Down to the coast today....

Lights of Bourbon Street....

Not everything's bleak in New Orleans....

-

One night we went out to a local, real night spot and saw some incredible jazz by Kermit Ruffins and his band....

Please note the Mardi Gras beads around the Spanish-American War soldier's neck.

Also, because I am still embarrassed for the time I mistook a Mosin-Nagant for a Lee-Enfield, note that this trooper is carrying an 1896 Krag-Jørgensen....

St. Louis Cathedral....

http://www.stlouiscathedral.org/index.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Louis_Cathedral%2C_New_Orleans

I read inside the church that this is the oldest cathedral in the US....

Morning on the Mississippi....

Video from the 9th Ward....

I've got some video, and a few photos up -- just go to http://forthegoodofthegulf.blogspot.com/ for the links. That's the blog that the group has for the trip and a lot of folks have been putting some pretty incredible stuff up....

Back in the Gulf....

Yep, I'm doing pro bono work down in New Orleans over winter break from law school... so far so good.

Of the 20 students down here, I'm in a group of four that is helping paperwork go through for divorces. It's actually rather rewarding. Divorces are certainly aweful, but it's good to be able to help folks move on with their lives and out of bad relationships.

We also this evening took what is refered to as the "Misery Tour" -- the areas of New Orleans that just aren't there any more.

I'll keep you posted, and check out the trip's blog: http://forthegoodofthegulf.blogspot.com/

Bluebird at my feeder....

"Man Throws 60-Pound Pig At Hotel Workers

Police Baffled By Recent Animal Tossings"

http://www.wral.com/news/10481786/detail.html

(ok, they've taken that link down, try this one: http://www.wayodd.com/man-throws-60
-pound-pig-at-hotel-counter/v/5888/)

I can't beleive the Scots haven't turned this into a sport.

CHICKEN!

From the Mountain Fair a few years back....

Raising Cain at UNC Law... for a good cause.

Well, the class of 2009 is divied into three "colleges." I'm in "Aycock" (named after a former dean) and the other two are Brandis and Coates.

We've had a canned food drive, and in the interests of getting follks to bring in cans my torts professor said that one Tuesday he'd not call on anyone in the 80-person class who had a can in front of them.

That set one of my friends, Justin, to thinking -- if somebody brought in 80 cans, they could keep the prof from calling on anybody for a while class.

This set me to work.

80 small cans of discounted tomato sauce later the teller at Harris Teeter knows a lot about my sense of humor and I had a heck of a time stashing that many cans in my locker until the time was right.

And on the appointed morning, as folks walked into class, there was, at each of their seats, a can (right side up, turned towards the podium) as well as one for Professor Corrado.

And at my seat was the largest can of tomato sauce money can buy at Walmart.

In the end, we got a lot of good laughs, still participated well in class, Corrado didn't kill me and appreciates the humor in it, my Dad thinks it's freakin' hilarious and a buddy who works at the local food kitchen says they do actually have use for that much tomato sauce....

The ballad of Pancho and Lefty....

I dunno, it just gets stuck in my head....

" Livin on the road my friend, was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath as hard as kerosene
You weren't your momma's only boy, but her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams

Pancho was a bandit boy, his horse was fast as polished steel
He wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match you know on the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dyin words, ah but that's the way it goes

All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him slip away, out of kindness I suppose

Lefty he can't sing the blues all night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low, Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go, there ain't nobody knows

All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him slip away out of kindness I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell, and Lefty's livin in a cheap hotel
The desert's quiet, Cleveland's cold
And so the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true, but save a few for Lefty too
He only did what he had to do, and now he's growing old

All the Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose

A few gray Federales say, they could've had him any day
They only let him go so long, out of kindness I suppose"

-- written by Townes Van Zandt, performed by everyone since....
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/
nelson-willie/pancho-&-lefty-2506.html