Time Warp #2 - Back To Normal, Things Always Change

For what it's worth, as I write this, Monday, Sept. 3, I am still without internet access. I called the cable people and they said they had no idea when my area would be getting access again. Honestly, apart from the fact that it's easier to look stuff up on my computer than on my phone when I really want to know something - and posting this gibberish, of course - I'm not sure I miss it all that much. Same for the cable. Oh, sure, it's nice having a little background noise without having to think to hard, but I suppose I could always turn on NPR. I do sort of miss the connection to the big political show, but I must admit the increased focus on local news has been illuminating.

Anyhow.

This is a dog that appreciates his naps, and I'm a man that appreciates that.

 I have a dog. Best the cognoscenti can tell, he's around two years old and seems to be a wire-haired terrier. He's a lovable little dude, big into cuddling. He's a very tactile dog, I've noticed that. He seems to like sleeping on my foot, for example. He's very laid back and seems to be seriously into napping.

 He's a friendly, personable dog, but at the same time, he's very independent and stand-offish. I'm of the opinion he's a gutter-punk kid's dog. He's got that sort easy-but-guarded bonhomie that let's those kids move through that world. They take life as they come and do the very least they have to. I'm saying that because I also don't think he's had a whole lot of one-to-one love and affection, though I don't think he's ever been abused.

Time Warp # 1 - The Day After

Outside the Algiers Point Grocery. Landed right on that poor bastard's truck.

A blast from the past. Somewhat. As I write this, it is 11:31 a.m. on Saturday, September 1, 2012 in this foul year of our Lord. As I will detail below, whenever this is posted, it won't be whenever I get tired of writing as usual.

 Anyhow. Hurricane Isaac has blown through and, last I heard he's on up into Arkansas making them folks wet and miserable. All in all, it was not as bad as it could've been but worse than most of us expected. It never got higher than Cateogry 1, but even so it was a nasty booger before all was said and done. It had the distressing tendency to sit and stay in one spot, and managed to do so twice. Both times resulted in little areas around New Orleans getting the ever-loving shit kicked out of them.

And we're back

 Up yours, Isaac. Power's been on a couple days, the internet and cable came back this morning, my yard's more or less picked up, and I got a text from the ferry folks saying it would unfortunately not be running today. I'm taking that last one as a good sign. I've been remarkably positive about all this, I'm sort of proud of myself. That being said, all the positivity didn't make the power come on any sooner, but it did make the heat more bearable.

 I wrote a little bit during the downtime, once I got power. It's been pretty hectic over the weekend, but I got some things down. They'll be posted throughout the day. Nothing heavy, just the general nonsense.

 As will be shown later, I got me a dog. Here he is. I haven't learned his name yet, but he seems fairly content with being here. He's a good dog and smart, so hopefully this'll work out. If not, it'll be nice to help the little guy out a bit. More on that later, though.

 An ex-coworker died over the weekend. I didn't really know him well, because I don't really make the effort and/or take the risk to get to know people well, but he was a good dude. He bounced at a Quarter bar, and went in Sunday afternoon for his shift. He went upstairs to the un-air conditioned second floor for a nap, and they found him a couple hours later. He died from heat stroke. The folks at Coyote Ugly in the Quarter are going to have a to-do in honor of him Sunday, Sept. 9. Drop in and have a drink to a good dude. Take it easy, Nick. I'll see you when I see you.

 I'll be posting links for donations and whatnot for Isaac relief as I find them. For now:


Red Cross for donations,
Unemployment Aid,
List of helpful websites, phone numbers, school info and general whatnot.

Storm Update #3

 Well, Isaac is dumping on us in earnest. Apparently, it's sitting still off the coast, so we're in for a whole lot more wind and rain. The girlfriend's pretty freaked, and is not enjoying the Katrina flashbacks. Me, I'm not all that wound up. Sure, there's still plenty of opportunity for things to get really shitty really quickly, and naturally since I've been smoking pot pretty much all day I'm liable to be a bit nonchalant over a little rain.

 Still and all, it's been pretty awe-inspiring. I sat through a couple rowdy hurricanes when I lived in Gainesville, but those came and went much like tornadoes did when I was a kid. This is definitely a different kettle of fish flying wildly at high speeds. So far, I haven't seen much damage. Part of a neighbor's fence fell over and a couple limbs have fallen off the old pecan tree in the girlfriend's front yard. From what I can gather from the news folks, something like 300,000 people in the area are without power. As for right now, we've still got power, cable and internet, and best I can tell, I'd have power in the Point, too.

 Frankly, I'm having a blast. Way everyone who knows better than me, girlfriend included, has said this is a pretty fierce storm even for a Category One, and all the folks who survived Katrina and are going through their first nasty storm since that one are freaking out. I don't blame 'em, no, but I simply cannot make the connection. At this point, we've done all there is to do, all that can be done to prepare, so we just might as well ride the bastard out.

 And I suppose, that in itself is a little unsettling. We like to tell ourselves that we're the masters of this world, but, boy, is it not so. Stay safe.

Storm Update #2

 Well, it's noon and we officially are dealing with a Category 1 hurricane in young Isaac. We're still in the Bywater with plans to ride out the storm. It's rained off and on during the night, raining now as a matter of fact, and the wind's been gusting since yesterday evening. A short walk around the neighborhood an hour ago showed folks pensive and a little tense, but for the most part prepared for the ride and properly hunkered down. I even saw a few random acts of kindness, neighbors hollering across the street "Call if you need anything" or a dollar loaned for a gallon of milk, that sort of thing.

 The girlfriend says that pre-Katrina there was a bit more festivity in the air in the tense hours leading up to landfall but that all changed when the levees broke. It's really never came back. People are polite, helpful and friendly - after all, this is our city - but this is all business. I doubt hurricanes will be any fun for New Orleans for a long, long time. That scar's a thick one.

Storm update #1

 Well, we're still here. The wind has picked up and the feeling outside is unsettling and charged. Isaac, which as far as I know is still a tropical storm, is supposed to hit landfall sometime early tomorrow afternoon. The bedraggled weather folk on the various local stations are saying it'll probably be a full-on hurricane by the time it hits, maybe a Cat. 2, and regardless it's going to dump a ton of rain on us and most likely knock out our power. They've repeated this mantra so much, I'm half convinced the storm's a cover-up for them to get at the grid for a couple days.


 In any event, we're here and hunkered down for the ride. The lady and I are both uneasy about the choice, but given the situation, it's the best option we got right now. Things turn ugly, we will split quick as we can. Otherwise, I do have some thoughts I will explore later, but right now my cognitive drive is take up with how bad Cadillac Records is. And apparently it got good reviews and was lauded for its history. It is neither good nor historically accurate. Then again, my pulse is rarely on the zeitgeist.

I would look up a synonym for "apathy", but why bother?

 More serious navel-gazing nonsense. Warned.

  When I try to study on the whole question of what's "wrong" with me, the problem is it isn't just one single, significant source.  That would be easier to tackle than a lot of little stumbles and sharp objects, which is what I'm dealing with now. For instance. I'm still getting over the realization I made a few years back that no matter how cunningly I craft my arguments, how airtight my logic, and how well-researched my facts, there are just some folks who are never going to listen.

Funny thing is, today's weather was gorgeous.

 So there's a serious storm coming this way. Isaac, this one's called, and as of right now (9:34 p.m.), it's off the Florida Keys. As of right now, it's still a tropical storm but them that know say it could pick up juice in the warm Gulf of Mexico and become a hurricane. Meteorologists are saying that, sometime late Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning, it'll make landfall somewhere between Mobile and Lake Charles and it's been said it will be a Category 2 storm by the time it hits. There has already been a number of deaths in Haiti and some heavy duty weather in south Florida.

 So far - and with all empathy to those who've already lost to this storm, but it doesn't seem like this thing is all that threatening, really, not compared to the serious shit Katrina or Gustav brought. Then again, around noon today, everyone's mood switched all at once, it seemed, and the lads started taking Isaac seriously. I'm sitting here watching the Weather Channel analyze every damn aspect of the thing to death, but I guess that's their job.

Spinoza slept here.

 Back in August 2011, I went to Europe. I'd never been to Europe, of course. Prior to a weekend trip to Montreal the year before, I'd never been out of the country. For this reason and that, I've rarely done much traveling. I regret that, even though often as not the reasons were valid, because I really do like traveling. I like going places I haven't been and I usually find a way to enjoy the journey. Just looking out the window, watching the world roll by is worth all the headache of travel.

 Earlier that year, my brother said he and his fiancée were going to Europe to go to her brother's wedding. (Got that?) Did I want to go? Sure, why not. A few years back, I decided to follow my whims more, which lead me to New Orleans, and since I had a decent amount of money saved up, I decided to go. After much to-ing and fro-ing, I found myself on a nine-hour flight to the Honky Motherland. I went to a couple significant places, not near enough, and saw a lot of neat things. That's for some other time. Now, I want to talk about Amsterdam.

Me reading Spinoza on a canal in Amsterdam. I did that on purpose.

 When I tell people I've visited Amsterdam, them that know I'm an unrepentant stoner get quite a knowing chuckle. Them that don't assumed I liked the town so much because of all the philosophy and art and probably the Red Light District. But, no, though most of it is the legal weed, I really enjoyed my time in Amsterdam.

 It is a damn confusing town. The layout makes no sense to me, and reminds me of a older college campus with its weird piling of new right next to, sometimes on top of the old. Plus, the roadsigns hurt my head. The Dutch language is difficult for me as opposed to, say, the Latin-based languages or even German. Dutch looks like dream writing, maybe it's just me. Anyhow, the combined effect made the town very weird to my own personal logic and I liked it.

Just 'cause you're paranoid don't mean things ain't weird.

 So, just this morning, we've had another mass shooting, this time at the goddamn Empire State Building, and Romney made a "joke" about being asked for his birth certificate, and the most charitable explanation is the guy can't tell and joke to save his life. I do wonder sometimes if the walls really are getting thinner or am I just now noticing the constant background crazy. Either is an unsettling stroke, particularly on a hurricane weekend.