Blogs from Louisiana, United States, North America - page 88

The day started off as an above average day. Michael Jordan announced his comeback with the Wizards. Given the tedious tasks at the bank, this was likely to be the most exciting news during the day. Not so. Late morning, after a few hours of updating customer records in my little cubicle, the news reached the huge office space without windows. 50 or so cubicles all of a sudden came alive and spread the word. The lack of television sets caused a lot of confusion and insecurity of the validity of the rumors. "They bombed World Trade Center". "...and now they bombed the second tower". "...and there they took out the Pentagon". Without having any facts or even theories, the first question I could come up with was more of first reaction, verbatim, "Isn't this pretty ... read more

Not really a huge fan of the man from Ireland, Mr. Morrison. Been around for a while, so naturally he's had a few good songs. And Jazzfest is about music, so why not give it a shot...? Jazzfest is also too hot to be running around, so our little party of four decide to wait around with the crowd by the stage where Van the Man is performing. No assigned seating, just spread your blanked in an empty spot, sit, and remain seated. Moving out too much of a hassle, being in the smack middle of tens of thousands of people. So, a couple of hours wait it is. Finally he appears. Doesn't appear to be very interested in giving the audience an unforgettable concert though. Gives a solid performance, but seems to be doing it ... read more

"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