Get out of this place.

At the University of New Orleans Creative Writing Workshop Awards Banquet. A piece I wrote about maybe probably not having a gambling addiction was a finalist for the Samuel Mockbee Award for Nonfiction, judged by Christopher Chambers this year. Other finalists were Daniel Morales and Cate Root (who’s not pictured, but a link to a video of her graduate reading earlier today can be found here). Congratulations to my friend Coleen Muir for winning the Mockbee. That guy on the end is the talented writer/thoughtful professor Randy Bates. This was a good way to close the semester.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 5.20.2012.

Holy cow, if you’ve never participated in the Happy Thursday NOLA Social Ride, you have no idea what you’re missing. London and Liz and I biked with 54 folks all over the CBD tonight and it was awesome.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 5.17.2012.

Here’s wishing our mothers, and all mothers, a Happy Mother’s Day from Pirate’s Alley.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 5.13.2012.

WEIRD SIDENOTE: Liz still calls her mom “Mommy.” (And so does Rich.)

I read a piece at Gold Room tonight that, as you can tell from my preacher’s garb, may have gotten a little bit gimmicky. Click here for the video. Thanks to everyone who showed up, even if it was just to eat some $1 tacos and watch the basketball game behind me.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 3.22.2012.

Welp…I’m officially 30 now. And Liz nearly gave me a heart attack when she arranged for 10 people to surprise me when we showed up for our dinner reservation. Coleen, Jessica, Laura, Melissa, Shelley, Whitney, Josh, Kelly, Carrie, Daniel. Thanks for coming out. So long, Twenties…

New Orleans, Louisiana. 1.8.2012.

SIDENOTE: Kaia turns eight years old today.

GPOY: Shot-callin’ with Michael edition.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 11.11.2011.

Got the call to be a model—obviously—for Bayou Magazine, UNO’s literary journal. I was hoping they would go with the shot of me flexing my pecs without looking like I’m flexing my pecs, but instead they went with the one of me checking to make sure my belly wasn’t protruding. Luckily, I have a blog and can post the one I want to post.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.26.2011.

SIDENOTE: Buy a T-shirt. Only $12!

With all the relaxing I’ve been doing, I’m now forced to use this day to actually labor through Melville’s Typee for class. I have no idea how 19th century sailors could understand each other enough to communicate anything. It’s like trying to read a book written by a drunken Yoda.

Beebe, Arkansas. 9.5.2011.

So, apparently, babies do this thing where they cry for seemingly no reason, and then when you get them asleep, you can’t really move them or they’ll wake up and start crying again, so you have to hold them forever.

Little Rock, Arkansas. 9.3.2011.

I like a hair cuttress who is okay with being paid in High Life and Papa John’s. Thanks, Jeannine.

New Orleans, Louisiana. 4.12.2011.