Tornado in New Orleans
 

At about 3am CT this morning, a tornado (or tornadoes) tore through parts of uptown New Orleans and a couple of surrounding areas. It's the top news on wwltv.com, wdsu.com, and nola.com right now, so I don't really have any links to post, but that's not what I'm really posting about.

Bear with me, folks. I just need to rant a little.

After watching a little bit of the news coverage, I figured out that one of the spots that took heavy damage was 7 blocks from the house I moved from. Yeah, I've been gone for a year and a half. Big deal to me, right? Well, it is. I'm actually pretty shaken by this right now, and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I don't recall a tornado ever going through the actual city of New Orleans. Maybe it's because I'm trying to imagine what it was like for the people who still live in that neighborhood. I don't know what it is. On top of those things, I actually feel a little silly for feeling so connected to that place. It's like I imagine that it was my home that narrowly avoided tornado damage this morning. Of course, it hasn't been my home since July 2005, so that's just strange.

It doesn't help that I've been feeling pretty homesick for the past two or three months, moreso than ever. I'll be spending a few days down there around Easter, so that lifts my spirits a little, but that darn place still feels like home to me.

When is it finally going to sink in that I don't live there anymore?

I don't think there's anything unusual about those kinds of feelings. Even though New Orleans is no longer home, its still 'home'.

Hey, this reminds me. I'm probably going to New Orleans in the fall, and would like some advice on where to stay, etc.

Would love to get together with Pumpy if he can make it down for a weekend.

I suppose you're right. I do admit that I feel goofy about it, though.

After my trip in April, I'll see what it looks like around the city. As it stands right now, I don't know where to stay or what to do there, as it'll be my first time back since Katrina. I have no idea which places are operating and which aren't.

My fiancee has a conference at the Marriott, 555 Canal Street.

My mother visits New Orleans occasionally, and she says that Canal Street is in fairly decent shape. I would guess that you and your fiancee will be fine if you stay at the Marriott or a nearby hotel.

Cool, I'll pm you after your trip in April for more detailed info, if you're willing.

Yeah, lay it on me, Mister Man!

Edit: Er, maybe that didn't come out quite right.

It was a crazy night last night/this morning; hail, strong winds, and super cells all over the radar map. Sad to see a fatality, but am happy to see it was only one so far.

This is actually the second major tornado to hit New Orleans since Katrina -- the last one happened about a year ago in Lakeview about a mile from where I am.

We just can't get a weather break down here, it seems.

As for the state of the city, downtown/Canal/French Quarter is fine -- just about fully operational, just less crowded than it used to be.

Pumpy: I'm here right now. Should I say hi to the Naked Cowboy for you?

Is he there again? He was there exactly three years ago on this date. I remember it because it was the day before my wedding, and we were driving around the French Quarter trying to figure out a route to the chapel. We turned onto Canal Street, and -- HELLO, NAKED COWBOY!

Personally, I think that that bastard is an example of false advertising. He's obviously not naked.

This kinda struck me, as well. I lived in Oklahoma and can remember a tornado less than a mile from where I was living twice. The first was one out in the middle of the country. The second one? Under a mile away from the tornado that ripped through Oklahoma City on May 3rd. I can tell you now that it was the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life.

Tell

When Antmeister and I decided to leave Los Angeles, I was homesick for over a year and we lived less than 2 hour away! L.A. was all I knew and getting used to another place was very difficult for me. I remember watching KTLA in San Diego just to see my beautiful, smoggy, traffic-infested L.A. I still miss it and when I go back to see friends and family, my "accent" comes out which is pretty funny, but it's home. It's where "everyone" is. So-Cal to the heart man!

It's a piece of you Pumpy so don't feel bad. It's probably even more difficult when you see bad things happen to your hometown; I hope it gets better for you... it might take a little bit of time, but you'll get there.

One of the tornadoes hit less than a mile from my old apartment. As it was, we had some scary weather by our house last night (over 50 miles from New Orleans) and I slept very poorly as a result.