9.06.2005
hurricane aftermath
I had lots of chatty things I was going to say about my trip back from Canada, my stop in Ann Arbor, and the beginning of the semester, but they all seem to pale in the face of the ongoing public health disaster in the South. I won't rant about the politics and the funding and the weaknesses of planning that have contributed to the quality of the response, because that's all over the place.
Really, I only want to say that I'm glad to be able to help. DC is housing 300 displaced persons in the Armory, and I've called to put myself on the list of volunteers. I hope to be able to be there working on Friday, and I'm thankful that I managed to keep Fridays clear. The Canadian Embassy is hosting a fundraising breakfast that we'll attend (for which the contact person is someone who lived in the house with the horribly leaky roof before we moved in, but that's completely tangential). I'm just glad to be able to give a few dollars more than the donation we already sent in.
Seeing a notice in the coffeeshop around the corner, inviting donations of "music suitable for the elderly" to the displaced veterans who are now located in the DC area, got me thinking about donating music suitable for young people. Once folks get established, and once I get a sense of what's needed at the Armory, I'll think about bring some by.
What more is there to say, really? I'm grateful that my friend who used to live in NOLA moved within the past few years, at the same time that I'm saddened by never having visited the city she loved so much. I wish there were more that I could do, and I'm grateful to the reporters who are sticking it out. I can't watch the news for too long without getting a splitting headache and being filled with anger, so instead I talk to people and focus on my job.
Really, I only want to say that I'm glad to be able to help. DC is housing 300 displaced persons in the Armory, and I've called to put myself on the list of volunteers. I hope to be able to be there working on Friday, and I'm thankful that I managed to keep Fridays clear. The Canadian Embassy is hosting a fundraising breakfast that we'll attend (for which the contact person is someone who lived in the house with the horribly leaky roof before we moved in, but that's completely tangential). I'm just glad to be able to give a few dollars more than the donation we already sent in.
Seeing a notice in the coffeeshop around the corner, inviting donations of "music suitable for the elderly" to the displaced veterans who are now located in the DC area, got me thinking about donating music suitable for young people. Once folks get established, and once I get a sense of what's needed at the Armory, I'll think about bring some by.
What more is there to say, really? I'm grateful that my friend who used to live in NOLA moved within the past few years, at the same time that I'm saddened by never having visited the city she loved so much. I wish there were more that I could do, and I'm grateful to the reporters who are sticking it out. I can't watch the news for too long without getting a splitting headache and being filled with anger, so instead I talk to people and focus on my job.
