[doxy]

To be honest I didn't know what to title it as. I just wanted to share it with those who posted their concerns this time last year. Just a year in pics.
You still in Marigny? I'm thinking of moving to bywater, currently in the LGD.

The comments about wishing for a hurricane are pretty weird, that would have pissed me off, too. I work at a bar and I want to knock the teeth out of people that fly down here just to ask this, "...you still make hurricanes down here...ha ha ha." Because I'm at a nice restaurant I actually have to laugh it off with them when I'd rather break some Rum bottle over there heads.

Glad to hear from you though, Amelita. Surprised I haven't seen you in Marigny yet? Well, I don't go out too much really, but figured I'd have run into you sometime this year. Talk with you soon.

[amilita]

Doxy, I'm sorry to say this, but I really wish you had not subtitled this thread "evacuation anniversary." I know you're referring to your own experience, but it's the anniversary for everyone, and everyone didn't evacuate.

I didn't get to; I worked as a nurse through the hurricane. I'm in mutherfucking therapy now because of that. I went to a memorial service yesterday; those folks were not fortunate to have evacuated. I stood next to a woman sobbing, collapsing in grief for her husband who was killed a year ago. People read the names of those they loved who were killed and some told a little about them.

I know you're not trying to be insensitive, Doxy, and I'll admit I'm hypersensitive. And I know you are going through pain, as well. But dammed if I wasn't Busting yesterday and read someone in the confessions thread wishing for a hurricane...not one that would kill anyone or do serious damage, just one that would enable them to snuggle with their Mr. and pets all weekend. Huh.

What if I had posted, one year post 9/11, that I wished some terrorists would blow up my office building so that I wouldn't have to work until my company got situated somewhere else. I mean, not so anyone got killed, but just so I would get some time off. I mean...I'm just sort of dumbfounded, honestly. And venting like a crazy person, I realize.

But it makes me crazy that someone would say something like that...and not see how glaringly insensitive it is. And it just shows me how so many people in the US don't really get what happened here, because if they did, they would never post something like that. Even if they had the thought in their head. I don't begrudge people their thoughts, but hopefully they can, uh, refine their thoughts or keep some to themselves, especially on the anniversary of one of this countries largest disasters. Frankly, I don't care that it's the confessions thread.

People who aren't here don't seem to realize how much we want recognition for what we're going through down here, and conversely, how much it means to us when "outsiders" give us true and deep sympathy and understanding. It feels very isolating to have your city so horrificially damaged. I woke up thinking of that comment, and it felt like a slap in the face. Again. I'm actually more upset about it today than yesterday.

Sorry if it's bad ettiquete or whatever to be bringing in stuff from one thread to another, but that thread has moved on. Sorry if anyone thinks I should just have a thicker skin if I'm coming into a public discussion board, but I feel like it's OK to discuss something if I'm upset about it. I'm actually not angry at the person who made the original post...well, OK, I'm somewhat angry, but mostly I'm saddened and hurt. I've never had a problem with that Bustie, and I hope what I've said does not preclude a discussion that isn't Bustie-bashing but more topical. I'm honestly not trying to pick on this person, so can it not come to that? I think she was insensitive, is all.

I realize I'm being long-winded, but what if you had a parent die of cancer? And on the first anniversary of that death, an aquaintance said, "I wish I could have cancer. Not so I'd die, or have a lot of pain. Just so that I could have people take care of me for awhile."

Anyway, some people will get this and some won't. I'm not even sure I should post this, but these boards mean something to me and I don't feel like slinking off and not saying my peace. People have told me I'm strong, and I do not feel strong right now. I feel like I'm struggling. I feel a little messy, like I'm falling apart a little. And I don't care.

[bunnyb]

For some reason neither link will work for me but I'm going to try later on the boy's mac.

[tallgirl]

Beautifully done. Thank you for sharing. (((Doxy)))

[turbojenn]

Doxy, thanks for sharing your experience with us....unfortunately, I can't get it to work on my Mac...I have Windows Media Player, but I keep getting errors. I'll take another crack at it when I get home this evening.

[auralpoison]

Busties, watch this. I watched it yesterday & I cried my goddamned eyes out. It really shows what one of our own went through last year & what they are still dealing with now.

[doxy]

They ask the same questions every night when at the bar in my restaurant on the corner of Bourbon and Bienville. Its their first time back in New Orleans since the hurricane and they want to know what it’s like, was I here before the storm, what I did and where I went. And I’ll tell them, every night, every single night. With some of these encounters I’ll only have time to tell them I was forced to drive over 6 thousand miles…other times we’ll be there long enough to discuss the exact bottles of Champagne I enjoyed when in Manhattan’s Central and Washington Square parks. Recently there have been folks who’ll apologize before asking these questions, because they know I must have answered them over a hundred times by now…and to be honest I have, over a hundred times. It doesn’t necessarily bother me to spill my story every night, every single night I’m at the bar in my restaurant on the corner of Bourbon and Bienville as much it bothers me that perfect strangers know more about me and that storm than you- my actual friends and family. So what I decided to do today, on the anniversary of, was to set up my “year in pictures” slide-show for you.
Regarding my slide-show- I’ve watched it over 40 times and I feel like a self-centered egoist. Every picture is of me or what I did so much that it screams “drama queen”. But it’s true, it’s all true, and it is going to be on everyone’s news stations and in everyone’s newspapers tomorrow so no matter where you turn you’re going to be looking at what happened on this day last year and so I’m figuring to still send it. It’s long, it’s 15 minutes long but I added some very reflecting audio effects to keep yous interested. If you have earphones I strongly suggest you use them, even if you’re not at work. If you are at work then this’ll be a nice 15 to 20 minute break for you…I’m sure your bosses will understand. I hope these links work, remember the earphones, happy viewing!

(I prefer the first of the following two links, when it opens find the word "download" in the middle of the page on the left-hand side, under that click Windows Media. After it takes a second to buffer and then starts to begin click pause and wait a full minute before pushing play)

http://www.archive.org/details/EvacuationAnniversary_0

http://tinyurl.com/phmvc