Well, the rental house does seem more like home now, although none of the furniture is mine. I have come to know Blacksburg pretty well. Not a real task, the town is not all that large. The people here are friendly enough. It does seem a little cult like, with all the Hokie loyalty. i don't mind it but I have not seen anything resembling this kind of obsession with the school and symbol, ever. And I went to the U of Illinois. I thought the Illini tribe was bad, they weren't anything.
I have been working here for almost two months now and I have not done much. Not much to do, my boss kind of just does his thing and never ever gives me any info. He runs off to do his own thing and keeps everyone at arms length. I also got a taste of the bureaucracy here. A bureaucracy you ask, but isn't this a startup? Hence my horror and dismay. Startups have no business having a bureaucracy. OY vay.
Mom just got back Sunday from her two weeks in Florida, she seemed to have enjoyed herself, it is always good to be home though. I guess I am too used to not being home because I found myslef enjoying the porch on this house, it overlooks the forest and it is just beautiful here, with the sunlight shining through the leaves and tree branches and the slight woodsy smell out there. Very relaxing, I am supposed to be off looking for housing or something like that, I am just enjoying life and reading. Always lots of reading and commencement of projects, lord knows when I will finish these projects.
Went on my yearly trek to the Industry Application Society Meetings. It was great. My last year as committee chair, the meeting went well and we got a lot done. Spent way too much time in meetings though. This ECCE meeting is going toend up killing me I think.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
In New Orleans
My first visit to the Crescent City post Katrina. I don't know what I was expecting but everything seemed fresh or different to me. The airport seemsd less crowded, less hectic. Lots of unused terminals and gates and the chaos that is usually de rigeur at most airports seem to be missing. The airport looked the same though, the shrubs were trimmed and neat and the parking lots were clean and well kept. Like I said, I didn't know what I was expecting.
The trip into town was uneventful. You can see where the neighborhoods have been rebuilt versus those that are still boarded up. The canals and pipes that line the highway have always been there i supposed, but I never noticed them before.
I am staying at the Canal Street Sheraton, the Marriott where I stayed for the AVCA convention a few years ago is right across the street, parts of the Marriott are still boardedup. Harrahs an dthe other Casinos are up and running though.
I started my third visit here with lunch. I had gone on Chowhound and asked for recommendations for places that are open post Katrina and got a slew of recs. I went to Coops for some cajun fare, fried oysters, gumbo, shrimp creole, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. A great lunch. After lunch I went strolling through the French quarter at a more leisurely pace. Decatur street is a major tourist trap, Cafe Du Monde and Jackson Square are both on it. I saw most of it on my way to Coops. It seemed funny to me how the national chains seem to congregate about Canal street and Poydras. House of Blues, Hooters, the major casinos are all right here, in fact the further east you push the more authentic the restaurants seem to be.
I took a walk through Jackson Square, it was a lovely day, a tad humid, but I am in New Orleans so I was prepared for it. The non-tourist focused places were cute, charming, and genuine. They weren't priced that way though. The walk was relaxing and the ethos and rhythm of life in the south seem to envelope me in a warm embrace, kind of welcoming me back to the south. The pace is relaxed because it is just too dang hot to worry about things. I walked along for a few hours and after being thoroughly relaxed, I went back to the hotel to take a nap.
Dinner was at Cochon, the review is on Chowhounds. No need to duplicate myself.
__________________________________________________________________
Why is it that when people talk about people, they always seem to marvel at how some one is able to be him self and never change. The comment is always about how even years after the friendship begins, so-so is the same man as when he was a boy. Isn't stunted growth, emotional or intellectual, necessarily a very bad sign for a person. It just reinforces the mindset of this society, where change or personal growth is viewed with disdain and suspicion. You would want change, especially when comparing the boy with the man. Just a curious observation.
The trip into town was uneventful. You can see where the neighborhoods have been rebuilt versus those that are still boarded up. The canals and pipes that line the highway have always been there i supposed, but I never noticed them before.
I am staying at the Canal Street Sheraton, the Marriott where I stayed for the AVCA convention a few years ago is right across the street, parts of the Marriott are still boardedup. Harrahs an dthe other Casinos are up and running though.
I started my third visit here with lunch. I had gone on Chowhound and asked for recommendations for places that are open post Katrina and got a slew of recs. I went to Coops for some cajun fare, fried oysters, gumbo, shrimp creole, jambalaya, and red beans and rice. A great lunch. After lunch I went strolling through the French quarter at a more leisurely pace. Decatur street is a major tourist trap, Cafe Du Monde and Jackson Square are both on it. I saw most of it on my way to Coops. It seemed funny to me how the national chains seem to congregate about Canal street and Poydras. House of Blues, Hooters, the major casinos are all right here, in fact the further east you push the more authentic the restaurants seem to be.
I took a walk through Jackson Square, it was a lovely day, a tad humid, but I am in New Orleans so I was prepared for it. The non-tourist focused places were cute, charming, and genuine. They weren't priced that way though. The walk was relaxing and the ethos and rhythm of life in the south seem to envelope me in a warm embrace, kind of welcoming me back to the south. The pace is relaxed because it is just too dang hot to worry about things. I walked along for a few hours and after being thoroughly relaxed, I went back to the hotel to take a nap.
Dinner was at Cochon, the review is on Chowhounds. No need to duplicate myself.
__________________________________________________________________
Why is it that when people talk about people, they always seem to marvel at how some one is able to be him self and never change. The comment is always about how even years after the friendship begins, so-so is the same man as when he was a boy. Isn't stunted growth, emotional or intellectual, necessarily a very bad sign for a person. It just reinforces the mindset of this society, where change or personal growth is viewed with disdain and suspicion. You would want change, especially when comparing the boy with the man. Just a curious observation.
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