6 Years Ago

What more do I really have to say? Not much. The events that happened 6 years ago were life changing for a lot of us. Around this time of the day six years ago, the FP and I were walking around Canal Street in downtown New Orleans after the storm had passed. It was still really windy, and dirt and shards of glass and metal parts of signs were still blowing around. Countless windows were blown out, and brick walls were collapsed on cars. It was bad, but we thought the city had gotten off easy. We thought the power would be on in a few hours. That's laughable to think of now.

So, what has happened to me in six years. Well, a lot. Six years is a long time. We moved to San Diego. I was ready to leave, but the FP really didn't want to go. My parents wanted us to leave New Orleans. They told me there was no way we should buy a house or open a restaurant there. They tricked me into believing that if we moved, they would help us buy a house or open a restaurant in another city. So, we moved to San Diego. The chances of a hurricane hitting here are pretty slim. There are earthquakes here, but it's not like Los Angeles. And, there is drought here. But it's not New Orleans. Not at all.

We've lived in two different apartments here that were more expensive, but not nearly as charming as any of the places we lived in in New Orleans. I mean, the first apartment here only had occasional ants and flies. No roaches, mice, rats or gigantic spiders. Sure, it's beautiful here. It's beautiful there too. It's not the same here. Our circumstances are different here, and we haven't been able to connect in quite the same way we did in New Orleans. The great glue in New Orleans is alcohol...and food. Here, we don't go out as much, mainly because we can't afford it, and we don't have friends like we did in New Orleans. Obviously, you can't compare the two cities.

Our one cat, Chester, died within a year of moving to San Diego. He was a big loveable dumb cat, but honestly, the move from coast to coast was too much for him. That and his renal problems that he also shared with his brother Tiki Tee who had passed away the year before Chester. Chester had always been the follower, and he did not like being the protector and dominant cat to Stinksy, who was still a young cat when Katrina hit. Chester had survived the move from Boston to New Orleans with Tiki Tee, but New Orleans had become their home. He was eventually replaced with The Fuzz, who is also kinda dumb. I guess our fate is to always have one dumb cat.

When we moved out here to San Diego, I had to fly out after the FP and the cats, because I had gotten hit by another car and had to wait to deal with insurance. When I walked into the new apartment, Chester meowed at me and went to sit in the FP's lap. It took him a couple of days to forgive me. The Fuzz gets pissed at me and holds a 24 hour grudge when I give her a bath or flea medicine. I can't imagine how she would hold up if we ever moved out of state.

As far a jobs go, I've had a couple. None have been better than most of my jobs in New Orleans, but then again, I've never been truly satisfied with any job I've had. One job here paid me well, and gave me benefits, but I couldn't abide working for a crazy lady who didn't care whatsoever about proper sanitation practices. I know, restaurants in New Orleans are known to be dirty - but this lady was the dining services director for a retirement property. I swear there were spikes in the number of deaths during her tenure there.

The job after that ended up paying very well, but the chef there seemed intent on killing someone as well. He was just an old french chef who did what he did. Glass plate shattered in the cooler? Just clean the fridge out. Girl ingested glass? Hm... I don't know how that happened. I'm busy plating this salad and I got these raw chicken breasts on the cutting board that I need to portion out too.

The last job... I don't really feel like discussing this one. But here I am,unemployed. Six years ago, Katrina forced me into unemployment.

The FP has had the same job the whole time. It's been a great job for him, but the fact that he never gets paid regularly basically is a detriment.

As far as music goes, the move here has been great for us. We reformed our band and played gigs for over five years. And now we are working on another slightly different project. The FP has been in two other bands over the past couple of years. His musical knowledge has grown by leaps and bounds, and he has learned so much about recording.

And then, my mom's unexpected stroke which led to her death last year was devastating. This probably has hit me harder than Katrina, and it's been over a year that I've been dealing with my grief. My dad's issues complicate things even more.

Where do we go from here? Who knows. I have no idea what's in store for me for the future, but I'm going to try to get the most out of this life. No waiting around for things to happen. I could die tomorrow.

Oh, and I apologize that this one isn't funny.