I'll be in New Orleans Thursday-Tuesday

My big event that I'm in charge of will be Sunday in New Orleans. I'm fluctuating between excitement to go to a city I've never seen, and dread at how depressing it is going to be. ALA is the first major convention the city has held since Katrina, and I am predicting several major problems. Is the city ready for an influx of 20,000 people? At least its 20,000 tame people. Well, 19,999 if you count me as NOT TAME.

This article about Nagin calling in the National Guard certainly didn't help me remain optimistic about attending the conference. I don't want to be in a city that is under extreme military force, or in an area that may require such presence.

New Orleans is probably the only city in America that I am interested in seeing the touristy bits. I want to eat all the food, see the old buildings, all that tourist crap. I never have that urge with other cities. At this point in the (non)rebuilding of the city, there really isn't anything else there other than the tourist hubs like the French Quarter.

Friday I'll be volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, rebuilding in one of the areas worst hit. I'm going to bring a camera and take photos, not as a spectator or gawker, but as a way to show the people I know just what is really going on down there. I don't think the major media outlets give a shit anymore, and they certainly aren't showing any pictures of it. I've never volunteered in a situation like this before, and I think it will be a serious test for me. I'm looking forward to the challenge, to the physical and mental exhaustion, the feeling of helping others. But most of all, I'm proud to be able to contribute to people that are largely forgotten and need our help more than I could ever imagine.