Gone to Carolina in My Mind

After weeks of trying to figure out how to achieve it before I head back to Carolina, at last, I decided that my closure to New Orleans will never happen . I'm finally okay with that because I find myself content that I intend to keep it this way. The Crescent City will see me again soon enough so I'm not even sad to go anymore because I know I'll be back, in one way or another.

Keeping with the italicized song lyrics theme...this is Old Crow Medicine Show's song "Wagon Wheel." My song for our upcoming road trip From Bourbon Street back to Franklin...

Headed down south to the land of the pines
And I'm thumbin' my way into North Caroline
Starin' up the road
And pray to God I see headlights

I made it down the coast in seventeen hours
Pickin' me a bouquet of dogwood flowers
And I'm a hopin' for Raleigh
I can see my baby tonight

Sintha out. Word.
Peace New Orleans, for now.




Currently Listening to: Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show
Currently Watching: University of Minnesota Dance Team 04

World War II Museum

When one thinks of New Orleans several things come to mind: good food, the french quarter, Katrina, beignets, streetcars and so much more. But rarely does one think New Orleans and picture the national World War II museum. I myself was fairly surprised to find it here; Washington D.C. would seem like a much more plausible place to have it, being our nation's capital and all. But no, its found here in New Orleans.

After visiting the WWII museum this past weekend I found out just why it is located in New Orleans -- and it makes perfect sense! A man named Andrew Higgens manufactured boats in New Orleans. Specifically, he invented the LCVP, also known as Higgens Boats. General Dwight Eisenhower claimed that Higgins won the war for the Allies -- all because of his boats! The boats allowed troops to land on an open beach and without them the entire strategy of the war would have been different! Just think, D-Day never would have been able to have happened. Here's a picture of one of his boats:

The museum was originally entitled the D-Day museum and focused solely on D-Day. Believe it or not, it is the only museum in the nation to address D-Day. Currently it is undergoing an expansion that will quadruple the size of the museum! The museum will expand its exhibits to include all of the campaigns of WWII and provide visitors with a comprehensive history of the war. It is scheduled to be finished in 2015, so I will definitely be back sometime after then to visit the museum again!

A Real World Experience

So I will be leaving NOLA in officially 15 days and I'm soooo sad :'( There's still so much to see!! Before I leave I really want to go by the aquarium or maybe even tomorrow since we don't have class. Over the semester I have come to love New Orleans so much (even though they don't have Bank of America). But anyway I would advise anyone who is considering visiting or studying in NOLA to definitely DO IT! YOU WON'T REGRET IT! I am hoping to maybe return to the city for medical school or something like that and definitely for MARDI GRAS next year! Living in the St. Charles Guest House we have had the opportunity to meet so many eccentric people, some who have changed at least one of our outlooks on life. Even though I missed out on the 2009 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS, I will never regret coming to New Orleans this semester. I've learned so much in the past couple of months and hopefully you have enjoyed learning about my experience as well. I wish I had some cool pictures to post here from our various excursions, but I don't...

;-) Goodbye bloggers,

Mariama

Traffic Stop

The traffic lights on the crossroads of Prytania and Felicity have really been playing jokes of late. Every other day it seems the light refuses to work and thus leaves cars in a congested line filling the area in which we live in single-file. I'm not sure if anyone ever plans on fixing the problem but it sure is entertaining to watch as I get back from class...using my clearly more reliable streetcar. Yeah..no. The transportation in New Orleans really is a curiosity. No native who can afford a car actually knows the streetcar schedule. Others rely on it everyday to get to and from work, or to and from class in our case. Some days the streetcar is late, others it's early, and then there's the unfortunate times when it just doesn't show up (particularly the last few late night runs). I wonder if anyone's gotten fired because of the streetcar? It's pretty erratic, and yet oh how I lovee the streetcars. I'm definitely going to miss seeing a new smiling face everyday and the grandmothers who never fail to tell you how their day is going. Today, I sat between a group of 4 kids riding back from Canal with their skateboards. They'd been practicing grinding down the streets, each just picking up the sport in the past 3 or 5 months. One of the younger kids had signatures on the bottom of his board and I asked the rest of them where their signatures were. They said it wasn't on there and I asked the kid with the board why. He said he didn't have a marker and so I pulled one out of my bag and handed it to him. He smiled as if he knew he no longer had an excuse. His friends began to sign it and after the boy next to me offered me the marker back, I playfully nodded and said naturally I'd sign too. I was teasing but he let me and then before I knew it, the other three asked me to sign theirs. They made my day. There's always someone on the street car to make your day.

Anyways, so here's a picture of another traffic light down...both figuratively and literally. It was just lying next to VooDoo BBQ, still flash dancing it's lights from red to yellow to green. It's Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. I guess you can never know around here...


Oh don't mind that faded image to the right...it's just the ghost of Shadoe. Creeper. Haha

Currently Listening to: The Vowels by Why?
Currently Watching: UNC's Bhangra Elite at AKD in 06 I miss dancing

Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro is borderline garbage

A friend recently sent me a song he's been working on, and lately I haven't been able to stop listening to it. Though he clearly wrote it about a girl he met far from home, I can't help but apply it to Nola. He probably wouldn't be happy I posted his lyrics before he did himself, but we'll keep it a secret. Hopefully, he doesn't like to Google his own lyrics, haha.

I didn't want it when I had it, so I took it and I threw it away.

Now believe me when I say that

You're making it so hard to leave this place

Eventhough Carolina is so far away.

So, I won't believe 'em, won't believe what they say

You and I both know it's insane that I want you still

But I'm feeling like I'm starved for something real.

Oh yeah, I'm starved for something real

How does it feel to make me feel?

Don't leave this place, even if Carolina is so far away.

Interpretting the first line as not taking full advantage of all of Nola while I've been here,  the rest is pretty self explanitory. I've learned a lot about real life here in New Orleans. A lot about the beauty of the world, the infinity of knowledge and things to learn about, as well as the tough-to-swallow realities of urban life, especially within the framework race and class; things that I've been starved of in Goldsboro and Chapel Hill. It took coming to New Orleans for me to really become aware of and indulge in this knowledge (you see what I'm doing there? Blending it with New Orleans rich food culture. Crafty, I know), and the thought of leaving so soon is kind of unsettling. 

It's amazing how italics can create so much more drama and meaning, same with a black and white camera.

Anachronism?

Currently watching: What a Wonderful Shadow Puppet

Currently listening to: Iron & Wine Such Great Heights

Scrap Booking 101

As Mariama placed more pictures into her photo album, it reminded me of the scrap book that I never completed...or let alone started. My 24-hour friendly store next door, Walgreen's, has conveniently decided to give a discount this week on making digital prints. Strategically coded as "5DOLLARS," you can purchase prints through Saturday, April 10, 2009 and get each print for only $0.10 if you purchase over 50 pictures. I recommend all the scrap-bookers out there to jump on this opportunity. I myself just spent the past few hours trying to cut down some recent pictures to a 100 minimum. I can't promise that this will be the catalyst in starting my scrap book ambitions but I can hope. Every time I get started on a page for the book, I get intimidated thinking about some of my friend's personal scrap books.
^Look at that! Isn't that intimidating! I know friends who even go out and buy scrap book supplies! I don't even know what that means! One day though, I plan to document my university hopping adventures of Tulane, Clemson and UNC. One day. Til then, I'm all over that Walgreen's deal because it's "as cool as a fan." I mean, that's a badass deal right there.

In the mean time, I need to figure out a way to renew my driver's license before it expires on my birthday in early May...without actually having to return to my home state SC. My adventures continue. Speaking of adventures, during our UNC road trip...T.I.'s song "Dead and Gone" played towards the very end of our trip there, and then again on our way back...and I was totally feeling it. "Ohhh, I've been traveling on this road too long, just trying to find my way back home..." Sigh. It was perfect. Ironically, I didn't realize Justin Timberlake was doing the chorus and Mariama didn't realize that T.I. was rapping. But we both did separately realize we love the song.

Currently listening to: Dead and Gone by T.I. featuring Justin Timberlake
Currently Watching: the time go by as I get back to my nocturnal habits

The University of National Champions

We are awesome. Enough said. Sintha and I decided it would be an epic life fail to not be in Chapel Hill last weekend for the Final Four tournament games, so we drove the 13-14 hours from New Orleans back to Chapel Hill. It was absolutely worth it. Aside from taking part in the madness on Franklin St., we got to see so many friends we had missed for several months. For lack of a better description, it was a great weekend. The roadtrip was fun; between a 14 hour drive on no sleep after a Franklin St. celebration, and coming unnecessarily close to running out of gas in Montgomery, it prepared us for the final drive back home.

Currently watching: Any guesses? Yep, Dance Moves that Rock

Currently listening to: Ray LaMontagne Trouble

NOLAYURP

Today in a forum hosted by Tulane's Center for Public Service, we learned about the surge of young people that have been coming to New Orleans post-Katrina. One of the organizations highlighted during the discussion was NOLAYURP. NOLAYURP (New Orleans Young Urban Rebuilding Professionals Initiative) is an up and coming organization designed to create a support network for young professionals in the city, particularly those interested in restoring and rebuilding New Orleans. I thought this was a very interesting concept, because I have never heard of such an organization before. If I were staying in New Orleans permanently, I would consider participating in NOLAYURP, since they also promote some of the latest job postings from within the city.

For more information on NOLAYURP you can click here!

The Princess and The Frog

Today I saw a preview for a new Disney movie that comes out this December titled The Princess and The Frog. Check out the preview:

That's right! It takes place in New Orleans! And Disney is going back to the Broadway-style musical, hand-drawn animation that their classics are known for! The film will also feature Disney's first African American Princess, Tiana.

The plot is in essence a twist on the classic Frog Prince fairly tale. It will be an American fairly tale set in the French Quarter of New Orleans during the 1920s Jazz Age. Prince Naveen from Maldonia is transformed into a frog by an evil voodoo magician. The frog prince asks a waitress named Tiana to break the spell by kissing him, but she ends up a frog as well. The two embark on a journey through the Louisiana bayous to the banks of the Mississippi and back in time for Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The accompanying cast will include a 200-year-old voodoo priestess, a lovesick Cajun firefly, a Jazz singing, trumpet playing alligator, and a spoiled, southern debutante.

I do not know if the film will be good, or even worth seeing, but it is definitely a step in the right direction for a company that has been relying a little too much on CG animation recently.

Buffalo Buffalo, and Bare Bears

So since my discovery of Buffalo Exchange, I think I've accumulated even more clothes, if that's possible. Apparently, Buffalo Exchange is a thrift store that's a trendier version of Plato's Closet (which I've never thought was worth seeing) that sells "new and recycled" clothing. After checking it out once, one of the workers informed me "we always need new clothing so if you're a local, please come and sell." He didn't have to tell me twice. I mean, even though I wasn't actually a native local, I was local enough to have brought an unnecessary amount of clothes to combat the ever-shifting weather here. I have always been looking for ways to make better use of my clothes. Usually, they lie untouched stacked neck high in a closet somewhere. Or friends of mine borrow them since I didn't actually take the time to wear them in. I never seem to run around in anything but sweats, and button ups. I am obsessed with button ups. But mostly just guy's clothing. And oversized clothing. Of late, I think I've made a more conscious effort to at least look like a girl every now and then. Shadoe and I discussed that it's because of Tulane. Somehow, Tulane managed to get us to dress less like a bum on a daily basis. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not yet. In Chapel Hill, we have absolutely no problem walking all around campus in pj's. Go figure?

Anyways, so yeah I grabbed some random articles of clothing that I knew I wouldn't wear anytime soon. I skipped over to Buffalo Exchange, hoping for at least a $20 profit in order to buy this semi formal dress I saw there that was only $16! I get there and they keep adding numbers and by the time I'm done...they tell me I get either $86 in cash or $128 tax free in exchange money. First of all...wow? I think my jaw might have dropped when they told me. I figured I'd get the dress and just look around to see if I wanted another thing. Poor logic on my part, especially since Shadoe claims I am illogical. Or moreso, just not following a normal person's thought process. He clearly doesn't mean I'm weird by that statement though. Yeah, so I looked around and before you know it...I walked out with $-0.25 in cash. Yeah, well it might have been before you know it. But I sure spent 3 hours there, so I sure knew it. I spent all $128 of exchange money and paid $0.25 for like 6 new dresses and 4 new tops. Ridiculous. And yet, somehow still doesn't solve my problem of having too many clothes. So ideally, it has the potential to save my problems...if I just want it to happen, which I clearly don't still. So I've pretty much been hooked to the store since then. The workers there are probably the most interesting part about the store. They all have a trendy, hipster, bohemian, completely random mix of styles. I think a requirement to work there is having a piercing, a tattoo, or a paschmina scarf. So basically, I'm in love with this store. And I really wish we had one in the Carolinas!

In the mean time...here's a picture of my Buffalo Exchange outfit (well really just the skirt and vest are from there) that I rocked while in Carolina. =) The skirt is my favorite right now. Or at least favorite of the ones I have photographic documentation of thus far. Word. Yeah, we're all doing the Hans-y face.


Currently Listening to: Buffalo Buffalo by Nurses Call the Shots...shoutout to Shadoedoe and Daniel!
Currently Watching:

NOLA Pyrate Week

In case you didn't know... Saturday marked the beginning of NOLA Pyrate Week! Pyrate Week was established to promote awareness of the rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The organization will be throwing musical events and rebuild/clean-up days in the Lower Ninth Ward throughout the week. One of the most popular hangouts for these pyrates is Avenue Pub at 1732 Saint Charles Ave. And yes they are REAL pyrates who look and smell just like this (I have seen them):


For more information on NOLA Pyrate Week click here!!!!

Tourists

If there's one thing on this Earth that we all have a love/hate relationship with... it's tourists. You can find your local New Orleans tourist wearing Mardi Gras beads all year round, strolling slowly down Decatur Street, riding the streetcars for fun on the weekends, taking pictures of streetcars, or stopping to take obnoxious pictures like this:


You've been warned!

Beautiful

A Times Picayune article today reported the "Grey Ghost" I referred to in my last post has been hit with a bit of irony. The infamous vigilante who has campaigned since '97 against illicit street painting was charged today with ... you guessed it, illicit street painting. 

Perfection.

More of Banky's New Orleans art.

Make It Right

Almost everyone knows who Brad Pitt is. The very famous, wealthy actor has now branched out and formed this foundation called Make It Right. His foundation is committed to building 150 homes in the Lower 9th Ward. They are not just any homes though, they are environmentally friendly, sustainability homes. It is great that such a big celebrity is taking notice of New Orleans and disaster relief, bringing attention to an area that needs it. Still, there is controversy on whether he has the right to come down here and just build homes that, to a lot of locals, do not reflect the culture and history of the city. The homes have a more modern, contemporary look to them and seem to have lost the New Orleans charm. The cutting edge design of these homes may look out of place in the neighborhood, but they are still providing homes. They are being built to withstand hurricanes, floods and strong winds and are energy-efficient, allowing residents to save up to 75% on energy bills. There are both pros and cons, but the question still stands: Is the foundation really making things right? I'll let you make up your own mind.

Here are some photos of the homes:




Here is an interview Brad Pitt had with Ellen Degeneres, a supporter of his foundation:

-Noia. It's Time to Pretend.

During spring break, Shadoe and I attended a forum discussion at Tulane University. The topic was entitled, “Toward a Meaningful Educational Opportunity: Ensuring Equity in a System of Choice and Autonomy.” Yeah, the discussion itself was quite a handful of jargon also. While I couldn’t understand some of the jargon the panelists used, I did get that they were discussing New Orleans recently radicalized school system. Okay well first, let me try to recap what some of these panelists touched on. The first speaker was Dr. Warren Simmons, an executive director at some institute for school reform from Brown University. His opening statement was that he was neither a proponent, nor an opponent of choice. He felt that if we establish choice as the lever for urban school reformation, there should be more thought placed into exactly how this choice is organized. If “choice” is the answer to poor schooling, he wants to be sure that choice will in some way ameliorate the disparity in where different schools start out (i.e. their resources) with the use of autonomy and freedom…to choose. Dr. Warren firmly believes that it is crucial that some guy above the school system and who has a direct impact on the school system will think about this question of choice in order to provide a more equal distribution of resources so that all schools have an equitable starting point. An equitable starting point doesn’t necessarily have to mean all schools should be given the same thing, because most schools excel and are week in different aspects of their curriculum, resources, etc. Instead, schools should be analyzed on an individual basis and provided with the necessary equipment, tools, and resources to bring all schools to an equitable starting point. Dr. Warren suggests the community think about constructive support for schools, not necessarily to be delivered singularly…it can be a combination of local home grown providers as well as national providers. Also, he feels that this said person or entity above schools should also be the tool assessor/reformer for kids with disabilities so that they do not get lost in these charter schools.

The last thing he brings to attention is the dire need for communication. Communication is crucial in school reform discussion because choice and autonomy can mean different things to different groups of race and language. For example, the term autonomy does not exude wonderful, pleasant feelings to the blacks in the South because it was a term used to legalize black schools being separate from white schools. It is important to translate these terms cross-culturally in order to develop and establish a common meaning for common good.

You know, speaking of terms that can be twisted to associate with both positive and negative feelings….this reminds me of one of the many enlightening conversations I have had at the St. Charles Guesthouse. By the way, the St. Charles Guesthouse never ceases to impress me. Yesterday, the word “inversion” was brought to my attention. It’s a very cute word actually. One of our fellow housemates saw the book at a thrift shop and was compelled to come back the next day to buy it. According to the author, inversion is the “language of dehumanization.” Inversions happen everyday and it’s basically when a person takes something positive, twists it, and makes it negative and criticizes another person for it. For example, take a person who has absolutely no obligations, no tasks or errands that must be run all day. They are essentially free, free of restrictions, monotony and limited choice. Now another person may see this, and here comes the trick, twist this freedom and instead call them lazy. This can apply especially well for hippies. Society doesn’t think too highly of hippies, instead of being free to do as they please, they are instead viewed as a worthless group who doesn’t make “use” of their time or contribute to society. Honestly, I can’t say my own thoughts are always guilt free of inversions. I will, however, make a more conscious effort to be sensitive to these types of dehumanization through my own use of language.

Anyways, I got lost in thought. I’m sure the concept of inversions can be applied to the schooling system here but I’ll postpone that analysis for now. Finally, I’d like to mention the last speaker, Dr. Luis Miron, the Dean of College of Social Sciences at Loyola University. He used a very applicable quote that impressed me. I can’t recall it word for word, but he basically said that creating the Treme Charter School was similar to the concept of “making Creole gumbo.” He quoted someone saying that the generic ingredients will always be things like okra, seasoning and so and so forth because everyone has their own recipe…but the main ingredients of administration, teachers, students, and parents, should be held constant. This component is crucial in the quality of the “cuisine.” ‘Not everyone who has tasted gumbo before can cook it, and even then, some cook better than others. Similarly, not everyone who has attended a school before can run one.’ I think this analogy is a true one for the Louisiana school system, I hope more people adopt this point of view and that it will help for the better.

Sorry, one more thought. Ever heard of the word paranoia? Most likely. Ever heard of the stems para-, ortho-, and meta-? Maybe you have from your last organic class, or a friend annoying you about his last organic class? Well most of us know that paranoia is about excessive fear or anxiety, that others are constantly trying to sabotage you. So basically, you live your life thinking of the world as a threat to you and thus live constantly consciously aware of others. Now, have you heard of metanoia? To my understanding, which can be blatantly wrong so forgive me if I mislead, metanoia is when you constantly change your mind about everything or anything that is encompassed in life..constantly reshaping not only your own thought process, but yourself. This is a persons constant struggle with their own mind whereas paranoia is the constant struggle and worry about other people’s thoughts. Wow, I don't think I used the words "constant" and "struggle" enough to describe these meanings. Don't mind that. Moving on now, orthonoia on the other hand is living unthreatened by all, including yourself. I would have never stumbled upon these words if it wasn’t for my brother who sent me MGMT’s album and then I heard one of our Guesthouse workers repeat those words to me. Here’s a random link to the British epidemic of orthonoia. Haha. I guess their tabloids hadn’t successfully put them in a state of paranoia like America’s have…

Currently listening to: Time to Pretend, by MGMT

YEAH YOU RITE!

A collection of New Orleans accents, all of which Shadoe and I are looking out for!

I've come to test the timber of my heart

No pressing issues to write about tonight; just a couple things I've been interested in the past couple of days.

The past few days since I've discovered him, I have been listening to Joe Pug nonstop. Not only listening to him, but running a campaign as epic as Barack's for everyone I know to hear him. Apparently, Pug was a student at Chapel Hill before he, literally, one day decided to redirect his life completely. Dropping out and moving to Chicago to play his guitar seems to have been the right choice: his debut album has made a lot of noise -- The Nation of Heat -- and has been referred to as a sublime lyrical masterpiece (an understatement at best). He will be at Local 506 in Chapel Hill on May 15th, as will I.

Also on a musical note (ha, you see what I did there?). One of the Chartwell Center's employees, Mr. Richard, will be playing at JazzFest this year. Within the last couple months, he joined a band called My Name is John Michael, which is also an interesting story. John Michael, the actual John Michael, challenged himself to write, sing and record one original song every week for a year. Each week he would post these songs on his website, free for all to download and distribute. Fifty-two songs later, he amassed a respectable following and added a full band. 

There was a poll on the website, and thirteen songs were chosen to be rerecorded for a full length album. The CD release show for this album is this Saturday at One Eyed Jacks. I hope I can make it to that. Their music is actually really good. I expected it to be decent, but I was really surprised. Richard said they had been compared to Bruce Springsteen and Bright Eyes. He said he didn't hear the similarities, nor do I, haha, but nonetheless, they are good and should be checked out as well. They are also kind of folky, which is all I've been listening too as of late. There is no sound as beautiful as a pained voice and an acoustic guitar. 

Aside from music, there are other things going on in New Orleans, believe it or not. In fact, starting tomorrow (technically, it's already the 26th, but everyone knows it's not tomorrow until you wake up) is the sixth annual New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival. At that website, you can find the schedule of events, movie trailers, and anything else you would want to know about the what's going on. Through a series of speakers, music, special programs and, of course, films--from both New Orleanians and national/international producers, the festival seeks to provide an arena for artistic expression as well as cultivating an active human rights community in New Orleans.  I hope I can make it to see a few of these screenings. There are several ones listed I want to see.

On an unrelated note, several weeks ago, walking past the Ogden Museum for Southern Art (which I still need to go to before I leave, as well as the WWII Museum, among many other things) I saw a website url spray painted on a wall. www.americanbeautysouth.com - I made a note on my phone to check it out later. I kept thinking about it all night, and wanted so badly to pull the site up when I got back. But so many times before have I seen an interesting url written somewhere and only to be disappointed when you call it up. Being such a romantic of the South and anything Southern, I didn't want this website to end up lame as so many others had. So I sat on it for several weeks, just to keep the mystery and the hope alive. Like that conspicuously wrapped Christmas present you convince your parents to let you open a night early, a name like American Beauty South can only be kept under wraps for so long. Today was Christmas Eve. I finally typed it in the url bar and hit enter. Greeted by a picture of a highway 61 sign adjacent to a pink-rose bush and an elegant American Beauty South logo and several internal links, I kept an interest. How exciting. It turns out American Beauty South is a really cool project in which artists use the streetside walls of hotels along New Orleans's Airline drive as a canvas to depict themes like American beauty, the South and Highway 61. The site also includes pictures and a map of Airline drive designating the locations of each piece, as well as links to each artist. Each link provides information on the artists, a statement about their pieces as well as additional links to their other works. This url turned out to be so much better than I could imagined. I can't wait to cruise Airline and see the pieces first hand. 

Other wall art I need to see is by an English graffiti artist named Banksy who came to New Orleans on the anniversary of Katrina to make some statements around the city. I need to get out and see these tags before the "Gray Ghost, a notorious vigilante who's been systematically painting over any graffiti he can find with the same shade of gray paint since 1997" covers the work. Ironically, many of the pieces are in response to him as "He has done more damage to the culture of the city than any section five hurricane could ever hope to achieve." --BANSKY

Currently watching: Joe Pug Hymn 101

Currently listening to: Joe Pug Nation of Heat

It's bracket season, baby!

Here we are, March Madness 2009. Even 14 hours away, deep in the heart of football country, I am alive with energy. Well, maybe that had something to do with the fact that spring break just started! and I just woke up from an excellent nap. Either way, it's bracket season, and I thought I'd share with everyone my picks... and hopes... and dreams for this March, as well as what goes into making any Tarheel's bracket. 

I'll actually spare everyone my personal opinions on ins and outs and seeds and who will beat whos. I'll just skip ahead to the process of making a Carolina bracket. Click the picture to enlarge.

Notice the only thing that matters, besides Carolina going all the way, is Duke going down in the first round. 

Now, if that isn't enough Tarheel pride, UNC's own Anoop Desai is killing it on American Idol this season. I reaaally don't care about American Idol, but since Noop Dogg's up there doing so well, I won't be able to help but keeping up. I finally went to his website today to put a face to this infamous Noop Dogg I've been hearing all about. Anoop actually sat beside me in my American Studies class last year. I talked to him a couple of times; he's an outstandingly nice guy as it turns out. I knew he was a Clef Hanger, so he could obviously sing well, but it never registered that it may have been him. Read, on his website, the article about Noah, the autistic Indian child who has taken an interest in Anoop. It's a pretty inspiring story. 

Speaking of inspiring... Stoan, Hannah, Daniel and Dia just left town. They came down to visit this weekend, and we had a blast. Dia's friend from college happened to be in town at the same, and she would have never known so if she hadn't randomly given him a call, haha. So, Colin joined our little entourage and I enjoyed getting to know him and what he's doing with his life. He went to UNCWilminton last year with Dia and is currently taking a year off to "find himself." He's spent the past three of four weeks in Florida relaxing and learning to meditate. He made an interesting claim that you can find out a lot about a city by meditating in a public place and seeing how the people react. It almost makes me want to learn to meditate myself and try it. Sintha actually stumbled upon him meditating in the French Market yesterday. Sintha half-recognized him because of his UNC shirt and his glasses, and Colin, half-conscious, half-recognized her too, haha. Anyway, Colin's quest across the country continues this year; next stop: California and up to the Pacific Northwest. I'm looking forward to hanging out with him when he gets back to North Carolina and hearing his reflections on his travels. Speaking of, I've got some reflections to do myself.

Currently watching: Hand Paint

Currently listening to: Ray Charles The Genius Hits the Road

Bourbon Street

This is Shadoe and I trying to record the clearing of Bourbon Street on Mardi Gras at midnight. It wasn't as spectacular as we expected...

Cafe Reconcile

After class on Friday we (the four of us, both our teachers and our TA) went to Cafe Reconcile for lunch. Joining us was a relief group from UNC who was down in New Orleans volunteering for the week. The cafe employs youth from the Mid-City area and places them in workforce development programs. They teach their participants skills viable in the restaurant business and also gives them a sense of entrepreneurship. Cafe Reconcile gives youth a chance to gain work experience and skills that they might otherwise not have the opportunity to learn and gives them marketable skills in the workforce. Not should you go to this cafe to show your support for this great cause, the food is delicious!

"Crawfest, yeah you right"

Some of my best friends (Tosh, Katie, and Rory) from UNC are here in town during their spring break and I was able to share my first crawfish tasting experience with them. After trying crawfish in some random Chinese buffet we went to a few weeks ago, I’m relieved finding out that the Chinese version of crawfish is no where near the taste of native-made crawfish. Today, Tosh (a local New Orleanian) and his delightfully adorable family had us over for a craw boil. Not only did I get to try some crawfish, I also got to watch the process in making. I’m going to try and break down the boil in picture book style as best I can.

Alright, first, buy pounds and pounds of crawfish. The rate right now is around $2.25/lb and each bag can carry anywhere from 15 to 20 lbs. Apparently, crawfish is best between the middle of March and early May, with you being lucky if you get crawfish the size we were fortunate enough to get this early in the season.

Next, fill the bucket with water to wash and remove mud from the crawfish. Drain and repeat the process again for better results. Any crawfish that are noticeably dead, separate and throw away because you never know how long they've been TKO'ed and this will change the taste of the meat.

Third, pour salt into the bucket and stir. This is done to make the crawfish throw up in order to clean and wash their insides out.

While I wasn’t much help in picking up the runaway crawfish after draining, I at least helped clean them off.

Next, pick a crawfish and have a race, or a crawfight. We chose to crawfight. A circle was drawn using chalk and the bad boys were carefully picked up and placed in the arena. Yeah, it took me a long time to finally attempt the crawfish pick up. It's crucial that you grab them at the center of the body, away from the tail or claws so that they won't snap at you, although they will still try.

Whichever crawfish steps outside of the circle loses. Ours kind of cowered and avoided each other, or played dead so it wasn’t much of a fight.

Then after enjoying the sport of crawfish battling, boil the crawfish in a pot. It’s recommended that you add sausage, corn and potato into the boil…or at least I would because Tosh’s dad did and it tasted ridiculously awesome. The crawfish will turn from a black color to a vibrant, lobster red.

Set up a table, cover it with newspapers and spread the final product across the table. Call family over, and after mention of crawfish, they will immediately drop whatever they are doing to appear on your doorsteps. Oh yeah, it’s that good.

Now the process of eating crawfish is also an art. Most people prefer the tail meat, if you’re like Rory, you can take your time with the claws.

If you’re native, you also suck the juice from the body after tearing the tail off. After hearing that the yellow squishy-looking part in the body is actually crawfish intestines, I was a little hesitant to try it at first. After gathering the balls to do it, I have to admit that it’s an essential compliment that adds to the taste of the tail meat. Mmm succulent. I loved the kick of the spices!

The time difference in stripping the crawfish down to the meat becomes apparent when compared with someone who has already mastered the art of crawfish-ing. You can tell by the crawfish piles who’s the native, but Katie ate herself a fine share too so props. You’d be surprised how fast the pounds of crawfish go by.

Finally, place your crawfish scraps on a huge plate to throw away and get ready for another set! Oh yeah, believe it. There were three sets boiled tonight! I must’ve eaten at least “17 lbs of crawfish….that’s like a little baby.” Haha.

Really, beyond the awesome taste of spicy crawfish, it’s really the family environment surrounding the tradition that makes it such a warm and neighbor friendly event. It’s the conversation and the company you keep that really make it what it is. I have Tosh and his family and my friends to thank for making this experience an unforgettable one. I can’t wait for Crawfest 09 baby!

Currently listening to: "Now You're Gone" Basshunter.

Currently viewing: http://www.geocities.com/thefirethread/ (a site Cassandra stumbled upon)

Sample sign:

If you spot terrorism, blow your anti-terrorism whistle. If you are Vin Diesel, yell really loud

Savantism

I guess it's only natural that working with kids ASD four days a week would eventually lead my interest to savant syndrome. As I've come to understand it, a person suffering from savantism seriously struggles with developmental disorder. Often these individuals are completely unable to learn to read, write, and cannot understand their incredible talents in areas like math, music, language, etc. 

Society has become most familiar with autistic savantism through Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise's 1988 Rain Man, based on Kim Peek. Though he is not actually autistic, Peek apparently has a "photographic" (eidetic) memory and thus, his mind seems an endless capacity for information. I've not actually seen the movie yet, but I'm looking forward to checking it out now that I have a little background on the syndrome. 

This article, though its credibility is questionable, has fed my interest to reading more about highly radical theories on the concept of intelligence. Like the string theory (if you have plenty of time on your hands, you should probably watch those videos, they are awesome) in physics, these theories are highly abstract and characterize intelligence as a capacity not contained within the dimensions of space and time. Whaaaat? Yeah, I know. I'm still reading about all of this and trying to grasp the concept too.

One of the students at the Chartwell Center, I believe, may have a modest savantistic ability. On the way to City Park last Thursday, Mr. Adam told me about Sami's familiarity with the calendar. If asked what the date the Thursday two weeks from now would fall on, he would tell you with no problem, other than understanding the question, that it's April 3rd. I found it strikingly similar to the amazing calendar calculation abilities described in several articles. We didn't test him on dates that were too difficult, like what day Mardi Gras would be on 2029, but I am interested in finding out how well he knows or can calculate the calendar. 

In addition to but unrelated to savantism, several different people have told me about a story called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a story written by British writer Mark Haddon from the perspective of a boy suffering from Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's falls on the autism spectrum and is characterized by empathetic social interaction, language acquisition and use abnormalities and often things like obsessive or compulsion movements or preoccupations. A lady I met on the street car one day and a friend back at UNC both recommended I read this story, and I plan to as I finish writing this. The link above is to an online copy of the book if anyone else is interested in reading it. 

There is soo much to learn about so many things in life. It's unsettling to think about how much there is to know. Here is just another topic that will obviously open doors to even more,like physics theories  and philosophies on intelligence, haha. Just something to think about.

p.s. forgive all the wikipedia links. Though they're often less credible, I think they are good places to form a basic understanding and start research on a topic. Here are some additional links:

http://encefalus.com/cognitive/amazing-brain-autistic-savant/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Tammet

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=savants-cognition-thinking

Currently watching: Segen Max, the two-year-old drumming phenom

Currently listening to: The Beatles Let it Be

"COLD DRINK"

Has someone recently tried to treat you to a "cold drink"? Were you confused as to what this was?

This week my supervisor at the Advocacy Center explained to me what exactly a cold drink in New Orleans is. This is what some of us would call a soft drink, soda, or pop (if you're in Chicago!)... It really doesn't make sense since most drinks are cold, but that's neither here nor there...


Just the other day I finally got to hear this term used in real life! I was at the Popeye's on St. Charles Avenue (grabbing lunch as usual) when a man told his girlfriend that their son had spilled COLD DRINK on himself.

Next time someone in New Orleans asks you if you want a COLD DRINK... you'll know what they mean. :-)


Currently listening to: the Lupe Fiasco radio station on Pandora.com (getting ready for the concert on Thursday, Shadoe!)

What we do on Saturday nights...

I don't know if anyone has ever seen RENO 911, but it's basically a cop show that plays on Comedy Central. Now that Shadoe has a mustache (for Mustache March) he greatly resembles Deputy Travis Junior from RENO 911. The things we do on Saturday nights in the guesthouse... His interests are beer, NASCAR, firearms, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and last but not least his moustache.

NC friends in Nawlins, round one.

It's midnight on a Friday in New Orleans, and I'm trying to decide what to blog about. It would make the most sense to finish some thoughts on Mardi Gras, but I'm tired of writing about it. And I'm sure whoever our readers are out there are tired of reading about it also. Maybe I'll just write. The Hornets, beignets, Chicken Mart and Chartwell are all on the mind; we'll see what we end up with.

This week some friends from home (Cory, Trent and Leo) came down to hang out. I think they had a good time. They stayed with me at the guesthouse. They would wake up and venture around the city while I was in class/at Chartwell, and I would meet up with them afterwards. They did a lot in the 4-5 days they were here: explored the Quarter, strolled through City Park, wandered the National WWII Museum (which I need to check out myself, especially since military dependents get in for $6) and stopped by Café du Monde for some beignets literally every night. Trent loved him some Beignets, I wish I had a picture for you guys, haha. When I joined them in the afternoons, we saw a free screening of Slumdog Millionaire at Tulane (thanks to the India Association of Tulane). It is such a good movie; if you haven't already seen it, you need to. It deserved all eight Academy Awards it won. Wednesday night, we went to Preservation Hall, the supposed venue where jazz was first played. We saw a band called Sharron Powell and the Preservation Hall-Stars. They were unbelievable. Every member was so good at his instrument: the trombone, trumpet, piano, and drums were all very talented. Taking several requests, and, I imagine playing some originals, they really put on a show and kept the crowd rocking. The little things they did, like mentioning "this song is a very special song - why? - because it was paaaiiid for" after each request, or carrying on a conversation with folks in the crowd between songs made it a uniquely intimate experience. If you are ever in New Orleans, it would be a shame not to see a show at Preservation Hall. Here's a video of Shannon Powell, though we didn't take it, you can get a sense of the sound.

Thursday night, we volunteered at the New Orleans Hornets game vs. the Dallas Mavericks. Seeing the game for free with some of my best friends was nice, it was especially nice to see Chris Paul make Jason Terry, Jason Kidd and the Mavericks' idiot of an own Mark Cuban look like fools. Notice Cuban's disgust and the Slumdog reference as the video cut out at the very end, haha.

The energy in that building as the Hornets began to pull away was incredible. It was almost as exciting as a Carolina game, almost. I even found myself chanting Chris Paul's chant, C-P-3, M-V-P. Bring the Hornets back to Charlotte...I am still bitter, but starting to come around to the move. At least we've got the Bobcats. Well, it's almost 2:00am, I've got to sleep. Looks like I'll have to save more on the Hornets, the beignets, Chicken Mart and the Chartwell Center for later posts. 

Currently watching: that Chris Paul video, for the 9th or 10th time now.

Currently listening to: The Starting Line Say It Like You Mean It

FEMA

This past Wednesday President Obama announced the appointment of a new Director to FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). The candidate, Craig Fugate, is actually qualified to hold the position and just waits confirmation by the Senate. Here is an article from the Times-Picayune detailing the appointment.

In Memoriam Miss Antoinette K-Doe

Last weekend I attended my first Second Line, a uniquely New Orleans street parade centered around a big brass band and characterized by unreserved dancing, singing, and general celebration. Second Lines are traditionally spontaneous and can be elusive—the starting point usually isn’t advertized—and sometimes the only way to catch one is to serendipedously be in the right place at the right time and, of course, to join in!

In this case, the Second Line was a “Jazz Funeral” for Antoinette K-Doe—the widow of Ernie K-Doe, famous New Orleans Rhythm and Blues Singer—who died of a heart attack on Mardi Gras morning. A local celebrity, “Miss Antoinette” was an earlier returner (Oct. 05) and a huge presence in the rebuilding of the city after Hurricane Katrina, supporting recovery efforts in many ways, from cooking up pots of gumbo that served hundreds of volunteers and community members to opening her lounge to local musicians struggling to find work. She also triumphed local rebuilding organizations like Hands On New Orleans and Katrina Corps.

The event was quite an experience—the music great, the dancing fun—and I had been looking for a Second Line since soon after I arrived and learned about the spontaneous, elusive celebration. However, I found myself feeling somewhat uncomfortable that day. The turn out was diverse, from close family and friends coming from the funeral to complete strangers who stumbled upon the procession and joined in (and who may not have even known what it was about). It is the last point that made me pause. I didn’t completely fall into the second group, as I was aware of the situation had accompanied a friend of Miss Antoinette’s to the parade, but ultimately I was an outsider—only having lived in NOLA for a little over a month and never having been lucky enough to meet her—as proved by the fact that all the information provided above I learned from friends and from reading about her online. On that note, this New York Times piece provides a nice description of the powerful woman and her importance to the city.

There I was, a relative outsider, parading in a t-shirt and shorts amongst the black-clad people who had known and loved her best. On the one hand, it seems that this diversity of people and motivation is the beauty of the Second Line tradition, but that day, I mostly felt the oddness and unease of this quality. I felt borderline voyeuristic and quite out of place entering into this ritual of the people who knew and loved Miss Antoinette.

However, the people who organized the Second Line made it public and no one betrayed disgust (self-consciously, I was looking for it) at the participation of outsiders like me. On the contrary, they seemed quite caught in the celebration and glad to be among others—whatever their connection or non-connection—in honoring the life of this incredible lady. Which, as a result of this provocative experience, I have learned more about and now, too, can recognize and honor. Though still thinking, this last point has helped me to reconcile my initial unease and, for now, I'm content to celebrate Miss Antoinette and all she did and, even in death, will continue to do for New Orleans.

Mardi Gras Season, it’s that time of year again

Determined to watch every parade parading down our very own neighbor St. Charles Street, and catching a few others here and there, I’ve gotten quite the taste of the ups and downs of Mardi Gras parades. There’s a parade out there for everyone, from political satire to all women’s to old timers to children pleasing to animal celebrating floats, and so much more. Although Muses and Zulu are definite must sees, I have to admit that two other parades caught my eye almost at the same level, if not more. One of the first parades to hit the streets of New Orleans, Krewe de Vieux, is certainly a spectacle to watch. As many warned me, it was satirical indeed and didn’t disappoint in the least in those terms. The theme this year was “Stimulus Package.” Just to give you a taste of the throws and the krewe, I saw skeletons with “boners,” received several separate millions in Persian money, received penis beads, a dradle, a “cock market investor tube,” tokens, men in barrels to represent our declining economy. Probably the most intense float I saw was Fanine Mae sticking it to Uncle Sam from the back. Yeah, figuratively sure…but she was also literally anal raping him. As if this parade wasn’t enough, I was equally fascinated by the police round up at midnight on Mardi Gras’ Fat Tuesday. We had been hearing through the grape vine that Bourbon Street gets shut down by police riding on horseback and decided we had to go there and see it for ourselves. We got that and so much more. Just a little after midnight, sure enough, hundreds of policemen marched down the streets of Bourbon lining the streets and telling everyone to step aside to neighboring streets. Bars closed and anyone who was in got locked in temporarily. The extremists who were walking around with signs entitled WWJD (Who Would Jesus Destroy, in this case) “lead” the parade. Well, they just didn’t move to the side yet. First it was men walking by foot, followed by men on horse, and then men in trucks! The men would even wave at the crowds and smile and laugh, as if they knew it was all in jest because soon enough, the streets would be packed once more. The trucks played their own music using their horns, just having a jolly good time. It was almost a mockery, nevertheless, a statement. The crowd cleared off for at least 15 to 20 minutes as they marched through…but that was enough. The police “krewe” got to parade through Bourbon Street and it’s a parade worth noting.

After reading about who New Orleans was named after, I would say it is a very befitting match for the city. Orleans was a man well known for his womanizing, often of opera house singers who were never known for their chasity, and speculated to have had many late night exclusive dinner parties with nights full of drunken mystery. The city seems to portray this well, the nights of debauchery never seem to end. But on the other hand, Orleans was smart and very well educated man, well taught in chemistry, mathematics and even music. From seeing Preservation Hall last night, the talents and skills of the city are equally endless.