Exodus on the 3rd Floor
Exodus: H&T came over last night with G&B after we had been at Sip for Tuesday’s Sip & Spin – it was Summer of Love theme – turns out on the third floor, R down the hall with the adorable dog, Huey, has bought a house and is moving out by end of September. Directly across from me H&J are moving to their new house end of September. And now, H&T are more determined than ever to buy a house and are going to look at L’s, man of no mystery, house and hope to be out soon. That leaves me bereft of five of my wonderful neighbors and I’m looking easily at the end of the year before I can make any kind of exit myself.
Lessons Learned: Ah well, what have I learned? – patience – need it, got to have it, whatyagonnado? Taj Majal wasn’t built in a day and LaLa will take even longer. New Orleans will take a while to come back, but she WILL come back stronger and better than before and right now according to a colleague I am “contributing to the rebuilding of NO with these scores of people you keep employed” at the house and so this is all a process still – we are still as a neighbor suggested “going through something” but as S said in her last inspirational email – how you spend your day is how you spend your life – I say a day without a Great White Heron squawking at you is a day without. But today was trying – I broke down on Elysian Fields – my computer had an issue no one could fix, S’s sons lost the key to the house and so I went to Ace on Magazine Uptown and they couldn’t make the key, then I went to Lowes on Claiborne and they could – but I got back to the LaLa and turns out it was the wrong key – I made three more keys to the Can – what goes on? – so now I head towards the Lowes on Elysian Fields and it looks so blighted over there I pull into the parking lot and just started crying.
Deep breath I tell myself – the average bear could not survive a divorce, a heart break (several actually), an evacuation from a hurricane that wanted to destroy New Orleans, seeing the city I love almost destroyed, and a complete remodel of a house P-K. I am not the average bear – a key will not kill me! So I went inside and made the new keys and while standing there I overheard the conversation of a woman and a man standing behind me – it was in almost gospel like melody – “And so?” “The government ain’t gonna do it.” “FEMA ain’t gonna do it.” “Looks like it’s up to us to do it.” And so here in the big box DIY store, it is all about DIY, and let me tell you we are breeding SUPER HUMANS in this part of the country.
K, the carpenter, has been a no show – due back here on Monday, the 14th, he’s most likely sulking because I haven’t called him back but homey don’t play that game no more – if he doesn’t want to return from Michigan because he is a NEEDY FUCKING MAN then so be it. There are other carpenters and I like giving back to the people of New Orleans in the building of the LaLa and he is a carpet bagger – a type I have always despised when it comes to New Orleans. S said he is not going to call him either – either he shows or he doesn’t and we get another carpenter. But the new rules are he works only 50 hours a week – end of story.
My friend L sent me an email that was touching and warm but I haven’t responded because I am gun shy – I am still patching up holes on my Wonder Woman costume and right now he knows where the fabric is weak.
I rode my bike to Pilates this morning – the class was incredible – Catherine taught it. I rode around the corner to Twickler’s shed to see when he expects Vic is coming back to do the other roofs. On the way home I saw S’s two sons – P and T – headed to the LaLa to work on puttying the nail holes and priming. Ah, the endless project. I really don’t think it will even be end of the year. But I digress.
Here’s how I am coping – every day I am enjoying my life. So when the LaLa is done, I will not have been waiting to live. Don’t cry for me – it’s all good in the Big “Since P-K Not So” Easy.