Sailor Soldier of Love and Justice

I must have had earthquakes on the brain last night because I dreamed an aftershock. I woke up thinking the whole room had vibrated. In the morning, a quick search of usgs told me it was just my overactive imagination.

Which is just as well since one should only have to worry about one natural disaster at a time. Right now there's the hurricane to worry about.

Actually, I'm not that worried. I'm pretty far inland and on high ground. Plus it looks like the main body of the storm isn't going to approach anywhere near me. My biggest concern is loss of power. That would be super inconvenient.

Everyone else in the area is totally panicking though. Good luck finding bottled water in any store at this point. (Why do people buy bottled water anyway? What's wrong with a couple pitchers or tupperware of tap water set aside before the storm?) And everyone is driving like maniacs. At least half a dozen drivers tried to kill us today while we drove around.

And then there were the crazy people on the street. Were they let out in honor of the storm?
1. Wheelchair guy - Purposely rammed his wheelchair into people on the sidewalk. Tried to knock a man off his bike. Stole a man's cigarette.
2. Homeless guy - Sat on the corner throwing rotten food at people passing by. When he ran out of food, he started spitting on people.
3. Chest guy - The man sitting next to me on the bus was rubbing his chest in a bizarre manner for nearly the entire ride. When we finally approached our stop, he started humming and slapping his legs.

I feel like people totally lose their minds around here whenever a big storm is mentioned.

I hope at least the storm waits until the afternoon to start. Maggie has her last vaccinations tomorrow morning. I really don't want that appointment canceled.

What a disappointing tropical storm. We've had summer storms worse than that. We didn't even get those big winds we were promised. Booooring.

I did read that there was some flooding in the areas that commonly flood. And that several suv owners lost their cars to the waters thinking they could drive through it. Ha ha.

I spent much of the day sleeping and watching tv.

Ben is still cute. Noname still wiggles. Captain Flint still demands cuddles.

It's September and it FEELS like it. Very very chilly out. But I guess it's because of that hurricane south of us. Pushed all sorts of nasty cold air this way. Last month (yesterday) wasn't much warmer though.

Ben was commenting yesterday that the weather was perfect. I was sad and cold. I warmed myself up a bit by making grilled zuchini and garlic. It wasn't too tasty. Zuchini is never tasty. :(

Oh, but last night was the final episode of Who Wants to Be a Superhero. That made up for bad cooking. I'm so glad Feedback won. He wanted to win so badly. I think he would have snapped if he lost. Ben wants to get the comic when it comes out. So I need to remember to keep an eye out for the first issue.

After tv last night, we went to bed and I actually got a good night's rest. No dog scratching all night. Ben didn't toss and turn. Cramps stayed in control. Just wonderful wonderful sleep. Except for one brief nightmare about ben leaving me on the side of the road. (He got out of bed while I was asleep. That displeased my subconscious.)

I came home yesterday to find two large fans flowing air under our carpets. I guess the mold was really bad because they ripped out all the foam that was down there. I hope that ben will start feeling better now that the mold has been removed.

Ben also scrubbed down the mold that was on the walls. Hopefully it's not in the walls.

I made sauted mushrooms and pasta sauce with ravioli while ben was doing his cleaning thing. It was tasty. Even ben who claimed he was full from a snack earlier ate some of it.

We went to bed early so ben could get enough sleep. I think I accidentally kicked him in the crotch in my sleep. Or dreamed about doing do. I remember him seeming to be upset. I hope I didn't really kick him. I'm afraid to ask.

Now I sit at work and try to get things done while I worry about a phone call coming later because I messed something up. Doom....

Also, last year today was when all hell broke loose. It makes me feel really guilty because I had only left New Orleans 3 months before that. It seemed unfair that so many of my friends lost everything, and I was perfectly safe.

( Some of my entries from last year today )

Tulane prepares for January reopening
Students offered tuition-free term
( article )

I'm sure everyone knows already that the already weakened levees broke in New Orleans again. So yeah, the city is flooding. Again. I'm not going to post articles or anything on it right now, unless something super drastic changes. At least the city is mostly empty this time. Take your silver lining where you can find it.

Anyway, I was a good girl and went to work today. Even after a nasty awful nightmare where my mom found out about ben and I and was threatening to kill us. I woke up crying into the blankets, and my heart pounding. When he got home from work, ben gave me lots and lots of hugs, so I felt a bit better.

Everyone's leaving work early today bit me, since I need to finish up this assessment that I should have done yesterday. That's my punishment for goofing off. But if I work hard, I bet I can leave an hour or so early.

Tomorrow is Neil Gaiman at the book fair. I have just realized that I forgot to add spaghetti to my mouse. I shall fix that as soon as I get home. I really hope he likes it and doesn't think I'm a big freak.

Also, I hate my leg and want it to die.

Michael Brown relieved of Katrina command

He will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief, recovery and rescue efforts, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced.

Brown's questionable resume.

[EDIT] Don't read this if you are sick of VERY BAD accounts of escaping the city. Escape from NOLA

Guardsmen halt evacuation at Superdome

04:56 AM EDT on Saturday, September 3, 2005

By MARY FOSTER
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — National Guard members halted the evacuation of the Superdome early Saturday after buses transporting the refugees of Hurricane Katrina stopped rolling. About 2,000 people remained in the stadium and could be there until Sunday, according to the Texas Air National Guard. They had hoped to evacuate the last of the crowd before dawn Saturday.
BILL HABER / AP
Military troops arrive at the Louisiana Superdome on Friday in New Orleans.

Guard members said they were told only that the buses had stopped coming and to close down the area where the buses were loaded. (full story)

Congressman Can't Get Bush on the Line
From that article (emphasis mine): In St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes, just south of New Orleans, victims of the hurricane are still waiting for food and water and for buses to escape the floodwaters, Melancon said. And for the entire time Bush was in the state, the congressman said, a ban on helicopter flights further stalled the delivery of food and supplies.

[EDIT] The Red Cross is not allowed to enter new orleans anymore. Why? Because giving food and water to people would encourage them to stay in a drowning stinking city.

[EDIT2] Countries from all over the world, even Cuba are offering any help they can. However, our government hasn't decided if we will accept their generous offers. NATO offers help as well.

Michael Moore's letter to the president.


The SCAdians are coming to the rescue! (Though the national guard probably won't let them in.)

Dick Cheney is still on vacation.

Halliburton will be repairing US Navy facilities in new orleans.

Koppel ripped apart FEMA's Michael Brown on Nightline.

Bush is clueless/heartless on cnn.
Bush to women: "There's a Salvation Army center that I want to, that I'll tell you where it is, and they'll get you some help. I'm sorry.... They'll help you.....
Woman 1: "I came here looking for clothes..."
Bush: "They'll get you some clothes, at the Salvation Army center..."
Woman 1: "We don't have anything..."
Bush: "I understand.... Do you know where the center is, that I'm talking to you about?"
Guy with shades: "There's no center there, sir, it's a truck."
Bush: "There's trucks?"
Guy: "There's a school, a school about two miles away....."
Bush: "But isn't there a Salvation center down there?"
Guy: "No that's wiped out...."
Bush: "A temporary center? "
Guy: "No sir they've got a truck there, for food."
Bush: "That's what I'm saying, for food and water."
Bush turns to the sister who's been saying how she needs clothes.
Bush to sister: "You need food and water."

His incompetence makes sense though, since he was down there solely for photo-ops.

And that was a big edit. I want a nap but a certain boy has been playing half-life for about three hours now....

[EDIT3] (AP) -- Evacuees are growing increasingly frustrated at the New Orleans Convention Center as they spend another day waiting for buses.

A dead man is lying on the sidewalk under a blanket with a stream of blood running down the pavement. People say he died from violence.

One refugee says "We're hurting out here, man. We got to get help."

The National Guard says it's doing what it can. One official says soldiers have served more than 70,000 meals outside the New Orleans Convention Center since yesterday. He says another 130-thousand meals are on hand.

Dear friends of Tulane,

Since my relocation to Houston, I have had more access to information about the situation in New Orleans. I was hopeful that recovery would soon progress. However, given the ongoing situation in the city, I am forced to make an extremely difficult decision – Tulane University cannot hold a fall semester on its campus.

While this news is extremely disappointing to all of us, our students can continue their academic careers uninterrupted thanks to an avalanche of support from our colleagues in higher education.

Nine of the leading higher education associations, which represent hundreds of colleges and universities around the country, have developed a plan to accept Tulane students, as well as those from other institutions adversely affected by the hurricane, for the fall semester only. This coalition has set forth guidelines for temporary enrollment for the fall semester. Read the statement

Tulane University will accept credit for all courses with a passing grade from regionally accredited universities; such credit will be applied to a student's Tulane course of study. We encourage all Tulane students to enroll in courses that they might have enrolled in at Tulane, but equivalent or near equivalent courses will also count to degree progress.

Students enrolled in schools and colleges with accredited professional programs (for example: Business School, School of Social Work, Engineering School, and School of Architecture) should enroll in universities with programs that are also accredited.

Our student-athletes are an integral part of this plan. We want our athletes to carry the torch, face, and name of Tulane University during this difficult time and we have worked out an arrangement within the context of the plan described above. This is made possible once again with assistance and generosity from colleges and universities – those in Conference USA and those outside of the conference - who have generously offered to help keep our teams together by providing not only academic opportunities but also practice facilities, playing facilities and general support.

As a president who is leading an institution during these challenging times, I have never been prouder than I am now to be in higher education. I am so indebted to my colleagues around the country for developing a plan that is both sensitive to the needs of our students and will also serve as a lifeline to those institutions dramatically affected.

Now that we have given guidance to our students, we will turn our attention to the many issues facing our employees. There are many unsung heroes in the Tulane community – men and women whose bravery made the evacuation of our campuses successful. Some are still on campus protecting our facilities. The Tulane community is indebted to you. I am aware of the myriad of questions and concerns of our staff. We intend to provide helpful information tomorrow.

As you can imagine, there are many issues involved in managing the university's recovery. I realize you have questions – probably more questions than we can answer at this point. Rest assured that there will be opportunities to communicate and I will make myself available through a variety of means to do so. I anticipate communicating again by 1:00 pm CST tomorrow.

Scott Cowen