budget truck, storage unit, and a cosmo, please!

I am back in CA after one helluva birthday. I tell you, celebrating the first anniversary of your 30th birthday by flying into Houston, driving 6 hours into a hurricane and flood stricken region, putting all of your moldy stuff into a truck, and driving it 6 hours out to Houston, strategically moving it into a storage facility that is a *little* too small, and then driving 130 miles back to Lake Charles to drop off the truck, then 130 miles back again to Houston, all to find a glass of wine waiting for you... that is one perfect birthday indeed. I promise all of you that I will happily throw a similar party for your birthdays!

As my lady and I drove from Houston, we saw the damage that Hurricane Rita left Beaumont, TX to face. It was really intense and it severely limited our eating options. Everything is still closed, trees are down and the land looks like it just survived, uh, a hurricane. But it was the tents that got to me. For as far as the eye can see (and my lady's eyes can see further now, thanks to the Red Cross giving her some glasses), tents dot the landscape. Never a big fan of camping, I still cannot fathom what it must be like to wake up everyday inside a tent. Weeks later and you have to roll up your sleeping bag every morning? Think about it for a moment. These "camps" don't have lakes nearby with powerboats to rent. No water-skiing at this type of camp. I find it very hard to believe that this is a viable solution for a month. For a few days, perhaps; a week, that's pushing it. But still, today? Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong.

Then we crossed the TX/LA state line. Now, to be perfectly fair, LA always kind of had a particular scent to it. Kind of swampy, kind of dirty, very earthy mixed with a healthy dollop of eau de industry. Now? Yikes. It is a slap in the face. We didn't know if we should even breathe it in, but since we left the oxygen tanks at home, we had no choice. Lake Ponchatrain, never an idyllic lake, has lost any charm it once had. That lake is red, a red-brown color that isn't remotely natural. It wasn't long before we came across the devastation. Right by the airport, on I-10 in Kenner, buildings are torn up. The first thing I saw was a storage facility with the side wall missing. People's belongings were falling out of the side of the building, couches and clothes and boxes of personal belongings now turned to trash. My landlord's Metarie office building, once a mirrored high rise, had most of the windows blown out (oh, how I hope HIS office is destroyed! Is that evil? Do I even care if you think I'm evil?) We made our way into New Orleans through River Road and there was far less damage there. Carrollton was wrecked and St. Charles Ave is clear enough to drive down only because all of the downed trees and branches are on the neutral ground. No street cars are running, no surprise there.

My house was fine enough, save the moldy smell that made our eyes sting and itch and the fridge with the maggotty bugs crawling out of it. Landlord scum told me "Don't open it until it's outside," to which I said "I can't move it outside, so I'll leave it alone then." Truth be told, I had already opened it for a peek. All I could see was black, even though the lightbulb is functioning just fine. The whole fridge is covered in blackness. Not sure if it is alive-like-mold black or alive-like-creepy-crawlies black. Rather nasty. My lady almost got sick a few times, but stepping outside to get a fresh air helped a little bit. Once we emptied my place, we head over to her's. Thankfully (?), her place had a brick go through a window, so there has been fresh air coming in and no moldy smell. We packed up the truck until we literally ran out of calories, so we went out in search of food.

You may be thinking that I should have taken heed to the many warnings about lack of food in the city. Well, you are right. I should have. We tried the few open places, and they either just ran out of food or they just closed. One dude told me "We open at noon tomorrow! Please come back!" I restrained the urge to bite off his head and eat it for dinner. Magazine Street seemed to be a good bet, and when we saw the lights on at Slim Goodies Diner, my tummy got all excited. All for nothing, because when we walked in, a woman said "Come on in! Help yourself! It's a party! Woo! Drinks, red beans and rice, beer - whatever you want, grab it!" Woooo-hoooo whatever. Damn red beans and rice is never vegetarian. My lady is so sweet, she poured us each a cranberry juice and led me out of the place. She could have eaten that food, but she didn't. That is some true love, folks.

After getting pretty disgusted with the reality that people are out getting drunk at a time like this, we finally happened upon the Italian Eatery, right next to Whole Foods (which is completely empty). Oh, darn, they *just* ran out of pizza, but the appetizers are still available! Dinner of a shared Abita beer, mozz sticks and fried ravioli reminded me of what I hate about New Orleans food. Never a fresh vegetable in sight.

We went back to her place and slept for a few hours. It was creepy - ever sleep in an empty city? There was a piece of metal hanging off of a shed that kept slamming around in the wind all night. I was too tired to be scared. We woke up and finished packing up the truck. I took a cold shower (still no gas at her place). We were almost done when Kate stopped by! What a lovely surprise! It felt strange to see her, only because it should be normal but it was extraodinary that she happened to drive by and see us outside. I don't know when I'll see her again. I don't know when I'll see any of my New Orleans friends again, or if I will.

And the rest of the story is recapped in the first paragraph. My birthday was spent on the road. I had many calls and many a song sung to me, and Michael was kind enough to leave just the right amount of wine in the bottle for me to enjoy some with him. My lady promises that next weekend, we'll celebrate. Getting my mom's gift before I left certainly made it better. She mailed me a smiling lamp, "because you always sound so sad!" And yes, Ma, it makes me smile - it worked! :)

Oh, and as far as the landlord issue goes, the end of the story is that he let us sublet. I have not enough energy to recap the conversations with him, or to channel the anger that still pulses in my blood. He was mean, he was nasty, and karma is heading his way. I will fight for our security deposit, but that fight will not happen for a little while, so I can gather up my strength in the meantime!

And if you go to New Orleans to gather your things, be sure to wash your clothes before wearing them. I made the mistake of wearing a shirt that seemed fine, and now I have a lovely rash on my belly. Yeah, the city is safe enough to live in. Sure. Thanks, Tulane, you sure have students' best interests in mind, don't you? It's not your bank account you are thinking of, is it? Nah, that's crazy talk! You care about STUDENTS, not money!

Right?