No Exit

Posted on by Thor

A passenger died on a flight from Orlando to Los Angeles from COVID-19 a coroner confirmed. The man was seen by other passengers on the plane shaking and sweating and having a hard time breathing even before the flight took off. United Flight 591 diverted to New Orleans when the passenger died. Because medical professionals initially ruled the emergency as cardiac arrest, the flight continued on to Los Angeles on the same plane.

Contact tracers are trying to warn all the passengers from that flight. The story first came to light when the passenger @jobreaux seated in front of the man Tweeted: “The man behind me on this flight. DIED. OF COVID. MIDFLIGHT.” the passenger continued, “& we finna continue this flight. On the SAME CONTAMINATED ASS plane. Wet wipes *better* save the day this time. Bc I’m shook.” When someone asked her how she knew she knew the man had tested positive for COVID-19, she said the man’s wife had confirmed the fact while talking to the EMTs.

A passenger, Tony Aldapa who tried to help the man is now reporting COVID symptoms.   He along with a nurse performed CPR on the passenger to try and keep him alive as the flight was diverted to New Orleans to get the man help. “There were three of us that were essentially tag-teaming doing chest compressions, probably about 45 minutes,” During CPR, the bones of the deceased could be heard to crack as chest compressions were carried out before he started turning blue. Aldapa told CBS LA.

Aldapa said, ‘There was no mouth-to-mouth at all. We were doing chest compressions and they had him on the oxygen mask from the plane, then once we had a medical bag that is kept on board we used an ambu-bag which is a bag that you squeeze to give breaths, that’s what we used for breathing”. Aldapa is waiting for the results of a second COVID-19 test.

United Airlines claims the deceased passenger lied when he filled out a form before the flight saying he had no COVID-19 symptoms. The final weekend before Christmas saw more than 3 million travelers, according to TSA, which eclipsed any three-day total associated with Thanksgiving travel in 2020. The surge in new cases and deaths from all that travel will begin to be seen the first week of the new year.

Expulsion

Posted on by Thor

Swinging is a practice in which people already in a committed relationship engage in sexual activity with other people. The Naughty N’Awlins Swingers Convention is happening November 19-23 in New Orleans in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers tout the event as, “most popular lifestyle and swinger convention event in the country since 1998.”

This gathering at the Astor Crowne Plaza on Bourbon Street and Canal will be limited to married couples who have never traded partners. Married couples who have traded partners in the past will be asked to watch only this year.

According to organizers, some of the guidelines NiN2020 will implement include:

• Quarantining all couples in their hotel rooms 24/7
• Rectal temperature tests every six hours
• Latex prophylactics on all handles and extensions
• Plastic sheets on all room surfaces
• Couples must provide a detailed record of arguments from the preceding year proving the marriage

The plan for “monogamy” is considered the best option for NiN2020 to still happen while keeping the intimate convention from becoming a super-spreading cluster during the current pandemic. Gone are the dozen or so event “playrooms,” where people could “safely explore fantasies” with new partners or in groups. About about 250 checked in for the 2020 event where 2000 checked in the year before.

With monogamy being a drastic change of scenery for the convention, NiN2020 organizers say they are prepared if some couples are tempted to stray. Virtual swapping through streaming, chats, and live podcasts will be available by request. Creepy robotic dolls will also be on hand to give a hand.

If would seem that swingers parties are being approved across the country. The Metro Public Health Department in Nashville Tennessee signed off on alleged swinger parties. One party, scheduled for December, costs $100 for couples, $30 for single females and $120 for selected single gentlemen. A Metro Council member was quoted in Tennessee Lookout calling the parties “clearly dangerous” for spreading COVID-19.

It seems the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a surge in the number of people using swingers apps. Data shows that there are currently at least 721,927 active swingers across the United States. COVID-19 is spread through touch and droplets breathed out by infected people, and experts have warned against sleeping with partners from outside your household while lock downs remain in place. I could not find any stats about how many swingers might have been infected by the virus.

Swingers parties in the UK, Australia and France may have been linked to outbreaks.

Post script: The Naughty Naulins event is a superspreader now that 41 people have tested positive for COVID-19 as of December 2, 2020.

The Haunting of Saint River at Fringe

Posted on by Thor

Bremner Duthie from New Orleans presented The Hauting of Saint River a dark eerie one man musical with mysterious original songs. The haunted house in his tale is located in the deep south of New Orleans. The buyer essentially felt he had sold his soul to the devil to acquire the property. At first he is able to live with the hoes few creeks and groans but in time he becomes sleep deprived and the time spent at the edge of sleep become moments of absolute terror.

A female neighbor across the river become his one refuge as he slips into the houses depths. It sits on the edge of the river banks and seems ready to slip into the rivers grip taking him with it. A small box was used as a screen for historic flashes but the projection also slipped around the box onto the back wall of the theater.

The show felt like a work in progress. To me it seemed like the kind of shows a ten year old might throw together in the bedroom. It was mad and experimental. flashlights were used for the typical campfire under-lit face effects and a ghost puppet danced to the New Orleans Jazz while members of the audience held flashlights to illuminate her. Unfortunately the puppet wasn’t menacing or scary at all, detracting from the intended mysterious thrust of the story.

The story was most successful when Bremner asked the audience to imagine the ghostly threat as he described the characters slip into madness.

Tropical Isle’s Bayou Club

Posted on by Thor

In the evening, Terry and I ventured out into the madness of Bourbon Street. I thought this place was only packed at Mardi Gras time but the craziness seems to happen every night of the week. Terry had on a nice dress and was carrying a beer in a paper cup. Some guy walked right into her and spilled her drink down the front of her dress. She screamed at him and threw the remaining beer at his back. We lowered our shoulders and stuck out our elbows whenever someone stumbled into us. Women with big butts jiggled them in open doorways inviting people in to see the live sex acts. People were tossing bead necklaces down from balconies to people who flashed some skin.

Terry knew where she wanted to go. She was looking for the one bar that played traditional Cajun music on Bourbon Street. In every bar there seemed to be live music. Cars crossing would have to crawl through the never ending crowd. We finally found the Bayou Club and were lucky enough to find a table right up front. The band, T’ Canaille, was doing its sound check. The accordion player went up to the bar and had several shots to warm up. I sketched quickly through the first set. People in the audience were invited to stand in front of the band and play the washboard with spoons. Unfortunately people who went up were either drunk or they had no sense of rhythm.

When the second set started, Terry turned to me and said, “Lets dance.” We danced on the tiny dance floor with several other couples until we were exhausted. Back on the street, I felt practiced now as we navigated the throngs. It was easier to dance through the insanity than to fight our way through the crowd.

The French Quarter

Posted on by Thor

From our hotel in the Business District, Terry and I walked to the French Quarter in New Orleans. As soon as we crossed Canal Street we were shuttled back in time. Ornate wrought iron balconies over hung the street. The buildings were old with ancient histories. We walked past antiques shops and Terry started to feel the itch. She wanted to shop. We walked into an old shop that sold vintage muskets and pistols as well as rare coins. We had been here many years ago and Terry had bought an old Spanish piece of eight silver coin from the Atocha. She had to look at the treasure again. She asked a dealer to open a display case.

I heard music down the block. Musicians were performing in the street. Terry and I agreed that I could get a sketch while she shopped. I found a spot in the shade and sat down leaning back against a drainage pipe running down an old brownstone. The sidewalks were made from large slabs of slate. Slowly a large crowd formed listening to the music. They blocked my view so I looked up around them drawing the architecture. A woman walking in front of me collapsed in slow motion as a slate slab shifted under her feet. Her husband offered her his hand to help get her up. She refused but kept struggling to get her weight up. He grabbed her under her arm pit and pulled. She was fine, I kept sketching.

The trumpet player was thin and emaciated. He thrust his hips forward when he played arching his back as he belted out the notes. When the set was over, he came up to me to see what I was up to. He let me know that they would be playing later that evening a block away on Bourbon Street. He asked me how they sounded, and I thought they sounded great. I was still throwing down watercolor washes as the musicians packed up their instruments and left.

Spit and a Polish

Posted on by Thor

After the wedding I wandered around Jackson Square. I had an hour to kill before the reception began. Artists were set up all around the square selling their work. A caricature artist waited for his next victim. I was intrigued by one artist who cut canvas into strips and burnt the edges with a blow torch. Some sort of tar or varnish was splashed on. The strips were then woven in and around the canvas stretcher. The work felt aged, ancient. There were plenty of depictions of New Orleans architecture and depictions of musicians playing. One artist drew the same musician over and over again, never deviating in pose or gesture.

I leaned against a pillar wondering which vendor I should sketch. A gentleman in a ball cap and blue jeans approached me. “You’re looking sharp.” he said. “But your shoes need a shine. I do good work.” I looked down at my black leather loafers. They were well worn and there were several spots of blue paint that must have gotten there when I worked on the Sonesta mural. I had to agree with him. I needed a shine. “Six dollars.” he quoted. I sat down and put my foot up on the wooden box. He began by scraping off the drips of paint then applied the boot polish. “Clench yo toes.” he said. I curled up my toes creating a tight bridge across the top of the shoe. “White boy knows how to take orders.” he joked. A black liquid shine was applied all along the sole of the shoe. He spit on the leather and rubbed it in.

A woman dropped off several pairs of shoes and her son stayed to have his shoes shined. I knew I didn’t have much time but I sketched the process. Behind the shoe shine was a hot dog vendor and a psychic. I was tempted by the thought of a hot dog but I was going to a reception where there would be plenty of food. I saw the groomsmen and bridesmaids walk by and I followed them. Guests met in a hotel lobby where a small Dixieland band was playing. A woman holding a white parasol grinned as she danced. Everyone was given blue and gold bead necklaces. A police motorcycle pulled up outside the hotel. The band marched out into the street and soon we were all marching down Bourbon Street. I threw beads to some children. People shouted for beads from balconies.

The reception was amazing with people dancing as it grew dark. Everyone did a modified line dance to “Wobble Baby!” When it came time to wobble we all leaned back and shook our hips skyward, followed by a clap and change in direction. A photo booth was set up for couples to shoot silly photos for the wedding album. Terry and I staged a series of shots where she punched my face in slow motion. The grooms cake looked like a pot of crayfish. Andrew Ranck, the groom got choked up as he thanked everyone for coming. “It has been a long hard road getting to this point.” He turned to his new bride, Shannon. “Can she be any more beautiful?” The father was in tears as he danced with the bride. Satchmo sang, “What a Wonderful World.”

New Orleans Wedding

Posted on by Thor

On October 22nd, Shannon Marie OBrien and Andrew Julian Ranck were married in the Saint Louis Cathedral in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Terry and I arrived a bit early so I could start sketching the church interior before the service started. Terry was nervous that I would be asked to move since family usually is in the first two rows. Stubbornly I stood my ground since I knew my view could not be obstructed by someone sitting in front of me.

A lone trumpet player stood in the balcony and his notes echoed joy. The Trumpet Voluntary filled the cathedral and everyone stood and turned to watch the bride walk down the isle. The flower girl and ring bearer followed her. They were just toddlers and there were murmurs of adoring laughter. Andrew beamed as he watched Shannon approach. All the young female attendants filled the row in front of me.

It was a very traditional Catholic wedding with prayers and New Testament readings. Vows were exchanged and the rings blessed. High above, statues of Faith, Hope and Love looked down on the young couple. Saint Peter stood holding a key with his arm reaching out. Saint Paul stood on the right holding his sword. The ceiling was a swirl of activity as the apostles surrounded Jesus who radiated beams of light. As the couple signed their marriage license at a separate altar, Ave Maria wafted up echoing off the vaulted ceiling. The music made the moment truly feel divine. There was one final blessing and then Ode to Joy played as a recessional.

Before I knew it, I was alone again in an empty Cathedral. Marriages seem like such fast paced ceremonies when you are trying to sketch them. This flurry of activity would lead to a lifetime commitment.

A familiar face stood before me admiring the Cathedral’s architecture. It was Kevin Deters who worked at Disney Feature Animation in Florida at the same time I did. Kevin is now working for Disney in LA and he has directed several shorts one being “Prep & Landing” for the Company. He let me know they are working on another Prep & Landing short now. What a wild, small world. I gave him my card and explained the blog and the work I do to pass along the animation tradition at Full Sail. Kevin let me know that he has now worked longer in the LA studio than he did in Florida. I admire what he has accomplished. I wonder if he came to New Orleans when Disney premiered “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” That was an amazing party.

The priest walked up to me as I sat alone finishing my sketch. I was sure I was about to get kicked out. On the contrary, he loved the sketch and joked with me that usually the pencil snaps if someone tries to sketch him. There was another wedding happening in half an hour and he encouraged me to go right on sketching. I was getting close to finishing however, and I decided to leave as the church was emptied for the next wedding