Algiers Memories

New Orleans. The siren's song in my heart. The one place I feel completely at home. When I finally get across the high rise after the inevitable I-10 slowdown beginning at Crowder Blvd I feel a sense of inner tranquility that is beyond explanation. No other place on earth gives me this feeling. Its as if my soul knows this is where I belong.

While I am away I miss everything...the incredible Creole food, the incomparable Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and Funk music; the inspiring ironwork on the narrow streets of the French Quarter; the bougainvillea growing on balconies everywhere; the tunnel of ancient live oaks visible from the St Charles Avenue streetcar; the the art and architecture; the gritty, funky soul of this truly unique and amazing city-my home town.

My home turf is the 15^th Ward...Algiers... aka 'Da West Bank.' This makes me an 'Algerian' or 'Algerene.' I lived on a dead end street called Evergreen Ave which carves a straight line perpendicular to the Crescent City Connection from the wide thoroughfare under the bridge I knew as Bringier St. From the dead end you could see Semmes St and the tombs of McDonoghville Cemetery. Since the late 90's, the former Bringier St under the bridge has been renamed Mardi Gras Blvd.

I loved the warm spring nights...I would walk from my home on Evergreen toward the bridge; turn left and follow Magellan across the busy Franklin Avenue, past the little Horseshoe Grocery all the way to Madison, to the railroad yard and the river levee. At Madison, in the shadow of the bridge, you could walk right up to the train tracks and closely inspect the tank and freight cars sitting idle. Maneuvering in a zig zag fashion through the idled train cars to the river levee I would walk along and watch the towboats and barges move up and downriver. I also watched the steady stream of bridge and ferry traffic crossing from East Bank home to the West. This was my time for introspection.

Revisiting "The Storm."

I've been hard at work this past week going through my backlog of post Katrina pictures of New Orleans. I have a large collection of images that I have been carefully sorting and selecting the best ones for digital editing into photo artwork. I have utilized my own photography and the photography of others for this purpose. Of course I wanted images that illustrated the heartbreak, but I also wanted to include images that were both unique and hopeful. I believe I have been successful. Several of these were taken by my man Bart Everson in early 2006. He has graciously provided me with a creative commons license to edit these into art work and post them for public consumption as I see fit. Thanks!

                            213 N. Salcedo St Mid City. An utterly devastated shotgun house.

 The Bush Mobile-Folk art sculpture using flood-damaged car on the banks of Bayou St. John

 Mirabeau Avenue near the failed London Avenue Canal flood wall

 Flood ruined car on Mid City neutral ground with perfectly apt graffiti.

 My Mid City hangout-The Rock 'n' Bowl...what's better than bowling, beer and live music?

I took this shot in April 2010.

Cinco De Mayo 2006-Snooks Eaglin at Rock'n'Bowl.

New Glasses

 I'm nearsighted. Eyeglasses have been part of my daily life since I was in fourth grade. At age 17 I finally realized my vision had deteriorated to the point that I needed corrective lenses 100% of the time. Since then I have purchased eyeglasses through my optometrist, at major mall outlets and at local eyeglass retailers with widely varying degrees of quality, performance and retail price.

I was an early adopter of the internet. I wholeheartedly embraced internet commerce in the mid nineties. I've purchased music, books, electronics and clothing online-all with excellent results. In spite of my embrace of internet commerce I have been hesitant to utilize the internet for eyeglasses. This has been due to a desire to see how the frames looked on my face and to evaluate the quality of the finished product before I make a purchase decision. Time and again I visited online glasses retailers enchanted by the low prices but I still continued to purchase glasses through my usual outlets. That was before the recession. I'm one of the lucky ones because I am still working full time; albeit for a much lower salary.

Recently, I broke my newest pair of stylish glasses that I purchased from a major mall retailer. I couldn't afford to replace them as the warranty had expired. I ended up wearing a much more durable (and cheaper) pair I purchased from a big box store optical department 12 years ago. At this point my wife told me to check out Glasses USA. I figured I had nothing to lose so I typed the URL into my browser. Immediately I was surprised to find a significant selection of stylish eyeglass frames. Typically discount online eyeglass retailers have a limited selection of generic looking frames that practically scream, "CHEAP!"  The contemporary and stylish selection at Glasses USA was a refreshing change. There was a considerable selection of well known designer styles available at bargain prices as well.

The biggest objection for me has been that I want to see what the eyeglasses look like on my face. Glasses USA overcame this objection by creating a way to do this virtually. Through the "Virtual Mirror" feature I was able to upload a head shot from my webcam (you can also use a digital picture) and methodically try each frame shape on to ascertain the best shape and color for my face. I tried several styles and settled on the contemporary semi-rimless style "Playground Black" which sells for a base price of $39 with standard single vision lenses.

Glasses USA gives you multiple lens and lens coating options at a very competitive pricing. I opted for thin lenses for an extra $49 and all three coatings (scratch, UV and reflective) for an additional $17.85. There were also options for Transitions lenses and a polarized sunglasses lens option and a color tinted lens option. The total for my pair came to a very reasonable $105.65 with free standard shipping. I entered the prescription information from my most recent eye exam and sent in my order.

A few days later my new glasses arrived.  I unpacked them and gave them a thorough examination. I determined the glasses felt substantial and are clearly very good quality. The prescription was accurate and the finished glasses fit my face perfectly and look sharp. Glasses USA also provided a high quality padded hard case and lens cloth with my order. This unexpected extra completed an excellent experience. I highly recommend Glasses USA. The experience from beginning to end was smooth and easy. I particularly liked the easy to navigate website, Virtual Mirror feature and most of all the value. Thanks Glasses USA!

A surprising encounter!

So the most unusual thing happens to me Saturday night/Sun morning. I've just finished all my shift ending paperwork about 2AM after the usual incredibly busy Saturday night and I'm walking to the front of the Fort Oglethorpe, GA Steak-n-Shake by the cash registers. As I walk up I slide my New Orleans Saints super bowl champs black and gold fleur-de-lis cap on my head. At the counter is a short, thin late 20-something black man immaculately dressed in a collared black shirt. I notice a colorful hand carved wooden rosary around his neck. He indicates he likes my hat and asks me if I'm from New Orleans. I indicate that in a manner of speaking yes I am-I spent many good years residing in the city-most recently in the 15th Ward in Algiers. He leans over the counter, grabs my hand with gusto, shakes it, and proceeds to tell me that he is a lifelong Algiers Point resident and that he came to Chattanooga/N GA after the storm. So we shot the shit for a long while...turns out we have a mutual connection to some of the same people and of course know all the businesses in the neighborhood. He was surprised to learn that L.B. Landry high had been closed and was being rebuilt. He went to Walker High out on General Meyer. He bemoaned the fact that violent crime has migrated to the West Bank due to the displaced east bank residents moving. He said he wants to go home desperately...but feels that the place he knew isn't there anymore. I feel the same way. I still want to return...because I believe that people who speak the language and understand the culture must return to prevent the culture withering away. The Quarter has already become sort of a Disneyland version of itself in places. The gentrified bullshit that is so common elsewhere infecting the rest of New Orleans would exacerbate the most real tragedy, which is the loss of the working class native who says hello to you on every corner and utters those melodious (to me) words, "Adrian, My man! Wheah Y'at?!
You can't buy that with federal dollars.

Amazon.com 100 Greatest

Amazon.com has put together a list of their picks for the 100 greatest live albums of all time. Many wonderful jazz, pop and rock choices made the cut-but some glaring omissions marred the integrity of this experiment. For example- Where was "The Allman Brothers-Live at the Fillmore?" This is the quintessential live 'southern rock' album of all time. Also notable in its absence-Creedence Clearwater Revival-"The Concert" (a.k.a The Royal Albert Hall Concert.") "One More From the Road" by Lynyrd Skynyrd also didn't make the cut. "The Wildlife Concert" by the Doobie Brothers is perhaps the most comprehensive collection of their greatest hits with all three lead singers ever collected-performed magnificently-and it didn't make the list either.

To be sure, lots of great albums did make the list including:
Eric Clapton-"Unplugged"
Queen-"Live Killers"
Gram Parsons-"Live 1973"
Jeff Buckley-Live at Sin-e
U2-Under a Blood Red Sky
Lucinda Williams-Live at the Fillmore
Thin Lizzy-Live and Dangerous
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band-Live in New York City
B.B. King-Live at The Regal
Aretha Franklin-Live at the Fillmore
Deep Purple-Made in Japan
James Brown-Live at the Apollo
Bob Dylan-The Royal Albert Hall Concert 1966
Neil Young-Live Rust
Otis Redding-Live in Europe
Eva Cassidy-Live at Blues Alley
Bob Marley Live
Rolling Stones-Get Yer Ya Ya's Out!
Roy Orbison-A Black and White Night
The Who-Live at Leeds
Simon and Garfunkel-Live in Central Park
Jimi Hendrix-Live at Monterey Pop
Cheap Trick-Live at Budokan
Frampton Comes Alive!
Kiss Alive!
Greateful Dead-Europe '72
Led Zeppelin-"How The West Was Won."
Rush-"In Rio"
Pink Floyd-"Pulse"
Stevie Ray Vaughan-"Live at Carnegie Hall"
James Taylor-"Live"
Neil Diamond-"Hot August Night"
Aerosmith-"Live Bootleg"
J. Geils Band-"Blow Your Face Out"
Janis Joplin-"In Concert"

Review-Mark Knopfler-Get Lucky

Mark Knopfler is best known for his work as the frontman of Dire Straits. His folk infused voice, country and blues inspired guitar playing have always made Knopfler's work understated and utterly compelling. On 'Get Lucky,' Knopfler explores much of his musical roots. He seamlessly combines folk and blues with original songs and picturesque lyrical paintings that offer a uniquely British reference point. Knopfler has now been a solo artist for more years than he fronted Dire Straits. Each album since the band folded has seen Mark gradually reveal to us more of his diverse musical roots in his profoundly original songs and highly cinematic lyrical pictures. This disc may be his most compelling and complete work. That's saying alot...because past works such as "Golden Heart" and "The Ragpicker's Dream" made my top ten lists in the years they were released. If you are a fan of folk and blues music played and sung with passion and precision this may be your best bet this year.

Get Lucky-Four out of Five Stars

Updates

My blog has been allowed to languish as I have been devoting my time to overcoming some challenges at the office. I have not forgotten my commitment here and will be posting regularly again soon.