Assuming everybody ever gets up, we get the hound fed and to the kennel, and we actually get into the car anytime soon (all of these are iffy), we’ll be in Algiers early this afternoon. (This probably means I won’t be blogging much…)
To say I’m looking forward to bringing in the New Year with my old friends and second family would understate things – but there are some mixed feelings all the way around.
As we prepared for this trip (mostly by procrastination and telling everybody about it), I had a glimpse into what Katrina’s media onslaught has done. The myths surrounding New Orleans and what people think is happening there are a reflection of how far the city’s reputation has fallen.
Two days ago, an intelligent, lucid, well-educated friend said, “Be careful there. The cops are shooting everybody.”
Last night (from another normally reasonable person) it was, “Are you bringing your gun? It’s very dangerous there.”
A year ago (hell – just six months ago!), when there were murders and violence all over the place, nobody said these things to me when I said we were off to NOLA. Talk about kicking somebody when they’re down.
Is this the net result of Katrina? Are people afraid of New Orleans now?
We’ll be there soon… soon… soon… and pfffffftt to all the nay-sayers! Where is Pollyanna when she’s needed, anyway?
Update: And for those of you who know what this means: I’ve got the gitfiddle. Puff cometh.
Leave a Reply Cancel Reply
Read Next
Hurricane season starts again in 6 months and a few days. Think they’ll have the levees rebuilt by then? These folks don’t think so. When Kemp heard that an official at the White House had promised to fix the levees …
Although most of our time was spent in and around Algiers, visiting with friends and family (and checking out their cool FEMA trailer living accommodations), we took part of New Year’s Eve to drive around the city. As has been …
There’s a beautiful hotel on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. It’s rooms and suites are individually named and uniquely decorated, the floors tilt ever-so-slightly, and nothing is quite plumb. I stayed there many times pre-Katrina — but I was …
This is what happens when communications break down, and officials talk out of both sides of their mouths to appease constituents: I will rebuild and nobody’s going to tell me any different,” Marchand said Thursday at a news conference called …
The magic dragon? Do you know “Mighty Storm”?