Daily Wonderings

Hurricane Katrina

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For photos of Hurricane Katrina aftermath please click on the following links:

Hattiesburg

Gulfport

August 29, 2005 22:36

I was going to type out some smart-ass news commentary type "report"...like I was a special correspondent from the Weather Channel or something, but I couldn't really get comfortable with it. Having heard about and seen some of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I know now why I wasn't very comfortable with it. Perhaps next week when the power is still out, it'll be OK to be flippant, but now is not the time.

I guess all of you out there have seen the news. We really haven't. We listened to Kicker 108, which is a country station out of Biloxi for several hours this evening, and from what we could tell, the destruction on the coast is horrific. Listening to people call up and describe the damage to their homes, their neighborhoods. Hearing them say things like the barges for the casinos are sitting on the north side of highway 90...that the storm surge washed four feet up the sound walls at I-10. (I-10 is quite a ways from the coast) People were calling in to the radio station, trying to get messages out to friends and family, letting people know that they were OK. A grandmother called in, looking for information about her grandson and his mother. A woman called in wanting to know about her apartment building because although she evacuated, she left her cat. (another caller let her know that her cat probably didn't make it as the apartment complex suffered major damage...she called back crying. I'm a bad mother. A very bad mother) Supposedly D'Iberville is gone, and allegedly there are at least 30 fatalities on the coast. We don't know that for sure.

Beth and Mark have friends from the coast staying here with them...Billy and Jamie. Their house in Gulfport *was* supposedly a block and a half from the beach. According to what we heard on the radio, Mark says there's no way that the house is still standing. The restaurants and businesses around it are gone according to the reports that we heard.

Late this evening, Beth remembered that her mother had a portable tv that pulled in to a car's cigarette adapter, and Mark remembered that his car (the one he uses for his job), has an outlet that you can plug regular appliances in to. They ran extension cords, and we had a tiny black and white, 5" picture to watch. We could only pick up WDAM, which is truly a shitty station, but there it was. They showed some scenes from around the Hattiesburg area. It looks like there's a lot of destruction. Lots of wind damage. Not just trees down, but buildings down as well. They showed pictures from the I-59/Highway 98 interchange, and the service station there was gone. There were some pictures from downtown Hattiesburg, showing major damage. Nothing from around the university. Nothing from my neighborhood.

I'm worried about the piece of shit house that I live in. If there's no damage there, it will be a freakin' miracle. It's so old and so rickety to begin with. And with that huge oak tree out front. Holy shit. I fully expect that the porch, was was rotting and leaking as is, will be gone.

I'm panicking right this minute. What am I going to do if I have to find another place to live? Where am I going to go? Where will I live in the meantime? Which are silly things to panic about because I don't know that I need to worry yet. I just am. That's what I do. *sigh*

I suppose you're all waiting to hear news of the hurricane...to know what my experience with it is. Actually...I take that back, I suppose you're all wanting to know if I'm OK.

I'm OK. I don't know when I'll get a chance to post this to you to let you know that, but I'm OK. I don't know when I'll get a chance to call some of you and let you know that I'm OK because the cell phone towers are out, but I'm OK. Maybe if I send that psychic energy out there into the world, y'all can feel it.

I'm supposed to be asleep in Will's room right now. I'm not. He's a nice guy. Attractive. A Sean Hannity book on the nightstand. I appreciate his surrendering his room to me. Beth asked me how I did with storms, and I told her honestly that thunderstorms frighten me. She told me that I needed to sleep in Will's room because you never hear anything in Will's room. What mamma says, gets done. I'll have to leave him a thank you note, especially as he wasn't feeling real well this evening.

There's a cricket in the closet. At least I think he's in the closet. I don't imagine that the window is open so I don't think I'm hearing him from outside. Kind of odd, but reassuring, that he's here. Yesterday evening, there were some butterflies about, but nothing really in the way of wildlife. During the storm, there was nothing. But after the worst of the storm blew over, probably around 4:00 or so, the frogs came back and started singing. I don't know that there were any other critters just yet, but I suppose it all comes about slowly.

We have no power. I'm down to 48 minutes left in my laptop battery. I wasted a lot of precious resources trying to be cute. We also have no water. We had water throughout the day, but the pressure kept getting weaker and weaker. Finally about 9:00 this evening, it was totally gone. There's lots of bottled water, and the plan is to use water from the pool to flush the toilets. The plan is also for me to head to the house tomorrow...if we can get out and through. I don't know that I'm ready to go back, but I do need to check on the cats. I forgot to put the batteries in the litterbox, so that will certainly need to be cleaned. Poor babies. Maybe Beth will let me come back.

We also have no phone service...cell or land-line. I'm not sure what time that went out. It was later this afternoon, though. Will and Matt were talking to people on their phones while standing out in the middle of it. That's why I haven't called and why you can't get through to me. Sorry. I don't know when such things will come back online.

It's hot. I should be asleep. I think it may be too hot for me to sleep. I feel like going outside to sit in the wind. It's got to be cooler out there. Maybe walk out to my car and get my MP3 player. Find some paper and write. Novel idea, huh? Not like I could see a damn thing. *sigh*

So anyway. The storm.

I woke up this morning around 7:00. Everyone else but the boys and their friend were already up. At 7:00, it was already raining. Not a hard, violent rain like what I'm used to here. More like a pre-cursor to that, but not a light, gentle rain either. Like rainstorms we get in Reno. The wind was starting to pick up too. I don't know when the rain started, and I forgot to ask if anyone was awake when it did.

The "adults" had breakfast...sausage pie and fresh fruit. Had to heat it up in the microwave because it didn't get left in the oven long enough. Sometime between 7:30 and 8:00, the cable went out. And the power flickered once. The boys (and one girl) had come over and been encouraged to get breakfast while it was hot. Mark turned off the AC because he didn't want it to overload the circuits and be the reason why we lost power early. Then the power went out and didn't come back on.

There was some scrambling to find the emergency weather radio and batteries that would fit the CD player so people could listen to that. I curled up on the couch and drifted in and out of sleep for the next two hours. When it's raining, that's some perfect sleeping weather. And there was nothing going on anyway, so why not take advantage of it? At least that's how I rationalized not really listening to The Band. (I'm sure they're very good)

I really woke up around 10:00. I heard Beth getting upset because apparently the young'uns had gone through her box of Schwann's Black Angus Hamburgers, which she had been planning on having for lunch. They left her four...to feed 10 people. Not to worry, though...there were plenty of hotdogs. She'd been planning on making some Mexican dip...spiced ground beef, refried (I always type "refriend" first and have to go back and fix it), tomato, onion, sour cream, so they did that up on the grill, using that side burner. (Mark got a new grill for Hurricane) I think that was my lunch.

About that time, the Sner called for an update. I was surprised the phone rang. And I was surprised the connection was that good, for that long. I didn't want to stay on the phone long because when others were trying to call out, they were getting a message that said "For Emergency Use Only".

I think it was around that time that the winds and rain really started to pick up, with the feeder bands (I think I'm using the right terminology) intensifying. Most of were standing in the carport or on the front porch, off and on for the duration of the storm. When I say "carport", I really mean garage. It's one of those southern things where they build the garage but they don't put up garage doors. You know? (I know Shan and I have talked about this)

Beth and Mark lost the old, large oak tree at the end of the house. Kind of strange since the joke had been last night that it was going to go. And it did. At the roots. They also lost two pine trees over the driveway. And all but one pine tree along the fence row above the house. A big pecan tree in the pasture next to her mom's house. Several trees in the fence row behind the houses. A couple of trees along the road. All total, something like 15 trees? We were really concerned about the HUGE oak, which just happened to be on the same end of the house as the one that went down. When the wind gust would come up, you could see the ground move.

And listening to those cracks. Hearing the wood twist and groan before it smacked the ground and made miniature bounces back. It was truly something to behold.

All during the storm, we were under tornado watches and warnings. I started drinking (around 11:00?) when I stood outside and heard a low rumble off in the distance. People kept saying, "You hear that? You hear that rumbling?" And I kept thinking, holy shit, let me get inside and get to one of those long hallways. Please. That's when I decided I need a drink.

And it's a good thing I got a drink then. Someone did not plan this hurricane party very well. We're out of alcohol. No more beer. No more hard stuff. I brought two bottles of wine with me, but I should have just brought the whole damn case that I bought on the way back from Atlanta. I thought about it. Next time I'll know what to do.

I think I went through three drinks before the end of the major part of the storm...just standing out there watching it go by. The clouds were moving so low and so fast. The rain would just race down the hills, carried by the winds, and the trees...if they weren't cracking and breaking, they were bent to the point where they should have. Branches that had broken off were hitting the ground. Some were standing straight up and down, driven into the soil with such force.

August 30, 2005 17:30

Since I have switched to pen and paper (which will at some point in time get typed) I don't remember where I left off. maybe about the time I needed a drink because of the distant rumbling? As some of you may know, when I'm scared, I have a tendency to bluff through it. For example, scared of heights? Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge with 8th graders watching and making fun of you. Or learn how to ski or snowboard. Stupid stuff like that. Makes sense, doesn't it?

So, Like I may have already said, I stayed outside most of the time. Doing so kept me from pacing and it kept me around people, which was good.

I'm not a sparkling conversationalist. Sorry.

Shortly thereafter, the eye of the storm passed over and we all rushed out to move our vehicles. We did that so when the wind shifted, we wouldn't be in the path of the oak tree. About five minutes later, a big branch fell where Esteban had been. Good idea.

When the eye passed over, it was just like they say it is. At first the winds were in semi-competition with each other. As fast as they would blow down the hill, they'd race back up. A little surreal to watch debris pushed down the hill shot back up it.

And then it was quiet. Slight breeze and no rain. It got really light out, just like they say it does.

It was quiet for maybe half an hour and then it started all over again, although much less intensely. The rain wasn't as hard, the winds weren't as high, the gusts weren't as forceful.

And that was it.

Everything was done by 6:00 or so. We had hotdogs for dinner.

Everyone was up early this morning. Operation clean-up had begun. The boys headed off to the road with axes in hand to chop up the trees that were in the way. The day before, they'd used Mark's little 18 inch Poulon to try to clear the driveway. Got it stuck and wound up breaking not only the chain but the bar as well. With all my chainsaw experience, I could have told them it wasn't going to be big enough. (recall that my father thought he was a sawyer...I've spent lots of time with chainsaws)

While they were doing that, Beth took off on her red-neck 4-wheeler (the riding lawnmower) to see how the neighbors fared. Needing something to do, I started cleaning up the backyard. I drug limbs off and started raking. I had 3 nice piles before they made me quit and because I wasn't wearing gloves, I'm going to have some nice blisters.

By 10:00, i was back at the house in Hattiesburg. Wow. Lots of destruction on the way in. Kind of ironic that Hudson's, purveyors of insurance salvage, lost quite a bit of the roof of their warehouse.

No problem getting to the house, although I can't actually get on my street. It's blocked at both ends. I started to clear out the limbs but then I really looked at them. The limbs didn't fall there. they came off the pecan tree in front of the annoying neighbor's house. My theory is that they were put there because there are powerlines (big ones) down across my street. The city trucks--the big ones going by specifically picking up debris--didn't stop to pick them up, even though they went by four times. I think leaving it alone was a really good idea.

I did, though, clean up my yard (and the neighbors...not the annoying one...the other one). I moved limbs and raked debris in the front, on my side, and in the back. I sweat through my leather gloves. Don't worry, I took lots of breaks because I was a hot fuzz, and I didn't want to make myself ill.

The babies were fine when I got in. Just a tiny bit clingy which was difficult because it's so incredibly hot. I kept pushing Peach off me when I was coming in to rest.

Put the batteries in the litter box, but I now have a dilemma. The family lantern takes 8D batteries, just like the litterbox. I'm thinking lantern (and candles) at night, litterbox during the day.

The neighbors came by. Allison let Jessica stay with her even though she said she wouldn't. Apparently all the cats--all four of them--have been boarded. I guess they came over last night, and again this morning before I saw them on their third trip. Allison's parents live on the coast and she said they've lost everything. For a long time yesterday, they couldn't get a hold of her brother who also lives on the coast. Finally got through to him, and he's fine, the houses are not. She offered to let me use her phone to call the Sner, since I guess Cellular South is the only service working, but I declined. I figured you all are worried, but you know I'm alright.

After they left, I took a baby wipe shower. I was filthy from working in the yard and there's no water to be had. I feel better, but I'm not totally clean. Far from it actually. Trying to figure out how to best use my precious water is hard. I'd really like to take a sponge bath, but I don't want to waste the water...not when there's no telling ho long it has to last.

Requirement #5 on the List of 5 has become ever more important. "Must do the yard work or be wealthy enough to hire a service." I am so over doing yard work. If I never have to touch a rake again, I'll be happy. Yard work is boy work. Plain and simple. Girls can enjoy doing yard work, but that does not change the fact that yard work and storm clean-up is BOY WORK.

Someone walking by is on a cellphone. Wonder who his provider is...I still have on network. (I case you're wondering, I'm on the porch)

I really want to go back out to Beth and Mark's. I don't want to be alone. And there are all kinds of strange, unknown people walking through the neighborhood. I don't know them; I don't know why they're here. I don't think I have enough gas to get back out there, though. Should have filled up on Sunday. I'm sure I'll be fine. I hope so. Maybe I'll go back tomorrow? It's kinda scary when the world looks like a warzone and you're alone. Wish I could call and ask them if I could come back.

So, this afternoon, I went for a drive. Wanted to see if I could get a signal further north (I couldn't), to see some of the damage (extensive), and to make use of the car's AC. What a fiasco. Got north and had to go way east in order to get back south. Parts of Highway 49 are one lane only. Citizens are out with their chainsaws, trying to get the lanes clear. It's awful.

Perhaps the best part of the deal was that I got to listen to the radio. Until the power comes back on, I'm lost. No clue what's going on.

They're saying that it could be weeks before the power comes back. I'm hoping it won't be that long in Hattiesburg. It looks like most of our lines are up, but who knows if that really means anything or not. NPR said that after Ivan, it took almost 3 weeks to get power back on in Pensacola.

Please god don't let it be that long before I can get a shower. A couple of weeks ago, I said I'd give everything I have for a fingernail file. How quickly the tune changes, huh? Now all I want is a shower. *sigh*

I've also got to figure out something to eat. I've had 2 babybels and two packages of peanut butter crackers. Guess that's why my vision is blurry. And I'm only drinking the beer now because it's still cool...not cold but cool. If I don't drink it now, it'll be hot, and I won't be able to drink it for god knows how long.

To conserve batteries, I've turned off the lantern and lit a box full of Debi's candles. Last year at Halloween, Debi brought me this monster bag of ugly green candles. I almost threw them away. Good thing I didn't. I've got votives on top of my VHS copy of the Patriot. Votives on a shoe plate on the printer. Votives on top of Clinique pots in the bathroom. Everywhere I turn...votives. And no votive holders. Go figure.

Hot damn is it burning up in this house. None of the windows have screens so even if I could get them open, I couldn't leave them open. I have no clue how I'm going to sleep tonight. Yet another reason for me to have gone back out to Beth's. this is awful. And listen to me complain when I was recently taking someone else to task for almost the same thing. The difference is that someone could open a window and turn on a fan. Not possible here and now.

The other good thing about my misguided drive was seeing all the help on its way to the coast. National Guard convoys. Fleets of disaster relief vehicles. FEMA trucks. Quite a sight to see. Those poor people on the coast are going to need it. They were saying 80 dead in one county alone. 30 of them at an apartment complex that has been obliterated. It's hard to imagine that...to wrap your mind around how deadly and powerful the storm was. Can you imagine if it had come on shore as a category 5 storm? What it would have been like then? Holy shit.

The hot water heater just came on. I shut off the pilot. It wasn't sounding too good in there.

It's 8:20 at night. I keep writing because I don't have anything else to do. I'm thinking about reading a book, but it's so hot. I don't know if I could concentrate. So hot. I should go to bed, but again...so hot. Too hot. Please let the power come on soon.

Off to make a PBJJ sandwich. I'm saving the chicken salad until I have ice to put the mayo on. Tasks for tomorrow: buy gas, buy ice, see about school and phone. Maybe go back to Beth's.

August 31, 2005 02:00

Good lord is it hot. I've tried to sleep since about 10:00 or so and it's just not happening for me. I toss and turn. I wake up when the seat has soaked my pillow. I wake up when the ant bites on my left foot get to itching. I wake up when a cat moves. Have I mentioned that I'm incredibly hot here?

Yesterday when I was driving, the state insurance commissioner (George Dell) did an interview on PR. He talked a little bit about how the premiums for insurance were figured and how because those premiums were figured on a level 5 hurricane, there would be enough money to cover the costs of this disaster. The figures are coming in at $26 BILLION. Many people on the coast may not be covered as well as they think they are. For some stupid reason, even homes right on the water weren't required to carry flood insurance. Jamie and Bill, Mark and Beth's friends, who live a block and a half from the beach, didn't have flood insurance. that makes no sense to me. Mark said those people weren't considered to be in flood zones. Ummm...OK? On the water, but not in a flood zone? Are you serious?

The whole reason why I mention the insurance commissioner is because he said something truly outrageous. He said that looters were the lowest of human beings (arguably true), and if you saw someone looting, you ought to GET YOUR GUN AND SHOOT THEM. The NPR guy was clearly shocked, as was I. He said something like well...the sheriff said they'd make room in the jail. And the IC replied with something along the lines of, I don't mean kill them, but I still think you should shoot them. Ummmm...OK? How irresponsible can you get? Let's just go ahead and empower the vigilante justice system to get right to work. God almighty. Just what we need. A bunch of idiots with guns, making sure the streets are safe for decent folk.

My kitten would like to play. We have been teasing a little bit with her blue and yellow crackly thing and now she's after my pen as it goes across the page. My Peach is at the screen door, taking on all bugs that hit the wall. She has ever been the huntress.

August 31, 2005 13:03

I wish I could email or call Betsy. I could have her pass along a message to Johnnie. I now know what the side burner of a grill is for. It's for boiling water. The water is back on, although the pressure is low. Since I don't have a tv or radio here at the house, I don't know that there is a boil water order, but I'm operating as if there is. Something on NPR yesterday made me think there might be. And since they were listing off seemingly most of the state yesterday when they were listing boil orders, I figure I'm making a safe assumption. I couldn't wait to wash my face, though. Let's hope I don't wind up with some weird growth on my face because of my impulsiveness. I should probably consider relighting the pilot. Maybe.

After playing with my babies for a little while, i went to sleep on the living room floor. Think that's where I'm gonna be tonight. It was slightly cooler down there. I am going to have to put a sheet over the sunflower rug, though. It's dirty (I tracked debris in with me) and the thing is made of wool...making it very, very itchy. TSLO at one point in time was pulling hair out of my pony, but I ignored here and eventually she stopped.

Must have faded out around 4:00. Slept off and on until about 7:30. Got up, went to my bed and slept off and on until about 10:00.

After I got up, I had some PB crackers and filled the camelback with strawberry gatorade...made with bottled water. After that, I got on the bike and headed out.

First stop was the cemetery on Hardy. Oaklawn? Oakhaven? Oakpark? Most of the big oak trees are down. I realize that cemeteries are just like any other piece of ground. Subject to the same hazards as anywhere, but it seems particularly bad to me when it's a grave yard. Like those people didn't suffer enough in their lives? Now they can't find peace in death?

I interrupt this recall to say that Elizabeth and Frank just came by. They were worried about me. I know where I can get gas and as soon as the water is done boiling vigorously for at least one minute, I'm going to take my happy self out to get gas. Don't worry, I'll take my book and write while I'm there because I anticipate being in line for quite awhile. Gonna go out to 49/98.

I've stolen batteries from my neighbor's radio that doesn't work. Listening to NPR again. They were just finishing an interview with Johnnie Dupree, mayor of Hattiesburg. I guess there have been looting problems here. He's asking for sworn law enforcement officers. That's the help he needs now. I'm not quite sure how to say this, but I'm ont surprised? There's more I want to say about that, but it'll have to wait until I can figure out how to say it and be politically correct...

August 31, 2005 time...late

So, we're sitting out around the pool. The boys are actually in the pool...being boys. That's what they do (see "I Love Boys...")

September 1, 2005 14:42

Hmmmmm....well, I wrote a bunch of stuff out by hand, but it's not really for public consumption. That's always the danger of having what technically amounts to my "journal" out there for the whole world to see. There are just some things that you want to keep to yourself. At the same time, though, this is the chronicle of my life. I *need* to put things down on paper or on the web. So I'll leave lots of things out and you can draw your own conclusions. I know how dangerous that can be, but it's the best solution I have to the problem right this minute. Maybe one of these days I'll figure out a way balance that whole public exposure thing with introspection.

Today my chest is black and blue and sore. Kind of some aching, burning pain. Which makes sense.

One of these days I won't be such a ninny. Until then, though, I'm working on that whole bluffing my way through it. And I'm saying some daily affirmations designed to help me not be such a ninny.

As you have probably come to see, I am back at Beth's. I went crawling back, scared. And I was scared. I can't help it. That's a natural state of being for me. I try not to be so fearful, but when you look at the history, it's amazing that most days I'm not curled in ball, whimpering.

But to get back to the story...we were on a bike ride before the last interruption and lapse in judgment. I'd been to the cemetery and rode down Main Street to 4th. Right through the ghetto. Good idea. I can't tell you how many guys were hanging out of car windows, catcalling and whistling, trying to get me to talk to them.

I think a few years ago...right here on this very site, we had a discussion about walking down the street in the south and the horn honks and catcalls. I don't get it. Shit like that happens in the south. I really doesn't happen in the midwest. Or in the west. Or at least not that I've experienced. It's always shocking to me, which gets in to a whole slew of body image issues that I cart around with me ("...gonna need a forklift cuz all the baggage weighs a ton..."). I don't understand why they do those things to me. Especially when I'm wearing the gross bleach stained jean shorts, my hair is in a ratty pony. Ewwww? And it's not just a racial thing either...it occurs from both races. (like there's only two races of people in the world...blacks and whites...but that's what it boils down to where I currently reside) If you really want to read all about that, I'm sure if you search the June/July archives for the last couple of years, you'll find something about that very issue. No time or space to get that done here and now.

From 4th Street, I rode to the university. Lots of down trees, but other than that, it's OK on campus. they were working getting the power back on to the university. Lots of trucks along 4th Street. I started to feel a little wobbly and woozy so I cut the ride short.

Went 10 miles, though, and that's the first time I've ridden since the horror that was the Tammany Trace. I thought I'd done a couple of short rides on the Longleaf, but my computer wasn't showing it. It's possible that I did a few short rides, but I don't remember them. I think, though, the truth is that the Tammany Trace ride kicked my ass so badly and scared me half out of my wits, that I haven't ridden since then. I wonder what the Longleaf looks like right now? If I could be riding it next week, building up stamina and health again here very shortly?

I went 10 miles on my ride today, though, and that's where Liz saw me, so I guess some good came of it. Liz told me I could get gas at 49& 98, so I drove myself out there, only to find no gas available. That's when I realized they meant 49/59, not the other way around. So...I drove myself back into town. Panicking about the gas tank being on E...the light had been on for getting close to 60 miles, which in my experience was close to being as much as I could expect to hold out (it wasn't, but that's a story for the next paragraph).

God must have been smiling on me because it only took me 20 minutes to get gas. I used my credit card and filled up. $38.00 or so. Others were saying you could only get $20. I didn't feel bad about such things, especially considering that the lines today were incredibly long...miles long.

So that was yesterday. We've already been over the whole drunken thing. Or maybe we didn't, and that's something you need to fill the blanks in about. (doncha just love mysteries?)

And on to today. I waited in line for ice and water for almost two hours. Burned a quarter of a tank of gas. Later in the day Will, Matt, Matt, and I went to check on the cats. The boys were passing a pipe back and forth while we were going down the road. Y'all know I've never done drugs, but I really wanted to try it. Then again, I've really wanted to try it for a long time. I have that whole "good-girls-quiet-girls-perfect-girls" things going on. It's so incredibly frustrating. I wish I could just let go of it and say FUCK THIS. It's always there, though. So many voices in my head. So many worries. All those alcoholics in the family. So many addictive personalities. What if I really liked it? Then what? Tattoos and piercings are so much easier.

God almighty do I need a new body modification. (a new piercing or a new tattoo...or the long awaited etching...too bad Rings of Desire is flooded out. I'd be over there this coming weekend, signing up for the work I want done)

Other than that, there's not really anything else to report.

I got in the pool for a little while this evening. I was apprehensive about doing so because of my bruises ...they're fairly extensive. If I wasn't careful, the worst of the bruises showed. I tried to be very careful.

Shall we talk about how sore I am? How awful it its? How I think there may be permanent damage because of the trauma? I took a shower and I thought I was going to cry.

So tired. Think I'm going to go to bed early. Maybe I'll just start drinking again...see where that leads me.

September 2, 2005 17:13

So the calvary has arrived here at Gumbo Acres and in LA at about 1:30. Beth's momma and her two uncles arrived with the generator, food, drink, gas, and beer. We can now watch TV...we as Fox and CNN because Mark and Beth have satellite.

This morning the phones came back on. I had 17 voicemail messages to listen to. Only 2 text messages, but a ton of voicemail's. Some I couldn't make out. I called the Sner, Wayne (who went so far as to call X-Man...holy shit.*SHOCKING*) and Shan. Left a message for Cari. I hope that with those people knowing that things are OK, everyone else who needs to know, will be able to find out.

One of my text messages was from Melvin...my trainer from this summer. It was very sweet of him to think about me. Y'all know that I thought there was something going there. I guess there was? (Please feel free to tell me I was being oblivious)

My phone is now in the car. Charging. I was down to one bar. I hope it doesn't drain my battery too badly. It shouldn't, should it? It's warm outside and my battery is good. Yet one more thing for me to worry about.

I spent the morning raking debris. I got most of the front yard, though. Gonna have some hellish blisters, despite my having worn my gloves. It was that first day that did it. It was incredibly hot out there raking leaves. I stopped and rested and had water. No dehydration here. More ant bites, though.

I want to take a moment to talk again about my sore boobs. The bruises are really beginning to look hideous. I'm still hurting. I can't help but holding the things and grimacing. (You would too if you could see them)

We're just now beginning to see and hear about what's happening in New Orleans. Not just the evacuees but lawlessness. The rapes, the murder, the looting. There are some around these parts who are blaming it on the fact that those who are doing such awful things are black. The discussions border on racism. , and I'm not exactly sure how to handle that. While it is unarguable true that those who are wreaking havoc are African American, I don't think it's happening because they are African American. I read a WaPo editorial that said something like most of those in the hardest hit areas are making less than $10,000/year and the city is 68% black.

The effects of systemic poverty and discrimination cannot be discounted. I don't believe that everyone in this country has an equal opportunity and that if you just work hard enough, you can thrive and succeed. I believe that there are second class citizens in this country who don't matter. I don't think that in any way excuses the behaviors we're seeing in New Orleans. I think, though, that it points to a more complex understanding of the problems. (Can you tell that this summer's reading had an effect on me?) Personal responsibility always comes in to play, but there can also be extenuating circumstances.

Anyway.

I think I'm done reminiscing for the evening. Not done writing, but done reminiscing. How knows if y'all get to see that or not.

September 3, 2005 07:45

I forgot to mention the potential bear problem. there was a gawd-awfuul stench the night before last and when we woke up yesterday, there was this icky grunting noise in the woods behind the house. Sounded a lot like a cow to me, but because apparently there aren't any cows back there? I dunno. They ran and go the other Matt who just happened to have a 12-gauge and a Glock 9 in his truck. Fucking Rambo on the scene baby.

I slept like total and complete ass last night. At 3:00, I was wide awake. Sat up in the dark for a couple of hours and then rolled over to go back to sleep until 6:30. Maggie, one of Bill and Jamie's old labs, stayed in the room with me. The dog barks...loudly...at the slightest thing. Killing me man. Just plain killing me.

I'd really like to check my email. Between the two accounts, I betcha my in-boxes are flooded. The hotmail account with the talkies list is enough to make me ill. And I'm sure the Talkies are worried. Maybe I should have Amber log-in to my hotmail and send a message.

Today I need to go to the bank. Check on the cats. Buy batteries Buy some alcohol. I am ate up with bug bites. I found the ants again yesterday when I was working and have a fresh round of wounds all above my left ankle. Ouch. Also have a bunch of what I think are mosquito bites all over my poor sad body. Jamie said that there's a possibility of chigger bites. Please god no.

September 3, 2005 23:42

As it is, I'm a whole lot fucked up. I drank most of a bottle of wine by myself since I made spaghetti for dinner tonight. Red sauce, red wine, right? It wasn't that great of a sauce, and apparently Mark almost choked to death on the bay leaves that I used to season it with (and left in the sauce). I'm feeling a bit guilty.

Matt and I then polished off a SECOND bottle of wine. Holy shit. The teeth are tingling. And then when Will offered me a slushy beer, I accepted. Did I not learn my lesson? Have I taken away nothing? Apparently not.

The boys called me out into the garage while they were smoking to look at the line of ants making their way under Mark's car towards the house. You know about the B-movie I saw as a child...set in Brazil with like 8 foot tall ants that devoured people? Nightmares. Good thing I'm drunk because if I weren't, I would be having screaming nightmares.

So, I just sent a text to Wayne...my Father Confessor, and Desiree called me back. I'm betting that she's laughing at me. (Sorry to disappoint, D, but I couldn't do it)

I'm scared. A natural state of being for me, but at this point in time, I'm gonna go ahead and turn off the computer. Catch y'all on the flip side.

September 4, 2005 11:58

So, ummmm...it's 5:21 in the morning, and I'm sitting in a gas line. The station opens at 7:00. We got here at 5:00. I so am not a morning person...when I haven't had any time to wake up. I did one of those roll-out-of-bed-and-gone-in-15-minutes things. I'm dangerous on the road when I'm asleep. Jesus. How did I ever do a cross-country trip like that? No wonder I was always sleepy the first two hours; I wasn't awake yet. Why didn't someone slap me?

Wanna know a secret? *grin* I'm not wearing any panties. *grin* Somehow it's not quite so sexy or dirty when you tell the whole world about it. *sigh* And for your information, last night I let the girls bounce but they feel much better in a bra, considering their poor, mangled state. They're getting better. They only hurt yesterday when I was doing boy work.

Speaking of yesterday, the day's run-down is as follows: stayed forever in my jammies because my clean clothes were in town; went to town for clean clothes and to check on my babies. Peach wouldn't come out and TSLO cussed me something fierce, only to run away. Not even bonito flakes could induce them out for some loves (send bonito flakes BTW); took Jamie to Home Depot to file a claim with her insurance and while I was there, I talked to Linda; went back to the house because I'd forgotten to grab grandma's ring (I took it off after Atlanta because it was eating my hand); stood in line forever at Wal-Mart. Bought beer, milk, batteries, and a whole host of other shit. Purchased cigarettes for the first time in my life. OK. Not the first time. I bought Steve cigarettes for Christmas last year and once long ago and far away, I had a pack that lived in the glove for when I was exploring and stressed out. They didn't do anything for me, though, and they were expensive as all hell.

Came back to Gumbo Acres and chilled awhile before heading out to help Mark with limb removal. He commented on the super-human strength I possess and I told him that while I had started working out again, it was probably those Alex genes that gave me the Emmett Smith thighs and made me strongk like bull. (it's a joke most of you don't know and I don't have the time or inclination to explain it). I was going to say that we're (meaning the Alex's) aren't afraid of hard work and then I remembered my brother. Some of us are afraid of hard work.

I can smell sleep. That means I'm tired. Passed out around 1:30 and up at 4:30. Since I didn't sleep then, it's gone. When the sleep smell shows up, if I don't take advantage of it, it doesn't just magically reappear.

Just found out I'm going to be sitting in this gas line again. You can only get $20 of gas at one time. *sigh* So...I'm going to fill the cans in the truck first so Jamie and Mark can head to the coast to get her sister-in-law and nephews who rode the storm out in a tree in Gulfport.

Concentrate Jennifer. Concentrate. Yesterday.

While we were in line at Wally-World, we talked with a Red Cross volunteer who had been working at the Forrest County multi-purpose center, a Red Cross Shelter. He said that Monday night a (white) man raped an 8 year-old boy in the bathroom. Little boy died. The next day another (white) man attempted to molest a 6 year-old girl. Known pedophile. Apparently the police fucked both guys up pretty badly. Not sure how I feel about that.

Y'all know (or maybe you don't...I don't talk a lot about it), I have some issues regarding childhood sexual abuse ("...gonna need a forklift cuz all the baggage weighs a ton..."). I think I can understand a violent response from individuals such as a child's family. I find something fundamentally distasteful (not the right word...let me thing about what the right word is) when it comes to a violent response from the state. I know and understand that our sworn peace officers are human as well and have personal, immediate reactions. At the same time, they're trained to set that aside. Their responses are supposed to be professional, and I wonder if those officers at some point will stop and reflect on their actions. Maybe think that they could have reacted differently. Or does the heinousness of the crime excuse and/or justify the reaction?

At this point I should probably remind my audience, just in case they've forgotten, that I'm a flaming liberal. (Don't forget that I have a few conservative leanings) I've felt like just casually dropping into conversation, "I'm a flaming liberal" a few times during this last week. *grin* Much like I'm the only non-smoker, I'm the lone liberal in the house. I've been good and haven't said a whole lot in that direction.

It's been said that martial law has been declared in Hattiesburg, which supposedly means that you can carry your holstered gun, in the open, at your waist. Good idea that. I'm surprised there aren't bodies littering the streets. With as tense as the situation is and has been here, I'm not so sure that it's a good idea for the public to be out with their guns. Not that I don't think the public shouldn't have guns. The should if they're so inclined. I'm not sure what the benefit is right this moment. I'm sure there is one...I'm just too tired to think of it.

We cleaned the house this morning. Swept, mopped, dusted, deodorized. Makes me realize that I really need to clean my house. *sigh* It's been awhile since I've done some heavy duty cleaning. As soon as the power comes back on, that's my task.

Read the Sunday paper today. It appears that things aren't so hot in Hattiesburg. I was asked in one of my phone calls if things were as bad as the news is saying it is. If the response is as slow as it's reported. I made excuses about the extent of the devastation, but the more I hear, the less I am sure of that quick judgment.

I really don't understand why it's day 6 and the FEMA officials are just now arriving in Hattiesburg. I don't understand why it's day 6 and the National Guard troops are just now arriving when the Mayor of the city started asking for law enforcement help on MONDAY. (the national guard is patrolling Hattiesburg in Humvees) I don't get why it's taken quite so long to get everything here.

I do understand about the problems the storm itself posed. I get that. What I don't understand is why some of this support wasn't staged and ready to go as soon as the storm was over. If the power crews can get here the day after the storm, why the hell can't government officials and help get here that quickly as well? I know that they weren't entirely sure where the storm was going to hit, but why weren't some of these supplies and troops and the rest of it at some staging ground in, say, Tennessee? That's pretty central to the areas that have been hardest hit. Why wasn't there a better plan?

There should have been a better plan. As I read today in one letter to the editor, the Department of Homeland Security has been telling us for quite some time that they were prepared to handle a disaster. If this is an indication, they've failed the test. Miserably.

I'm not blaming President Bush. I'm not jumping on a bandwagon to bash him. I just think there are some serious questions that need to be answered now...and someone needs to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the travesty that this situation has become.

I'm feeling weepy today. It's got to be PMS. Should be getting a visitor from a friend here shortly. That'll be a good thing. *sigh*

My uncle called to check on me today. I didn't get to take the call because the cell reception has been awful. It was good to talk to him. I don't talk to him as often as I should. Sadly, I can't remember the last time I did talk to him. Maybe around my birthday? He said that if it got to be too much for me here, I could always bug out and make my way to him. I don't think that's going to be necessary.

Shan also said that if I wanted to bug out, she'd station money at Western Unions along the way for me. *grin* Lots of people have offered to take me in, and I really, really appreciate that. I think, though, that since school is starting next week, I'm going to just stay put. I can't really afford to go anywhere with that looming.

And speaking of school, I really should be working on getting stuff for that done. I've been thinking about what I need to do in order to wrap up my internship, and probably with the next couple of days, I'm going to get that done. I've also been thinking long and hard about my dissertation. Ughhhhh. I'm probably not going to get started on that in the next couple of days.

Tomorrow I'm going to go check on the cats, and then I'm going to go donate blood. It's been long enough since my last tattoo, I believe, and I need to feel like I'm doing something. I think I might stop and pick up some more alcohol as well. *sigh* I'm feeling the urge to drink quite frequently. As I said earlier, I'm mapping out my next body modification. It kind of sucks that I don't have anywhere left that I'd like to pierce (actually...there are two that I think about, but I'm afraid that then I really would set of the metal detectors in the airport. *sigh*) and it kind of sucks that I don't have any other tattoos that I really want. Just the etching. That's the only thing that is still calling my name.

Other than some wine. Need to find the corkscrew so I can get started on that. If you wanted to send me something, you could ship me some good beer (Coors Light doesn't really cut it for me) or some wine. I've depleted my stock. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Jamie and Mark went to the coast to get her sister-in-law and nephews. They went by where her house used to be. It's been a really hard day for her. Patty and her sons were telling harrowing stories. Apparently situations in the MS shelters aren't all that great either. (Maybe just a little bit of an understatement) I didn't go over and listen to them tell the stories themselves; I got it second-hand. More than I think I can handle given my current emotional state.

Being here gives a fuzz lots of time to think about stuff. Questions get asked that trigger things and the next thing you know, you're taking trips down memory lane. I've got some writing I need to do. I've had some writing that I've needed to do for a really long time, but I start it and don't finish it. Some things are painful and hard to deal with so I ignore them. Can't keep ignoring them forever, though, can I?

I don't think I have anything else to say tonight. As the main page editorial in the Hattiesburg American said today...there are no words. I've had pages and pages and pages of words, but I think that perhaps I've finally run dry.

Maybe I'll go work on some pornographic poetry instead. *grin* Watch this space for updates.

OK...I didn't write any pornographic poetry. I did write poetry, but it wasn't the slightest bit sexy. To make up for that, I have just re-read the "erotic fiction" I wrote a couple of months ago. God, I'm a good writer. I wonder how much money there is to be made in that market? Little side business perhaps? *grin* Where's a boy when you need one? Dammit.

September 5, 2005 21:35

Doncha just hate it when things don't happen the way you expect them to? And perhaps you expect a certain thing because that's what you were told was going to happen, but for some reason or another, it doesn't shake out that way? I hate that. All dressed up and ready for the party but with no way to get there. Sucks.

Just a little disappointment to deal with.

I keep forgetting that y'all haven't been able to read this novel that I'm writing up here for you. I talk to myself quite a bit, and I imagine conversations we've had, or I think about conversations that I've actually had with people and then get confused about what level of knowledge y'all have. I'm sure that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to you. Sorry. I frequently confuse my ownself.

I don't know how I ever managed to spend five years in a middle school. And then how I managed to say that I loved it. I spent about three hours with a 13 year old today, and I was ready to throttle him by the end of it. I suppose that the part about teaching that was nice was that just as I was getting annoyed as all shit, I got a new batch of lovelies that I wasn't annoyed with. Sound plausible to you? It's the best explanation I've got for the time being.

So, I've been thinking in the last week that I'm letting go of what has been a significant relationship in my life. I may have said somewhere in this morass that I've really been letting go all year long. It still hurts that he hasn't sent a text, hasn't left a message for me. Yes, I hope he's sent an email, but at the same time, he has to know that the situation is pretty dire here. What a fucking jackass. I'd like to scream at him, "Sprout a fucking sack." While not as dramatic, I think the slow fade is probably the better option.

What's the saying? The best way to get over someone is to get under someone? Wonder what I can do to help facilitate that...

Just in case any of you out there have anyone in mind for me, let me give you the list of five one more time...

Those are my "musts". If you know anyone who meets those requirements, feel free to give them my email.

Here's something else I'm thinking about: one-night stands. If you have a one-night stand, how do you add that in to your overall total of people slept with? I mean, do you count just sex or do you count relationships? Do you have to count it if the sex sucked? So, for example...would I have to count Denny? Whom I slept with once, after dating him for quite awhile, because it was so awful (some of you will recall the pinky illustration). Do I count Montana, the age-old friend that I sort of slept with one night after a few too many drinks because he was determined to prove to me that he was the best I'd ever had? (he wasn't...although he most assuredly was the most incredibly rough with me...I literally had difficulty walking the next day) If I was drunk, does it count? That would cross Denny, Doug, and Montana off the list. What about if you just gave them a blow-job? Does that count as someone you've slept with? If we're going off the basis of relationships, then it's Chris, Dax, Jon, and Daryl. Not bad considering I'm almost 30, started having sex when I was 15, and three of those have been long-term relationships.

There's a reason behind my musings. I was flipping through a copy of The Book of Questions, and there are a couple in there that are related to the number of sexual partners you've had. How do *you* (meaning you my audience) answer that question? And do you worry that your numbers may be too high...or too low? I worry about the number being too high, even though Shan has told me that there are seven men I'm supposed to sleep with before I get married. I may as well make my way through their ranks, because if I don't, then I'm forever going to want the one(s) I didn't have.

Do mine eyes deceive me, or is Barry Bonds back in the Giant's line-up? Is that what I'm seeing on the Monday night game? Barry Bonds sucks.

Ever really love a CD and then for whatever reason you put the CD to the side for awhile and completely forget about it? How did you feel when you rediscovered the CD? I did that today with my Angie Aparo CDs. Out of the Everywhere, The American, and For Stars and Moon. I was thinking about them because I had "Sweet Loretta" stuck in my head. Beth has a cat named Loretta Lynn...and she's very sweet. When I went to the house today (still no power), I grabbed the CDs. God do I love those songs.

"I've been saving time

for another life

maybe happiness is coming

but you don't know when.

The gravity of whether you were meant for me

Comes crashing down with sovereignty

In someone else's tragedy."

-Gravity

"I know you like Adam knew Eve

Every tear you cry is a tear that I will bleed."

-Wonderland

Participated in a very awkward conversation this evening. (Actually a couple of them, but I'm talking specifically about one now) Jamie is the aunt of the 13 year old, wants her sister to leave her son in Jackson so he can go to school while the clean-up happens on the coast. Her sister wants to take her son back to the coast with her, even though it may be months before the schools are back in session down there. I was advocating for getting him back in school.

You know my whole panic thing. I could feel that fluttering in my chest and the desire to calm everything down or to walk away from the situation. Which I eventually did. I don't do confrontation well (see the above slow-fade comment). I'm not exactly sure why it freaks me out so badly, but it does. I'm not good with it.

I sat in some ants over at Beth's mom's house. I was sitting on the steps of the porch when all of the sudden, my left foot, the one that already has a TON of ant bites began to sting. Bites. All over my foot. Hurts.

I did a little reading this afternoon while it was so incredibly hot. The good thing about the very little that I read is that I think I've found some more adult education tie-in to my dissertation. Yeah me! And you thought I wasn't working on the damn thing at all. Always thinking, I am. Always.

We were talking about sex offenders earlier this afternoon and how there seems to be lots of them around. (Here I am thinking about this again...do you think that maybe I'm supposed to be doing some processing) Can you ever keep your child safe from sexual abuse? It happens to children with incredibly vigilant, protective parents. How do you protect them from the emotional, physical and spiritual damage that surely results from such things? If you have kids, how do you not go insane worrying about such things? I joke that I have a list of 9,974 reasons to not have children, but really there are two over-riding reasons why the thought of having kids makes me just about ill...one is I'm afraid I'm going to fuck it up. Good role models are hard to find...two is that I worry that I won't be able to protect my child from the trauma I've suffered. If you're willing to consider a third reason, it's a fear of failure, which ties heavily in to the first two. But I think we've had this discussion before, haven't we?

I haven't talked much about the day because there's really not much to talk about. I didn't get to donate blood because UBS wasn't open today, and there wasn't any information about their hours posted on any of their doors. I understand that today was a holiday, but you'd think in a time of need, there would be a few exceptions to that rule.

We had BBQ'ed pork chops, Greek pasta salad sans feta cheese, garlic bread, potato salad, baked beans, and deviled eggs for dinner. And strawberry daiquiris. It was decided that since it was a holiday, we really wanted what would be a seemingly normal holiday dinner. Kin da difficult to do when there isn't a lot of meat to be found in the stores. All that trouble, and the boys weren't here to eat it. Both the Matts and Will left. I suppose that's their loss.

The generator is incredibly loud. I love that we have it, but it's giving me a slight headache (or is that all the alcohol I've consumed recently?) and it's hurting my ears. Along with my bruised chest and ant bites, I'm a sorry, sorry fuzz.

I never thought I'd say this, but I really wish I could shave my legs. I've taken to mostly wearing pants because my legs are so incredibly gross. It's partly the hair, but it's also the general ickiness. The bug bites, the scratches, the cuts, the bruises. Then again, you know that I wear pants a lot of the time because I don't like my legs and don't really want other people to see them. *sigh*

Just got off the phone with Shan. She and Eric are in Vegas celebrating their fifth anniversary. It's 9:00 there and they're blitzed, burning time for an hour until the bikini mud wrestling starts at Gilly's. *sigh* It's always humorous to listen to drunk people. And let me assure you...judging by those standards, I'm in no way drunk right this minute. In fact, I think I probably need another drink. No toes or teeth tingly. Just some difficulty keeping my eyes open.

I'm staying awake for reason, although I strongly suspect that I will be disappointed. *sigh*

It's incredibly hot. We have fans on, but it's hot here. It's September. That's the way it works here.

I forgot to mention the conversation that the Matts and I had about when boys first learn what magic masturbation is. Listening to them was one of those moments in life where you really wish that you had a video camera. They had hand motions and facial expressions and the whole nine yards. Stereotypical comments about the Vickie's catalog and bathroom times going from five minutes to 40. Is that really what guys do in there for so long? Really? And they said that as soon as they finished the first time, they did it again. And again. And again. Cracked me up.

September 6, 2005 20:12

Today has been an incredibly shitty day. It started off well enough but got progressively worse. I left here and arrived at United Blood Services around 8:30. Apparently I was the first donor through the door. They asked me if I knew my blood type, and I told them that it is A-. At that point, their eyes lit up and they asked if I'd be willing to do any automated procedures. What the hell, why not? was my thought process. *sigh*

After playing with my veins, they decided that I could handle it. It was then that the problems started. My veins are better in my right arm. They're there in my left arm (duh?), but they're way deep. They have to do the platelets precount in the opposite arm that they draw from. So...left arm had to get stuck. I told them they needed a blood pressure cuff to bring it up, but apparently none were to be had. (they have this automatic thing) Instead, they used a stretchy tourniquet, pulling it tighter and tighter and tighter. When the first woman stuck me, she couldn't get the vein. Brought another woman over to do it, and it took her about five minutes to get it. She was being as gentle as she could be, but there's nothing that feels good about that. Hurt.

The good news is that I have phenomenally high platelets counts. They were ecstatic when the results came back. So.

I laid down on the chair, put the headphones over my ears and settled back to watch The Man From Snowy River (that was the best choice). They told me that I would get cold when the blood was pumped back into my arm because of the anti-coagulant. They also said that I would have some tingling around my lips for the same reason.

I've never donated platelets before, so I didn't know what that was about. I was freezing immediately. So cold that my teeth were chattering. They gave me a blanket, but it wasn't enough. I think when I go back on Sunday to donate platelets again, I'm going to take the blue and yellow quilt with me. And the tingly around the lips happened as well, which was odd. Made my mouth very, very dry. About half way through, I asked for water, but it as difficult to drink it because they had my arm bandaged. In addition to those symptoms, each time the blood was being returned to my body, it felt like all of my internal organs were contracting and vibrating, as if my insides were trying to shrink away from the blood.

It also made me very sleepy. I wanted to go to sleep, but they told me I had to squeeze that stupid earth ball every 5-10 seconds. About twenty minutes from the end of the thing, I got a severe cramp in my left calf. I have a high pain tolerance. Y'all know that (duh?), but I was in tears. Biting my lip, trying to keep from screaming it hurt so bad. The poor ladies who were taking care of me were rubbing my calf, trying to ease it out. Took probably three minutes before it all passed.

The process was long. From start to finish, it took about 2 1/2 hours to donate. When we were finished, they had my platelets, and they'd taken a double draw of red blood cells. I laid on that bed for a good 15 minutes. Took another 10 or so before I was ready to leave. Totally and completely drained.

I'm going to go back and do the platelets again on Sunday. They need it, and you can donate platelets every 3 days. I figure I'm not doing anything else with my afternoon, so I might as well make myself useful. The ladies there were extremely grateful. I suppose that makes it worth it, no? The bruises on my arms (and honestly the rest of my body) are going to fade, right? Soon that stuff won't matter.

Went by the house and checked on the power (still not on) and the babies. I didn't stay long because honestly I was feeling pretty shitty. Jessica was there. I guess Allison kicked her out and sent her back to the house. I feel a little guilty for leaving her there by herself, but I have an excuse. Beth and Mark won't let me go back yet. It's too scary down there. There's still no power (although MS power is saying that everyone in the Pine Belt will be back up by Sept 11), and there are National Guard patrols on the streets.

Got back to Beth's, with my green bandage around one arm and red around the other (little early for Christmas, but that's OK...I'll take it). We talked for a little while and then went out to the front porch. It's been fairly cool here today, so it was pleasant. Other than the bees flying around. I was sitting in a white wicker rocker. Moved forward a little and when I went to put my foot back, I immediately felt the sting. Cursed, jumped up, screamed. The stinger was stuck behind my right knee. Ran to the car to get the meds that Dr. Bonnie Raitt gave me a couple of years ago. (Recall that I'm allergic to such things) Took that almost immediately.

All of this on top of the countless ant bites that I have which are looking incredibly awful. My left foot is swollen, it's been bitten so many times. *sigh*

The bite, the drugs, and the donation combined to put me to sleep. Even though it was hot in Will's room. I guess at one point, Beth was standing at the door, making sure that I was still breathing. I don't know how long I slept, but I do know that when I woke up, the only people here were the Matts.

Matt T. scared the hell out of George (the boxer) when he used the shotgun to attempt to remove some hanging limbs. Must have shot like 12 times. Poor Georgie was dying to get back in the house, so I let him in and then he wouldn't leave my side. Poor, poor baby. (Matt didn't remove any limbs...he blamed it on the rounds)

There is good news in all of this ickiness. Both of the boys are back at work. Matt works for Dillards, which suffered major damage during the storm. He was initially told that it would be the end of November before he could go back to work, but apparently they've need help with clean-up, so that's what he's doing. Will drives for Schwann, and he brought trucks back down from Jackson today. He goes back to driving routes tomorrow. I guess they're going limited routes and for security purposes, there will be two people on each truck. Mark also goes back to work tomorrow.

While the boys are working tomorrow, we're going to be headed down to the coast. Bill wants to see where the house was. I'm a little apprehensive about it, but I'm going to go. Before we head out, we're going to swing by the house and pick up my boots. I'm going to wear jeans.

I feel a little guilty about going...like I'm sightseeing, being voyeuristic, observing other's pain. If that makes any sense. Those poor people don't need anyone gawking at them. You know? I might not be making sense. I've been extremely fuzzy all day long, definitely not on top of my game. I have no clue if I'm making any kind of sense.

I think tomorrow I'm also going to see about dropping by Starbucks to see if their wireless is up and running. If it is, I'm going to try to upload this stuff. If it's not, I'm going to have to figure out something to do with this because the front page here is getting a little unwieldy in my program. When the files get huge, the program likes to slow down and do all sorts of funky things.

I think I may be wiped out for today. I think there was something else I wanted to say, but I don't remember exactly what it was. Sorry.

 

 

Last Updated January 26, 2008

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