Here and There
Usually after I work something big like a line of duty death or a disaster, the days following I am thrown off. I have a hard time concentrating or getting much done. I think it's because I am coming off an adrenaline high. These scenes are full of 'excitement' and the hours are long, the adrenaline keeps you going. It's almost like my body forces me to rest. So for the past couple of days I have been wondering why I have been in this 'after disaster' mode. I think I finally figured out why today...Sabine Pass.
The EHM was a lot of fun and it was no where near the type of stress I have felt in New Orleans or on line of duty death situations. We did a lot of manual labor and there was some tension between individuals but it seemed more like good stress than negative stress. But there was one thing on that set that kept getting to me. The crew had a ton of white vans that reminded me of the body recovery vans in New Orleans. Of course these vans on the set were used for equipment but they looked exactly like the ones used after the disaster. Every time I saw one, I thought about some of the things we did and some of the things we saw down in New Orleans and St. Bernards Parish. I have been thinking about it on and off for the last couple of days, how wierd it is that something as simple as a white van can be forever burned in our brain as a symbol of an event.
My guess is that being back on a disaster scene where devastation was still in full affect and seeing the white vans got me hyped up more than I thought. I have so much to do but I am having a hard time concentrating. As the days go by I get a little more done. I got a lot more done today than I did yesterday. It just takes some time to get back to normal.
On a funny note, last night we took the dogs for a walk and for the first time since we moved to the new house, Ashes (our cat) went with us. It's a long walk around the block but she managed to follow us about 3/4 of the way. We were almost home when she gave out and decided to lie down in the street. I had to carry her the rest of the way and let me tell you, she does not like to be held. It was quite a feat to get that cat back to the house!
The EHM was a lot of fun and it was no where near the type of stress I have felt in New Orleans or on line of duty death situations. We did a lot of manual labor and there was some tension between individuals but it seemed more like good stress than negative stress. But there was one thing on that set that kept getting to me. The crew had a ton of white vans that reminded me of the body recovery vans in New Orleans. Of course these vans on the set were used for equipment but they looked exactly like the ones used after the disaster. Every time I saw one, I thought about some of the things we did and some of the things we saw down in New Orleans and St. Bernards Parish. I have been thinking about it on and off for the last couple of days, how wierd it is that something as simple as a white van can be forever burned in our brain as a symbol of an event.
My guess is that being back on a disaster scene where devastation was still in full affect and seeing the white vans got me hyped up more than I thought. I have so much to do but I am having a hard time concentrating. As the days go by I get a little more done. I got a lot more done today than I did yesterday. It just takes some time to get back to normal.
On a funny note, last night we took the dogs for a walk and for the first time since we moved to the new house, Ashes (our cat) went with us. It's a long walk around the block but she managed to follow us about 3/4 of the way. We were almost home when she gave out and decided to lie down in the street. I had to carry her the rest of the way and let me tell you, she does not like to be held. It was quite a feat to get that cat back to the house!
posted by Wendy at 8:51 PM
1 Comments:
HAHAHA to the Ashes thing!!
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