Po-boy Festival

Last Sunday, I went to the Po-boy festival on Oak St.  The streets were replete with people; many of them were students, others were clearly tourists and I speculate some of them were locals. Besides po-boys there were art venders, brass bands, and a little boy playing the drums. I had two shrimp po-boys, one from the Boucherie and the other one from Parkway; they were good, but I still prefer Stanley’s.  I found interesting why people went to that festival. On Sunday, the po-boys were not necessarily cheap giving their size, and people had to make lines in the cold to get a po-boy. Why didn’t they just go to a restaurant? I imagined that people might want to interact with other people in the city, and festivals probably provide the perfect environment for that.

 

In general,  the po boy festival was very fun, and while I walking on Oak St., I discovered Zotz, which is a weird a cute coffee shop that I definitely plan to explore and blog about in the near future.

 

 Photos taken by Glen Abbott  http://instagram.com/travelingringo

 

 

 

 

Angela Davis Lecture at Tulane

Last week, I attended a lecture by Angela Davis at Tulane. Professor Davis started mentioning Esperanza Spalding’s most recent single named “We are America” , which asks people to take a stand to support closing Guantanamo. Then, Professor Davis mentioned the Herman Wallace case and Jackie Sumell with her project about the house that Herman built. Throughout her lecture Professor Davis mentioned several historic events to refer to many issues in today’s society. She talked about the Gettysburg address, and the reconstruction era in which she mentioned there were more black people represented in the government than nowadays. Additionally, Professor Davis talked about how she thought the system was exploiting black people because they were not being provided with good health care and services, which influenced their performance and eventually their opportunities, which led them to spend time in jails. Finally, she talked about her opinion on jails. Professor Davis explained that if people had access to good health care and services they would not end up in jails. She emphasized the inefficiency of the prison system because it had been proven that during the time jails had existed the crimes had remained the same. There had not been any improvement; thus, according to Professor Davis, jails should be eradicated. I thought it was a very interesting lecture, and she definitely had many valuable points about the jail system although I do not know if I agree with her completely.

Poet for Hire

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the art market on Frenchmen Street with my friends. As usual, we looked at portraits and the jewelry, and we talked with the venders. When we exited the market, we walked to the other side of the street and we ran into two “poets for hire”. They were wearing suits and hats, and they were sitting on two tables with typing machines and notebooks on them. One of my friends asked how much it cost to get a poem, and one of the men answered that it was up to her—my friend— to decide the value of the poem, so she asked for a five dollars poem. Then, the poet asked her what she wanted the poem to be about? And she answered it could be about his favorite topic, so he took a small piece of paper and he wrote about a girl. At the end, the poem was about a page long, and it was the corkiest thing I have ever read although my friend was very happy with it. I would say the poet for hire is a good business because they take advantage of the intoxicated people walking and looking for entertainment on Frenchmen Street; however, there are also people like my friend, who was not intoxicated, and still enjoyed getting a poem, which I understand since she is a English major and there was probably some romanticism involved in getting a poem from a guy wearing a suit on the streets. It was a very different experience, yet it was very enjoyable.

2013 NOLA RAW Awards

This past Thursday I went to support a friend Tarrah at her art show. It was the second session of the RAW Awards, awarding talented young adults from cities all over the US for achievements in art. in The show was held at the Eiffel Society towards the Quarter on the Saint Charles. It was a culmination of different artists from around New Orleans including visual artists like herself, hair and clothing designers, photographers, musicians, poets, etc. There was to be one winner from each category (hair, make-up, clothing, music, visual art, etc.) and each winner was guaranteed a trip to Los Angeles to help further their careers. This was such a great opportunity for people in New Orleans trying to get national recognition for their art.
At the show, I noticed familiar artists to New Orleans like one spoken word poet in particular. I forgot his name, but he goes to Dillard University and performed the same powerful poem at Loyola/Tulane/Dillard's "Take Back the Night" for awareness on sexual abuse.
My favorite performers were definitely the members of the local band "Tank and the Bangas". Their style was a meadly of funk, jazz, soul, hip hop, and rock. It was incredible the way the lead singer could belt out notes.

Local artists "Tank and the Bangas" performing an original song at the NOLA RAW Awards (2013).

I wish I remembered the artist's name, but I was also in a painting that night... Random, but it truly showcased the ability that New Orleanian artists have seeing he was able to create a full on beautiful painting during the duration of the awards show (this wasn't even the finished product). I'm the little guy by the stage with the beard and his hands in his pocket.

Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop

Recently, I finished reading Letter to My Daughter by George Bishop—who graduated from Loyola. The book was his first novel and it was absolutely amazing. The story was set in Zachary and Baton Rouge. It is about a mother who is writing a letter to her daughter who just ran away. In the letter, the mother—who is white—describes her relationship with a Cajun boy, which at the time was very inappropriate given the fact that Cajun people were—as black people—discriminated. After I finished reading the book, I went to a talk with George Bishop, who is currently living in New Orleans. He started by saying how we had come up with the idea of the book while he was dreaming. Then, he talked about what and how he had researched for the book, and finally, he emphasized that being a writer was a terrible profession because it could be very frustrating. I think he was a very interesting and the novel very nicely describes how Louisiana was in the mid-1950. For example, in the book, Laura—the mother who is writing the letter—is describing when she was transferred to Sacred Heart Academy in Baton Rouge from her high school in Zachary at age 15. When she transfers, she goes from being a white privileged girl in the country to a “charity case” in a catholic school in the city. Those kinds of ideas about race and social classes appeared several times throughout the novel, and are very helpful when imagining the social context of that time. Additionally, it is remarkable how George Bishop writes from the perspective of a mother. Overall, if anyone wants to read a moving and interesting love story, I really recommend Letter to My Daughter.

Studying at Home

 

On November 14 at 2:00 pm, I was officially tired of spending every second of my life on campus. Sadly, I still had to do work. Thus, I decided to try the Milton. H Latter Memorial Library on St. Charles Avenue.

When I first walked inside the library/house, I found myself facing what it seemed to be a tea room on my right, a giant desk in the middle of the lobby, and a dining room with a chimney on my left. Everything looked very luxurious until I walked into a little room with two austere desks and a large window with plants placed in the bottom.  I studied there for a few hours while seeing women with children, a couple of old men, and teenagers with Jesuit sweaters scrutinizing the book shelves. It was very different from any library I had ever visited since it had that feeling of coziness from a home, yet it was filled with books, computers and quietness to study or read. I think locals probably often go there because it has that feeling of not only tranquility but warmness.

 

18 Signs New Orleans Is Your City .. Evaluated

This link was going around on some of my Facebook friends' posts called "18 Signs New Orleans Is Your City", and I decided to take a look at it and see if the stuff on the list resonated with me or not.

1. You know that as soon as you tell people from out of the state where you’re from, you’ll need to prepare to field a series of questions about Hurricane Katrina.

This is most definitely true. No matter where I go, if people find out I'm from New Orleans, one of the questions I'm inevitably asked is, "Was your house destroyed in Katrina?" I was even asked this question when I traveled to Germany. I don't really mind it that much, because I understand that people are curious. I always tell them that I'm one of the lucky ones whose houses made it out relatively unscathed, at least compared to other people's homes which were completely destroyed.

2. At least five of your friends have surnames that end with the suffix “-eaux.” Many of them have surnames that the untrained eye can’t pronounce correctly.

This is also completely true. Especially "Boudreaux". I know tons of people with that last name. Overall, I love the whole -eaux thing. Geaux Tigers, etc. And the "untrained eye" part is really true as well. How many people know how to say Tchoupitoulas on the first try?

3. You don’t know whether to feel frustrated or bemused about out-of-towners who think that going to New Orleans and getting smashed at Pat O’Brien’s allows them to develop a real cultural appreciation for the region. To be fair, these are probably the same kind of people who refer to Mardi Gras as “Pardi Gras.”

Well, I suppose this is true. I'm not really familiar with the places to party around the city, to be honest, since I just turned 18. But there is so much more than just getting trashed!

4. Speaking of which, you know that probably about three-fourths of the folk who flash their chests for dinky, plastic beads during Mardi Gras come from out of town.

Also true. Tip: don't flash for Mardi Gras beads.

5. When you first got to college, you couldn’t help but marvel at the students who ended their Friday nights facedown in the grass by their freshman dorms with pizza-flavored vomit seeping out of the corners of their mouths. Basic.

True. Y'all need to get it together.

6. Though Lil’ Wayne put Hollygrove on the map, you know that your city’s musical offerings — past and present — far expand his body of work. What else would you expect from the place that spurred the career of legends like Louis Armstrong and the Neville Brothers?

I think we've talked this to death almost. There's soooo much music here. I love it.

7.  Your friends from elsewhere keep pronouncing it “New OrlEEns” in earnest and you don’t have the heart to correct them.

This is so true. It breaks my heart every time I hear someone pronounce it this way. Same thing when people call the streetcar a trolley or worse, a train. That just makes me shudder.

8. However, you have no qualms correcting those who call it “N’awlins.”

Yes, it is not "N'awlins"! I've never heard anyone from here say it that way.

9. “Tchoupitoulas” sounds fairly intimidating — like the name of an exotic disease that melts your skin and causes your brains to ooze out of your ears — but you know that it’s just the name of an important street. And the name of the Creole Creamery sundae challenge no one you know has ever been able to complete.

I remember when I was first learning to read, I saw the word Tchoupitoulas and tried to sound it out, and my mom just laughed and told me to stop trying. On the other hand, I do know people who have been able to eat the Tchoupitoulas at Creole Creamery....

10. You spend a disproportionate amount of time convincing friends who are about to visit New Orleans for the first time that, no,  the likelihood that someone will rob and/or murder them is no higher than it would be in any other city.

Well, I'm not sure about that one. I don't always feel safe here. I have been a victim of being robbed several times, in fact. But I think one just needs to be super cautious and always on the lookout. You know when you're in a sketchy part of town, but just because you're in a "safe" part of town doesn't mean you should let your guard down.

11. The best part of summers during your childhood was getting to eat snowballs. Not snow cones. Not shaved ice. Hansen’s wedding cake flavored snowballs, topped with condensed milk.

I don't know how people live without snowballs. Snowballs are life. However, I'm not a fan of condensed milk. I'm just really picky, I guess. I don't really like wedding cake, either. My go-to snowball flavor is strawberry and chocolate mixed together with extra syrup of both. Mmm.

12. At your high school graduation, you wore a white gown that looked eerily similar to a wedding dress while your male classmates wore tuxedos with white coats, and this felt perfectly normal.

Maybe this is a Catholic school thing? I just wore nice clothes and put my school's green-colored gown over it... I don't know.

13. The suggestion “pinch the tail and suck the head” might have more titillating connotations elsewhere, but it means something much tamer for you — though sticking your face in a plate of well-cooked crawfish can sometimes be just as exciting as anything else.

Sadly, I am not a fan of crawfish. Saying that makes me feel so un-New Orleanian. Like I said, I'm just really really picky. But I will say, crawfish boils are still super fun to just get everyone together and have a good time and talk and eat.

14. You know firsthand just how vibrant Who Dat Nation is, and you also know that Odell Beckham, Jr. deserves to win the Heisman this year. Clearly.

I'm not really a fan of sports... I mean, I totally support the Saints and want them to win and cheer for them....but really, I couldn't really care less. I think sports are irrelevant and too big of a part of our society, but that's another argument. Like I said, though, GO SAINTS! (even though I couldn't tell you any of the players on the Saints)

15. For as long as you can remember, you’ve asked for your po-boys “dressed.” Consequently, that time you visited your college friend in New York City and asked for your sandwich “dressed,” you didn’t understand why your server looked at you as though you had suddenly sprouted a second head from your shoulder.

Another consequence of me being picky... I don't like my poboys dressed. I just want a plain one, please. But I do know that when people go to other places and ask for sandwiches dressed, they've been looked at funny. I just love New Orleans vernacular.

16. Nine out of ten times when you introduce yourself to someone new, they ask if you’ve ever visited Bourbon (child please), and you feel as though you have to explain that the French Quarter entails much more than this one street.

Maybe I haven't been asked this much since I'm pretty young, but I've gotten a good bit of people inquiring about Bourbon Street. I think this one is pretty accurate.

17. You have strong feelings about Ray Nagin, but you will get downright vicious when it comes to defending your favorite flavor of Hubig’s Pie (all about that chocolate, y’all).

I definitely don't like Ray Nagin, that's for sure, although I don't have really strong feelings toward him just because I was too young to really know what was going on when he was mayor. Also, yet another consequence of me being picky, I'm not a fan of Hubig's Pies... however, one thing I do want to say, where's the mention of king cakes on this list?! Mmm I love me a good king cake.

18. Chris Rose once wrote that, in New Orleans, “We dance even if there’s no radio. We drink at funerals. We talk too much and laugh too loud and live too large, and, frankly, we’re suspicious of others who don’t.” Like Rose, you know that this city — your city — possesses a mystical quality that makes your chest ache and your throat burn if you’ve been away for too long. No matter how far or long you go, you won’t be able to resist coming back — if only for a while — because there is truly no other city like this. 504ever. 

504ever. 504life.

My 'Gone With the Wind' Moment

            My favorite movie, and book no matter how far I look back has been Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind. It’s one of the reason’s that I’ve always been attracted to the South, and plantation in general. And yesterday I had a lifelong dream realized, I got to visit a creole plantation on the Mississippi river. Tara, the plantation in Gone with the Wind was in Georgia and land-locked, and New Orleans was the place of Rhett and Scarlett’s honeymoon, so obviously I decided to take a four year honeymoon with the city of New Orleans.

            What I realized though is the distinct “creole-ness of Louisiana plantations. The Laura plantation (the only that was owned by a woman)was all different colors, the reason being that the humidity especially near the river, will turn a white neo-classical house, green. I still could sing the Tara theme song in my head though as I looked over the beautiful fields and gardens. I came to feel like Scarlett O’Hara but stayed to appreciate the distinctive creole-ness of these beautiful Louisiana Creole plantations. 

Antigone takes on New Orleans?

In one of my classes I had a project to write an adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone. Thanks to Creole Crossroads I had the great idea to set my adaptation in New Orleans around Hurricane Katrina, call "There is no Calm Before the Storm." My Antigone and Sophocles' Antigone suffer from similar issues, including the position of women in society and excessive pride. Please take a look!!

Outline:

Act I

Scene 1: Exposition

·      Meet the Andrews Family

o   Learn about the bar they own, Crescent City Bar

o   Meet the children

·      Meet Bud Weiser

·      Notice of the Hurricane

o   Find out the storm’s intensity

o   Learn the sides the characters take on taking precautions on the Hurricane

·      Antigone begins hurricane preparations

Scene 2: Point of Attack

·      Storm approaches

o   New report is heard saying the storm is serious

·      Tension builds between Creon and Antigone about preparation/evacuation disagreements

·      Antigone struggles to secure the bar for serious storm

o   Creon ignores warnings and does nothing to help

Scene 3: Rising Action

·      Antigone shops for supplies needed for after the storm

·      Meet Nanny

o   Find out relationship between Nanny and Antigone

·      Nanny and Antigone discuss the of the storm, evacuation/shelter limitations, potential flooding and their families

·      Find out when the storm makes landfall

Scene 4: Rising Action

·      The day of Hurricane Katrina

·      Scene done in sound effects

·      Audience hears serious rain, thunder claps, trees falling, windows breaking, screams of the characters, crying children

Act II

Scene 1: Rising Action

·      The bar is destroyed

o   Windows are broken, no electricity, no food no water

·      Sound of chaos on the streets outside

o   Creon is injured

o   Yelling, gunshots

Scene 2: Climax

·      Antigone goes outside to the salvage what she can

·      Finds Nanny

o   Nanny has lost everything

o   Antigone takes her in

·      Antigone and Nanny get held at gun point

·      Fight scene occurs between a man with a gun and Antigone

o   Antigone prevails and winds up getting the gun

o   Shoots in self defense

Scene 3: Falling Action

·      Antigone and Nanny return to the bar

·      Bud has helped Creon

·      Bud and Creon attempt clean up

·      Antigone shares with everyone the mugging

o   Creon is upset and anxious as Antigone recounts the killing

o   Antigone blames Craig for what has happened because of his ignorance

o   She argues she did what was right

Scene 4: Falling Action

·      Antigone finds out she has to go to trial

·      Nanny and Antigone are alone

o   Nanny is consoling Antigone, reassuring her that what she did was not wrong, it was morally correct in spite of the circumstances

·      Nanny’s strength and faith in God help put the matter at hand in perspective

·      Antigone doesn’t think the bar will be able to be re-opened due to the amount of damages and the social stigma that she killed a man

Scene 5: Resolution

·      Bud goes into a narration explaining that Antigone was tried for murder but was found not guilty because it was self-defense.

·      Bud goes on, telling the audience its now 6 months after the storm and the bar is open and running smoothly

In this adaption of Antigone, some of the names of the characters remain the same as the original version by Sophocles; however their relationships with one another are completely changed. The themes of pride, the position of women, and the conflicts that arise from the idea that there is a level of justice which transcend society’s laws are kept in this adaptation also. The setting and time period has also changed, this adaption is now set in New Orleans during the time of Hurricane Katrina. This adaptation does not retain the way which Sophocles wrote his orignal piece. This adaption is much more current in present-day English using slang and colloqialisms.

Characters:

Antigone Thebes: A woman in her 30s who is tenacious and stubborn. She was born in New Orleans and was raised in a privileged life style. She married for love to a man that her parents found undesirable. As a result, she was disinherited and disowned. She is the mother of two twin children, a boy a girl, eight years old. She is co-owner with her husband and work as the manager of the Crescent City Bar located off Bourbon Street in the French Quarter. 

Creon Thebes: Antigone’s husband also in his 30s. He has worked hard to earn a living his whole life. With Antigone’s savings, he was able to purchase the Crescent City Bar. He is the father of their two children. He wants them to have everything in their lives that he was not able to have. He is fun-loving and easy-going. He tends to make light of serious situations. He sees things as either right or wrong and there is nothing in between. He controls the “front of the house” during the day. He is well known in the community and is involved in community efforts to improve the French Quarter.

Ismene and Polynices Thebes: 8-year-old twins of Creon and Antigone Andrews. They are fun-loving, vivacious and curious children. They go to school in the French Quarter. They walk to the bar after school where they are supposed to do their homework in the back office until their mother can finish for the day and take them home. Sometimes they sneak away and roam the streets.

Nanny Carolyn: A woman in her late 60s who was Antigone’s nanny while she was growing up. Nanny’s husband drowned in the aftermath of the Hurricane. She lost her home and all her possessions. After reconnecting with Antigone, she is a guiding light and strength to Antigone as they fight for survival.

Bud Weiser: The night bar keep at the Crescent City Bar, plays the role of the Chorus. He frames the play with a prologue and epilogue. He appears at pivotal moments to comment as well as intercedes and interacts with the characters attempting to provide the voice of reason.  Plays the role of the “Reporter Voice.”

Mugger: A young man in his mid 20s. He is a bigger man, muscular. Dressed in dark baggy clothes.

Setting:

New Orleans, Louisiana. The Crescent City Bar. August 2005, before and after Hurricane Katarina. The bar in both acts is set in a recognizable austere environment. 

Scene:  Act I, Scene II

Early in the morning, August 28, 2005, at the Crescent Bar. Creon is sipping on a drink of some sort; Antigone is still trying to do as much as she can to secure the bar without Creon's help. She is making lists, packing valuables, backing up the computer, securing files.  She is anxious and frustrated.

Heard on a television at the bar.

News Reporter:  The National Hurricane Center has now issued a hurricane warning from Morgan City, Louisiana to the Alabama-Florida border, an area that includes New Orleans.  This warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the next 24 hours.  All residents in low-lying areas must evacuate.  Time is running out!  All highways leading out of New Orleans are filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic.  Several major interstates are converted now into one-way routes away from the city . . . *

Antigone: Creon, did you hear that? Are you going to start taking this more seriously now?  This is going to be bad . . . where are the children?  Can you help pack the glasses?  Come on Creon; let’s not wait until it’s too late . . .

Creon: Honey please, those news reporters are just being dramatic, you’ve been here during hurricanes before; they like to just hype things up.  I’m on it—I’m just waiting to hear from Bud.  He’ll be here soon and he’ll help.  I saw the kids hanging out a couple minutes ago; I thought you had them.

Antigone: You’re kidding me, right?  We’re talking direct hit here!  We weren’t even born when we had the last direct hit.  You don’t even know what you’re talkin’ about.  We were lucky with Georges.  That hurricane almost caused a breach in the levy with the storm surge.  This is a huge storm and you don’t pay any attention to any of it.  You don’t even know where your kids are.  If they’ve run off again, you better get out there and find them.   I’m sick and tired of them going off on their own without letting me know where they’re going.  Besides, I’ve got to get these records backed up and secured, find the insurance paper work, get the shopping done—I just know it’s going to be a madhouse out there—you need to get the shutters up before the weather turns—help me move this box, will ya? 

Creon: Don’t pack up those glasses just yet; I want to keep the bar open as long as possible.  Hey we can advertise a hurricane party!!  No one else will be open!  Time to make some money, I’d say.  Let’s keep it going as long as the liquor lasts.  When the going gets tough, the tough party . . . .

Antigone: This is ridiculous, why are you taking this storm so lightly?! 

Creon: Ah, Antigone, lighten up.  It’s not going to be that bad.  Besides a Captain never leaves his ship.  I’m staying here to protect what we have worked hard for and no storm is going to scare me into leaving it.  If you’re so worried, go ahead and take the kids and leave.  As a matter fact, why don’t you do that?  Go sit in the traffic with everyone else and try to get out.  And just where do you think you’re going to go?  You don’t have any place to go!  You’re much safer here with me and you know it.  So quit bein’ all uppity.  We’re gonna be fine.  Stop worryin’ about stuff you have no control over. 

Antigone:  You’re such an ass!  You know everything.  Well, Mr. Captain of the Ship, it’s too late to leave!  I’m not getting caught in this storm on the road ways and I’m not taking the kids to a shelter.  So now that you’ve gotten your own way and what you want, just friggin’ help me secure what we’ve got left—and NO, we are not having a God damn hurricane party.  Jeez, who do you think you are Humphrey Bogart or something?  You’re an idiot. 

Creon:  Well, you’re not Katherine Hepburn . . . that’s for sure.  I’m going out and look for the kids and check out what’s going on.  Bud’ll be here soon.  You’re being so bitchy, I need some fresh air. 

                                         

Creon Exits.

Antigone:   Shouting as Creon leaves.  You’ll get fresh air all right; I hope your fresh air blows you all the way to Hell.  Get back here as soon as you find Ismene and Polynices.  You’re just as irresponsible as they are!  Grow up and act your age and not your shoe size.  Captain of the ship, my ass!   

Switches open sign to closed.

Antigone returns to the bar and packing up the glasses. The television is reporting another update.

News Reporter:  For the first time ever in New Orleans history, a solemn Mayor Ray Nagin ordered mandatory evacuations today as his city faces its worst fear—a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina.  The latest update shows Katrina as a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph.  It is expected to make landfall Monday morning.  A Cat 5 storm is the most intense category on the Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity.  Mayor Nagin warned that Katrina’s expected storm surge could to 28 feet and would likely topple the levies.  Nagin said he doesn’t want to create panic, but that the citizens must understand that this is a very serious storm.  People need to be prepared with enough food, water and supplies to last for several days . . . *

Bud enters.

Bud:    Hey Antigone, you ready for some rockin’ and rollin’ with the super storm?  Did ya see the front page of the paper?  The levees may not hold up in this storm—hope that don’t happen or this ol’ soup bowl is history. 

Antigone:  Just shut up!

Bud:  Whoa—look who’s got her panties in a knot.

Antigone:  Ya know, you’re just like Creon!  Don’t you understand the severity of all this.  My mind is racing a mile a minute on what still needs to be done, how we are going to survive, do we have enough supplies to last until power comes back.  We should’ve gotten a generator years ago.  And what happens if we get flooded?  Then what?  Where do we go?  What do we do?  I’m thinkin’ survival and you’re thinkin’ only in the moment.  It’s so typical.

Bud:  Where’s Creon?  Thought he’d be here.

Antigone:  Nah.  He was—the twins are off on one of their escapades and he went lookin’ for ‘em.  They think Katrina is an adventure.  They think it’s great school is closed.  They haven’t a clue.  And neither does Creon for that matter.  Here, give me a hand with this . . . I’m thinking the safest place if it floods is to move these boxes to the attic.  But then again, the roof could blow off . . .  Christ almighty . . . what do you think?

Bud:  What I think is that you’re driving yourself to drink.  Let me make you a Bloody Mary.  You’re just spinning your wheels here.  Calm down, get your act together first.  Let’s talk about this.

Antigone:  You’re right. I need a plan.  Lesson learned . . . have the plan ready BEFORE hurricane season.  I’m making an executive decision here . . .  we’ll move the boxes to the second floor.  We’ll clear the first floor, store on the second floor.  I’ll start filling the freezer with water bags.  We have power now, right?  Might as well freeze water.  Where the heck are Creon and the kids.  Maybe he’ll think to stop and see what’s left at the grocer.  I’ve got some stuff, but not a lot . . .

Bud:  Whoa lady, slow down.  One step at a time.  We need to get the shutters up.  The weather is going to get bad and we don’t have much time to work outside . . .

Creon enters with Ismene and Polynicies who are carrying a pinwheel and a kite.  Creon flips the switch to open.

Creon:  Dude, this is “THE BIG ONE” we’ve all been waiting for! 

Bud:  Creon!  Great, just in time to help me put up the shutters—we will start at the second floor—where’s the extension ladder?

Antigone:  Really Creon.  You take the kids to fly kites?

Creon:  Great kite flying weather! 

Polynices:  Super cool!  My kite just took off like a rocket.  To infinity and beyond!

Ismene:  Giggling.

Antigone:  You kids come with me, we’ve got work to do and you can help. 

Antigone and children exit.

Creon:  Antigone!  You okay?  Come on—don’t be mad.  We’re going to be fine, I promise.  He turns to leave with Bud, flips the sign to closed.

Creon and Bud exit.

News Reporter:  The National Weather Service has issued a special hurricane warning.  In the event of a category 4 or 5 hit, most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer.  Predictions are that at least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure.  All gabled roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed.  Power outages will last for weeks . . . water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards . . . [*]

---

[*] Excerpts from actual CNN reports on August 28, 2005