Friday, March 25, 2011

It truly has been March madness

I have to consider it a good thing when I take a moment to stop and reflect on recent events and realize that the last few weeks have been so densely packed with activity that everything has blurred together into one hazy ball of memories.  Visitors have been coming in a steady stream; old faces from grade school, from high school, and from college.  New Orleans has been keeping pace with the activities; Mardi Gras, crawfish boils, and St. Patrick's Day festivities.  Layer on some real work, a busy spring for philanthropic events to photograph, my getting hammered in face with a sinus infection, and I've been chugging along at a happy clip.  

I owe you guys some pictures and thoughts from the past few weeks.  This weekend seems like it might allow me to play catch up so keep your eyes peeled.  Not tonight, though.  I need to go watch people play with a ball and eat mud insects, as any proper Ohio State alumnus should do while living in New Orleans. 



Saturday, March 12, 2011

Demonstrating for us Mardi Gras sinners

I saw no less than four separate groups of religious demonstrators out and about on Lundi Gras.  

We had the guys below, which was the same group that visited this great city during Southern Decadence festival.  They were walking around Canal St. while the Krewe of Orpheus rolled by.  Even with the megaphone and giant signs, count how many people in this picture are paying any attention to them.  Zero (other than me).  That's generally what annoys them most; being ignored.  


Here's another demonstrator from a different group.  That's the usual sign, pretty much saying "we're all screwed."

In the distance of this one you see an "end is nigh" group.  I enjoy the people that are bold enough to pick a date for the end of the world, especially if it's something soon.  I've got some friends getting married on May 21st.  Sorry guys, I can't go.  I'll be witnessing the apocalypse that day.  

Side note about this picture, the two people in the foreground were part of a group of blind people making their way through the quarter.  I can barely make it through the Quarter on my own.  What kind of badasses are these guys that they can do it without seeing?

The most disturbing group to me was the giant congregation of people set up outside of Jackson Square, singing along to light Christian rock music.  Maybe I'm missing something.  I'm sure they'd tell you that they were being touched by the divine or something, but to me it just looks like emotionally unstable people flailing and crying because they're stuck listening to such crappy music.  




Regardless of their message, all of these groups were probably still paying Mardi Gras rates for hotel rooms and food while down here, so come back any time!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Lundi Gras

We spent another 10 or 11 hours out for Lundi Gras, plenty of time to take more pictures that I haven't had a chance to go through.  The parades are interesting to some degree, but for me, the night was made during our trip up Frenchmen, where dueling brass bands were competing for their share of the crowd.  That is, until the police showed up and shut the impromptu performance down.  We closed out the night seeing the Panorama Jazz Band play a set that had the second floor of Mimi's shaking under the feet of costumed dancers.

Now - up early for what is sure to be a long and exhilarating Fat Tuesday.