Manny Velasco - The LA Flood Project (sitios de interés)
Descripción del sitio
Union Station
Stage 1:
Journal entry – Wednesday, 7:18 a.m., Union Station, Amtrak 564, Los Angeles to San Diego
My creative writing prof says that starting a journal will help me “get the juices flowing” as he puts it. Seems like a bunch of pendejo MFA bullshit to me. But I do need something to get over this writer’s block. I can’t get past chapter one on my novel. I mean, the Great American Novel. Anyway, at least for now, journal writing is it since ain’t nothin’ else is working. So here goes…let the words flow into this little journal I bought from Target. Target. Target. Target. Tar-Jay. What should I write about? What, what, what? Okay, when in doubt, write the obvious. What’s happening right now? How do I feel? Shit like that. Well, my ass is whipped. Got up at 4:45 a.m. to leave the house by 6:00 so I wouldn’t miss my 7:20 Amtrak out of Union Station. Because even at that time in the morning, when it rains, the 101 sucks big time. I have to go down to San Diego once a week to supervise my group of attorneys and paralegals. That’s on top of the folks I supervise in the Reagan Building in downtown L.A. I’ve got a good group of people in both cities. But this weekly travel takes a big bite out of my schedule. Glad I got a seat. It's pretty crowded today for some reason. Man, look at that rain! I’ve never seen it come down like this. I’m glad Sarah and Josh are in Tucson for the week with my abuela Carmen. Anyway, the train should head out in a couple minutes. Okay, so I wrote something. Juices have done flowed. Flowed like shit. Rivers and rivers of shit. Time to check my Blackberry.
Stage 2:
Journal entry – Wednesday, 8:20 a.m., Union Station, Amtrak 564, Los Angeles to San Diego
This pinche rain. We’ve been sitting here for an hour, not moving. The conductor says that the tracks in Anaheim are underwater so the trains are backed up all the way to Fullerton and we can’t move until the water recedes, which she hopes is soon. Never happened before, she says. One for the history books. Once in a lifetime downpour. Great. She says that luckily our train sits on an elevated part of the tracks here in Union Station. So, the water just flows down. But at this rate, I won’t get into San Diego until 11:30 or so. The day will be half gone. Then I’ll catch the 5:55 back to L.A. If we don’t leave soon, I’m going to get off this damn train, get my car from the parking lot, and drive down to San Diego. Dear journal, want to know how I feel? I am pissed, that’s how I feel. Big time pissed.
Stage 3:
Journal entry – Wednesday, 10:55 a.m., Union Station, Amtrak 564, Los Angeles to San Diego
Oh, God. They won’t let us off the train because there’s nohwere to go. Downtown L.A. is underwater. The conductor is crying like crazy, she’s totally lost it. Just two minutes ago, she announced that the rain has flooded everything from L.A. to Orange County. It’s all under water, almost ten feet, she said. Before my Blackberry stopped working, I checked CNN and apparently the rest of the country is just fine. In fact, there’s a nationwide drought, but not here. A few passengers are still getting signals but they won’t let anyone else use their phones. There’s going to be a riot on this train if people don’t calm down. Thank God Sarah and Josh are in Arizona. The rain just keeps coming. Oh, oh. Oh shit! The water is up to the platform and inching up to our tracks! God, will the rain stop? Will it?
-- DO
Stage 1:
Journal entry – Wednesday, 7:18 a.m., Union Station, Amtrak 564, Los Angeles to San Diego
My creative writing prof says that starting a journal will help me “get the juices flowing” as he puts it. Seems like a bunch of pendejo MFA bullshit to me. But I do need something to get over this writer’s block. I can’t get past chapter one on my novel. I mean, the Great American Novel. Anyway, at least for now, journal writing is it since ain’t nothin’ else is working. So here goes…let the words flow into this little journal I bought from Target. Target. Target. Target. Tar-Jay. What should I write about? What, what, what? Okay, when in doubt, write the obvious. What’s happening right now? How do I feel? Shit like that. Well, my ass is whipped. Got up at 4:45 a.m. to leave the house by 6:00 so I wouldn’t miss my 7:20 Amtrak out of Union Station. Because even at that time in the morning, when it rains, the 101 sucks big time. I have to go down to San Diego once a week to supervise my group of attorneys and paralegals. That’s on top of the folks I supervise in the Reagan Building in downtown L.A. I’ve got a good group of people in both cities. But this weekly travel takes a big bite out of my schedule. Glad I got a seat. It's pretty crowded today for some reason. Man, look at that rain! I’ve never seen it come down like this. I’m glad Sarah and Josh are in Tucson for the week with my abuela Carmen. Anyway, the train should head out in a couple minutes. Okay, so I wrote something. Juices have done flowed. Flowed like shit. Rivers and rivers of shit. Time to check my Blackberry.
Stage 2:
Journal entry – Wednesday, 8:20 a.m., Union Station, Amtrak 564, Los Angeles to San Diego
This pinche rain. We’ve been sitting here for an hour, not moving. The conductor says that the tracks in Anaheim are underwater so the trains are backed up all the way to Fullerton and we can’t move until the water recedes, which she hopes is soon. Never happened before, she says. One for the history books. Once in a lifetime downpour. Great. She says that luckily our train sits on an elevated part of the tracks here in Union Station. So, the water just flows down. But at this rate, I won’t get into San Diego until 11:30 or so. The day will be half gone. Then I’ll catch the 5:55 back to L.A. If we don’t leave soon, I’m going to get off this damn train, get my car from the parking lot, and drive down to San Diego. Dear journal, want to know how I feel? I am pissed, that’s how I feel. Big time pissed.
Stage 3:
Journal entry – Wednesday, 10:55 a.m., Union Station, Amtrak 564, Los Angeles to San Diego
Oh, God. They won’t let us off the train because there’s nohwere to go. Downtown L.A. is underwater. The conductor is crying like crazy, she’s totally lost it. Just two minutes ago, she announced that the rain has flooded everything from L.A. to Orange County. It’s all under water, almost ten feet, she said. Before my Blackberry stopped working, I checked CNN and apparently the rest of the country is just fine. In fact, there’s a nationwide drought, but not here. A few passengers are still getting signals but they won’t let anyone else use their phones. There’s going to be a riot on this train if people don’t calm down. Thank God Sarah and Josh are in Arizona. The rain just keeps coming. Oh, oh. Oh shit! The water is up to the platform and inching up to our tracks! God, will the rain stop? Will it?
-- DO