New Lives In the wake of Hurricane Katrina I have become somewhat enchanted/interested/fascinated with Louisiana and the entire Mississippi Delta. So I've been reading around in the little local papers of the small bayou (and non-bayou) towns just trying to get a feel for the area. Local colour, you know.

I've come across a few papers like the Houma Courier where they are running a portion of the paper full of people who are looking for other people they got distanced from during the storm. It made me think that if one were really wanting to restart their lives or get away from everything they could probably just walk away from that old existence. People would eventually chalk you up as a fatality whose body was never found (washed into the swamps, unidentifiable corpse) and you'd be as good as dead. Of course, you could never use your social security number again, and you'd probably have to get pretty far afield from Louisiana, but it could be done. New lives don't come easily, despite what this film and this film might suggest to the contrary. *BTW, I'm awarding myself two points for using a film that is set (at least partially) in N.O. (the Ashley Judd one) Anyone who wishes to contest, that's what comments are for.

Conversely, one could invent a new life for themselves from the wreckage of Katrina by claiming to have been from New Orleans (or thereabouts). All you'd have to say is that all the records of your existence were destroyed. Its a plausible scenario. You would have to do some conning, affect a soft Southern accent and learn some street names, but cook those up with a sob story and voila, you'd be a new you. Plus you'd get mega pity points, which would make people less likely to challenge the veracity of your claim. I know, its perverse. My shrink is going to have a field day with it. Could it be becasue I am reading this book? Its a good book, for any one who might be curious.  ¶ 3:23 PM