I haven't written much because it turned into sort of a rough week. I went from seeing that picture of a body two blocks from my old apartment building to seeing CNN footage the next day of the block that I lived on for the last five years burning.

I'd thought I was past the worst of the shock, but that put me into a 24 hour tailspin of depression. I guess it just made it all a lot more personal. One of my biggest fears after the flooding was that the city was going to burn. Seeing the neighborhood I lived in until 5 months ago on fire made my fears a bit too real.

I'm still not completely sure if my building burned. Exact addresses are hard to come by right now. If anyone finds any exact information about the fires on Josephine Street, I'd appreciate an email.

One of my dear friends, Lorna, still lived in one of the upstairs apartments. And most everyone she owns was/is there. I've been in contact with her. She's safe in St Louis. But, I can't bring myself to call or email her about this until I know for sure what happened.

Richard and Don's sister, Roxanne, took Don's mom into Metairie to her apartment. It had evidently flooded with a few inches of water. They cleaned the major things (refrigerator) that needed to be done immediately and salvaged what they could fit into the truck. Oddly, it seemed to consist mainly of clothes, VHS tape, her furs and her 'jewels.' She was quite shaken by the whole event.

Anyways... life goes on here in our compound...