Cajundome, Lafayette, LA

Cajundome

sports arena full of families, neighbors, and lovers tangled together in sleep

children crying, rap music blaring, worried faces

empty cots, sounds of sleep, flat air mattresses, blankets in disarray

gangsta juveniles. clustered together, whisper secrets of the hood

hidden identities, hidden weapons, hidden drugs

late night medical clinic visitors, shuffle to the desk awoken by pain

wide-eyed children watch the guards walk by


-Tess Miller (Red Cross Volunteer)
Cajundome, Lafayette, LA

Summer Picts So Far...

Hi All-
I just got back from a two week stint in Arizona. It was my first time in the southwest and it is pretty much hotter than hades right now. As one of my crewmembers said, "It's Africa hot!" It was a good roll complete with several different helicopters to work with, nightly tarantula visitations, air base radio operater assignments, and fire camp. I will email everyone more details later but for now am hoping to get some of this summers picts posted here... These first several are of the cabins where we live. I share the one below with another girl named Jen who is also a rookie this year.
















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Picts?

Hi all-
For those of you looking for pictures, sorry! I can't load them on a government computer as I don't have administrative privileges. If I come into town next weekend I will try to get on some non-gov computers...

Girls Weekend

It is amazing how spending time with several members of the same sex can assure you that you are, after all, not that far off of normal. That everyone, or at least your like-minded friends, are going through the same disfunctionality that you go through in life. That we are all okay and on the right track in our lives even though those tracks are so different for all of us. Thanks for a fun weekend girls and I appreciate the open conversations, shopping, cosmo, sugar, and nail polish. Wouldn't have been the same without it! Look forward to next time...

Weather!

What is it with torrential rain in May? I move to Chico, everyone tells me I will melt due to the atomic temperatures here and my lack of vehicular airconditioning, and then it rains for half the semester and never gets over 90 degrees! I really hope that this does not ruin the fire season. It would be quite detrimental to my checking account if it only lasted until the end of July! C'mon sunshine...

It's Final...

Well the decision is made, the contract signed, and plans made. I am officially going to work for the Krassel Helitack Crew out of McCall, ID. Actually McCall is the closest "town" (Yellow Pine, 25 miles away, has a store and a pay phone I'm told) at around 45 miles away from the rappel base. I am very excited! I am going to be one of fires elite resources this summer. I am also going to dangle on a 250 foot rope from a hovering helicopter. Luckily, that mostly sounds exciting and only a little bit scary.
Contact-wise this summer, you can get me on my cell phone until May 22nd at 530.513.2896. After that time, you can still leave me messages on my cell but I will not have service and will have to drive to McCall to return calls so don't be insulted if it is a week or two until I get back to you. You all should be used to my dissappearance during fire season by now :). I don't have an address yet so if you need to send me something you can send it to my parent's house until further notice... Hope all is peachy-keen out there in your worlds... Tess

Joys of Suburbia...

It is finally true. I live in suburbia- cul-de-sac, stucco house and all! Although I am fine with the living situation (as it is not permentant and my roomates are great) it is rather humerous to watch the life style

The big thing on my street, now that it is spring, is the unspoken my-lawn-is-better-than-your-lawn contest. See what happens is the first person to mow, edge, weed eat, and hand trim their lawn for the week is the sneering winner who peeps out their front window all week admiring their handiwork and initiative and disparaging the neighbors. People really do that. Our neighbors stop by and tell harrowing lawn mowing tales while hinting about the state of our lawn...

"Dude, you'll never guess what happened when I was mowing this week. Check this out... So, I'm mowing along and suddenly I hear a ping and then I hear a bang. You'll never guess what it was... Naw, man, because it was still dark outside that morning I ran over the sprinkler head. It broke last week and I forgot to fix it. So then, water's spurting everywhere my wife is yelling at me cuz I woke her up... It was a freaking disaster! So anyway, did your mower break?"

Regardless of the silliness of this contest, it is the big thing. Needless to say, we won this week... :)

Final Answer...

So here it is, the final answer. No more mind changing, wishy washing, or stressing about it. I was accepted into the JET programme last monday and friday was my personal decision deadline. I chose to stay here in the states and rappel in Idaho. There were many factors in this decision, of course, some of which were: I won't be able to rappel once I am older and maybe have a career, many of my friends are getting married in the next 15 months and those weddings are something that will not be repeated (hopefully!) and things I don't want to miss, my relationship with Eric- I want to see that through and see where it goes, and rappelling just sounds "wicked cool." Regardless, I can always go to Japan, with or without the JET programme, and at a more opportune time...