Totally unofficial NOLA update

While in New Orleans we got in touch with an organization called Common Ground in order to offer our labor for a day. They match up short and long-term volunteers with jobs that need doing in some of the areas most affected by Katrina. Although they’re more than a little disorganized they’ve managed to bring in more than 18,000 volunteers over the past two and half years. They provide an outlet for thousands of people who feel driven to help but don’t know where to start. Like us.

We ended up working deep in the Lower 9th Ward, and while we were there we drove around a bit to see how the neighborhood was fairing. Our tour was mostly by car but we stopped a few times to talk to residents who were rebuilding or had already moved back in.

Stuff 2.0

I nearly called this post “gear”, but then I saw through my self-deception and recognized it for what it was – more stuff. Turns out this whole blog thing takes a fair amount of technology. Here’s Gwen with our mobile office.

Sure, we could probably do with a single computer, but then one of us would get cranky while the other edited videos. In addition to the laptops, we’re traveling with a sizable external hard drive, a digital camera, Gwen’s posh i-phone, and a crappy little dv camcorder. Now all you carjackers just forget that little laundry list straight away.

Gone are the innocent days of travel when you got by with your wits and a sharp stick.