Saturday, March 27
Bamboozled.
Katie is rocking out at Bamboozle as I type. Our friend saved a ticket for me that his girlfriend won off the radio, but I couldn't get today off. Little does Katie know, Paramore played their Brand New Eyes CD for me in the car. Better concert if you ask me. Straight from the speakers. Who wants to listen to bands from all of those crowds of people anyway. Yeah, maybe I am a little sad I couldn't get today off to go with Katie, but I'll just try to go to Warped Tour this time around. On another note, tomorrow is Sunday so we get to go to church and spend the day with family, and Katie and I have Monday off together. That is, after I go to the Dentist. I haven't been in a while so I'm scared. I hope I get a new toothbrush and an hourglass and maybe some stickers.
Thursday, March 25
The Little Engine That Could
My parent's are back from Louisiana. Katie and I are back at our apartment, but Katie is all stressed about her Physiology test. She keeps saying she is going to fail. I don't know why, because she is one of the smartest people I know. I'm pretty sure everyone has read the book The Little Engine That Could or had it read to them in school, but I think my wifey took a little nap during reading time. She has this idea that if she thinks she is going to do well at something, then she gets a bad grade. If she thinks she is going to fail, a magic A appears on her paper. I guess this really happens but it doesn't make sense to me. I agree with The Pony Engine. He teaches the values of optimism and hard work. If you think you can do something, then you can do it. It doesn't matter what it is. He pulled a whole train over a mountain. Katie has the hard work part down, but she tells herself that she can't do it and then she does it. I don't get it, but whatever works I guess. This past week has been okay, but Katie has a lot more hours at work than she use to. We haven't been able to see each other as much as we would like to, but we spend as much time together as possible. Nathan, Katie, and I tried to watch The Princess and the Frog three times, but those two always fall aleep on me. I like the movie. It might sound kind of fruity or whatever but I don't care. Classic Disney is cool. Katie and I saw The Princess and the Frog in theatres when it came out and it became one of my favorites. I'm thinking third. Lion King, Aladdin, and then The Princess and the Frog. You can make fun of me later if you want, but I do what I do. I do me. I'm livin' life right now, mayne.
Saturday, March 20
Caught in YouTube's giant web.
This past week, Katie and I have been staying at my parents house. We took my parents to the airport on Wednesday morning so they could fly to Louisiana for my dad's work reunion. They are staying with my grandma; I miss her. Because Lindsey is never home anymore, we are staying with Nathan so he won't be home alone. We are all planning on taking a trip to Louisiana together sometime in June.
Yesterday, before work, I was bored. Nathan and I made a new jam. We wanted to upload it to facebook, but Nathan's iphone would only send it to YouTube. We made an account and put our first video on YouTube which is kind of lame, but the video is the best thing you will ever hear.
Wednesday, March 17
A true story I made up.
At eighteen years old, I was still a child, although I liked to think otherwise. I knew everything of course, and had just graduated from High School in Leavenworth, Kansas. I was working as a Pharmacy Tech, saving my money to travel to New Zealand to serve a mission for two years. It would be hard to leave everything behind, especially my family. I received a two year scholarship from the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps to go to the University of Kansas, but I was not ready to start school. I wanted to experience the world outside of America.
Before leaving to New Zealand, I took a trip to Louisiana with my family. Every year we went back to Lafayette, the city where we grew up, to visit our extended family. We stayed with my Aunt Wanda and my Uncle Hulon. The girls in the family would go shopping at the malls and my sister would spend everyone‘s money on clothes for herself. My dad and my Uncle Hulon would usually go fishing down on the bayou. I spent much of the day riding four wheelers with my cousins and we would come home in the evening to my mama and my Aunt Wanda cooking a hot pot of gumbo on the stove. They make the best gumbo.
The morning of the twenty eighth of August was unlike any other morning in Louisiana. We watched the news as they declared Hurricane Katrina a Category Five storm, the highest possible rating. We had heard about the hurricane and Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco declared a state of emergency for Louisiana. This was after The National Hurricane Center forecasted that Katrina would soon be a Category Three hurricane on August twenty sixth. The next day, the mayor of New Orleans issued a voluntary evacuation order but it was only voluntary. This was not the first hurricane in south Louisiana, for we have been evacuated many times only to return to our homes as they were when we left. We were not going to leave, because we were almost two hours from New Orleans. There was no way the hurricane could affect us.
After watching the news, we drove to the grocery store to buy breakfast and enough food to sit through the storm. The grocery store was crowded and full of people buying food and water supplies to sit out the storm. The weather was nice enough to still go to the grocery store. It seemed as though most people were not taking the hurricane very seriously and neither were we. In Louisiana, there is a season for hurricanes so they come through every year. On the way out, a man jumped out from behind a car in the parking lot and stole our bags full of groceries. We handed them over, not wanting the man to harm any of us. We saw others stealing groceries as well as we were walking towards our car and then riots started to break out. I saw a glass door shatter as people shoved their way out of the grocery store with stolen food. People were acting as if the world was going to end. At least, the world as they knew it. Although Louisiana is a poor state, this was not normal in the city of Lafayette. Lafayette is one of the nicer cities in Louisiana and it does not have a very high crime rate. This grocery store was also in a very nice neighborhood, which makes these things very unlikely. We drove home shocked and afraid of what was happening to the city. As I stared out the window, I thought, “Maybe this is not going to be just a storm.” When we arrived back at home, we turned on the news and the mayor of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation order for the city and its surrounding areas. We spent the rest of the day preparing for the storm that was about to hit.
The morning of the twenty ninth of August, the whole family was awakened by the house shaking. I remember my mama walking down the hallway towards us as the house shook. She grabbed my little brother out from his bed as the window above it shattered. The rain and the wind were so heavy that I did not think our house would stay on the ground. We crouched and waited and listened as the windows and pieces of our house diminished.
A child’s view of Hurricane Katrina must be a scary thing. So much of the southern culture they have always known was battered and destroyed by a killer natural disaster. In Lafayette, Hurricane Katrina lasted two days. South Florida all the way to the Southeastern part of Texas was under water. Storm victims were beaten and raped, fires and fights broke out, bodies lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters were shot at as flooded New Orleans descended into anarchy. A storm that happened so fast changed America. I know it changed me. Things that once mattered to me did not matter anymore. Instead of thinking about the material things, I thought about family and wondered where we go after we die. Hurricanes may happen every year in Louisiana, but this was no ordinary hurricane. Survivors lost everything they had, including family members. Their homes, the places they worshiped, the places they shopped, and the places they learned were all taken away.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina were calamitous and long lasting. The center passed through New Orleans on August 29, 2005. By August 31, eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts of it under fifteen feet of water, and 1,836 people lost their lives. We were a few of the fortunate ones. My Aunt Wanda and Uncle Hulon and many others in my family only had to change homes.
Suddenly, leaving my family for only two years was not hard. I left to New Zealand in March of 2006 and told the story of Hurricane Katrina. I returned to America in March of 2008 to see New Orleans rebuilding. The city has continued to struggle since Katrina, the worst natural disaster in its history. It destroyed 70,000 homes and displaced many more. New Orleans, the city that I watched drown is continuously rebuilding and despite its struggles, is still going strong. The New Orleans Super Dome that tens of thousands were trapped in during Hurricane Katrina celebrates the victory of their team, the New Orleans Saints, in Super Bowl XLIV. This victory was not only for the New Orleans Saints, neither was it just a source of city pride for New Orleans. It represents a personal victory of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana over Hurricane Katrina.
Before leaving to New Zealand, I took a trip to Louisiana with my family. Every year we went back to Lafayette, the city where we grew up, to visit our extended family. We stayed with my Aunt Wanda and my Uncle Hulon. The girls in the family would go shopping at the malls and my sister would spend everyone‘s money on clothes for herself. My dad and my Uncle Hulon would usually go fishing down on the bayou. I spent much of the day riding four wheelers with my cousins and we would come home in the evening to my mama and my Aunt Wanda cooking a hot pot of gumbo on the stove. They make the best gumbo.
The morning of the twenty eighth of August was unlike any other morning in Louisiana. We watched the news as they declared Hurricane Katrina a Category Five storm, the highest possible rating. We had heard about the hurricane and Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco declared a state of emergency for Louisiana. This was after The National Hurricane Center forecasted that Katrina would soon be a Category Three hurricane on August twenty sixth. The next day, the mayor of New Orleans issued a voluntary evacuation order but it was only voluntary. This was not the first hurricane in south Louisiana, for we have been evacuated many times only to return to our homes as they were when we left. We were not going to leave, because we were almost two hours from New Orleans. There was no way the hurricane could affect us.
After watching the news, we drove to the grocery store to buy breakfast and enough food to sit through the storm. The grocery store was crowded and full of people buying food and water supplies to sit out the storm. The weather was nice enough to still go to the grocery store. It seemed as though most people were not taking the hurricane very seriously and neither were we. In Louisiana, there is a season for hurricanes so they come through every year. On the way out, a man jumped out from behind a car in the parking lot and stole our bags full of groceries. We handed them over, not wanting the man to harm any of us. We saw others stealing groceries as well as we were walking towards our car and then riots started to break out. I saw a glass door shatter as people shoved their way out of the grocery store with stolen food. People were acting as if the world was going to end. At least, the world as they knew it. Although Louisiana is a poor state, this was not normal in the city of Lafayette. Lafayette is one of the nicer cities in Louisiana and it does not have a very high crime rate. This grocery store was also in a very nice neighborhood, which makes these things very unlikely. We drove home shocked and afraid of what was happening to the city. As I stared out the window, I thought, “Maybe this is not going to be just a storm.” When we arrived back at home, we turned on the news and the mayor of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation order for the city and its surrounding areas. We spent the rest of the day preparing for the storm that was about to hit.
The morning of the twenty ninth of August, the whole family was awakened by the house shaking. I remember my mama walking down the hallway towards us as the house shook. She grabbed my little brother out from his bed as the window above it shattered. The rain and the wind were so heavy that I did not think our house would stay on the ground. We crouched and waited and listened as the windows and pieces of our house diminished.
A child’s view of Hurricane Katrina must be a scary thing. So much of the southern culture they have always known was battered and destroyed by a killer natural disaster. In Lafayette, Hurricane Katrina lasted two days. South Florida all the way to the Southeastern part of Texas was under water. Storm victims were beaten and raped, fires and fights broke out, bodies lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters were shot at as flooded New Orleans descended into anarchy. A storm that happened so fast changed America. I know it changed me. Things that once mattered to me did not matter anymore. Instead of thinking about the material things, I thought about family and wondered where we go after we die. Hurricanes may happen every year in Louisiana, but this was no ordinary hurricane. Survivors lost everything they had, including family members. Their homes, the places they worshiped, the places they shopped, and the places they learned were all taken away.
The effects of Hurricane Katrina were calamitous and long lasting. The center passed through New Orleans on August 29, 2005. By August 31, eighty percent of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts of it under fifteen feet of water, and 1,836 people lost their lives. We were a few of the fortunate ones. My Aunt Wanda and Uncle Hulon and many others in my family only had to change homes.
Suddenly, leaving my family for only two years was not hard. I left to New Zealand in March of 2006 and told the story of Hurricane Katrina. I returned to America in March of 2008 to see New Orleans rebuilding. The city has continued to struggle since Katrina, the worst natural disaster in its history. It destroyed 70,000 homes and displaced many more. New Orleans, the city that I watched drown is continuously rebuilding and despite its struggles, is still going strong. The New Orleans Super Dome that tens of thousands were trapped in during Hurricane Katrina celebrates the victory of their team, the New Orleans Saints, in Super Bowl XLIV. This victory was not only for the New Orleans Saints, neither was it just a source of city pride for New Orleans. It represents a personal victory of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana over Hurricane Katrina.
Thursday, March 11
No one left to play.
I was talking to my homeless friend, Doug, yesterday. He was surprised to find out that I have only lived in San Diego for about two years. He asked me how I liked it. I responded with, "It is okay, but I miss the country life. I want to go back to a small town and settle down with my wife." Then I gave him some french fries. My whole life, until these last couple of years, I have lived in the country. I miss it. I would love for something to take me back to Leavenworth, Kansas. Even going back to Natchitoches, Winnfield, or Lafayette, Louisiana to see my family for a while would be cool. It's these busy city streets that I want to get far from. Don't get me wrong, I love the ocean and the San Diego weather, but this place is a party city. I'm ready to settle down in a small town. The people here are just not that friendly. They can be, but most of the people here are so caught up in having to "constantly be doing things" that there is no one left to play. I miss the green and the trees that existed before me. It seemed like each one told a story. I miss the small towns, from high school sports to family reunions. Where there are dirt roads and gravel everywhere you travel. Where the mechanic is the sheriff is the mayor is the judge. Where the people are real, everybody's genuine. Here they have Carls Jr. to replace Hardee's, but Carl's Jr. doesn't even have a monster burger. Yeah, I miss it but I don't know what I'm going to do if I ever have to leave the ocean. They say the whole world is country, and I don't know who "they" are but they lie. San Diego is far from country and a city life could never replace where I grew up. Katie was born in Northern California and raised in Southern California but even she wants to live somewhere green and experience the four seasons. Only God knows if we will go or if we will stay. We want to be somewhere where we can raise a family. We want to play and have a good time. Let's sit on the porch.
Photo by Blake Bishop.
Photo by Blake Bishop.
Sunday, March 7
Enchiladas and My Wifey.
Life doesn't get much better than homemade enchiladas and a Katie to make them for and share them with. Jimi wasn't left out either. He loves enchiladas. Yesterday, Katie, Nathan, and I went to Edwards Cinemas to see Alice in Wonderland with Alexie and Mike. I wasn't expecting much of the movie, but it was a lot better than I expected. It was actually really good. Nathan stayed the night at our apartment last night, because my mama and daddy went to Arizona to enter our dogs into a dog show. We didn't want Nathan to have to stay home all by himself, because we knew Lindsey wouldn't be home. She is never home anymore. We ate In-N-Out, pizza, and fruit snacks as we watched Zombieland. Nathan thinks the movie has too many zombies. Katie and I just have to remind him of the movie title and he changes his mind. This morning, the three of us went to church. Right now, we are watching SpongeBob and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows. Tonight, we are going to stay the night at my parents house. Tomorrow, the week of work and school starts over.
Thursday, March 4
The Simple Life.
Yesterday morning, Katie and I went to the mall. I kind of love shopping which is a little girly but whatever. I'm married. I wanted a new wallet, because my old one is pretty thrashed. I had my eyes set on a blue Enjoi wallet at Zumiez, but when I showed Katie, she didn't like it. I know its just a wallet, but a wallet is one thing that I bring everywhere with me. I keep all of my important things in it. I bought a white nixon one. Its nice. It makes me feel like the cool kid I am. Afterwards, Katie bought a cute shirt. She didn't like anything else she tried on. Anyways, our purpose for going to the mall was to go to Bath and Body Works and we did. Katie wanted some new hand soap and air fresheners for the apartment. I'm glad she is crazy about that sort of stuff, because Bath and Body Works' hand soap is brilliant. You just push the top and a little bit of greatness comes out onto your hands. It leaves me fresh. Katie also bought me this little hand sanitizer holder for my key chain. I know I'm a little girly, but I'm not gay. Katie thinks its cute and she likes that I put it on my key chain anyway. At least it will keep me free from H1N1. I don't want to get sick again before spring. By the way, now that we have these new Caribbean Salsa air fresheners, I'm stoked for spring. San Diego doesn't have the four seasons, but its been raining a lot lately. I can't wait for the beach weather to come back so we can slip on the rainbows, walk on the beach, get our tan on, and of course, go surfing. Don't you wish you were here with us. Enjoy the little things. Ahh, the simple life.
Photo by Blake Bishop.
Photo by Blake Bishop.
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