Suburban Goddess

With the recent outbreaks of e coli & salmonella, I have to wonder why people can’t understand how these things happen. Do you know how much the average wage is for a restautrant worker? Do you think they care about your health? And let’s think about the genuine apathy of the average American blue collar worker in general. If you pay these people crap, then how can you expect anything less in our food supply?

There will be no overwhelming reform, because the people in charge DON’T CARE. So a few people get sick. A few old people & kids die. If they have to pay more attention to their processes, it will COST THEM MORE MONEY. EEEKKKK!

Do you know what you eat when you go out? Really? Do you know that there is a UDSA acceptable standard for the amount of rat feces at a meat packing plant? And let me clue you in; it’s NOT ZERO. Our government says that you can have a small amount of RAT SHIT in your food, & vendors are still allowed to sell it.

And we’re a civilized country.

I know, at times, I make some bad judgement calls that might make me look…well…stupid.

And I know, at times, I’ve said some things that probably make me sound…well…stupid.

So therefore, by natural deductive reasoning, I should not be surprised when people treat me as if I were stupid. But alas, I am still thunderstruck at times how Some People still think they can get things over on me.

I know, I know, I bring it upon myself when I give them that impression. But there’s Some People in my life who are in for a rude, rude awakening. Like… a bucket of cold water dumped on you while you’re in a deep, warm sleep. Ice water.

With pirahnnas in it.

I returned home to New Orleans this past weekend to touch base with family, and drove around my small hometown of Slidell. I have to say, it’s not as dismal as it was the prior trip.

The signs of returning life are everywhere…but it’s not the same as it was before. There’s a larger Latino population there now, and it caught me off guard to see a grocery specializing in “Latino Products” where a doctor’s office used to be. Closer to the lake, old fishing camps have been replaced by Super Condos, built 10 feet higher on steel foundations. Old, run down buildings now have a fresh coating of stucco; new signs are going up everywhere. “Open for Business.”

I even ran into an old high school friend. Her family flooded, but she was still the same, her giving nature & reflective spirit capturing the very essence of the situation. Life gives you hard times; you deal with it and move on.

Part of me, for a moment, missed New Orleans with all my heart. If something happened, God forbid, to my current life & I was forced to return there, I don’t think it would be as bad as I originally thought it would. There is a spirit there, a spirit born of salty stubborness and unwavering faith, and I truly believe that this area will restore itself beyond it’s original glory. Part of me wishes I could be a part of it, the rebuilding and repairing. To proudly stand before what used to be broken, now shiny & new, and say I had part in it. But this is not my struggle.

I understand why it is so hard to leave for these people. You remember the place for what it was, & for the sake of your family, you want to restore it to how it deserves to be. That land gave my family a place to call home, good times, and wonderful memories. It deserves a second chance.

Thank God there are others who believe in it, too.