During the last couple of years I've been trying to find the time to modify my web site. In the process I ignored one of the things that made the web site popular in the first place - frequent updates. So while I am still trying to figure out how and when to update the site, I decided to start this blog.
So why the sudden entry into the Great Blogosphere? Let's see if I can get you caught up with our lives, with a Cliff Notes update. Let's work backwards from today:
Key West, Here We Come
Janis and I spent last Easter weekend in Key West and fell in love with the place. Having experienced the before and after effects of a hurricane there is no way we would live there, but we do see it as a place we'd like to visit ever so often. So we are leaving tonight to take the entire family - Cary, Andrea, Adam, and Jarret - for a family vacation. We are really looking forward to it. Look for some posts, as well as updates on my Dot Mac Web Gallery.
Unemployed
MacSpeech closed their "Louisiana office" on April 18th, leaving Janis, myself, and one other person out of a job. No official reason was given, and I won't go into details here. It wasn't a complete surprise, but it represents a sad state of affairs and the closing of a major chapter in my life. As the Key West vacation was planned months in advance, we have taken the past month off to catch up with some projects around the house and explore options. I'll have more to say about what I will be doing in the immediate future around June 1st.
The Wisconsin Trip
Just before being laid off from MacSpeech, Cary and I, along with a couple of other Coop's Place employees took a trip north. We made the trip so Travis - a cook at Coop's Place - could visit with his Grandfather in southern Illinois, who has taken ill. Barry, another bartender at Coop's Place went with. As we were going to have a couple of days to waste, Cary and I decided to take Barry up to Racine so he could see where we came from. (During evacuation from Katrina, we spent some time in Barry's home stomping grounds in Kentucky). I took a few pictures, mostly of the Wind Point Lighthouse and at the Historical Museum, which you can see here. I haven't added any titles, and you probably won't find any of them interesting unless you know the people and places in the pictures.
Cary and Andrea Got Married
Yep. You heard right. Cary and Andrea were married on the levee across from Jackson Square on April 9th. While we weren't necessarily surprised by this, it did happen very suddenly. From what I understand, they were planning on getting married in January. Then Andrea's mom and aunt decided to come to visit from Ecuador. As they would not be able to afford another trip to the states in January, Cary and Andrea decided to move up the wedding. Cary took Janis and me out to dinner at Maximo's Italian Grill on Monday, April 7th. I knew something was up because Cary works until the wee hours of the morning on Monday at Coop's Place and normally can't be rousted with anything short of nuclear weapons on Monday. Basically, it went something like this:Cary: What are you doing on Wednesday?
Me: This Wednesday?
Cary: Yes, this Wednesday.
Me: Nothing we know of. Why?
Cary: Well, if its not too much trouble, I was wondering if you could come to my wedding at 5PM.
A master of understatement, that boy is.
It was a beautiful wedding, with all the typical New Orleans sounds: trains, boat whistles, police sirens, street vendors, and even a brass band towards the end. You can view pictures here and here.
New Orleans
New Orleans is still here, and thriving. The "sliver by the river" is beyond what it was before the storm - in both population and the number of businesses that are open. The part of the city that was flooded is recovering slowly. Estimates are that it is 2/3 to 3/4 repopulated. But there is still a lot of work to do. The important thing to know is that New Orleans is definitely open for business again, and since tourism is the #1 industry, we need you to spread the word!
The Rest of the Family
Adam and Cary are both still working at Coop's Place. Adam works Monday thru Wednesday evenings and Cary works Thursday through Sunday evenings. Jarret left Coop's Place last summer to start working as a Cook at the Orleans Grapevine. He loves it there, and I highly recommend it as a place to eat when visiting New Orleans.
More to Come
Well, time to start packing for the Key West trip. To those of you who have been bugging me about an update, I hope this will satisfy you for a while. Now that I have decided to join the Great Blogosphere, maybe I can update more often.
Chuck Rogers
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