Overwhelmed.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

The previous blog post is something I saved as a draft about a week ago, and didn't get around to posting till now. For the life of me, I couldn't come up with anything else to post. But in posting it, I feel it's a little too flippant for the day.

The news coming out of the States this week has been overwhelming. I've gone from being furious, to appalled, to despondent, only to start the cycle over again.

On a much more personal level I have two very close friends going through very hard times emotionally. One friend's hubby collapsed and had to go through emergency surgery on Thursday. It's still touch and go with him. They've been married for over 20 yrs, and she would still blush and giggle if you teased her about him. It was that type of relationship. For the past couple of months he's been ill, and it's the first time, in over a decade of knowing them, that I've seen them arguing--because he wants to 'protect' her from the various details of his condition. But in doing so he's left her in ignorance, scared, and with just her imagination as cold comfort.

Another friend just found out she has a severely high risk pregnancy, after waiting 12 yrs for another child. It's a heartbreaking decision (that really wasn't a decision at all) that she's had to make.

Here are some of the various posts on Katrina/New Orleans, and in relation, the Bush admin, that I've come across. Please give to the Red Cross, whatever you can.

1. Larissa.
2. Jordan Flaherty.
3. Tony Pierce.
4. Patrick Stack.
5. Alicia Valdes-Rodriguez.
6. Scalzi.
7. Raine.
8. Kate.
9. Maili.
10. Go Fug Yourself.
11. Steve Gillard
12. Florida Blues
13. Katrina Safe List. CNN.com has been posting the names of those who wish to let loved ones know they are alright after the storm.
15. Mayor Nagin. Transcript of radio interview.
16. Interdictor
17. KPLC-TV's Katrina Resource Page.
18. Carole has posted several links of interest.
Blog Widget by LinkWithin

12 comments:

Amie Stuart said...

I love Alicia for her brutal honesty.

I loved John Scalzi's piece of being poor. I even added one of my own.

vanessa jaye said...

I love Alicia's posts too. She's very passionate, and brutally honest. And you never feels she's just ranting to be controversial or get hits.

I added a few to Scalzi's list too.

Larissa's letter brought tears to my eyes. As did many of the eye witness accounts I've read.

Amie Stuart said...

I agree abotu Alicia on all counts. So where's a good place in CAnada to live? LOL

Steve Giliard had me howling and cheering. As did a lot of the comments.

I did okay reading Larissa's letter until I hit the part about her cat.

Carol Burnside aka Annie Rayburn said...

Great links. I'd just posted links on my own blog, then saw yours. Had to go back and add the one for CNN's list. (Gave you credit-- ;-) )

vanessa jaye said...

Carol, no props were needed. I'm just trying to spread the news and point people to some interesting opinions. :-) I've added your recent post, since you've got some good/helpful links there.

Anonymous said...

The part about Larissa's son not getting to open all his birthday presents really got me. :(

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the wonderful links, Jaq.
Scalzi's piece is wonderful and bitter, and made me cry. It's like a community wall, where people left bits of memories & tears.

Anonymous said...

Isn;t the internet amazing. It can bring peopeltogether, or set them apart. As someone whose travlled alot, I've seen some heartbreaking things in foriegn countries, beenin some sad depressed places. Yet this, this hits home in a way that scares me. It makes me feel so helpless, donating money just doesnt; seem to be enough. Yet, that and prayers seem to be all I can handle doing, emotionally.

Good luck to your friends as well.

Anonymous said...

And I must add, completely off the subject............

Jaye, I LOVE the little video with one penguin sucker-punching the other in the back of the head, lol!!!!!!!
That is so cute!!!!
(and another much appreciated laugh).

vanessa jaye said...

Mich, that part, and the anecdote about her hubby's cat, really got to me.

Sash, that's why I used the title 'overwhelmed.'

Raine, let's call it a 'slap of reality' rather than sucker punched. Considering it is placed in the 'Agents, Editors & Industry' section. ;-)

Stephanie Tyler said...

I hope both your friends are doing okay. Sounds like tough times for both - I'll keep them in my thougts and hope things improve...

And yeah on Larissa's letter - I've said this before but I posted it for her. It took me five times to get the formatting right because I was sobbing.

But her cat MADE IT!!! She just found out today.*ggg*

vanessa jaye said...

Steph, I'm soo glad to hear about the cat! That was one detail that stayed with me.

btw, I couldn't get onto your site yesterday. In fact it's been loading slow since the new design. I've had problems getting onto Alison's site too in the last month, also. :-/

Related Posts with Thumbnails
 

2008 Vanessa Jaye | All Rights Reserved | Design by Katrina Glover | Back to top

You are visitor number:

web stats