The Information Super-Frog

20 years ago this week I got my first mobile phone. I've upgraded once since (when the old flip phone finally died in 2020).

August 2005 I was fairly active playing trombone, with a weekly gig, a monthy gig, a gig that was a successful tryout for another weekly gig to start the following month, a private party, 2 special events, and at least 1 gig as a substitute.

Then at the end of the month, a notorious rude interruption.

I kept this my old LJ (migrated to Dreamwith) in no small part for the documentation of my life before, during and after the disaster.

I see on social media various locals talking about the anniversary bringing up PTSD.
All of us who went through it have that. In various degrees and manifesting in different ways, but I don't think there were any exceptions.

There's a 5 part National Geographic documentary "Hurricane Katrina - Race Against Time" that's supposed to be very good, and I plan to watch it; I read it's on Hulu and probably elsewhere.
Some find it best for their mental health to avoid such things.
I was one who dealt with things by diving in. Perhaps the less common reaction, but far from alone.

Beyond basic survival, I channeled my energies into documenting the situation and finding out what happened, fueled by righteous indignation and intellectual curiosity, and armed with my skills in historical research and a pocket digital camera I got while evacuated in Texas.

I got the camera intending to document damage to my own home and those of some friends who couldn't get back so soon and asked me to email them photos of how their homes looked. Soon, however, it became clear that more was needed, as stories in the national media were often clearly wrong. I'd participated in Wikipedia and Wikimedia before the Federal Flood, but dove in deep afterwards.

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I recall when evacuating for Hurricane Gustav in 2008, feeling that if New Orleans were destroyed, my taking part in rebuilding, even though at that point very incompletely, was probably the most important thing I'd done in my life - helping New Orleans exist for a couple more years.

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Effects on mental health vary from person to person.

Suicidal depression ran in my family, and I'd fought it myself, going back to childhood.
I've not had such episodes since, even when going through some very bad situations.
I think it's related to seeing such widespread disaster, and knowing in comparison that my own problems didn't amount to anything much. Although I'd understood that intellectually, it seems to have taken this disaster to understand it viscerally.

As I havn't done a shameless plug for my making funny noises with a slip-horn in a while, my August public appearances on trombone include:

The first 4 Wednesdays, anyway, at the Circle Bar (on Lee Circle) with the Little Big Horn Band, 10pm on. This is an outgrowth of Big Medicine/Red White Black & Blue: combining Native Americans and Mardi Gras Indians, now with New Orleans funk and Brass Band. Should be interesting, or a bit different anyway.

Sunday the 7th at Fritzel's on Bourbon Street with the Spanish Fort Jazz Band, 5pm - 7pm. This is the debut public performance of the deliberatly period 1920s style band. Yes, I'll be playing the 1910s White trombone for this one, and the drummer will likely have her authentic 1920s drum kit (complete with the palm tree painted on the bass drum head) set up.

As far as I know the monthly Genial Orleanians gig at the Neutral Ground will continue, Monday the 29th at 10pm. Tunes old & new under the direction of Jon Pult, intersperced with "dumb jokes for smart people".

Not a music venue per-se, but as the lovely & talented mshollie invited me to put together a band to open the Miss Crescent City New Orleans Pagent, the first performance under the name "Froggy's Milneberg Joymakers" will perform a short set at the Unitarian Church on Claiborne & Jefferson at 1pm, Saturday 27 August. Hey, if you want to pay admission to the pagent to hear the band, go ahead. Come for the band, stay for the swimsuit competition!

And that night, the Krewe of OAK Midsummer Mardi Gras and White Buffalo Day celebrations will happen on Oak Street starting at the Maple Leaf. I expect to be participating in the parade in some role or another.