Commisioned artwork by Sarah Cloutier http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/art/m/e/melukilan/copyright_melukilan.html
To all my fellow readers:
I'll be heading out today to visit some positively, absolutely, 100%. pregnant friends of mine in good ol' Mississippi. In other words, I'm running away for our local hoiday (and I couldn't even be more exited!!)
Since I won't be here, I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy Mardi Gras, whoever you are and where ever you are. Don't let the media fool you. Mardi Gras isn't all "tit's and beer." It's a heck lot more than that.
To share with ya what I mean, check Chris'veiw**. Heck, please pass it along to other folks that just don't get agian. Oh, and laissez les bons temps roulez, y'all!
**I apologize; my blog won't set up a link for this, for some strange reason. Here's Chris' veiw:http://www.nola.com/rose/t-p/index.ssf?/base/living-0/114094123464570.xml
2.26.2006
Happy Mardi Gras
2.22.2006
A Request for my Dear Readers (and Visitors)
Have you traveled by yourself?
If so, where?Did you feel safe?
Are you female?
Have you been to the Grand Canyon? If so, any recommendations on anything around the area? (Accomadations, food, activities, parks, etc.)
Why am I asking all these questions?
It's all quite simple. You see, there's been a lot of changes in my life, changes that have made me question pratically every aspect of my life. The best thing I need to do is to do a little soul searching and I don't think staying at home (AKA New Orleans area) is going to help with that.
I just wish I wasn't so close to graduating from college (Fall 2006). Though should I allow that to delay me from finding out who I now am? (Rhetorical question, folks. No need to answer that one. Though please, feel free to if the need is that strong.)
Who am I? Where am I going? Why can't I have the winning numbers to a $360 million winning lottery ticket?
2.16.2006
SCH-WEET!!
As much as I LOVE Kevin Smith, this test definitely didn't make me look proudly on my life...*sigh*
Than again...KEVIN FREAKING SMITH!! WOO-HOO!!
Kevin Smith Your film will be 52% romantic, 39% comedy, 36% complex plot, and a $ 33 million budget. |
Kevin will take your slacker life and turn it into the cult classic it deserves to be --- like Mallrats (just kidding). If you can handle the menacing presence of Jay and Silent Bob all throughout your film, then Kevin is willing to oblige. Basically, he can take the lives of people who don't have much of a life and make it entertaining, so you're in good hands. Go watch your copy of Clerks, now. |
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My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Director Who Films Your Life Test written by bingomosquito on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
2.15.2006
Because Dave asked for it...
Though wouldn't I technically be "Spider-woman"?
| Spiderman Congratulations! You scored a super 55%! |
| You're hotter than, well, hot-cakes! You've got a fan base bigger than Pam & Tommy, and to tell the truth, you actually don't mind the super-hero gig. Most of the time, anyway. Everyone seems to love their fun, friendly and courageous hero as you swoop in to save the day, time and time again! Unfortunately, swooping and day-saving doesn't help pay the rent, and you're not exactly the "hero-for-hire" type either. Hey, at least you can play down the whole life saving, self sacrificing gig with some neat lil' punchlines and remarks! Juggling both egos becomes a strain at times and whilst you want to help everyone, you're also in search of "me time", often finding yourself having to make constant personal sacrifices in order to protect those around you. Don't fret though! At the end of the day you'll find yourself with the support from either those you rescue or perhaps a close friend or loved one who'll get you by, reminding you of how cool you look in spandex. |
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My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Which SUPER HERO are you Test written by crayzee69 on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test |
V-Day
How was my Valentine's day,you ask? God, was it such a excitefyl evening!! There was so much to do that I rushed home as quickly as my coscience would let me speed. (Gotta watch out for those coppers, you know.)
My evening started off with a much needed diinner of a fine home-mose turkey and cheese po-boy, accompanied wth chips and con queso dip. Yum!! It was followed with the beginning of some delightful readings by Kate Chopin adn Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. (Damn, these women wrote about women who could of benefitted from Valium...greatly benefitted.)
I can't leave out the best part of this; I had to write some pretty darn analysis answers on these girls. What fun was had!!
Of course, all work and no play, blah, blah, blah. So I did take a break by watching Gilmore Girls. Wonderful show!
Though whose evening could be complete without spending 4 hours working a project that is due the next day (in which you find out it wasn't reallly enough time so you would have to skip your first class for the day).
Such a delighful and enchanting I had!!
And you?
2.13.2006
Heh...
Move over Drew, looks like we're gonna be sharing the same space.
Fun Fact:
If you read the rest of javafoofoo's matches, you would find out that she is not only welcomed on Serenity, but also Galactica, Moya, and the Millenium Falcon. I guess she has the pick of the litter! Woo-hoo!
You scored as Serenity (Firefly). You like to live your own way and donâ??t enjoy when anyone but a friend tries to tell you should do different. Now if only the Reavers would quit trying to skin you.
Your Ultimate Sci-Fi Profile II: which sci-fi crew would you best fit in? (pics) created with QuizFarm.com |
2.03.2006
A memo from Gordon Stevens
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse that you must not quit.
1.26.2006
Lookey-look!
My fave movies, AKA movies that I will watch if they come on tv, no matter how many times I have seen it.
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1.22.2006
Just Call Me Tagged
Four Jobs I've Had in My Life
1. Tourist informant
2. waitress
3. ice-cream scooper ( and ice-cream scooper manager!)
4. smoothie maker
Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over, and Have
1. Fight Club
2. The Professional (AKA "Leon")
3. Tombstone
4. Titanic (Don't laugh!! It's a guilty pleasure...)
Four Places I Have Lived
1. Marrero, Louisiana
2. Marrero, Louisiana
3. Marrero, Louisiana
4. I'll give you one guess...
Four TV Shows I Love To Watch
1. Family Guy
2. CSI
3. Smallville
4. Good Eats
Four Places I Have Been On Vacation
1. El Segundo/Los Angeles, California
2. New York City, New York
3. Orlando, Florida
4. Hot Springs, Arkansas
Four Websites I Visit Daily
1. Waiterrant.net
2. Batman on Film
3. A selection of blogs
4. Ebay
Four Favorite Foods
1. Fried Potatoes
2. sauteed vegetables
3. sashimi/sushi
4. dad's gumbo...especially his duck and oyster...mmm
Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now
1. New York City, New York
2. Brandon, Mississippi
3. Grand Canyon, Arizonia
4. New Zealand/Austrailia
Four People Whom I Tag Next
1. Kristen
2. Chun
3. Dan
4. uh...
1.12.2006
A little Overdue
So there I was, trashing files and documents on my computer in which all it was doing was taking up space, when I come across the following. Funny with a touch of truth...and I completely forget I was going to post this, like, about 2 months ago. Oops!
Things I have learned from watching CNN about the hurricane coverage:
1. The hurricane only hit black families property.
2. New Orleans was devastated and no other city was effected by the hurricane.
3. Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down.
4. New Orleans has no white people.
5. The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident.
5. When you are hungry after a hurricane, steal a big screen tv.
7. The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements in New Orleans.
8. Now the city is on welfare and looter and gang free, because they are in your city.
9. Don’t give thanks to the thousand that came to rescue you, instead, bitch because the government hasn’t given you a debit card.
10. Only black families were separated in the hurricane rescue efforts.
11. Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and give you money for being stupid.
1.10.2006
Crashing down
**Warning: This post contains explicit language. Parental guidance is highly suggested...if you care.
I just finished watching the movie Crash not even 30 minutes ago. The last time I cried that hard, I was mourning over my city.
In summary, the movie stirred the shit out of my emotions because it dealt with racism, a subject that is on the top of my list of subjects that make me fucking angry. I never knew that racism was going to be the main theme of the film. It's not like I would not have rented it if i knew, I simply would have been better prepared.
For those of you readers who haven't seen it, rent it. Borrow it. Buy it. I just highly recommend that you get your hands on it.
There were so many disturbing scenes. Many of them makes you reflect on your own life and the experiences that you have had.
One thing I couldn't get out of my mind is my own views. As I stated above, I hate racism with a passion. I strongly dislike people who will simply not open their eyes and see that there is more to life than stereotypical labels. I was shocked to learn about a side of my dad that I never knew existed when, years ago, my parents and I had a casual conversation about dating. After I jokingly stated that there were times when I wanted to date a black guy just to peeve off my somewhat racist grandma. My dad countered with "she's not the one you need to worry about" quite sternly and very seriously. I was speechless. I gave a look to my mom, with her only explanation of my dad's view (which even surprised my mom) was that he was his mother's son. I can't exactly say that makes things any better.
The older I get, the more I realize that society plants the seed for these racist views. I mean that more in the sense of communities. I'm surrounded by a lot of white folk who speak of black people as if they are a disease. Here's an example:
I grew up in the Westminister subdivision down here in LA. My parents bought it less than a year before I was born. I loved growing up there. It was a cultural haven, with a mixture of white, black and Asian people living on our street. (Though I must point out, there really was that many families the were white, maybe 1/3.) The neighborhood was great. It was like a big family. Unfortunately, only five years after being born, a hurricane blew in and flooded the entire subdivision. about 1/3 (no, not the white 1/3, silly) of the neighborhood said the heck with it and moved out. We stayed and watched over the next 15 years a decline in our neighborhoods character. It no longer was diverse, with more black families moving in. The people that moved in didn't seem to be considerate or heck, not even nice. A man called the police on my dad b/c my dad went over to the guy's house to ask him to watch his trash. (It mysteriously kept appearing in our backyard. The guy lived behind us.) We all realized after that, the neighborhood we knew was no more. What kind of neighborhood is it when you can't even settle your problems without the police being involved? We moved about two years after. We lived there for 23 years, and the only thing we were going to miss was our next door neighbor who were there since day one.
Now every once in awhile I get asked where I grew up from my customers at the local restaurant I work at. Now get this, every single time I tell them Westminister, there eyes bug out and the question always arises from their lips, "Isn't that a black neighborhood?" You can here in their voices a "WTF were you doing living there?" The same theory is always told to me that the neighborhood went downhill b/c of "the blacks" moved in. I swear, they talk about them as if they were roaches, those mother-fucking bastards. How small minded can you get?
My upbringing was a combination of people of different cultures, extremely open-minded, and a combination of subtle racists. I seen comedy sketches of a black guy going undercover in the white world simply to see they act different when white is the only color around. Sadly, that is true in some places. I live in a city that has those crowds of people that think just b/c I'm white, I must think the same way they do.
I just wish that people werent so hung up on skin color and statistics. America refers to anyone who's not white to be a minority, when I don' think that's the case at all. It's us open-minded folk, who see what's going on around here. Those of us that can't seem to figure out when it will all end. It probably never will because we mainly live in a close-minded neighborhood.
1.03.2006
Good Day Sunshine
I'm in such a great mood today! It's a strange winter day in which it is a perfect 65%. You can't be that.
I just wish I was in this mood Saturday night. And I wish I didn't have so many housechores to do. I wanna go outside and play, WAHHH!!
Editor's note: "65%" link shall only work for today, January the third...unless we luck out again tomorrow!!
1.01.2006
Just another day...
I was hoping to put something fresh or new or simply interesting here for the new day, but lo and behold. Eh...
I can't dwell into the tremendous fun I had partying last night in celebration of today, because nothing went down. Heck, just in case you out of towners haven't heard, it was a tad on the foggy side down here. If i had a digital camera, I could've shown you. Alas, I's don't.
I don't have any words of wisdom to pass on or some silly reflection of the year gone by, because it would be just that, silly. Heck, I'm pretty sure I'll be spending a number of years reflecting on the last one.
What I will say is have a good day. And if not, don't let it bring ya down. Every day will turn out like every other, simply a day in the past.
12.27.2005
Queen Angie, the Outspoken
After a morning of finding out that I was not needed at work, I then came to find out that I had nothing planned for the day. What to do...what to do...
I ended up calling CK up with a request of accompanying my bored azz to the movies, where we could see how good that Narnia movie is said to be. (I felt a little antsy; King Kong was not a barrel of monkeys...)
On my way to pick up CK I discovered that children are complete idiots when it comes to riding their bikes in high traveled traffic areas. This kid stopped his riding in the middle of the street not even two feet away from the sidewalk, so he could lick the ice-cream that was dripping down his fingers. His two friends rode around him, waiting for him to complete this important task, while they all saw me driving not even a block away, and made no attempt to move. Where the hell are the parents when their kids were riding and stopping in the middle of the streets even when a car was coming? Huh? WHERE?? Dare I say, I tried to scare the tweens by getting as close as possible as I could to them with my car, though I learned that didn't phase them one bit.
I continued my drive to CK's hut, picked him up, and we headed out the the theatre. That was after another run-in with the idiots. This time they were on the move, swerving back in forth in the street, looking back every once in awhile to spot the lucky person who would get to run them over. I related my initial run-in with them to CK, though was completely dumb struck when Kid Lick stopped, again, in the middle of the road, again, and licked his fingers, again. I gave a hearty "you've got to be shitting me" laugh and pulled up aside Kid Lick to instruct him on the laws of cycling. It's a shame I didn't speak his language, because from the look he gave me, he must've not spoken english.
Oh well, off to Narnia! (After a McNugget stop that is...mmm, McNugget...)
The movie turned out to be delightfully wonderful, with only one con: the moron who sat on my row. (No, not CK...sheesh.)
About 70 minutes into this movie, the moron pulled out her phone and could be heard loud and clearly saying, "Yea", "No", "Uh-huh", all followed by me going, "Excuse me...EXCUSE ME! SHHH!!(commence pointing finger to movie screen in a slight reminder to moron that there's a movie taking place.) I got the feeling that this one understood english by the way she quieted down, while sinking into her seat. I swear, nothing can pull you out of a period piece quicker than someone going, "Yea." I wish I had a cattle prod...
12.25.2005
12.24.2005
The Goose is Getting Fat
It has been spoken with many a co-workers, friends, and family, that Christmas has come just too darn quickly this year. Though for many, many, many of us, that is a sentiment felt year after year, I feel that this year it especially rings true with the disappearance of September.
2005 Christmas Revelations:
1. Chocolate is beleived to be the fundamental required gift of many a persons during the season. I currently have about 5pds of the deliciously evil stuff in my home, and I'm sure to receive more.
2. Company Christmas parties can become really fun when the invitation list consists of only those who work at the company and not those that the company is smoozing (AKA kissing up to). Oh, that and also about 3 Vodka Collins can do the same.
3. While CK confesses that he really, really loved the "Adventures of Superman : Season One" DVD I gave him as a gift, it will nver ever beat his own gift of getting a car. (Finally!!)
4. Speaking of CK, it has also come to my attention that he has a hidden power to seduce the girls, which did not make Satcey too happy. ;)
5. Satcey's friend Em is a fun woman to hang with...especially when she's drinking.
6. Santa and the wife are apparently having marriagable problems. (Well, either that or she doesn't mind his loose ways.)
All in all, this has been one heck of a year with surprise after surprise after surprise. The year in reveiw blog will come next week, so instead,
HAVE A HECK OF A HAPPY HOLIDAY!!
HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
HAVE A GRANDE OL' TIME!!
Oh, and good luck with the family. Now I shall end with my all time favorite Christmas song (sung to the tune of the Twelve Days of Christmas) which is also a new Orleans classic!
THE TWELVE YATS OF CHRISTMAS
(Benny "Grunch" Antin) Anzel Anzel, BMI
1. On'da foist day'a Christmas mah
Mawmaw gave'to me a Crawfish'dey
Caught in Arabi
2. In'da Christmas Picayune I seen it
Dere'n Section E, Tujaque's Recipe
3. On'da thoid day' a Christmas we
Stopped at McKenzie for Three French Breads
4. On the fourth day I said OK let's get a
Christmas tree Before'ya Drive Me Nuts
5. On the fifth day of Christmas we
stopped at A&G for Frrried Onion Rrrings
6. On'da sixth day'a Christmas we
stopped at K&B's for a Six Pack'a Dixie
7. Cemetery traffic got backed up to
Metairie at the Seventeenth Street Canal
8. On'da eighth day of Christmas me and
Rosalie Ate By'ya Mama's
9. On the ninth day of Christmas we drove
down Delery in'da Lower Ninth Ward
10. I used'ta be at Kaiser now I'm woikin
down'da street at'da Tenneco Chalmette Refinery
11. On the eleventh day at Vetran's
Highway try'ta cross the street with Eleven Schwegmann Bags
12. On the twelfth day of Christmas my
true love gave to me a Dozen Manuel's Tamales
12.15.2005
Merry Christmas!!
It's never too early too early (in the month of December) (ONLY in the month of December) to celebrate Christmas!
12.06.2005
The Outer Limits: Part I
I'm off work today and tomorrow. It was hard not to take advantage of this beautiful 60 degree weather we're having down here by taking a little drive around the city.
It turned out to be quite revealing.
I asked CK to join me since two is better than one, and we toured Uptown, Riverbend, the French Quarter, City Park, Esplanade Ave., Canal Street/Boulevard, Lakeveiw and Westend. I really wish I had my camera with me.
We started out with a drive down St. Charles Avenue, with the destination being this great sushi place on Oak Street. The avenue really was pretty darn nice. There was trees missing here and there, though it was the complete absence of the St. Charles Streetcar that proved to be a little unnerving. We drove just waiting to see a streetcar that wasn’t going to pop up any time soon.
Speaking of unnerving, we took a stroll through the French Quarter after lunch. I had a main objective of satisfying this major craving I’ve been having for a cup of java at my most beloved coffee shop in the entire city. (Ask CK all about how freaking giddy I was when I found out that they were indeed open!) As we were taking our steps into the Quarter itself, I couldn't help but take notice of something that was missing: music.
We were on the very corner of the famous Jackson Square and not a peep, not a single note could be heard in the air. If you've never been to the Quarter, let me just tell you, it's down right scary for the only sounds to be heard are the vehicles that are occupying the road. Jackson Square is famous not only for the St. Louis cathedral that crowns the top of the park, but also for the many artists and musicians that set up around the area day in and day out. You could find at least one artist on the Square even at one o'clock o a Tuesday morning. Now all that could be found were vehicles, which pre-Katrina, was not allowed. CK expressed his disappointment with me for bringing up this observation.. Apparently I answered his unspoken question on "what's wrong with this picture." This outing was his second time to post-Katrina Quarter, and he couldn't figure out what was wrong when he last was there. I figured it out. Anyway, we headed to my java spot and ended up chatting with the owner for a bit, which ended with the guy suggesting that we drive up Canal Street/Boulevard to see the damage that was endured up there.
At least 45% of the places we drove by were unlivable.
You see, Canal is scattered with businesses that eventually dissolve into beautiful homes as you drive further up the street, going toward Lake Ponchatrain. In post-Katrina New Orleans, you could now spy the dried up evidence of where the flood waters decided to stop at as you drove up the street. The stain gradually moved up from one foot, to two feet, to three, four, and five. Inside some of the structures we could see homes that were gutted out, nothing but their skeletons remaining. Two things went through my head.
1. Thank freaking god this did not take place in my hometown across the Mississippi. The Westbank--well, most of it--lucked out greatly. I was so glad I didn't have to see my parents react to what could've been. They just bought a new house a little over a year ago due to the downfall of our old neighborhood. For years, they would speak of a misjudged decision to stay in that neighborhood after a category 1 hurricane flooded the crap out of our neighborhood back in 1985.
Those pictures you see on your left-hand screen is what went down. Our house was elevated about 4 feet higher than the average home in the subdivision and we still got two feet in our house. (I want to also mention that before the subdivision was built it used to be a swamp. Needless to say, my old neighborhood got hit horribly for Katrina. heck, any place in the city that used to be a swamp got flooded.) It took about four months to fix up the place before we could live back in it.
That first week after the Katrina hit, during the family's evacuation, my mom spoke fearfully that if our home flooded again, that was it. She wasn't going to stick around to gut out and fix up the place again. I'm pretty sure that type of feeling is what many have felt with Katrina. If you been through it once, chances are you don't want to go through it again.
2. Potential Real Estate. I felt kinda bad for thinking this, but it was hard not to. I think ever since I was 15, when I first experienced the exquisitely beautiful homes that are in uptown/garden District, i wanted to be a part of that history. One of my main goals in life is to purchase an antique, one hundred or more years, home and restore it than call it home. In the wake of Katrina, many homes will end up being abandoned due to feelings that have been stated above.
As bad as things were out there, it was hard not to crack a smile at a local's inspirational phrase that was spray painted across his house: F U Katrina.
12.01.2005
Life's Lessons
Lesson of the day:
Mischeif can lead to exaggeration.
The other day, some co-workers and I delve into the land of "you know you're not suppose to do that" by tasting/drinking an alcoholic beverage at work. I must mention that this was on company time. Like I said, into the land of "you know you're not suppose to do that."
The restaurant I work at was physically a small place, and at the time, we had no customers. Earlier that day, due to our bartender not being on the clock yet, a waitress (we'll call her Elle) made a few White Russians for some customers. They ordered numerous White Russians from her. Later that day, during the time i refer to, we asked Elle if she could make another one so we could taste it and she happily obliged.
We discoverd why the customers ordered numerous drinks.
We discovered that she offered a taste to a waitress that was in the kitchen.
We discovered that our cook noticed this.
None of this would have been that bad except that our dishwasher said that he noticed a customer storm out of the restaurant.
Now not one of us waitresses noticed this, which we would of, because the seating area was directly behind us. We heard about the "so-called" customer about ten minutes after the taste test took place. I do not cut back on the tasting by calling it that. A few sips was all that was had.
Of course, our manager found out about this the next day. The story that she heard was practically told to her as "the girls were making/drinking mixed drinks at the bar and neglected a customer."
BULLSHIT!
All of us waitresses were informed by the manager on that fateful day on how stupid a decision that was to do what we did. If we do it agian, we fired!
To Ms. Manager: Good decision. The main fault was that we had alcohol on the job. I know that no matter how little it may be, you're not suppose to that. Very much, our bad.
The one thing about the reprimanding that really irked me was that a fellow co-worker confirmed the entire thing. She wasn't even there during the so-called incident. She came in later that evening!!
Grrr...I really hate that woman.
Now that I have reflected on the matter, I should change the lesson learned:
You should always follow your mantra when it comes to never doing anything against the rules for no matter how little or rare an occasion it is, you will get caught.
11.22.2005
Second hand drive to fate
I just returned from a failed expedition to find a really good wool coat for the winter. The objective was pretty damn simple: go to Burlington Coat factory, look at coats, return home. We all know that most things are not as simple as they seem.
I called the trustworthy mom up to ask what locales on the Westbank would be open for business. Ever since Katrina, most places have been boarded and closed (like Mr. Burlington), leaving the only place to go to being the dreaded Metairie/Kenner. There’s just so many extra folk around. New Orleans is starting to have traffic that can vie with Los Angeles. It has become that bad.
well, after explaining to mom that “no. Burlington will not be opening anytime later this afternoon” she suggested the Riverwalk mall. For those of you readers who are unfamiliar with this shopping center, it’s located downtown, right along the Mississippi River, on the edge of the french Quarter. Mainly a mall put there with the mission to attract tourists, us locales have heard that it has just recently opened up its’ doors. I figured what the heck, and decided to wait in the traffic that laid ahead that would end with me to the Riverwalk.
Now this was to be the first time since Katrina in which I went downtown. Prior to her, I would go down at least every other week, no fewer than once a month. i did work in that area for the past six years, though I was just recently transferred to another part of the city about six months ago. What I’m mainly getting across here is that downtown is like a second home to that. heck, I’m more familiar with that area than i am with my own home town!!
The route I ended up taking to the mall with be down a street called Convention Center Boulevard which, if you haven’t figured it out yet, ran along the Ernest Memorial Convention Center. It was the quickest route to the mall. Un-expectantly, my stomach dropped the second I begun to turn onto the street.
It wasn’t in disarray, though there were parts that still needed a little mending, but what happened was I was suddenly flooded with the images that CNN streamed violently across the nation (and world’s) television sets during the days that followed our levees breaking. I kept seeing images of hundreds of people waiting in misery for help that took too damn long to come. I recollected the pictures and stories of bodies that were left dead among the stretch while people waited. I felt sick.
I drove on, looking for an entrance to a nearby parking lot, but do to the way cars were parked in a mixed up fashion, it was had to find an entrance, or to even see if it was opened. the search led me into the French Quarter, where my stomach dropped even more. It wasn’t like the streets were abandoned, but compared to pre-Katrina, it was eerily empty. Harrah’s casino was boarded up as if never to reopen again. Construction crews and machinery were scattered about. There were few cars and few people to be seen and I’m pretty darn sure I saw a tumbleweed roll across Canal Street. I couldn’t take it. I barely drove ten blocks downtown, but I already wanted to head back. I did.
I sit here writing, realizing that maybe I’m not really ready to satisfy my curiosity by driving through New Orleans east. I realize now why the bars are the current most popular attraction with us locals. I realize now that I should’ve taken a different route downtown. C’est le vie.
