b.rox

I stopped by the bank on my way home today and opened a savings account. (I also got soaked by the rain but that’s neither here nor there.) Ever since my personal bankruptcy, I do not use credit cards; therefore, if Xy and I are ever to make that trip to Amsterdam, we [...]

Holy shit! The Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, has signed the Action Plan for Bicycle Friendly Communities.

Last night Xy and I rode our bikes uptown for the Midsummer Mardi Gras celebration. This takes place every year in late August. I guess that qualifies as “the middle of summer,” nevermind the fact that midsummer is technically the first day of summer, which falls in late June. It’s confusing enough [...]

Even as I write this, the house across the street is on fire.

Bob Greene came to Xy’s school today. He is Oprah’s personal trainer. He is also a spokesperson for that big fast food restaurant with the golden arches. His message to the kids: Exercise, get fit, and enjoy the new Apple Dippers at McDonald’s.
They made Xy (and all the teachers) wear shirts [...]

I’m not a teacher, but I work at a university, and Xy is a teacher in the New Orleans Public Schools, and we live just a block from Warren Easton High School. All of which means that my life is subject to the cycles of the academic calendar. During the summer, I get in the [...]

J just pointed me to this article on c|net, “Study: Broadband leaps past dial-up.” This means that for more people, watching video via internet will be easy, or at least less painful.
Maybe it’s finally time for the World’s First Internet Television Series to hit it big.

Xy came home today without her car. She took a cab. Why? Because she lost her keys. Looked everywhere at the school, couldn’t find ‘em.
Probably I should have taken a cab there, so we could have driven back together using my keys, but we were too stupid to figure that out at the time.
I started [...]

It’s that time of year. I went across the river with Xy this morning, to help set up the computers in her classroom. She has one functioning Windows box and two non-functioning Apples. They are old, old machines, and they didn’t work at all. I plugged them in and flipped the switch — [...]

Had tea with the fabulous Heather Weathers at Bayou Coffee.
Painted the alcove off our hallway a bright blue. There’s actually a long story here, but I think I can boil it down to this: Xy tried to give the alcove a porcelain crackle finish this summer, and it didn’t work out, so I’m remediating.
I did [...]

I just got a phone call from a robot which ranted about how many women didn’t vote in the last election. It exhorted me to “Press one if you promise to vote this November.” Confused by my manhood, I didn’t press anything, and the recorded voice said “Thank you,” and hung up.

It’s official. We’re in record-breaking mode. Thursday night’s low set a record. Friday night’s low probably did the same. Hell, today’s high may set a record low. It’s downright chilly out there.
You gotta understand, normally in New Orleans, in August, you feel like you’re underwater, the air is so hot and thick with humidity. Thirsty? [...]

What I wrote last night about Bonnie was ignorant. I’m not sure the cool weather we’re experiencing has anything to do with the tropical storm that hit Florida yesterday. I think it’s just a cold front bringing dry air down from the north.
But damn, this weather is weird and beautiful.

I felt like I got something [...]

It’s freaky cold in New Orleans. Cold? The way the temperature has been dropping I bet we hit the upper 60s tonight. I suppose it has something to do with Tropical Storm Bonnie. We’re on the dry side of the storm here, so the humidity is low. Yes, it’s still August here. It just doesn’t [...]

Friday night I couldn’t get to sleep. Same again Saturday. I seemed to be experiencing some vague and nameless dread, some free-floating anxiety.
(I’ve never suffered from true insomnia, but I used to have lots of trouble getting to sleep at night, years ago. Such nights are rare now.)
Sunday night XY gave me a Xanax. Damn. [...]

Mike finished his 30th round of Scrabble yesterday. His final standing for the tournament: He’s ranked #118 in Division 1, having won fourteen games and lost sixteen.
That’s all for Mike. He and Susie hit the road back to Bloomington this morning. I enjoyed their visit. Of course XY found it a [...]

Miike won five games and lost three today at the Scrabble Championship. One of his opponents scored a triple triple with the word defiling. A triple triple is a word that stretches over two triple word scores. 13 (for defiling) * 3 * 3 + 50 (for playing all seven tiles) = [...]

Mike, my father-in-law, didn’t do quite as well today at the National Scrabble Championship. He won two games and lost five. Joey Mallick, whom I met briefly on Saturday, beat him 488 to 269, throwing down gantlope, nabe, smothery and peridia. Mike puzzled over all these, only challenging the last, but they’re [...]

It started raining this morning shortly after seven o’clock, accompanied by one of the loudest thunderclaps I have ever heard. I dropped Mike off at the Marriott on Canal Street and then drove to work. It was the first time rain has interfered with my morning bike ride in months. I thought [...]

My in-laws are in town, and Pops is playing in the National Scrabble Championship, which started today. I just checked the Web and saw his standings. He’s in the top division, and as of today he is #60 out of 173. He said his best word of the day was agapeic.