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I flew into LAX yesterday and cant even begin to describe how weird it was to be back to a place so familiar and yet to different. The people sitting behind me on the plane were making their first trip to CA and were talking a million miles a minute (well not really - cuz they are from the south - but pretty fast for them). I find that the only time is have the southern "twang" is when Im around those twangy bastards - so I choose to stay mute hoping that when we landed I would sound normal again. So far so good.

I totally lucked out and the rental car place hooked me up - got a PT Cruiser Turbo convertible - happy birthday to me!!! It was great, I took the coast home and found a appreciation for the ocean I don't think I've had in a really long time. Also found that I should appreciate sunscreen more now that I have burnt forehead, nose and arms.

I got into town and went straight to the Mansfield house to see the girls. The baby is SO big and such a doll, I feel like Im missing so much fun stuff with her - but she can make you feel like a million bucks in nothing flat and that's a wonderful thing. She was telling me about the zoo and making great animal sounds - shes got the cheetah down cold! GRRROOOWWWLLLLLLLL in the most deep chest devil voice you can imagine... the kids got skills. B is such a good mommy - and Im so lucky to have you all in my life.

After a pitcher of maragritas, a trip to the Teva/Ugg/ Simple outlet and then Casa's (duh) - I finally made it back to JT's where walking into his house is like coming home all over again. Its so great to be here and to know that this will always be home - where my favorite people are - where 70 degrees is a normal day - where they actually drive the speed limit on the freeway - where no one uses the word "reckon".

oh yeah...

and Im coming home next week. Anyone need something from the god-forsaken South??? Maybe Cugo (aka the new dog Jack - who has now caused a dog to have to get 4 staples!) - he kicks ass - might be useful to one of you? No?

Katrina has always been a crazy bitch name...

Ok - so I knew one little girl Katrina that was too little to be a bitch - but dont get me wrong - she had potential! Living in Memphis is a little too close to the disaster than I like (not that there is a right place or anything). We are getting a lot of the evacuees in town and we even have a girl that is gonna work in our *$ (Starbucks) since the one she worked at in New Orleans is no longer. The weekends have been the only time I have had much interaction with them - it hurts your heart to even look them in the eye... I feel guilty everyday that we are so lucky and have so much.

I got an email the other day that Suzanne made a donation to the Louisianna SPCA in Georgia's name. My friends rock. Everyone doing something adds up to ALOT.

I was reading Dooce.com this am and if you dont read her your just dumb. This is her entry for the day - an email sent to her from someone in TX - thought you should all see it.
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Email: I salute you, Texas
Wednesday, 07 September 2005
Dear Heather,
I just returned from the Austin Convention Center after working all day with Katrina Evacuees. Austin is hosting 5,000 people and all I can say is that after seeing what 5,000 clean and safe evacuees look like, I can’t even begin to imagine what the Superdome or even the initial arrival at the Astrodome looked like. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that in Houston, whenever a family finds each other or is brought together, they ring a bell — chants of “More Cowbell” have been heard.
I thought that might make you smile.
Cheers,A faithful reader….