Daily Rant

Hey there everyone! I'm so happy to see people have started visiting my blog here! Because of that I'm trying to keep as fresh as possible so noone gets bored. I recently added a counter and now I have an idea of how many people visit. So, WELCOME everyone!

I also have a little place on My Space.com There I've begun posting just on general stuff and about me. I did post something yesterday Katrina related so I thought why not bring it over here?

So, without adue :

Feb. 26. 2006

I was .. well, its not shocking really it was just a little unnerving to say the least, but not surprising. Within the past few weeks a new debit card has appeared that is not the FEMA or Red Cross one. Supposedly it's from the Salvation Army. They are trying to help Hurricane victims. It's a humanitarian thing to do of course! I talked about it with two people today. The latter one gave me the phone number and whot not. She told me they were giving vouchers for furniture and stuff, along with the card.

Well, I really didn't loose much in the storm. I just need a bed actually. I've been sleeping on a twinsized air mattress. The point is, I'm not doing too bad. Not like some who have lost everything and only have what they took in a dufflebag or whatever. I'd consider, perhaps, looking into the furniture voucher thing, but I'm not sure yet. I really don't have any desire to take what is not mine, so I'm careful to judge if it's what I should do or not. However, this woman told me to call them and let them know I lost everything - of course I lost "everything" I was living in MidCity. Right? She said I could get a new livingroom set, refridgerator, stove, bedroom set everything! I watched her leave and thought, gosh, even the poor are capitolists. I told a friend who told me - now this is second hand so I can't verify it - that she had heard the people who took in evacuees were allowed to count them on their tax form. So, she heard a couple of people say they were going to claim 3 to 6 people. Supposedly they would get 1000 for each person. Can you imagine if that were true? Oy!

Is this not appauling? I find it so! It amazes me what people will try to get away with! I mean, not only is it criminal to misrepresent yourself and lie to Gov't, but it's just a sign of bad character. When I look at it, I've dealt with the same kind of people who were on food stamps and drive nice cars and keep their hair professionally done every week when I can't even afford a car - but I'm not poor enough to be on food stamps.

Don't get me wrong, I don't look for handouts. I'm for people actually being responsible for themselves and taking help when it's absolutely necessary. It's truly amazing. I also want to clarify, I don't begrudge anyone on foodstamps or who recieve some kind of help like that NOR do I think those people are ALL cheating the Gov't - but many are.

If anyone is interested you can read my personal blog at http://blog.myspace.com/rhemasjoy

and my space there with my profile and everything is at

http://www.myspace.com/rhemasjoy


Hope to meet some of you there! Thanks!

Something to read

I had to write something today because I really want to keep this blog fresh and with new stuff.
I was finally able to reconnect with a friend who I hadn't spoken to since the summer this afternoon. Just two months before the storm. I was happy to know that he is ok and back at home. I am sad to report that not all employers are treating their coworkers well. I have heard news of one who didn't pay their workers for the first week of service after the storm. That is cold!

Mardis Gras seems to be in the news lately. In the local newpaper was a front page report on the difference between local and out of town revellers. The point was to show that out of towners are the rowdy ones who throw beads for skin and drink till they pass out. They showed a pic of woman showing off her assets and a parallel pic of locals with family - good clean fun. But they sorta didn't block all the skin in the first picture. Yes, something was peaking out there for all to see. Apperently they tried to get the papers back but it was too late. They just printed the rest with a block over it. From what I hear.

Personally, I just don't get mardis gras right now. I know it's a big thing, I know it's a part of culture and tradition - history. It's just that so many are so devastated, I just don't see the point. Is Mardis Gras really so wonderful that it's the only thing we have to boast about? I don't see it. Why should that be our big, we are still here alive and breathing statement to the world?

Elections will be the next big burner I'm sure on the national news front. Be on the look out for that.

On a personal note - I miss home. I miss my coworkers. I am actually in a better situation now than before, but I had to leave someplace I've been for the past ten years. Like quitting smoking or something cold turkey or divebombing into a freshwater pool instead of wading in slowly. It wasn't much, honestly. But it was home.

Off Topic

Ok, so this has nothing to do with Katrina, but everyone needs a break ... yes? It's valentines day. Oh woohoo. This season at work it was busier than Christmas, why? I have no idea. Personally I think it's because more people are in town and less stores are open the hours that our store is open.

Anyway, this week, I've been having a little fun. We have these laser light pens. So, I've bene entertaining myself by messing with my coworkers and with customers. "Where is that light coming from?" haha.

Today

Hi again! Well, while I'm waiting to find the time to share my own Katrina experience, I'll share some present tidbits. In recent news ....

Mail for New Orleans is no longer going to Houston and back! Oh joy!!!! So, if you mail a letter to the French Quarter from uptown, it goes 82 miles to Baton Rouge to be postmarked, then 68 miles to St. Rose to be sorted and finally another 22 miles to the French Quarter. Well, at least to whever they have the post office setup nowadays! Now, just so you know, it takes about ten to 15 minutes to drive from the French Quarter to uptown. I think I'd rather just drive to the quarter and stick it in their mailbox myself and run the risk of being caught in someone elses mailbox. Those of us in the 701 zipcodes are still not recieving magazines nor any of those annoying fliers or sales ads we all love to get every week! We also still get no TV focus in our newspapers. Due to a shortage of hospitals in the New Orleans area, there's now a hospital of sorts setup in the convention center. Cute little tent looking things. Very nice - I haven't been in but I'd hope they have air conditioning!

In my personal humble opinion, given that it seems every week to a month there seems to arise in the local newpapers and television airwaves a new theory on what caused the levies to give way, I'm not sure if it is really a mystery or someone just trying to find a valid reason that will satisfy evryone. First the water topped the levies, then the pilings weren't built deep enough, then the peat had been dug into for some reason or another. Does anyone really know? We are now about 114 days away from next season - will the levies be rebuilt by then? Well, there are about 9 women who are taking a hands on approach and have a campaign to make the levee board one group instead of several seperate groups. This is what most regular people want anyway.

A first this year was a Mardis Gras Marathon where the runners ran in front of the SuprDome among other things. Honestly, this is just my humble opinion ... I could do without mardis gras. I never really liked it anyway. But this just doesn't seem the time to think about and spend money on it. But who am I?

Todays paper was no different than most papers I've seen since I got back into town in mid September . Almost every paper is tainted with more pictures of ravaged houses or streets or something. Many areas are just deserted because there's just not enough time, people or money to get it all done. Not only that but many homeowners just have no idea what they're supposed to do, the city tells them don't demolish, FEMA says demolish, the insurance hassles them about their claim. It's just not as easy and clearcut as outsiders would think it is. To make matters worse, the squall line of thunderstorms that hit our area from Texas the other night spawned a numerous amount of Tornadoes which of course hit trailor parks, areas of lakeView which were already seriously damaged and redamaged the airport. Don't take those blue tarps off yet!

Life here is definitely different. However, I can't say we don't still have our share of crime again as two friends of mine live in an apartment complex where one of their neighbors homes got broken into and someone elses car got stolen. Maybe they didn't realize the time period for looting was over!

Traffic has certainly picked up. Take into account that people who have left the city have moved into other areas of Metro New Orleans like Jefferson Parish or Kenner, along with the multiplied workers who have come for the promise of some extra cash for being a part of the cleanup and rebuild process, streets that were once passable at almost any time of day are hardly as passable anymore.

On the subject of work BTW, I just learned recently that although many companies - with a big majority being fast food ones - may be hiring new employees with a nice fat bonus spread out over a year of up to about 6,000 dollars and a nice hourly rate like ten bucks and hour, but after that year is up, the wages go back down to preKatrina rates. Wow. Don't get too cushy of an apartment!!

If you happen to get one of the local papers online, look for a guy named Chris Rose. This guy is hysterical!!! He has kept many of us full of laughter and maintaned a nice level of healthy insanity. Here's to you and headless barbie dolls Chris!!! 9It's an "inside" thing.

Well, I must sign off for now. I'll be bringing more updates and things fomr your average everyday new Orlenian prospective as often as possible. Thanks for reading!!!

A Bit Late

I know I've really lagged on this blogging thing. The truth is, I've been rather caught up in the whole being homeless and staying with friends situation. Then I finally moved into a new place January 8th! Yay!!! So, hopefully I can start filling up space in this spot here. I also didn't have a computer till about two weeks ago when I broke down and bought an e-machine. It works, that's all that matters. So, the update currently is that I have a job, I have a place to live and I have a computer! I need a bed, but hey, we can't have it all at once!!

Hope to be posting some more over the weekend. Oh, this is the weekend! Silly me!