3 years

I realized with a start that today is the Katrina anniversary. Among hearing the plans of my friends and family for Gustav, I had forgotten. Last year it was quite vivid that it was THAT day. I had gotten my tattoo about 7 weeks before that and it was the first day of grad school. But it was still very clear to me that 2 years prior was the day the world seemed to end. Or my world, anyway. I have never experienced such upheaval, emotional or otherwise. And I can’t believe it was 3 years ago. It at once seems forever ago and just yesterday. It’s a strange feeling.

It’s true that I’m homesick and I don’t mind admitting it, but I really did have to get the hell out of town. Moving was the best thing that could have happened for me. I felt like I was getting pulled down into the emotional miasma that hovered over the cities. That level of despair, even small and under the surface, it was choking me.

And yet, I quite perversely miss worrying about the storms. Even as bad as the storms got or could have been, I never outgrew that little bit of excitement at an approaching storm. Even with remembering all the cleanup and inconvenience (Isisdore and Lily? Back to back? At my parents’ waterfront condo? Horrible!) I still felt a little giddy. Maybe I would feel differently if I were back home facing Gustav. Maybe the spectre of Katrina would have erased that. I don’t know.

Now, being in Austin, I’m one of the potential places for people to evacuate to. That’s a new feeling. I feel a little bad that our place is ill-equipped for this. We have 2 cats, one of which is on death’s door. This is not a place for dogs (every friend AND my parents seem to own at least one). So when I’m asked to put someone up (and I’ve gotten a few tentative requests), I have to say what we can and cannot handle. Never having been on this end of things, I’m not quite sure of the protocol.

What a weird anniversary to keep track of. Especially in light of the fact that on Monday, C and I will be celebrating our 9-year anniversary. That’s right, we celebrated our 6th while on the road from N. Louisiana to Florida in the most winding, gas-deprived trip of our life following Katrina.

Anyway, happy (or not) Katrina day, everybody.

Definitely a favorite

I don’t keep my lolcat love a secret–I check icanhascheezburger on a daily basis. But this one is definitely one of the best ones:

Thanks, M, for pointing it out!

Like a journalist/savior

I have a favorite journalist and his name is Chris Rose.  I had always read his column in the Times Picayune growing up and beyond.  He was funny and sarcastic and biting.  I looked forward to every Sunday, waiting to steal the paper from my mother so I could read what he had to say.

After Katrina, Chris Rose changed his style a bit.  He had to, because the city he was writing in and the climate he was writing from had changed.  He adapted and wrote with an honest gaze about what was happening.  He broke my heart time after time and that was okay.  His heart was breaking along with everyone else’s.  We were all suffering, sometimes we still are.  Chris Rose didn’t mind admitting that he cried at things like signs and empty lots and cryptic messages.  We all did, but we didn’t want to talk about it.

And so I’m posting a link to his blog. Because I read it obsessively and I’m damn glad he’s still around.  My mother calls me randomly to tell me about something he’s written and that makes me happy.  Because I’m still homesick for Louisiana and I’m glad we’ll be going back for a visit soon.  And even though I’m having a good time in my new city, yeah, I’m nowhere near calling it home yet.  I might never be.

Sometimes, I find my way back

I had a meeting today with my phonology professor/academic advisor. It went so well, I was stunned.

First off, I walked in there with a plan to denounce any skill it seems I might have with optimality theory and tableaus. I had been waiting to receive an assignment back from 2 weeks ago and we had a test last week. I didn’t feel good about either of them. So I walk in and say “Look. I think I’m doing all of this backwards and illogically and I don’t think I know what I’m doing AT ALL, EVER and it’s stressing me out. I would also like to point out that I know that approximants are not a natural class and I don’t know why I put that in my last assignment.”

Things I’ve written

I wrote this during my evacuation for Katrina, and cleaned it up a few times after that. I have a horrible habit of losing things I’ve written so I put it different places online that I might remember to look. Just think of this as my giant online purse!