I find myself unemployed thanks to the flooding of our business, we cannot afford to reopen.
I filed for unemployment, and I am looking.
Our population has fallen from half a million, to 150,000 daytime residents, with only 60-70,000 actually living in the city. Employers are competing for the slim pickin's that is left of our work force, and many are paying top dollar with very attractive benefits.
Examples? Burger King is offering $12 per hour, and a $6000 bonus if you last a year. Rally's is paying $8 per hour. There are a bazillion other fast food jobs, major retailers (Walmart, Sam's Target, KMart, Home Depot) hiring and paying top dollar for what were once minimum wage jobs. There are openings for laborers, roofers, electricians galore, plumbers.
So here I sit with an MBA, a BS in mathematics and I am in school now, to get my teaching certificate - overqualified, and feeling a bit stinky for not applying at Walmart or Home Depot.
So far I've applied to a hospital's accounting department (they are hiring having lost most of their staff), filled out the State of La's online teacher database since I know they just laid off their no-shows in our neighboring parish. I sent a resume to the Crescent City Brewhouse who is looking for a bookkeeper/accountant.
Today I attended the Oil Field Job Fair, where they are hiring riggers, outfitters, welders, rig-cooks -- but I managed to snag two interviews ~ one from a company that lost most of its accounting department altogether, another whose payroll accountant is not expected back from maternity leave.
So wish me luck!
Gina (Hoping for a teaching job!)
Friday, October 28, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Mulling
Today I began to reflect over the events of the last couple of months. I started thinking about our evacuation, and the things that led to that - even though we'd never evacuated before, despite other threats: Georges, Ivan.
Some of the actual details were kind of chilling, in ways that made me pause my thoughts - listen to the music on the radio instead.
But I sort of feel like I have to work it all through, ya know?
It's all still so surreal.
Some of the actual details were kind of chilling, in ways that made me pause my thoughts - listen to the music on the radio instead.
But I sort of feel like I have to work it all through, ya know?
It's all still so surreal.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Some pictures
The OMNI disaster recovery team showed up on our street yesterday! You'd think there was a Mardi Gras parade coming down the street! The trucks and dozer rolled in at roughly 7am. All of my beighbors came outside in our PJ's and robes to watch, and cheer as they loaded up the storm debris - nearly 7 weeks post Katrina. We invited the neighbors little boy, Luke, over for breakfast. Don't they all look excited?
Later on -- the garbage men showed up! For the first time in a month and a half, I have no garbage on my curb. Owen (who turned 6 the very day Katrina hit New Orleans) exclaimed, "Mommy? Things are really getting back to normal!"
Later on -- the garbage men showed up! For the first time in a month and a half, I have no garbage on my curb. Owen (who turned 6 the very day Katrina hit New Orleans) exclaimed, "Mommy? Things are really getting back to normal!"
Pictures from this weekend
Our blue roof (like our Halloween decorations? LOL):
Our blue roof neighborhood:
The boys enjoy the action:
Half a block from our business:
Our blue roof neighborhood:
The boys enjoy the action:
Half a block from our business:
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
"Goodbye"
If you have lost a loved one, maybe you have had one of those dreams? One of those dreams where they come to you, and you know they have passed on - but they visit you as if to say one final last "goodbye."
I had something like that last night. I dreamt that I had gone alone, in the evening, to our store. I flicked on all of the lights, could hear the a/c humming, all of our displays were just perfect, untouched by mold or flood. And I knew it wasn't right, and that I was dreaming - and that all those things just aren't there ~ and never will be again. I didn't want to wake up.
I am a little stunned by how emotional I feel now - over a store?
Melancholy. Just stuff . . .
I had something like that last night. I dreamt that I had gone alone, in the evening, to our store. I flicked on all of the lights, could hear the a/c humming, all of our displays were just perfect, untouched by mold or flood. And I knew it wasn't right, and that I was dreaming - and that all those things just aren't there ~ and never will be again. I didn't want to wake up.
I am a little stunned by how emotional I feel now - over a store?
Melancholy. Just stuff . . .
Do we have a PULSE?
Rough day.
City has to lay off half of it's work force, and even then, there is no revenue stream to keep it alive. The airport is operating at 10% and is in a financial crisis. Today I will apply for food stamps, in my own financial crisis.
and I thought Katrina was bad . . .
The RED CROSS, well-meaning as they are - absolutely befuddle me. Before I woke Owen, at 6:30, they had already closed down their aid centers, having reached their daily limit (WTF?) of serving 1000. Why they won't aid from dusk to dawn is beyond any scope of reason I can imagine. The people in line have camped out for days. With children. The aid they receive will be MAILED to them -- even though they have no addresses, and our post office is not anywhere near full capacity. Uh huh - that's smart. These people are so desperate. Why RED CROSS, why?!
The Army Corps of Engineers has suspended their blue roof program in a way. We went to three sites to register yesterday, to discover that they are no longer requiring the paperwork -- they are just going to go door to door, installing tarps as needed. SO - clever-Gina made a big sign to put on the window:
Wouldn't you know? Half a dozen showed up last evening, assuring me that they'd be back today to install our tarp - LOL! They were all sort of laughing at my "ingenuity" - LOL LOL!
AID: FEMA has mailed a second wave of rental relief checks, and there is so much misinformation abounding, over what we can or cannot use the money for. Evidently they intend to audit everyone, which is fine. The money may be used for home repairs, that are not reimbursed by insurance, though that use will stop further rental assistance. Sounds fair to me. The SBA, who is supposed to offer aid to small businesses in form of low-interest loans is such a JOKE. To date, of all the thousands of businesses who have applied, only 14-loans have been approved. WTF? We've decided not to bother. The fine print, and how they intend to manage/audit your loan account are just a few of the scary elements of accepting their so-called "aid."
City has to lay off half of it's work force, and even then, there is no revenue stream to keep it alive. The airport is operating at 10% and is in a financial crisis. Today I will apply for food stamps, in my own financial crisis.
and I thought Katrina was bad . . .
The RED CROSS, well-meaning as they are - absolutely befuddle me. Before I woke Owen, at 6:30, they had already closed down their aid centers, having reached their daily limit (WTF?) of serving 1000. Why they won't aid from dusk to dawn is beyond any scope of reason I can imagine. The people in line have camped out for days. With children. The aid they receive will be MAILED to them -- even though they have no addresses, and our post office is not anywhere near full capacity. Uh huh - that's smart. These people are so desperate. Why RED CROSS, why?!
The Army Corps of Engineers has suspended their blue roof program in a way. We went to three sites to register yesterday, to discover that they are no longer requiring the paperwork -- they are just going to go door to door, installing tarps as needed. SO - clever-Gina made a big sign to put on the window:
TARP our roof, please! Thanks Corps of Engineers!
Wouldn't you know? Half a dozen showed up last evening, assuring me that they'd be back today to install our tarp - LOL! They were all sort of laughing at my "ingenuity" - LOL LOL!
AID: FEMA has mailed a second wave of rental relief checks, and there is so much misinformation abounding, over what we can or cannot use the money for. Evidently they intend to audit everyone, which is fine. The money may be used for home repairs, that are not reimbursed by insurance, though that use will stop further rental assistance. Sounds fair to me. The SBA, who is supposed to offer aid to small businesses in form of low-interest loans is such a JOKE. To date, of all the thousands of businesses who have applied, only 14-loans have been approved. WTF? We've decided not to bother. The fine print, and how they intend to manage/audit your loan account are just a few of the scary elements of accepting their so-called "aid."
Monday, October 03, 2005
Today is Owen's Third-First Day of the First Grade
Sound complicated?
I just dropped him off, and he is as nervous as he was on his first-first day ~ at St. Andrew, but not nearly as nervous as his second-first day ~ at St. Joseph in Columbia, SC.I told him that there would be several "new" kids, just like he was the new kid at St. Joseph since there is a lot of school sharing - and that he should try to help them today. He smiled, thinking that was a terrific idea!
Our local SPCA was destroyed having gotten 9 feet of water inside the pet rescue facility. They are temporarily relocating to our neighborhood, Algiers. They'll be here on Friday! As soon as Owen heard that, he immediately decided that we need to rescue a kitty. I asked him to think of a name, and he answered, "I think I'd like to call him Max." I think dear, departed old Max would think that was cool
I just dropped him off, and he is as nervous as he was on his first-first day ~ at St. Andrew, but not nearly as nervous as his second-first day ~ at St. Joseph in Columbia, SC.I told him that there would be several "new" kids, just like he was the new kid at St. Joseph since there is a lot of school sharing - and that he should try to help them today. He smiled, thinking that was a terrific idea!
Our local SPCA was destroyed having gotten 9 feet of water inside the pet rescue facility. They are temporarily relocating to our neighborhood, Algiers. They'll be here on Friday! As soon as Owen heard that, he immediately decided that we need to rescue a kitty. I asked him to think of a name, and he answered, "I think I'd like to call him Max." I think dear, departed old Max would think that was cool
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Hurricane Etiquette 101
Emily Post where are you?
I've put out our Halloween decorations. Halloween has to be Owen's favorite time of the year, and we usually put out that stuff in mid-September. I do have to wonder just how appropriate it is to have 10 skulls sitting on spikes in my naked flower-bed.
Too macabre?
Speaking of macabre, when did it become appropriate to joke on SNL about the hurricane? Gone Wild with poor taste, in my opinon.
I've put out our Halloween decorations. Halloween has to be Owen's favorite time of the year, and we usually put out that stuff in mid-September. I do have to wonder just how appropriate it is to have 10 skulls sitting on spikes in my naked flower-bed.
Too macabre?
Speaking of macabre, when did it become appropriate to joke on SNL about the hurricane? Gone Wild with poor taste, in my opinon.
My offering to the garbage gods ~ please accept and be good to us!
A city without garbage collection for over a month is a city that STINKS to high Heaven. The first pickup was last Monday. The truck rumbled down the street with it's essential workers, chosing only two bags or cans per residence - leaving the piles of branches, twisted metal and strewn shingles, and box upon pile of debris behind.On Thursday, they did a bit better, taking everything in cans. But only that.
Tonight I prepared my offering. I've stuffed the three cans we own with whatever would fit - debris, some branches, mostly the stuff that's started smelling badly. I hope they accept it all!
It's funny. I used to think I knew who our essential workers were - the educated types, right? BAH! Who's looking for bean counters or talking heads now? When it comes right down to it, the people who matter most are our blue- or no-collars. Law enforcement, military, grocery store clerks and stockers and baggers, gas station attendants, electricians, roofers, fence builders, truck drivers, haulers, and yes . . . my beloved garbage gods.
Sure I waltzed on tippy toes when the paper showed up for the first time. I squealed with pleasure when the mailman happened along. But you can't imagine the sheer delight at seeing that behemoth, as it carts off the discards - the stinky stuff - the ruins, after all this time.
Those guys ROCK!
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