In the age of electronic communication sent within milliseconds, keeping in touch with friends and family is always accessible. Our devices have become extensions of our beings, as vital as our own pulse. This has vast benefits, from the simple joy of sharing thoughts and photos to the amazing impact on politics, the fate of…
Category: Art & Music
Lana’s Literary Lyrics
Ever since watching the 2013 film version of the classic novel, The Great Gatsby, the music of Lana Del Rey has made its way into my iTunes and serves as great study music. She wrote the original song for the film, and her slinky, sultry voice crooning “Will you still love me/when I’m no longer/young…
It’s a Wonderful World
Iguazu Falls, Argentina. Photographer: Francesco Filippo Pellegrini The news always highlights the horrific happenings in the world today. These are stories we need to hear about and try to understand, but the sadness and seeming lack of plausible solutions are often difficult to digest. We rarely hear of a good deed, positive influence, joyful occurrence,…
Happy Chocolate City
My last post about my favorite NOLA ice cream shop mentioned some delicious flavors. This post is dedicated to some beautiful art currently displayed there. The past few times I have visited The Creole Creamery, I noticed a strikingly beautiful painting of the city’s map. Known as the Crescent City for its obvious croissant-like shape,…
Beauty & Morbidity
It has been several years since I last looked at pathology slides under a microscope, identifying the different cells and patterns that constitute normally functioning organs and understanding mechanically how structure dictates function. The specialized myocytes of the heart contract in an interwoven manner to orchestrate a contraction. The glandular cells of the thyroid secrete…
Resurrected from “The Waste Land”
Several years ago, I took a course on Modernism and Post-modernism. One of the topics of study was T.S. Eliot’s widely read modernist poem, “The Waste Land” (full text here). The themes and intricacies were so intense that we spent a solid three weeks reading, digesting, mentally churning, and understanding the poem. Three weeks may…
She Rises
At the intersection of Orleans Avenue and Jefferson Davis, stopping at a red light sparks contemplation.
Congo Square Rhythms Festival
About one month ago, I wrote about Red Baraat after happening past a place on Frenchmen Street that was featuring the band that night. I lamented at letting the chance slip by to see them, but luckily they made it back to New Orleans for the 6th annual Congo Square Rhythms Festival in Louis Armstrong Park….
Orange Walls
Deep orange walls infused with the muses streaming through his trumpet Fingers pulsing what the soul is feeling Eyes closed for one sweet moment hips swaying slowly in the heavy, fragrant air Collective strangers bound by notes and lyrics heads nodding agreement Yea, that’s the feeling A couple dances her loose curls falling on his…
Lucky Peach
Just when I thought I couldn’t find any more reasons to love my (newly discovered) hair salon Rocket Science, I was proven wrong. Sitting in the waiting room of the shotgun-turned-hair-salon, it is easy to lose oneself in the eye candy that is its interior. Lovely Chinese lanterns line the ceiling, unique furniture pieces are…
Honoring a Musical Legend: Pandit Ravi Shankar
“Pop changes week to week, month to month. But great music is like literature.” [Pandit Ravi Shankar] After 92 years defined by musical brilliance and accomplishment, Pandit Ravi Shankar died on December 11, 2012. The term pandit signifies teacher or scholar; Shankar was indeed both of these in the art of classical Indian music. He brought…
The Nutcracker
For a very long time, I have been wanting to see a live symphony or ballet performance. Although I have studied only a minute fraction of the history of classical music and art, I have a great appreciation for the technical skill and discipline of classical musicians and ballet dancers. There is nothing like hearing…
pen . paper . storm 