Not to mention, the police are there for protection and order...it's the OEP that would be in charge of more specific storm things. I would never think to call the police to see what they are doing for my family. The OEP or maybe the Dept of homeland security has been telling everybody from June 1st to 'get a game plan'. If your family hasn't done that, it's not their fault. http://www.getagameplan.org/ We have heard that on commercials on TV, radio, and billboards all season long.

I can't remember the number they are giving to get information...211 or 311 or something like that. Maybe try that? Look up the governor's press conference from yesterday too..he's pretty on the ball. I'm sure there'll be another one today. Yesterday, the cone was still on Mississippi so he was going by that information. Facts changed today and information changed today. Still no mandatory evacuation issued for NOLA or surrounding area's. If your father and grandmother need medical shelter, there is one open at the PMAC in Baton Rouge.... The levee's that busted last time have been shored up...there are hundreds of backup generators in the area just specifically for keeping pump stations running. Here is a synopsis of yesterday's press conference...some of the information is dated though due to the new 'cone'. http://www.katc.com/news/recap-governor-jindal-s-4-00-press-conference/

There are LARGE shelter's set up in Alexandria that's set up for a large amount of people. That's about 3.5 hours away. They will bus there and in Shreveport too. There are numerous school shelters opening up by the minute in all communities surrounding New Orleans. There are thousands and thousands of national guard activated and mobilized. Red cross is ready to roll. I was in the heart of new orleans yesterday and everybody is fine and not panicked..just doing what they have to do. Yes, there are people that are not back on their feet, but we are strong down here...despite what the national news systems make us out to be. I'm not evacuating. I'm not in a flood zone. If things should change, I will be ready to roll at a moment's notice. The only MANDATORY evacuations that I have heard are south of the inter coastal area's...prone to flooding with a bad thunderstorm. People down here just don't evacuate for a Category 1 storm..no need unless you are in a mobile home, tent, camper or unsafe structure. If there is a mandatory evac, they don't want shelter's open in that mandatory evac area because it's not safe...they want all people out. And yes, I'm sure there is lots of kitten killing going on in this post but I don't much care right now.

There are shelters everywhere just outside of new orleans..pointing that out too. They will not use the Dome and the convention center as shelters is all...and I wouldn't either after what happened last time.

Ok, you guys are getting second hand information here...lol There are no LAST MINUTE shelter's available. It's too dangerous and last time they did that, it didn't go well. They are giving people plenty of time to get out and ways to do that. They have secured thousands of buses and are moving people out (UNLIKE last time). They still don't know what this thing is doing...very unpredictable. Only supposed to make landfall at a category 1 storm. 90 MPH winds. The levee's can hold that. The last time everything went bad (Katrina...I was here for that too), it was the levee's that did the damage, NOT the storm. NOLA was fine after the storm..damage, yes...but it was when the levee's gave way that ppl died. (coming from somebody that is doing her own packing and getting ready for the hurricane in the area and is getting first hand experience)

WAY TMI, but I have severe IBS and I have about 15 seconds from the first pang to find a bathroom. If one is not available, I'm in a bind and have, several times, not made it and when that happens, it makes a mess all over the front of the bowl. Yes, outside the bowl, etc. The only thing I can't figure out is the lid..unless that was down and they didn't realize it. I know this is gross...I know...I deal with it. It is a terrible thing to have to deal with. It only happens every few months so it's hard to anticipate. I have NO warning...and yes, I have had it happen in public...but I clean up my mess with the available water. I would be mortified if water weren't available but would find a way to get it cleaned up, even if it required telling somebody and mortifying myself even further (so far, when it happens to me, I'm the only one that knows). NOT an excuse to leave it there...that is something I would NEVER do, but just offering why it might be all over the place.

My mom went on vacation and came back with 2 inches of water in her home from a broken pipe behind her toilet. It was a 100% loss of the interior of her home..had to be gutted and started over and lost most of her furniture and a lot of her possessions that were on the ground.

Then you put your nice pretty tomatoes on the conveyer that just had chicken blood spilled on it. I used to be a cashier...trust me, those conveyers are far from clean.

I would give anything to go back. LOVED Singapore. I didn't like Malaysia so much..did NOT feel safe there (my blue eyed blond cutie 6 year old never left my father's hands...it was that bad with the Malaysian men around her. UGH) Now I want to go back because I think I didn't do it right...and I would go straight to where you are. :)

FUN!!! They were building the Universal on Sentosa in Singapore when I was there. I'm sorry I didn't get to go when it was open! Stephenie

I found this last week by doing a google search for write shop discount codes. I couldn't find any more though. http://www.writeshop.com/blog/category/announcements/

Tonsil stones...check her tonsils, do you see white 'pockets' protruding? I have them and my dd9 has them too.

I am so sorry for your loss. I have to say that I have heard time and again that women grieve alone and men grieve with..well..not quite so alone. I have seen it several times and I would tend to agree with it.

I would be interested. I'm about to move out of the area, but as long as I'm here when you do it, I'm in :) I'm in South Central Louisiana..Morgan City.

Even if the baby wasn't his..I can't get over this. I would give my life for a strangers baby/child in a heartbeat! Why couldn't he protect the baby!? Ugh. I'm just glad that the baby and child were not hurt.

My husband is definitely a light's on kinda guy...bedside table..not full room light. I would prefer lights off, but he feels so strongly about it, I just let it go. We tried candlelight for the first time in a long time and it was perfect. Will def be doing that again!

I was telling my husband last night that most women I know prefer lights off during brewing teA. He wondered if that was really true and if they did prefer lights off, why? I told him probably for self conscious reasons. So..here we go. Anonymous poll for my husband. :)

Strangest place was in our boat in the swamps of South Louisiana. We went out specifically for this (though my husband didn't know until we actually found the spot I was looking for..lol). I was just wanting fun but my husband took it way further..lol He jokes that some poor kid that was out hunting with his father got an eye full (bc we just weren't very discreet..at all).

I was going to say New Orleans until you said the "speak in full sentences" part..lol New Orleans is a pretty neat city and is pretty diverse.

I'm an hour away from NOLA. Just remember, a place is what you make it. If you go in with a poor attitude, it will not work for you. For Mardi Gras, you don't have to experience it on Bourbon Street. Just remember there are a ton of smaller communities just outside of New Orleans and their Mardi Gras celebrations can be as good or better than right in New Orleans. I often like their small town parades better than the big ones. Good luck to you!

Yep..Accent is 100% MSG and can be found most anywhere unfortunately. I don't have any or I would send it

The size dog cages I would have to get would scare anybody that came in...rofl Not to mention, I have no place for them and I can't leave them outside b/c it's just way too hot. Like I said, so far, it has not been an issue. I have had 12 hours notice so I just rearrange what I'm doing and stay home to remove the dogs. Hopefully, it'll continue that way or we'll get lucky and my husband will be home when they call. I keep banking on that..lol The house next door had been empty for YEARS and we knew the owners well so I was really hoping that when we listed our home, theirs would still be empty and on one of the showing days, I would just put them over there...or when we went out of town for the day...but alas, they sold that house..rofl So much for that. It would have been perfect.

I'm selling my home..and while I mostly agree with you and yes, I have been able to show every time, there are times when it simply would not be possible. I have to go out of town sometimes for all day events. My husband does not live at home 2 weeks out of the month. When I'm out of town, I have NOTHING I can do with my dogs and they are BIG dogs. My friends are all busy people and really, getting them out of the house is a feat in itself so I wouldn't ask them to try to do that. So far, it hasn't been a problem, but I wait for the day that it is. :(

What do you do when you are out of your league teaching something? I never learned fractions very well in school. Just enough to let me pass tests. Those and percentages. I want my daughter to know those better than I do. Well...we just got to reducing fractions. I know how to do it, I know it should be easy enough for me to teach her...but I am skipping all of that because I just don't know how to explain it to her and not mix her up.

Scarlett, I'm moving to the Tulsa area too! I just got back yesterday looking for homes. We are wanting rural...very rural.