"many of you may or may not know that i was born & raised in southern
mississippi, the gulf coast and hattiesburg to be exact, for 20 of
those years. on top of that, many many many long hours and miles were
spent driving to new orleans for gigs, or to see family &
friends.....and then on top of that, 8 years living in mobile, alabama,
before moving up here to nashville. so.....what i'm trying to say is
that everywhere that i have lived before moving to nashville (for the
exception of jackson, ms) was, as you know, recently hit by hurricane
katrina. i am very thankful that my parents & other family members were
safe and able to evacuate, and that my close friends seem to be hanging
in there. but, am saddened by the devastation that remains for all the
folks that weren't so lucky."

I recieved this in my in-box this morning from Molly Thomas, who has played Hattiesburg several times in past years. She and many other Nashville musicians have arranged a benefit series for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Very sweet, and it looks like a good line-up, too. If you happen to be reading this from near Nashville, you need to check it out.

I just did a Google vanity search for Hattie's Blog and the first page that comes up is this one. Here is in English, though that doesn't clear it up much. It does appear, however, that I as an abundant guest already applied successfully. So I guess that's good.

With the advent of my brand new, cat-o-centric blog,

I will no longer bore the vast majority of you with random cat posts while at the same time conveniently locating all of my feline friendly stuff in one place for the 2 of you that care.

Is this the beginning of the end for TC's addled little brain? Will our heroine end up a featured subject on Hard Copy: Cats and the Women Who Love Them? Has the Hattie's Blog finally alienated every last one of you? Tune in next episode, if you dare.

Everyone needs a Stan. He's the guy who you can neglect for months at a time, and then call at three am from jail and he'll be there with bail money and no questions asked. Of course, you'll have to put up with ribbing about it for, oh, well, forever. But a Stan is worth it.

Stan never calls me anything but Dead Man. Stan has himself convinced that I am a lesbian (or lesbo, in Stan's terms). Stan is a great husband and still quite the admirer of the ladies, the closer to first year in college, the better. Stan is a great kidder and I have never seen him in a bad mood. Stan has raised a great son and is as proud of his music career as if it were his own.

I generally get along well with older men, probably due to the kind of relationship I've had with my father. My dad is the kind of guy for whom a pun is the height of wit, and who thought my tart-tounge was adorable. Even when I was very young, Dad would insult me in front of his friends to show off my snarky come-backs. (This has caused no end of trouble in my life, come to think of it. I can't seem to turn it off.) Older guys, including Stan, seem to like my moxie.

This week, after not speaking to him for many months, I called Stan to see if he had a line on a roofer I could use. Of course he did, and the guy made it over to my house less than 5 hours later. And he didn't even charge me anything to patch up the patch-up job Scott had done previously.

I adore Stan, and I think the feeling is mutual, though me saying so would make him uncomfortable. "Aw, come on, Dead Man," I can hear him saying.

But here's a big thank you for being there, Stan, from your friend the lesbian Dead Man.

Earlier, I made the observation that people in the Katrina catastrophe are doing what they've always done, only more so. The generous are being grandly magnanimous; the paranoid are losing their ever-lovin' minds; the depressed are catatonic; the poor are destitute; etc. To this let me add that I am now becoming quite seriously pissed off listening to some of my friends and aquaintances. The selfishness and sense of entitlement that some people are now demonstrating is incredible, and though I should expect it, disheartening.

The young Black women at work have been encouraging me to get me some of that "free money," as they know that my roof is a mess. The have told me, "Girl, you White folks don't know how to do it, get on down there and tell 'em you need all they can give you."

Let me tell you that White folks do know how to do it. I know of a doctor's family with very minimal damage who got the $2000.00 from FEMA and bought a $1300.00 clock for their mantle. And they think it's cute, how they scammed the system. People with a home in Michigan and a condo in Florida got FEMA to reimburse for their purchase of a generator, again having sustained minimal damage at their home in Mississippi.

Oh, White folks know how to do it, all right. And these are the same people who think that people on welfare are all scam artists, and the same people who begrudge working single mothers thier foodstamps. The aid that we are being given by various agencies is still welfare, people. Just because the stigma is not the same under these circumstances doesn't mean you are entitled to "free money." Just because your home is in a county that is a federally mandated disaster area doesn't mean you have suffered a calamity. Did you miss a meal? Then why the fuck are you getting the month's worth of foodstamps?

When I began doing mental health counseling years ago, I quickly learned that you cannot judge people's pain by your own. One young lady's lack of the "right" date to the prom can cause subjectively as much distress as another's friend's suicide. But, frankly, dear readers, I am getting quite put out at those people threatening lawsuits because thier cable is still out. Crying over thier smushed SUV when their home and Saturn are still fine. Worrying that they won't be able to take thier yearly trip to Cancun because the port of departure is no longer there.

I have not sought any aid, and this is not only out of the goodness of my heart. Frankly, I don't have the patience it will take to get some of this assistance, and I don't need it. I have been incredibly fortunate, both in the damage my home sustained (roughly $8000.00 in real damage, much of which will be covered by insurance) and in my close friends, who pulled together and helped one another out, and continue to still do so.

My real reason for staying out of these "free money" lines is this:

This country is my beloved home, though those on the right would probably label my liberal ass a traitor for some of my political stances. I love this country, and Rita scared the shit out of me, because I couldn't see how we could afford to bail New Orleans and Mississippi out, and still help all of the folks who might need the same degree of aid from Rita. Thankfully, Rita wasn't the absolute disaster that she could have been, but people in the area where she hit will need much assistance. We are in deep financial trouble here in America, people, and I will be damned before I accept aid that I only minimally need and put the country that little bit more in the hole. I know my little family's "take" would come to only about $3,100.00 ($2000.00 "automatic" FEMA aid, $190.00 x 2 for food stamps, and $360.00 x2 from the Red Cross), but multiply that by the tens of thousands of us Americans who are abusing the system for that amount and you can figure out that the bill collector is going to come calling sometime and it won't be pretty--you don't have to be a genius to figure that out. Or even a "True Patriot."

If you are reading this and you are getting angry and feeling a little defensive that I'm talking about you, I probably am, and I don't want to hear about it. Shut up and Shovel.

I wasn't going to post this graphic of Hurricane Rita. Frankly, I found the whole discussion puerile. But that was before I discovered that the Weather Underground is tracking a Typhoon named Longwang. Now, that is comedy gold!



Hurricane Katrina, The Gathering was pretty funny to me, and no, I don't play The Gathering card game. (Via Mythago.)

The horror stories from the Superdome have been debunked. Funny how quick we are to believe this sort of thing. (Thanks for the link, Greg.)

Here's a snap of a license plate covered with the lovebugs that are still hanging around. Worst lovebug season I have ever seen.

All others may avert their eyes. . . .


Things seem to be working out. You should come over and meet Harv sometime.

Yesterday I was worried about a repeat of the splooshing we had during Katrina from the edges of Rita. We did get a bit of rain, with merely a slight shower in the living room where the tarp had blown aside, but overall, things went well. I thought that we were going to be in the clear, but this morning, the weather has deteriorated some with very blustery winds and rain squalls. Supposed to rain for a day or so; I may end up having to blog from a raft or something. I hope that the straggledy trees still standing in Hattiesburg can hold on.

Speaking of cats, I have been doing a little research on the best litter, because the damn stuff is so expensive and the three boys seem to be in a contest of who can produce the most, err, aromatic poo. I say this only to direct you to a website that I found during my meanderings, that by comparison, will prove to you that I am not the crazy cat lady here. Hey, you can choose the best organic litter and the best psychic with the help of this one webpage!

Next up, I will have one of my annotated links entries. Those seem to be popular and I, for one, am tired of both cats and hurricanes.

Elderly lady? Check.
Cute widdle animal? Check.
Cute widdle animal does something surprising? Check.
Lady and pet reunited? Check.

Awwww!

The only thing that concerned me about this story was this line: "The bird was turned over to a local kindergarten for safe-keeping." Have these people met any kindergarteners?

(via Fark)

P.S. I was somewhat skeptical about this story, even as I was "awww"ing, but apparently, parakeets can learn to talk. Much cuter than my neighbor John's African Grey parrots. Not only do they whistle the Andy Griffith theme (out of tune, thanks, Mark Mann), but one of them has a cell phone ring in his repertoire. Nothing more frustrating on the 5th day after a hurricane, no power, and cellphones spotty at best, to repeatedly grab for your phone and hear a parrot laughing at you.

Well, the Dr. Brenda plan for domestic harmony worked like a goddam charm, believe it or not. Kelty and Harvey are bestest enemies and Alex is finally getting some peace.

The place sounds like sweaty midget wrestlers are going at it in the next room much of the time: tiny frustrated squeals interspersed with mighty bumps and thumps. And that's just me and Scott! Ha! No, it's the boys establishing dominance, though when I go in to referee, Kelty is usually innocently holding Harvey down in order to forcibly groom him. So cute, at least if like myself, you lean to the sadistic.

Now on to the big show, Rita. I'm scared, folks. Not that Hattiesburg has to worry about any dramatic direct effects (though I wouldn't have minded a little time to get the roof fixed; I guess we need to move the furniture before the "splooshing" starts again), but can the country take another hit like this? Hattiesburgers started losing what was left of their little minds yesterday when a rumor about the town running out of gas went around. What did everyone and his sister do? Went out and waited in a gas line, causing some local stores to run out of gas.

I don't know if I can take much more pathos on TV, either. Katie Couric looking all concerned is chafing my butt. Not that that is new--don't get me started on that woman. Did I tell you guys about the interview I saw her do with the Olympic swim team? They had suits made out of some new material, and she asked the ladies if they felt fat in them. The Olympic swim team! Aaargh!

Anyway, we may all need swimsuits by the time this hurricane season is over. Here's hoping all of you guys are fairing well and Rita wimps out at the last moment.

The saga of Alex Cat continues. After ten days, he's back again. This time, its clear that who ever was watching after him the last time he went walkabout did not do so this time. Sunday afternoon, I heard a meow, and Jennifer K. said, "Isn't that Alex?" I say nah, and go feed the little grey stray I see next door. I get there, and yep, it's Alex, my previously brownish big kitty, looking much the worse for wear. Much tearful reunioning, and so forth. . . .

Today, I took Alex to the vet, as he seems to have lost a great deal of weight in this last exploit. I mention to Dr. Brenda that Kelty Kitten (gotten when I thought Alex was a goner last time) is a charmer with people, but frankly, he's a bully with Alex. Won't let him eat, shit or sleep without being right in his face. Makes me kinda not like the little brat, ya know? (Flashbacks of grade school, perhaps.) Dr. Brenda (the best vet in town, by the way) tells me that the best solution is--wait for it--another kitten. One of which, for free, she happens to have right here.
No. No. No, no no no no no. No!

So, Alex and I come home with our new kitten and Scott is already home from work. I didn't even have a chance to come up with my story, other than to tell him what Dr. Brenda told me: a new kitten will be able to tolerate Kelty's harrassing energy better than a broke down million-year-old cat like Alex. Well, we're trying it, even though Jennifer K. seems to think I've been suckered, somehow. Harvey (for that's his new name) is a loaner and I can take him back in few days if it doesn't work out.

I am now one boyfriend and 3 cats away from being the Cat Lady of Dearborne Street. (Like you always predicted, Wally and Greggy.)

I think all of us have Katrina fatigue. I get sick of hearing the word "hurricane," then I see a friend for the first time after the storm and we rehash our experiences. I am trying to move away from this being a hurricane blog (while still avoiding the dreaded "cat blog" reputation) back to a "life in Hattiesburg blog," but to be honest, pretty much everyone in Hattiesburg has had damage from this, and many of us have close friends who have lost everything. Hattiesburgers will be talking about this for the rest of our days, but I will post this round-up and get back to other topics as soon as I can. That is, if TS18 doesn't turn into Hurricane Rita in the Gulf. Our little nerves can't take much more. . . .

Here's my favorite "feel-good story" from Katrina (along with the obligatory fuck up by the people in charge): The first bus arrives in the Astrodome

Locally famous Mickles Pickles is asking for our support. And how can you not help a guy who links to his son's skater webpage? (See bottom of page.) Thank you to Greggypoo, who forwarded this on to me.

I am sure that you, too, are dreaming about the day when you can again sit on Trent Lott's Porch.

The Muscian's Atlas is a good resource for musicans out on the road, and they have a listing of charities that have been set up to help save the music of the Gulf Coast.

Damn, what country am I living in again? Real Heroes. (Try to ignore the word "sheroes" in this story. If you can. Silly socialists.)

Hey, it turns out that I sort of know the Fuck you, Mr. Cheney guy. If he's the Ben Marble I know, I went to high school with his siblings way back when. (Until they got kicked out of the Long Beach School system for living out-of-area, which was erroneuosly blamed on yours truly in a very weird turn of events. I didn't do it, Marble family. And ain't it a small fucking world.)

Here are some sites with more Hattiesburg Katrina pictures:
CCS178.com
My Hattiesburg

Finally, am I the only person who thinks "Katrina" is a dinky name for a hurricane? Don't you think that more people would have acted sooner had we called it, say, Hurricane HELLSPAWN!

OMG and WTF?!?

DSMars's brother lost his home in Ocean Springs. Here's his blog with pictures of the devastation. My mother lives not too far from here. . . .

Here's what happened to popular Hattiesburg venue Mugshots.

Looks bad, but owner Ron Savell says that they are up and running again. Thanks for the picture, Ron.

Ross Walton (Of the South Mississippi Music Sampler) passes these Hattiesburg area pictures on:


I have a few more, but my scanner is on the fritz. If you have some shots of the Hattiesburg area, please send them on.

I woke up at 6 yesterday to find my yard filled with cars. I live two blocks east and about 5 blocks south of Hattiesburg High. I was like, damn, somebody must be givin' away free money at that there school. What, they are? Apparently the Red Cross was giving out $300.00 to the qualified. I have no idea what it takes to be qualified, however. I wasn't about to go stand in that line just to find out. Besides, what with 2 weeks of not being able to go anywhere to buy anything, I actually have a little more cash than I normally do this time of month, and canned food for weeks. Sure, the roof needs to be replaced, but when I look around my little town, I realize how lucky I am compared to so many others. Besides, I have heard that some of these "free money" lines are getting a little out of hand.

Speaking of standing in line, you don't want to be trying to pay your cell bill at the shop these days. The wait is as much as 3 hours due to all the folks who lost phones or who have moved into the area and are trying to get cell service here. Bert Ford tells me that he was in line this week behind a lady who was waiting to get a black Razr. She stood there the better part of 3 hours, and lost it when she was informed that they weren't even in the stores yet. She accused the sales guy of hoarding them. She then used the silver Razr she already owned to make a call. Damn, lady.

One last line story. To the young man who cut in front of everyone who had been patiently waiting as the checkout folks wrote each book down by hand at the Hattiesburg Library on Monday: karma's a bitch, my friend, and with the current state of your complexion, that Nancy Drew mystery you were checking out may be as close as you ever get to meeting an interesting woman. Ya punk ass bitch.

Whew, I gotta calm down before I go out in my yard and shoot yell at small children playing ball. I'm getting old.

Heard from Greggypoo today that the gift from Dr. Max was not just the requested bottle of chianti, but was, in fact, two bottles and an entire smoked salmon. We are gathering somewhere this weekend to toast Dr. Max. Hattiesburgers email me if you would like to come along.


Finally, I am soliciting pictures from the storm damage in the Hattiesburg area. Email them to me and I'll post them here.

deadmandancing at gmail dot com

(Oh, and if you want a gmail account, just ask. I have plenty of invitiations. You can't give the damn things away.)

I finally got the little thingamajig that allows me to get photos from my phone and post them. I have yet to recieve the whatchamacallit that makes me a good photographer. Here is one picture of Hattiesburg storm damage:

This cemetery is near downtown on a main Hattiesburg road, Hardy Street. As you can (sort of) see, there are lots of big trees down. I will try to get a few more snaps up before too long.

And here is Kelty Kitten:

Here's a picture of Alex, who, sadly, is missing again. If you see a disgruntled black kitty in the avenues, please contact me. Meanwhile, I am hoping for another miraculous return.

I will try, try, try to not post a ton of cat pictures. Does anyone have a clue as to why there is about as much kitty porn as regular porn on the internets? Why is posting/looking at cat pictures so damn addictive?

I have been wondering about the Acadians in all of this--I think there are probably some folks who died without the government even knowing they existed down in the bayous. I did a little research and learned some things that I never knew about Cajuns.

The New England Culinary Institute is offering scholarships to food service workers and culinary/hospitality students displaced by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf region. (Via Slashfood)

Blogging friend Dr. Max offered the readers of Hattie's Blog assistance with their emergency needs several days ago. Fortunately, though absolutely no one I know went without some damage to their homes or vehicles, most of us faired pretty well, considering. Reader and troublesome friend Greggypoo, however, ran out of wine (gasp!!) and requested a bottle of chiante, being so desperate he even included his address on the big bad web for all to see. I got a call from him today stating that Dr. Max came through for him. This is truly above and beyond, Dr. Max, and Greggy thanks you. (Of course, thousands of people need more assistance than a fermented liquid at this time, so I have included the Red Cross dog-ear at the upper right of Hattie's Blog. Please donate if you are able.)

Hattiesburg has a changed face these days. Though I and Scott are back to work (and thanks to both of our employers, who are paying us for time missed), our hours have been changed and Scott is up in Jackson this week to help with a lab up there. We went shopping yesterday and the store was filled with both evacuees and those who have come to Hattiesburg to help. The shelves were barren, forcing me to purchase expensive items that I love, but never let myself buy. The roads are filled with not only terrible FEMA drivers, but rescue vehicles and cars from just about every state in the union. It can be hard not to get a little mawkish about the support that the common person is giving the Southeast. I have teared up at least twice (and anyone will tell you that I am not a sentimental girl)--once when listening to that damn Louisiana song by Randy Newman on the Prairie Home Companion, and once when seeing an ad that was placed in the Hattiesburg American by the Mayor of New York. It said simply "New York hearts (loves) Biloxi."

One group has flourished after the storm, and I don't mean the scumbag scam artists. Love bugs are back and in an amazing number. I have never experienced them in such masses. They have flown into my eyes and mouth, they are in the bathtub and my sock drawer, they land on top of sleeping kitties (they taste so bad even bug-hunter extrordinare Kelty Kitty won't hunt them), and they are attracted to automobile exhaust so they are causing visibility and overheating problems on the road. I have even seen a menage-a-trois. If they weren't so damn busy er, "loving" each other, I have no doubt that they would take over the world.

Lynn Drury is fine in Memphis.

If you are in a band, work with a band or know a band
or musician that can lend an afternoon or two over the
next week to a series of benefit concerts in Biloxi
and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, please get back with
us as soon as you can...

Right now members of the Two Stick Restaurant family
(Oxford, MS) are down on the Coast working with law
enforcement agents, Red Cross volunteers, firemen, and
journalists to help clean up and bring supplies to
those in need... They will be hosting these concerts
on a concrete slab across from the Hard Rock Cafe
Biloxi and the Government Street Grocery in Ocean
Springs - PA and musicians are needed...

We ask your support in their efforts to bring some
kind of aid to these people and their cause. You can
call the Dirt Road Records office for more information
and / or forward this e-mail out to anyone and
everyone you think might can help...

Thank you and God Bless,

Ben Bounds

Dirt Road Records
1764 E. Jackson Ave.
Oxford, MS 38655
662-234-3245
dirtroadrecords1@yahoo.com
www.twostick.net

You can also email me at deadmandancing at gmail.com (replace at with @ and no spaces) if you would like to participate.

I suddenly realized that I had not told you how Bruce, who is my mother's boyfriend and who was in her home in Ocean Springs, survived Katrina. Here's a recap of the story you've already heard. On Monday early am, we got a call from him stating that the water was rising in the house and both vehicles were hit by a tree. We then did not hear from him again, or indeed anything out of the Ocean Springs area, until the following Thursday. At that time, he called us from Tallahassee and it turns out that he, his daughter and her friend, had managed to get one of the cars out from under the tree and drove that sucker to Tallahassee. We were simply thrilled to hear from him--he is in his 80's and no one had been able to get in to check out the Ocean Springs area and the situation seemed dire.

Since then, I have heard that his house in Long Beach, while one of the few still standing, is a lost cause. FEMA is building a fence along the railroad, which is about three blocks from the beach, to keep people from going down there. Apparently the risk of severe illness is extreme. At any rate, this means that Bruce won't be able to get to his home to make repairs for up to 6 months, leaving it open to the elements. FEMA is telling him it will be a complete write-off. We all realize that he is still very lucky to have survived, but it is sad that what Camille didn't lick in 1969 Katrina has wiped off the map.

I just heard that the founder and the lead singer of the Puerto Rican Rum Drunks, Del Rendon, has died at his home in Starkville. A popular band in the Southeast, and sort of the house band at Dave's Dark Horse, the Rum Drunks were also favorites in Hattiesburg. He leaves a wife and a small child.

Can someone please send me some good news?

Here's a not-so-deep insight that I've had about folks during this catastrophy. People are doing what they've always done, only more so. The generous are being grandly magnanimous; the paranoid are losing their ever-lovin' minds; the depressed are catatonic; the poor are destitute; and the government is ever more inept.

Here are some updates on some folks who have played Hattiesburg and were in the path of the storm:

Mike West and family are safe, as are The Redstick Ramblers and Jeff and Vida. Lynn Drury has still not been heard from, so please contact Chris Brownsberger if you have heard from her.

The great folks of MadHappy have offered their place in Pensacola if you are needing a place to stay. Email me if you need that help.

Also, trying to update the Dead Man Dancing music calendar. I'm sure there are lots of changes. Email me so I can get a corrected calendar up.

No, actually, now I'm cooking with electricity at long last. Got power on about 5 hours ago and I have been overdosing on the news.

This post is going to be just a series of anecdotes of my experience of Katrina, no terrible stories, if you don't mind. I'm sure you're exhausted from the endless horribleness at this point, anyway.

While in the hall, I played a game called "What was that noise?," though Scott called it "How much did that noise cost us?" There were various clunks, bangs and splooshes. There were a few scary moments when the house shook on its little brick posts and I made Scott go and get a mattress in case we started losing the roof. Scott and Kelty Kitten managed to get some sleep, but I was vibrating from anxiety. It was a relief to finally emerge to a home that was still mostly complete.

So, the very first thing I did after the storm passed was to fall down my back steps. AGAIN. More of a squeal than an oof this time, I'm told. I tossed those particular shoes. As soon as I took them off, I got glass in my foot from a light fixture that broke from being hit by ceiling tiles. Scott did minor surgery, so that's ok.

My wonderful new Razr phone's battery gave up the ghost about a day and a half into the aftermath, while Scott's old-school phone lasted 5 days. Not that we could really call anyone consistently, anyway. I got very pissed off at my service provider, Cingular, and I am writing them a nasty letter tomorrow--on Thursday, they sent out a mass text message. Not saying "We hope you are ok and we are working to restore everyone's service as soon as possible." No, the message that everyone got, when batteries were dying, when getting through with emergency messages was of great importance, was a come-on for getting international calling on your service plan. Fuck you, too, Cingular.

Yesterday, Jennifer C. and I were trying to get gas, etc., and we got rear-ended by a lady. Wouldn't you know it, the first FEMA person anyone I know has seen in Hattiesburg slammed into us. She didn't want us to call the cops, but I did anyway. (They got there in an impressive 90 seconds.) Here are some of the priceless statements out of her mouth. "We FEMA people have lots of accidents!" and when asked to state in her words what happened, "I simply don't know. Can I just say that?" She also said that there will be "Hundreds of thousands" of dead. And that there was no way she was going to the Coast or New Orleans out of fear of getting sick. Crazy FEMA bitch.

Last night, Scott scared some would-be looters away from a motorcycle shop a near the house by menacing them, not with one of the many guns we have in the house right now, but with his cell phone. So, I guess Cingular is good for something.

Jennifer C. and I are planning on going to the Coast tomorrow to help at shelters providing mental health services. I have a Masters in Counseling, and though I have been out of the field for several years, I hope I can help in some way.

Here are a few kudos--Kicker 108, a country station off the Coast, stayed up almost the whole time and gave very important information, even while one of their on-air folks had lost everything but the clothes on his back. (The link above is dead right now, but I expect that it will be back up shortly.) The Hattiesburg American put out an issue every day during this past week, even Tuesday. Much thanks to Jennifer K. and Deadpan Ann for guest blogging, and thank you, thank you, thank you to Jennifer K. for the new T-shirts and and underwear. The Hattiesburg community has been great with just a few exceptions. We have gotten our town back up and running with little immediate outside help. I also got in touch with a lot of old friends, with emails from California to Sweden.

I will soon have pictures to post and hopefully a few videos.

There are lots of places out there to read Katrina news, but here are a few interesting posts from the Boing Boing archives. Finally, please be generous and careful of scams when giving to victims of Katrina. Lots of people out there need our help.

Just a very quick note, I am blogging this from College Hall on the University of Southern Miss's campus, thanks to David Tisdale, a neighbor and good friend.

The house sustained roof damage and we are still without power. However, I realize that I am incredibly lucky. I of course have seen no coverage from the Coast and New Orleans, but I am hearing horrific tales. I am simply without words to express my sorrow about my old Hometown, Long Beach, and the wonderful town of New Orleans, where I spent many nights having more fun than should lawfully be allowed.

We have had a few frightening events in the 'Burg. It is scary hgow quickly people degenerated into their most basic selves. We had two fatal shootings shortly after the storm, and a friend was menaced with a rifle in a gas line on Saturday.

I want to take just a moment to thank my Jennifers, Jennifer C., whose birthday I forgot in all of this, and who still brought me much needed supplies, from water and cold beer to feminine hygene products. And also to Jennifer K., my intrepid girl reporter, many thanks for keeping people up-to-date on my safety.

The Hattie's Blog was picked up by Knight-Ridder and was mentioned in some newspapers, so that was neat, although I rather it had been for my sparkling wit and not the worst disaster in America's history.

Power should be on in the next week where I am and I will be back again at that time. I hope that the blog has helped some folks find out the info that they needed through comments, and thank you for keeping me and Hattiesburg in your thoughts.

I spoke with TC again this morning and she reports that they still have not heard from Bruce. She asks that if anyone has been on the coast and has any information on the status of Bruce Cornell, please let us know here on this site, or email deadpanann@gmail.com and I will get the info to his family asap.

Deadpanann here, in for TC, who is still without power due to Katrina.

Today things finally started to improve in Hattiesburg, from what I'm told. Cell phones are working sporadically. People can dial out, but when we dial in all we can do is leave voicemail. The same thing seems to be happening with my phone, which is based in Hattiesburg, so I guess the towers are overwhelmed. Text messaging is working consistently now, so the best thing to do is to text them and tell them to call you. Land lines are starting to get up and running again, slowly.

TC was able to dial out and reach me on her cell phone, and she asked me to update the blog and say a few things. I heard from two other Hattiesburgers as well. They all report that today was the first day they got running water in some parts of town, so that's a major improvement. Also, the situation in Petal is not as dire as the radio reports indicated. TC and her man Scott were kind enough to drive out there to my boyfriend's house to check on him, just to make me feel better--despite the fact that it was about 15 miles round trip and people are prepared to kill for gas. Now that's what I call a friend.

As you read earlier, TC's mother rode out the storm with them in Hattiesburg, and the trio spent many cozy hours together in the hallway. The latest on that is that Mom has left the building. From what I remember of the very rushed phone conversation I had with TC today, her mother went to stay with another relative who had more space or something. Too much coziness, perhaps? Well, according to TC her mother's boyfriend Bruce decided to stay on the coast during the storm. He called them late Monday to say that the water was rising and he didn't know what to do. They have not heard from him since then and aren't sure what happened. Bruce is an older fellow--in his 80's--but even if he were a spring chicken there would be cause for concern. TC and her mother are extremely worried, obviously. Please keep them in your thoughts/prayers while they wait for good news on Bruce.

I'm not very coherent right now but I will do my best to provide updates as they come out of the burg.