I’ve been a social worker for many years and you don’t put in that kind of time without seeing a few things: unexpected moments of community, bodies, genuine concern for others, handguns, random acts of kindness, and swords, so many swords, but two years ago I came into a hard scene that occupies my head more than most, finding the remains of a tenant I … Continue reading Secondary Trauma…
Compassion… That’s right, compassion… I keep hearing politicians talk about hard choices, about tough decisions and being realistic…you know, their usual line and all of it typically means only one thing…but I’m getting ahead of myself here… Let me start over… So, few days ago I was blocking traffic on a bridge as part of a national day of action. Good time, didn’t necessarily agree … Continue reading The hardest political choice…
So, four months from now on March 1st of 2012, I am finally out of the Great White North and heading back to what I thought might be New Orleans. Would certainly make sense with all the writing I do on this site that this town is where my interests lie, and it is, but the damned economy…here’s the thing that keeps throwing rocks in … Continue reading Be back Monday…the trouble with the (personal) economy…
Hey all, hang in there a little longer…I’m in process of switching my sleep to a third shift schedule and it’s causing major routine disruptions… Ya know tho’…not too sure how many of you work a third shift gig, (I have before and its preferred, including 3rd shift bartending in New Orleans at one time) but once things shake out, am I the only one … Continue reading Hang in there…major sleep disruptions
As a social worker, you develop a really dark sense of humor, a mindset often used as a coping mechanism for some of what you see and the stories you hear. During Katrina, I was living on the West Coast and at conferences, or in simple conversations with co-workers a statement I heard more than any other went something like this: “New Orleans? Jesus, that … Continue reading The Legacy of Katrina Study – The Kids Aren’t Alright
Drake Toulouse: Photography and Words 