A Date? And Hurricane Katrina Memories. in Just another day in Paradise...

I got asked out today. For a date. I feel very conflicted right now.

This song was my anthem after Hurricane Katrina buried my city. Many of you who have read me for years know that we evacuated to San Antonio, Texas for 3 months before we were able to get back to New Orleans.

I loathed San Antonio. It was beyond boring.

There just was no energy there.

Not in Oklahoma, either.

Arkansas? Nope.

Texas though.. sucked.

That was when I realized that I am in love with New Orleans, and I cannot be apart from her for too long.

I miss the sounds of this place.

My city is alive.. and she will always be my lover.

I write because I am compelled to do so.

I live here because I cannot stand to live anywhere else.

Though I’ve wondered about the Pacific Northwest.. I’d love to make it to Los Angeles, sometime, and meet so many friends that I have there.

New York has never interested me. I can have everything in New York in my city. That’s how unique this place is, but it’s small. A million people, so we’re big enough to have big city things, but we are small enough that you can live in a tiny community for that small town feel.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is..

“America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans.
Everywhere else is Cleveland.”

― Tennessee Williams

San Francisco would be a fun place to visit.

After the storm, we drove around and saw the destruction. A house was literally floating five blocks from where it was. And then I saw a pickup truck in a tree.

The tree was holding a truck.

Insanity.

People were so good though.

We had no street lights, and everyone was so courteous to each other whilst driving. No honking horns. People just.. we all just cared.

It was very eerie though seeing the military driving around the city afterwards all with guns out and ready for anything.

The streetcar took forever to get back running.

I lived 3 blocks from St. Charles Avenue.

The Avenue was dead quiet. No streetcar rumbling up and down and beneath the Oaks and Willows.

St. Charles Avenue is the major street most Mardi Gras parades ride. I used to catch the bus then transfer to the streetcar and walk home from school.

There is no better public transit than a streetcar.

They are not trolleys.

We hate that word.

They are streetcars.

Trolley’s are in Frisco powered by the tracks in the gound. Streetcars are powered by overhead cables.

There are two amazing Katrina songs by Cowboy Mouth.

“The Avenue” by lead singer/drummer Fred LeBlanc. (Fred went to my high school as did Harry Connick, Jr. and a plethora of other big names.. I went to arguably the best high school in the state in terms of academics. Jesuit High School. It was there that my writing flourished.)

He performed it live on Ellen Degeneress’ show after the storm. Ellen is from New Orleans and her brother was a member of Cowboy Mouth for years. She cried when he played it.

Then there is “Home” written by a different member of Cowboy Mouth who lost his home. (Paul Sanchez wrote and sings both “Hurricane Party” and “Home”)

Cowboy Mouth formed with 3 frontmen (Fred LeBlanc, Paul Sanchez, John Thomas Griffith, and for various local New Orleans bands got together to form a mega-band. They are amazing live. Trust me. They are amazing live.

Anyway, the sad part is that Paul couldn’t bring himself to sing “Hurricane Party” for many years after Katrina. He said it hurt too much.

I understood.

I’m all over the place right now.

So conflicted.

So confused.