"In order to create something, you must first destroy it" - John Lydon

My family's house is finally geing gutted so I'll soon be out of this high rent trap that I'm in. It gives my a lot of pride to know that my son will be the fifth generation to grow up in that home.

I lost a lot from the destruction to the house, including a lot of documentation of my family history that was in there, but I can at least start again and won't have to live paycheck to paycheck as I've been. I've started to redesign myspace sites for bands and so far, it's been pretty fulfilling. I've modified my own (The Elder Myspce) to be more of an advertisement for that service. At my day job, I'm usually relegated to production because I'm so good and so fast at it. It can be tiring because there's very little opportunity for me to flex my creative muscles but hey I can write HTML and CSS faster than I can write English so I guess that's what I get pigeon-hold with.

While taking my son for a the other morning I came across a house that had a make-shift Katrina memorial in the front yard. On it there was a sign that read "The only certainty in life is change" and I guess that about sums it up.

I speak for most people in this city when I say that hopefully, sometimes soon, there will be a period of time with some level of permanance.

First Playground Romp

Marcel's first romp in the playground...very popular with the "ladies" it seems...

Interview with a 16-Month Old

He says "bye, bye" right before he walks away from the camera. His other favorite words are "pup-pup" (translation:anything with lots of hair such as a dog or his dad) and "kai" which is Hawaiian for "ocean" or an Egyptian High Preist. Oddly enough, that was almost his name but we thought it might be tacky to have a half Hawaiian, half French name. He also likes to throw things down and say "uh-oh". He's a trip.

New Video of Marcel The Younger

Google Video Debut of Marcel the Younger

I made a little montage of my son with the camera on my new intel mac book. I love the part where he turns off the recording. There's a little video of him trying to walk and talk. He's awesome.

Murder City

162 murders, 4 associated arrests and 1 conviction.
Those are the facts. With only half the population of pre-Katrina we still manage to be the murder capital of the U.S.
Tragically, law enforcement has opted to devote the majority of it's resources to traffic duty. Condemning non-violent & clean record citizens to long detentions in central lockup and the Orleans Parish Prison for being in the car with someone with an expired inspection sticker, cracked windshield, riding a bike with only one hand and that's just the tip of the iceberg. Is it worth the resources to put people in jail for two days on a $10 bond when there are hundreds of cold-blooded killers stalking the population? Most people (myself included) are still just trying to re-establish their pre-Katrina lifestyles and get back in front of the ball but now were being harassed to such a degree we're wondering if we should have come back at all.

Happy 1st B-Day to mini Me

My son is one year old today! He should be walking any day now...he stands and balances himself well and claps. He loves to mimic everything mom and dad do.

New Life Update

My amazingly beautiful son just turned 4 months old a couple of days ago. I had been told so many horror stories about having to wake up every 4 hours during the night, being a zombie all the time, etc.... but those tales just don't apply to this cool little man. He sleeps all night and is so good natured...I can't get over how lucky mom and I are. I love his big smile he gives me when he first sees me in the morning. It reminds me of when he saw me for the first time in his life. Maybe he thinks I'm funny looking and it makes him laugh. Given the conditions we've been living with, his disposition is even more of a blessing. My family wasn't able to coordinate soon enough to stop the spread of the mold and hold back the additional damage of the summer rains and the family house that has stood for nearly 150 years seems doomed. We are living in a fema trailer next to the interstate and while were glad to have shelter and a relatively mold-free environment for the baby , the conditions are less than ideal. The problem is they're simply are not enough resources to install all these trailers properly. We were told that if we didn't have a location for the trailer (and an inspector ruled out putting one the family property) we would have to wait an indefinite amount of time and with a newborn, waiting wasn't an option. There is also a powerful chemical agent that one notices when entering the trailer that I now know from news reports is formaldahide. It makes your eyes burn and water.

My boss's landlord graciously offered a location on his property. While his property is being renovated, he had to house himself and my boss in trailers on an empty lot that falls within his property line. Our trailer wasn't configured properly and to make a long story short, all the sewerage from the property gushes out underneath our trailer. Sometimes the smell is unbearable. There have been countless reps from the Shaw Group (the trailer maintenance and installation company contracted by fema) have come over to observe but they all just come in, see the situation and with an obvious emotional combination of frustration and helplessness, shake their heads and promise to do something.

FEMA has promised to get us out of here into some decent housing soon, so there may be some light at the end of the tunnel but our shares of optimism are dwindling.

NEW LIFE

My son is finally born the evening of January 10, 2006 He will go by the name Marcel Frederich Trenchard. Weighing 7.7 lbs., he has brown hair and eyes with soft, fair skin and a strong handshake. He's amazing.

His mother and I had trouble agreeing on a name so we just decided to give him his dad's name. We feel so blessed with this incredible new life.

We recently laid to rest, our old and dear friend, Glenn Rambo in the decimated city of Chalmette. It was difficult for all of us to say goodbye. The horrific nature of his death is so shocking that it almost foreshadows, in one's mind, who he was in life. Those of us who were lucky enough to call him a friend, need to focus on who he was in life. He had a rough life but it never turned him sour. We need to take from this, that we need to value each other more as members of a significant musical culture if not as human beings and neighbors. It's profound, to me, that 2005 ending on such a tragic note and 2006 began with something as wonderful as the arrival of my first son. The arrival of this new life has given me hope and inspiration.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I kinda like it here in Texas but duty calls in the big easy. On Monday, I'll be back at my old desk and coming home to my old, but empty neighborhood. People are really nice in these outlying parts of Houston. I've enjoyed the modern accoutrements like central air and shower capabilities...the dishwashing machine...forget it..it's beyond my comprehension to even use.

Rhonda and I went to the Houston Renaissance Festival last weekend. It was cool...a nice atmosphere, overall. I had not been to one since my very early years. I bought a pretty cool little JVC digital camcorder to take pics of the development of my son, and future conqueror of the entire world, _______. We can't seem to come to agreement on a name. I will start a blog for his unholiness. The infamous name that should not be named is the question. I've found a cool new app called tasktoy.com that I feel could help me organize myself. I'm tired of talking to you.

"Hunkerin'" down

All the superpower economic muscle in the world can't save people when natures fury comes into play. Our existence is so precarious on the cosmic/global/local scale.

I've decided to stick it out in Houston, despite Rita.
The gridlock situation is too extreme.
I don't have enough supplies but I'm hoping we make it out ok in our refugee apartment.
Texans are so much more compassionate and polite than what I'm used to.


With all this hurricane drama going on, I've been leaving out a lot major stuff going on in this timeline.

There was a terrorist suicide bombing attack on London mass transit on 7/7/05.

The Afghani people had another major democratic election. Read more.
I think the main problem there is the lack of modern communication infrastructure. They are in the stone age and many weren't sure what party to vote for so they all just discussed as they waited in line.

Iraq political environment is wild but she is on the cusp of a true democratic republic.
The drafted constitution leaves much to be desired. A ratification vote is coming soon and
they have a difficult decision to make. The terrorist are flailing wiledly, killing more and more indiscriminately. An item I found recently, really touched my heart - Iraq soldiers donate to Katrina victims. It's heartwarming to think that these guys are praying for us despite the world of shit they are in.

I'm not sure if I want to continue playing music...my band personnel is in shambles and my callouses have softened. If my garage and equipment are intact, I may start it up again but as of this moment...I just don't know.

Rita

I'm in Houston now...rented an apartment... got some basics from walmart and am back to work thanks to Cebridge Cable (who are cool enough to give me a
month to month hi-speed account without setup fees).

Now that I'm settled in here I've got to run from another Hurricane...this time, Rita...she's headed toward Galveston and Houston. This is so unreal. Not sure if I'll be able to get gas. According to the news it's taking evacuees about 8 hours to travel two miles. This bitch is a category five..even stronger than Katrina.

Headed South

On our way back to Texas where we'll reside until I get the all clear to survey damage. If you can't get through to me, try a text message or email me. Next post should be early to mid next week.

Update

Thanks to everyone for keeping me in their prayers. I'm currently headed west. The phone connectivity is spotty but you can text message me at 504-905-4716.

Katrina, you bitch!

We've been all over Louisiana trying to outrun this monster. Were currently out in the country about 3 miles outside of the city. New Orleans looks like Somalia. Scary stuff. Thanks for keeping me in your prayers.

All The Best,
cel

Escaping Katrina

On the run from hurricane Katrina, the monster storm barelling toward New Orleans at this moment. Were at a hotel in Mobile right now...been driving in bumper to bumper hell all day. Hope we have something to go back to.

Too Much to Blog About

...a brief summary until I have time to really rant.... Revenge of the Sith (best Wars yet)...Adobe aquires Macromedia (heartbreaking)...more later