b.rox

Three cheers for Steve Volan. He’s blogging again. He’s writing about a hot topic in New Orleans. And he’s the only person on the City Council that I look up to. I mean that last part literally. They call him “Tall Steve,” and there’s a reason for that. Did I mention he’s on the City [...]

We got our Malik Rahim campaign sign, and it is proudly on display in front of our house. I chatted with Christian Roselund a bit when he dropped the sign off. He informed me that Malik’s candidacy has caught the attention of many Greens across the country. Some of them are, as one might expect, [...]

Today we gathered with friends and family — well, really it was just our little minimalist nuclear family and our friend James. We thanked Dame Fortune for the health of our new child, for all our friends, and for gainful employment in these grim economic times. We had a fantastic meal. I made the smoked [...]

I’ve been perplexed by the behavior of our plumbing system recently.

The results from yesterday’s doctor visit confirmed our suspicion: Persephone’s ear infection never entirely cleared up, even though she took a full course of antibiotic. In fact she now has sinusitis. So the doctor prescribed something stronger, and she seems to be feeling much better today. This picture was taken Sunday when she was still [...]

The girl was a bit feverish over the weekend. It seems like she’s been in various states of getting sick and getting better ever since she got her first cold a couple months ago. As everybody seems to eager to remind me, this is not uncommon for kids in daycare. Still, it seemed like a [...]

Whenever something happens to one of our cellphones, it precipitates drama. I guess it’s an unanticipated side-effect of not having a landline. Anyway, Friday was no exception. When T-Mobile confirmed my phone was busted beyond repair, I decided it was time to join Xy on Verizon. By complete coincidence, Friday was the day the Blackberry [...]

It’s been nine months since you were born. That means you’ve been out here in the world roughly the same length of time you were in your mother’s womb. So how do you like it? Which milieu do you prefer? Hopefully you’re enjoying yourself out here because, after all, there’s no going back. My new [...]

I took the day off yesterday to make some repairs to our deck. Specifically, I replaced three old warped and worn-out boards with new lumber. The amazing thing to me is I actually got it all done. Moreover, all in one day: buying the lumber and the deck screws, removing the old boards, cutting the [...]

So my parents want to come visit for the girl’s first birthday. That’s cool. Her first birthday falls on Samedi Gras — the Saturday before Mardi Gras. That’s a special day for us, as it’s the only day when Carnival comes to our Mid-City neighborhood any more. We usually have a party on that day, [...]

I’m passing the mic to Malik Rahim who has sent out the following campaign letter. — B November 19, 2008 Dear friends in the struggle, As you may be aware, I am seeking election to the United States House of Representatives on December 6. I apologize in advance for the impersonal nature of this letter. [...]

The weather has been a bit on the cold side this week, by which I mean highs in the 60s. It was in the 60s in my office when I arrived Monday morning. But by Monday afternoon it was sweltering, over 80º F. Not outside, inside. And the internal temperature continued to run hot as [...]

This month’s Harper’s Index contains the following nugget: Year by which New Orleans is expected to be rebuilt, at the current pace: 2028 Their source is listed as the RAND Gulf States Policy Institute but I can’t find the specific citation. Anyway. 2028. That prediction sounds about right to me. The girl will turn twenty [...]

I first got the idea to use this kind of heating unit a year or so ago when I went into Ken Brown & Sons to buy some plumbing stuff. They’re a plumbing supply shop located here in Mid-City right smack in a residential neighborhood — one of those many weird juxtapositions I love about [...]

Continuing to experiment with Google Presentation and Flickr’s Creative Commons photo search. The text for this is a poem I wrote about twenty years ago.

I’ve gotten in the habit of listening to a certain kind of music on Sunday morning, especially if I get up before Xy, usually with Persephone but sometimes alone. I think of it as sacred music, but I’m not sure if that’s the best way to describe it. The core of my collection in this [...]

As I’ve mentioned before, we are paying approximately $15/month to a private company to pick up recyclables. I’m not happy about the situation; in my opinion this should be a standard municipal service like trash collection. But we haven’t had it since the floods of ’05. So we’re contracting for it privately out of a [...]

We got our photos back from the homecoming dance. Here’s Persephone with her date, Sebastian. I was intrigued by the setup. They use a digital camera and take the portraits in front of a green screen. Then you can choose from a gallery of backgrounds. Cheesy, but fun.

Thanx to Cade for showing me the way. Note to Google: Please stop making such innovative, easy-to-use products. You’re scaring me.

Got my first-ever flu shot yesterday. At least I think it was my first ever. I don’t remember getting them as a kid. When I was at the doctor’s office, I noticed he’s dropping my insurer. If I want to stay with him, I need to get health insurance through another provider. Of course, I [...]