yeah, martha stewart never slept here and neither did the faint of heart

I liked this and thought I might share it with folks. I found it on nola.com. I stayed home today to take care of the aforementioned cold. I was sick of sounding like a TB patient at work and sick of feeling like crap, so I decided to come home and sleep it off. I did and have found a little peace of mind that has been missing since the whole Katrina disaster.

I kinda want to walk to the park, but I don't want to push the fragile state of my immune system. My mom is coming in on Friday night. I cannot wait. I am so sad my dad can't come out as well, but he has to go back to work on Monday and we are not going to push it when it comes to employment.

Anyway, I didn't want to be sick during my mom's visit so I decided to take the day off to recooperate. It's amazing how calm your day is when you do not begin it by hopping on a subway that feels more like a sardine can. I love living in NYC and believe me, I will testify in Congress about the beauty of public transit, but I will not be sad the day I end up living in a small town and get around on my bike. Seriously, Hanover, New Hampshire, wanna start up a writer-in-residence program for me? I am all for it.

Anyway, a day away from the masses was certainly in order. My patience with people has been fraying ever since Katrina. Every thoughtless, insensitive comment has gone straight to my stomach and while I become less surprised daily by how idiotic most people are (and - daily - happier to have been born in the South), it just isn't a healthy way to live. Because all those morons have no idea how ridiculous their words and actions are - and for the most part, they really don't care. That's how we got this president and how this nation is in the pathetic state it's in.

Whew. It's good to step back and acknowledge that I'm not going crazy.

An email came in from a friend whom I hadn't heard from since the disaster. What a salve. Simple words from friends have a way of comforting one. The echoing refrain of endurance is something we're all sharing. It's one part denial, one part "what else can we do but go on?" and one part love for the city and how it has marked us to be strong for it. How can we be mad at others if we do not also endure and stand tall as New Orleanians? We've been kicked around by this country forever, and frankly, I don't think any of us want to take it anymore. If this disaster doesn't change the way you live your life, you have no heart.