Bourbon Street

Yesterday we got a little extra time as the work was caught up, and some of us headed back down to, you guessed it, Bourbon Street. It is awesome and I have enjoyed being so close to New Orleans (little less than an hour). People have written to me because they are concerned for my mental health. Let me assure you that at this job we have been able to work hard and play hard. We also took the opportunity to have a wonderful meal in one of the restaurants. The food here at the morgue compound where we live has been lacking in variety. We have local cooks who cook beans and rice, everyday. I didnt know you could eat beans and rice in so many variations. We have beans and rice with gravy, with sausage, with shrimp, with chicken, and any combination of those ingredients. Sometimes they swap the red beans for black beans and it appears they think this is considered variety in the menu. One of the workers has a badge that has printed on it, "No More Chicken". They fry everything, even the grits. They cook the grits in a pot like cream of wheat, then they grease up the griddle and fry it! The first time I have ever had to cut my grits with my utensils. I think we have had beef one time since December 1. We had spaghetti one night this week and it had shrimp in the spaghetti sauce! Yes, rice was also an option for dinner.

This morning we watched a power point that someone made about the strike team. They wade in deep water to locate bodies and it is a hot, dirty job. The also have sharp-shooters who go with them to keep the alligators from biting off legs. But workers love the challenge and the hard work. The workers here at the morgue continue make matches to identities and the Family Assistance Center continues to find folks who were listed as lost. We sent another strike team out to see if they could locate more bodies. We have so many dedicated workers here it is an honor to be part of the team.