What exactly have I been doing around here?

I have the day off today. We've managed to complete our projects, and the ever-so-kind ladies at Tipitina's decided to reward us with a very light week. Thanks much!

Pause.

I just realized I've never really explained my job to the blog-reading public.
I have been working at the Tipitina's Foundation, who's purpose is to preserve Louisiana's musical cultures through various means- we donate instruments to school kids, have music business co-ops that help local musician's get their music out there (making CD's, copyright assistance, simply checking email, etc.), sponsor workshops for school age musician's with professionals, and have internships for local college and high school students. During Katrina, the French Quarter club served as a shelter for a few residents of the city, and after the uptown club served as a center for musicians, and Tip's subsidized gigs and other much needed assistance.
Basically, as a group they rock at life in multiple ways. They also let me wear jeans to work. And the famous Tipitina's Club itself is a very good time too. Goodness all around.



My main attempt to contribute has been to flesh out on of the co-founders ideas- a summer camp for ages 4-6. We put together the lesson plans, and found instruments for them to make and books to read and dances to do and watched children's videos online and listened to really cute music. Tipitina's Tykes will hopefully go off without a hitch next week (impossible since it involves 4 year olds, I know) and Sushma and I can feel good about it having something to show for ourselves. I also did some research on grants for musicians and learned a lot about professional musicianship that will potentially be useful in the future.
Yay for my internship! And my day off to appreciate it!

Unpause.

I had started this post with the idea of making a list of things I've learned in NO. But, perhaps that would be a bit much. So, I'll leave it here, and do the nostalgic update later... After all, there are still a few days to learn something. This city is full of surprises.

Oh, and here's a fun clip of some of great acts at Tipitina's Uptown. I heart Big Sam.

"I'm votin' for Obama 'cause homie is malleable"

For the past two days, I've come home from work covered in soot. I get stares walking down Canal and on the street car. One young man was undeterred by the "Whatever you're selling I'm not buying" expression on my face, and tried politely but persistently to get my phone number, but I think most people were a bit deterred by the Cinderalla-esque smudges on my face (and I mean pre-fairy godmother). But despite the dirt and dirty looks, I've been quite pleased with myself.
This week I've been on fire clean up. There was some sort of electrical explosion at the office for Tipitina's French Quarter (seemingly a computer monitor) and although the fire damage was minimal, the ash blew all through the office, and there was a some water damage too. All the knick knacks, pictures and documents that accumulate in an office over a decade or say had to be taken out, assessed for damages and cleaned up if salvageable.
It was pure chance that I ended up helping out. Someone was needed to wipe down the pictures on Tuesday, and my computer wasn't working, so I was the chosen one. Inwardly, I'll admit I grumbled a bit, once I was sitting downstairs with washrags and soap and water, I remembered how peaceful cleaning can be. So, when asked if I minded helping out again the next day, I was actually happy to volunteer. The rest was dusty, sweaty history.

Besides the break from being a desk jockey (I need to avoid a 9-5 at all costs when I grow up because by 2 pm I'm always itching to go move), I had lots of time to get to know Joseph, who works downstairs, and has been something of an enigma for the past few weeks. We bonded over hard labor, and I let him bond a little extra by lifting the heavy things. Meanwhile, he told me about his childhood in Miami, and his opinions on everything from not-so-legal substances and underage drinking to politics (the quote in the title is courtesy of him). He thinks I should come back and run for mayor of New Orleans one day. Or teach. I told him we'll see.

Meanwhile, hard labor? Not so hard. Or at least it's easier to stay awake.