Food greatly improved today. We had those peas that remind me of elementary school; the ones that have been cooking so long they are somewhat brown. So gross, but for some reason SO good. Again, I took a pass on lunch, but I felt better about handing out this meal.

We covered some areas today where the water line was at my shoulders. It is like a ghost town around those neighborhoods, but the people you do find are the ones most in need. Elderly shut ins are the ones that get me the most. Some do not even seem to have the strength to hold up the styrofoam food box. We walk them to their houses and put a few meals and a case of water there. Dust and water damage cover everything and the smell is not healthy.

When things were wrapping up tonight a new group of volunteers came to the shelter. One of the new arrivals was an OC woman and this is her first time outside of her Newport comfort zone. She seems super nice but literally admitted that she was used to hanging around people with tons of money and thought this was a war zone; she half-wished her plane would have never taken off. I didn't want to give her a rough first night and let her know that the shelter is in an area that had not been hit too badly. She will have an interesting time adjusting to sleeping on a cot in the middle of 200 in a bleachy smelling gymnasium, taking showers in a hazmat trailer outside and tossing around 30lb. boxes. This could be the best experience of her entire life and I think she is brave as hell for giving this a go.

I just grabbed a glass of 'Mawr- lette' (Merlot) from Baby's bar and am going to crash- the glass was $2.50. I might dye some eggs in the wine later. Tonight was not the night for the crab etouffee. I promised Baby that I would return when hungry.