Music

Outer Journey

There were different types of music that I listened to while in New Orleans. The one that sticks out the most to me was Miss Sophie Lee who played in The Spotted Cat Music Club. While listening to this group the room was full with minimal sitting room. I originally went into this establishment just to use the restroom, but could not leave because I enjoyed Miss Sophie so much. The instruments that were being played by the group was a cello, piano, trumpet, and a guitar. Miss Sophie was wearing a pink bow in her hair and had a dress on. Everyone else in the band were men and played their instruments with ease. The guitar player was wearing a blue plaid shirt and he had a tan hat on top of his head. The cello player was wearing a white button up the front collared shirt that had stripes and he was wearing black trousers. The trumpet player was wearing a black suit jacket also with black trousers. The piano player had on blue jeans with a black button up the front collared shirt. They were all on top of a small stage except for the piano player. The piano was sitting off and to the left of the stage. There was a wall of glass windows that sat behind the stage. Anyone who was on the street was able to listen to the music that was being played inside of the Spotted Cat. There were six people deep lined up at the bar. The room was not very big and it was very warm inside the music club. Everyone in the audience appeared to be enjoying the music and either tapping their foot or bobbing their head to the music. At one-point Sophie Lee finished a song came off of the stage and into the audience passing around a tip bucket and purchasing drinks. I stayed this evening until the group finished their set.

Inner Journey

I don’t know that I can say that the music specifically spoke to me. I do know that I do love music though and that I am not too picky on what I listen to. I grew up loving music and played the saxophone for 8 years. Though it has been many years since I have picked up an instrument I do think that I could pick it up and start off where I left. Music is so important when it comes to expressing your feelings. Different genres can fit your different moods.

Some of my favorite music when not listening to rock-n-roll is the big band music. Frank Sinatra is one of my favorites from that time period. It was his style of mixing jazz and the big band that I really enjoy. 

Art

Outer Journey

I did tour the art galleries on Royal Street of New Orleans. However, the artist that kept drawing me in was found in Jackson Square in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. The artist who was my favorite was A. J. Kinney. She paints the buildings such as the St. Louis Cathedral, Cadildo, Presbytere and restaurants that are surrounding Jackson Square. There is a spot that she sets up to show her and her husband’s paintings. The painter goes by A. J., but her real name is Joy. She has black hair with a stocking hat that is covering it. She is wearing a grey winter coat, and has gloves on with the fingers cut out. The first time that I saw her she was standing and painting on the right side facing the cathedral. The last time I saw her she was doing the exact same thing and painting on the left side facing the cathedral. Approaching her was somewhat intimidating. She was focused on the painting that she was creating. A. J. was painting another picture of the cathedral. She had paintings that started at $250.00. She had copies of the paintings that were $20.00 and $10.00. I was able to purchase a copy of one of the paintings that I like which only cost $20.00. The art that I purchased was of the St. Louis Cathedral. It is white and outlined in black paint. The clock that is on the front of the cathedral is showing. There is a beautiful old tree that is in front of the cathedral. The black fence that is present and surround Jackson Square is also present within this painting. The sky that is in the background of the painting is blue. I really liked the contrast in the colors that A. J. used in the painting that I purchased. You could see that the contrast and the paintings were similar throughout her work. A. J. studies art at University of Southern Mississippi. She then studied at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. A. J. likes to pain the environment and other pure abstractions. Other paintings that were found at this exhibit was those created by A. J.’s husband, William Kinney. William’s painting reminded me of the paintings that were created by Jackson Pollock. Pollock was part of the abstract expressionist movement. William’s paintings were very similar to this. Pollock used drip painting to create his master pieces. I believe that William used this type of painting also.

Inner Journey

I like the work that Kinney produces because they are visuals of what I am seeing in New Orleans. I like the painting more than an actual photograph because a painting provides more details. I like both A. J. Kinney and her husband William’s paintings. I liked observing all of the artists but kept being drawn to A. J.’s work. I kept imagining where I could place her work in my home. I think that it will look best placed in my living room. I am not sure if a black frame will work though. I am trying to get away from all of the portraits and paintings in my living room to be framed in black frames. I though that the St. Louis Cathedral was a beautiful piece of architecture and was the foundation of the history of New Orleans. I also loved the tree in the painting. I personally love art that is from wildlife especially trees and plants. My son actually makes fun of me because we were looking for a new home and I kept saying that I wanted old trees on our property. The wilderness makes me happy, feel peaceful, and makes me calm. Kinney’s paintings show the beauty of New Orleans. It provides the beginnings of the St. Louis Cathedral and is the foundation of history of this city. I like this because all new beginnings are a fresh start for all who are involved. A successful new beginning requires a lot of hard work. I think that New Orleans is a very successful city because of the hard work that was provided by the ancestors of this city. It is hard to succeed at anything if hard work and time is not put forth. Finding this artist has made me want to seek out additional artists who paint natural scenery. I would like to purchase these type of paintings and to keep the theme of my home natural.

January 8, 2018

Outer Journey

On our last day in New Orleans, we are spending the morning in the French Quarter. Your assignment is to go to your favorite place in the Quarter and take a picture of it. Post the picture on your blog and explain why it was your favorite place. Will you miss it? Will you come back? Would you tell other to visit it? How would you describe it and your experiences there to someone wishing to visit New Orleans?

It was hard to decide what my favorite place in New Orleans was. I enjoyed almost everything that I did. I enjoyed looking at all of the street artists in Jackson Square. I also liked watching the street performers. Walking around the French Quarter and looking at the architecture was nice and enjoyable. I enjoyed going to the 801 Royal restaurant in the French Quarter. Walking in this restaurant was very quiet and did not have very many patrons. The longer we sat and the closer that it got to lunch time the bar area started filling up. There was a very bright light. It looked like a piece of art. The texture of the light was red and curled. I ate a roast beef Po’ Boy and I think that it was the best Po’ Boy that I had while in New Orleans. The roast beef layed on french bread and had cheddar cheese on the top of the beef. This meal also came with potato salad. All of the potato salad that I ate while I was in New Orleans had mashed potatoes rather than diced potatoes. I will miss the French Quarter, but I do not think that I will miss this restaurant or any other store. I personally don’t like getting attached to a particular store or place. In general, I like the experiences of a place. When I bring my husband and kids back to New Orleans I plan on bringing them to this restaurant to enjoy some good Po’ Boys.

I still want to travel here again because there is still so much more of this town that I want to see and experience. I want to visit some of the plantations and the garden district. Next time that I visit I want warmer weather. If I am going that far south the weather must be warm for me.

Explaining New Orleans to someone would be easy. There is a wealth of history in that town. There are so many examples of hospitality in this town. This town is founded on acceptance and it is still visible when speaking to the locals of New Orleans. The architecture is beautiful. There is so much art to enjoy and purchase. I would recommend to anyone that I speak with to visit New Orleans for the history and culture of our country.

Inner Journey

My favorite part of the class was the history that was learned while in New Orleans. I had no idea how deep the history of this country was started in New Orleans. I like to tour museums and learn history. This love of learning about history did not start until I was an adult. I actually still do not like taking history classes because I think that it is extremely boring to sit somewhere and have someone spit facts at me. Something else that was positive about this class is that I got a semester completed in one week and was able to take a trip for a very small sum of money.

My favorite part of New Orleans was Jackson Square and the St. Louis Cathedral and the French Quarter that surrounded it. I believe that this is the origination of everything about New Orleans. There was so much history that was learned about in this area. It was not only about the early settlers, but also about early musicians, and still musicians that are coming out of this area. The architecture in the French Quarter was beautiful and so nice to see. It is amazing how long these buildings have been standing in New Orleans and how wonderful they still look. This is quite the preservation of buildings with stories to tell. I can’t wait to bring my children and husband back to this area to share all of these treasures with them also.

Kindness. Everyone that I met was so kind. It didn’t matter if they were an Uber driver, worked in a restaurant, or someone that I met out in the public. They were all kind, willing to talk, and willing to help with anything that was needed. Acceptance is the key to progression. No one is better than another. The residents or people of New Orleans are proud that they are from New Orleans (I can’t say that of Illinois). They want share their city. They want to share their culture. They want to share their history. They want to share their differences that have been resolved. They want you to know how they got where they are as a whole.

I learned that acceptance should be shown all around and from everyone. We all have trials and tribulations in our lives, but those trials and tribulations are not what someone should be judged on. Be the person that doesn’t show judgement. Be kind to everyone. Lend a hand. I need to help in making other parts of the United States progressive in their practices. Though slavery and segregation no longer exist there is still oppression in certain communities within our country. I need to be a leader in these movements. I need to get into the community, and I want to make a difference. I need to be the difference. I also need to be a leader at work and start making a difference for my fellow co-workers. I need to join the committees. 

January 7, 2018

Outer Journey

The exhibit that I enjoyed that most was in the Cabildo. The Cabildo is located in Jackson Square of New Orleans. It is the Louisiana State Museum. It has three floors. We were unable to tour the first floor because it is under construction. I was disappointed and thought that there would be more to this museum. Especially being that New Orleans is the many of “FIRSTS” within the United States. It a larger white building with a green gate in the middle in the front of what appears to be the entrance. This actually isn’t an entrance the entrance is all of the way to the right. The stairs and the handrails in this building are beautiful. It was however scary on the landings of the stairs. They slanted towards the inner part of the staircase. They also seemed to be slanted down. The exhibit that stood out to me the most of this day was the portrait paintings and dressing attire of a plantation owner, his wife, and his mistress. There was a women’s day dress within this glassed exhibit. The dress that was on the body of a mannequin in this exhibit was striped blue and grey. The collar looked to be made of a white fabric with a beautiful design. There were ten buttons running up the front of the dress at the top. The broach at the top of the buttons was centered between the sides of the collar. There were baby blue flowers on this broach. The dress appeared to be a little tattered. I am sure that this has happened because of the age of the dress. The masters outfit was all black with a white shirt and a black tie. The black coat had coat tails and a black vest. The white cuffs stuck out of the black jacket arms. This jacket also sat on the body of a mannequin. Not one of the individuals was smiling in the portraits. I thought that the mistresses dress was the most beautiful out of both of the women’s dresses. The mistresses dress was white with a baby blue ribbon and some light blue dress running around the trim on the front of the dress. The fabric looked to be light and somewhat see through. On a hot summers day this would be perfect to wear considering that all women had to wear dresses in this era. Not only would help to in keeping cool with the temperature, but it would also help in protecting the skin from the hot summer sun. The mistress had a round face with short brown hair. Though she appeared to have African descent her skin was very light. Her hair was cut right below her ears and was brown in color. The frame that this portrait was in was gold. The master wore a black suit with a white shirt and tie in his portrait. He had brown hair that was parted on the right side. His bangs were slightly curly. The women in the portrait that appeared to be his wife was wearing a dress that was dark in color. It was either a navy blue or black, and had a pink/rose ribbon that went around her waist. The dress was below her shoulders and above her elbows. For jewelry she wore a necklace and earrings that hung down below her ear lobes. This women’s skin tone was very pale. The dynamics of relationships were different back in this era and I find it interesting to read about and hear stories how the relationships worked upon business men, plantations, and the women of the house.

Inner Journey

I learned that this state was very progressive and that though there was slavery not everyone that was African was a slave. Half of the Africans that lived in New Orleans were free and some were even business owners. I of course wish that there was never slavery. I can’t imagine how anyone could ever think that they could own another human being. It made me feel better that Madame LaLaurie had her slaves taken from her because of the torment that was caused by her. I am unable to comprehend how this treatment could be given by anyone. Before this class I did not know that amount of history that New Orleans had. It is odd that this country is founded on the idea of being able to practice any religion that you wanted, and in New Orleans it was a must that the Catholic religion be practiced. Even the slaves were to practice Catholicism. I love that everyone is accepted in New Orleans. I love that the states were founded on having individuals from many different cultures, and were of many different races. The music and the art are everywhere in the New Orleans atmosphere. There were many locals who I met and talked to that were so friendly. They were willing to share their little piece of the world with anyone. They were inviting willing to help explore and willing to share the best places to eat and visit. I think that already as a nurse and for those who are going to nursing school that this was an excellent course to take. In nursing you must have acceptance of everyone and the practices that every patient uses in their everyday life. This city showed to not be judgmental. It showed that you get to where you want to go by your own hard work. You don’t achieve goals by skin color, but by your hard work. I know that there are many instances where people get the promotion or even a job because of someone they know or because of their status in life. I think that if everyone everywhere showed the acceptance of everyone the world would be a fairer and friendlier place. I want to make it a point to help those patients or anyone that nurses or the general public are shying away from because they are “different” or “annoying” then the regular patient or John Public. If just being nice for 1 minute of someone’s life makes their day then it is not a waste.

January 6, 2018

Outer Journey

It was nice to have a day off from school, and what an eventful day that it has been. I was able to sleep in this morning. My bed was warm and cozy, and even though I did not want to get up I did not want to waste my free day by just sleeping. My morning started by meeting up with classmates and then we all went are separate ways. My favorite part of the day was looking at the local artists such as painters and street performers. While walking through the warmer weather with sunglasses on and not having to wear my heavy winter coat I walked up to a street performer preparing to start a show. The audience wasn’t full at first, but as the show continue on the crowd appeared to get larger and larger. The performer that I enjoyed watching juggled large shiny metal blades. It is definitely a talent. The gentleman stated that what takes his five minutes to perform it took him twenty-five years to master. The man was wearing black converse shoes, black pants, black vest, and red shirt. His big act was performed atop of two saw horses. He stood atop of a flat board that rested on top of a wooden cylinder shape. He was able to keep his balance why he was throwing his blades up in the air. He talked to the enthused audience while performing his street act. This gentleman had a girl from the audience come and act like she was going to throw him the blades. This kept the audience on their tows as to whether she was going to be able to throw him the blades for him to juggle. This was all a part of his act to keep the audience drawn in to what he was going to do. In the end the girl from the audience did not end up throwing him the blade. He did perform his act with the audience’s approval shown by applause and donations given to him.

Other things that I did today was getting to speak with a local artist. I will discuss this further in my local artist blog post. I was able to speak with a lot of the locals today, and was given advice on the local happenings that are the things to go and see. I was advised to go and see local dancing that will happen at the college tomorrow. It starts at 12 and it was stated that the dancing wears you out and once you start to get tired it will be the time to go home. The dancing all ends before dark. Another excitement for the day is that today was the first day of Mardi Gras. I was not aware that it started this soon. I look forward to continue watching the festivities while we are here.

Inner Journal

The city spoke to me today while talking to a local who was a bartender. Racism. He spoke of traveling up to and living in Chicago for two years and the racism that was shown towards him. He said that “racism and the N word does not fly down here”. My thoughts are why is this still going on in the United States? Why is this accepted? We should all be treated the same. Job positions should be given out to who is most qualified. This town is so progressive the whole United States I feel by this era should be moving towards also being progressive. What bothers me the most is when I hear of young people saying racial slurs against others because of their race or religion. I am bothered by this because it is being taught in their home. They are being made to feel superior to others because of their skin tones. How can this be stopped? We should want to be around others because of the character they are not because of where their house is located or their social circle. I am happy that I was able to take this travel humanities course. It has shown me that there is a melting pot of acceptance. New Orleans is an example to everyone of what is acceptable and that you can rise to your top level because of your qualifications. I will start to myself make a conscious effort to say something to younger children when I hear them to make comments regarding someone’s race or religion and to explain why that type of behavior is unacceptable. I will also not allow this from adults if I were to hear it. I do not have to be nasty about it, but I do need to think of something that I can say that will actually have a meaning for an older person to understand and take to heart. I want to come up with something that will make someone older to stop and think about and figure out why what they are saying is unacceptable and just plainly wrong. I think that more efforts should be made in schools to stop this behavior also. I remember hearing about a teacher in a younger grade having her students write something nice about a student in their class every week. This is something that all school could start doing to promote acceptance of all fellow classmates. With everything that is going on in the world right now acceptance of everyone is what is needed for harmony.

January 5, 2018

Outer Journey

Hello baaaaaaby, the three-hour tour was Guided by Milton Carr Jr. who works for the City of New Orleans. He was wearing a heavy yellow reflective jacket that was only zipped in the middle. The top and the bottom of his jacket was unzipped. Leaving the bottom part unzipped to allow his belly to hang slightly above his jeans. Milton had a smaller black Bluetooth speaker hanging from a blue lanyard that was hooked to a red carabiner. As he held it in one hand the other hand had an MP3 player that controlled the Bluetooth speaker. As we watched him try and gain control of the music he was starting to play for his very interested crowd of students, he showed his age while he struggled with technology. After a few minutes of fumbling his phone, MP3 player and blue tooth speaker, music filled the air. Listening to the music in the air the crowd started to grove a little with the fist known jazz music by Louis Armstrong. This being a turning point in musically history. Milton was very experienced in what he does and has tons of experience in the music culture. The knowledgeable ways Milton spoke of the music and musicians was fascination how it would just spill right off his tongue like he was there in that time. Milton had a way of bringing history to life and I wish that he could have given our group of Nursing Students tours on everything we had planned to experience. He was so informational and you could tell that he truly cared about the information that he provided to his audience about his home town of New Orleans. He talked about how New Orleans became the first home of thousands of millionaires who profited off of suppling the country with supplies. Making it the largest trading port to be known of at the time. Indigo and sugar were two of the crops that the city was thriving off of. It was being exported out of New Orleans to everyone. This particularly product was the responsibilities of the salves that were owned. Milton mentioned that some of the first people who were brought to New Orleans were the inmates from Europe. Apparently, they emptied their jail cells in Europe to help populate New Orleans with a more European culture. This was a major player in creating a melting pot of diversity because they came here and created relations with the decedents who were already residing in New Orleans. Voodoo was medicine that was practiced by witch doctors of African descent. As Milton spoke about Voodoo and the importance it raises on the history of New Orleans, we were able to see one of the most famous Voodoo providers in the cemetery. She was known for treating people of New Orleans in a different way and people would often come to her grave site to mark it to make a wish for their life.  While in some peoples mind her spirit still can help heal but in reality, they are just vandalizing her final resting place with graffiti. The tour was very well planned and I learned a lot of information from Milton.

Some of the music that was discussed and we listened to was:

Louis Armstrong - West End Blues

Peter Fountain - When The Saints Go Marching In

Harry Connick, Jr. - Careless Love

Louis Prima - I Wan'na Be Like You

Louis Prima - Jump Jive An' Wall

Louis Prima - Just A Gigolo I Ain't Got Nobody

Inner Journey

Milton, Milton, Milton… Is all I heard on the train ride down and how much previous students enjoyed his tours. Before he came up to the group I already planned on enjoying his tour just from prejudging the thoughts of Professor Karn and her comments of how amazing he truly is. Milton came up to the crowd and all the expectation that I had already had in my head came true. He gripped the crowd’s attention very quickly with history. Making history very easy to be interested in the tour began in Jackson square. He toured us around some of the established jazz places and then the St. Louis number 1 cemetery. His descriptions of the cemetery kept my attention. It is this cemetery that has many of the stories that started this town. I feel that there was a lot told by Milton, but that there is a lot more to be told. I don’t think that this city has stopped with progression. The secrets that lie in the walls of New Orleans is very touching and poetic to my heart. I feel like I can embrace that tradition and history like I am one of the original New Orleans natives. The feeling that the city and vibe that they let off with welcoming arms makes New Orleans an amazing travel destination. The streets of the city are still curiosity for me because you never know what is lurking behind each corner. Before I came here I did not expect New Orleans to be so populated. Every street I tend to look around there a different culture, a different spirit, a different race that lives and practices their beliefs and thoughts. I do not know if I was culture shocked or if I expected this, but it is most certainly an eye opener, and I value the work of the people of New Orleans to created such a diverse progressive community. Every person that I have encountered has been outspoken on their beliefs that everyone, and I mean everyone is welcome in this town. With all of the hate in the world today. It is a positive thought that one city still believes all is equal. 

January 4, 2018

Outer Journey

I believe that my most interesting experience today was the Old Ursuline Convent. The gentleman who gave the tour is what made the tour. He wore high waisted kahki slacks with a belt, a plaid shirt and brown dress shoes. I thought that the grounds of the convent were beautiful and kept up well. There was bushes and plants that were trimmed nicely and had a design. The convent was white with a gray roof. The inside of the convent was nice. What really stood out to me on the appearance was how shiny the bricks were on the floor. What I really wanted to do was climb the free-standing stairs and explore the building even more. I wanted to see where the nuns slept and what a personal room would look like. The wood work in this building was beautiful and looked like it had been freshly stained. The whole building was clean and had a new look to it. I wonder if this is what the walls and floors looked like when the nuns lived there. Inside the alter was also beautiful. I thought the blue ceiling above the alter was a wonderful idea. It made me think that there was a purpose for the blue paint and that it opened up to the heavens above. It was very peaceful.

The brown beams in one of the rooms that we toured reminded me of my home. We have beams that look like this in the living room of my home. There were 12 there and the cypress trees had to have been 200 years old when they were cut down because of the size that they were.

Below are a few pictures of statutes of nuns that were significant to the Old Urseline Convent. These statues were located in the garden of the convent.

Our tour guide went into great details of explaining how the convent came to be and the great nuns who ran the establishment. I thoroughly enjoyed his explanations. He explained how they were able to get a new convent from the one that was given to them when they first arrived in the United States. This was the first convent in the United States, and the nuns that came to the convent were the first to arrive in the United States. Apparently, the nuns tried to use the national government to help get what they want too, even if it doesn’t work. The nuns wrote a president because they did not want New Orleans to run a street in front of their property. But they were told that the president would not be able to help in matters such as these because he can not govern every matter in the United States and that they should seek the help of their local government leaders. Overall, this was a pleasant experience for me. I enjoyed that tour and the tour guide. I loved that this convent was preserved and I hope that this will stay maintained and tours will be able to happen for many more years to come.

Inner Journey

The homeless and their dogs are what spoke to me today. I was saddened by that amount of people that were sitting out and playing music. I was in disbelief at the number of dogs that were with these people. Many appeared to be on drugs and I am just assuming but believe that it is the drugs that have led them to the lifestyle that they are living. Or is it the lifestyle that led to the drugs. Either way it hurts my heart. These are someone’s children. Someone’s brother or sister. Someone’s mom or dad. They play their instruments well and I am sure if they were the right circumstances that these individuals would be hard workers. What options are out there for these individuals in New Orleans? What can we give them? I know that I cannot, but I want to take them all in, and feed and clothe them. I want to provide showers. I want to help them get clean. I know that I cannot help them but there has to be a better way of life for them. My other major concern was for those poor puppies. I did not see one that looked happy. You can see in a dog’s face when they are happy and well nourished. A dog will smile really big and wag their tails a lot. My puppy gets so excited he starts wagging his tail so much that it sounds like a big thud when it hits something. When it is time for him to eat he also gets so excited and can barely contain himself when the food is put out for him. He is so lively. I did not see one of these dogs get overly excited by the sight of another person. I am sure that they are out there every night and are just immune to the people who are walking by. Almost all of them were laying down and did not look like they had very much energy. I also do not think that I saw one bowl of water sitting out for these dogs. They get thirst they get hungry. I am sure that they are used as a companion for the individuals who are with them, but do not look like they are given what they need. I know that I am unable to make a difference, but I will try to buy a couple of cans of dog food prior to leaving New Orleans and hand them out to the individuals with these dogs.