The Money Fast

About a month ago, I had a frightening experience. I was skating on thin ice as far as my checking account balance was concerned, but I knew that I had about $200 in the bank 'til my next paycheck, which would be arriving in 2 weeks. Unfortunately, I had lost track of a couple of automatic payments, and when I checked my balance, I discovered that my account was $5 in the red. I was shocked. I have no credit cards, no back-up. I had a $35 gift credit card (my Christmas bonus) and a bunch of change in my car, which had to last me for two weeks.

After careful thought about my options (payday loan: NO, borrowing money from Mom: NO), I decided to make just two purchases with my debit card before it got declined. I knew that time was of the essence, so I hurried to the gas station and to the grocery store before work. I filled up with gas, then I headed over to Dahls, where I got two weeks' worth of groceries. I tried to buy everything I would need, without being extravagant, as I would be taking a $35 hit for the overdraft fee from this purchase.

Over the next couple of weeks, I carefully rationed my gas usage, only going to work and to church. I took all of my bottles and cans (which I had been saving for quite some time) into Hy-Vee to redeem for cash. Five huge bags netted me a big 5.87. I realized that you've got to be REALLY down on your luck to be can collecting cans for money. I spent that money on motor oil and contact solution, even though I was dying for a Coke. Towards the end of the last week, I was struggling, and buying gas with change, but I made it. I was literally almost completely out of gas when I pulled into the parking lot of my workplace to pick up my check. I even managed to have a night out (thanks, $35 gift card) of ice skating ($6 shoe rental, and $2 beers afterward) halfway through. I learned a lot about how little you can live on, if you have to! I don't recommend it as a fun experiment, though.

The rebuilding

A controversial thought: why are we rebuilding New Orleans? As ocean temperatures rise, and hurricanes become more prevalent, whey are we re-populating a city that lies below sea level, and needs huge, expensive levies to keep the water back, even when the weather is normal?

The answer, of course, is that the city is an amazing and totally unique cultural mecca, and that it's home to many people. If the city hadn't been rebuilt, though, I'd imagine many of the artists would start their own little musical and artistic communities in the towns they entered. Areas called "little New Orleans" would pop up in major cities all over the area. Maybe new musicians would thrive, not having to compete with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band and such when tourists came around. Still, many feel that something would be lost.

And why are residents returning? Some want to rebuild their same house on the same lot, even when the surrounding neighborhoods are destroyed, and all the neighbors different. Why is it still "home" to them? To me, a place is all about the people, the community, the culture, not the specific coordinates. It reminds me somehow of the Palestinian families that ache to have a very certain piece of land (that had been in the family for centuries) restored to them. Or Israel's strangling grip on every inch of its "promised land." Both peoples have suffered great injustices and deserve to have a place of comfort - but the land is so soiled with blood that it can't provide much in the way of milk and honey. Why do people and governments even own land at all? It doesn't seem ownable to me. It's earth, soil, the stuff we're made of. We're far more transient than we'd like to think.