I DID IT!

Ok, in preparation for our trip to Washington DC, I decided to figure out how to post pictures on this here blog. While I was at it, I figured out how to create a slide show. As you can see below, I have figured it out. Therefore family and friends can follow us on our trip. Technology is sooooo cool!

Fishing Trip to Bayou Gauche

Click on slide show to enlarge.

Grammy's Heart

                                         Precious, precious, precious !

                                           Fishing "down the bayou."Bayou Gauche

Stressin and Panickin...Are those words?

Ok, lets see....oil still spewing and now we are just waiting to see what Tropical Storm Alex is going to do. Oh God, I don't like to hope anything like a hurricane on someone else, but that thing cannot come this way. Right now all the computer models have it going into Mexico....personally I hope it just dies in the southern Gulf, but they still do not know for sure what will happen. It is just too hard to predict these storms. However, if it does come this way, BP will have just a few days to evacuate all the equipment and men, then it will take 2 weeks to put it all back. Sooooooo, while it is all picked up, we will have oil steadily spewing into the Gulf, then the storm will pick it up and deposit all over southern Louisiana. Not only will there be pictures of oiled soaked birds and animals, but the national media can take pics of everything soaked in the black and brown goop. Mignon Faget, a New Orleans artist and jewler, just completed a line of jewelry where all of the proceeds will be donated to help restore our coast. Absolutely beautiful pieces of jewelry....they are truly works of art. (www.mignonfaget.com/) I love all of her jewelry. I'm hoping to buy a couple of pieces for me and my girls. Everyone is trying to help, but the scope of this disaster is so enormorous that I don't know if any amount of money or people will completely clean up everything. It will just never be the same.

Our trip to DC is quickly approaching.....We will be leaving around 6AM Friday. I will spend the week trying to figure out how to put pics on this blog...and it will probably take me all week to figure it out. LOL

Ok, will update later on this week.

Chaotic Week #2

So this week has not been any different from last week. Started school on Monday....1 student showed up. Tuesday all the students showed up except one, but the water had been turned off to the entire school for the rest of the week, so everyone one left the school and we were stuck there with the kids by ourselves. We had to bring the kids to the library across the street to use the bathroom. Our supervisor cancelled class for the rest of the week....that is $200 down the drain. She informed us that we will have to move the site of our class to another school. Seems like nothing is going right with summer school.

Well, the oil spewing is still going on in the Gulf and it looks like our first tropical system is headed for the Gulf. It is still just a wave, but they are talking more about it developing into Tropical Storm Alex and maybe even our first Hurricane. Soooooooo, my vacation to visit my son in D.C. may turn into to a hurrication. Lovely.

Chaotic Week

This last week has been chaos. Started teaching summer school last Monday, and all I can say is…..what the hell was I thinking taking on summer school? You would think 3 hours would be easy money, but the opposite is true. I come home every day and go to bed for a nap. However, I look at those poor little ones we have, and I feel guilty for dreading going. They all need so much……much more than I will be able to give them in 6 wks. Everyone thinks teachers take the summer’s off…hahahahahah. I haven’t had a summer off in forever. I think this is my 6th summer, either going to school myself, or working on something for school.

To make matters worse, I wasn’t feeling all that great. Woke up with a back ache last Sunday and it stayed with me all week. I also had a couple of headaches, which always scares me to death…..I use to be prone to migraines. Just a yucky week. My total weight lost is approx. 12 pounds. I’m glad I haven’t gained, but I’m sad I haven’t lost any either. I’m anxious to get my first “fill” and get back to losing weight. The swelling in the top part of my tummy (where the incisions are) has definitely gone down.
I’m trying to plan for our trip to Washington D.C. I hate making plans when the money will be tight. I’m trying to help out Johnny and Katie. After 3 days on the job, Johnny was promoted to waiter at the restaurant he is working. That required me going to purchase pants, shirt, socks, etc….and of course he needed gas too. Katie hasn’t asked for anything, but just feeding her and sheltering her is a bill…lol. But in all, I am trying to look on the positive side. I could have all four needing money…haha. It just seems this early to mid 20’s generation (the “Boomerang Generation” is what they are being called, since they keep coming back home) is having a hard time getting it together. I want to say it is just my kids, but it is not. I talk to friends and they are having the same issues with their “20 something” year olds. This is another time to say… que sera, sera!
No on to the oil disaster…..Our school secretary, who is also on the town council and a part of our Homeland Security committee, took a helicopter ride over St. Mary Parish coastline. We are free and clear of any oil… woohoooooo! Just a little oil spot near Cypremore Point. Our parish deployed the booms as soon as they received them, which helped in keeping away the brown and black “goop”, which is washing up on our neighboring parish’s shores. We also are very lucky that we have the fast and furious Atchafalaya River emptying into the Gulf on our coastline. Just the sheer force of this river will keep our coastline oil free. So that was good news to hear this week ….courtesy of our school secretary! Elsewhere…the news is still not any good. There is a shortage of seafood. Restaurants are having trouble finding shrimp, oysters, etc. Not good for a state that is known for its food. I have no idea how this will all turn out, but it really scares me to death. Ok, that is all for now.

Timely Message

Ok, so my last post got all of my frustrations about this oil disaster in the Gulf out of my system. I decided to put the rest of my frustration into cleaning house. KT and her friend came home to help, and then turned the TV on to watch America’s Home Video while resting. I laughed myself into a stomach ache. It was hysterically funny. It was good to laugh and feel stress leave my body. KT and her friend left to visit with some other friends. I’m not a big TV watcher, but I just left the TV on and America’s Home Video concluded. After AHV, Joel Osteen came on. His message seemed very timely. It was very simple. He said that on a daily basis, we get frustrated with simple everyday interruptions…..can’t find our keys, misplace your checkbook, credit card, someone shows up unexpected to visit, and all you want is a nap…..you know those frustrations. He said that we shouldn’t get frustrated with these things because they just may be a “divine interruption”……God may be protecting us from being hurt, or he may be placing us in a situation where we are there to help someone else. We may not understand why God is not answering a prayer; again, he says he may have something planned for us that is much better. So I think I need to put this in perspective here----oil disaster > could God have something extraordinary planned for the Gulf Coast. Will this oil disaster turn into a positive situation? I’m trying very hard to stay positive. Although Katrina was horrible, it did save our state from the economic woes of the recession the rest of the nation has felt. All of the construction and federal money has helped us weather the recession. Maybe, this will make the rest of the nation realize the importance of Louisiana marshes and wetlands. Hmmmm. I guess we will have to just wait and see how God uses this disaster.

It also made me realize that for some reason, God wants me in Berwick. Go figure. I have wanted to move for some time now. I want another job – outside the classroom setting. However, the door has not opened for me to leave or change jobs. Every time I think about it, and I started weighing the pros and cons – there is always way too many cons – the door is slammed shut. Why does God want me in Berwick – who knows why, but I keep waiting and wondering what is in store for me. I have always been patient when it comes to making life changing decisions. I want God to guide me. I’m too much of a chicken otherwise. I don’t like change. I like stability. So I wait and watch for an open door. Okay Joel Osteen – you made me feel good today too!

Could I be Wrong?

      Ok, so I'm rethinking this oil disaster again. I am ashamed to say it, but James Carville's recent editorial column has lit a fire under my butt. (http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/in_louisiana_its_one_damned_th.html) He almost took the words out of my mouth. It is how I am really feeling. As I read over my last blog post, I almost sound like I'm feeling sorry for BP. I wanted this blog to be sort of "therapy" for me, and if I erase my last blog post, then I am defeating the purpose. I need to see when my thought process is "twisted."I want to delete it, but I need to leave it. I need to see what happens to your brain when you are removed from the situation like I am – like the rest of the country is. Although I live in a coastal parish (St. Mary), I have not been directly affected by this oil spill ----- yet. I will be affected ---- no doubt, but I need to get my ass in gear and do something BEFORE I am directly affected. I am getting subtle "hints" of things to come. On Friday, KT's pregnant friend was having an "envie" (craving for) boiled crabs. She called every seafood market, restaurant, fish market, and grocery store down here, and guess what? No crabs. Unbelievable. Louisiana without crabs? Yesterday, I went to the store. I strolled along, like life was normal here in South Louisiana. The large iced down cart was situated in the middle of the isle, like it normally is. It was full of beautiful Gulf Shrimp; however, instead of paying a meager $2.50 a pound, they had more than doubled in price to $5.50 a pound….another subtle hint of things to come. I meandered over to the prepackaged fresh seafood cooler. There were all the usual ----oysters, white lump crab meat, crab claw meat, catfish, crawfish, etc , ----crabmeat was $27.99 a pound, oysters were $25.99 a pint, and the list goes on. Wow. Not even I – “Ms. Not Directly Affected Lady” can afford that. Is this the beginning of the end of a way of life here in south Louisiana that has spanned well over 250 years? Hmph. Possibly. I read the newspapers. I read about the fisherman down the bayou. Some are 4th generation or more fishermen. Many are in a deep depression – the summer months are the height of trawling season, crab trapping, oyster harvesting in south Louisiana. Everyone’s boats are parked. This is the time of year that they make all their money. This money sustains their families until the following summer. BP has cut some of them checks for their loses, but it is nowhere sufficient. So what in the hell is going on people? Wait a minute. Is Louisiana part of the United States of America? Um, yea people. Isn’t the United States of American that big ole country that rushed to the aid of the people of Haiti after that devastating earthquake several months back? Didn’t the United States of America send money, food, supplies, tents, rescue workers, doctors, military ships equipped with complete hospitals on board staffed with American doctors, nurses, EMT’s, medicine, etc? Hmmmm. Um, yea people - it was the United States of America. Within hours of that earthquake, President Obama began sending help to Haiti, but it has been – what? – day 57, 58, who the hell knows – WHERE THEY HELL IS OUR FREAKIN FEDERAL GOVERNMENT????? WHAT THE FREAKING HELL???? LOUISIANA IS NOT A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY???? Screw BP. Our federal government should have FEMA – FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY down here making sure that the people directly affected are taken care of. I AM FREAKING FURIOUS!!!!! What the hell is the government going to do if BP goes bankrupt? Nothing? What? I’m like James Carville – it is one damn thing after another! President Obama has placed a moratorium on offshore drilling in the Gulf – sorry, but I am still for that – we need to stop and take a deep breath, look over the way rigs are inspected, how the oil industry prepares for a disaster such as this, etc Whose fault is the inspections on these rigs. Is it the oil industry? HELL FREAKING NO IT ISN’T! IT IS OUR FREAKIN GOV’T THAT SHOULD HAVE DEMANDED STRICK REGULATIONS AND GUIDELINES TO FOLLOW, THEN PLACED HOMELAND SERCURITY IN CHARGE OF OVERSEEING THOSE REGULATIONS. You know that the oil companies are going to cut corners to make extra profit. Why give them a blank approval form? Now, I can’t blame Obama for the lack of regulations on the oil industry. This is the work of past administrations. Hmmmm, Halliburton involved – not surprised there. BUT IF YOU PUT A MORITORIUM ON DRILLING IN THE GULF BECAUSE YOU GAVE THE OIL INDUSTRY A BLANK APPROVAL FORM, THEN IT SHOULD BE THE FEDERAL GOV’T REPONSIBILITY TO COME DOWN HERE AND COMPENSATE THOSE OIL RIG WORKERS AND FAMILIES FOR YOU LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY IN PROTECTING, NOT ONLY THEIR LIVES, BUT THEIR LIVELYHOODS! Supposedly, the media is reporting that President Obama is visiting the Gulf states and will address the nation Tuesday night – bout time. I am hoping he will ease the fears and worries of the people of Louisiana. I will sadly be disappointed if he doesn’t step in and take over the welfare of my people. Right now, I’m okay. I am a teacher. I now that the loss of income for the people of Louisiana will eventually trickle up to sales tax revenues dropping, which equals less revenue to local school boards, which equals more layoffs for teachers, and less money across the board for the children of Louisiana. Our federal government needs to step in now and stop the progression of pain in Louisiana. We will see just how important Louisiana is to this nation. I’m hoping and praying that we are very important. Important enough to help us weather this disaster. We will survive this. I am just hoping we do not have to go it alone again.

BP Saga continues...........

The worst environmental disaster in American History continues. All you see on the news is total condemnation of BP. Although I am definately not ready to give them a "halo" and slap them on the back saying, "you doing a heckava job Hayward;" I do think they have the majority of there focus in the right place. Everyone is wanting payments from BP for everything from lost wages to lost revenue in restaurants. Don't get me wrong, they should pay, but everyone needs to take a deep breath and let them "plug" that hole, or this will get a lot worst than now. It is bad enough. As it is now, we will deal with this for years to come. Now, we need to stop the spewing oil at the bottom of the Gulf. Then we could "hash out " payments to the people who were affected by this disaster, including the states, parishes, counties, towns, etc. that put out money to protect their coastline from the oil. And for the record.....I believe the moratorium on drilling in the Gulf is justified. I know that many people will be laid off during the moratorium; but, we have to make sure that this will never, ever happen again......that is where I am coming from. It will be rough, but we have lived through a lot here in South LA.....we will survive this. We do not know what condition we will be in once this is all over; but, we will survive and make the best of the situation.

I'm Over It.

     Ok, so I had a meldown the other day. I am allowed a "pitty party" every once and a while. I know I should be thankful.....my children are all healthy, still working towards degrees / jobs, etc , but sometimes, I just wish I could give them a good old fashion spanking and send them to their room.
     On a lighter note, I will be visiting my son in Washington DC next month. I'm looking forward to it. I really don't know who is coming with me, but I will go by myself if need be. I don't mind.
      Got to visit with a dear friend I haven't seen in 10 years. It was so good to see her and her husband, and catch up on the last 10 years. Hopefully we won't wait another 10 years before visiting...lol.
      O well, need to get to work on lesson plans and schedules. Blah.

Freedom Anyone?

      Yes, I live in a "free nation"....that is not what I'm talking about. At what point does a person who gave birth to 4 children, raised them, sent them off to college ....get a freakin break? I have a 27, 25, 24, and  a 21year old. The one that gave me the most trouble growing up seems to be the only one who has it together these days. Maybe it is because he is in the Marine Corp and his higher ups would kick his ass if he did something wrong.  The youngest graduated from college first, but now has decided that she will take a break.......job, who needs a job? She has only put in 2 applications in 6 months....had a little part time job (which is over now), goes out an parties every night, and literally is driving me up the wall. My oldest son, has changed his major in college for the 3rd time. Now that wouldn't be so bad if he would have figure it out years ago....no, he waits until he is 35 hours away from a degree once, 42 hours away from the second, and now has 1 year left to go on degree number 3. Lovely. He will have as many hours as an undergraduate as i have with a BA, Master's, +36 hours of graduate credit. So he will graduate with a Government degree......what the hell will he do with that? Law school he says....more school. He currently has a job washing dishes at a restaurant.....lovely. The oldest one would take a month for me to write about, but that situation is also ......lovely, but too complicated to even explain. When the youngest graduated from high school, I said...."I'm done!" Little did I know, I wasn't! I thought by now, I would be traveling, enjoying my summers, just damnit........freakin enjoying life for a change! I have paid my dues damnit! I want freedom from drama! Is this too much to ask for????????

A Culture is Dying

A way of life is dying here in Louisiana and no one but us seems to see the urgency in containing the oil spewing from the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon. It is really sad to pray for containment as this should have never happened, but it has, and we need to stop it some way, somehow. As I have followed this story over the last 47 days, my thoughts return to the place I grew up…..”down the bayou” as we call it here, specifically lower Terrebonne Parish. I remember what a simple life it was. Most people lived off of the land, fishing, hunting, trapping for a living. We didn’t have many modern conveniences, but that was ok. Our entertainment was made up of fishing, swimming, and playing “make believe” war. I grew up during the Vietnam War Era and that was pretty much all that was on the 3 channels we got from our outside antennae. Yes 3 channels – Channel 4 (CBS), Channel 6 (ABC), and Channel 8 (NBC). We didn’t watch much TV. We were sent outside to play, as parents tried to protect us from the tragedies going on overseas in Vietnam. I do remember watching the landing on the moon though. I also remember playing “cowboys and Indians” too, as that was popular shows on TV….ie. Gunsmoke, Ponderosa, etc. However, that was it. Although we were required to go to school, school was not important to most. They knew they could make a living off of the land, so why waste your time in school. I have gone back a few times since my early childhood. Progress has grown into the bayou, but for the most part it is still the same. The cane fields are replaced with subdivisions of large homes, convenience stores have popped up, etc. However, the backbone – that simple way of life is still there – hidden among those modern conveniences. Just a small group of people choose to lead this simple life now as most kids grow up, as I did, and move away to the excitement of bigger cities. The media has spent most of their coverage trying to find who to blame….BP, Transocean, the state gov’t, the fed. gov’t, President Obama, etc. The truth of the matter is that we are all at fault. Everyone in the United States of America is at fault. We want the oil. We use the oil for these modern conveniences. We complain when the price of gas rise - we scream “drill, baby, drill.” We complain when the price drops (jobs are lost due to less drilling in the gulf). Coastal Louisiana has been used and abused by this great nation and its people. Supply and demand has given way to the abuse. Now this great nation and its people owe it back to Louisiana and the people who choose to lead the simple way of life – caring for, protecting, and using Louisiana for only what we need to survive. Screw drilling for oil in the gulf. Since Sarah Palin wants to “drill, baby, drill”, let Alaska pay the price now for our modern conveniences. Leave the Gulf of Mexico alone. Let Louisiana heal. Let the Cajun people nurse Louisiana back to health. If you don’t like it……MOVE TO ALASKA! The Cajun Coast and its people have had a rough 5 years….first Katrina. We were left for dead, then, picked up by busses and scattered all over the nation. Many have yet to return. Does anyone realize that the Cajun people of Coastal Louisiana survived the worst natural disaster in American History and now must survive the worst environmental disaster in American History? Neither of which we asked for. We are a tough bunch of people. Our ancestors, the Acadians, who were deported from Nova Scotia and sent to Louisiana over 200 years ago, proved they were tough enough to start over and even flourish in an area no one else wanted – the Louisiana swamps and bayous. We have their blood running through our veins……we can do it again. I’m sad. I want Anderson Cooper to come and show what it is doing to the Cajun people’s way of life. New Orleans will survive this, but “down the bayou” won’t. What will my people do? They won’t leave the bayou. They won’t give up or give in. How will they survive if this oil destroys their home? I want to do something, but what? I just sit, watch, pray, hope, pray some more. I watch my people as reporters say the same thing. We want to do something, but what? It is really hard to sit, to watch, to hope that the people who are calling the shots know what they are doing. I hope they know that they are holding a whole culture in the palms of their hands. Only time will tell.

Update

        Well let's see. My CST's and myself have decided to do summer school. Yep, it will be hard, but given our 2 little boys, we just can't leave them hanging. They need us. They need summer school to be successful next year. So we will bite the bullet and get to work and do the best that we can.
         Went for my post op visit today. Zipped into New Orleans and zipped out. No traffic wooohoooo! I was really worried as my doctors office is not too far from the airport off of I-10. President Obama was coming in to visit LA for the oil spill mess and I was scared to get caught in that broohaha. Officially, I have lost 12.5 pounds. Yea!!!! Now the physician's assistant said not to get discouraged as most lap band patients gain weight before their first adjustment. She said it is to be expected. Right now the band is completely empty; but, I cannot have any saline solution injected until my stomach completely heals. They took me completely off of my high blood pressure meds. My blood pressure was 111/67, which is low and I was supposed to take my meds in 2 hours. I will need to just monitor my blood pressure and take it day by day. I also met with the dietician. She gave me a more detailed copy of my diet to follow. Went through a few things. Not much problem there either.
         After my doctors appt. I went to my aunts. It is always so nice to visit with her and my buddy. We talked a while. I laid down on the sofa and she sat in her comfy chair to look over my diet, and we both fell asleep. We just visited and talked. She cooked me lunch and then Nick called. We will go to visit him next month. Aunt Sue had a folder of all kinds of places to visit in DC.
          Ok, that is all for now.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

The question of the day is: Should I teach summer school? or Should I not teach summer school? I volunteered to teach summer school this summer because I had 2 of MY students who qualified. Now they want me to service 4 other students who are not mine. I agreed to two, but the other two is completely out of the question. Not that it's the kids fault, but like usual people at the higher ups look at the $$$$$$$......not what is the best for the kids. There is no way possible to do what is right by all 6 kids with the set up they are giving me. Good grief.....I'll talk to my CST's and we will be all in or all out.