Making Sense Out of Nonsense

Dave's version of the Night before Christmas 'Twas the night before Christmas, let me give you the scoop. Not a creature was stirring, cause they all fled the coop. No G-Ma in Lakeview, no Joe in Chalmette, No Towanda on St. Claude, no one's heard from her yet. No Boudreaux in Waveland, no Jacque in Grand Isle, No Jean in Slidell, man that girl makes me smile. The place it was emptied by Katrina's great tide. They all headed north, now they're spread far and wide. As I sat there alone, I wondered out loud, What Christmas would bring without the usual crowd. And I questioned how Santa would find all my friends, Now they're gone cross the country from beginning to end. So I sat at my desk, which was no more than a book, Cause all of my stuff damn Katrina done took. And I wrote me a letter, crafted with care, Made my list for St. Nick, a New Orleans prayer. I start, "Pere Noel, you know times are hard, And I guess fun and laughter, well they're not in my c...

'Twas de night before Katrina, when all tru da state Not a gas pump was pumpin', Not a store open late All da plywood was hung, on de windows wit care, Knowing dat a hurricane, Soon would be dere. Da chilren were ready wit deir flashlight in hand While rain bands from da hurricane covered over our lan And Mom wit her Mag-lite, and me wit my cap Has jus filled da battub for flushing our crap.. When out on de lawn, there arose such a clatter I sprang from da closet to see what was de matter The trees on da terrace, and de neighbor's roof torn, We feared we'd be dyin' in dis terrible storm. Wit a little wind gus, so lively and quick, I membered quite clearly our walls was not brick More rapid than Eagles, her courses they changed! And she whistled and wafted and surged all the same. Off shingles! Off sidings! Off rooftops! Off power! Down trees! Down fences! Down trailers! Down towers! On da street of New Orleans, s he continued to maul, Screaming Blow away! Blow away!...

N A T I O N A L I S S U E S: Let's FLOOD WASHINGTON - Demand a Commitment to Louisiana's Coast andCommunities with the Gulf Restoration Network's quick link petition An excerpt from Aaron Viles' message "New Orleans and South Louisiana must haveCategory 5 hurricane protection. This protection must integrate an effectivelevee system with marsh restoration and protection of coastal forests (that arethe first buffer from storms' impact). If businesses are to have the confidenceneeded to return and revitalize the city that gave the world Louis Armstrong,seafood gumbo, and America's best Mardi Gras, we must give New Orleans theprotection it deserves." http://healthygulf.org THE LEVEES: GOVERNMENT ENGINEERS CONFIRM the findings of LSU Team Louisiana engineersshowing that the 17th Street Canal levee pilings were "short-sheeted" - drivendown only 10 ft below sea level, instead of the 17.5 ft that the Army Corpsdesigns required. The Corps has not been...

It's been three months now since we lived in our own apartment. It's a hard concept for those not in this situation to grasp. It sounds fun and romantic to be vagabonds, but in truth, we are mostly homeless. Now we are back in our hometown. It's a small town without the conveniences that those in metro areas are used to, but it has its own charm. NBC Evening News has had a few segments on New Orleans and the Biloxi areas. Interesting to watch. Please continue you interest.

Greetings. It's been two weeks with Internet connectivity, so I'm thrilled to be writing on Thanksgiving. We haved moved off of Lake Michigan and back to my hometown. It's great to be in a familar place and kind of strange too. I wanted to thank all you have who have provided items to us. Now that we are in our own apartment, we are using everything that was provided. We didn't get hit as badly as some, but we lost all our furniture including bedroom suites. That means we have new furniture! That's not a bad thing. We managed to salvaged some wood and metal items, like tables, and brought them up here. Sure enough, the mold DID freeze!! Just like I predicted. ;-) So now our stuff has more character and history. We are a few steps away from being where we were before this happened, so that is encouraging. I am stilling for employment and, yes, I do miss the warm weather. I plan to go back down in Mid-December to see what is what. Many thanks to all (I haven't ha...

November 7, 2005 Dear Friends, Two months ago today, we arrived in Wisconsin. To be certain, we never expected such a wild ride. On Sunday, August 28, 2005, we drove from our home in the suburbs of New Orleans to what we expected to be part of the accepted routine of hurricane evacuation. We left, along with many others, in an orderly fashion on Louisiana’s premiere use of the contra flow, a method of travel in which all lanes of the interstate are turned outbound. We moved slowly and silently, only the vast expanse of red taillights ahead of us. It is a visual that haunts my memory. My mother, dog, and I were taken in by a dear friend in Chicago the first week. The following week, we headed North. We’ve been very fortunate to have many dear friends these days to take us in. Many others offered homes, storage, gifts, clothes, furniture, food and support. It’s all been so overwhelming. And so appreciated. When we arrived, we weren’t certain what happened and what the future would hold....

It's been over 2 months since Katrina changed the country. Have you been watching CNN? Today they visited Pass Christian, MS, the town where we were to vacation on August 29 (the day katrina hit). I can't imagine what would have happened had we followed the advice of the vacation property manager rather than our own guts and the news. The town is almost completely wiped off the map. OTHER PERSPECTIVES: Taking offense at comments by Gov Jeb Bush and because of numerous comparisons between our Louisiana experiences and circumstances in Florida or New York City, below is a list gathered from several sources that underscores the extent of the Katrina disaster compared to other hurricanes, including 1992's Florida Hurricane Andrew, formerly considered America's most destructive. All disasters are horrible, all hurricanes frightening, and each death is a tragedy in that family. Every effort to present an accurate picture was made, however one consistent problem has been an...

Today, I'd like to thank Marcia Baird and Frannie Glossen. Probably the strangest thing I'm doing these days has to do with garbage. As you may know, we are staying at someone's cottage located on the Lake. Since it is that kind of scenerio, there is no garbage pick up. I'm the one you'll notice lurking near any store's trash can. Each day I take a Target bag (or Walmart or whatever) full of trash, put it in my car and when I go to a store I take my trash with me and put it into the outside garbage can. SO the next time you are woofing about taking out the trash to your curb, trash shoot, or dumpster, just think of me. Do you know where You would put YOUR garbage? What would kind of trash would you feel comfortable getting rid of at the local Walmart? What would you do with your recycling? Another convenience that we take for granted.

You know you're from New Orleans and have survived Hurricane Katrina when.... 1. pre-K has nothing to do with the year before Kindergarten. 2. The flies are bigger than your Chihuahua. 3. Your bank, dry cleaner, and grocery store are closed but your bar is not. (thank you, Cooter Brown's) 4. You judge your elevation by the brown horizontal line in the city. 5. You have to show an ID to get into your neighborhood. 6. Your neighborhood has no children, so you actually start to miss the little boys across the street who used to throw rocks onto your roof. 7. You go to Sam's Club, but instead of coming home with a case of poptarts, you buy masks, bleach, rubber gloves, and baking soda in bulk. 8. You know five remedies to get the smell out of your refrigerator. 9. You spend a lot of time talking with your friends about the five remedies to get the smell out of your refrigerator. 10. Ice becomes more precious than gold. 11. Your office goes from 40 employees to 5. 12. Livi...

http://spaces.msn.com/members/lightshadowss/ Before beginning your journey, I would ask that you take a look at the map of New Orleans. You will see the three major levee breaches that allowed the streets to fill with water. The areas covered by the grayish/blue grid are, for all intents and purposes, dead zones. Downtown New Orleans, home to the Superdome and the French Quarter, and the location most featured on the news during the ordeal is currently functional, as are portions of the Garden District, Audubon, and East Carrollton. Much more of the city is empty, having sat in anywhere from 6 to 15 feet of water for as long as two weeks. Central City, Mid City, Gentilly, Lakeview, New Orleans East, Bywater, the 9th Ward, Lakeshore, and West End are all lost. Arabi, Meraux, Hopedale, Kenilworth, and Chalmette in neighboring St. Bernard Parish are as well. There are people trying to clean up…trying to rebuild…but what they face is total and absolute devastation. I can...

http://www.filmstripinternational.com/index.php?play=asshole Go to this site for a little tongue in cheek humor...OK, it's anti-Republican so don't blame me if you are offended. Speaking of Republicans, did you catch Sen. Shayes (?) from Connecticut on CNN today stating how embarrassed he is of the way Republicans are behaving these days. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Yah think! I can't believe I'm craving the Newt Gingrich days!

October 3, 2005 9th Ward: History, Yes, but a Future?;Race and Class Frame Debate on Rebuilding New Orleans District BYLINE: Ceci Connolly, Washington Post Staff Writer No one here wants to say it aloud, but one day soon the bulldozers will come, shoving away big hunks of a neighborhood known for its poverty and its artists, its bad luck and its bounce-back resilience.It is likely to be the largest demolition of a community in modern U.S. history -- destruction begun by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and finished by heavy machinery. On Saturday, firefighters put red tags on hundreds of homes deemed "unsafe," the first step in a wrenching debate over whether the Lower Ninth Ward should be rebuilt or whether, as some suggest, it should revert to its natural state: swamp.A neighborhood tucked into a deep depression between two canals, railroad tracks and the Mississippi River, New Orleans's Lower Ninth has spent more of the past five weeks underwater than dry. Entire houses kno...

In a few weeks, it will be two months that we've arrived at this lovely home. We are very grateful to have a place that we could use. Particularly the first month when we were still in the throes of post Katrina trauma. It was wonderful to have one less thing to worry about. Well, the city (New Orleans) still isn't as up to speed as the press makes you think. Some folks are finally returning to their homes while others don't have much house to return to. My friend is living on the westside of Baton Rouge and comes into NO as best as he can. That's like commuting from the westside of Madison to Milwaukee. I am trying to find a hotel room so that I can go back down between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thanks to Sidna and Marvin Bookout and the Slinger Brownies and Girl Scouts.

This week, I need to thank Ewa Barczyk, St. Robert's Catholic School, and Scott Temperly, again. If I was a better person, I'd get that letter of to the Slinger School District, they have adopted us, in a way. Other information: I spoke today with a friend who has a comparable job to mine with the New Orleans School District. His house was underwater to the ceiling and now the mold is thick. When he got in, he was smart enough to take down the drapes to make sure the mold didn't grow into his second story. He said it was eerie to go to the second floor after seeing the first floor destruction. The 2nd is virtually unscathed and looks the same as when you return from a long weekend. The first floor, however, is something else. Besides the mold, everything was turned upsided down by the water's current. The refrigerator was on its side. As you may have heard, the School District laid off more people and he is among them. In the interim, he is trying to find work as videog...

Everyone has been really great contributing money, time, and items: Many thanks to Jim Young & Ewa Barczyk We are still need of an iron, ironing board, and coffee grinder

Address is C/O Dave Janzer 10010 W Schlinger Ave Milwaukee WI 53214

Pain nourishes courage. You can't be brave if you've only had wonderful things happen to you.- Mary Tyler Moore Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. -Ray Kroc All beginnings require that you unlock a new door.-Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav He who loses wealth loses much; he who loses a friend loses more; but he who loses his courage loses all.-Miguel de Cervantes

This is not only a "low income black people" hurricane. There are about 1.1 million people in the metro New Orleans area. Many like me, loaded up their vehicles and drove into the contraflow, an eerie and haunting visual. I drove to my support system, family and friends, in Wisconsin. We loaded up our cars with our belongings and have been loading up our credit cards ever since. Many are going through their life savings while they wait to return. It's not a black/white issue completely; it's not that only the white folk got out, but it is probably one of economics. One of my points is that if you do the math around the demographics for the city of New Orleans you will find a solid middle class of African-Americans. There are black attorneys and judges, presidents of universities, and successful blacks at every level and occupation in the city. (Let's try to do the math: if 70% of the population is African American and about 28% of the city is at poverty level th...

We are on our way back to Wisconsin today (Saturday). We left on Thursday, so we've been through a lot in a few days. We stopped over night in Memphis. It was a hard trip on many levels. The weather was bad and I lost most of everything. I'll write the details later this week, but I wanted to update you.

Sorry it's been awhile since I have written. I have limited access to the Internet these days, so this a real treat to be able to type! First of all, many thanks to those who have stepped up to the plate for me. Amazement, relief, and joy doesn't begin to express my feelings toward strangers and friends who have helped me. I also appreciate the phone calls. If you know my mom, she'd love to hear from you. As you can imagine, this is a relatively traumatic event for someone who is 86. She's doing a valient effort of keeping it together although, honestly, we've both had more than a few meltdowns. Before I forget, here are some MORE people I need to thank: Carol Hale Cobbie Behrend David Stack Scott Temperly Catherine Kearn Patricia Hicks Linda Czernicki St. Vincent Depaul Society (Dr. Kearn's chapter) Slinger School District (again!) South Div. High School My apologies if I have left you off the list. And the answer to the big question: We are going down to Loui...

We are now two weeks after katrina. I went to the Red Cross last week, which was suprisingly dignified. For those of you who have asked how we are holding up, well, we have good days and bad days. The day we found out we got hit and maybe looted was a bad day. More thanks: Cobbie Berhand, Red Cross, UWM It sounds like we can get our stuff about the last week of Sept/early Oct. Every day is fluid.

Does anyone have connection to Uhaul or Penske? I want to get my stuff out of Metairie ASAP. This is probably about 2-3 weeks away. Also, if jobs aren't available, perhaps there is a volunteer opportunity for me to retain or gather new strenghs. Thanks, susan

A week and a half after Katrina hit, we are still safe. We didn’t have email for about three days, but we are up and running and couldn’t be more thrilled to be here. Here’s the update: We pretty much lost everything. Well, I’m not sure what happens to furniture that stands underwater for days, but everything else is wet or not of any use. We have dead fish in our apartment, mold on the walls, yuck. Here are our immediate needs: Cash, oil change, gas cards, canned food, diet soda, bottled water, dog treats, and dog “housekeeping” pads. If you are creative, feel free to add. I just can't think anymore. I'm going to the Red Cross today. Better days are coming. Many thanks to Chris Marshall, Carol Hale, Catherine Kearn, Ed Morrison, and the Slinger School District. Address is 10010 W Schlinger Ave C/O Dave Janzer Milwaukee WI 53214

Diatribes started because of my lack of understanding of the whole evacuation thing. It's been way too bizarre of a ride, kinda like seeing the boys dressed like girls on the far side of Bourbon St. and pretending that you are too jaded to turn around and stare although that's all you REALLY want to do. You can SEE the Adam's apple! And they are way too hairy and square to be even European. To get some background, please try the Oct. 2004 missive in the archive. Evacuating three times in 1.5 years is too much for this dairy princess. Hey refer my CV to your boss!

From the satellite photos and the reports I can gather, it looks like we took a minimum of damage. In relative terms that probably means about 2 -3 feet, which would be much better than underwater! This means I lost most of my soft goods and all my pet stuff, books, pictures, photos, my Canon GLX digital camcorder (not that I'm bitter that I forgot to move it), all my shoes (sob! my shoes!), dog medicine, etc. Anyhoo...we did rather well. Now comes the dreaded "go down and access it phase." Anybody got a gun? There is a brief window to go down there and "git yer stuff." So...anybody have off this week? Interested in a little adventure? Got some extra gas and a big truck? I have no earthly idea what I will do. Ideas are always appreciated...

As of Monday, Sept. 5, 2005 our new (temporary) phone number is 262-285-3069

I hope you don't think I am too flippant. I am just SOOOOO happy to be out and to be safe. There is a sense of disconnect. Therefore, it's easier to assume the best! A few points of interest for those who aren't familiar with the underpinning of the area: 1. This is NOT Mayor Nagin's fault. 2. Those of means got out; those without did not. 3. Your assumption of the lack of response because of racism would be more true than not. 4. When you see the I-10 staging area on the news (Metairie) they are showing my exit to my apt. If I were standing on the Interstate for five days, you can bet I'd go into the neighborhoods and forage for food. Write somebody. Let them know that this isn't the way to handle things, that Americans should never be treated this way, that the victims that have been abandoned pay taxes and fully participate in the American process. This is an embarrassment to all we purport to be. There are thousands of people like me, that had the means to a...

Next week we will probably move out of my dear friend's home in Chicago. I think putting up with us for a week qualifies him for sainthood! We should have a semblance of normalcy by the end of next week. I will post a mailing address and probably a phone number. I have to get a cell phone that works...mine has a New Orleans area code. I also need to find my health insurance and get an address change card in place. I must be giving people the wrong phone number here in Chicago. Phone calls are very important: 708-488-1235. Many very kind people have asked how they can help. I really, really appreciate it. Instead of telling you what size underwear to send...ugh! I don't even want to think about it. Instead, perhaps you might consider those little gift cards...you know $5 gift cards from Target kind of thing. Am I too tacky? I stupidly took two bad pair of pants (you know, I had a lot of clothes, so I could have just been smarter). One pair is worn out, could I be more brilliant...

We were very lucky. We made it out 24 hours before Katrina hit. Unfortunately, we made it out with about 4 days of clothes, provisions, etc. The media and the city, parish, state ALWAYS tell you to take enough for 4 days. I brought my travel case in fact. We left everything else, from the beautiful marble tables of my grandmother to a brand new TV. Thank God I just had my contact perscription renewed! Please consider calling my mom, she feels disenfranchised and loves to talk! This would be the biggest gift to me! Seriously, whatever you can think of is greatly appreciated. If we can't use it, I'd guess my coworker and his extended family (about 10 people) could. Big Cute clothes appreciated. 8-) Please gather up and I will let you know how to proceed. I worked 1-2 blocks away from the Convention Center. I ate lunch at the Riverwalk. It's now filled with people sufferering, hot and without dignity, dieing, rotting. my thoughts, my prayers are with the city of NOLA.

As we sit here wondering what to do, we'd love to hear a familiar voice. It might be very comforting. Send an email to me and I will give you the latest phone number. I don't want to put it here or send it out as a mass email. susan.simkowski@gmail.com or mainstreet921@hotmail.com Thanks to all those who responded. Susan

Greetings, This is a relatively quick note to let you know that we are fine. My 86 year old mother, my dog, and I evacuated from the New Orleans area on Sunday morning. We left at 5 am and wound up in Chicago at 8:30 at night. The biggest irony was that this is my week of vacation and we were going to spend it in Pass Christian, MS, just about where Katrina hit landfall. The area was underwater for awhile and I can only assume that we would not have survived had we gone there. Initially, we were going to wait out the storm in Oxford, MS, about 2 hours south of Memphis. At a Sunday 10:30 am press conference, the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, told citizens to mandatory evacuate and not to return for five days. That was enough for us; we called a good friend in Chicago and found out how long it would take to get there. We are now safe and comfortable and plan to go to Stevens Point for the next month or two while we try to regain control. To be honest, this is still beyond my comprehen...

Last night, I wasted my time waiting for Howard Dean to show up at an event. Now, I'm a hardcore Dem, but if the local and national talent can't determine an intinery for a 3 hour evening, how can they come up with a national agenda? There were no local stump speeches, no glad-handing, no brochures, and very little take away propaganda. It was very poorly run. Would it have been so hard for someone to create a flyer that indicated what was going on? Here's an example: 6-7, reception with open bar; 7-8, local politicians; 8-9, Howard Dean. I can hear those who like it loosey-goosey: "No one would show up until 8 pm if we told them what was going on." Maybe, but having 2 hours of drinking to rap covers of music from the '80s is a kind of purgatory--not a happening night out in the Big Easy. True, if there would have been an agenda, I may have not have showed up, but I would have gladly given my $50 as a donation. It's important that these events keep comin...

Education: Ed.D., Educational Leadership, Learning, & Service, Cardinal Stritch University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Distance Education Administrator Certificate Program, West Georgia UniversityM.A., Communication, (theory & mass communication), University of Wisconsin- Stevens Point, B.S., Radio-TV-Film major, English minor, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Written works: Professional Employment Experiences: Executive Director, New Orleans Educational Telecommunications Consortium, Inc. (NOETC), Presently employed. Responsible for day-to-day management of a nonprofit telecommunications consortium including securing external funding to advance technology integration for its member institutions, budgeting, and staff leadership. Also responsible for the integrity, security and fiscal stability of the organization, implementing new services (video bridge and media streaming) and to respond to the needs of its members. School Instructional Technology Specialist & General Manager (...

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