Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Getting a haircut

Today i got my haircut at a place called Juju Bag. It's a combination coffee shop/barbershop. Who knew, right? It's the first establishment of its kind that i've ever seen and the fact that it's by our house is just another surprise.

i walked in and sat down in the barber chair and the owner, Phyllis, started to grill me on what i'd like for a haircut. As she got to work, i asked questions about what has happened in her life, how she came to New Orleans, and other miscellaneous questions. By the time i was done, i noticed that an hour and ten minutes had passed!

An hour and ten minutes! i dont think i've ever had a haircut last that long. Dont get me wrong, i'm not complaining. In fact, i think it's funny and it's just as i would expect from a New Orleanian establishment. Living life here means slower, and talking, and interruptions, and taking it all in stride because it really doesnt matter if i get my haircut quickly.

Lesions to learn here everyday...

Monday, February 11, 2008

Tabernacle of Prayer


tabernacle of prayer
Originally uploaded by jugglingnutcase.
This place is just down the street from me. The inside is full of trash.

i am convinced

i'm pretty convinced that very few people in New Orleans understand the blinking yellow traffic light. i had about four cars try to stop for me when i had a stop. i appreciate the gesture, but i would have been nailed by the cars that were driving in the other lane!

My teammate Arthur also relayed to me that he owes an inordinate amount of money on his car because all of his brakes are shot even though his mechanic in Ohio checked them and said they were fine last August. This comes as somewhat of a surprise to me, but it seems reasonable. Louisiana roads are horrible. And i wont even go into the amount of litter that there is.

i'm struggling a lot with this place because i'm seeing a little bit of its true colors. It's a mess here. i'd expect a mess after Hurricane Katrina, but the kind of mess runs way deeper. i'm going to have to brush up on my history because this place has deep-seated problems. My struggle is that i see what is necessary here and i'm starting to understand the sense of mission an outsider like me must have to stay here and i'm also wondering if i even have it.

By the way, i have a bunch of unfinished posts that are in the works that i hope to finish eventually! That would be great wouldnt it? i think so. Check back soon and see if i ever got to work on them.