Lost in LOST

I've been meaning to write for some time; however, husband and I have been painting. And painting some more. And getting into...LOST.

Since we didn't have network reception in Utah, we never watched. When we got here, we got the DVDs at the video rental place and we've been sucked in ever since. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be so sucked in. But we've been in a LOST stupor, watching four episodes a night starting with season one. We're finally caught up now, and are looking forward to the rest of season three to begin on February 7.

So between painting and LOST, I've not had time--nor the right frame of mind--to sit and write.

We had the pleasure of enjoying time with my husband's family this weekend, which helped me feel almost normal again. There was a birthday party on Saturday morning, and a christening this morning with a family brunch. We've been relatively secluded since we've been here, first getting over the total freakout of the move, then working on the construction project. So it was good to just do family things and get reacquainted with cousin Dorothy's children and grandchildren.

On the way home today, husband mentioned that we usually always do these kinds of things with my family. This weekend, it was all about his family, and we both agreed it was a nice change.

My friend Carolyn will finally come down from KC for Mardi Gras...I had hoped she could come at some point, and this is going to be really incredible. We had alot of good reconnecting time in KC, so the NOLA visit will be all about the party--and from what I understand, at our location here, it will be nuts. So husband and I will be working feverishly to get the basic work done in the condo so it can be the party area.

Now that we have LOST out of the way, I should be able to get refocused on writing more regularly.

Jolie, Pitt move to New Orleans

Jolie, Pitt move to New Orleans, report says - Yahoo! News

Bienvenue, y'all.

Granted, things aren't totally back to normal, and there are issues with city leadership, infrastructure, and recovery. But it's a great time to be involved in all of that, too.

It would be easy to just sit in LA and give money and give lip service to the Gulf Coast recovery efforts. But moving here is a commitment, and a gamble--talk about stepping up!

I like people that put their money/values where their mouths are. It makes me smile.

The Protest.

The citizens of New Orleans converged on City Hall yesterday to protest the insane murder rate that has gripped this city since New Year's Day. And wow, did they have some things to say about the city and the mayor, none of which was complimentary. And the mayor just stood there and took it. He never spoke.

Alot of ideas were proposed; alot of rage was vented. I don't know how you get a person who wasn't raised with any fear of discipline to stop killing, because obviously, the killers just don't have any fear, or any shame, or any care, about what their life is like or what they do to other's lives when they kill. What is there to do? You can't put them in stocks on the city hall's steps, you can't have a public hanging. In fact, I don't believe that the death penalty works to deter crime at all, and is morally wrong.

We're all concerned, and we all want a solution. But it won't be easy. And this isn't the first time the city has had a murder problem, which leads me to believe that there is a problem with law enforcement and the NOPD, which everyone can agree on, to be sure. Katrina seemed to jettison alot of dead weight out of NOPD, since those that didn't have the consitution to protect and to serve simply left, or were fired during that time. But still, there remains some vestage of the old 'good-ol'-boy' system that does not work in this New New Orleans. The answer, I think, lies with the police force. They cannot be above the law. They have to, HAVE TO, clean up their own house before they can clean up the community.

It's easy to pick on the police right now. And maybe it's not fair since it is a thankless, ridiculously dangerous job that pays for shit, and exposes you to the very worst in human beings on a daily basis. And maybe things have improved since the storm, but that has to be evident to the citizens. So the onus is on NOPD to prove that they are worthy, moral, good people that ARE here to protect the people...not to shake them down for what cash they have in their wallet or whatever other horrible story I've heard about NOPD. It should be Mayor Nagin's crusade to restructure and clean up NOPD from the top down--and it should be highly visible to the public, much like Theodore Roosevelt's stint as NYPD commissioner.

Maple Leaf Bar

We decided it was time to indulge in some live music on purpose last night. Before, in our visits to the French Quarter, we'd wander into a bar and find music by accident. Last night, we thought we'd go and hear the Rebirth Brass Band, of which we've heard many good things. They did not disappoint.

The Maple Leaf Bar is a little dive at the college end of Uptown. There were many younger folks there, of course, but it was a good mix of all kinds of people...lots of guys in suits were there which was really interesting to me. Maybe they were trying to pick up on the co-eds. Anyway...

I decided I might have been the happiest person in the bar. There is no doubt that other people may have had a reason to be happier than I was, but after living in a town of 900 for six years with no cultural resources to speak of, listening to a band this awesome until 2 a.m. was a profound joy. I had a smile on my face the whole time. So did my husband.

The Rebirth Brass Band has some tasty chops. Imagine a New Orleans parade band, then imagine it in a bar putting a funky twist on every song played. It was a music lover's love-in...there was no way to listen and not be moved, especially when they started in with "When the Saints go Marching In" after rapping about how the Saints were going to the Superbowl. Everyone was whipped into a frenzy at that point. I couldn't believe that it was 2:30 when we finally got into the car to leave. I haven't stayed out or stayed up that late in a long time.

I can't wait to have another musical adventure. But maybe I'll catch up on my sleep first. New Orleans may have some troubles, but if you could have bottled up all the good will and happy vibes in the Maple Leaf Bar last night and poured it out over the whole city, all would be well. Maybe NoLa doesn't need more police...it just needs more second line parades with some kick-ass music.

12th Night

It's the 12th night of Christmas, officially kicking off the carnival season here in the Big Easy. Unfortunately, the event that was supposed to pass by our home has been moved to Canal Street, because the street cars aren't running on St. Charles right now. So, if we want to get in on the festivities, we'll have to go downtown or mid-town.

Our cousin Dorothy said her son was attending the big 12th Night Ball here, and she said there were many balls through the carnival season. She said, if we were interested, that she could get us invitations to a ball. We're considering it. I haven't worn a formal since...well, I don't know. Maybe the early 90s. If we do go, I will post pictures of my, uh, transformation from canyon rat into queen of the ball.

I clean up pretty well. My only problem is the gown. I wish my friend Carolyn was here to help me pick one out. She has great taste.

Travel, crime, and the Times-Picayune

So I went to Kansas City for three days this past week to check in on a friend and to say hello to my family. It was an unplanned trip, but I'm glad it happened, and everyone was very happy to see me. I was not used to winter, though. It has been in the 60s and 70s here in New Orleans, so I had to lug a winter coat with me through the airports until I arrived in KC. I was not prepared for what happened when I walked out of the terminal. It looked warm; it was sunny. It really wasn't. I was glad I had lugged that coat along. My friend Carolyn was supposed to come here, but a family emergency kept her in KC, so I went up there. She'll be down later in the year--we hope for Mardi Gras, maybe St. Patrick's.

I came back to New Orleans Thursday night in the middle of a vicious thunderstorm. The next morning it was bright and sunny and warm, and my husband ran outside to get a newspaper. The front page headline on Friday morning was:

"Killings bring the city to its bloodied knees."

Apparently, New Orleans is more dangerous than Baghdad these days. The headline even made NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, as a recent murder in the Marigny was of a young wife and mother who was a prominent independent film maker. I didn't know I was coming home (yes, home. Somehow over my KC visit, I finally realized that New Orleans is now my home) to such sad tidings--and grim statistics. More people have been killed in New Orleans since New Year's Day than American soldiers have died in Iraq.

*sigh*

I'm not very frightened, actually. But I am perplexed. Then again, if all you had in the world was FEMA trailer and nothing to lose...not that that's an excuse to commit evil against another human being, but morale is low here; emotional health is a premium, actually. The city just isn't bouncing back as quickly as other parts of the Gulf. And people that moved back to rebuild are beginning to leave because nothing's happening, crime is nuts, and business isn't back to normal for professionals that relied on a local population that was twice as large as it is now...which means our muder rate, per capita, is the highest in the United States.

The first parade of the carnival season is tonight; we'll have a front row seat from where we live. At least there is that to look forward to...