Monday, September 03, 2007

Not Exactly Cheeseheads:::

Ok.. I have not published because I have been both ill and working 12 hour days again... it has been wierdness associated with the beginnings of a disaster and what mom calls "FEMA flu" it is like everyone gets it at one time and struggles for a day or two.. runny noses, swelled heads.. congestion .. its tough. then.. boom it is gone...

Here in Rochester MN.. way out of my region.. (thanks to a promotion and upgrade in my status)... and i am having one of my best disasters so far. The group is pretty sober.. not too too of anything really and seem low key enough to get past all the day to day friction that can break up some departments. We have a simple setup.. not bad computers and a reasonable management team.. .. so the days are flying past and even though I have been ill I have enjoyed it.

As a note.. comments that get posted are "moderated" that is.. I read them before they get put on the blog as comments... So far I have only blocked one but had to go to them as a couple of comments were not appropriate back when. So if you post and it does not show right away, rest assured I am going to read it and approve it shortly... (Someone named SHARON with FEMA? I am sorry I missed your posting in February and just today approved it.. I was having a family crisis that month and did not do my mail very regularly.. thank you for your comments as a sister in the movement... :-D)

Travel put me in a "smoking room" .. bastards and I have been too busy to move.. and I kinda like the neighborhood.. I live across the street from some kind of fairgrounds... it is overviewed by a city water tank that is both shaped like and painted like a big ear of corn... its not exactly fair to say everyone here talks like FARGO but it is humerous to go to restrauants... last night there was some kind of party in the house behind my bedroom ... Karaoke ... till nearly midnight. You have not lived till you wake up (sick) to the sounds of a very loud drunk doing Johnny Cash.. (I turned 21 in prison doing life without parole!!!).... oh well... the food here is reasonably priced and not too bad.. the trees are starting to turn color.. noticed it on September 1st.

i am going to do my 60 days this year for sure.. plan on going home October first week ish.. I am sure this JFO will slow down pretty quick.. looks like it is going to top out at about 160 people.. they run pretty lean up here although we are getting shirts (short sleeved no shit in Minnesota in the fall)... funny I got a wool stocking cap and Jacket in Alexandria La last fall.. jeez... we are still working 12X7 and I expect it to go to 10X6 next week.. they are running a lot of DRCs here (7) but they are not planning for them to be open long.. maybe one or two by end of two weeks... so all those folks are going home.. (thankfully.... :-D)

I miss home but i am glad to be here too. This is good work. They seem to be having problems giving away FEMA trailers... no one will live in them for now.. (we will see how that fares as time goes by... living with other people for months is insane....).. one of the towns had four feet of sewage contaminated flood waters in every single building in town.. (lets all go EWWWWWWW at the same time)..... and local politicians are all prettied up expecting to hit the lottery in FEMA dollars... There are stories of communities sandbagging the local major employer and Liquor mart and overlooking the courthouse and firestation.. ... oh well... housed within our disaster is also the group of engineers that are building the bridge back in the minneapolis.. CH2M HILL is the lead and apparently we are giving some kind of aid and comfort to them as they are housed in our JFO. That collapse was pretty horriffic... gratefully we are not surrounding ourselves with pictures of it.

More as I have time and energy to provide it......Miss you all...

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

We are all very happy to hear where you are. Sounds as if work is going OK--hope you are feeling much better. Mom

6:19 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home