avalyn

So, tomorrow my dad and I go to New Orleans. I hope hope hope there's no damage to my place, but I haven't been able to get in contact with my landlord all month so I have no idea on that score. Regardless, the primary purpose of the trip will be to collect my belongings, putting them in 30-gallon plastic bins, then driving back to...
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Meh. I'm having the hardest time sleeping these past few weeks than ever before. Which is why I'm up now, when I should be asleep so I can work competently tonight. I went through all 30 pills of an Ambien prescription and all 30 pills of a Xanax prescription in less than a week, and I'm still sleeping like shit, if at all. Yes, BTW,...
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I am attempting to turn my hair into dreads. As such, I haven't washed my hair in a bit over three weeks, and it seems to be working -- at least a bit. I've also found that my hair is getting thicker, which leads me to believe that I've been scrubbing too hard when washing my hair or the shampoos I've been using over the...
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After work last night I wasn't able to get to sleep; that was 10 hours ago. Still haven't been able to get to sleep, despite having taken four Ambiens. Normally one is enough, but whatever's going on with my physiology at present just isn't having it. *sigh*

So now I'm trying 16mg of Gabitril and 2mg of Xanax along with two glasses of [Yellow Tail]...
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OK, I just spent 17 minutes on the phone with Louise Quirk of FEMA. She's been by my apartment complex and reports that there is only minimal damage and no evidently broken windows. That's one less thing to worry about.

Now all I need to find out is if my cats survived, and if they did, will they survive Hurricane Rita? And for that matter...
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I'm sick with a sinus/upper respitory infection. Bleh. I had to skip work last night because of it. I attribute both to having worked on the back deck of my parents' house for the first week or two I was here; overnight temperatures regularly dipped into the low 60s, which is downright freezing for someone who is using having their Septembers in the mid-90s, even...
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http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200518_5day.html

Why why why?!

I'll never get home at this rate.

BTW, I didn't end up going to NO on Sunday. Too much confusion about which roads were open, which were closed, and whether or not the military would let people into my area of Jefferson Parish.

I've been looking for reports of my kitties on petfinder.com and other, similar resources. No joy yet. At...
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So apparently, the area of New Orleans I live(d) in is reopening to civilians on Sunday. So I think I'm going to drive down there that day, if I can find out which interstates into the city are open or closed.

Depending on the severity or absence of damage, I'll either just pick up some stuff and drive back north, or I'll stay, if it's...
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My eyes are still drying.

About 10 minutes ago, listening to Tom Waits' Small Change, track 4 came on — "I wish I was in New Orleans." I sat on Molly's lap and cried hard on her shoulder. It's been 13 days since the storm and yet up until just now I was able to deal with the mulitude of hardships that came with...
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So I still haven't heard back from HSUS about the kitties, but I expect they're pretty busy. I hope they can get to them. Barring that, I hope at least that they were able to escape through a broken window or something. I feel awful about this whole situation, even more than the prospect of losing my home. You just can't replace life. Sweet kitty...
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Being a refugee is kind of boring, although I'd be the first to admit that it knocks being stranded in a disaster area into a cocked hat. There's not much to do but wait; wait to find out if your house still stands, wait to find out when you can return to New Orleans.

By sheer coincidence, I scheduled a block of vacation from work...
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Hurricane Katrina. Where shall I begin?

Well, I guess I should start on Sunday, August 28, 2005. That day, I was mostly asleep, as is normal for me because I work the night shift. Thus, I missed New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin issue his mandatory evacuation order. I didn't really realize that anything was wrong until I explicably woke up a few hours before I...
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