Notes from a Friend's Town

1.  Attended a graduate level conference on OCD & got a first hand look at current research being conducted to further understand this disease in its entirety. It's interesting to see what's being discovered however that lack of significant minority population sampling leaves a much to be desired. The clinicians and researchers actively involved in this field need to grasp the urgency of providing further literature that speaks to how how this disease system manifest in non white male populations. 2.  It's disgusting to hear people reference the dead in the hopes of advancing their own agenda. The closer the speaker to the deceased, the sharper the blade used to sever ties.  3.  Riding through Chattanooga, TN appreciating the view of the Cumberland Mountains. Home for me is 6ft below sea level. Mountains always have my attention.  4.  Patti Labelle's Chicken & Waffles is great concept! I'd love to work with her team on making it be...

1. This has been the coldest spring I can recall in NOLA. It's as if the weather patterns that define the Atlantic seaboard were sent to the Deep South as an expression of Yankee rage over the years of stalled social progress. Thats not the case at all though, global warming is real and it's dressing the familiar in unfamiliar garments. 2.  Always be thankful for good friends. A recent holiday is was saved from disaster through the generosity of others. I had a wonderful time in Atlanta & couldn't have had requested a better sequence of spontaneous events with a crystal ball. 3.  We've reconnected in a most glorious way. I've missed you like class clowns miss recess, daily.  4.  My summer's agenda went from zero to hero in about 3 days last week so I'll be anchoring my feet in new soil, several hundred feet higher above sea level. You'll have to pardon the absence of further details, I'm looking forward to working through this sequence in ...

1.   Thus far, it has been my experience that one should be mindful which request you mutter into the ears of the universe. Your request will be fulfilled, but the means may make the end a bitter finish. 2.  There was a time when Mardi Gras was a local celebration of culture &; Catholicism. I believe those days ended in the late 90s, as the 2-Way Pager rose in popularity. Each year, I encounter more and more people here for the party because they heard it was a really cool party, like one the better parties available in the Continental US. I'm no religious adherent, nor am I culture messier looking to only share the nimblest bit with every traveler be he drag queen or lawyer but a degree of sacracity needs to be returned to this holiday. I don't care for large crowds roaming the streets, so I tend to experience the season from the fringes. This year however, I decided to do things differently. I immersed myself in the celebration with my extended family i...