how's it hangin'?

I’m not sure of the first concert poster I bought – I think it might have been from a Pearl Jam show in New Orleans at Tad Gormley Stadium in 1995. I thought it was so cool to have a groovy piece of art that is specific to a show I attended – with the even the date, location and opening band. Since that first one, I’ve purchased all the “gig posters” I could find whenever I actually attended the show.

In addition to Pearl Jam, I have posters from Beck, The Decemberists, The Raveonettes, Ambulance LTD, Bright Eyes, Interpol, Wilco and Cat Power.

Brad and I went to a really cool art show earlier this summer at the House of Blues, and it totally reignited my passion for these posters. Brad even bought me The Art of Modern Rock, an awesome coffeetable book that celebrates this art form that is kicking and scratching its way into the spotlight of being labeled the “It” thing this year.

OK, so Brad and I have all these cool posters, but we’re perplexed about how to hang them. Framing them would cost us about the gross national product of Guam, and we need to save our money for important things like mortgages, car payments and Coachella.

I was clicking around the net yesterday and came upon a blog wherein the author described he was struggling with this very same issue, and he asked his readers to offer up some suggestions. They did. Here are a few of their ideas – some of which are better than others:

postertack – the sticky, gummy stuff you can hang posters with. “It'll stick to your poster and stick to the wall. Then you don't have to put holes in your beautiful posters.”

I used to use this stuff, and it literally took the paint off my wall.

“you could try laminating things..__I have this pretty oddly shaped strokes poster that I didn't want to mess up, and I ended up finding this plastic slip cover thing that fit perfectly.”

Laminate a whole poster? I’ve never seen a lamination machine that big!

“framing it yourself is pretty cheap. (go to a craft store and find a frame for cheap.)

Maybe, but I think it’s probably still too expensive. Plus, it’s not a Monet or Gaugin; it should be more fun and DIY-ish.

“You can use adhesive corners - http://www.lineco.com/item.cfm?itemnum=L533-0020. They don't adhere to your posters in any way, just your wall - you just slot your posters into them and voila! The only tricky bit is making sure that when you put the adhesive corners on a wall (presuming you do this (measuring and sticking) and then put the poster in later), the corners are aligned with each other correctly, or you might slightly bend some of your poster (in particular the corners) getting it to fit in the slots. If you're careful though, this can be avoided fairly easily :D"

Fairly easily? That sounds like it would take me all day and a lot of expletives.

“Get those cheap clip frames. They are simple and can look sharp. http://www.eldridgeacrylics.com/clipframe.htm. Any good frame store will have them.

“I had the same problem for a while. I love my screenprints. I use what I like to call "magic clothespins"Take some of these 3m things and cut them in half. stick it to the back of a wooden clothespin (not plastic because those are too rough) making sure the little "pull to remove" tab is sticking out the bottom or something. stick it to the wall and clip up your print. I use one on each corner for big prints. or just one in the middle for smaller ones. Hope that helps."

Interesting!!

“I've got some rare trade ads that I frame with those really cheap frames, I think someone mentioned them above. They're like 3 bucks a frame, and Wal-Mart has em.”

Stop. You lost me at Wal-Mart.

“I suggest BINDER CLIPS - big or small depending the popster size. you use your choice of tacks to hold the binder clips to the wall and then clip the poster. minimal and effective."

Now we’re talking. This could be cool.

“you should mat it. you can either have it done professionally (and relatively cheaply) or do it yourself. you take a piece of nice black matboard and cut out a section 1/2 inch smaller than the actual poster. you center the picture and cut out a sturdy piece of something (say, cardboard) the same size as the poster to be the backing. then you tape the cardboard over the back of that, this sort of makes a little container/recess for the poster to set in. i did it all the time for my art class. it's like a sandwich. matboard, picture, backing.”

Sounds cool, but I’m not sure if I can trust a lunatic who thinks matting is cheap. I paid almost $50 just for matting for one of my frames to showcase my photos from Paris. (I really like saying “my photos from Paris.)

Hmmm, that whole clothespin notion is intriguing to me. I’ll have to think more about his. I’ll let you know.

Orenda at Park Ave CDs

Posted today on the Saddle Creek Records Web site ...

10.19
Orenda Fink has a free in store appearance at Park Avenue CDs in Orlando, FL on Thursday, October 27th at 5PM.

Whoa! The kids move into the new store, and already, they are hosting hot indie artists??!! I love Orlando!

"Did you bring or buy?"

Second only to the infamous lunchtime poll topic, the most-often asked question in elementary school around lunchtime was always "Did you bring or buy?" Apparently your favorite celebs are bringing it! There are 100 celebrity-designed lunchboxes up for bid at eBay, and lots of cool artists have donated their time and talent to raise money for The Lunchbox Fund, a nonprofit organization that provides lunch to needy children in schools in South Africa.

Here's a cool one ...


Conor? Conor Oberst? Who's that??? :)

Man, I love him. *exhale*

But wait, we're talking about hungry kids here. Go to The Lunchbox Auction to find out more about how you can bid on lunchboxes designed by Anton Corbijn, Jake Gyllenhall (who I cannot wait to see in Brokeback Mountain, Mary Louise Parker & the luscious Justin Theroux, Cameron Crowe, Liv Tyler, Michael Stipe, Bill Clinton, Mike Myers, Jimmy Fallon, Mike D from the Beastie Boys, and the list goes on and on!!!

I wonder if it comes with the Thermos???

I hate Wal-Mart, Reason #37

You can find the full story at progressive.org/mag_mc100405. It truly speaks for itself.

Wal-Mart Turns in Student’s Anti-Bush Photo, Secret Service Investigates Him

By Matthew Rothschild
October 4, 2005

Selina Jarvis, the chair of the social studies department at Currituck County High School in North Carolina, assigned her senior civics and economics class “to take photographs to illustrate their rights in the Bill of Rights,” she says. One student “had taken a photo of George Bush out of a magazine and tacked the picture to a wall with a red thumb tack through his head. Then he made a thumb’s down sign with his own hand next to the President’s picture, and he had a photo taken of that, and he pasted it on a poster.”

According to Jarvis, the student, who remains anonymous, was just doing his assignment, illustrating the right to dissent.

But over at the Kitty Hawk Wal-Mart, where the student took his film to be developed, this right is evidently suspect.
An employee in that Wal-Mart photo department called the Kitty Hawk police on the student. And the Kitty Hawk police turned the matter over to the Secret Service.

On Tuesday, September 20, the Secret Service came to Currituck High.

“At 1:35, the student came to me and told me that the Secret Service had taken his poster,” Jarvis says. “I didn’t believe him at first. But they had come into my room when I wasn’t there and had taken his poster, which was in a stack with all the others.”

She says the student was upset.

“He was nervous, he was scared, and his parents were out of town on business,” says Jarvis. She, too, had to talk to the Secret Service.

“Halfway through my afternoon class, the assistant principal got me out of class and took me to the office conference room,” she says. “Two men from the Secret Service were there. They asked me what I knew about the student. I told them he was a great kid, that he was in the homecoming court, and that he’d never been in any trouble.”

“They asked me, didn’t I think that it was suspicious,” she recalls. “I said no, it was a Bill of Rights project!”

At the end of the meeting, they told her the incident “would be interpreted by the U.S. attorney, who would decide whether the student could be indicted,” she says.

The student was not indicted, and the Secret Service did not pursue the case further.
“I blame Wal-Mart more than anybody,” she says. “I was really disgusted with them. But everyone was using poor judgment, from Wal-Mart up to the Secret Service.”

A person in the photo department at the Wal-Mart in Kitty Hawk said, “You have to call either the home office or the authorities to get any information about that.”

Jonathan Scherry, spokesman for the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., said, “We certainly respect artistic freedom, but we also have the responsibility to look into incidents when necessary. In this case, it was brought to our attention from a private citizen, a photo lab employee.”

Jarvis uses one word to describe the whole incident: “ridiculous.”

How rannnnnnndom!

Totally random thoughts ...

“She's the perfect Bush-era heroine, because she's all style and no content.”
-Feminist author Naomi Wolf on Paris Hilton in Vanity Fair

Park Ave CDs has finally moved to its new location, and it's, well, really dusty. But I'm sure it's going to be great. There's lots of room -- so much so that I actually felt a bit claustrophobic when I walked in on Saturday. It was opening day, and I would have never known if it were not for Jamie. He and Rob just bought a great place in Winter Park about five blocks away. He heard it was open and wanted to go.

When I made my purchases (new CDs from Fiona Apple, Wolf Parade and Metric), I asked the very nice woman at the register when they opened. She looked at her watch. "Just about an hour ago." Wow! I felt kind of special, and not just because the sometimes too cool for school employees smiled at me -- perhaps I'm too paranoid, but sometimes, they don't even make eye contact, and it makes me feel like such a poser -- but because I told her how excited I was and that the shop was going to be great. She seemed truly thankful I said so, and that just about made my morning.

Here's a link to what looks like a really cool documentary called I Was a Teenage Feminist: http://trixiefilms.com/teenfem/index.htm.

I saw Henry Rollins' spoken word show at House of Blues last week. It's the third time I've seen him, and I must say, I would have traded the sex jokes for more politics. Overall, Hank, or "The Scary Neck" as a friend of mine called him in college, was great -- funny, honest and like a camel in that he didn't have one sip of water during the 2-and-a-half hour set. But he usually talks about politics more, which I love because he, like my beloved Jon Stewart, just gets it.

He talked about Kanye West's nervous outburst during the televised fundraiser -- you know, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." Henry said he doesn't believe that's true. It's more that Dubya doesn't even have the poor people on his radar screen. I think Henry's on to something here. Bush just doesn't even comprehend the depths of poverty in this nation, and it must be somewhat of a genetic blindness, as evidenced by Barbara Bush's comments about the state of the evacuees in the Astrodome. Apparently, they're all fine because they're underprivileged anyway, so these accommodations are fine. No one is claiming the New Orleans projects to be anything but hell; but come one! People are living in cots in rows on the floor of one ginormous room where the lights never go out, the babies never stop crying, and there's no way to escape the sadness of the situation.

I heard on the radio that a lot of the people impacted by Hurricane Katrina are getting loans to get back on their feet. That's l-o-a-n-s, a check to cash that has to be paid back, maybe even with interest. And yet we're going to rebuild Iraq like we've rebuilt Kuwait and countless other countries, and no one is asking any of them to pay us back. Is that fair?

Jamie told me that there were protesters with signs about damnation and abomination at the recent Pride Parade in downtown Orlando. These idiotic protesters actually brought their children with them, and encouraged them to use their megaphones to warn all those in attendance that they were going to Hell. These kids are not even 10 years old, and their parents are teaching them to hate and fear. It's disgusting. I'm going to renew my HRC membership right now! And you should, too! http://Human Rights Committee

Jon Stewart can eat crackers in my bed

Jon Stewart is so sauce. He's hilarious, sexy, smart and he gets it. He understands and sees through all the bullshit. Watching Comedy Central's The Daily Show is incredibly enlightening. I know his show is supposed to be a parody, mere entertainment, if you will. But, come on! This should be required viewing in all high schools! It's actually more real than the real news!

My love for Jon began a long time ago, and I'm grateful that the rest of America and the Emmy voters are finally catching up. Want to see him in action? Below is a link to a video of his appearance in a 2004 edition of CNN's "Crossfire," and it's priceless. He calls Tucker Carlson a dick on live TV, and he pleads with the hosts to be more responsible "newspeople." He also compels viewers to realize their own power. Don't just take what they're feeding you. Question it and resist!!

ifilm.com

Ahhh... we meet again ...

Although you may not have even noticed, countless days have passed since my last entry. I've missed you. I've thought of you often and what I would say the first time we were together again. Would you be upset? Would I kind of clam up and say very little? Would I rattle on and on to try to compensate for my absence? Would you grossly misinterpret my lack of communication as a lack of interest?

I've been a busy bee, hanging out with my parents as they evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Rita and then spent some time vacationing in the big world that is Disney. Work is crazy as usual, and I'm still trying to learn Sign Language in weekly classes.

And of course, when you have the most to do, you also have the most to say, or write! It was always that way for me in college. Whenever the cloud over my head was especially dark, I wanted to write it all down in my journal, but I'd have some book report to write in French or seven chapters to read of Njal's Saga.

I could talk about a gazillion different things right now, but there's so little time! I promise to catch you up soon. For now, please share my giddy excitement over the following news ...

Bright Eyes to Release Live Album

According to Pitchforkmedia.com, my beloved Conor Oberst will release a new album of live emo splendor on November 15, on his own Team Love Records -- also home to those beautiful toe-tappers Tilly & The Wall. "Motion Sickness," the first official live album of Bright Eyes tunes -- if you don't count my iTunes playlist -- will be sold exclusively in indie stores.

Seriously now, if Conor keeps it up, no other human will ever be good enough for me.

The CD even -- Christy, are you listening? -- features a cover of a gorgeous Elliot Smith song! Here's the track listing:

01 At the Bottom of Everything
02 We Are Nowhere and It's Now
03 Old Soul Song
04 Make War Short
05 Make War
06 Scale
07 Landlocked Blues
08 Method Acting
09 Train Under Water
10 When the President Talks to God
11 Road to Joy
12 Mushaboom (Feist cover)
13 Southern State
14 True Blue
15 The Biggest Lie (Elliot Smith cover)

*Exhale* Ahhh, that felt good. I'll write again soon.
TTFN, BFF
Steph

Pallie & Pat are parents!

I just got an e-mail from Carrie Guess declaring that she's an aunt! Here's her note.

Hello all, I have pictures!!

Jane Claire Thompson was born in San Antonio, TX, on Wed. (I'm sure much to her parent's dismay.... we now have a Texan in the family...)

But all kidding aside, she's perfect and beautiful, and Pallie's doing great. Everyone is happy and healthy.

At the risk of repeating this to some of you, she was 6lbs, 14oz, 20in long. She has soft strawberry blonde fuzzy hair.

Zane and I are still in MO, and were planning to go to San Antonio as soon as the stupid hurricanes get out of the way. After a short detour in TX, we're hoping to go home soon.

Lots of love to you all!
Carrie

Update about the Shooks

Just talked to my brother in Houston and everything is fine! They still have power and experienced only minor wind and rain. Mandie's parents hunkered down (I try to use that term as much as possible.) in Lafayette, and they are fine, too. They even have power! It's still raining there, and it's expected to keep raining, so flooding is a concern.

My parents are here in Orlando. They were back in their home on Sunday long enough to clean out the fridge and the backyard, and then they had to evacuate again in anticipation of Hurricane Rita. I still haven't heard from some other family members and friends, so if you read this and you're OK, please let me know!

Take care everyone!
Steph

my ode to the crescent city

Because Apple has not yet released its patch for all the problems with iTunes 5.0, I can't burn any CDs on my computer right now. As always, my timing stinks! I made a playlist with the New Orleans music I love and that reminds me of my family, my friends and growing up in such a kick-ass town. I wanted to send copies to my parents and some friends who were displaced by Hurricane Katrina. Until Apple releases a download to fix my burning problem (now that didn't come out right), all I can do is share it as an iMix on iTunes. Check it out ...
Stephanie's new orleans iMix

If you don't have iTunes, why not?, and here's the playlist:

“New Orleans” – Cowboy Mouth
“Big Chief” – Professor Longhair
“Who Dat?” – Dejan's Olympia Brass Band
“Don't Mess With My Toot Toot” – Doug Kershaw
“City of New Orleans” – Willie Nelson
“Go to the Mardi Gras” – Professor Longhair
“Jambalaya” – Doug Kershaw
“Tipitina” – Professor Longhair
“King of New Orleans” (Live at House of Blues) – Better Than Ezra
“Louisiana Man” – Doug Kershaw
“New Orleans” – Elvis Presley
“Bourbon Street Parade” – Wynton Marsalis
“Born In New Orleans” – Paul Soniat
“New Orleans” – Ray Charles
“No City Like New Orleans” – Earl King
“Every Day I Have the Blues” – Professor Longhair
“New Orleans” – Sex Mob
“Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” – Harry Connick, Jr.

By the way, on Wilco's Web site, wilcoworld.net, the following letter appears. Some of the very musicians named above have lost their homes, including two guys in Cowboy Mouth, which played a very big part in my college years. Give what you can.

NEW ORLEANS MUSICIAN RELIEF FUND SEEKS DONATIONS FOR WORKING MUSICIANS
This is from a friend of ours named Jef Beninato.

These funds will go to our fellow musicians who are currently displaced throughout the country. All funds go to provide shelter and food, as well as replacing gear, which is badly needed for future work.

Those in need are all working musicians who’ve played in the French Quarter, Jazzfest, Casinos and are all out of work until they can retrieve their gear.

My wife and I are musicians and have evacuated temporarily to Chicago, which we consider our sister city. We want to send help out to our musical family on the road from coast to coast. Everyone is trying to stay in touch with email, and we’re all in a state of shock.

Our good friends who are without homes right now include Susan Cowsill of the Cowsills, Cranston Clements who has played with the Nevilles and Dr. John, Peter Holsapple of the dB’s, myself, a former dBs, Fred LeBlanc and Paul Sanchez of Cowboy Mouth to name a few.

Katrina is an unspeakable tragedy. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can give. Donations being accepted at:

New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund
Chase Acct: 699721957
http://nomrf.org

do you know what it means to miss new orleans?

Make a donation of $50, $100 or $150 to The Greater New Orleans Foundation, and you'll get one of these hip tees. As a former resident of The Big Easy, Ellen DeGeneres showed her support by wearing one of these shirts on her show last week. Maybe she'll show up on the Emmy red carpet with one on, too! :)

If you donate $150, you also pick up a CD of New Orleans music.
Go check it out at whatitmeans.org.

wade drive

My mom asked me to post some of the photos Darren took of our home in Metairie on Labor Day, one week after Katrina hit. I have to be honest and say the reason I didn't post them earlier was that I felt guilty. We were unbelievably lucky, and some of my own friends and family members fared much worse. I didn't want these photos to seem insensitive.

My parents are planning to go back home on Sunday, and I pray things haven't worsened. I've already heard about people just throwing out their entire refrigerators because the mold and stench are disgusting. Here are photos of the outside.

Dad's tall birdhouse that welcomed so many purple martins fell on its side.

The back fence is leaning -- looks very familiar to us Florida kids who experienced Charley, Frances and Jeanne last year.

Dad's tool shed stayed strong through the storm. Did those old OJ plastic jugs really stay upright through 100+ mile per hour winds?

I am pretty sure my dad put up this green roof over the side of our house to create some shade where he could store our lawn mower, edger, etc.

Our newest tree in the backyard made it.



This is the deck my dad and his father built when I was a toddler. The stuff that's hanging in front is what's left of a shade my parents pull down when the sun sets brightly through our picture window.

Dad's beloved coy fish look like they were invaded by debris from the deck.

Looks like we lost some shingles. Hopefully, there are no leaks into our attic.

The front of our house looks amazing -- I really thought we were going to lose that big tree. I was worried it would fall into our home. Mom - do you think the face is still there? :)

Uh oh, Miss Kennedy is gonna be pissed.

The gate to our backyard looks like it was broken in two. I bet it was banging back and forth throught the storm.

See what I mean? We were very lucky. Other folks are ripping out their carpets, throwing away furniture and entire wardrobes, and sifting through what may have once been clutter and now is all they have left.

That reminds me, my mom said someone in Houston told her that if she has any water damage to photographs, she should freeze them. After they're a certain temperature, the grime and whatever else was in the flood waters will come right off. I hope that someone can use that tip before they throw away precious photos.

A little lagniappe makes a difference

OK, it's official; Conor Oberst was meant to be mine.

With a voice that stirs the butterflies in my tummy, Conor, the lead singer of Bright Eyes and Desapareceidos, can make me cry with just a strum of his guitar. His lyrics are truly amazing, and his music means the world to me. If you'll remember, I met this object of my post-adolescent obsessive behavior at the Acapulco restaurant in Burbank during my was-it-all-a-dream Coachella weekend.

The boy continues to inspire me. This time, he has chosen to help out my hometown family and friends by getting his indie labelmates together and producing a record to raise funds for the Red Cross' Hurricane Katrina relief effort.

And, guess what the name is!!

Lagniappe!!!

I love it! It's a word that remains on my list as possible names for my new MINI. It's a N'awlins word that means "a little something extra." Like when the guy at the seafood shop throws in a 13th boiled crab in your order of a dozen.

The album is already on iTunes, and you can order it from Saddle Creek at saddle-creek.com. When you order right form the company, they usually throw in some cool stickers and hand-written note on Saddle Creek stationery. It's like a little lagniappe!

Track listing:
Cursive – “Ten Percent to the Ten Percent”
Maria Taylor and Andy LeMaster – “Breathe”
Criteria – “Booketa”
The Elected – “San Francisco Via Chicago Blues”
Broken Spindles – “Move Away (Broken Spindles Remix)”
Cocoon (Jake Bellows and Todd Fink) – “She’s a Ghost”
Bright Eyes – “Napoleon’s Hat”
The Faint – “Hypnotised”
Orenda Fink – “No Evolution (acoustic)”
Mayday – “Footprints”
Sorry About Dresden – “Sunrise: Norfolk, Virginia”
Two Gallants – “All Your Faithless Loyalties”
The Good Life – “New Year’s Retribution”

Tension breaker ... had to be done

As reported in a German newspaper ...

Rollercoaster Gives Good News

HASSLOCH, Germany (Ananova) - A woman thought she could not have children is now a mother - thanks to a white knuckle roller coaster ride. Nayade Elbing, 28, and her husband Arnold had been trying to have children for several years without success and believed she was sterile. But, after having sex in their home, the young couple visited Freizeitpark Holiday-Park in Germany where Nayade went on the Expedition GeForce, one of the world’s fastest roller coasters. One week later her gynecologist, Dr Thomas Gent, told her she was pregnant. He said: “We believe that she conceived due to the G force of the roller coaster ride.” In the meantime, Cuban-born Nayade has given birth to a little boy now called Leandro Elias. The entertainment park gave little Leandro, nicknamed G Force by his dad, a life-long free ticket for roller coaster rides.

From April Babin: i can't breathe

Here's a message from April. But first let me say ...

Sweetie, I'm so glad you were able to save most of your art, but I'm sorry about everything else. It just seems to be this huge mountain of work that everyone is facing now. Between you and Korie, it seems that the initial shock is over and now everyone has to face their new realities. Please know I'm thinking about all of you!

i can't breathe
I'm not referring to the suffocating feeling I have while living in this house. I'm talking about the mold that is probably growing in my lungs. My dad & I got to go to the house. It wasn't pretty & it was VERY weird. My friend Darren helped us out with everything. Thank God for him because there is no way my dad & I could've handled all of the work that we did. The entire house didn't get water, about 3/4 of it. But the mold is slowly taking over. We couldn't rip the carpets out yet because of insurance. The fridge was beyond fixing, in terms of rotting food, that smelled so horrific. There was too much food to bury, so we duct taped it shut & stuck it outside. I'll eventually send pics. I got some stuff that I wanted which I am highly thankful that it didn't get ruined. But the water soaked the floor of my closet so all of my shoes & clothes are molded. So I have to get a new wardrobe. The girl in me is a little happy about that (ROSS here I come!) Trying my best to seek out positive things -- such as I don't have to tell ghost story stories anymore!!! We were talking about, in terms of houses not belongings, which is worse; getting so much damage that you knock it down & start over OR getting light damage & having to do all of the repairs. That would include knocking out sheet rock, ripping out & replacing carpets & floors, etc. Pray for my father that he doesn't kill himself trying to "fix" the house. He doesn't know all of what he should to do the necessary repairs. There are so many stories to tell but I'm exhausted & this E-mail is getting way too long. TOODLES!!!

*APRIL*

News from Korie Pierce Carrigee

Korie and her husband Kevin are really good friends of mine, and they have an adorable 1-year-old daughter, which I am sure puts a while new twist into the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Thanks, Korie, for sending this update. I am glad to hear that Kenny is home and safe.

Hi. We are back at home. We arrived here last Wednesday. We had about 8-10 shingles blown off, some siding near the peaks ripped down, and our attic vent damaged. Of course, we lost everything in our fridge too. Nothing compared to what happened in Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines.

I have four extra family members living with me for a while (Kevin's mom grandma, brother & his fiancee). We went to pick Kenny up in Alexandria last Saturday from Ft. Polk. His unit returned one week early from Iraq since they are the only troops from the New Orleans area. They USED to based in Chalmette at Jackson Barracks. He has been over there for a year and then got to come home to this mess and he lost everything that was in his mom's condo. Ms. Connie had about a foot of water at Chardonnay Village in Kenner. His fiancee's family lost everything and so did Kevin's Grandmother due to flood waters.

My mother and Grandparents in Airline Park were spared from flood damage and only lost a shed from the winds. My brother and Dad on the Northshore are still without power, but only minor wind damage like me. Dad may have to relocate since he works for Halliburton and it looks like most oil companies are pulling out to Houston. Adam is a licensed heavy equipment operator for Boh Brothers and is working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week to restore the water lines in Jefferson Parish. He said it is gross right now.

My grandfather in Slidell lost his entire house, literally. He lives on Salt Bayou in a raised (at least 4-5 feet) house that is now 20-30 feet up in the trees across the highway. His roof is smashed on the ground right where the house used to be and the only recognizable thing left was one lamp about 60 feet from where it used to sit in the house. We are so sad for him. My
step-grandmother, Maw Maw Sylvia just passed away in February. It has been rough for him.

My mom's parents were evacuated ahead of the storm to Virginia to my Aunt Kim's. This was not their first time. Paw Paw Ed is a dialysis patient with a port-a-cath. We cannot take any chances with him. He is able to go to a dialysis center up there. They will stay until things are completely normal in Metairie. Now to my sister, Wendy! Her apartment was flooded and she lost just about everything. David has been working in Anapolis for a while, but he came down during the evacuation. They decided to all move to Maryland. David had interviews setup with the Times-Picayune and Tulane's publications department, and planned to return to New Orleans by the end of the year since Wendy was so happy with her job and the girls loved their new schools. However, he feels that none of that will be possible due to Katrina. We are going to miss them very, very much. I am still so sad after saying good-bye.

I went back to work on Monday. Our students will return on Thursday and the school board is trying to decide what to do with our new "displaced" students. It is going to be wild for a while. We don't know what is going to happen for Kevin's job in Jefferson Parish. He is on sabbatical until January, but that is based on his being enrolled in at least 6 hours of grad school. UNO is now closed, hoping to get their online classes up by October. He has one online class and two regular classes, so we don't know what is going to happen.

Also, we only know for sure that he is getting paid for September. If Jefferson doesn't get up and running quickly, they won't generate enough sales tax revenue to pay teachers in October. We also might have lost the sitter we had set up for Kailie come January since she moved to Jackson,MS. You cannot even imagine how many little aspects of your life are so completely changed because of this horrible tragedy and at the same time, we feel so totally blessed and lucky. If this storm had been 10-15 miles more west, we would have been wiped out here in Destrehan.

I hope that your families are all doing OK. I have been so busy, but thinking about you all. Stephanie~ Your blog is great. A great way to see and hear about other friends. Tell Shannon and Darren that their family is in my thoughts and prayers.

Take care and I will be in touch soon!
Love, Korie

P.S. I will forward you a slideshow of some pictures of Plaquemines Parish. They are incredible.

music to my ears!

When George W was first elected -- or should I say "named"-- president, I remember Dan Stone or That Guy, DJs on WTKS who hosted Sound Opinion on Saturday nights, looked on the bright side and said that at least a Republican in the White House would ensure some great indie music. And they were right. We have awesome protest songs from Bright Eyes and Pearl Jam -- even the Decemberists!

When people get mad or sad, they come together. Since Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and Lake Pontchartrain flowed freely into the Ninth Ward and other areas of New Orleans, there have been three major music telethons. And I have high hopes that three different CDs will be released capturing all the amazing moments and raising lots more money for those affected.

On Saturday, I had chills watching former New Orleans resident Trent Reznor perform "Hurt" on a piano. I was going out that night, so I missed most of the other performances, but they're on my DVR, so I'll catch up this week. Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crow, Coldplay, U2 and others all volunteered their time and talents for a show that was broadcast on MTV, VH1 and their sister stations.

The first special aired exclusively on NBC stations just a few days after the storm passed. Harry Connick Jr, Wynton Marsalis and the Neville Brothers all performed. It was also the show with where America heard Kanye West say "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

The second show was more mainstream and aired on all the major networks. I was working late that night, so I only caught a portion of it. All three were moving. All three raised millions of dollars. All three could raise a lot more if they were released on a CD!!!

Because the indies can get things done without wasting time on red tape, Saddle Creek made this New Orleans Lady proud when she read the following on saddle-creek.com ...

Saddle Creek Compilation - Many of the artists on the Saddle Creek roster have taken some time in the last week to record some new tracks and organize a compilation to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The final tracklist for the compilation is coming together now and will feature Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Faint, The Good Life, Mayday, Orenda Fink, Maria Taylor, Andy LeMaster, Broken Spindles, Criteria, and others. The compilation will be made available on iTunes very soon and a CD version will be on the website and in stores as soon as possible. 100% of the proceeds from this will go to the Red Cross.

A full tracklisting and more info will be posted on the Saddle Creek site on Monday, September 12. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the hurricane.

Conor comes through for me again. :)

From Julie Couret ...

This is a friend of mine who I met a few years ago while I still worked in Eyes & Ears. She moved to Seattle a couple years ago, then moved back to her hometown of New Orleans. She just landed a dream job! She's a regional recruiter for the Disney College Program. That means she gets to live in new Orleans and still work for the mouse! She recruits at UNO, Xavier, USM, and many Gulf Coast schools. She had a pretty amazing experience with Hurricane Katrina. Here's her message ...

Hello friends,

For those of you currently living, from New Orleans, and the Gulf Coast area....I PRAY you and your family are safe and well.

I have not spoken with some of you in some time, but considering the magnitude of the situation I thought you all would appreciate this.

Quick Recap:...I work for Walt Disney World, but moved to Seattle for 2 years, then back to New Orleans in late May as a Disney College Program Recruiter working from my home office in New Orleans...and just in the nick of time...to get trapped in my apartment building downtown.

I did not evacuate prior to the storm because my grandfather, Captain Frank Winter Trapolin USN ret. was very ill (sadly, but by the grace of God, he passed away Sunday morning and did not have to go through a difficult evacuation) and I was taking care of my grandmother in my apartment, which was very sturdy, safe, and adjacent to a hospital. My Uncle and parents were with my grandfather in the hospital and my brother lives in the building I live in too. After my granfather passed away, my parents and uncle joined me and my brother in our building Sunday morning. We were so overcome with grief and exhaustion we did not leave. We knew we would lose power with some flooding, potential that the windows would blow out, but we had no idea we would be trapped indefinitly.

I am sending a link to my pictures from the last few days. If you do not belong to Snapfish, sign up to view. It is free, no spam, no selling of your name ect... the title of the albums are as follows (if I can remember):

Hurricane Hits -- These are just a few shots taken during the hurricane and hours after...I have some short segment video of the hurricane itself coming through...if you would like me to email you some clips, let me know. We could hear the windows shattering in the buildings around us. As you see from the pictures, there is no water on the street after the hurricane. This would have been our opportunity to leave, but we figured if it there was no flooding by 5pm on Monday, the next day would be fine to leave.

Bad to Worse -- This is album 2. This is when we reailzed that the only way out was an evacuation. At this point we went under the Tulane Hospital umbrella for their evacuation. My building is owned and operated by Tulane University Health Services.
Also, we were given Tulane Police to guard the front entrance and we eqipped with automatic rifles. This also caused some alarm.

Preparing to Evacuate -- These pictures document the evacuation process up to the point where my sister picked us up and brought us to her husband's uncle's home in Sulphur, LA. You will see the parking garage we were staged in for 9 hours, the hospital patients waiting to be rescued, the helicoptor ride, the area where they took our shoes and socks and threw them out bc we could be carrying disease, took a bus to Layfayette hospital, and put our clothes in "infectious disease" bags, and then to the reunion with our sister.

Roof Top Rescue

I am safe in Sulphur, LA with my sisters in-laws. Monday morning I am driving to Metarie, LA (Jefferson Parish) with my cousin to pick up her car at the Lakeside Shopping Center and drive with her to Orlando. I will remain in Orlando and work and travel from there still as the Louisiana and MS Gulf Coast (or what is left of it) region Disney College Program Recruiter.

My family is safe. My parents home in Pass Christian, MS is GONE. If you can satellite image it, the address is 524 Wathall St, Pass Christian, MS. We're the cute concrete slab on the corner.

My parents home in New Orleans on Audubon Street, we HOPE is okay...we do not think there was any substantial flooding as you see on t.v., but there is a good chance some trees could have caused some damage to the house.

My apartment in downtown New Orleans (5 blocks from the Superdome) was surrounded by water (as you will see), as long as my building does not get raided, looted, and burn to the ground, it should be fine (aside from the wretched stench of the canal water that flooded the first floor and the spoiled food in every one elses apartments that will rot for over a month.

Thanks and I hope these pictures help tell my story, Julie Couret

FYI, this was a private evacuation by Tulane Hospital/HCA inc.... NOT by the US Government or the State of Louisiana.

From Kindell Schoffner

This is Kindell's response to the message below from Korie.

Korie - It was good to hear from you. I'm glad you and your family are safe. My mom, sister, and grandmother are her in GA with Joe and me. My dad and step-mother are with friends in OH, so everyone is safe. From what we can tell, Jefferson parish is not in as good a shape as St. Charles. We saw my mom's house from satellite pictures and all of the water has receded and all of the trees are standing. Now they are just waiting for electricity, because my mom can't take my grandmother back to a place without electricity. Stephanie - I hope your parents are safe and that their house will be salvageable. Please let me know how
they are doing. Take care of yourselves and your families.
Love,
Kindell

From Korie & Kevin Carrigee

Hey you~ We got out early and have been moving around hotels for the past week. We are in Abbeville, south of Lafayette, for the next few days. NO is a mess. Our house is fine- no water or major damage. Still no power but maybe in a few days. Drinking water is safe. They hope to be back to school in a week or two in St. Charles, where we live and where I work. Also,
waiting to make sure safety and security are in place. Hope all of your families are safe! Be in touch soon.

Love, Korie,
Kevin, & Kailie