Happy Summer everyone!

I'm writing from dear old Michigan. I apologize for my absence - since school ended I tried to take a break from the computer. (My eyesight is officially worse as a result of my last year. Boo.)

These last few weeks have been full of good things. I had tons of fun in Philly before flying to Chicago for my sister's graduation from medical school. We had a party there with all my cousins including bocce ball and running bases. To use a phrase from old days: "good times." Since getting back to the D I've met up with old friends and just generally chilled out. I love Detroit in the summer and am sincerely sad that I can't stay longer. Alas, adventures await.

I forgot to mention I got a job. Although it was so late in the game, it was worth the wait. I'm going back to New Orleans for the summer. Hurray! I leave at the end of this week. So if you need a vacation come stay with me. I promise it's the most magical place you'll ever visit.

What will I be doing there? I'm working with Neighborhood Housing Services through the Rockefeller Foundation. We'll be in a neighborhood with some pretty diverse residents (very wealthy and very poor) so our job will be to build consensus among these different stakeholders to create plans which benefit everyone, and ultimately prevent gentrification. Rents in New Orleans are actually pretty high (on par with Philadelphia or Chicago) due to the low supply, so another part of my job will be to track down the owners of abandoned or vacant properties, convince them to sell to NHS, and then rebuild those houses to give back to displaced residents. Finally I'll be doing some urban design work as well as general design stuff in CS3. So that's cool. I'm psyched.

Despite my overwhelming love for that city, I'm a little wary of spending a summer there. It's currently a mild 90 degrees, and it's only May. July's heat and the swampy mosquitoes might make it a city less pleasant than the one I visited in March. Oh well. When I talked to my boss about job specifics he asked if I was bringing a car. I said probably not. He said it might be a good idea "for groceries, or when it rains, or for evacuation purposes." Oh yeah. Hurricanes. I forgot about that. I naively feel like the worst hurricane already hit New Orleans. They can't get any more for a while right? Duh.

Anyway, as Isaac pointed out, I'll have to think of a clever interim name for my blog seeing as I won't be in Philly anymore. Suggestions appreciated.

I hope you're all having wonderful summer breaks, vacations, adventures, or at least learning a lot in studies and/or work.

Much love dear friends,
-k