Scubadiver

So an update on Marcy. I visited her this morning and she was alert and responsive. *wow* I brought her a Magna Doodle so she could easily communicate beyond yes and no without piles of paper or messy ink. It's perfect and props to Will T. for the link that led me to that suggestion. Her parents were blown away when she grabbed the stylus and wrote her name and then began making requests and conversation. I'm gonna let her use my G4 powerbook until she gets back home. So... she's currently paralyzed on her right side and cannot speak. She recognizes everyone and we're gonna load up the laptop with pictures to jog her memory and reintroduce her life to her. The bosses girlfriend, Anna, says her friend Tamiron will most likely be Marcy's physical therapist. That's good to know as Tamiron is very kind and sweet. I feel so much better about Marcy's situation as my initial grief is being overtaken by subtle optimism. I still think she has a long row to hoe and this has definitely changed her permanently. Her likely return to a normal life is almost assured.

I went out for a bit Friday during a spat of insomnia. Mostly just driving around as the crowds were not what I was looking for. I saw Will C. near the RBar and he suggested having a sip at Pravda. I had the new MBPro with me so we surfed a bit and talked politics and about the earthquake in Peru. Bethany and Mike were in Peru and the timing would have put them near the epicenter when the quake hit. I have since found out they were camping and safe from harm. I laid down at about 3am and blinked awake at 6:30. Gene called me at 7 with news that bent my soul. His wife Marcy had a stroke on Tuesday and she was in the ICU at Touro. She turned twenty-eight a week ago. Stunned but strong for my friend, I asked if she could have visitors. At 9am I asked if it was ok to stop in and see her. His only request was that I put on a smile. I did agree. ( details... )
On a lighter note, there's a foxy new bike out there by the name of Hitomi. Be on the lookout and you might catch a glimpse cause she's speedy!

In keeping with technology, there comes a time to press the button. Consider it pressed. That's right, a new MacBook Pro 2.2GHz Duo blah blah. Dig it. The old one, well 43 Months old, has not had its fate decided yet. Chances are I'll keep it for a bit longer as it's worth more to me than I can get for it. I can only hope the fresh one is as reliable and tough. For now, I'll be selling plasma to pay for it. Yay.

Suppose a sort of self-criticism is in order, eh-hem. Extremes, like long hair or no hair, food not generally touching each other on the plate, no sleep or as much as possible, and loyalty to the point of folly are first on the list. I like work a bit too much. When I don't sleep, my home is spotless. I like it better that way. Plus I'm punchier and more productive.
It's easy to spot the crazy people, they get the joke. Sometimes I accidentally take home some tools in my back pocket and then wonder why, after sit down for while, I'm uncomfortable. And there they are: a combo wrench, the shimano cutters, or perhaps a couple of L or T allen keys. If I take them out of my pocket, I may forget to bring them to work for a few days. This does not make me feel smart.
I either pony up a battle plan of action for the day, or I get cooked by someone else's. Working for those with A.D.D. has its nuances. I can't imagine people walk into most businesses and ask for free things. If I tell someone how to do something and talk myself out of that work, shouldn't I charge consulting fees. If I'm the expert, and I say something is broken, must I them explain anything other than price from that point. Why it is broken is proprietary information and how it is fixed is intellectual property. Ask someone else. What?!

Time off, ah. The smell of it. A walk through Gentilly Terrace brought real fragrances of Spring. At least the rotting stench is reduced to the occasional musky whiff. The malodorous past is transformed to the blighted present. Oh it's all good in my block. A few blocks toward the lake, and it's 5 to 10 homes per block being rebuild, 2 to 3 homes razed to the foundation or dirt, and the rest like they were and have been for 18+ months. Maybe gutted, maybe not. Rats, insulation, sheet rock, splintered wood, rubble, everything that a home has to offer laid in a pile , waiting for someone to care. The clean-up trucks seem to track the main thoroughfares and keep the piles from offending travelers passing by, but hidden from all but the few residents who remain are heaps of debris. The are quick to pick up the crap on my block and the regular garbage is removed, yet in the corner of our neighborhood, the claw on wheels and the monster dump trucks seemingly fail to act. Point made.
It's spring cleaning at my house and the hidden corners where dog hair meets dust are seeing the bottom of the vacuum's bin. The junk has got to go and is going. Old computer parts, birthday cards, random wires, things I had to have and never really did, crap foisted on me by someone who, "thought you would like it", dead batteries, foreign coins?, packaging and instruction booklets, receipts for this crap, and clothes worn-out and never worn all headed for the landfill. The revolution will come when I keep this in mind when I'm at the crap-mart or during late-night internet curiosities. Woot!
I begs to mind the wise words someone said, "You never realize how lost you were until you're found". Quick, get the butterfly net! We're crazy for staying here. I wouldn't have it any other way. I've decided to stay in New Orleans for a good while. Those who don't, I wish Godspeed. The rest of the world has their own brand of cruelty. I prefer ours.

A bicycle roller coaster on the north shore.

I don't like when my new heater that costs $$$$.$$ doesn't work. Grrr, er, brrr. So I fuchted with it for like three hours and gave up. Then a few moments ago it kicks back in. Doh! I got in all the fancy goodies for the next wonder bike. One part was slightly disappointing, but I hope it won't cause stress. I really do expect perfection when the asking price goes over $5000.00. I'm starting to think this bike may get close to $8000.00. And the next one is already in the pipeline. This is significant because we haven't done any real high end business since the big-K and it signals that some of the well-to-do's are settling down and getting comfortable with NOLA's situation.
I'm sort of taking a regular temperature and vitals on this town and she may finally be getting over the financial pneumonia and ready for some real visitors. My calculations have 25-30% of the original Population living in the parish with about 95,000 new residents (counted as those who have been here for more than six months). That has the nighttime count at 190.000-210,000 and the daytime visitors bring it up to 275,000-325,000 or so. In the NT pop, I believe we have 28,000-32,000 bicyclists with more than half being commuters with bicycles as their sole means of transportation. I use my bike as my soul transportation, but do not count because I'm a motorist nearly all the time.
This marks the six-month point in my post at the Metro Bike Coalition and I have to say, I'm surprised at how much we have accomplished with only one 90 minute meeting per month. If I were the resolving type, I'd get on the bike more often. I am looking for solutions that may lead me to that end. When I buy my house, I may have no other choice. Right now it is easy to make excuses. Damn it's cold.

Jean Lafitte National Park:
Not as bad as I thought it would be. I saw about a dozen alligators, a snake, two turtles, a blue heron, an egret, several robins, and a mink. Many trees had fallen, but the monolith bald cypress was still standing tall. The trail is in good shape and there were about ten other people there. It was part of my "make dad happy plan". All that was left was a cheap cup of coffee and a nice piece of fish for lunch.

My sister blew up the cell asking for me to take her and her daughter to the mall for some new shoes. Done. I roasted some beef all day in one of those roasting bags along with the usual veggies. mmm. *phone rings*

Silliness. I'll prod your rabbit to spare me snuff. I could have sworn that's what I heard in the elevator at the mall. A delicate sense of perception. Boing.

So the package of toys I ordered for Xmas just showed up on Saturday. It was mailed on the 4th of December and no trace of it was seen until Tuesday when the letter carriess Rachel tells me she got a notice that it was going to be returned on the 12th of January. She gasped and asked that it be actually delivered for once. Insert four phone calls here. Six weeks, way to go USPS! I refunded the refund and kept the ornate chunks of plastic.

Last Friday was not busy and after much distraction, I came home to a cold home. Furnace not working. Big house + space heaters = no difference. Saturday is bloody cold as in 48˚ inside which sucks except that I did a lot of cooking and boiling water. Sunday is milder and I'm in and out of the house all day. Monday the repairman shows up at 3pm and spends an hour testing and such. He finds a crack in the burner chamber which is letting CO into the ducts and into my head (ouch). New furnace! So now the people have been here since 8am and after much wrangling, have installed this fiery beast.
I've been busy with the Metro Bicycle Coalition. I'm the secretary. So far we've assembled bicycle survival kits of a blinky light, a patch kit, tire levers, and a local bicycle info sheet. Plans are under way to pave a bike path along the Lafitte corridor and reduce Esplanade Ave to one larger car lane and a bike lane. Signage and road markings indicating bike lanes and shared lanes will begin to appear as re-striping occurs. Maybe we can get RTA to drop the permitting requirement to use the bus bike racks.
The one-year anniversary of my last haircut is coming up in a few days. Weird.
I wish these A-H's would hurry the fuck up so Ize can get something done today. It's the boss's birthday on Saturday and moreover he's a friend and I'd like tog et him something nice.
Hey they're done. Wishes do come true.

I learned my zen master died like a month ago and I missed the memorial last Saturday, double bummer. *sighs deeply* I think centurion is clinically depressed and maybe... I'm not going there. Still the "trapped in a relationship that is basically over" thing sucks and I think finances keep that on life support. Lighter still, a new face at the shoppe. A hardy steed from the depths of pre-med, a tiptoer through a mild course in bicyclology while on evacucation, an actual competitve cyclist who wants to be a wrench, and whose name is not Michael *drum roll*, ugh, grasshopper, I mean whoooohooo! I'll take it. One more would be nice but now we can be picky, a bit, sort of.

---

We're booked for Vega$ and the Interbike Expo in late September. The shoppe will be closed, but I've decided to put an honor kiosk in Z'otz with simple self repair items and we'll split the take. I donated a pump there a while back and cyclists of the self helping variety frequent it, and it's close, and they said okay, Thanks! I think it's a nice thing for those who count on us for whatever reason to have a blah blah bliggity;;::,,.. oh I'm bored with this... bike shop closed Sun Sept. 24 - Fri Sept. 29. Party!

So it has come to pass that one to three times per month, for no apparent reason, I won't sleep. Not can't, but won't. Somewhere between 11:00 - 1:00 the motor revs up and doesn't let up until daybreak. Now I'm wrecked and a bit more animal. Don't fuck with me today. I'm liable to get in trouble so it's bury myself in work I go. C'mon Leonard, let's go...

3 eggs (clean out the white stuff)
2 cups sugar

put in mixer and mix well

add:
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

continue mixing and combine simultaneously:

3 cups flour and 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

slow mixer and add:
2 cups peeled and cubed apples

spray bundt pan w/ non-stick and dust with flour

pour into bundt pan and top with:
pecan and/or walnut pieces

bake at 350˚ for 80 minutes.

remove cake from pan and flip nut side up.

mmm...

2 cups flour
2/3 cup shortening

fork smash until pea sized pieces appear
add 7 tablespoons ice water stirring between spoons until mixture is wetted
form ball and cut in half
spread inside of two wax paper sheets and roll into 10 inch circle
repeat and place both pastries in freezer

4 cups of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, etc.
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of salt
splash of water

stir and slightly mash

remove one pastry and form into pie plate
fill with fruit mix
cover with other pastry pinching together at edges
brush with sweet egg wash (egg white, water, sugar, cinnamon)
dot with butter
cut vent holes

bake at 350˚ for 45 minutes (very bubbly and slightly golden)

extra mmm...

from the wikipedia: three cool facts, two births, and one death from a birthday search sans year.
Facts:
1793 - In Paris, the French Revolutionary government opens the Louvre to the public as a museum.
1889 - Montana is admitted as the 41st U.S. state.
1895 - While experimenting with electricity Wilhelm Röntgen discovers x-rays.
Births:
35 - Nerva, Roman Emperor (d. 98)
1927 - Morley Safer, Canadian journalist
1968 - Parker Posey, American actress
Death:
1600 - Natsuka Masaie, Japanese warlord (b. 1562)

I've been spending all my time working. As in no time pursuing attractions, hobbies, or personal projects. Damn long hours. Not much fun. But that's not it. So, and you were warned, comes an honest review of my love-life or lack thereof.
( Named names )

Today was a good day for a change. Sleep = sanity. Both are still somewhat over-rated. I don't think too much about the pile of work stacking up towards the deadline of the Jazz Fest. But Michael does. He makes it a point to show everyone his anxiety level. If he did as much as he planned what to do, there would be less stress.
The mail service will be delivering magazines and the like starting on May 1st. YAY! I haven't been able to find the Nature journals anywhere in this intellectually challenged polis. [screams "SPECIAL" and runs around clapping hands] Donnie has had is house broken into twice in the last five weeks. I am making a point of passing by it often and late. For the first time in these "patrols" I saw a cop car in the neighborhood. I would thoroughly enjoy being stopped and questioned, as it would show some interest on their part. Looting homes and rape are the crimes where cruel and unusual punishment should be reconsidered. Stealing from someone who lost everything is about as low as it gets! Fuckers!!!
Leonard is the perfect friend. He listens when it counts and he doesn't steal or lie.
Tonight is technology night at Gene's. Crush the computers into doing our bidding followed by seared tuna tacos. Damn! His wife is the best cook I know. She's beautiful, but looks don't last and good cooking does. Lucky bastard.
Apple® rocks! :( empty pockets ):

light bulb.
everyone must build their own levee. so neighborhoods could get together and set up a perimeter system that ties in with the drainage system at a lockable point. close some doors and voilà. this old box was saved by inches by its own levee type thing. it could save areas from having to build up or raise their homes. i believe that much of the flooding could have quickly been contained by closing off key drainage points much like the canal closure project.
bad light bulb.
i think we need a contingency plan to deal with another canal levee failure. it's like fire without a fire department. how to deal with that amount of water quickly. high powered lasers? portable tornado? a patch barge?
how about fifteen foot thick reinforced concrete walls?
good light bulb.
i participated in a political survey of the local variety. they called me. wtf?
the shed project™ has begun. mmm... wood.
oh, and damn apple® for taunting me with that fancy new portable. [drool]
and yes, i'm building my own levee!

Seven months and it still looks like a bomb went off in Gentilly. The Ligustrums and many Magnolias are dead along with most every hedge plant. The Oaks are deeply battered and grass is just now rebounding against the weeds. My immediate neighbors are pretty much back to stay, but travel two to three block in any direction and it's another story.
FEMA trailers litter lawns and driveways: some are occupied, most are not. The nighttime population of the third police district is 13,000 or about 11% of the Pre-K total. The grocery store is open until 9pm. Local gas stations are 20¢ higher than normal and there are no sit-down restaurants open yet. There's a Subway and some kind of fried seafood place and a Churches and that's it. Pretty much north of the I-610 from the Industrial Canal to the 17th Street Canal is bleak. Looters are still abound and Latin gang members blend in to the workforce quietly. Some of the killaz are back as we have witnessed an marked upsurge in gun murders in inner urban areas. The Marigny Triangle had a robbery turn murderous last week. Yes, there is a common race to these killaz, and sadly it is the same as their victims. Here come the witnesses.
My idea would have been t have the National Guard stay a bit longer and patrol the mostly vacant areas. That would let the police have a break and concentrate on the inhabited portions. In addition, the police should make an effort to get out of the cars and get to know the businesses and citizens they serve. It's much better to have a relationship before you need cooperation. If all one sees of the police is when something bad happens, the association is firmed and one would tend to avoid the police. Most of us think there are a lot of fishy cops. Are they good or bad or both? I don't really think I could explain the structure and hierarchy of the NOPD (Not Our Problem Dude).
Did you really think I didn't notice? I think you should just send it back. And your froggy little friend, tell 'em I said, " ".

As the self-appointed king of everything that interests me, I hereby promote some edicts. All traffic laws are optional. The police can have whatever they want. No noise before noon on weekends. No begging for money! Mal-odor = disturbing the peace. Don't work? then you don't eat.

The damn stores need to stay open later again. That's a nuisance. The cowardly US Postal Service may be returning to the neighborhood. One less line to go and stand in. I can only wonder what we look like to the outside world. A bunch of mad ants rebuilding a flooded mound. It will flood again here. Hopefully no one will die. There's that gun-shy nervousness about the next 10 - 15 years of realtime projects before 'they' say we will be 'safe' from whatever. Bullshit. I want them to figure out some way of not fuckin up the nooks and knolls and under-noticed charm still safe from idiot politicians and condo-nazis. Allow me to slice up your history and serve it up to you in little bite sized lifestyles. Truly hopeless.

Had fun bustin out my front window, what was left of it. Now a plywood window. It's a lot less distracting without all that glass to see through. Got a materials list for the new workroom. Mmm wood. Took a trip to Grandma's house, well Gene's grandma, and did some work on their ladder trails. He's got some bitchin jumps and ramps all layed out so the beginners can ride the same stuff the loonies do and not kill themselves. I'll have to post some pics and video soon. It's really cool stuff.

Last the Krewe de Vieux. What can I say other than 'nice'. No holiness left un-dirtied. No leader left un-slandered. No group alone humiliated. Everybody got what they had coming. And damn funny too. Oh, and "death to america".

Two, count 'em two new wrenches at the BS. This week I should feel a bit lighter in the to-do dept. Leonard is 57 lbs. He needs a 'don't feed me' sign. More like a ' take me to the park more' sign. I've got four kinds of basil and three kinds of tomatoes and two kinds of peppers sprouting inside. Next some squash, okra, and cucumbers. I like growing the pricey stuff. I missed out on the winter crop except for the fruit trees. Not a big year for citrus. Big K smacked them around real good.
I have met so many new people in the last 3 weeks it's unreal. So full of information and new ideas. I've mixed emotions on the storm as it has brought nearly as much good as bad. I loved my city but feared some of its inhabitants. It has given some other police depts. a shot at keeping them behind bars. Our dysfunctional courts have been failing us for ever. It's kind of like being on a Mars colony, where there is much danger, but you get busy and ignore it. I have had a nasty cough for a few days on and off. 25+ cigs/day doesn't help. Nor do the tweaky wheaties. Still in all, it bears mentioning, the grandeur of Carnival is upon us and the merriment will continue for some time. 6:06pm 1/29/2006 73.3˚