was a show in itself, suffice it to say. I ended up catching a cab home from Tulane. That evening I finished sorting yesterday’s pictures as well as today’s pictures.

Comments Off

May032008

Great Day at Economy Hall

New Leviathan Oriental Foxtrot Orchestra… Treme Brass Band… Cuban sandwich… New Orleans Jazz Hounds of Tokyo… Aroon Neville’s Gospel Soul… John Mooney & Bluesiana… Dr. Michael White… Jimmy Buffet & the Coral Reefer Band… update to comeAs I’m writing this entry four days after the fact, I’m not entirely sure how I got out to the fairgrounds this afternoon. This may have been the day I took a cab and a familiar driver, Elliot, picked me up. He’s driven out to the west bank to pick me up on a handful of occasions in the recent past.I got to the fairgrounds before the first act of the day. Unlike some days of wandering, I had the day largely planned out. I knew I’d be spending a good portion of the day in economy hall and seeing Jimmy Buffet in the evening.The first act of the day was the The New Leviathan Oriental Fox-Trot Orchestra. They’re a revival orchestra I’ve spoken of at length in previous Jazz Fest log entries. Suffice it to say, they’re very entertaining and a highlight of Jazz Fest for me. They are hard to photograph being such a big group with lots of people, music stands and microphones on stage.After New Leviathan, I kept my seat for the next act, the Treme Brass Band. I spoke with a gentleman sitting behind me with a laptop during the break. It was Doug MacCash, an art critic for the Times-Picayune. He was writing a blog entry about the orchestra as we spoke.Treme Brass band is another must-see act at Jazz Fest in my opinion. They’re one of the best brass bands around. I shot some great pictures from their show last year and I wanted another crack at it. They put on a very lively show with loud music and second-lining in the aisles through most of the performance. They played the lazy song walking through the aisles themselves with the second line trailing them. It’s really something you have to see, or at least read about it from somebody considerably more eloquent than myself. I shot some okay pictures but I didn’t get one great shot like I got last year.After the show I went to find something to eat and deiced on the Cuban sandwich, which was pretty good. I took it back to economy hall for the next performance there of the day, the New Orleans Jazz Hounds of Tokyo, Japan. They were a very impressive group with a very talented banjo player. You’d have trouble telling their sound apart from any of the great local jazz bands until they start to sing, when their land of origin becomes pretty obvious.After the Jazz Hounds, I went to the WWOZ tent for a little while to relax and look at my pictures and then walked to the gospel tent for Aaron Neville’s Gospel Soul. Unfortunately for me, it was so crowded you could barely get near the tent so I didn’t stay. I walked over to the somewhat less crowded blues tent where John Mooney and Bluesiana were playing. They sounded pretty good and I stayed for the first half of their show before I left to take the scenic route to the Acura stage.On the way there I remember stopping by economy hall and seeing a couple minutes of Dr. Michael White and the Original Liberty Jazz Band.I took a spot at the barricade just to the right of the stage. I managed to get a good spot as I arrived well before Jimmy Buffet started this evening. The crowd of well over 100,000 got an interesting treat at around five o’clock. We got to see “The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports,” the Kentucky Derby on the big screens adjacent to the stage. Quint Davis introduced the derby my mentioning that one of the horses in the race, Recapturetheglory is locally owned. He led briefly during the race but ultimately placed fifth. Big Brown was the winner.Jimmy Buffet started nearly on time this evening. I saw home at Jazz Fest a couple years ago and he put on a great show tonight just like last time. HE can’t sing worth a damn, but he is a fine entertainer and the Coral Reefer Band backs him up well. Seeing him “up close” was a much different experience than in 2005 when I was back by the track. It was a lot of fun with one exception. The beach balls that bounce around the audience, which normally don’t bother me, were frequently laced with mud from the wet ground, which was very annoying and several people around me got pretty dirty and I didn’t escape unscathed myself. The folks immediately behind me eventually got fed up with it and we eventually started pulling them to the ground when they came by and someone stabbed them with a large umbrella, much to the rejoicing of the spectators. We took out at least a dozen of them.Near the end of the show, Jimmy Buffet caught sight of someone in the audience with a shirt that read “Rebuilding New Orleans One Margarita at a Time.” Jimmy offered the his flip flops for the shirt and they traded, which was pretty interesting. Jimmy played a little past his scheduled block which ended at seven. For the final song, Allen Toussaint came out to play piano while Jimmy sang Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?, a true “jazz fest moment,” as Quint Davis put it as he bid the crowd good night.I don’t remember how I got home that evening, although I think Dad gave me a ride. That evening I went through my pictures, of which there were plenty. I maxed out all three of my memory cards today.

Comments Off

May022008

Stevie Wonder

Dad dropped me at the fairgrounds one his way to work again this morning. I got there not long after 10 this morning. After a drink at Liuzza’s I headed in at about ten to 11. I walked to the Gentilly stage where Tulane University Jazz Ensemble was scheduled to start at 11:35. To be frank, they were the worst act I saw at Jazz Fest last year but I read a recommendation recently and they were moved to a bigger stage so I decided to satisfy my curiosity and try seeing them again. They were significantly larger in number this year, although there were a couple familiar faces. Most of the numbers I saw were original compositions that I had not heard before. They did sound a hell of a lot better today, although groups like this are best heard without amplification.I left the Gentilly stage early to get at decent seat at Economy Hall to see the Louisiana Repertory Jazz Ensemble. They play traditional jazz music from the early 20th century. They go to a lot of trouble to make it sound the same as it did back in the twenties, including the use of period instruments.I left there a bit early to see the last few minutes of Lyle Henderson and Emmanuel at the gospel tent. I saw him last year and it was a pretty decent, although he had a smaller group behind him this year if memory serves.After leaving there and wandering briefly I went to get something to eat. I decided on the pheasant, quail & andouille gumbo as well as the crawfish enchiladas. I had the enchiladas last year but the gumbo was new to me. Both were quite good and I was especially impressed with the gumbo. I usually have low expectations for such things that are cooked in large quantities. I took my food to the blues tent where Jumpin’ Johnny Sansone’s Harmonica Revue. It was hot and crowded there so it wasn’t the most pleasant place to eat, but the music was interesting.I left the blues tent as soon as I finished eating, much to the relief of my pores. I made my way to Economy Hall to get a seat for the New Orleans Jazz Vipers with Miss Sophie Lee. I’ve seen the Jazz Vipers play the Spotted Cat on Frenchman Street and they put on a great show in the cramped venue. They handed the tent just fine too and gave a great show to a packed house. The vocalist they had as a guest was pretty decent too. Unlike the earlier stuff today I saw the duration of this show.After the Vipers finished I walked down toward the Acura stage to see Stevie Wonder this evening. Art Neville was just finishing when I picked out a spot about 20 paces from the barricade. As could be expected, it was quite crowded near the stage, and pretty far back from it too. Stevie started just a couple minutes at about 5:20. I didn’t really recognize the first few songs he played, the familiar crowd pleasers came later. It was cloudy all day but it finally started raining during the set. It would pour for a minute or two and then subside. This happened at least four times. His performance was quite entertaining. Another harmonica player whose name I didn’t catch did a number with Stevie and Irma Thomas came out for a few songs too. Overall it was a lot of fun, in spite of the rain.After Stevie Wonder finished at about seven I made my out of the fairgrounds. I walked to the cab stand at Mystery Street but there looked to be an hour wait so I went to Luizza’s for a drink. While I was there I talked to a Theresa and Amy, mostly about our cameras. On my way out I knocked over a lady’s drink and graciously bought a replacement. I finally got a cab home shortly before nine. Later that evening I watched Battlestar Galactica and yesterday’s O’Reily Factor which I worked on this entry before finally turning in for the night.

Comments Off

May012008

The Second Weekend Starts Thursday

The second weekend of Jazz Fest began on today, Thursday. Dad dropped me by the fairgrounds on the way to work. This weekend I rented the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens and carried along my 70-200mm f/4 L lens. This being the “extra day,” there weren’t any big names in my opinion so I had no plans of being somewhere for any particular time.My first stop after getting through the gate today was Economy Hall, for no particular reason. The first act of the day was Joseph Torregano. He’s a clarinet player and he had a nice little band behind him. Later on I walked to the Fais Do-Do stage where the Lafayette Rhythm Devils were playing. They’re a Cajun band I first saw when two of their members were interviewed by a professor I had a class with last year. They put on a good show and I remained there until it was about over when I walked to the jazz tent to catch some of John Ellis and Double-Wide. When they were through I walked to Economy Hall to catch the last two numbers by the Dukes of Dixieland.After the Dukes finished I walked to the first food area to get something for lunch. I picked out a combo with Creole Stuffed Crab, Catfish Almondine and Potato Salad. I took it over to the grandstand to eat in the shade and relax for a bit. Kerry Grombacher, a fold/western singer was playing. It’s not really my kind of music but the man plays it well.After lunch I took a walk. I meant to get over to the blues tent to see a Revue but I ended up looking at the crafts section instead. I saw a number of interesting things, some of which I photographed. I also ended up around congo square for a while and saw the end of Freddy Omar Con su Banda.Eventually I wound up back at Economy Hall. On the way there I got some banana bread pudding and some lemonade. Hot Club of New Orleans. By 4:30 I was feeling tired. I eventually met Dad on his way home from work on Esplanade where he dropped me off.Later that evening I watched to make sure Dad didn’t fall of the roof while working on it. I ended up taking a longer than desired nap from about 7 to 10.

Comments Off

Apr302008

Stede Bonnet: Not Guilty

This entry is quite late and I want to go to bed so I’ll just briefly mention what went down during the Jazz Fest Intermission. I don’t recall much except for the trial in pirate societies class. This final project involved me and a fellow group of students ‘reenacting’ the trial of Stede Bonnet, a pirate who was associated with Blackbeard. Luckily we were only loose;ly confined by history and were largely able to simply make things up. The classmates not playing parts in the trial served as the jury. The classmate who played Bonnet was to have me play General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of Georgia. A couple days before the trial he changed by character to former North Carolina governor Charles Eden, which screwed up my bibliography. The trial itself went quite smoothly. Matthew, who played Bonnet, gave an “epic” opening statement and we ultimately made the prosecution look pretty stupid and we won a unanimous not guilty verdict.

Comments Off

Apr272008

Still Wet

My family went to church today and I got a cab to the fairgrounds for Jazz Fest this afternoon. The first act I saw today was Lionel Ferbos and the Palm Court Jazz Band. Mr. Ferbos is 97 years old but he apparently has young lungs because his trumpet still sounds pretty damn good. He and his band play traditional jazz that goes along well with second lines.After the first show I got something to eat and took it to the jazz tent. Today I had the crawfish etouffee in bread bowl and Cajun crawfish rice. The second act at the jazz tent this afternoon was Jeremy Davenport. He’s a fine entertainer with a good band that I’ve seen a few times at the Melange at the Ritz. It was odd to see his act in such a different venue. To be honest, it works a lot better in a more intimate setting.I kepy my front row seat after Davenport finished to watch Jesse McBride and The Next Generation. McBride showcases new local talent at his performances. I recognized a couple of the accompanying musicians from last year’s show. I left there early to check out a group from west Africa, Mamadou Diabate. Suffice it to say, it was unusual performance but very entertaining. Mamadou played a kora and his accompanying musicians played some equally interesting instruments. During the performance it started pouring. He tent got very popular and the aisle behind me started flooding with water. I kept a close eye on the water line so I’d know if I had to pick my camera bag up off the ground. Since it was pouring outside I kept my seat in the tent after Mamadou Diabate finished, as I didn’t want to walk in the rain and my seat was now very valuable. I saw the first half of the next act, Roy Young, an “explosive soul singer with a truly unique and memorable voice.”I left the blues tent at about 4:15 to head to Economy Hall to see Pete Fountain. Whatever needs to be said about Pete I probably covered a couple weeks ago in my French Quarter Fest entry. Suffice it to say, it was a great show. After Pete Fountain finished, I walked over to Congo Square where Al Green was closing out tonight. He was ‘fashionably late’ so I saw the start of the set. Having to contend with mud and overwhelming crowds, I didn’t stay that long. BeauSoleil was playing about 100 paces away at the FAis-Do-Do stage and I saw them for a little while and shot some pictures of people dancing in the mud before I made my way out of the fairgrounds to a cab and home. By six o’clock I was tired and didn’t want to content with what would be long lines for cabs had I waited.

Comments Off

Apr262008

Rain Soaked Jazz

Dad gave me a ride to the fairgrounds today amid some dreary weather. I got there shortly after noon, in time for the start of The Original Last Straws in Economy Hall. They were pretty decent but I left there after about 20 minutes to see Riccardo Crespo & Sol Brasil. I watched him for a few minutes and eventually wandered over to the jazz tent to see Germaine Bazzle, seeing a glass blowing demonstration along the way. It was crowded there in the jazz tend and I didn’t stay that long.After that, I got something to eat at the food area by the crafts section. I got the trout baquet and gumbo, which was pretty decent but not the easiest thing to eat. After lunch I walked back to Economy Hall, seeing a bit of the Mahogany Brass Band along the way. I went to Economy Hall to see Tricia Boutt and the Ytre Sulens Jass-ensemble. I always like to see international acts when they play at Jazz Fest as they’re usually very good and the there is seldom an opportunity to see them ever again. This particular act was quite good. The band was foreign but the vocalist is a local who has toured with the band from Norway.I left this show about halfway through to go see Astral Project, my favorite local band, at the jazz tent. With the group today was James Singleton, their bassist who relocated to Los Angeles following Katrina. Having not seen him in previous performances of late, it was a treat to see him with the band. The rain came down hard during their performance. I got to speak with a professional photographer I believe either before or after the show. She said her name was Ellis, possibly Gloria Ellis, who was shooting with Canon film cameras, which is rather unique among the pros I see wandering at Jazz Fest. I’ve seen her pop up several times over the past few years. Frankly, she always looks a tired carrying all that gear around, but I was impressed with how pleasant she was. We spoke for a few minutes about our camera before she had to leave for anther stage.I broke out my umbrella to walk to the blues tent as I had no desire to see Billy Joel in the rain. The closing act in the blues tent was the Ponderosa Stomp Revue, which a fellow patron recommended to me. With the rain as bad as it was, the tent was very popular and extremely crowded. I stood at the barricade to the far left of the stage. I never got near the middle to shoot any good pictures. I eventually grey tired of the warmth of the close quarters so I retreated to the WWOZ hospitality tent and got a bit wet along the way, in spite of my umbrella. I sat down to relax for a while and shot some pictures of the wet passerby’s. I talked to Dad who had to pick up Andrew but had trouble due to street flooding. He was willing to pick me up but it could take a while.Eventually they started to seal up the tent and I left to go to the lagniappe stage in the grandstands. Paul Sanchez and the Rolling Road Show played for a little while with one microphone but eventually had to stop early because the stage was flooded and the rain was still pouring. That didn’t stop a good number of people from enjoying themselves though, dancing in the rain. Eventually they started to shutter the grandstands for the night. I was sitting when a police officer informed me they were closing and politely asked me to make my way to the exit.I left the fair grounds and headed to Liuzza’s to continue to wait for Dad. I got a drink and the barbeque shrimp po-boy. It was a bit of a stretch to call it a sandwich but I’ve had worse. I was there for a good while before Dad arrived. When he did we rode out to Lakeview to get Andrew. On the way home we picked up Popeye’s for dinner although getting home was an ordeal with the street flooding as had to take a few detours around west bank streets.

Comments Off

Apr252008

39th Annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

I had the day off of work today to attend the first day of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. Dad dropped me off near the fairgrounds on his way to the office this morning. I arrived there at about 10 so I had time to kill before getting in line. I bought some lemonade and shot a few pictures by Liuzza’s. Speaking of which, I should mention the camera gear I had with me this weekend. I rented the EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS lens for the first weekend. A few weeks ago I bought a Lowepro Toploader 70 AW case, which really only accommodates just the zoom lens. I did manage to stuff the kit lens in one of the pockets for wide shots though. I don’t really care for the case but it’s all I have until another case I ordered arrives.My first stop after getting though the gate today was Economy Hall. June Gardner & The Fellas was the opening act. I can’t remember why I highlighted them on my schedule. It may have been because I remembered seeing him last year. They put on a good show of reasonably traditional jazz music. I left there early to catch a few minutes of Jonno Frishberg & Bayou Deville, who I saw at the French Quarter festival and enjoyed.After leaving the clubhouse I went to pick out something for lunch. I got a Cajun duck po-boy and some crawfish bread. I was quite dismayed when I went to get a drink. Pepsi is the drink sponsor of Jazz Fest this year and there is no Coke to be found at the fairgrounds. Frankly, I can’t think of any other singular action that could fuck up Jazz Fest more than trading Pepsi for Coke. Anyway, the po-boy was good but kind of messy to eat so I couldn’t really recommend it.I took my lunch to congo square where Otra played 12:45. I saw them at the French Quarter Festival a couple weeks ago. Today they had their regular piano player with them and they put on a great show as always. I did leave the set early to go to the gospel tent. On the way here this morning Dad suggested I go see Rosalie “Lady Tambourine” Washington. I had never heard of this lady although thinking back I’ve probably seen her before. Her impromptu appearances with other bands are somewhat infamous in New Orleans. She was backed by a gospel choir. The performance started without her and when she came on I immediately understood what Dad mean when referring to her show-stealing. It was really something to see, a very enjoyable performance.After Lady Tambourine I walked to the Jazz Tent to get a spot for Leah Chase, a local jazz voacalist. I saw her at Jazz Fest last year where she put on a great show. She’s also an interesting photographic subject. She out on a great show this year too and I stayed for the duration.When she was finished I walked to Economy Hall to see Kustbandet of Sweden. When I can I try to see international acts at the Fest. They were pretty decent but I didn’t stay terribly long because I wanted to catch Ellis Marsalis, who was playing at the same time back at the jazz tent.Later in the afternoon after Ellis I eventually met up with Patrick and his friend Jenna after wandering around the Acura stage for a bit. Sheryl Crow was playing, the last act of the evening there. After a few minutes of conversation and Patrick getting a good look at my camera, we walked over to congo square where some of Jenna’s friends were. We hung around there until the last act of the day finished at 7. We parted ways after we walked out the gate at the end of the evening. I walked to the cab stand at a nearby playground where it looked like some 500 people were waiting for a cab. I walked to another cab stand near Mystery Street where there was a much shorter line. It took be just under 20 minutes to get a cab. I got in a cab by myself unlike how most people were doing it. I don’t think the cabbie was thrilled about going all the way to the west bank.Later that evening I went through all my pictures and got the best ones online. This year I’ve resolved to get my pictures sorted the evening after the event rather than waiting months to get around to it. This is also helped by the fact that I’m shooting RAW this year so necessity and an increased deliberate nature to my picture taking will the number of shots per day.

Comments Off

Apr242008

30 Minute Discussion

I didn’t go to work on time this morning to be home for a FedEx shipment today. It showed up at about two and I got a cab to the office for three. I was there until five when Dad took me to campus.There wasn’t an actual class for small group communications. Myself and a couple other students showed up to do our final projects, a 30 minute discussion. I was having trouble getting a group together and some other students were having the same problem so we met tonight knock out a few discussions. Laurie went first this evening. Her topic was saving for retirement. I went second with my discussion on improving spending habits and Steve went last with his talk on student loan payments. I haven’t listened to the recording yet but I think my discussion went smoothly. One day this week I’ll have to write a short paper discussing how the talk went.After we finished at about 7:40, I walked over to Dixon Hall where Tulane’s concert band was playing. The performance started at 7:30 so I was late. They sounded pretty decent. They finished at about 8:15 at which time there was an intermission. The second half of the concert featured a performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 by the Tulane Orchestra featuring Piano soloist Mayuri Kurihara. There was another short intermission after that, long enough for the piano to be rolled out and a choir to walk in. I’m not sure exactly what was played next but it sounded good.After the concert I wasn’t quite ready to go home so I went to the Rat for a little while to get something to eat and continued work on my history paper, which I nearly finished. I called a cab around ten although it didn’t show up for almost a half hour. I had a pleasant conversation with the driver, a fellow Limbaugh listener. I had not previously had the occasion to invoke Operation: Chaos in conversation.

Comments Off

Apr232008

Fri-Wed

…not much happening, update to come… maybe

Comments Off

Apr172008

Second Last Dance

I worked on getting stuff ready to mail out at work this afternoon. In small group communications class this afternoon, we discussed the final project. I brought up my trouble getting a group together. My call for volunteers to meet at a restaurant for my project turned into six or seven students with the same problem. Ms. Ebel eventually decided to turn next week’s class into an opportunity for us folks to record our final discussions.I left class a bit early to go to Freeman Auditorium to see Harry Benson speak at an event, part of Canon’s Explorer’s of Light program. Mr. Benson is a photojournalist who’s been in the business for quite a long time, having photographed every president since Eisenhower. He ran a slide show of his work over the decades. I confess I was not really familiar with his work, although having not read Life magazine I am at a disadvantage. After his hour-long presentation, he took questions from the audience for about 45 minutes. I asked him what differentiates a good photographer from a great photographer. His answer: the photographs.I left there at about 8:45 and walked to Reily for ballroom this evening. Tonight was the last session of the semester. Turnout was a little better than last week. The hour was spent reviewing steps from previous weeks, and we didn’t even get as far as last week. It was a lot of fun even though my dancing was pretty lousy. Ellie took pictures through the evening and at the end the group posed for a couple shots. Afterward I got a cab home and I talked to Krystle for a little while before bed.

Comments Off

2008

Recent Posts: