Gone In 60 Seconds

ok ... after ranting and ravings of yesterday, garbage truck did actually appear late in the afternoon... had just gotten out of the shower and looked out the window to see truck using robotic arm things to lift garbage can. or should I say ATTEMPTING to lift garbage can ... after several tries (the final attempt leaving garbage can precariously close to tipping over) truck drove off and LEFT OUR GARBAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have big plans to hotwire a garbage truck and take care of problem myself ...
better story: cable bill came today and (as a little ray of sunshine in post-hurricane world) we have no charges... anyone see where I'm going with us?? WE HAVE NO CABLE SO WE SHOULD HAVE NO CHARGES ANYWAY!!!!!!!!!

@##$@#$%@#$%#$%#$

has not been overly happy and cheery day ... have decided am just going to have to haul off garbage myself as neighborhood does not have that fresh and clean smell AT ALL ... today is supposed to be garbage day ... still will watch window and hope ...
am bitter about no cable today, too ... cannot watch any SEC or pro football over the weekend and miss NASA channel ... perhaps will buy a satellite dish ... hmmmm...

Movie Reviews and More

have capped off healthy eating day consisting of cereal, fruit and salads with fabulous Quarter Pounder with Cheese meal from McDonald's for supper ... am just finishing up calcium supplement (chocolate shake) as I write ... am in celebratory mood as end of progesterone shots rapidly approaches. am starting twelfth week of pregnancy, which means last shot will be next Tuesday as will be official end of first trimester ...
post-hurricane life continues to be surreal ... "short" trip to McDonald's to pick up our supper was anything but ... must stay off roads unless traveling somewhere is absolutely vital ... not to mention gas prices are OBNOXIOUS ...
continue to "patiently" wait for cable ... most movie rental stores are completely picked over but knight in shining armor managed to get four movies for us last week so must take moment to review: 1) "The Ring Two:" almost amusingly silly; 2) "The Longest Yard:" haven't seen original but re-make had much more to it than I expected; we both liked it; 3) "Hotel Rwanda:" tragic story of genocide but amazing, amazing movie which garnered Don Cheadle an Oscar nod last year; 4) "Crash:" another heavy movie about race relations in L.A.; great story-telling and portrayal of several lives intersecting in mostly tragic and poignant ways; INCREDIBLE cast (also included Don Cheadle); plan to watch it again.
ok, there you have the random thoughts of the evening ...

Storm Before the Calm

mercy, mercy, mercy ... greetings again from the new world. went to grocery store for "quick" trip but found self in paranoid buying mode ... again bought bottled water and all bottles they had of our favorite lite caesar salad dressing ... am currently stockpiling water for I don't know why exactly ... after Hurricane Katrina will probably always buy water wherever I am. and yes, our water has been deemed safe to drink for two weeks but still cautious. grocery store trip will not be "quick" for awhile as seems all Coast citizens are packed in at all hours of the day ... must be patient when in line with 300 people ... ok, slight exaggeration but still.
news from the pregnancy front ... just read in pregnancy book that as self is approaching end of third trimester should soon be experiencing a "new sense of calm." right ... we're still waiting on that one ... seems at present time self is in a sort of storm before the calm. clever, huh?? mood swings still abound at this point ...

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

have discovered that post-hurricane existence brings with it a host of emotions and thoughts ... can change from noble, resilient attitude (this is the Coast ... they rebuilt after Camille. We will triumph.) to petty (Our deck is so filthy.) to gratitude that only service we are currently without is cable to BIG gratitude that we still have a house and back to petty (WHY don't we have cable??? Who can tell what's happening around here with static flashing intermittently in strobe-light fashion making attempted TV-watching nauseating and frustrating ...) to sheer desperation (WHY won't anyone move these gigantic piles of debris from our neighborhood so normal trash pick-up can resume??) back to resigned gratitude (at least we have a house with a deck with a TV to check for clear cable with a full trash can outside which shows we are able-bodied and can fill it up. sigh.)

Gas Rationing??

too many hurricanes ... am leaving suitcases packed just in case Rita makes some drastic turn toward us!! had to get in line for gas today as rumors spread that gas stations would be shut down at noon on account of Rita hitting some oil something or other in Texas that would require a rationing of gas ... have full tank in event of unlikely (but never ruled out) evacuation ... is like living in new society ... very strange indeed ... as had windows down at gas station (a/c uses too much gas) got to talk with various people and also attempt to keep lovebugs OUT of car ... poor woman at front of line could not find release for gas cap but nice man in front of me went to assist her ... gentlemen in line next to me pulled up in his SUV, began to fill up then popped the back to reveal 8 huge red plastic gas containers he intended to fill. too bad, dude ... if you'd been in my line you would have discovered through friendly conversation that no one could get more than $50 worth of gas ... bless his heart ... welcome to the new world.

A New Reality

Ok, thanks to all of you for reminding me via phone calls, e-mails, etc. that I needed to return to the world of blogging ... here I am. We got back to Gulfport yesterday afternoon, Anthony's third trip since the hurricane, my first. He says it looks much better than three weeks ago, but it's still a shock to me. There truly aren't words to describe it ... it's surreal coming home to a town that looks nothing like the town you left. It's also surreal to realize that even our own neighborhood looks completely different. Yes, we were incredibly fortunate, and with that comes a certain amount of guilt, but even at my house things look lots different ... it may sound petty, but I miss the koi fish, and I miss the trees in the backyard, and I miss many things I didn't even pay attention to until they're not there anymore. I wish all of my family could return to life as we knew it, but I see we have a new reality now. At least we're all alive to experience it ...
For anyone still counting (and my how time has flown since the hurricane) I am 10 weeks pregnant today. We had a second appt. in Columbus because obviously I couldn't make the appt. I had here ... all looks good, and little GE looks much less like a light bulb and much more like a baby. Wish I knew how to post pictures here ...

Impending Return Home

Well, we're still in Columbus but expect to return to the Coast in about a week. We have a trip to Atlanta this coming week for some meetings that Anthony has, then we'll return to Columbus for some serious grocery shopping then down to Gulfport. So far things look pretty bad on the Coast... we've heard from various family members and friends who report the same, so it's safe to say I'm not entirely looking forward to going home. On the other hand, I'm ready to see things for myself and try to return to some state of normalcy. The community here has been incredibly generous, and it's very humbling. Anthony and I both feel so blessed and anxious to get home and help our family.
On a much lighter note, I was speed-reading one of the tabloids in the grocery store the other day and discovered that a very talented handyman has gone up and repaired the hole in the ozone layer. I don't think I have anything to say to that ...

Post-Katrina Update

ok, have decided to post all hurricane-related info here as computer is too slow to individually respond to all e-mails ... anthony was able to safely get to our house yesterday ... we lost a tree in the front yard, a few shingles, and all our koi fish, but otherwise our house is structurally fine. cannot possibly express gratitude and relief at this news ... as much of my family is also on the coast all their houses are in various degrees of damage ranging from minimal to very severe, so I continue to ask you all to pray for everyone. am indescribably thankful that my family is all alive and well as there are many people who cannot say the same. will try to keep things in perspective ...
to demonstrate that life truly does go on, progesterone injections are continuing. as anthony has been giving them to me, had to move to plan B last night as he is still in Gulfport. plan B, of course, involved retired veterinarian father who had no problems. however, as dad and Anthony's dad went to Gulfport today to help family, self had to move to plan C. involved lugging purse full of sharps container, syringes, alcohol swabs, and band-aids and sitting on an ice pack while driving to nurse friend downtown who graciously administered shot. all for little lightbulb-shaped "GE." very, very small sacrifices indeed ... must mention, however, that first night we were here used different icepack and actually gave left buttock frostbite. did not notice until next morning when discovered patch of skin was missing ... is raw and painful but will have great stories for GE.
thoughts are scattered but plan for next few days is for anthony to continue to help with clean-up, repair, etc. on the coast and come back to Columbus Sunday or Monday. other family is scattered and plans change daily ... will continue to post updates here.

Post-Katrina Update

ok, have decided to post all hurricane-related info here as computer is too slow to individually respond to all e-mails ... anthony was able to safely get to our house yesterday ... we lost a tree in the front yard, a few shingles, and all our koi fish, but otherwise our house is structurally fine. cannot possibly express gratitude and relief at this news ... as much of my family is also on the coast all their houses are in various degrees of damage ranging from minimal to very severe, so I continue to ask you all to pray for everyone. am indescribably thankful that my family is all alive and well as there are many people who cannot say the same. will try to keep things in perspective ...
to demonstrate that life truly does go on, progesterone injections are continuing. as anthony has been giving them to me, had to move to plan B last night as he is still in Gulfport. plan B, of course, involved retired veterinarian father who had no problems. however, as dad and Anthony's dad went to Gulfport today to help family, self had to move to plan C. involved lugging purse full of sharps container, syringes, alcohol swabs, and band-aids and sitting on an ice pack while driving to nurse friend downtown who graciously administered shot. all for little lightbulb-shaped "GE." very, very small sacrifices indeed ... must mention, however, that first night we were here used different icepack and actually gave left buttock frostbite. did not notice until next morning when discovered patch of skin was missing ... is raw and painful but will have great stories for GE.
thoughts are scattered but plan for next few days is for anthony to continue to help with clean-up, repair, etc. on the coast and come back to Columbus Sunday or Monday. other family is scattered and plans change daily ... will continue to post updates here.