The Gulf of Mexico on a Saturday afternoon.

The Gulf of Mexico on a Saturday afternoon.

John John

I swear. This boy cannot take a bad picture. It pisses me off, since I usually look like shit in candid pictures.

Houston & Lafayette Streets Today

Photoshop phun

Snapped this walking up Broadway after leaving Ryan's apartment on the Upper West Side. The original is pretty blurry because I can't take night pictures for shit yet, but Photoshop filters come in pretty handy when you want to touch something up with a minimum of effort.

Fog on Laurel Street

Signs of progress on St. Charles Avenue

From the Times-Picayune:

"The first step in the long road to restoration for the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line is set to take place today, as transit officials bring back daily service between Canal Street and Lee Circle for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.

Scheduled for 10:30 a.m., the ceremonial trip around Robert E. Lee's statue marks the completion of the initial phase of a three-part reformation project expected to last at least another 15 months.

Under plans still being developed, the Regional Transit Authority hopes to reopen a second leg of the historic St. Charles line, between Lee Circle and Napoleon Avenue, by next summer. The final segment, which will restore service from Napoleon to the terminus on Carrollton Avenue, likely won't be finished until spring or early summer of 2008, officials said."

More

Truck accident

My co-worker, Katie, and I came across this around 12:30PM at the intersection of Magazine Street and Jefferson Avenue. We were on our way to Roly Poly for lunch.

Apparently, this truck was trying to turn onto Magazine Street from Jefferson, and the driver wrapped the trailer around an electrical pole and broke it in half! How fucked is that?

Visited states update

This is what my visited states map used to look like:


Since November 23, 2006 (Thanksgiving Day), it has looked like this:

New camera

My new Nikon S9. After reflecting upon my previous post wherein I griped about not having a digital camera, I went and bought one.

Actually, I do have a digital camera: a Minolta Dimage 7 SLR type. It's pretty sweet, but far too bulky for going out on the town and capturing spontaneous shenanigans with your friends.

I took this shot with the work camera, a Canon PowerShot A75, also a nice camera, but again, way too bulky for casual picture taking.

June 10, 2006 - Flashback

This is an image I recently pulled off my cell phone to clear its memory for my trip to Denver. Of course, I did not figure out how to upload images from my phone to Sprint until the trip was pretty much over, so I didn't get the chance to document anything there! Dumbass. I will have to rely on friends' photos once again. Most of these of course, will be pictures of them doing fun things, since they are all so completely self-absorbed (no, but really, in a good way).

I intend to get a small digital camera to rectify the problem ASAP.

Well, anyway, anyway, this image is a perfect example of a cooler packed prior to going tubing or on a float trip. Being from NYC, I was not familiar with this particular activity: floating on an inner tube down a river while the whole time drinking beer (and smoking cigs, if you do (I do)), periodically stopping off at the shore to eat and throw away the accumulated cans.

Now that I have lived in the South for over five years, I have gone tubing many, many times. The first summer I went, I went almost every weekend for a good six weeks or so because I had so much fun the first time. With a big group, it is even more fun. The last time I went (when this picture was taken) was June 10, 2006. It was the one and only time this past summer I had a chance to go. If I am still living here next summer, I will be sure to get out on the water as much as possible, especially with any out-of-town guests (hint, hint) that may come to visit. See? Not only can you get fucked up on Bourbon Street when you come to New Orleans, you can get fucked up anywhere!

Tuning in from Tokyo

This is my friend Carl. Here, he is sitting on the subway. I am not sure where he is going, but he is somewhere in Japan, most likely Tokyo. He has been living there for the past two years, but won't be for too much longer.

In a few weeks, he will be returning to the US, whereupon we will embark on another (for we've had so many) adventure--beginning in the bowels of that Sodom known as the Big Apple, we will make our way southward through Our Nation's Capital, followed by brief stops in various tidewater burgs, and a slightly longer stop in Tampa to pick up a couple more friends (Rich & James, and they are a couple), until finally we break on through to the sunshine and white sands of the greater Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area. It is here, among the suntanned natives, that we will ring in the New Year, and most likely get completely shitcan'd.

Foggy heads (mostly) cleared, we will back to the road on New Year's Day for Tampa. A few more days relaxing at the beach, then we will say good-bye to our friends and return to my home city, that Gomorrah known as the Big Easy. Bourbon Street will be assaulted anew. Memories and lovers will be made and forgotten, and finally, after the final Hurricane, Hand Grenade, or Huge Ass Beer, Carl will fly back to DC, leaving my home far cleaner than he found it, and me, alone to contemplate how INSANE things get when me and this guy get together. I can't wait!

Doublemint freshness

One of my very sexiest best friends Emily (left) and her sister Carolyn as the Doublemint Twins for Halloween 2006. Emily moved back up to New England after graduation and a year working in New Orleans. I miss her tons, as this self-described "Evil Genius" definitely gets high marks in the wing-man and all-around party girl categories. I hope to see her over the holidays while I'm visiting the folks in NYC. Mayhem WILL ensue.

The dumps.

While researching heat lamps for a bathroom renovation project I am working on, I came across this particular post which was generated by the search string "bathroom heat lamp".

Hilarious.

Music Box

Okay, so I might not be the most internet-savvy person probably for only recently discovering Pandora, but I was finally introduced by my friend Jim over Halloween weekend. (More to come on those events when I get the pictures uploaded.) This site is awesome. You use it to create custom radio stations based on what you like. I have already created a bunch of house stations based on Peter Rauhofer, Victor Calderone, etc., since I can never find a decent internet radio station that plays the styles I like. You know, that borderline scary tech house sound with some big diva vocals thrown in here and there, and enough beats, breaks and build ups to keep your feet stompin' 'til 8AM, or later, and you finally stumble blinking out of the club into the shivering morning chill and try and catch a warm cab back to your even warmer apartment to sit around the rest of the morning babbling with friends, exhausted, trying to fall asleep.

Those boots are made for walking!

Look at this fool! Ryan is coming down to NOLA from NYC for the Scissor Sisters show at HOB, and of course to party down with all of us still trying to eck out an existence in this post-Katrina wasteland.

B-B-B-Bushit Good!

Police actually think they can write tickets for this sort of thing?
Is this free speech? On the other hand, any lawsuit brought for "emotional distress" almost always rankles me to no end.

APB - Job Hunt

If anyone, anywhere knows of an architecture firm that is hiring, please let me know. I am offically looking for a new job; location is unrestricted.

I'm over it, like this guy.

Ta-Dah!

The new album is finally out! It is awesome. I recommend picking up the deluxe edition which includes an extra disc, and is only two bucks more than the regular edition.

the New Car

Okay, so a couple months ago my '92 Cutlass Ciera finally quit on me, and I purchased this '05 Toyota Corolla S.


I am so happy with it. Great mileage, the A/C actually works, and it is the first car I have ever owned that has a CD player. Finally, I have something decent for those long roadtrips up to NYC and back!

Podcasts

Everyone should check out the Feast of Fools podcast. They post 5 days week, and always have an entertaining show including a lot of content you don't find in more mainstream media.

I also listen to Gaypimpin with Jonny McGovern. This show is outrageous, and reminds of my crazy days back in NYC.

Hail Mary

Another appearance of the Virgin Mary! This time she has revealed herself to us in the form of chocolate drippings found beneath a vat at a chocolatier in Fountain Valley, California.

I am fascinated by the whole Virgin Mary appearing in random places phenomenon, partly because I have to wonder why she would choose to do so, and why exactly it would be categorized a miracle. I mean, is that really on par with giving a blindman sight, or not getting burned up in a fire? The other reason is that it seems that the Virgin only appears miraculously in this manner to hispanic people, and since I am hispanic, I am always on the look out personally for that time when the oil drippings below my parked car will coalesce before my eyes into her shape, signaling me to pull over, get out of the car and drop to my knees and pray, or when driving about the city, I will recognize her face in the huge piles of garbage that still litter the streets here, offering hope that one day someone will clean this crap up. Of course, if that were to happen, I suppose that pile would have to remain, as it would now become a shrine, with all the requisite flowers, candles, and weeping women showering it with glorious adulation.

Kelly wants some shoes

States I have visited

create your own visited states map

Free Hair Saturday

Now, I don't know if this is common to other places, but here in New Orleans finding hair extensions strewn about is not at all unusual. Today I ran across 3 in the course of a few blocks while I was running errands on Magazine Street. Here are pictures of two. The third, unfortunately was picked up by a woman and placed in her purse before I could get my camera phone out to snap a picture! Witnessing this, I think, was even more disturbing than pondering how so many hair extensions came to be in the street in the first place. Any theories?

Again, Eric!

Eric drinking a daiquiri on the levee. How New Orleans is that?

Eric

This is my friend Eric at Walmart. Typical Saturday.

Chunes

I have been listening to Goldfrapp's “Ride a White Horse” nearly non-stop today. Right now though, I got “Heart and Soul” by T’pau coming out the speakers. Other artists currently on the iPod include: Bloc Party, Interpol, Infadels, Riton, New Order, Joy Division, Joe Nichols, Louis XIV, Bright Eyes, Massive Attack.

Ryan

Ryan

Found Objects

I was walking down the street today in my neighborhood, and I came across a pillow and a beer can. New Orleans is definitely getting back to normal!

7 Months Post Katrina

This is what happens to your kitchen when you get about 9' of water. I took this picture while assessing damage at a site we are working on. This particular home has not had any demo work done, and basically sits as it did when the flood waters finally receded in September '05.

Wal-Mart on Lapalco Boulevard

This picture goes with the post re: the West Bank.

On the Westbank & the iPod nano

This afternoon I went over to the West Bank to take care of several errands.  Mainly, I was going to get my haircut, since I discovered this pretty decent barber over there while I was waiting for my old place to reopen after the hurricane.  I wanted to return there because at my old place-just a Supercuts, but I get a simple haircut-they totally fucked up my head.  I think I may have mentioned that in an earlier post.  Anyway, so I get over to the West Bank only to find this place is closed on Sundays.  Not a major deal, Wal-Mart is right there and I need to pick up some things, in particular: a filtered water pitcher.  Now, as I wandered the aisles I couldn’t help but notice a distinct look being sported by the local residents of what I believe is Harvey.  If you aren’t familiar with the New Orleans area you might not know that the West Bank is often ironically referred to as the “Best Bank.”  It’s where most of the redneck, white trash live and this particular Wal-Mart is located at its heart.  So, it should come as no surprise that the wife beater/mullet/Confederate flag tattoo crowd was in full force.  Not that I have anything in particular against this group, except maybe that they might beat me senseless for being gay, but anyway.  

In the meantime, I am looking for a water pitcher.  I ask around and am generally greeted with confusion.  I can’t imagine that, given the low quality of tap water in these parts, no one really knew what I was talking about.  Eventually, I was directed to Hardware, only to find, not water pitchers, but full-size water filtration systems and office-type water coolers.  So I said, “Fuck it” and headed out to Target.  On the way out I noticed they are now selling iPods at Wal-Mart, so I made a mental note of their prices and stopped at Circuit City and Best Buy to do some comparison shopping.

I have resisted purchasing an iPod for a long time, because of a general resistance toward its cult-like status and because it would be buying into the Apple revenue-generating stream of add-ons and iTunes, etc.  These kind of marketing schemes drive me up a wall, but are becoming more difficult to resist and still remain a part of the cultural main.  Basically, everyone I know has one, and it is just a hell of a lot easier if I use the same system. Personally, I have a SONY Vaio, so when I import CDs, they are in a proprietary format that only SONY uses and I can’t share my music with anyone else.  This is the exact same problem I have with the iPod, but since SONY’s hasn’t been successful, and I am morally flexible on this issue, I decided to finally break down and get an iPod.  I mean, I just had my birthday and had some extra cash, and an iPod sounds like a better present for myself than a Brita.  

So now I have an iPod (I went with a black iPod nano) and I’ve downloaded several albums that I had either lost or had been meaning to purchase.  I have to say I love this thing already.  Design-wise it is beautiful, and I am always one for beautiful things.  The only thing that sucks is I now have to recopy all of my CDs because they are in an incompatible format.  The good thing though, is I can now send my friend Charlie out in San Francisco all those music files that I have been talking to him about.  

Change of Luck

Today, while I was waiting in line (on line in NYC) for my turkey bacon melt wrap at Subway, I found an 1935 Buffalo nickel. Yay!

Tomorrow is my birthday, turning 31. I'm not making any plans, since I am broke. Think I am going to wait to party until Friday for St. Patrick's Day.

Pinch da tails en suck da heads!

Pinch da tails en suck da heads!

Hot guy at the irish channel parade!

Hot guy at the irish channel parade!

Clublife

Clublife

Post MG Malaise

After Mardi Gras there is always this period of total deadness in this city. Fortunately, I happen to have gotten sick Mardi Gras Day and I am still somewhat ill. However, this has meant a longer-than-planned break from my routine, which I will have to make up for as soon as I am able to return to the gym. I am still on track for summer, but foolishly wearing myself out partying ain't helping, and to think: comin' up is St. Pat's/my birthday, so I need to get better quickly!

LeftCoastBreakdown

LeftCoastBreakdown

just trying out the moblogging. <Rich>

A Good Time was had by All

Mardi Gras is finally over.  My friends have all gone home, and those of us living here in New Orleans are getting back to life in a devastated city.  Lots of pictures of the revelry will follow shortly.  

今日の通勤する

今日、通勤は、とってもやさしかった。　大抵６時に帰り、けど今夜オフィスに遅く残った。

Well, actually...

Actually is a terribly over-used qualifier.  I wish it would go away.  

St. Valentine's Day is a Bullshit Holiday!

Yes, the obligatory "I'm single and it's fucking Valentine's Day, as if I need an entire holiday to remind of the fact that I am single, just shoot me now, or better I will just shoot myself, since I do not have anyone anyway" rant.

As if my weekly excursion to Sav-A-Center to pick up groceries isn't enough of a reminder. All those smarmy couples arguing over breakfast cereals--ack, ack, retch. It's depressing.

And it's not as if there are any prospects on the horizon. I mean nothing, nothing at all to look forward to. Not that things were great pre-K, but it seems that storm also caused a serious shortage of early-30-something gay men in this city. I am not even going to bother with further qualifiers, as it would shrink the category to zero.

Well, I need a haircut. I hope the guy I usually go to is back at work. Getting a haircut always makes me feel better, like I am a whole new person. "Make me look like I just joined the Marines" is usually what I ask for, but I think I may leave my hair a bit longer on the top, while maintaining the proper fade at the back and sides. I may even shave the beard this week, though never the sideburns, kind of a signature part of the 'do at this point.

Slow Build up to Mardi Gras...

All I can really say at the moment is that I am excited the weekend is finally here, and although I promised myself I would wait until Mardi Gras, when most of my friends will be back in town, I think I may have to suck it up and go out tonight. I feel like I have been living my life on hold, basically trying to just get back to pre-Katrina status on several fronts. As a result, it's like I have had nothing to look forward to. This brings to mind summer plans, which will most definitely include a trip to Europe, as well as a few roadtrips to see friends.

Chicago is at the top of the list. I think I am going for Pride (I haven't been to one of those in a long time). I have yet to see Nate's place since he moved up there. He and John are coming down for MG and it's goin to be non-stop fun. Well, my boss just walked in and I shouldn't be blogging at work. Updates as situations arise....

Of Obsolescence

Coins live a paradoxical existence, serving only to obliterate themselves. The only reason to carry them with you is to avoid receiving them at checkout when you purchase something. Having expended your coins, you will inevitably acquire more; because, lacking them, you cannot make exact change at the next transaction.

The penny is particularly despised; it does not stand in the same category as other coins. The penny is not even accepted as legal tender in most vending machines.

One thing is true for all coins: their purpose has been diminished, made vestigial, anachronistic by the electronic flow of a paperless economy. They are atavists, whose material properties confirm their obsolescence: too heavy, too rigid.

Happy Bat Mitzvah Jessie!!!

This site is the next internet sensation.  Check out the video link.  Hell, check out the whole site; I came across it at Gawker.

Gayest Weekend Ever, Part II

What could be more gay than a concert featuring Amber AND Reina? Probably the weekend that I met up with friends in Las Vegas to go to see Cher on I think her second (or was it her third?) farewell tour on one night, and then catch Dolly Parton on the next. I have to say seeing Ms. Parton live was awesome. Cher was good too. But anyway, the B-list lineup at the House of Blues, New Orleans has broken my gaydar….

Oh, and I have seen Reina before, at Shampoo in Philadelphia (my parents are still getting flyers from that club). It’s where the famous, “Carl, it’s Reina” moment took place.

Picture it: three friends on the dancefloor, the beat kicks in with “Find Another Woman.” A woman steps out on stage completely covered in sequins. Two of the friends are facing the stage while the third is facing away.
“Carl, it’s Reina!” we scream over the music.
“I know, I love this song.”
(Pointing over his shoulder) “No. Carl. IT’S REINA!”

I wish I had pictures from that day so long ago. But that was in the pre-digital era.

Rumors

I am hanging out at Eric’s watchin’ low-dollar cable tonight.  Here’s a couple rumors that y’all might find interesting (by y’all, I mean my friends):

A certain ex-New Orleans member of the crew spent a night in jail courtesy of the NYPD after getting caught smoking pot in Central Park.

A certain long-time couple is interviewing for positions in NYC, and plans to move there within the year.

Crap Day

Argh, I had a real Crap Day today. I woke up late, after not getting enough sleep and thus did not get to eat before work. Therefore, I was extra grumpy all day long. Work was okay, but after, I drove out to Border's on Vets, out in Metairie. I took the West End exit thinking I would avoid the long line of traffic along I-10 and ran into ridiculous traffic because of all the traffic light outages. It took 20 minutes to get from the off ramp onto Vets. From there it was fine and I spent a lovely time bookshopping. I bought the new Morningwood CD, but was dismayed to find it is censored, and this is the only version available.

On the way home I ran into further traffic (I HATE I-10!!!) and got off at the Superdome to take surface streets back to the IC (that Irish Channel, if you don't know). It was around 7 so I figured I'd stop in at the Magazine St. A&P, cause I heard they extended their hours until 8PM, but found they were closing. I am so sick of having to bumrush grocery stores in the hour after work just to get something to eat. So, I didn't pick up any water, or food, though I knew I still had some supplies for dinner. Sooo...I went home, got changed and went straight to the gym, which was crowded with meatheads all wanting to use the same machines, so my workout took about an hour longer than usual. I finally got back around 9:30, showered and grilled up some chicken breast and steamed some broccoli, YUM! Now, I am studying my XHTML manual, and then a few Latin paradigms before bed. Gotta be up early to hit the gym before work and maybe the supermarket as well. Check ya laters.

Chocolate City Blues

Mayor Nagin has lost his mind. What was with his MLK Day speech? Talking about a “chocolate city,” and about talking to Dr. King about the state of the world, and about how God is angry at the US for its war-like foreign policy. Already, the apologies have started. Personally, I like chocolate, and find this a completely hilarious way to characterize the city.

I don’t put much stock in the words of politicians anyway, and I just chalk it up to typical audience pandering. I guess the mayor felt these themes would appeal to his black audience on the occasion. He even spoke with a (rather weak) testifying preacher dialect that I have not heard from him before. Usually when Nagin speaks, he does so with a completely neutral, uninflected manner.

Oh, and anytime people start linking natural disasters with the Will of God, I cannot help but cringe and roll eyes. Most of the discussion in that vein* has been about how God sent the hurricane to punish the wickedness of New Orleans, except He missed all the actual wicked parts and took out some God-fearing, poor black neighborhoods. Yes, yes, and Lakeview as well.

*on Christian radio I suffered through on my holiday drive up to and from that other Sodom: NYC.

Post Katrina NOLA yaddah

Going to the grocery store is so aggravating right now, mainly because the hours are still rather limited, so everyone has to go right after work for the hour or two before the stores close.  In Uptown, most places have reopened, except for Whole Foods on Magazine Street which I heard was reopening on February 1st.  I am excited about that since they have great stuff, though the staff is a bit stuck up for a supermarket.  I miss the Wal-Mart, but it is hard to say when that is going to reopen as it was hit really hard by looters.  
Another gripe I got is with Starbucks.  They have a few locations in Orleans Parish, fortunately nothing like in other cities because we here are pretty loyal to our local brands and the native coffee shops are much better than Starbucks anyway.  But my gripe with them is that none of their locations have reopened in the city.  I understand about work shortages and such, but operate with limited hours.  They are a huge company and could really contribute to the local situation.  I can’t help but conclude this is one often-cited side effect of corporate globalization:  no real ties to the community in which the corporation is doing business other than the pursuit of profits.

Pictures from France

My friend Michael sent me some pictures of himself today.

da Gym

Today I am resting up because the last few days at the gym (after a 2 weeks hiatus) have really messed me up.  My entire body is sore, and I could barely make it out of the bed this morning.  Yesterday I took off even though it was an on day, but Friday I did a ridiculous leg workout, including a few extra sets of squats, using more weight than I would normally on the last few reps.  Ugh, all I can do now is hobble about like an old woman.  Even my calves are super sore.

New Orleans, the trip back*

I am now back in New Orleans after a 2-day drive down from NYC. I left Friday morning, rather late, because I had stayed up the night before watching crap television, and my mom had all of these old books, CDs and other things from my high school and college days that needed sorting. I ended up just taking most of the stuff with me back home so that I could just go through it there. I was really excited about the CDs because there were about 20 that I had thought were lost forever.

I finally got on the road around 10:00AM, heading through Jersey into Pennsylvania along 78 and then down 81 through West Virginia and Maryland for about 5 minutes each and into the Shenandoah Valley which is a really beautiful drive, though in the middle there are some hills and turns that get a little nerve-wracking with all the 18-wheel trucks going 75. I finally got to Knoxville around 10 and spent the night at a Motel off the Interstate.

That night I watched the Strip Search marathon on VH-1, the first time I had ever seen the show. I thought it was really gay, and there were a lot of uncomfortable and awkward scenes, so I couldn't resist watching. Like when the Thunder from Down Under guys came and danced for the guys competing on the show, and then afterward they watched the guys dance for them, and then there was a lot of critique and discussion of smile and "personality." After that they all drank together and did what I assume were typical hetero activities like keg stands and passing out, and a lot of crying and missing of their kids. My favorite guys on the show were of course Adam, who was the biggest guy and the best dancer (though I'll get to discussing the dancing in a minute), and Ryan, this muscular blond guy. I also liked Bryce, and felt bad for him a bit since he didn't have the muscular physique required of a stripper and everyone pointed it out to him about every 5 minutes (these guys were real bitches).

Okay, so when these guys danced, it was probably the least erotic thing I have ever seen, just real cheeseball stuff. And I guess that has to do with the fact that they are dancing for a group of women who are looking at it very differently than, say, a group of guys looking at female dancers. I think it's a matter of "sexy" vs. sexual. I use quotations marks because it is a married, middle-aged woman's view of what is sexy.

But I digress. The next morning I woke up and got on the road around 11. Since I had to be back by 7 and I had the time change working to my advantage, I slept in a bit. The drive down from Knoxville, through Chattanooga, Gadsen, Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Meridien, Hattiesburg and finally into Louisiana was completely uneventful. Because my car has neither a CD player nor even a cassette deck, I am forced to listen to whatever stations happen to be in the area. Thus, this entire part of the journey was dominated by country music and Christian radio, and mostly by the latter. I have lived in the South now for about 5 years, so I am used to hearing a lot of the outrageous things people say on Christian radio, and was thus able to avoid just driving off the road. All I really can say is that I hope the rapture does come in 2006 because supposedly all the good Christians will be taken up to God. Maybe then we can have some peace, without all their static. Either that, or all those Christians who thought they were going to be saved wake up to find themselves still here with the rest of us sinners and start to realize what assholes they've been their entire lives and thus get the fuck over it. Basically, either one of these scenarios works for me.

I arrived in New Orleans around 7PM, giving me about 15 minutes to shower and change clothes to head out for New Year's Eve....

*bonus points to anyone that gets this reference.