Blogs from New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, North America - page 61

"You should have been here just a few minutes ago" says the cashier at Blockbuster when we enter the place. "Yeah? What happened a few minutes ago?" is our obvious response. "We were robbed", the tall black fellow announces with a tone of indifference in his voice. What seems to be a normal evening at the normal Blockbuster store at the normal little shopping center apparently has offered quite a bit of drama only minutes ago. Not that we can tell...People are coming and going as usual, trying to decide which movie to rent, debating whether to buy some snacks to go with that. "Was it an armed robbery?" "Yeah, it was armed". "So, what happened?" is apparently a stupid question from a novice like me. "He pointed the gun at us and wanted stuff". Can't ... read more

The school spirit for commuter college University of New Orleans is not exactly of the most exciting kind. Most students are fairly well aware of the fact that UNO has an athletics department, but that's about it. UNO Privateers not being extremely successful in most sports, especially compared to "big brother" Louisiana State Tigers, does not help. Therefore it is a delight to see the same guy showing up for all games, fully dressed in school colors, carrying matching pom poms. The fact that he’s wearing the wrong colors - LSU purple and yellow instead of Privateer white and blue - is a minor detail...He certainly brings another dimension to the women's volleyball matches. Jumping up and down of excitement with every point won and bumping his head against the wall for every point lost shows ... read more

The name, Check Mate, appears to be a very randomly selected one. Possibly the only one left after all other names were taken in New Orleans. It's however pretty much the only bar near campus. Hence, it's the natural student hangout on Thursdays. Not big, not fancy, not very clean, nothing special really. But, cheap drinks, and the gathering of equals. No sound system, only the jukebox playing the same music over and over. Creed, Guns'n'Roses, Bob Dylan, etc. Usually the same crowd - i.e. international students and underaged American, mainly gothic, kids. The two categories don't really interact, but no trouble even near. The transvestite guy is a regular, gets his own category. A rather popular attraction, although his intentions are not known (but can be assumed...). The male chubby bartender who appears to be ... read more

It’s never raises more than a few feet above the water. It’s straight as an arrow. The fact still remains; Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest bridge in the world. 25 miles of bridge between Metairie and Mandeville in Louisiana. One might think that this would be an interesting ride. The fact is, it’s probably hard to find a less interesting ride. Look to your left, there is water a few feet down. Look to your right, there’s water a few feet down. Look in front of you, there’s probably a car. It seems unlikely that anyone would drive off the bridge and into the water. But it happens, most likely out of boredom. Many make this trip twice a day, as a step in going to and from work. Can somebody please explain the beauty of ... read more

"I got my first real six-string. Bought it at the five-and-dime. Played it til my fingers bled. It was the summer of 69." Those opening lines from the opening act more or less guarantee a good show. Especially since they come from the person who came up with the whole concept of singing about his careless, happy youth, back in 1969. Linda Perry, you know the What's Up girl, served as a crowd-starter. Pretty good choice, but the main performer can carry his own show. There are only two persons during the whole show at the rather small stage at the House of Blues. Bryan and his base player Scott. They both wear jeans and white t-shirts. Nothing fancy, just pure rock-n-roll. The way it was meant to be. Mr. Adams sure as hell is no ... read more