Mike and I have been debating recently how much longer we should continue this blog.
I believe Senor Keller feels himself too cool, or is just acting blasé about continuing on.
I still feel it has a little life left in it.
There are many things we can't put in our reporting that I would like to keep posting here.
At the same time, we're nearing a point where we need to establish a new routine, pretend if you will that the whole situation around us isn't devastating and abnormal.
I'd like to both find out how many people are still bothering to read us and how interesting they still find it. I know we have some loyal readers, but I am curious about the larger audience as well.
I saw that we had been removed from bloggers "blogs of note" list, which was one of the reasons I began contemplating shutting the blog down.
There will be interesting stories to tell about this place until the day we leave. Our lives will certainly be constantly affected by it. For example, I still am sleeping on a futon on Keller's floor and going back to my apartment everyday to change my clothes and grab any other supplies I may need. I've put my name on at least 12 waiting lists for apartments from here to Wiggins. I'm usually number 120 on those lists too.
Keller - a swinging bachelor ladies - has realized recently that the well of date-able women has dried up dramatically since August 29.
Point of all this is, do we go on? What do you want to see here? Do I listen to Mr. Mope and just give up because I'm too cool?
I believe Senor Keller feels himself too cool, or is just acting blasé about continuing on.
I still feel it has a little life left in it.
There are many things we can't put in our reporting that I would like to keep posting here.
At the same time, we're nearing a point where we need to establish a new routine, pretend if you will that the whole situation around us isn't devastating and abnormal.
I'd like to both find out how many people are still bothering to read us and how interesting they still find it. I know we have some loyal readers, but I am curious about the larger audience as well.
I saw that we had been removed from bloggers "blogs of note" list, which was one of the reasons I began contemplating shutting the blog down.
There will be interesting stories to tell about this place until the day we leave. Our lives will certainly be constantly affected by it. For example, I still am sleeping on a futon on Keller's floor and going back to my apartment everyday to change my clothes and grab any other supplies I may need. I've put my name on at least 12 waiting lists for apartments from here to Wiggins. I'm usually number 120 on those lists too.
Keller - a swinging bachelor ladies - has realized recently that the well of date-able women has dried up dramatically since August 29.
Point of all this is, do we go on? What do you want to see here? Do I listen to Mr. Mope and just give up because I'm too cool?
posted by Josh Norman at 6:06 PM
79 Comments:
Alright, here is my take on this situation. I have been reading your blog since early on, and have checked back in nearly every day to get your perspective on things. I know that I, for one, would be sad if you were to quit writing and just disappeared into cyberspace. Your blog has kept the focus on the hard hit areas of Katrina, when all other media has turned to other news and scandals(probably why your blog was dropped from the blogs of note list). Keep writing as long as you want to--there will always be a group of people who care enough to read it.
Bill, San Jose, CA
Keep it going guys. I check it everyday.
Bill, San Jose, CA
Keep it going guys. I check it everyday.
as long as you think thre are important or maybe even small and insignificant things to say; keep it going. you guys are the only ones that have seemed real through this whole thing. my vote is to keep it going...
Don't quit. I'm from Gulfport and my family still lives there. Your blog has kept me up to date on what is going on with Gulfport, my home, while I'm away at college. One thing I would be interested in you blogging about would be the rebuilding going on there. What places are reopening or being rebuilt? Please don't leave.
Keep going. I read every day, even though I don't post.
A blog is not a daily newsletter. If y'all feel like taking time off, then do so. And please log back in when the mood strikes.
To give you my view, I have created a 'Katrina' folder in my Favorites list. Your blog was always the first link I clicked in that folder. Even when circumstances dictated that you went a day or so, I'd still take the time to go back and re-read earlier posts.
Just today, I moved you to my 'BLOG' folder, because as I stated in an earlier comment, I am with y'all for the long haul.
Take care of you and yours,
John in NC
Now is the time where I am most interested in what you are doing and saying.
The mainstream press will move away from the reporting and I am afraid we will never hear the real story of what is going on there.
Don't stop writing and telling us and holding us accountable NOT to forget the folks in Mississippi who are still suffering.
I agree with these other comments. I have you in my newsreader, so I find out when you have posted something new (let the blogs come to me!). I don't want to forget the hurting, or the hope in rebuilding, that is happening there. I worked with children in Sri Lanka after the tsunami, and my heart is still strongly pulled by any reports I can get first-hand from there. I'm sure it is the same for so many people who read your news about a place so much closer to home.
No, No, No - it's uncool to quit... j/k There are still important stories to tell of the re-growth in your area.
I'm in California and found your blog after the 3rd or 4th post you'd made. Like others, I check daily.
What happens in your area over time is important to all of us who read your blog.
I know it can be a chore to keep up the blog, so don't feel compelled to update so often and then it won't be quite the chore for the two of you that it has been.
Keep up the good work.
Deb -
Cental California
It is my hope that you don't quit permanently. I understand taking breaks, but the others are right - you are telling the story that the media isn't any longer. When you were on the hit list for blogs, yours was the only one I kept up with. We need to not forget the upper Gulf Coast. It could have happened to us here in Houston.
Sciencelabgirl
It feels weird saying I enjoy reading your blog, I certainly don't "enjoy" learning of the devastation and unbelievable destruction, but seem compelled to come back to it day after day. I'm thankful there is still a source of "real" unbiased reporting going on down there.
As a native Mississippian, my family would take our summer vacations at "the coast." Much had changed there for me before Katrina hit, as I moved away before the casinos came, but it still holds a special place in my heart.
I remember SS Camille and gift shop clearly, funny the day I saw your picture I was just thinking, "wonder what happened to that ship?" :-)
I personally hope you keep up the great work, and can show us the rebuilding. I know there was too much devastation for there to be a "happy ending", but wouldn't it be great if the rest of the world can see how Mississippi pulled together and rebuilt from the Perfect Storm, again?
Do what you must, but know if you go your blog will be missed!
Keep it going....I read it everyday...PLEASE!!
I'm always stopping by, but never commenting. I didn't happen along this blog until after Katrina swept through. And I'm not sure if I've ever commented at all. But I've been very grateful for every bit of information I've received from this blog. Situations like this shouldn't be forgotten.
If you're beginning to feel pressure to only report on Katrina and Rita issues, then maybe you should mix this blog in with more personal issues in your daily life. It doesn't HAVE to be a hurricane related blog. It can evolve into somethin more personal to you and Mr. Cool..lol. Friendly banter between you two also shows a bit of the 'gettin back to normal'.
I have a blog discussing only my life, nothing important to anyone else in the world and I'll go for days without posting. Even the simple things are hard to constantly write about, let alone the big issues.
I would hate to see the blog shut down. Yes, because of the info I receive on the recovery efforts and other hurricane related issues, but also because I've come to look forward to coming on here and readin what's goin on in your lives as individuals - not only has reporters and photographers.
There ya go. I've never commented before, but since you asked...lol. I must've been saving all of this up for one big opinionated post :)
Thank you for writing!
I've been reading since the beginning. I really think that you guys need to keep going. If you shut it down, it makes it that much easier for those people that aren't directly affected by the hurricane to move past it and become apathetic. The American people are so quick to move on and shut their eyes. The fact that numbers are down just goes to show that. We need people like you to remind us what is happening down there and all of the work that still needs to happen. You've reported the disaster part, please don't leave us out of the rebuilding part.
Of course, you have to do what you have to do, and those of us who check this blog several times a day will understand that.
Hey, I've been reading your blog since the beginning, and I echo the sentiments of the other responses. What you're doing is really unique--you're personally AND publically processing a situation that doesn't fit into any of our mental categories. That said, it's important for you to reestablish a sense of normalcy in your lives. When you have limited mental and emotional energy, you have to make decisions about how to spend it. Maybe you need to take a break from the blog and invest your energy in your day-to-day lives. But we'll still be here the next time you feel like writing.
I check in everyday. This is where I find out what is really happening. Thanks for keeping us in touch.
Now is the time when your blog becomes even more important to those of us who live far away and are interested in the recovery.
Report the news that doesn't make it into the traditional outlets. Provide personal interest items. Reactions to business and government actions. And of course photographs - keep them coming.
Among the diaspora . . .
i have your blog on my bookmark list. i check it every morning when i get off work, so dont shut it off, i eat breakfast while reading it. if you shut it down, ill have less time to eat. and i find it interesting too. lol...hope things are getting better for yall.
Keep in mind that saying about how for every person you hear from there are ten who just think about doing it!
I read your blog on LiveJournal through the RSS feed, and it has made me feel like I know some of the REAL stuff going on down there!
Please keep this blog going. My husband and a friend are in Biloxi doing claims work and are out in the areas where damages are the worst daily. I worry about them and this is a way for me to sometimes even be able to tell them about a closed road or something. They don't have internet access and just limited reception for the little tv in the camper. So I read this and pass info along. Plus I feel a little better to hear what is really going on - even if it's bad or frustrating. So thanks and keep up the good work!
I come about every day and check to see if y'all have anything new to report.
By the way, do you know if Belle B'Anne (Alva Villa) in Pass Christian survived? I've looked at their for-sale website ever so often for over a year . . . I know I couldn't afford the house unless I won a mega-lottery -- but had fun looking at the videos (even if some details were a little over the top for my taste!).
Please keep posting all the info and stories that don't make it into the paper. Your blog provides a wealth of info and pictures that aren't found elsewhere. For those like me who are far from our family and friends on the Coast, your blog helps us keep our sanity.
Your blog is keeping the Gulfcoast in front of people so that they won't forget. It would be easy for us people on dry land to go on with our lives as if the Hurricanes never hit while you and all the other southern people continue to suffer daily. You are keeping us aware of what is going on down there, humbling us so that we are aware of the suffering that is going on, and reminding us that there are people out there that need our help as well as our prayers. Please keep the blog up. We are all reading you, even over here in Santa Rosa, California. Oh, and tell your friend that northern California has plenty of hot, single girls in case he ever wanted to take his vacation over this way...I'm just saying.
Bless you-CIF
of all the offers of help'
yours is the bestest.
I have checked in everyday since before the storm hit. It's been fascinating. Take a break if you need to but please don't stop. And do stay safe...
I'm in Jackson. Even though I'm semi-close to the coast, the local news does not cover things as you two present them. Who's right? My money is on you guys.
Please keep it up. Besides, maybe there will be a blog category for the new awards this year.
:D
HOWEVER, if you need to take a break for mental health sake, you should. I have you on my blog feeds, so I'm here for the long haul.
Hang in there, guys.
Please continue with the Blog! I dip into it probalby weekly and find it very useful, I've also 'lifted' stuff to post on my own blog and directed people to your Blog. Regarding the 'Blogs of Note' that works on a rolling program and anyway, the media always loses interest after a while. That's the joy of Blogging, together we can keep the real stories rolling.
I'd like to see more photos, and even interviews with people about how they're coming to terms with life after Katrina. Without your Blog and a few others related to Katrina I too would have moved on to the next story, but thankfully, Blogging helps us to follow through to see the real story and you guys have a key role to play in this!
Please be encouraged by the number of comments you've received.
I always check in over here. Keep it up please!
I have your syndicated link in my friend's list on Live Journal. So, I read your posts every time your publish one. I like seeing the pictures and reading what's going on on a personal level, especially since I am currently on the other side of the world.
I hope you don't quit. I think it is time for hope, not time yet to forget and move on.
If you need to stop for a bit, for your own sake, please do that. I only spent a week on the gulfcoast, and I am still mentally, emotionally and physically a bit off-kilter. I cannot imagine what you are feeling. That said, please come back. I left part of my heart in Mississippi, and up here in Wisconsin no one is covering the story anymore, except a bit about N.O. I hope to return with a work team sometime early next year. I will keep referencing you guys on my blog, and I also mentioned you in a story that will be coming out in my local paper this week.
I've been reading since the beginning, and I feel like I know you guys. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Miss Hobby said it best, but here's my two cents worth...
I've been reading your blog from the beginning and I feel that if you need to take a break, then fine. However, as long as you think that there are important or even insignificant things to say; keep it going. Just know that there are others that care about what happens to you and everyone else there during this long recovery period.
I found this blog shortly after Katrina went through, and its been a regular visit when I get online every day. I love getting the inside story, of what's REALLY happening, because God knows we can't get it from the news. I'd miss you guys if you disappeared, but I can understand the desire to stop dealing with it all. If you DO give it up--thanks for all the dedication while you had it. It kept a lot of us informed, when we had nothing else to go on.
-Natalie (Pittsburgh, PA)
Oh, guys, please don't quit entirely. I check this blog every day. If you need breaks, take them, fine, but don't quit. What you're doing is too important.
Tell Keller that there are plenty of fine women in Missouri. If you prefer gorgeous and witty, we've got them.
I'm still reading.
You can tell by the number of comments on your sight that people love your writings and pictures. And I agree with all of them. I found your sight right in the beginning and have been following it daily. We received news that we would not have see, if it wasn't for you.....Thank you! So if your leaving it up to us, we would all say STAY....but take a break now and then.....we'll still be here waiting for your next post.
Please don't stop posting, I have found so much more from you guys how life is for my family in Biloxi, you are the only ones still focusing on that area. I have been able to give them info that they didn't have access to locally. I understand that you guys may feel the need to move on, but, I have mentioned before how much it has meant to me that you have told so much about the damage in the area. It took 3 days before my family could contact me after the storm, but, I was able to keep my sanity by reading your blogs. I would think that now that casinos have been ok'd inland, there would be lots of things to report as all of the building takes place where beautiful homes once stood. Thanks
Please keep the blog going!! I check it everyday. I have alot of family in the area and have vacationed in the Biloxi area several times. I feel like I'm reading about home. The national attention has gone on to other things and I want to follow the gulf coast recovery for how every long it takes.
Think you already see the overwhelming response, we all read your blog.
I think one of the key comments someone made is - now is when people elsewhere start forgetting. You help us remember. I find it VERY upsetting that less then a year ago hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives in the Tsunami and we hear nothing more about it.
Your blog helps the rest of our nation (and world) not get off so easily in forgetting - we have a continuing responsibility to know, help, feel and educate. Your blog helps me do that.
Daily Reader
Jenn
ditto
Yes
All of the above.
If you quit, we all lose one real window on a special place the media has forgotten about. Even if it's just once a week, an update of what you saw that week, what you heard, what went on...it's more important to a lot of us than you realize.
i check everyday - since the beginning. but i can understand your reasons, if you do stop posting! ;)
Wishing you all the BEST!
A~
Please continue....
Lest we forget.
I read everyday and there are so many stories to be told that the media will not be telling because they have moved on to today's news.
just found you so don't stop now...
Just wanted to let you know that I read your blog everyday. The news isn't reporting much these days and its nice to read about the aftermath. I wish someone had a blog like this for the tsunami because I'd like to read about the aftermath from that. Take a break if you need to, but I'm one that will check back often.
The blog is great, especially the photos. I've tuned in almost daily since the beginning. The info you provided when all communications were down made me a loyal supporter. I think the Sunherald should pay you to blog for them! The more informal observations are often more valuable than the news articles. You do a fantastic job.
I think you should go ahead and quit, the people reading are obviously not interested in anything you have to say. LOL if you were looking for a pep talk, I think you have 50 comments worth. I have read the whole thing and love it. I feel very connected to the Miss. area and I am horrified by all the N.O. coverage when Mississippians have NOTHING! They need to shift the cameras!! Keep it real, share the rebuilding stories, expose the Red Cross, and keep the awesome photos coming-you have a heart for people and it comes through. Mike doesn't, that is why he wants to quit. Don't let the good time man talk you out of a good thing. ( :
Keep going - please. I read every day and see this as my glimpse into the truth. The media is already moving away from this story, and I've seen them even back peddle on some of their previous (and more honest) stories. This blog respresents what journalism is meant to be, which is reporting the facts (instead of the political crap we're usually fed).
Take a break if you need to - we all get vacations. But please, do come back and let us see the truth.
You can't stop now. I check in daily to see what the two of you have been up to, we all feel like we know you. We have laughed with you and we have cried with you... My heart goes out to everyone down there. May God bless you all!
Mike and Josh
you need to keep this blog going to make sure people keep on hearing about this so that they don't forget about helping as time passes by. right now things are fresh in people's minds but soon this will be just an after thought in history . i agree perspective on life is one of aspects of this tsunami relief is perfect example we don't hear about it any more and i feel keeping this in fore front is of out most importance because you all will need help rebuilding for a long time . plus i feel like i found new friends here through this blog. keep on and have faith that what you're doing is making a difference. hugs to both of you.
Plus all focus seems to be on New Orleans and the mississippi coast seems sort of forgotten in this . thanks to you guys we are reminded that there's more to story then just orleans .
I have been reading your blog every day since the storm hit. I'm a native Ocean Springsian (now living in Atlanta) and much of my family still lives in the Biloxi/OS area. This blog has kept me in touch with what is going on in my hometown in a way that reading the articles Sun Herald online does not (which I also do regularly). Your blog helps me understand what everyone is going through on a day to day basis that I haven't been able to find anywhere else, so thank you for that.
If you continue the blog, I'll keep reading, but if you decide to stop, thank you for everything both of you have written here over the past month. With all the national media focusing on NOLA, it's been helpful to have more immediate info from the MS coast.
Although I don't always comment, I read your blog every day. It's a bit of a glimpse of what seems like another world. I think in part, it keeps me thankful for the things I have and makes me pray a little harder so those less fortunate, will gain a little more. Keep writing..I'll keep reading.
I live in Ohio and I am still reading. I watch the national news daily and think don't drop the hurricane news. It is easy for people this far north to forget about it. I for one, don't intend to do that. This blog is a reality check for us northerners. I wish more people knew about it. Aside from praying and donating money - there's not much I can do. I don't intend to forget all of you people who are living through it on a daily basis. I honestly cannot imagine.
Please keep blogging. I am in Arlington, VA and read your blog regularly to get the perspective of a real person actually living in the affected area. Without blogs like yours my only information would come through the filter of the national news media. They have already started moving on to the next BIG STORY. Please continue telling us what is REALLY going on.
Cool guys blog! Please don't quit. The Gulf Coast has always been one of my favorite places and this blog has been one of the ways I've kept up with what's what down there. I do appreciate all ya'll have done.
Stay the Course!!! Im up in Philadelphia Pa and check this site every night for updated info as i have many relatives and friends that live in the Gulfport area that were and remain affected by that Hurricane Katrina and if not for you id not have know the extent to which they and you all have suffered!!
i agree with everyone else. the national media has basically dropped mississippi from the news radar, and you and a few like you are the only way we know what is really happening down there. as long as you keep posting we wil be here to read.
Please keep it going... you are using your gifts of talent to make a difference, by bringing the photos and stories of the survivors of Katrina to the world. I don't know you personally, but you have managed to touch my life directly by bringing me closer to the people who were directly affected by Katrina.
You are bringing to us first-hand what the general media isn't showing us, bringing the whole disaster a little closer to home, since we seem so far removed here in New Jersey.
For me, after seeing and reading your stories and insights, and getting the "bigger" picture, it will help me determine what, if anything, we can do from here to make a difference. I don't want to just settle for dropping a couple of anonymous dollars to the relief organizations. I'm motivated to do something more and to inspire others to do something too. What it is exactly that we can do, I don't know yet, I just need to keep reading what you guys are writing to try to find the answer...
One thing, after reading your blog for the first time, it inspired me to start my own blog and I've linked your blog. A lot of folks do care about you and you do make a difference...
Ditto everyone else...I read every day even though I've never posted.
I grew up in Long Beach and this blog is the only thing that keeps me informed on the reality of the situation across my "hometown" of the coast. I will admit that had I been there for the storm, I probably wouldn't still be there now, so if you feel the need to move on, by all means. It's completely understandable to want to get past the destruction....but you have done so much more, and much more admirably than the rest of the media, in your honest reporting and that aspect will be sorely missed. Thank you anyway for all that you've done.
I check your blog once a day. Over the next few months, I am going to be especially interested in any reporting you do on the new housing going up (another classic no-bid federal contract), and how that gets assigned to people.
For whatever reason, I don't find news reports of the area terribly compelling. I find the "we drove around today and this is what we saw" to be much more interesting.
I never post, but am compelled to this time. (I usually don't even read blogs.) I want to encourage you to continue. As many have said, the national media is already "moving on" and you provide the continued on-the-ground coverage. Plus, your writing style and photos are excellent.
Keep it going. This is blog is so wonderful in that you get news and feelings about what is happening in an underreported region by the national news.
Good afternoon,
Chill out for a few days then see how you feel. I hope you do not quit, but if you do I would not be upset at you.
If you bailed out now you have made a huge contribution to all of us. Thank you.
I think you should keep blogging. We need to hear those stories that you've yet to post. We need to hear what won't be printed in the paper. Those of us in central MS are getting a VERY different story than what you're telling.
Whatever you decide to do, your blog has been a godsend to those who care about your plight.
I left my favorite leather jacket at Steve's Marina Restaurant in Long Beach years ago on my honeymoon. The staff kept it until I was finally able to track it down. I've been hoping they all survived.
I'm a carpenter, and I would happily volunteer to help with the rebuilding effort if I knew of anywhere to stay.
Which is one of the many reasons I check your blog.
Best wishes.
Ian Golding
I'm from Gulfport and have family still there - I also used to work at the Sun Herald, In fact, I remember a day a long long time ago when we voted on the new name and it went from the Daily Herald to the Sun Herald. So, I could really picture where you were while you were listening to that scanner. You guys were our only source of information for a long time when we were out of our minds with worry and couldn't make any contact with home. Thank you very much for your honest and amusing reports. I have the early ones printed and in a scrap book. I log on every day just to hear what you have to say - Its good stuff and your viewpoint is fresh and honest
THANKS
Please continue! I've been reading from the beginning as well. My mom's apartment was at Arbor Station in Long Beach-it is a slab now. My sister lives on the Seabee base, and they are making her move thanks to mold in the home. You guys are my only source to find out what is really going on down there. Your photos have made me cry my eyes out, and your stories have helped us with important info.
Please continue...PLEASE!
I think you should continue the blog when you can. People need to know what is going on, what the reality is for those who are living it. It will be a long time before your area of the country is truly liveable again, and I think we all need to be reminded that while we in other parts of the country are dry and our cities are intact, that's not the case in your neck of the woods. Keep the info coming!
Peace,
Cheesy
Keep going.
Keller's being a bitch. The women will return. An attitude adjustment might help for him. Most women aren't attracted to the "nobody likes me, I have no purpose, I'm depressed, I'm going to cry" moper, which might explain why he's dateless.
This beats the cable and network news coverage hands down. Don't stop.
Don't quit. Your blog is one of my favorites. I use bloglines to track your updates and see that there are 22 other subscribers through bloglines for your blog.
You should know my reply to your blog question....I read the emotions you share everyday. My question to you is....is it just the blog or is life so terrible there that you may actually be thinking of leaving the coast entirely? I've posted once before stating that I'm from Gulfport living in Charleston, SC and reading your life in my hometown has made me feel that I'm "home". Please don't become a victim of this terrible situation, do what you must for your mental health but remember that you contribute so much to "our" mental health. Thank you guys!
There are dateable women a few hours away.
One happens to have a thing for guys who write.
*cough*
I'll be the 87th to thank you and tell you to keep it up as long as you can. There are so many stories and photos to uncover still.
Your blog is very important to anyone reading it. Please continue. I'm not ready for you to quit blogging. You're the only real news coming out of MS that isn't edited.
Thank you.
Josh and Mike, you two are doing a damn fine job of journaling. Please don't stop.
From South Florida
PS:
You are a daily read to me.. I do have a question. Seeing the news, they're saying that Real Estate has become prime property, and prices have sky rocketed there. Is that true? And Josh, have you found a place to live yet?
From South Florida
I check you guys out but I don't usually comment, mostly because there are enough others - please either continue online, or keep PC or Paper journals. All of this is needed for the future.
Historians will tell you that a valuable insight into the past are the diaries that people kept. In this day and age people are doing it via blogging and saving it electronically. But will all of this be saved?
I check it everyday and have sent links to many of my co-workers. My Aunt went to NO with an animal rescue team and we've adopted one of the abandoned puppies. She's quite a survivor. Please keep the blog going. The news has stopped reporting the day-to-day reality and we need to hear the truth from you guys. Thanks
I say continue on at your own pace.
I love having real reporting from the area, but not at the cost of another human’s life or sanity. Your blog has been the main source of info for me as to what is going on down south, I turned off all the big corporate TV stations and just read ya’ll and the Sun Herald. I felt and still feel better. This is my home state and she has been hurt badly, I am proud to see two fellow Mississippians telling the truth and keeping it "real" at a time when money and rating Hungry idiots are running around spouting off the first things they hear and think of.
Thank you both immensely for the work you have done. Your state and your fellow Mississippians will never be able to thank you enough.
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