January 22nd - Paul

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I spent about four years living in a suburb of New Orleans. One of the first people I met there was Paul.  He lived in the same apartment complex that I did, and we caught the bus to school at the same stop.  He was one-of-a-kind, and he was always someone that stuck out in my memories from my time there.

I lost touch with him after we moved back to Maine, but yesterday, I got the chance to catch back up with him.



Paul

Paul was born and raised in the New Orleans area, and he still lives about 30 minutes from there on the North Shore.  He lived on the opposite end of the apartment complex from me, and we would shoot around basketball or hang out with some of the other neighborhood kids in one of the pools that the complex had.  He was hilarious, and was an incredibly friendly guy, which was helpful to a gangly, awkward kid from Maine who's just moved to town.

The thing that I remember most about Paul was his love of sports. I wasn't the only one, because when I mentioned to my mom that I was interviewing him yesterday, she said "Oh, the sports guy." During gym, whenever he wasn't actually playing, Paul was running along the sidelines announcing the game.  Picture a mix of Dick Vitale, Al Michaels, Marv Albert, and Howard Cosell, and then shrink them down into a seventh grader, and you've got Paul back in the day.

When I first met Paul, he was at the tail end of his recovery from leukemia.  His fight with the disease was inspiring, and he never let it get him down.  He spoke often about his diagnosis and his recovery, and this got him invited to a lot of different events.  I got to tag along with him to one of them, and there were quite a few NFL stars of the day there and we got to meet all of them (Kordell Stewart...remember him, Steeler fans?)  I actually still have the shirt they all signed for me...though by now it's probably a few sizes too small...


After our time at T.H. Harris Middle School, the paths Paul and I were on diverged. I went to the public school in the district, East Jefferson, and he went to one of the many parochial schools in the area, Archbishop Rummel. He then went on to attend Ole Miss.

Lars: What made you decide to go there?

Paul: Because everyone and their mother was going to LSU or UNO (University of New Orleans), and I just wanted a change of scenery.

It was a great decision and I got to meet people from other places that I wouldn't have if I stayed in state. You know, it's still the South, but it was definitely a different atmosphere and culture without being too far from home. I spent five years there and it was one of the best phases of my life. I wouldn't trade those years for anything.

Paul studied broadcast journalism while he was there ("Come on, you know me, I was trying to break into ESPN!").  He got a chance to work with the Division 1 football team there, doing coaches videos for them and traveling with the team.  Paul used this experience and parlayed it into an internship during training camp with the Tennessee Titans after college.

Paul: They put me up in a hotel for a month in Nashville.  I got my meals covered, I was making good money, I had to sign a contract and everything so I was legit.  So I did get to work for the NFL...even if it was just for a month.

Paul now works with a photography studio. He works as a utility photographer, helping out when needed and doing a lot of the production or pre-production set up.  The studio works mostly with schools to do school portraits, as well as photography for teams and dances.   Recently, the studio had to create a sports division because they got a contract with Louisiana high school athletics. They know handle championships for all different kinds of sports, which is right up Paul's alley.

Paul: It's a lot of fun and I like the people I work with.

Lars: How did you get into it, that seems a little bit outside of where you were heading after college.

Paul:  Well, I was selling cars for a year and I got let go.  The next day I'm up at 6am for absolutely no reason since I don't have a job anymore, but still, I'm up and I'm checking out Facebook. I had a high school classmate that posted about this open position at the studio, and I let him know I was interested. And it went from there. I can see myself sticking with this as I've been learning more and picking up more on the job.

Lars: From my own experience, New Orleans is one of the most interesting places I've ever been to, and though I only spent a few years there, those years definitely made an impact on me.  But you were born and raised there.  What was that like?

Paul: Where you were born in the city definitely has an impact on what for what growing up in New Orleans is like.  I was born in a not so great neighborhood, there were always cars getting broken into and a lot of crime.  Some bad people were moving in, so my parents said we had to get out.  And we ended up in a pretty nice spot.

The thing about New Orleans is that you don't really get to appreciate it when you're little, you have to wait a little bit.  I mean, you can go to the zoo and the park and all that, and that's cool, but it's not like you're listening to the music on Frenchmen or walking down Bourbon.  The older you get the more you got to experience. You appreciate the city more the older you get. It's a place that you have to experience for yourself.

Lars: Did Katrina really have an impact on you?

Paul: Katrina didn't do much damage in our neighborhood, and our house was spared. My mom's parents lost everything. I was up at school so I was out of the way. My brother and sister were out of school for a couple of weeks. We are blessed because it wasn't as bad as it was for other people.

When you're from New Orleans you grow up a Saints fan, and a lot of who we are is tied to that team. The year the Saints won the Super Bowl, I went to one of the games.  They were playing Dallas and it was the first time that I had been back in the Superdome since I had started going to college, so it was the first time since after Katrina.  And man, I got goosebumps.  I just felt like I was where I need to be. At that moment I felt like I was finally back home, like it was back to normal, I almost wanted to cry. No words can accurately describe how I felt that day. You felt like a family, so much positivity.  And then they went on to win the Super Bowl and that was amazing, it really helped bring the city back.

What's your favorite joke?
Paul: I don't really have a favorite joke, it's just that you joke about certain things in life. Working for a small business you'll always get customers that ask for off-the-wall stuff and it's just funny to think about what people are trying to order. You have to find funny in every day things

What's a meal that reminds you of home?

Paul: When I was up there in Mississippi a restaurant opened that served New Orleans cuisine. And every once in awhile I'd get a muffalatta. Or gumbo.  Because those are the two things that remind me most of home. But damn is it hard to find some good gumbo anywhere but in New Orleans!  There's just something special about it.

Lars: I feel the same way.  There was a New Orleans themed restaurant that I took Elizabeth to when it opened up around here.  I was excited for her to try the food, and I took one bite and said "Never mind, this isn't it."

What's the most significant thing that happened last year?

Paul: Ok, I could go with the obvious, but I'm going to go with something sports related because that's me.  It's gotta be the Cubs winning the World Series.  They went 108 years without a title. Think about how many people died a Cubs fan without seeing them win.

Now, with Trump winning, I hope he does well. I know that a lot of people thought he would be better than the alternative, they were tired of the same old thing and wanted to change it up.  They didn't want another politician up there, they wanted someone like this successful businessman.  So we'll see how he does and if it he is actually different or better.

But if in four years it's worse, then let's bring someone else in. That's the beauty of this country. There's always hope for this country. It might come later than you want it or not as fast as you want it, but it will come.  

Will the world be better or worse in 20 years?

Paul: I hope so. We've got global terrorism that's threatening this world. Radical terrorism of any kind is a danger, not just with one religion or another. And I think education is the key here. There are places in the world where education isn't an option, and there has to be something better for those children.

The public school system I think has failed. I think teachers should be extension of parents in teaching right and wrong. Should you be throwing spitballs at your classmates? No of course not! 

Lars: I agree that parents need to take back that role of actually being parents and not being friends. I wasn't friends with my parents when I was younger.

Paul: Neither was I! And I think we need to get back to that. It's up to the younger generations to look for change and make things better, and that includes us. I just hope there's a day where we can say crime is at a minimum and we aren't killing each other and this country is clean and people love each other. I'm all for love

Paul is the same loud, funny, gregarious guy that I knew way back when, and that makes me really happy.  It's great to know that the friends you grew up with that had such big personalities still have that spark.  Someone that I had interviewed earlier this month had suggested that I try to interview Paul because he had "one of the most interesting personalities of anyone."  I can't agree more with that, and I'm glad that Paul never lost that.