Some days my head begins to hurt just looking at all of the national stories about New Orleans. On one hand, I am happy to see that we are not entirely forgotten. On the other hand, it's tough being under such strict scrutiny. While I was in Homestead, Florida for nearly a month, one of the biggest local stories was the backlog of passports at the Miami office. Basically Congress passed a bill without first making sure that the country's agencies could handle the sudden demand for passports across the country -- especially in states near the Mexican and Canadian borders. It only makes sense that New Orleans' office, the third largest in the country, is having trouble with the backlog. And yet, the story makes national news and Katrina -- not congress -- gets blamed for it. Then there are the stories picked up by national outlets days and weeks after they've been hashed out in the local newspaper and blogs; stories detailing crime and government shortcomings; stories that only make us look like a pack of wild monkeys.Then, there are days when I feel like we ARE a pack of wild monkeys. I have been dealing with a problem with my sewer line for over two months now. I called a plumbing company that I have used several times before and we have basically been getting the run around for all of these weeks. Holes get dug and then filled in, proposals are signed and deposits paid and yet, the only results I've seen are my front yard and foundation dug up. The plumber at hand always has an excuse or explanation but it's generally different than the the plumber who comes out the following day. There have been gross inconsistencies but what pisses me off the most is when I have a crew of guys hanging out on my porch for hours on end doing NOTHING. I've finally filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau but that's a post for a different time. I can't help but think that if I am having this much trouble and frustration with a relatively small matter (if a new $8,000 sewer line is a small matter), what about the poor folks trying to rebuild in this backwards city?Finally there is my roof -- or lack thereof. All of the rain that we have had lately prohibits carpenters from framing in a roof. Because we have no roof, our house is open to the elements and tarps can only do so much. It's one of those funny little consequences that has left my kitchen flooded more times than I can count now. We're having electrical problems left and right and although at first it was convenient that I couldn't use the stove, I'd really like to bake a batch of cookies. Fortunately the contractor has been more responsive than my plumbing company and I've had my kitchen thoroughly cleaned from top to bottom and I'm hoping that we will have a roof and walls on the addition by the end of the week.
HOPE: it's such a big word.
