Monday, August 29, 2005
Just one short week ago, I was strolling down the French Quarter, margarita in hand, enjoying all that New Orleans had to offer. Food, music, drinks, and culture abounded. I was in amazement at the beautiful architechture, the very interesting aquarium, and the amazing Audubon Zoo.Now, one week later, all of this is threatened by Hurrican Katrina. The story that breaks my heart the most are the people with no means to get out. Monetarily and transportation-wise, they are without. Last night, when talk of the town flooding much like a bowl full of water was broadcast on the news, my mind flashed back to the scene on Titanic where the older couple and the parents tucking their children into bed know what's coming in just a few short hours.
As shown on the news, many residents were housed at the Superdome, which I now hear is leaking (no big surprise), but don't let that comfort you for too long. I can assure you that there are plenty of people without the means to even make it to the Superdome. My high school vice-principal, Mr. A., has an elderly aunt, who refuses to leave her home. With all roads to New Orleans closed, no one in her family was able to go and remove her.
I am constantly amazed at how the media sensationalizes stories to the point that when they come to fruition, no matter how horrible or catastrophic, they somehow seem "not so bad" because they weren't to the degree of doom and gloom predcited. I think that's sad and makes light of the horrible plight of these people.
I went to buy groceries yesterday and a woman in the line in front of me was from Slidell, Louisiana, and had come to our town in evacuation. She was sure that she would have nothing to go back to. I can't imagine.....
This weekend, I made visits to the hospital to see my grandfather on Saturday. Little did I know that in the other part of the hospital, my grandmother on my mother's side of the family, was being prepared in the ER to be moved just across the hall from my grandfather, Wayne the Pain. I found this out after I was home on Saturday. I had not planned on making the trip on Sunday, since I had just been the day before and gas is so expensive. But, with my grandmother now in there, I decided to make the visit. I wish I wouldn't have. Wayne the Pain seemed to have made a turn for the worse. I've seen him pretty bad during times of the last 4 years, but never have I thought that death seemed to be creeping up on him so quickly. His face looked like that of someone knocking on death's door, the fight seemed gone from his eyes. Last night, I sat up thinking about it all and finally accepted what I thought I had been working on accepting for the past 4 years. It's hard, and for selfish reasons, I wish he'd pull through yet again, but I know that's probably not going to be the case this time. I just hope it's quick and painless for him and that my aunt who has taken care of him for the past 4 years will be able to deal with things. She's really a fragile person beneath her very outspoken exterior and I hope that she is able to withstand this blow. Like me, she has been preparing for this for some time, but I really don't think that you can ever be truely prepared. So, I guess I'll finish this and give her a call at the hospital and do a little hurricane tracking on the internet. Forgive me if I don't visit you all, I have sooo much going on right now, but I will try to make my rounds soon.
Melissa |
~IntrO~
Melissa-Mom to LittleMan (4/04); wife to LuckyHusband; full-time toxicologist; full-time housekeeper; full-time domestic laundromat manager (washes all the clothes); full-time domestic finance manager (pays all the bills and yells at husband for spending too much money on fishing stuff); and Keeper of the Cheerios. Lives in a tiny town; spends tons of time with family; reads; enjoys crafts. Can change a diaper, fill a sippy cup, and put on a toddler's shoes in 15.4 seconds flat, all while calculating the impact of petroleum hydrocarbons to a nearby surface water body (watch for me in the Toddler Olympics on CBS this fall). Addicted to Dr. Pepper; Kit Kats; and pasta. To spot me in a crowd: I'm the one with frizzy messed-up hair, smeared graham crackers on my shirt; huge purse with a diaper peeking out, toddler on her hip, and camera in hand at all times.
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~Stars of my ShoW~
LittleMan
LuckyHusband
Hooker (pictured with LittleMan)
Scuba Steve (pictured with LittleMan and myself)
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~LinkS~
parents magazine
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~Books I'm Reading~
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
Can You Keep a Secret?
Shopaholic Ties the Knot
Shopaholic and Sister
The Nanny Diaries
Nighttime is My Time - Mary Higgins Clark
Trace - Patricia Cornwell
She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
Saving Graces - Patricia Gaffney
Save Karyn - Karyn Boznack
Rosie Dunne - Cecelia Ahern
Little Earthquakes - Jennifer Weiner
The Undomestic Goddess - Sophie Kinsella
In Her Shoes - Jennifer Weiner
One Tuesday Morning - Karen Kingsbury
The Pot Luck Club
P.S. I Love You - Cecelia Ahern
No Place Like Home- Mary Higgins Clark
The Covanent - Beverly Lewis
The Betrayal - Beverly Lewis
The Sacrifice - Beverly Lewis
The Prodigal - Beverly Lewis
Goodnight Nobody - Jennifer Weiner
The Preacher's Daughter - Beverly Lewis
~Books I Have For Sale-Ask If Interested!~
No Place Like Home- Mary Higgins ClarkRosie Dunne - Cecelia Ahern
The Last Juror - John Grisham