Tuesday, November 28, 2006

wee court before t-court


my mom sent me some pics last week with a care package from home..
i guess these pictures made it through the flood of rita.i was excited to
see some of my past,of course.
mills has been busy with her project this weekend so that is why i have
not really been posting anything..on friday after thanksgiging was a
dream day out on the road working..i think it was only 66 and me 98
on the road from out fleet as far as bike riders go.so i took a bunch
of pictures because i had plenty of time.it was clear and about 60
and noone was out,no traffic,no buisness suits..i was just able to
ride my cycle with ease..half the security gauds just let me right on through..
i stayed out till 6:oo that night..it was fun...
well i gotta go get ready for today..T-COURT

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

cold.....

well today was a true day of haveing the reality of the harsh conditions i will be working with this winter..but shock to see other couriers out ther still shooting the thumbs up and a brief smile..i am learning slowlly about the tricks ,as far as wropping your feet,tucking in shirts so they wont hang and get wet.you know try to stay as dry as possible..
this weekend we are takeing care of these 2 awsome and totally cute dogs..bella and gus.we look forward to a weekend of annimal care walks to the coffee shop,playing in the front yard..i'll post some pics of our weekend together..
tomorrow is thanksgiving..and man i am excited..i get to eat some of miss linda's cooking..i been thinking about it all week..i think it will be worth the metro ride to vienna..
and i am out ...T-COURT...

Sunday, November 19, 2006

whats up world


this is a new thing for me.it is time to share what is up with me..
its been crazy,life changes.a year ago i did not expect to be here
doing what i do.i've lost alot but gained at the same time.i want
people to hear and see what i do.i am so disconnected from my
people and family.this wasn't a choice for me and mills.it was what
we had to do.for me it has been interesting,
i've been a chef for 12years now,but i have changed my career and
its been a dream for my whole life as a bike crazed person.i miss
cooking and useing the skillz that i have developed over my time as a
chef.i thought that was what i was put on to this earth for.but really it
became more of a burden than a passion.being used,working long hours
missing family fuctions and holidays,working yourself to death,and for what
$8.00 an hour.even for the top 40 retuarant in the nation.there are no regrets
but i wished it would have worked out.
now i am a bike messenger.WOW it has been a dream,a true test for myself.
pushing myself to crank through the nations capitol.where i am in my head
constantlly.digging through my head trying to figure out what is going on.
i am seeing everything alot clear now.i have a few friends here that are great,
but for the most part i don't really get alot of people here.but look at were i
am from.but man to wake up in the morning knowing i am going to hit the
street on my cycle,rain or shine hot or cold.knowing that this day will be a
challenge .
i just want everyone to know i am doing this.i am handling my biz.it aint
easy but man i wouldn't have it any other way.i am staying out of trouble and
keeping it straight.i don't know drama here and i don't want to anyway.i stay
to myself and prefer it that way.i have alot to experience and i want to keep it
that way..

filling you in on some history

this is what happened to us (from my girl's old blog):

dear friends and family,

i am writing from a cc's coffee house in lafayette, louisiana. courtney and i are staying at his mother's home in new iberia- 35 minutes away from lafayette. it is quiet here and safe. his mom is taking amazing care of us. my story is so long and unbelievable. how we were able to escape from new orleans is nothing short of a miracle. i took lots of photos and video, but as we had to leave slugheadquarters so fast, i left my usb cords and laptop charger behind. we have lost everything we have ever worked for- our homes, our clothes, our jobs, our bikes, but we do not care. we are happy to just be alive. we are happy to have been able to save our 6 cats and pete the dog. we are lucky, and just want all the other orleanians left behind to get miracles too. please hope for them, as no one deserves to spend 30 seconds living life that way.

we spent 4 days in the city after the storm hit, desperate and hysterical. we had no electricity, very little food, no water, and hence no energy. after the storm we peeked out the windows and after assessing safety, we toured the destruction the hurricane left behind. the apartment next door to mine looked like it was going to fall off the house, the windows in the staircase shattered, the side of the house leaked water non stop. almost every tree in st charles avenue had been ripped out of the ground, but luckily, not the two in front of my window. we lived mostly on the balcony, trying to make friends with everyone we encountered. our neighborhood looked like a ghost town. to all my friends in new orleans, the city is devestated. i've seen it with my own eyes. the first 24 hours after the storm was just a shock period, we had no tv to see what had happened farther away from us. rumors started flying about the levees and how long electricity would take to return. we started noticing that as the hours passed, we saw more and more people trekking to the superdome, miles away. the day after the storm our food was almost completely gone, and we heard through the grapvine that wal-mart was giving out provisions. courtney and i rode our bikes there only to discover that it was, in fact, a looting circus. we parked our bikes, and braced ourselves. the cold from the defrosting refridgerators hit us as soon as we walked through the ripped open doors. the floors were covered with pickle juice and barbeque sauce. we were pushed and pulled all over the place. we scrambled to get peanut butter, coffee, jelly, juice, apple sauce. i have never seen anything like it. we ran towards the back for batteries and candles, but they were gone. instead we saw police men with guns pointing at the looters taking tv's and video games. courtney saw the police taking ammunition and citizen looters taking guns. i saw my cashier from rite aid, takesha, there and she said she thought her sister was dead. i heard people screaming that a looter was shot by a cop. c and i ran to get pet food and got trampled escaping through the garden exit. i admit to taking a pair of knitting needles. i never liked walmart anyways, but i feel guilty about the needles. the walk back from walmart was horrible. i though i was going to die over the median on annunciation. it was so hot, there were hordes of people struggling to carry their provisions on empty stomachs and dry mouths. once we got to the projects on st. mary, courtney poured warm cherry limeade in my mouth and we moved on.

we found my friends at saf to check on them. we went home and rode out the longest darkest hottest night ever. all night we heard gunshots. we decided not use the candles after 8pm so no one would know we were there. the next couple of days were the same. listening to our 7 dollar radio, contacting sal, rich, and dorey at saf, checking in with our neighbors at courtney's. sal put brown sugar and cinnamon by the doors at SAF and the apartment upstairs as guard dogs. courtney stood along the streetcar tracks begging people for rides, but no one would take us. one morning (i've lost track of the days) i woke up to water on my street (st. charles avenue) and immediately woke courtney up. he looked down the corner and all of napolean avenue was water. c somehow got a hold of rich nye, they told us that a convoy was coming to save the saf shelter animals. sal told us to get there as fast as possible. we packed the slugs in carriers picked up our backpacks and left.

we walked 2 miles in 110 degrees on empty stomachs carrying 6 cats and pete to SAF. it was the hardest walk of my life. courney balanced red, green, and shrimpy on the middle bar of my bike. he put gouda and blue too in the basket. i carried milkshake, and had pete on the leash. 1/4 of the way there, milkshake's carrier door broke and i had to put it down to fix it. peter jumped in the extra small carrier and attacked. i though i lost milkshake. we had to throw them in the water to separate them. milkshake dashed off. i thought i lost her forever, i thought she was injured and hiding. luckily i walked through water to the sidewalk and found her. another 1/4 of the way later we found a shopping cart. we put the cats in there and walked through flooding and ripped tree trucks and braches the rest of the way.

we got to saf and waited 12 hours for dr. jackson to get there. the wait is a story in itself. we saw people trying to kill each other with knives in front of the clinic, people passing out and dying on the sidewalk, lots of people walking miles to the superdome, poor pregnant women and children struggling to get there. i saw people walking around with guns and weapons in their hands in broad daylight.

courtney and i helped rich, sal, and dorey, load over 90 animals into the huge uhaul truck in the pitchblack darkness. we saved every SAF animal as well as all the cats at the cat practice two doors down. i am so proud of courtney for holding it all together and working so hard to save them. he must've lifted things half his weight hundreds of times. we rode for two hours in the back of the truck with almost 100 animals. the other crazy vet driving was going 80 miles per hour and the kennels were flying and falling all over the place. it was the scariest ride of my life. we had to keep the back door open for air. we got to baton rouge at 3am and we spent ours setting up all the animals. we are so thankful to dr. jackson's family for putting us up and the 100 animals too.

we will forever be bonded to rich, sal, dr. jackson, and dorey. they saved our lives. i know everyone thinks we were crazy for not wanting to leave our animals, but when you live paycheck to paycheck, have no car, and pets- you have no choice. they asked us to evacuate 4 days before payday, and 3 days before the hurricane hit. we had no way to get out. i am just glad that we decided to stick it out and not go to the superdome, as we may still be in new orleans, and our animals would be dead. in the end, i am so grateful that i have my children and courtney. i wrote my social security number and my family's number in permanent marker in my arms with a message, "i have 6 cats, please find them" just in case. i know that our love for animals is what saved us. however, if i had seen what they are showing on tv now, i would have given up my six cats spaces on the truck for six of the people left behind. i had no choice like that. i wish i did. i just had no idea what was going on beyond the 2 miles from SAF to my apartment. i feel terrible.

in baton rouge i watched the animals i worked for for 2 years be kenneled up for delivery to sanctuaries, foster homes, boarding facilities, and shelters. dorey, sal, rich, and i were crying like babies. we had to pick 4 cats and 4 dogs to board and stay with saf. that was hard. i cried and cried as dorey walked dolly, sissy, and gelly to the truck to their new lives. i said goodbye to brown sugar (who was one of the 4 picked to board!). courtney's mom and her wonderful friend picked us up and we got to new iberia friday night. we went to waffle house!!!!! we went to a functioning walkmart for toothpaste and pet food, and i freaked out. i saw a snoopy doll and realized that my big snoopy was in my closet in new orleans. i had flashbacks of the walmart we looted from. it was strange to not be around people not struggling to keep alive.

we are tired, our bodies are sore. i still can't eat out of nerves. but what we went through is nothing compared to the people who are still there. i hope someone found my balcony to seek refuge in.

we are looking for a rental car to make our way to DC. my parent will be helping courtney and i out until we are ready for jobs again. i can't wait to see you all again. thank you all for writing. i love you.

i will love courtney forever, as he saved my life. i am terrified to be 10 feet away from him now, as he kept us all safe and stuck by us through everything.

i am praying that all the people (especially those i saw those four days) are out. please pray for them too. especially earline.

how miss anne and dr. jackson got authoritiest to allow a uhaul to come through to save animals and us bewilders me. we are nothing but lucky.

amelia

i'll post pictures as soon as i can.

cut and pasted from next entry:

see the trees

S4021044
i'm smiling because at that moment, we were on the bridge at 2am friday on our way out of new orleans.

S4021040here's courtney, sstanding watch over 100 animals in kennels in the back of a huge uhaul truck. at 80 mph, it was a task keeping everyone secure.








S4021041this is one of my favorite friends, rich nye. he worked as the kennel and fix it man at SAF and stayed til the very end with dorey and sal. he's dead tired in this picture, but ecstatic over getting out of the city. rich sat the the end of the truck, holding the ropes that kept us from falling out. rich and courtney wanted to hurt the driving vet for maneuvering the streets like a maniac. safety first! especially in times of crisis. imagine taking care of a hospital and shelter full of pets without any electricity or water. mad props to dorey, sal, and rich.

S4021031 our friends atop the SAF clinic- (left to right) courtney, dorey, karen, tony, rich, and sal.










S4021039here's my girl, dorey. she's a kennel worker at SAF and one of my pals. her bedroom ceiling collapsed on her bed, but luckily she stayed in uncle b's apartment above SAF with Sal and Rich during the storm. i love dorey and spent the hardest 4 days of my life with her. we played M*A*S*H to keep happy. we never could finish a game as the animals were always calling for care, or craziness would break out on the street incessantly. i was hoping she'd win gary oldman as her husband.

S4021032 this was a bulding at jackson and magazine that didn't make it out of katrina so well.



after the storm, we toured the destruction. i was amazed at all the trees that collapsed from the wind. mardis gras beads were tangled with branches all of the ground.
S4021019

palm tree down by sacred heart at napolean and st. charles (right outside slugheadquarters)
S4021025











walking pete down napolean avenue between camp and st. charles.
S4021026











c and i stood dead in our tracks when we saw this:
S4021034
this was the biggest fallen tree we saw. on prytania and harmony, no one could get past it's limbs, trunk, or branches. S4021035

i will post more of our adventure soon, but my time at the cafe is limited. you can click on any of the photos above to link to my flickr account, to see a few more or these pictures at larger sizes. i only uploaded the very post storm photos and our escape photos. i'll save the sad ones for my commentary on the cause and effect of it all.

this is the last time i saw my darling, brown sugar.
S4021047sal called me a couple days ago and broke the news that she was adopted in dallas by an old rich lady. i cried and cried and cried, but am happy that she'll be happy- safe, alive, and with a family.

test















hello.