Voodoo Charm

Dear Adele,

2011-10-26T17:57:00.000-07:00

Thank you for saying this:

"My life is full of drama and I won’t have time to worry about something as petty as what I look like. I don’t like going to the gym.

‘I like eating fine foods and drinking nice wine. Even if I had a really good figure, I don’t think I’d get my t**s and a** out for no one.

‘I love seeing Lady Gaga’s boobs and bum. I love seeing Katy Perry’s boobs and bum. Love it. But that’s not what my music is about. I don’t make music for eyes, I make music for ears.’"

Thank you for being beautiful and sassy and and not apologizing for any of it. Thank you for reminding us there's so much more to worry about that the number on the scale and being healthy is better than being thin (minus those cigarettes ;-). And mostly, thank you for that gorgeous voice!

Love,

Pam

Dear Microwave Chocolate Mug Cake,

2011-10-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you for fulfilling my desires for both chocolate and laziness on a Monday night. You really are the best of both worlds.

Love,

Pam

Fall is for lovers....

2009-11-21T16:49:00.000-08:00

The colors of fall are by far some of the most beautiful you can see. The sun covers everything with a honey colored sweetness and a warmth that you want to wrap yourself up in. Even high noon feels like evening in the fall. It's that lovely golden tint, the coloring I get when I wear my sunglasses. I love that coziness. It makes me think of sweaters and hot chocolate and crunchy leaves. It's the kind of light that inspires artists to create and me to attempt to capture it on film, but of course, it never looks quite right. Fall is the prefect time to fall in love. Or to be in love.

A New Month...already?!

2009-11-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

Oh dear, my blog seems to have missed the entire month of October. I feel I've kind of missed it too, so perhaps that is appropriate.

But here we are, another month beginning and a day closer to 2010 (terrifying thought!) and almost 2 months since I've moved to DC. It feels like ages ago that I set out on my drive, excited for another adventure and hopeful at the prospect of finding a job relatively quickly.

Well, still no job. Some days that's harder than others simply because when you hear nothing back from anyone you, naturally start to get a bit discouraged. In total, I have applied to 86 jobs so far in the time I have been here and have been called for one interview (which I heard nothing back from). So it's frustrating to sit here and feel very unwanted and very underqualified for anything I would think to apply to. What irks me the most is that I feel like I could do these jobs, but I can't find a way in. Grrrrrr.

But I'm not going to sit here and whine; there are plenty of others out there in the same boat and some of those have more worries than me. So in addition to continuing my applications, I'll be looking for a part time job so I can keep myself out there in the working world, have some type of income, and prevent myself from going crazy sitting in the house all day. Plus, now Dan will be starting his job and I'll be alone? No, too boring. I need activities to do.

So working on some good old goal setting here, things to do, both work related and fun related, hobbies, books to read, maybe some classes to look for, new recipes to try ( I absolutely love to cook!), etc.

New month, new goals, hopefully a new job. Man I'm turning into a boring person.

Happy November to all of you and and interesting Sunday night :-)

An Ode to National Parks

2009-09-29T10:45:00.000-07:00

The past two nights I have been watching the lovely new documentary by Ken Burns, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea" and I've fallen in love. Not that I didn't love nature or parks or national things before, but I'm just enamored with the history of how they were founded. What's so crazy is that at the time they were no big deal, just another day a the office for law makers when they passed the bills handing over thousands of acres to the federal government for protection.

What has also been facinating in these first two episodes is the part John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt played in creating these parks. John Muir is the man. Let's just get that out there. He was an American transplant from his native Scotland who had so much love and respect for the natural world it's almost impossibe to put into words. Nature was to him a cathedral of sorts, a celebration of God, and thus something inherently sacred that was to be protected. It was upon seeing the Sierra Nevada that he experienced the power of nature on the human soul and was transformed into it's most vocal and eloquent protector.

And it is perhaps thanks to Muir that we have Teddy Roosevelt to thank for creating so many parks during his time in office. They spent 3 nights camping together in Yosemite where they talked, argued, and created a lasting bond that we can celebrate with abandon. Roosevelt even saved the Grand Canyon from most certain overuse and destruction due to mining and building, something that locals were not too happy about at the time, but I'd say ended up working out okay.

So here's a toast to two great men and all the others who were instrumental in the creation of these parks to preserve the beauty we all need and perhaps don't give enough thought to in our daily lives.

Picking Apples in Virginia

2009-09-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

Apples are one of my favorite fruits- actually definitly top two. They are juicy, beautifully round, a variety of colors, and give the most satisfying crunch when you bite into them. But I've never been to an orchard or picked a ripe apple from a tree. This just seemed all wrong. Dan and I rectified this problem today when we drove to a small farm in Virginia to go apple picking. And it was wonderful!

The cloudy fall day turned sunny by the time we arrived at the farm, which was hopping with others eager to pick out some apples. Seeing the farm so busy was wonderful- people supporting a local farm, getting some fresh produce, and enjoying the outdoors. When we walked up to the check in site there was the most amazing smell I have ever smelled. We figured out it was fresh baked apple pie. I can't describe to you how good this smelled; I could have happily sat there all day simply sniffing the air and have been content. But there were apples to be picked.

We checked in, got a map of the orchard and tips on which varieties were in season, and picked up our apple picking tool- basically a clawed basket on the end of a long pole. And we were off. It was so much fun walking amongst the trees, picking apples with my bare hands or using our long clawed basket to pick some from high up in the tops of the trees. We spent a good hour and a half walking up the rows trying to find the best apples and trying not to fall on all the ones that had already fallen to the ground.

Storm clouds were moving into the Shenendoa Valley by that point so we paid for our apples and then explored the little store, looking at pumpkins, preserves, jams, jellys, salsas, butters and salad dressing made with the fruit they grow on their farm throughout the year. They all looked amazing and I was salivating over pumpkin butter, apple butter, blackberry preserves, raspberry jelly, and the like. Then we stumbled upon the pies- oh the smell! The crumbly goodness! We didn't get a pie ( I have my own apples to use after all) but we did indulge in cinnamon and sugar doughnuts that were divine.

So now I have about 8lbs of apples to eat, bake, and cook up. Dan doesn't eat fruit so I'll be eating all of this on my own (though I think if I bake a pie he'd probably eat some:-). Now I can't wait to go pumpkin picking in October.

Librarians

2009-09-21T17:25:00.000-07:00

I had no idea you had to go to school to be a librarian. I thought they were simply people, like me, with a love of the printed word who actually understood the Dewey decimal system. After coming across several librarian positions in my job searches that I was excited to apply for (Getting paid to play with books all day! How marvelous!) I found I was underqualified as no amount of resume editing or cover letter wording can get me past the mandate that I must have a Masters of Library Sciences in order to apply for said jobs.

Bummer.

I had no idea a Masters of Library Science even existed. I don't think I'll be pursuing that line of advanced study, but I think I'm a little bit better person knowing that it's out there.

So alas I think I will not be helping some student gather research books or shelving 18th century English Literature. For now I'll have to stick with being the reader...if only I could figure out how to get paid for that life would be perfect.

Greeting from the Capital

2009-09-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

So here we are again, starting out in a new city with new people (though there are some lovely familiar faces around that I am estatic to see) all over again. Just can't seem to stay in once place very long can I? Freshly moved into a rental in the DC area with the boyfriend (shocking, I know) for all of one week and life has already set itself into a routine, though if I have my way it'll be a lot more interesting soon.

The all important job search continues on as it does for so many people and I'm heartened to say that there are a lot of jobs in the metro area, hundreds and hundreds to look through daily trying to find the ones I am qualified for and the ones I'm not but that sounds really cool anyway. Since this is the first true job search on which I've embarked I can't complain too much other than it's more stressful than I thought and I never realized how difficult it would be to try and stand out to employers. Though I do my best with the cover letters and resume's, trying to imbue them with some spark that will catch an employer's eye, I never feel they're good enough. But practice makes perfect and with almost 50 sent out already I'd say I'm getting some excellent practice.

Since all of this work takes place cooped up in our room I've been trying to breathe some fresh air at least once a day, although today looks a little too gloomy for that. I went on my first 20 mile bike ride last week and almost died. Not literally, but there were a few soul sucking hills that I'll admit I had to walk my bike up because it was too late in the ride and my poor thighs were about to fall off my legs. It really was nice though- DC has some fabulous bike trails and they are paved and wonderful and there are no pot holes. A far cry from riding in New Orleans, but that does mean there are some serious riders out there. Plus, we got some great views of the city and of airplanes taking off from Regan National Airport. All in all a successful ride I think.

And that is probably about the most interesting things life has to offer at the moment. I have been exercising some cooking skills since, well, let's be honest, I have a lot of time on my hands and if I looked for jobs for 15 hrs a day I would be mad as a march hare. Plus, Dan likes to cook too so it's one more sickeningly adorable couple thing we can do. I know, it's gross, but you like it :-)

On that note, a lovely evening to you all.

Do You Know What it Means.....

2009-07-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

...To Miss New Orleans?

Well I'll know the feeling all to well in a few days when I leave the city for new adventures elswhere. Tomorrow is my last day of work at OHH and my last day as an LTV, which is so weird. I've gotten so used to being a volunteer here, building houses in the heat, I won't know what to do with myself if I'm not dirty and sweaty.

Everything I can say about my time here is going to sound trite and overused, about how much fun it's been and how much I've learned (both very true by the way). I came here knowing nothing more about building a house than how to paint the walls and hang a few pictures here and there; now I can do pretty much everything except the initial framing- pretty sweet if I do say so myself.

Then there are the people I've worked with, the other LTV's and the staff. We've lived together and worked together for a year, had our ups and downs, laughed together, cried together, and had way more fun than should even be legal. It was like an intensified version of the 4 years of college and I can't imagine my life without any of these people. They are what's making this goodbye the hardest, just as it was hard to say goodbye to the friends I'd been with for 4 years at Elon.

Then there are the homeowners I've helped, the many I never knew very well and the ones I got to know. I worked on 2 houses from start to finish, one the homeowner is moved into already and one that is probably going to close in the next week. I didn't think it was going to be a big deal for me to leave before my homeowner had moved in, but I'm really bummed. I want to see him and his stuff in the house I worked on; i guess pictures will have to do.

I think my supervisor said it best when he called us all a family, a "band of brothers" if you will and that's true. We're not at war here, but everything we've been through has bonded us in ways you can't really understand unless you've been through it all. It's the blood, sweat, tears, laughs, hurricanes, and summer heat that we've worked through; the list could go on fo ages. Suffice to say it's been one hell of a ride and the stories will only get better with time.

Au Revoir New Orleans

Summer is here

2009-06-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have realized I am a terrible blogger since it's been over 2 months since I've posted anything at all and I have no iea where that time has gone! My time here in New Orleans is starting to wind down ( I leave in about 2 months) and I feel as if I've just scratched the surface of this crazy city and the work I'm doing. Days are pretty much the same as always...except much too hot and humid these June days. It wipes you out and I've definitly been doing a lot of nothing these evenings trying to recover from the day. This week I'm working on putting down laminate flooring in my house. Each of us here has been assigned a house that we'll work on from start to finish and we are on to flooring in mine! I'm so excited. It's totally dorky to tell you I'm excited about flooring (just wait until I start putting down tile) but it's one step closer to finishing the house and getting my homeowner back in, which is what we're here for.

No crew this week, just myself and 3 other LTV's working away on the floors. Laminate is not as easy as I thought it was going to be, but we all just learned is yesterday and are doing pretty darn well. This morning was kinda rough, but by the afternoon we were flying and finished 1 huge room and almost a 2nd. Only a 1/2 day tomorrow so we probably won't finish, but I'm there next week so maybe by then it'll be finished.

The rest of life is quiet for the most part.

Punch Out

2009-04-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

When you hear punch out, what do you think? Obviously, punching someone out is the first thing that comes to mind for most of us, but in the rebuilding world it's not just about that (we wouldn't be very effective if we walked around punching people all day now would we?). Punch out is the last step in the building process, what happens pretty much right before the final walk-through and move in day for the home owner. It is also, in my experience, really frustrating. One wouldn't think this to be the case since it is really just a whole bunch of small, last minute things that need to be finished up at the house before it is deemed "finished" and that is the reason- it's a lot of little things on a list that seems to never end. You can think you have everything done and then poof! something else pops up. It's never-ending.

However, I've found that I never get bored doing punch out work for the same reasons- there's always a lot to do and many different things at that. Yesterday, for example, I put in door knobs (really easy and really fun!), sealed some tile (probably the most tedious thing ever! There must be a better way), and did some touch up painting. Today, at the same house I put in door stops (also fun and easy!), cleaned some tile, painted some trim, and scraped paint off of some windows. I know, I know, this does not sound like the most envigorating work in the world but it's all essential and with so much variety the day goes by very fast. Plus, I have a crew with me who is lots of fun. Yesterday they brought bubbles and hula hoops so we had play time during lunch, then the ice cream man stopped by and they bought us ice cream. Did I mention this is a group of adults? And you wonder why I love my job :-)

Crash

2009-03-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

I've lived in many places that have pretty bad drivers, though it seems everywhere you go there are some bad apples in the bunch. New Orleans has some of the worst I have say- they just don't follow the rules of the road or even pay attention it seems. I've also been lucky to have never been in a seious car wreck in my life, a few bumps here and there, but never anything terrible....until this past Friday that is.

My boyfriend and I were driving home after eating dinner, taking a side street to get where we needed to go. As we were driving through an intersection where we did not have a stop sign but the intersecting street did a car blew through the stop sign and t-boned into us. It hit on the passenger side (my side since Dan was driving) and spun us 180 degrees and up onto the sidewalk. The side of the car was crunched in pretty badly and I had to shove while Dan pulled to get the door open. Luckily everyone in both cars was pretty much fine; I've been sore for the past few days and have some pretty impressive bruises from the seatbelt but other than that we were pretty freakin' lucky.

This was definitly one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me and I'll be a very happy person if it never happens again. My mom asked me if I cried when it happened and all I could think was Of Course! It was scary! Driving has become a little more nerve-wracking these past few days and intersections still make me wary, but I can't exactly not drive places now can I? It all just happened so fast and I'm extremely lucky that I can write to you all this(not terribly exciting) post. So wear your seatbelts because they really do help and love to you all :-)

Valentine's Day

2009-02-17T17:20:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. Everyone hates Valentine's Day. I think if you say you like the holiday people would probably shun you as a sap and a sell out. Well I had a wonderful Valentine's Day this year, not just because I had someone to spend it with (we road a tandem bike around the city all day. It was awesome) but because I could set aside a moment in my busy life to think about all the people I care about. Yes, you should tell the ones you love how you feel everyday, but seems we forget to do that more and more as time goes on. We get used to having people around, forgetting to express how much they mean to us. So what if we all agree to make it a day not about candy hearts and flowers, but just about recognizing the people in our lives who truly mean something to us, not just a lover, but also friends, sisters, parents, pets, who cares! So in that regard I fully support a day where we stop and say I Love You to the people who deserve it most. To all of you out there who I care about, I'm so happy to have you in my life in one way or another. You mean the world to me and I don't tell you that enough.

Not so easy in the Big Easy

2009-02-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

The Big Easy and I have had a bit of a contentious relationship since I arrived here almost 6 months ago (where has the time gone!?). It seems I'm either loving everything or I just want to jump in my car and run away; rarely am I able to find a middle ground to stand on. This is both good and bad because it's a difficult thing to always be feeling so opposite all the time or even at the same time, but also because this tension in me reflects something of the city in which I have chosen to spend my time. It is a remarkable city, one I often feel I'm taking for granted. However, while talking to my crew this week I've gotten to see the city through their eyes and it makes me appreciate it even more. For instance, my crew is from New Jersey and they think everyone is SOOOOOOO nice here compared to at home; I'm just used to it and wish people would just hurry up.

But then we met this nice woman in a Burger King bathroom (you never know where you're going to meet interesting people so don't judge). She's a garbage truck driver and the first thing she said to us was "I know you all must be from out of town because no one around here does volunteer work." This really struck me because it's not the first time I've heard this from a local and it's something I've noticed as well. She said people here just don't volunteer and it's a shame because there are a lot of people just sitting around, how she would be out there helping but she's obviously working everyday and can't, and how she appreciates what we're all doing.

This is definitely something I know I've struggled with since I've been here- how can all these able bodied people just sit around and not do anything all day, not be helping to rebuild their beloved city? It drives me crazy. I was talking with a friend about this and it almost feels like there's a way of thinking that says someone will come help or the government will fix it, almost a sense of entitlement. As if perhaps they are owed something they shouldn't have to work for. Now of course these are just my ramblings on what I've been thinking about and of course there are a lot of hard working people here who are doing the best that they can. But sometimes it's hard to see.

Saying that, this is still a unique city with more character than it knows what to do with. I only hope I can come to terms with this volatile relationship before my time here is up. Hopefully there is a truce coming between New Orleans and myself....we'll just have to wait and see.

Playing with knives and mud

2009-02-05T17:11:00.000-08:00

It's been a long few weeks and I'm definitly feeling a little drained right about now (a.k.a. I've been taking more bathroom and water breaks on the job these days). However, I'm extremely excited with the progress of the house I'm working on. This house is one I've been at for about 4 weeks now, doing everything from putting in the insulation to hanging the drywall to now mudding and taping the seams and corners, something I've never done before. This mudding business has me a little conflicted because when we started I was so excited- my house has walls and now we're making them look seamless and ready for painting!! How awesome! And it really is a lot of fun, but it feels very tedious at this point; you have to put 3 coats of mud over everything and sand in between each coat once the mud is dry. And I used to think you just put up a wall and that was a wall. Who knew there was so much that went into making a wall look like what we're used to seeing in a finished house. So I'm a little tired of this part of the process at the moment, but it really is looking great and I'm so proud of all the crews that have worked on this house to this point. Plus, we're starting to put in the flooring there next week which is wonderful!

Seriously though, I'd heard mudding what not too hard to learn but it was hard to be good at and now I truly understand. You really do have to have the right touch to make these seams look good and the better you are at putting the mud on properly the less you have to sand and sanding sucks, so this is actually very important. Plus, you wouldn't think it would be that tiring, but I am pooped. My wrists are killing me from bending the mud knives into corners and holding a trowle full of drywall mud around all day. And my poor hands are so dry. But you can see what you've accomplished at the end of the day, which I really like.

In between work and sleep I'm trying to keep up with everything else I should be doing in my life but I seem to be falling behind all the time (there is a wonderful boy in the picture these days so that's taking up some time, but I can't say I mind :-). So appologies to everyone for my slacking on communication- I've always been bad at that but I;m really trying to get better. Also, still trying to decide what I want to do next year, so if you have any ideas you should tell me cause I am in need!

Other that that life is good, Mardi Gras season is in full swing (I'm going to my first parade on Saturday!) and I'm enjoying my time here in the Big Easy. I hope you are enjoying yourself where ever you are.

Avoiding Reality

2009-01-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

This post is coming about because I'm looking at possibly programs to apply for once my time here in NOLA is over and if I don't take a break I might just start crying from the frustration. I have signed up for a year here at OHH, which means I should be finishing up sometime in July (I've already been here almost 5 months and cannot believe how time has flowm by!). Originally I didn't think there would ever be any question that once my time here was over that would be it and I would move on.

As you might guess it doesn't feel like it can be that simple anymore, thus the frustrations. Slowly and creapily this job and this city and these people have gotten under my skin and I'm not sure leaving is going to be as easy as originally planned. I have (literally) given my blood, sweat, and tears to these past few months of intensified living, thus my desire to possibly stay here another year as an AmeriCorps volunteer this time. That way I would be making about double what I am now and also gaining a grant I could use towards graduate school the following year. At the same time I'm wondering if I shouldn't find a different program, something that may be more along the lines of the career I will eventually pursue (ah, if only I could make up my mind about that as well). Needless to say, I'm torn to pieces about this.

So we'll see where we end up at the end of all this. For now, it's back to searching the web and hoping I can make up my mind. A belated happy new years to all of you!

An Epic Day

2008-12-11T10:43:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those epically amazing days that you never see coming? Today is one of those days. It was already going to be a good day because we were going into work a little late for some training we were to have. Translation: sleeping later that normal, which is a beautiful thing. Anyway, I woke up about the same time as I normally do to take a peek out my window and check the weather, hoping for rain so I wouldn't have to paint outside today. I didn't have my glasses on, so all I could see was lots of white haze and I thought it was just really foggy. Good enough for me, so I rolled over and went back to sleep. Next thing I know I hear my phone beep, telling me I have a text, so I roll over an look at my phone. One of my housemates wrote "Holy Shit! Look out your window". Weird request, but okay. IT'S SNOWING!!!! I hear my friend in the next room yell and then we're all up looking out the windows and freaking out. Now those of you from the South understand that this is a big deal- it hasn't snowed here in 4 years!

So everyone is freaking out, getting excited, and trying to get ready to go to this meeting we're supposed to be having. We all get out to the parking lot, admiring the snow on all the cars, and then it happens. The most epic snowball fight in New Orleans (okay, well maybe just at OHH, but it was awesome). I haven't played in the snow in ages and to be here doing that is so unexpected that it just makes you happy. Plus, almost everyone I work with got involved, which just made it 10 times better. I do have to admit that I lost so bad in the fight- I was used as a human shield more than once and had snow shoved in my face more times than I care to admit. Yet it was still the most fun I've had, even while being soaked from head to toe.

Sitting in the meeting was excruciating- we all just wanted to go out and play, which we did once the meeting was over. Hoping that work was going to be cancelled and we could play, our top supervisor called us into a meeting where someone shoved snow down my shirt. Then he said the magic words- "School's Cancelled!!" (technically work, but who cares) and we all cheered like 7-year olds. We then did what any adults would do- planned out how we could go sledding. Not a lot of hills in New Orleans, but there are levees, so we grabbed some shovels and a plastic bin and headed to the lake to try and sled. Didn't work as well as we would have hoped and it was freezing, but man was it fun slipping and sliding up the hills and fighting off the wind.

Eventually we had to give up because we were so wet and cold that toes were starting to go numb and my butt was tingling from being so wet and cold. So we all made our way over to Starbucks for some hot chocolate and coffee and something to warm our bodies since our souls were already glowing pretty brightly.

Oh, and this was all before noon. So now I've got the rest of the day free to enjoy with my friends here, doing whatever we want and just being happy with life, right here in this moment. I hope all of you out there can have a day like this one, loving your friends, acting like a child, and loving every minute. Happy Holidays!!!

Here comes winter, but you still have to paint

2008-12-07T15:19:00.000-08:00

So I haven't written in awhile, with no good excuse other than I've been ignoring my inspiration when ever it pops up. Wintertime has hit New Orleans, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. Now that may not seem too cold to some of you, but trust me, when you're up on a ladder all day painting a house it can feel a lot colder.Work has been going along as usual, with lots of exterior painting for me. Mostly it's been alright, with some fun crews to work with and lots of work being completed. I can't believe it's almost Christmas and I've been here a little less than 4 months- it seems like I've been doing this forever and I've been with these people for years. But life is good down here and i'll have to write more about some of the jobs we've been doing- I'm turning into a rebuilding dork, even asking for a Home Depot gift card for Christmas! It gets under your skin around here.

Flooring is my new passion

2008-11-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

I have found a new love for the week- bamboo flooring. It is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen and it is making the house we're working on look so good. Plus it is so much fun to lay; the day flew by and we even ended up working late just to finish up the room we were working on. We even had some wonderful new tools to use today and this really nice nail gun that was so much fun to use. Today was also the first time I used a chop saw and I did not lose any fingers! Even managed to cut some flooring pretty well if I do say so myself :-)

Working with the Sisters

2008-10-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

I love my crew this week, let's just start with that. They are a group of older women ( though I didn't know how old until today- some are in their 60's!) all affilliated with the Sisters of St. Joseph in St. Paul, Minnesota. We're painting the house of this wonderful woman who's a Bishop with a non-denominational church and we are painting her house bright, bright red. They are just such a fun group to work with, even when the work is not particularly exciting. They will even work on ladders, which is a wonderful thing since not every group will do it; my life is better because of this, not to mention much easier. Plus they just crack me up- I see my friends and me being like these women when we're older. And I've had at least one try to set me up with her son!

We've had to battle monster-size plants, stuff everywhere in the yard, and 3 cars on one side of the house; this has not been the easiest house to work on, but the bright color makes things a bit more cheerful. Did have a little mishap on Monday when I stabbed myself in the hand with a utility knife. I was cutting the plastic edging off a 5-gallon paint bucket and the knife slipped, stabbing me right between my thumb and pointer finger. Blood squirted everywhere- it was gross, but now it's just a little gash that's healing up. Luckily that's the worst that's happened so far minus a sore back from working on extension ladders all this week.

But it is exciting to see how nice the house is looking with a fresh coat of paint on it and a clean yard; you can't appreciate how much of a difference it makes and it really makes me happy to see it looking so much better. Plus, I was on the house last week scraping the lead paint off and really saw how bad it was. And the homeowner is so happy we're there and especially excited that it's a crew of all women; it's Team Girl Power this week. I'm thinking of busting out the Spice Girls pretty soon, but I'm not sure my crew would know who they were :-)

Worship the Music

2008-10-26T20:19:00.000-07:00

I somehow am a pretty lucky person, which is not normally the case. This past weekend luck was in full supply as I ended up with a free weekend pass to Voodoo Music Experience 2008, a music festival here in New Orleans. It was 2 days of musical awesomeness, chillin in the park with friends, eating yummy food, and enjoying the fabulous weather. Over the weekend we saw famous acts and some local artists, but what was great was that pretty much all of them were fabulous live. I'm always doubtful of how groups are going to sound live, but pretty much everyone we saw sounded wonderful.

The highlight of day one was seeing Marc Broussard, a musician from Louisiana. He's amazing and I love him, pretty much freaked out waiting for him to perform. Day two we saw some big acts- Dashboard Confessional, Lupe Fiasco (not very good in person unfortunatly), Panic!at the Disco, and the closer- R.E.M.! Their show was phenomenal and it's just ridiculous to think that I saw them because I never in a million years would have gotten to see them other than this.

One of my roomies helped me fix up this bike a co-worker gave to me, so I now have a working bike (well, it will work once I get some air in the tires) and that just made me even more excited. Pretty much a fabulous weekend I would say.

Windows Open, Please

2008-10-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

That title was our demand yesterday on our drive back from work gutting in Jean Lafitte. This may be overshare but we smelled so bad it wasn't even funny. Like it started raining and we didn't close the windows bad. The home we worked on was muddy and still had a lot of possessions to remove, meaning that there was a refrigerator and a deep freezer full of rotted food that we had to take out. Well even with our best efforts (and lots of bleach and lysol poured around) some stuff leaked out, thus making the house reek. That's what we smelled like on the drive home and why I think some days why in the world would I subject myself to this for a year? There's a part of me that misses being pretty and clean during the day, but then there's a part of me that really loves being able to throw on jeans, a t-shirt, and baseball cap and head to work.

The home yesterday was heartbreaking because it belonged to an elderly man whose daughter spoke to us on his behalf, telling us that he had not seen it so to get rid of as much as we thought prudent so that he wouldn't have to see the devestation. Today the poor family had just finished fixing up their house in June- that sucks. Brand new floors, appliances, drywall, everthing new and now a lot of it ruined. Plus the family was there while we were gutting parts of the house and I always hate that- it makes me feel so bad to be tearing down someone's house in front of them. Heaven knows, if it was me I'm not sure I'd want to watch someone tear up my home. So it's been an emotional couple of days.

Though we did have a bit of fun the other night and saran wrapped a friend's car. Not as easy a task as one would think (if one did think it was in the first place) and I'm sure we looked ridiculous trying to make it work, but it was pretty funny. I did get water thrown on me today by the owner of the car so I'm guessing he wasn't a fan of the saran wrap :-)

Closets and Infections

2008-10-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind of a week and I can't believe just last Saturday I was up in South Bend. Work continues to go well- hanging more drywall Monday and Tuesday was a good time. I really like doing it even though it's utterly exhausting and my wrists hurt. Monday made for a very interesting day- two friends and I were locked in a closet by one of our co-workers for about 40 minutes. We took his phone, we ran and hid, he got made and shoved a bed against the closet door. Now it seems pretty funny, but at the time it was so frustrating. We had our retribution though- we messed with his car that night, so for now the score is even.

Wednesday we had a retreat for the whole staff, though I missed the beginning. That morning I woke up with my arm swollen and red. Everyone thought it might have been a spider bite and since those can be really dangerous someone went with me to a clinic to get it looked at. Since I had no idea what it was I was freaking out and hoping it was nothing serious. What was really scaring me was that it was radiating pain all the way up my arm and it hurt a lot. Turns out it was a bacterial infection (how in heavens name I got a bacterial infection is beyond me. I think mosquitos are to blame). So I went back to the retreat with a perscription and still a lot of pain. Everyone was very kind and was asking me how I was doing, which was really nice. But it got pretty overwhelming, being swarmed on plus the pain that I started crying and one woman I work with took me out of there. I was soooooo embarassed- I can't believe I started crying in front of everyone I work with. It's just completely embarassing. Being able to escape was good and I was able to fill my perscription. Now my arm is almost back to normal, which is a relief because it looked so gross and I don't have to worry about it falling off anymore.

Thursday and Friday I was in charge of my own crew for the first time, which is extremely exciting. Plus, my crew was amazing and we had such a great time painting. They're from the University of Dayton and were so enthusiastic about the job and were hilarious to work with. Makes me feel like I can actually be a good leader, which I'm always a little worried about. They even invited me and some of the other ltv's to dinner last night and we hung out playing games afterwards.

And on top having a great crew experience, the weather is finally cooling off which just makes me ecstatic!

Gameday

2008-10-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Go Irish! I probably heard that phrase more this weekend than anything else- someone even yelled it to me on an airplane ( you wear anything Notre Dame on a football weekend and you've automatically made 50,000 new friends). My break from New Orleans for the much colder South Bend was needed and welcome. Though I think I'm no longer made for cold weather- this living in the South is making me a pansy with the cold.

If any of you saw the game you'll know it was a pretty good one, though it did get pretty close at the end there. Some amazing interceptions and the electricity of the crowd made for a good time. I was able to sit in the student section ( exhasting because they never sit down the entire game) so I got to learn all the cheers and even got to do some push-ups (people lift you up and down the number of points the team has when they get a touchdown). My parents had rockin' seats and we could see them from where my sister and I sat, so we were able to keep tabs on them and even saw them making friends with some people around them.

Minus the fact that my bags were lost on my return flight to NOLA and that the Cubs are out of the running for another year (sigh) the trip was a fun one. Makes you miss college though.

Drill Fiend

2008-09-29T20:06:00.000-07:00

Never in a million year did I think I'd be hanging drywall or using power tools as part of my daily life. But I am and the cool thing is I'm actually enjoying it!! Though I must say that hanging drywall on the ceiling is not fun, especially for a shorty like me who can't reach. Scaffolding is also fun to work on, but again, not too fun since we use it for the ceiling. It's definitely a balancing act, trying to work with 4 people standing on it along with drills, screws, and various other tools scattered about. Then we're trying to hold this 85-lb sheet of drywall over our heads while not knocking each other off while trying to use drills to get the screws in. Fun times, let me tell you.

Drywalling the walls is much better and certainly easier, but it's definitely going to take some practice to really get good at it. I'm getting pretty good at screwing the sheets to the studs and my measuring is not too bad. I do love using the power tools though- I haven't used too many yet, but by far the scariest for me was the skillsaw, which is basically a hand circular saw witout the table. It's just too much blade moving too fast for me, but I'm sure it'll be better once I have more practice. I do love using the drills- there is this one that is almost like a machine gun, you just strap this row of screws into it and it basically shoots them into the wall- amazing and makes it so much easier. I also used this tiny little electric saw today that was so much fun; it's used to cut out spots for fixtures and outlets. A lot of fun, but you can easily get off your straight line. Whoever thought i'd be talking so lovingly about power tools?

What's most enjoyable is the fact that there is always something new to learn, which I find absolutely wonderful. I love learning new things and there is never a shortage here. Also, it's all very practicaly stuff that you won't just see and then throw away, nor is it terribly hard to understand. Don't get me wrong, it'll definitely take some time to be good at hanging drywall, but I don't feel like a complete idiot at work and have no problem asking for help when I need it ( a big step for miss independent here). So if you ever need someone to do your drywall for you let me know- though it may have to wait until I learn how to mud, tape, and finish the drywall first. But that's for next week.

Refrigerator Sludge

2008-09-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

I can't express to you how tired I am right now, so if this post ends up somewhere crazy that's the reason and please forgive your humble author. For the 2nd day in a row we were back down in Lafitte doing gutting work on the homes there that were affected by hurricane Ike. Catholic Charities is having a conference in town and some of the higher ups from Catholic Charities USA were volunteering with us- they had expected to be painting today so man did they get a surprise.

Some of us LTV's were divided up among 4 houses on this one street much further out in the bayou than we had previously been; the home I was in had had 5 feet of water that sat for 5 days, which is worse than what we'd seen on our previous trips down. This other ltv, Alex, and I were in charge of probably the the worst house of the 4 that were being worked on. I kid you not, to get to the back door you had to make your way through at least 3 or 4 inches of mud and the entire house was full of mud. Nothing had been touched and everthing was as it had been once the waters had retreated. You could tell the water had rushed right in because the furniture was moved all over the place, the fridge was tilted on it's side, resting on one of the countertops, the matress was pushed off the bed and one of the end tables was pushed up onto the bedframe; it's was insane how much damage the water had done. What made it sadder was that the owner was an 80-something year old man, who couldn't even be there; we were working with his daughter and granddaughter to sort what was to be saved (which was pretty much nothing- it's pretty soul-crushing to see the entire contents of a house put to the curb for trash).

The house itself was mess- 5ft of water sitting for almost a week can wreak havoc in a home. First we had to get everything out of the house, which took us pretty much all morning. Some of the jewels of the day were ripping out some of the kitchen cabinets and roaches exploding out, crawling everywhere (I left the room cause I was not going to deal with that); finding a crawfish and 2 crabs in the drywall we were tearing down; more mud than I ever want to walk in again; and the kicker was the the fridge. If any of you know anything about the cleanup after Katrina you'll know about the smell; the city was covered with the smell of thousands of fridges filled with rotted and waterlogged food, which trust me is disgusting. Well there was a fridge in this house that they couldn't have emptied and our crew took it upon themselves to upright the fridge before we could tape it shut. When they uprighted it water and whatever else was fermenting away in there came pouring out. I cannot describe to you in words how disgusting it smelled; I literally almost threw up, like one more cough and we could have seen my breakfast. It was so overpowering you could smell it all the way to the curb and it made your eyes water. Alex and I, being the ones in charge, had to run in and tape the darn thing shut so we could move it. I believe our last words were " going in alive, coming out alive" and I held my breath for as long as I could because it was too rank to even breath through your mouth. That is definitely the worst experience so far here and I wish it on no one ever, not even my worst enemy.

It was definitely a productive day though, 3 of the 4 houses were finshed completely; ours was not because there was just so much to do. We ripped down wood paneling ( some of the worst stuff ever to tear down), then had to bring down the drywall behing it, which was rotted and full of mold. I've taken a few pictures I'll try and post to show you what the place looked like- I wish you all could see it because sometimes words cannot give you a good picture of what we deal with and that's what I want to give all of you who can't be here- the clearest picture possible about what this is really like.

Tomorrow we'll be doing drywalling here in NOLA and I'm really relieved to be honest. Though I've only been working in Lafitte maybe 5 days over the past 1.5 weeks I can feel the toll it's taking on me physically, but mostly emotionally. I've definitely not been the nicest person to my friends around here and I've broken down crying more than a few times. Yesterday was perhaps the worst- we stopped by one house to talk to the owners about what we were coming to do and I had actually taken the application for these people from their daughter this past Saturday (she had barely been able to hold it together when I saw her then). He mother was a wreck- hanging on by the tiniest thread there could be and the daughter was still a mess. As we were leaving I was saying goodbye to the daughter and she just grabbed me, hugged me, and started crying. She just said we can't take it anymore, we can't do it and all I could say was we'll be back tomorrow to help, it'll be okay. It was just the most helpless feeling because of course it's not going to be okay- these people have lost everything, their home is destroyed. What do you say to comfort someone who's going through that? So of course I started crying, though I was trying with every fiber of being not to- someone needed to be strong for her because she couldn't. I've been thinking about that- how would I deal if this was me? In the house we gutted today they had this vase that we have at home and it made me think- what if this was my house? What if this was my family and my belongings? Could I hold it together or would I just give up? I'd love to say I could get through it and rebuild, but it's crushing me now and it's not my life that has been ripped apart. I have immense respect for these people who're trying to make the best of it (though a part of me is always struggling with the fact that they know the danger- but that's an entirely different conversation for another time). To make long story short, I'll be happy to put up drywall and escape Lafitte for a couple of days. Heading out of town in a few weeks will certainly do wonders for my sanity and I'm relieved the break is coming soon. Until then, I'll continue to help those who need it and be glad that I can do what I can- sometimes it doesn't seem like much, but it means a lot to those who recieve it.

Post-College Loneliness

2008-09-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

I was driving to a site the other day with a co-worker and we were chatting about nothing in particular and he asks me if I ever feel lonely now that I'm out of college- when he graduated he'd felt that way for a while. I'd never stopped to think about before (or perhaps I was just running from it all along) and the question made me stop for a moment to really think about it. And I found myself answering yes, that it really could get very lonely sometimes. This doesn't mean alone- trust me, I am NEVER alone here. I've started retreating to my room between 9-10pm for some personal time to do whatever I feel like and for sanity purposes I think it's in everyone's best interest. :-)

I don't know how anyone else feels about this since I haven't really asked, but what it comes down to is a loneliness for those that knew you best, those you were 100% comfortable with, those with whom you could be yourself. This is family as well as friends we're talking about, because it wasn't quite as hard when I was home this summer. It's that feeling that a little piece is missing, just enough for you to take notice but not so much that you are crippled by it. Part of it may also stem from this fear of moving on and missing things that were. It's wonderful here, but there's always a part of me wishing I could be sharing this with those I care about most in the world.

Now all of this could just be shell shock from being in a new place and still trying to figure things out, but it hit me a little harder about a week ago. I found out a good friend of mine from high school committed suicide and it felt like a smack in the face to get the news. After the sadness came guilt that I hadn't talked to her in a while and had no idea what her life had been like or what she had been up to. Perhaps its a fear of losing touch as time goes on- I'm working hard to not let that happen, but what will be will be I suppose. In the mean time I'll enjoy the company I'm keeping and try to keep the loneliess at bay. Knocking down a few more walls should help out a bit.
:-)

Demolition in Jean Lafitte

2008-09-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

While central New Orleans was spared the worst of Hurricane Ike, some of the outer parts of the city were less fortunate. Jean Lafitte is still part of New Orleans, but is a different world from the city I've known so far. When they sing about down on the bayou, this is what they're talking about- small town feel, 1 way in and 1 way out, 1 main street, and kind, hardworking people. There was a lot of water damage to the houses and our job is to get in there and gut the houses as quickly as possibly in order to prevent mold growth and to make the houses livable as quickly as possible.

What's most striking when you first drive into town is this huge trash pile that they've started in an open field. This is the place where people can bring all their ruined posessions and trash. It's this huge mountain of matresses, couches, damages drywall, tables, chairs, and the like, parts of people's lives too far gone to save.

We spent Friday gutting the home of an elderly woman with the help of her son. It's sad that our job is helping people get rid of their belongings and knocking down parts of their homes. But it's necessary work and people are grateful that we are there helping.

That being said it is a lot of fun knocking down walls and tearing up flooring. We were using hammers and flatbars (like small crowbars) to pull up flooring as well as bring down the drywall. We also had to tear up carpeting, which was pretty disgusting as it was still full of lovely "hurricane juice" as wel fondly termed the water that leaked out when we picked it up. Delicious. It's a messy and hard job, but we made the best of it and had a good laugh through it all.

The hardest part really is talking to the people, hearing their stories and seeing their pain. We worked this saturday and I was in the office we have there to take down people's information so that we can inspect their houses and get volunteers out there. What's really sad is that there are a lot of elderly people living in this area and this hits them especially hard. One man I worked with had just recovered from a stroke and now his house was completely destroyed; I had to fill out his paperwork for him because he had trouble writing. Then there are the people who come in nearly in tears and stressed beyond anything we can imagine, trying to keep it together while they fill out the paperwork. They want to tell you their story, make you understand what's going on and what they're dealing with. It was probably the most emotionally draining day I've ever had and has been weighing on me all weekend; I just wish there was more we could do.

Banksy Does New Orleans

2008-09-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have been in the presence of Banksy and it rocked. A few weeks ago the celebrated graffitti artist Banksy came to the city and created stencil paintings on buildings throughout the city to commemorate the 3rd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The Times-Picayune did a piece on his work yesterday and one of the people I work with brought it to our attention, which is how I found out about it. Needless to say I was excited (one reason being that he does a lot of work in London, where my heart lies) because his work is amazing and is much more thoughtful than the narcissistic name scribbles you see all over the place. It's poignient art about what the city experienced in the aftermath of the storm and what it is still going through today.

I stumbled on one of the paintings by accident today and had to pull over and get out so I could have a better look, naturally taking a few pictures as well. Graffiti can be a bit troublesome for the city and their cleanup efforts; I know it can frustrate me when I'm here giving my time to try and clean up the city as best we can. But at the same time this isn't some scrawling on the walls; it's beautiful artwork commemorating the tragic fall of a city into disrepair. Take a look for yourself http://www.banksy.co.uk/outdoors/horizontal_1.htm

It's A Small World After All

2008-09-16T18:35:00.001-07:00

Just when you thinking the world is a really big place and we are all such small creatures things happen that make you realize just how connected we all are. As random as random can be I met someone who had graduated from Elon with me a few days ago here in New Orleans. We even knew some common people, which made the coincidence that much stranger and cooler. Majority of people I talk to have never even heard of Elon and then to run into someone who I graduated with in a completely different city just blows my mind.

I've also come to realize how many people I'll be meeting this year through my work- basically it'll be an entirely new group of people every week, adding up to hundreds and hundreds of new people over the course of a year. Even in the short time I've been here I've met people from all over the country, both co-workers (though a lot of them seem to come from California so I think there's a conspiracy going on here) and volunteers. A few weeks ago I was working with a crew from Canada who were so cool and through them I was able to hear about Toronto and what it's like first hand (sounds amazing and I really want to go). This week there's a group here from New York of contractors who are totally cool and so much fun to work with. They're kind of my crew, which is a bit strange to think about. Basically that means I'm in charge of them, though since they're professionals it's more me getting out of the way and learning what I can. So I get to talk to them about what they do and where they're from; trust me, they do some really cool stuff up there in New York for some really high end clients. Some of the stuff they're installed is insane.

It's also cool that they are also interested in us, our operation, and us LTV's. Many of them have asked me how long I'm here, what I've been doing so far, etc. Personally, I'm always amazed at people who'll take time out of their lives and schedules to volunteer down here and many seem just as amazed that I'll be here doing this for a year while being paid very little. To me, it never seemed like a particularly amazing thing to be doing; just another step in my life while I try and create a direction for myself. But I guess I should think of it as something a little bigger- after all, giving of oneself in service is a pretty large gesture and giving to peope you hardly even know that much more so. All of this just makes me love my job more, regardless of how hard it can be sometimes, and I recommend it to anyone.

Dining with the Hare Krshna

2008-09-16T18:14:00.000-07:00

Sunday has become my new favorite day of the week and it's purely for gluttonous reasons. This past Sunday a couple of friends and I went to eat dinner at the Hare Krshna Temple here in New Orleans. Yes, the Hare Krshna are those people in peach robes that roam around and seem to be oftentimes found in airports. It was actually an extremely cool experience, in part because we went to the service that is held before the feast. Their temple is so beautiful and so colorful I can't even begin to explain. My friends and I were a little late so we came in when they had already started singing (after leaving our shoes at the front door of course) and took our seats on the floor. The singing was all in Hindi ( I believe) and though I couldn't understand what was being said it was extremely beautiful to listen to. Not to mention it was interesting how they progressed faster and faster until I thought the drums and symbols couldn't possibly keep up with the words being sung. Strangely enough it was a wonderful time for reflection and it allowed me a chance to pray even though I wasn't in church.

While the singing was going on a man came in who seemed to be very important as many of the men who were part of the temple accompanied him. What was even more remarkable about the man was that he only had one leg and was hopping around using crutches. Once this man was seated in a place of obvious importance and was settled an announcement was made that he was in fact a very revered leader (he was white and from Canada for all of you picturing a little Indian man) and he had lost his leg in 1984 when a temple of his had been attacked by Muslims and he stood to defend it against them. I was floored while they were telling the story; to be in the company of someone like that here in New Orleans is definitely not something I expected to encouner. Then again, I never thought I'd be chillin' at a Hare Krshna temple on a Sunday night either.

The service, as I guess you would call it, was relatively short, with some chanting in Hindi, a reading from the Bhagavad-Gita followed by a discussion and questions. It was also interesting at the beginning of the service they asked if there were any newcomers and we were then asked to introduce ourselves to god by telling our names. I really liked that sentiment, the idea of introducing yourself to a god you may have not encountered before. It seemed so polite and almost formal, which nearly seemed out of place for a group sitting on the floor barefoot.

But I have to say the best part for me was the food afterwards- Indian food cooked by people from India. It was so delicious I can't even tell you how happy I was. And it was all vegetarian which made it even better! We are definitely considering making this a regular Sunday thing because 1) it's free food and everyone loves a free meal and 2) it's very much a community thing as anyone is welcome and that's a great thing to have in a world full of exclusivity.

Poverty In America

2008-09-13T10:22:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough not to be hit too hard by hurricane Gustav- some downed trees, down fences, and some damaged roofs, but all in all it could have been so much worse. The eye of the storm hit about 2 hours southwest of us and because it was raining pretty bad here in New Orleans on one of our workdays, we went down to Ascension Parish to help with all the downed trees. So we took off in a couple of trucks and vans with golves, axes, a chainsaw (sadly they didn't let me use it...which probably is a good thing actually), and went to work cutting up downed trees in people's yards.

Now I'm sure most of you have heard of the bayou area; that's where we were headed. This parish is the poorest in the state and it really looks a lot like any small town in America from the main roads. Once you get on to some of the side roads however and you really see how hard things are. No sewage lines for the houses, just a ditch in the backyard full of raw sewage, rusted trailers, small houses, roads so narrow that only 1 car at a time can fit down them. It's really insane because you know that these areas exist, but we are always so insulated from them that only when you see these communities does the reality hit.

Not only the poverty, but also the results of Gustav are saddening. These huge trees were down all over the place and there were just piles and piles of cut-up trees by the side of the road. Some trees had hit roofs and there was one trailer that we worked on that the entire awning had been taken down by a tree. I've never really been in a disaster area like this before, so it really hit me (and the others I think) really hard.

As poor as this area is there is also a lot of beauty to it. Sugar cane is a big crop in this area and we got to taste some right from the field. Best thing I've ever tasted- candy of the gods for real. There are also a lot of plantation homes in the area and some of them are so amazingly beautiful. I would move into some of them in a heartbeat. Interesting dichotomy of seeing the old money right near the new poverty, the dream next to the reality.

Hurrication

2008-09-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I'm back from my Hurrication ( yes that is a hurricane vacation for all of you non-evacuees) in Atlanta and back to work. I have to say I really like that term- the first time someone used it it cracked me up, but it's true. Arriving Friday I found that our house was still without power so everyone was staying at our bosses house across the lake from the city. To get there you cross this huge causeway (25 miles over open water) which is pretty insane amount of driving to do over water. For a lot of the time you can't even see the shore which really shows you how big the lake actually is.

In our attempts to clean up St. Ray's after the storm we did a lot of small jobs around the grounds and I was drafted into first finishing painting a floor, which was actually pretty enjoyable (except when I forgot to paint this one spot right in the middle and had to resort to bracing myself against a wall and leaning all the way over trying to get it). Then there were 4 of us given the task of taking some drywall that had gotten wet in the storm and dropping in in a dumpster. And by dropping I mean more like hoisting it 2 feet above our heads and throwing it in. Not too much of a problem for the guys I was working with, but once it was over our heads I just wished them luck because I couldn't reach it. We were going to practice our ninja skills on the crumbly boards, but alas, never got around to it. And then I had my first personal encounter with a lawn mower.

Now I've never actually mowed the lawn before (my parent always did and never asked me and my sister to do this particular chore) so this was definitly not on my skills list when I applied. Then again, neither were exterior painting, paint scraping or permawashing so there you go. So I am given what looks like a pretty old push lawn mower and the first thing I ask is "How does this work?", naturally feeling a bit of a twit since any sane person should know this. I'm given the lawn mower tour and then he tells me to start it up, so I pull the cord to start the engine and it does nothing. Pull again...nothing. Finally I have to ask someone to start it for me because I can't get it. Now if you know me you know I tend to be pretty independent, so I have to say this hurt my pride a little. Plus, I'm a girl surrounded by mostly guys doing jobs that are generally allotted to guys, thus I've got something to prove (even if it's only in my head).

The lawn mower and I are off. I'm told this is a self-propelled mower so it should be easy to push. Well it was only self propelled if they meant I was shoving all my weight against it to propel it forward cause this baby did not want to move easily for me. I was only able to fight my way through one patch of grass before we called lunch and then it rained, ending my lawn mower confrontation for the day. We've still got unfinished business and I intend to win our next go-around. Until then, I applaud everyone who's been using one of those their entire lives. Bravo mates.

Getting the hell outta Dodge

2008-08-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

Watching the progress of Gustav, things are not looking so good for my poor city. I left early Friday morning with a heavy heart, wondering if I'd be back soon and to what I would be returning. Obviously, I've only been here 2 weeks so my reactions are not nearly as strong as those who have been here working for 3 years nor can I even come close to understanding what it must be like for the people who have made this city their home, but I feel like this is a little taste of what it's like and it's a terrible feeling, this not knowing.

Thursday night was rough- Miss Kathey, a New Orleans native and someone who's been involved with our program since Katrina hit, came over to tell us to get out and had a bit of a breakdown. It's harder when you know people there, know what was lost before, know their stories and the hardships they've been through trying to rebuild their lives from what they could salvage. To see someone you care about suffering like that makes you want to be strong for them, but even that's hard to do ( I was crying the whole time she was talking). They need people to be there for them, to hold them while they need it, give them the strength they can't find on their own.

I don't know what'll happen if the city is hit by this storm or if (heaven forbid) the levees break again, but all we can do is hope for the best. As terrible as it is, things can be replaced and homes can be rebuilt, but lives that were lost can never be replaced. If we've learned one thing from Katrina, hopefully it's get out and get out early. So send up your prayers to whomever you believe is listening and let's hope Gustav shows some mercy for the gulf.

Again?

2008-08-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

I will not be taken out by something called Gustav, let's just get that out there. And this eerie coincidental crap with the storm coming in so close to the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina is not cool at all. But in all seriousness it really is scary to think if this is really going to hit because if it does it's going to be a mess. People here are really worried about the storm, talking about how they just got back to the city and have just started over. Now this. I don't know if people could recover from something like that again.

I'm going home to Atlanta this weekend because of the holiday and a lot of the people I work with are preparing to evacuate. I'm just really sad because I was really starting to feel comfortable here and was really liking what I was doing. Plus, I like the people I work with a lot and I'm going to miss it if I can't come back. I also feel like I've made an investment in this city, working on these houses. It's just heart-breaking to think of all the time and effort and money that has gone into this rebuilding; to have it all destroyed again would be horrible. I'm not sure the will to rebuild would be there if the city is destroyed again.

So we're hoping for the best here and preparing for the worst and praying that there will be a city to return to after all this mess.

Oh Canada You Rock...eh?

2008-08-25T20:22:00.000-07:00

My new favorite people are the Canadians. Now I know what you're thinking- New Orleans is nowhere near Canada so how could this possibly be? Well my friends I shall enlighten you. This week we have about 60 Canadian high school students from Toronto here volunteering and they are amazing after only one day. It's a high school football team and some friends who drove all the way from Toronto (by way of Ohio where they had a game) to come down here for a week to help out. Awesomness alread in my book. Two other long-term volunteers and myself were in charge of about 40 of them today working on part of a gutting project that a partner program with Operation Helping Hands is working on. This program deals more with subsidized housing for low income families (though the particular building we were working on was a home for older citizens). Our job today was to go through each unit and rip out the old kitchen area, meaning sink, countertop, and all the cabinets.

So why is it that I now love Canadians so much? Well, because this crew was fabulous! Completely self-motivated, organized, and great workers. I felt almost useless because they organized themselves into teams and went to work. They cleared probably 150 rooms (at least) in 4 hours. And did a great job too. It was just amazing how awesome they were and I'm so glad that I had these kind of people on my first day being a leader because a bunch of slackers would not have made for a positive day. Plus, I loved that they said "eh" all the time- it warmed my heart. It's just really encouraging to see high schoolers acting so mature and being so motivated and dedicated to something like this....though it could just be that they got to use sledgehammers and throw cabinets out the 4th story window into a dumpster. But I think it was more than that. And they really were just the nicest people, which I'm sure you don't run into all the time. It made for a better Monday than it could have been.

Then there is the adorable Umberto, the old man who is in charge of our tool room. We go through him to check out power tools and such since things have been stolen or gone missing. Probably one of the sweetest old men and so friendly I had to find a polite way to escape so I could get my crew to their site. He just wants to chat about everything and asks how your day was, even did a finger-and-toes check on me today to make sure I came back in one piece...too adorable.

Even I got in on some of the demolition action today and spent some time prying sinks out of the countertops with a crowbar, which is hard work folks, let me tell you. But it really was a lot of fun- more fun than running up those 5 flights of stairs multiple times like in the morning. It's really satisfying to rip that sucker out. You just want to be like "grrrrrrr I am powerful!! I will take you down sink!"...yeah, playing with a crowbar is a power trip, but no one got hurt except some rotted wood and rusted metal so I think that's okay.

Up On The Roof

2008-08-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

That's where I've been these past few days- on the roof and on ladders, painting and caulking. My first time ever up on a roof and freakin' scary. The second day wasn't as bad, but it's hard when you're also trying to balance a tray of paint while making sure neither you nor the paint falls off on the cement or rusted steel book case below. And word to the wise- a roof can get extremely hot extremely fast- I probably sweated out breakfast and dinner the night before sitting up there for 45minutes.

But painting is actually a pretty fun and pretty relaxing job to have. The other trainee, Joseph, and I nearly finished the whole house in 2 days. It's amazing what a good coat of paint can do for a house- you wouldn't think it to be a very important part of the process but it really pulls everything together. Plus, who wants to have a nicely built house that looks bad on the outside? And the colors! The house we painted was beige with pink trim, but there are bright yellows, blues, purples, greens. It's fabulous.

It'll take a lot out of you though- I rolled over this morning and my whole body hurt (though part of that might be from going out with co-workers last night). Standing on a roof will work muscles that you never knew you had and painting above your head hurts your shoulders.

Something I've noticed about the city is that there is still a lot of salvaging going on. There are a group of men who are working to salvage all the wood and metal from a shed in the backyard. The other say there were a few guys who just picked up this kitchen sink from the dumpster and took it home- people don't have much so they get what they need where they can. Then there is this poor little old man who comes each day to work on this rundown shack across the street. He has no one to help him as far and I can tell, but he is dilligently there every day working away. Breaks your heart.

Welcome to the gun show..

2008-08-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

...the caulk gun show that is. Paint school is finally over (all our classroom learning regarding exterior painting and site management) and today we finally got to go to a house! Now to be honest caulking is not that difficult, but I was rockin' it today, balancing the ladder on very uneven and precarious ground, fighting off the vicious bugs that are intent on covering my legs completely in bites, and caulking like a pro. Thoug my hands are so sore from using that caulk gun- I'm going to have a man's grip by the time this is over. We're working on this for a while, then moving on to some practice with painting, which will no doubt include scraping paint off of a house- such a tedious task I've heard. Plus, we have to be pretty careful with safety since a lot of these houses are so old and were painted with lead paint.

When the Levee's Broke

2008-08-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of nights ago I saw the first part of "When the Levee's Broke", a Spike Lee joint about when Hurricane Katrina hit and the aftermath. You need to see this film-nuff said. It's hard to watch and infuriating, but it needs to be seen. People need to feel the rage because New Orleans is, along with the rest of the Gulf Coast, slowly being forgotten. If you're not here you think everything is fine, that most has been rebuilt, that things are back to normal. From where things were 3 years ago, things are better, but there is so much to be done, so many who are homeless, so many neighborhoods that need to be rebuilt. A city that was 30% in poverty jumped to 100% overnight- that's not something you can bounce back from easily.

There is a house in New Orleans...

2008-08-17T10:01:00.000-07:00

Well here we are folks- arrived in New Orleans yesterday afternoon after a pretty uneventful drive. I did get to drive through some wetlands, which was pretty cool and saw an armadillo on the side of the road. Oh yes, and there was that torrential downpour in Mississippi. So it as beautifully hot and muggy when I arrived. My official orientation is tomorrow- my orientation on Saturday was essentially "here are your keys, this is your room, and these are your housemates...good luck." I'm living in a former rectory (where priests live for all you non-Catholics out there) and we're right next to a church and school.

I was actually able to drive around the city a little with a couple of guys who are also volunteers- around our neighborhood and into the Lower 9th Ward. I can't describe how devestated everything still is- there are homes that haven't even been touched 3 years after Katrina. What's almost more jarring to me is that there are rebuilt homes among those that are still in ruins- some of these homes are really beautiful and it's just strange to see them so close to the devestation.

Also, tried beignets which are heavenly doughnuts covered in powdered sugar- I will probably be 20 lbs heavier by the end of this.

If you didn't know it already...

2008-08-13T10:52:00.000-07:00

After many months of preparation, packing, and planning it is finally time to head to New Orleans for a year. I'll be heading down this weekend and then I start August 18th. I'm still not 100% sure about the specifics of the job, but I will be working on the rebuilding process (they are in dire need of painters at the moment, so no doubt I will be painting some houses). Seems unreal that the time has already come and I go forward with apprehension and excitment. This blog is to help me stay in contact with all you wonderful people and let me keep you in the loop about what is going on in the city. I hope it proves entertaining and enlightening. Who knows what the coming year will bring, but it's sure to be amazing whatever happens. Cheers!