Day 2 - This is New Orleans!

The sounds of foot traffic and voices slowly transport me from my slumber to a very drowsy state of cosciousness.  During my few short hours of rest I hardly slept but mostly tossed and turned.  Check the time, it's only 4:30 am.  Travelers are pouring in to catch early morning departures.  I roll into a sitting position, load my gear on my back and stagger over to the restroom to clean up and change into my work clothes.  It's easy to spot an ulltrasound model amidst all the medical professionals.  The standard wardrobe is dark shorts, white T-shirt and sneakers. 

I will probably take an airport shuttle bus downtown for twenty bucks rather than risk being late taking the city bus and trolley which may not have reliable schedules and being Sunday the city bus doesn't begin service until 7:30.  After a quick breakfast consisting of a can of smoked herring and a handful of almonds, sunflower seeds and prunes I kill some time until the shuttle buses begin operating.  At about 7:45 am I'm on my way as the only passenger in the shuttle bus.  The driver is a New Orleans native.  He shares with me about local events, the weather and of course, Katrina. 

The skies are clear and the climate feels warm and humid.  Perfect.  The twenty-minute ride to the convention center allows me to see some neighborhoods, the Super Dome, downtown and the warehouse district.  The flat landscape limits seeing anything beyond the adjacent streets.

The convention center is buzzing with attendees and exhibitors picking up their badges or registering.  A fellow model is arriving at the same time.  We sign in early and greet the ladies from the agency.  As I make my way to the exhibition hall I see some more familiar faces.  Several other guys I've worked with before are also working this event, as well as plenty of local newbies. 

My work day will basically be the same each day with very little variation.  I lie down on a bed (similar to a massage table), shirt off, and next to me is an ultrasound machine.  These are smaller portable units that are used for a number of applications.  Every body is familiar with the use of ultrasound to observe a baby in the womb but it's application goes into many other aspects of medicine and healthcare, from cardiac to musculoskeletal imagery.  I've seen nearly everything beneath my skin.  I've watched my heart at work, seen blood travel through my carotid artery, observed pleural sliding of my lungs, seen my kidneys, liver and other organs, followed the ulnar nerve down my arm, observed the collapse of my inferior vena cava with the sniff test, and so much more.  While I lie there, an ultrasonographer scans my heart through the "windows" (intercostal spaces) between the ribs.  This event is the American College of Cardiology so the focus is on the heart.  The ultrasonographer demonstrates the capabilities of their company's ultrasound machines to prospective buyers. 



Ultrasound model working hard,... or hardly working?

 I am fascinated with the complexity of the human body and how perfect and precise it all functions together.  This realization gives me more conviction to take care of my body, exercise often and feed it properly, and importantly too, not ingest "foods" that harm the body.

Having slept very little in the past day I struggle to stay awake while working so hard.  That's the big challenge.  The day is uneventful except for a visitor near the booth who suddenly collapsed, threw-up and went into convulsions.  I suppose this couldn't have happened to him at a more appropriate place since the place crawling with hundreds of doctors.  He was promptly attended to and medical emergency personnel treated him and rolled him out on a stretcher.  I don't know what his diagnosis was.

During my lunch break I get out of the convention center and head to the river.  It's an almost uncomfortable 85 degrees with quite a bit of humidity.  The sun pierces my skin.  Next to the convention center is the River Walk mall.  Inside there is a flurry of people purchasing fast food from a number of restaurant outlets.  On the balcony outside I enjoy a view of the Mississippi while eating my lunch.  You guessed it, smoked herring and almonds, sunflower seeds and prunes.  This is my basic travel food.  It's convenient, inexpensive, and quite healthy.  No refrigeration is required, nor preparation of any kind.  It's also an ideal meal when I'm working these ultrasound events because it is light and easy to digest.  A heavy fatty meal would cause indigestion, gas, and general discomfort when lying down on the ultrasound table. 

The mighty Mississippi River

There's not really a lot to see of the river, at least not from this vantage point.  There's the Crescent City Connection bridge (pictured above) and a lot of cargo ships traveling up and down river.  The muddy waters churn with all of the conflicting currents caused by so many deep hulls.



Construction along the river bank and cargo traveling upriver

 At 4:00 pm I'm done with work and it's time to explore New Orleans!  Where should I begin?