My brother and I ate at Taste and See Sushi and Hibachi near LSU’s campus. Originally called Kaminari during my master’s program at LSU, my cohort would eat there each semester to celebrate. We didn’t have to walk far or wait in line with the buffet items sitting there partly chilled or warmed. This is the one style of restaurant that wouldn’t make sense in Seattle, since the costs to run it outweigh the margins.
We saw Blue Beetle, a superhero movie with elements from Fast and the Furious, Transformers, and X-2. It was a good movie, and the hit it’s taking from not promoting it due to the writer’s strike will hurt its box office performance. I didn’t see Flash, Shazam 2, or Black Adam, but the DCU always has a challenge promoting its movies; nevertheless, full page ads instantly date whichever run of comic books they appear in.
When we got back to my brother’s house, I played with some Duplo, and then picked up some Taco Bell on the way home.
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| Architectural genius. No blocks of the same color touch. |
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| I think I forgot to write about something. |
The next day, my mom and I met my aunt and uncle for lunch at a Golden Corral, and then we saw Barbie. They didn’t get it. My mom liked Ryan Gosling’s performance though. A Seattle friend thought it was too preachy, but I think most of us thought it was the right amount of silly. I, of course, went full Barbenheimer a month ago, and I think the crew deserves its billion dollar box office performance. I compare it to Lego Movie, Toy Story 3, and Anchorman.
Monday was less eventful with a drive around to go shopping. My mom made almond milk pancakes for breakfast and I ate some pickled onions with my Impossible meatball alfredo dinner.
On Traffic
Like New Orleans, you must drive everywhere in Baton Rouge. Concrete sound barriers separate neighborhoods from the highways. We passed the lakes around the LSU campus to go from one main street to another.
Many of the roads around here are eternally under construction. New Orleans streets constantly crack from the heat while flooding in almost any amount of rain. It’s too hot to walk around anywhere. After Blue Beetle, the inside of the car reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit. With lows in the evening around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, I just walk on the treadmill.
I appreciate the idea of roundabouts, but they aren’t the solution at every intersection. I’ve learned enough urban planning playing Cities: Skylines to know that they shouldn’t be placed too close to each other, and a bigger diameter is better. They make good movie set pieces like in John Wick: Chapter 4 around l’arc de triomphe.
Louisiana’s population density isn’t very high, so interstate traffic usually flows. Local streets clog up since there’s an over-reliance of driving on shoulders rather through arterials or connectors. Neighborhood traffic, stuck behind a sub-optimal school bus route, usually winds up being stop-and-go in both the evenings and afternoons.
Louisiana’s Future
My parents usually watch the local and national early evening news block before switching to Jeopardy at 6:00 p.m.
While passing through to the kitchen, I saw a Louisiana gubernatorial election ad from Jeff Landry about being the son of a teacher, implying axiological expertise in reading, writing, and math. He didn’t say ‘ritthmetic.
I tend to stray away from talking about politics, but I do vote. I’ve been registered as an Independent since 2008. 2008, 2012, and 2020 felt right. I remember in 2016 going into work the Wednesday after Election Day, reading the email from the principal, and then wanting to go to graduate school.
My Take
Jeff Landry is not a serious person. He appeals to the hoi polloi by playing on their fears. He unironically calls teachers using professional standards the woke mob.
Two of the other Republican candidates, Hewitt and Nelson, hail from nearby, but they aren’t serious people either. They can claim some STEM background, but that doesn’t go very far, brain drain and all.
Shawn Wilson, on the other hand, has a PhD in public administration. He has a civil service, non-political background.
I would imagine the door knocking campaign strategy simply doesn’t work well in Louisiana, especially going into October. Perhaps by November areas in New Orleans and Baton Rouge can rally, but it will take intentional effort to inspire disaffected young voters.
At the time of writing, Landry is more likely to win. Still, I will mail my ballot from Seattle with a vote for Wilson.
Other Parts of This Trip [August 2023]
- Visit Days 1-3.
- Visit Days 7-9.
- Visit Days 10-11.
- View a Stylized Reimagining of this trip back home using DALL-E.
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