An update.

Hey. I should update this thing. I haven't forgotten about it, it's just become a little less relevant since I'm no longer in New Orleans.

But just because we're no longer there doesn't mean we're no longer involved. So I'll tell you a bit about what we've been up to.

I went to my old high school on Tuesday to give a presentation about the current situation there, and to encourage people to volunteer. I talked to about 150 to 160 students in all. It went surprisingly well. The first presentation was a little difficult, not knowing exactly what to say and how to phrase it without just ranting, but as the day went on I refined my speech and by the end I think got the message across well enough. The teachers were all very supportive and even chimed in with their own anecdotes or observations. A few students came up to me and asked where they could learn more to volunteer or what they could do to help, so I guess I did my job.

In other news, we are planning a Rebirth Week here at Occidental. It will be the last week of February. Malik and Brandon have both agreed to come out and talk, which will be amazing. We also have a few students (myself included) putting up photos in one of the campus dining halls, the Cooler. Justin is even ordering 90 pounds of crawfish to boil and serve to the school in celebration of the week --- not sure exactly how he'll manage that, but we'll see...

Last week I was fairly depressed, the most I've been for months and months, and I can't help but think New Orleans had something to do with it. Being back has been a very isolating experience in some ways. But, I think things are finally getting back to normal, for the most part (which is good in some ways, bad in others --- it bothers me to think that I'm back to being complacent.)

That's about it. If anyone still reads this, thanks for checking. I'll keep you updated if more comes up.