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...
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
freakish things
There are plenty of freakish things associated with me being back in New Orleans... here's a small glimpse.
Yesterday i was in Boston, which was freakishly warm. So warm in fact that the day before i was playing frisbee in the park in a tshirt. Turns out it wasnt as warm as i thought because the air is running at my house in New Orleans keeping the temperature in the house cooler than the temperature outside! It's almost 80 degrees and it's January. i'm really not used to this.
i've been a little dizzy. This is not normal for me. But it's only for a few minutes and it's been sporadic for a few days. i think it's because i'm on the verge of a cold or something like that.
Ken mentioned a great freakish thing. He said, "It's freakish when everyone's car stereos are louder on the outside than mine is on the inside." Yes i agree.
This isnt freakish, but i'm glad that LSU won and i'm also glad because i'm pretty sure the bowl game brought money into the city. i'm just hoping that it didnt go to the casino.
Yesterday i was in Boston, which was freakishly warm. So warm in fact that the day before i was playing frisbee in the park in a tshirt. Turns out it wasnt as warm as i thought because the air is running at my house in New Orleans keeping the temperature in the house cooler than the temperature outside! It's almost 80 degrees and it's January. i'm really not used to this.
i've been a little dizzy. This is not normal for me. But it's only for a few minutes and it's been sporadic for a few days. i think it's because i'm on the verge of a cold or something like that.
Ken mentioned a great freakish thing. He said, "It's freakish when everyone's car stereos are louder on the outside than mine is on the inside." Yes i agree.
This isnt freakish, but i'm glad that LSU won and i'm also glad because i'm pretty sure the bowl game brought money into the city. i'm just hoping that it didnt go to the casino.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Welcome to Rochester!
Last night i flew back to Rochester from New Orleans for Christmas. It's early to be traveling home for Christmas i know, but that's what happens when you work with the people that i do.
The plane ride in was beautiful. The snow covered the ground and the soft, warm yellow streetlights reflected off it. It was a sight to see, especially after spending the previous part of the week in shorts and a t-shirts.
While i was reveling in my love for snow and how strange it was to enjoy being somewhere cold (but i do actually like cold weather), i was rudely awakened by the captain of the plane giving his commentary:
To each his own...
The plane ride in was beautiful. The snow covered the ground and the soft, warm yellow streetlights reflected off it. It was a sight to see, especially after spending the previous part of the week in shorts and a t-shirts.
While i was reveling in my love for snow and how strange it was to enjoy being somewhere cold (but i do actually like cold weather), i was rudely awakened by the captain of the plane giving his commentary:
Welcome to Rochester, where it's colder than my ex-wife's heart.
To each his own...
Saturday, December 8, 2007
winter away
i'm spending this winter farther away from home than i've ever been before. While i have (for the most part) lived away from home since college, i have never been more than an hour away.
It's not officially winter yet, but in Rochester over Thanksgiving it snowed and i think it's still cold there right now. Here in New Orleans, it's still warm. Yesterday i was walking around in shorts and a t-shirt. Last Sunday, i went to church in pants and a long sleeve shirt and was insanely hot because it was 80 degrees outside!
Incredible! For a snow loving, former cross country skiing, i love the winter and the cold kind of person, i'm still just waiting for the weather to turn, and it's not.
It's not officially winter yet, but in Rochester over Thanksgiving it snowed and i think it's still cold there right now. Here in New Orleans, it's still warm. Yesterday i was walking around in shorts and a t-shirt. Last Sunday, i went to church in pants and a long sleeve shirt and was insanely hot because it was 80 degrees outside!
Incredible! For a snow loving, former cross country skiing, i love the winter and the cold kind of person, i'm still just waiting for the weather to turn, and it's not.
Friday, November 23, 2007
oh man i love this show
"That's what Zippy's all about! It's a celebration of stupidity!" -Louis Stevens
"Bacon, it's nature's candy." -Twitty
"Bacon, it's nature's candy." -Twitty
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