Back in the Library

I don't have a lot to write about today but then again....I'm back at working in the library. Today the school gave us a computer! Brand new-right out of the box. The past two days I was down with a fever and just started feeling ok last night. It's 1:30pm and I'm expecting a first grade class to come in for a read time. I did that this morning and was a bit unprepared. I chose a book that was a little complicated and the pictures were unclear. Then I read "Green Eggs and Ham."

I will not eat them in a house.
I will not eat them with a mouse.

I got them to say mouse with me but one girl kept saying, "rat". Funny. The teachers laughed with me.

I'm overwhelmed with putting the proposal together. More so, I'm finding it hard to concieve how to put together a music program. i need someone who has done it before to help me.
Well, it's looks as if the 1:30 class isn't coming in after all. I was excited to read, "The Little Engine That Could".

Sunny Thursday

This morning I woke up early before the music was turned on. It's my birthday and I went outside to blue skies. Yeah! I needed that.
Yesterday I worked damn hard. I team leaded a crew of 7 to move about 35 school desks, filing cabinets a couch....tried very hard to find a school or church to come and pick them up and it was raining. I haven't walked down there this morning but I really hope someone got them. In my crew there were four MBA guys here for their volunteer requirement. Nice guys but 2 of them are very bossy and thing they know what they are doing and tell me what to do-funny. Instead of getting the job done they stand around debating about the proper procedure. A task that takes an hour takes hours. But I kept them in line-hee hee. The saying goes-get'er done!

We finished early and I asked for another job to give them. They sent us out to a finishing gut on the house from hell in the 9th ward. This house looks as if should be demolished. The structure is compromised and these guys were upset that we were working on it. We pulled out he remaining nails and cleaned it really well. I tried to explain to them that 80 percent of all homes in NO should be torn down but that the cost of rebuilding 80 percent of the homes from the ground up is an impossible feat. Besides on this particular house we had a very bad incident. Back in December we sent out a huge crew to gut it and they took out a wall to the outside or the house. Stupid! We made this historical house worse off than it was. We have to replace the wall and the project manager feels that because of that we will do all we can to restore it. I didn't feel like debating this with volunteers who have been here all of 3 days. So I took them next door to look at a house that hasn't been touched since Katrina and has a spray painted note on the front that says "one dead body." In it was all their belongings molded. That is how most first day guts look-its dirty and disgusting work. They were quiet then. They stopped bitching.
Today I have a meeting with a local principal about implementing a art/music program and also making the library work better in their school. Tonight I'm hosting the talent/no talent show we have occasionally here. The church gave me permission to hold it in the santuary which is great because it has amazing acoustics.
I may go out later to an open mic. I plan to sing at the talent show but have no idea what I'm going to sing. I haven't practiced in so long-oh well-it will be ok.
Well-another year older. It's just a number right?

Sunday-Go Saints!

Last night there was a house warming party for 3 staff members who just got a new apartment-really it's half a a house with two levels. Beautiful-wood floors, fireplaces, tall ceilings, big kithen-lots of space for 3 people in a good neighborhood nearby the future Hands On location. Only $1400 per month. I'm very happy for them and slightly jealous. I've been feeling very burned out on living in a bunk house but apparently in our new location I'll be housed (as a long term volunteer) in a semi-private room. That probably means I'll have a roomate or 2 in a classroom. It's an old school.
Today I have the day off. Volunteers who are football fans are going to various locations to see the game. I'm getting together with Georgia and we are taking the ferry to Algiers to a friend's house to watch the game. I'm excited to meet some new people and the host is a professional chef who plans to make gumbo. If the Saints win this game they will be going to the superbowl so the whole city is excited.
I'm about to walk to Georgia's house which takes about 30 minutes and the weather is warm and muggy today.
I'm feeling more and more homesick for my family and friends but making the effort to do more social things on my day off.

January 20th, 2007

It's been a great first week back working at the library and getting excited about developing an art and music program for the school. Trisha from AmeriCorp has been helping me write a proposal that we will present in a few weeks. We have a meeting with the principal next week. The Hands On project mananger told me last week that yes, that sounds great, now put it together and do a proposal and presentation. I have never done anything like this so I have a lot to learn and have been tapping the brains of art and music teachers.
When I got here it was at full capacity but in the past few days we have only had 40 people here-such a relief. I don't think I realized just how stressful it has been.
I have an easy day of work today-painting a mural and making dinner with D.
My camera is officailly dead after a week of trying to get it working. I've been really bummed about it as I've seen so much in the past week that I could not photograph and with the first of the Mardi Gras parades coming up...I finally decided to just keep writing the blog without pictures.
I'll probably break down and get a cheap digital camera. I don't need anything fancy here.
I'm off to the kitchen to start chopping veggies.

New Orleans March for non-violence; Librarian today.

Yesterday our volunteer group, Hands On, along with 3000 people marched from their neighborhoods to the city hall for a rally concerning the recent killings. 9 in 9 days. Violent crime is nothing new in NO but it has escalated and the residents are angry. There were 7 speakers at the rally including a young woman who's brother was one of the victims of the recent shootings. Her brother was a musician and worked as a volunteer helping to rebuild this city where he was born. She choked back tears as she pleaded with the youth of the city to put down their weapons. It was very emotional. Some of the speakers were very powerful and spoke with a great deal of emotion. There were some that blamed the government,some that said it was the parents, some said it is our failing education system and some named it as a poverty issue. Personally I think it's all of the above. Definitely people are scared-scared to live here, fearful of reporting crime, angry at the police and ready to fight for their city. Some people carried signs that had a picture of a loved on that died of violent crime. Some had signs that said "impeach Bush" and most had signs and t-shirts that simply said, "Enough." Many of the people at the rally either cheered when the speaker said something or booed or yelled out their opinions There was a lot of shouting and anger but no violence. One speaker suggested that we bring Christianity back into our school and many people booed. Another suggested more police and the woman in front of me started screaming- "NO! NO! That is not the answer!"
I got some BBQ one the way back from the march and somehow dropped my camera in the bag and it was soaked in BBQ sauce. Now it doesn't work. Hoping I can fix it myself.

I wish that I had seen CNN last night as Anderson Cooper was on interviewing residents and volunteers, one of which was a Hands On volunteer. Did anyone see it?


Today I'm working in the library at the YMCA charter school today. I've been nervous whether or not I could handle the kids and the library itself. But after walking around, pulling out books and working with the kids that have come by-it's been great. I don't understand the system of how it is set up. I think it's a mess but I have to talk with Melody, our chef, who set this up. All the books are donations and the school does not have a budget for a library let alone a librarian. It's all done by volunteers some of who are only here a week. So some weeks it's just not open. The kids coming down the hall ( I can see them through the window smile and wave at me smiles. They come in so excited that the library is open and apologize for their books they are returning late. They were due when the library was closed for 2 weeks. Yet, they were so worried. I tell them it's not their fault and thank them for returning their book. Many of the kids are so excited to check out a book or find what they are looking for in the enclyclopedia.
I'm hoping that the college group from Bard College will be here today as I've talked with a music teacher from there and planned to sit in on one of his classes. He's doing music classes without instruments, teaching about rhythm and form.

Ok, they are here and asked me to make a llst of books needed in the library as they are going to do a book drive when they return. So exciting and I hope it happens. Smart kids and one brought her father to teach music.

I plan to work the library all next week.

Flying to New Orleans 2007

January 9, 2007

In the air flying to New Orleans today....feeling so lucky to have this laptop. Special. One of the business folk.

My time in Seattle wasn't what I wanted it to be. I spent many hours working on my 2005 tax audit, adding up receipts, checking and rechecking each item my auditor requested. I thought I was in the last hour of putting it together when I called her to ask a few straightt forward questions. What I got instead was more of a riddle layered in confrontational questions. Accusatory. Rude. Or is that just the way I heard it? What it came down to was a lot of anxiety as I had only a day left to finish it. This morning I copied the whole thing which came to an alarming $28 and left it on the seat for my sister to mail. I just ran out of time and got to the airport 55 minutes before my plane left. Security lines were long and extra slow and I barely made my flight. I almost cancelled my fight to New Orleans to spend another week in Seattle working on the audit. But what I realized was that outiside of hiring a tax attorney and an accountant, I had no more information to give them. So-it's done for now. I'm sure they will come up with new crap that I'll have to prove or maybe, just maybe they won't. It scares me to think that my auditor is the judge and jury on this thing. I know she isn't truly competant as she admitted to me that this was her first "perfromance aritist" audit and has said things like, "I don't think you can claim your promotional package as an expense...that would apply perhaps when someone is starting a business.."-I pointed out to her that performers have to constantly update their promo materials, duh! i don't think she likes me. I know it's not personal but in some ways it is. After all, we are human beings here and I'll just say it. I don't like her either.

I did though have some great moments with family. Occasionally I was able to break out of my fuzzy crazy audit focus and hang out with my sister''s kids, my sisters, my brother in law and my 23 year old nephew Aron. We ate lots and lots of yummy food made by my sister and her husband. I must have consumed at least one pound of butter this week. Plus I got to see "Hurricane on the Bayou" at an IMAX theater with my friend Clayton. I ran errands, saw a few doctors and slept well. I only saw one of my buddies-Clayton. Everyone else, I hope to see you in April when I come back for a week or forever.

In San Francisco I had the great fortune of having wonderful friends who are golden friends. i mean they treat me so well I almost want to move back. Can't afford it though. I would have to work 3 jobs to live there now and I can't spend this part of my life like that. I miss it though. The rumble under your feet-the energy. That city is alive like a big animal and I feel alive when I'm there- to the point where I feel sort of rushed and stressed for no apparent reason. I had quality time with my kids, especially Kathleen who stayed with me at my frend Suki's apartment. Thank you Suki. She gave me access to an apartment all to myself and a car to use (Thank you Conal). My kids are not kids but fully realized adult human beings. And I adore them beyond sanity. I got to spend NYE with my best friend Jenny at a Russion 70's themed party. Russion food and vodka and many people in great groovy mod outfits. Me-I went as Janis Joplin. With a Bob haircut. And lipstick. I received an award for Best Hippie.
I got to spend some time with other friends who also remind me of why I moved to SF in the first place. I am a misfit-but I fit in there in the land of misfits. I'm trying to say that in a clever way but it just isn't working out.

Heading back to New Orleans....I've heard from 2 people at Hands On that the facility we live in is at full capacity. That means there are people everywhere-arg. People blocking every available walkway-talking,laughing to where you can't hear your ipod at full blast. And this means the bunk I had hoped to come back to is already occupied (thanks D-traitor. Keep one eye open when you are sleeping, hee hee) I get in at 8pm tonight and hopefully Bri will be there to pick me up. I forgot to call her this morning before I left but we spoke last night. Otherwise it cost $30 in a cab and I only have $10 in cash.

I come back with a few fresh pairs of workpants,lots of new socks (thank you Suzanne) and new Ipod shuffle (thank you Angie and Bill) a DVD player (thank you Nelson and Kathleen) 10 more pounds of flab (Thank you Steve and Michelle) ect. Too many to thank-but anyways, Thank you.