Back Home [August 2023, Days 4-6]

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.

The name is a reference to Psalm 34. *shrug emoji*

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.

Architectural genius. No blocks of the same color touch.

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.

Back Home [August 2023, Days 1-3]

Vacuum sealing works! I used bags that had a double zip top without a pump. The sliders came off, but I easily put them back on. I rolled the bags to push air out, and the sliders popped off anyway. I overstuffed a few bags, but the savings on volume helped. Since I was going home to Louisiana, I took back items I wanted to keep but didn’t use when I was in Washington, mostly clothes abandoned from March 2020. They were rescued and relocated for the wardrobe back home, making my future travel a little lighter.

 

Vacuum sealing for my
Seattle to New Orleans trip (Summer 2023)

I traveled with 24” x 18” x 12” luggage which weighed about 45 pounds. I packed my backpack with my laptop, tablet, planner, and notebooks.

I walked over to the UW Husky Stadium Link Station, down the Burke-Gilman trail on a toasty, shadeless Tuesday evening. The Royal Brougham Way rail needed some work that week, so I had to cross over at Pioneer Square Station, a stop I rarely used. The rest of the way to Sea-Tac was uneventful, but I was temped to drop off my bags then leave for the Taco Bell on 188^th. Darkness didn’t settle until past 9 p.m., so the temptation to relax over there was real.

 

Branching Point

United Airlines didn’t deliver a good experience this time. I used the “bag drop shortcut,” yet the worker who checked my bags stuck the wrong sticker on it! He even checked my ID, but he still mixed mine up with a woman headed to Newark. We had completely different names, and she z-snapped, “I’m not going to no New Orleans.” She proceeded to complain to multiple other workers, “What are you doing to rectify the situation?” The ordeal took about 20 minutes to resolve and required the worker to go through security, to the gate, to get my bag. The actual swapping of stickers took a few seconds, but we all checked multiple times to ensure the bags were headed off to the right gates.

The TSA pre-check line had an estimated 12-minute wait, but it only took about four minutes all the way through. Non-pre-check passengers saw the short line and tried to go past but were re-directed by one airport staff member holding the stanchion. She checked the boarding pass on my phone for the green check. One of the TSA Agents pointed out to the backed-up line “You know, you could go to that lane. Keep moving, keep moving.”

If the mix-up with my bags didn’t happen, dinner would have been much different. I splurged on a calzone, an almond pinwheel, and a drink, all for around $30. I could have gotten Taco Bell for much less, but the heat, the walk, the risk were less appealing after the ordeal with my luggage. The inconveniences in the airport make it easier to sell.

I’m glad I’m taking Alaska Airlines on the 5.5-hour trip back.

 

Houston Layover

The south terminal required a train ride, but I had about 90 minutes between dinner and boarding, so I listened to my playlist specifically to figure out if I’d skip any tracks. I went around the terminal in a mix of figure-8’s and circles like a bee navigating a field of flowers.The flight to the layover in Houston went smoothly, but taxiing to our terminal took forever. 

A blurry, yet grokkable photo of
early-early morning Houston.

Takeoff from IAH about an hour later.

It was full, but nothing eventful, with the attendants emphasizing that they’d let us go to sleep. From Houston to New Orleans, clear skies awaited a quarter-full plane. “You can sit wherever once we’re up in the air.”

Science educator bae appeared on morning news over
Houston. (Tatiana Erukimova, Texas A&M)

 

45 minutes after takeoff, we reached the
Mississippi River into New Orleans.

Sidequests at Home

My mom picked me up from the airport and the various Taco Bells on the way home didn’t have open lobbies for breakfast. Eating at Taco Bell requires the gimmick of dining in to maximize the efficiency for drinking the various Mountain Dews and Dr. Peppers. Otherwise, I’d rather eat elsewhere. We stopped over at our favorite local Thai restaurant for an early lunch, and then we picked up some groceries.

With a kitchen island, it was easier to fill up
a pitcher with almond milk.

After unpacking, showering, and napping, I made some almond milk for the duration of my stay, using more space than my apartment. I also tried out some Impossible meatballs in a spaghetti sauce, and it was far better than previous plant-based spaghetti and meatballs dishes.

I walked my 10,000 steps in the first day back, but Louisiana requires a car to get around. It’s far too hot and humid to walk. That Thursday, I fixed our treadmill, which had some wiring and front panel issues. “It was working before we left!” my mom said. The buttons to slow down sped up the belt, and any of the pre-set speeds registered as 10 mph, so I figured everything just shifted. I removed a few panels on the back, taking out 12 screws, and fixed some loose pins, cables, and wires. I hope static doesn’t build up, but it works now, and I got in my remaining steps.

I fixed the treadmill. Robotics experience helped.
Mostly unplugged wires and plugged them back in.

On Friday, I went into the city with my uncle, and I picked up Nimona, Robins Being Robin, and a few issues on my comics pull-list. I didn’t want to get carried away since I’d want to bring some things back to Seattle. I intend to combine the New Orleans and Seattle collections into one library, but first I’d have to clear some space in both places. I also wish I could import Hansen’s snowballs to Seattle. It works for king cakes.

 

A wholesome, James Beard award-winning
family business for 84+ years.

 

Honey lavender pineapple stuffed snowball.
Air conditioning for my tummy.

My uncle and I saw Teenage Mutant: Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem in 3D; I’d recommend it, but not necessarily the 3D; I had a slight headache after. I’m seeing Blue Beetle with my brother on Saturday. And I’ll see Barbie again, but with my mom on Sunday. I ended the day with a Zoom call with some UW students, that lasted about an hour; I took a slow stroll on the treadmill, but it was definitely forward progress.

Other Parts of This Trip [August 2023]

• Visit Days 4-6.
• Visit Days 7-9.
• Visit Days 10-11.
  
• View a Stylized Reimagining of this trip back home using DALL-E.