Cinq ans après Katrina

I would like to refer you to my journalistic idol, Chris Rose, once more. He's moved on from The Times Picayune and can be found at the site of my college internship, Gambit Weekly. This column is making the rounds right now, and it's great. Unfortunately, it's not an original concept, because, if you are from an area affected by Katrina, you play this game on an almost daily basis.

http://bestofneworleans.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A80205

Some of the answers are great. Others are not so great. I will start with the down sides, then end on the positive notes.

What if Katrina never happened?

I would have been able to keep living with cheap rent on a decent house in Lakeview and could have put away a lot of money.

Mark would have never had to work the morning show.

Mark would have risen the ranks instead of losing, then regaining, his job at entry level. With few hours. Bad hours. Low pay. Loss of benefits.

I would have waited a while to buy the first Rav and would have saved a lot of car notes.

We would still have things from our childhoods that meant a lot to us.

I would have a sunnier demeanor, not one prone to dark phases. The ones that crop up this time of year are worse.

We would have had no need to replace all of our furniture.

We wouldn't have lived with my parents for two and a half years, which strained our relationship. A lot.

We might have kids.

My father wouldn't have had to rebuild his business and sit and wait on other people to become available to repair it.

My father wouldn't have been so depressed due to his loss of his whole world.

My friends wouldn't have lost their childhood homes in Lakeview.

We wouldn't have had to accept charity, Red Cross funds, and, in parents' case, unemployment.

Maybe my school wouldn't constantly be in danger of closing, and we would have our own campus.

It wouldn't have taken 4 years for me to get certified.

Our population wouldn't have dwindled.

Maybe I would have been able to complete my masters at a local university instead of spending time looking into online out-of-state universities.

Maybe my depression wouldn't have lead me to seek comfort in food, and I would still be super skinny.

Maybe things would be easier all-around.

But maybe I would still be stuck in 3/4 and never would have moved up to high school English.

Maybe I wouldn't be the drama person, or the bowling person, or the yearbook person.

I definitely wouldn't have met some of my friends... Sabrina, Jenn and Chris, Katie and Kurt...people who felt drawn to our city, to our cause, and fell in love.

Maybe the Saints wouldn't have their line-up....or their Lombardi...

Maybe we wouldn't have gotten this house.

I wouldn't be the camp assistant director.

I wouldn't have been able to pretend like I was on "What Not to Wear" and replace an entire wardrobe....and then again after gaining weight...wait...this sucks...

I wouldn't