Cities Of The Dead: Madisonville Cemetery, Madisonville

 In a Fall Festival mood, I head over to Madisonville, Louisiana. Even though I wasn't allowed to pick a pumpkin in their pumpkin patch (kids only), I did find a beautiful and historic cemetery on the Tchefuncte River. This cemetery is order than the Louisiana Purchase and contains as many as 200 unmarked graves. The city is in the process of restoring the grounds. 

Cities Of The Dead: St. Louis Cemetery No. 2, New Orleans (Treme) - All Three Parts

 This may be one of my favorite cemeteries in the city, and it's one of the oldest. So old in fact, that the cemetery is equal parts unprovable lore, architecturally unparalleled, and infamous. This is that cemetery that Misfits fans speak of, the one that Marie Laveau's descendants call home, and the one where New Orleans' greatest musicians finally rest. You won't find a more culturally rich resting place in New Orleans, and this cemetery, stretched across three city blocks, is not the tourist-friendly mecca that it's predecessor claims. Though safer than it was a few short years ago, it's extremely high walls, and towering tombs can present the kind of privacy New Orleans residents are wary of. Much like St. Louis No. 1, many of the city's oldest families rest here, placards in French are the norm. This was the outer edge of the city at one time, what lay beyond it's walls was nothing more than swamp. If you are headed east on I-10, you've seen the crumbling society tombs outside the right window; and there have been those nights when you passed by, that you swear you saw lights or figures moving about the maze of tombs. Maybe it was Danzig; maybe it was spirits...

Here are all 3 Parts of this visit:

Cities Of The Dead: Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans (Garden District)

In terms of New Orleans cemeteries with a touch of notoriety, or let's say, celebrity status, I would argue that Lafayette No 1 is a red-carpet, a-lister. Featured in countless television series (don't see NCIS: New Orleans), and many Hollywood and indie films, and perhaps most famously, the home for Lestat's tomb in "Interview With The Vampire". The cemetery is a short walk from her former New Orleans home in The Garden District of New Orleans. It's a safe, picturesque, tourist-friendly location that is nestled amongst mansions and the acclaimed Commander's Palace. I visited on the eve of the cemetery's closure, so there were a lot of people getting in one last walk through.

 

End Of The Line

 Here I am, on my fourth day of unemployment, and I feel like I've been pushed off a cliff - a fall I survived, but I am in no condition to climb out of. I was fully aware that the arrival of 2021 wasn't likely to be a gateway to something greater; I was fully expecting the end of my career, but I wasn't prepared for more abuse or betrayal. 

I found out on the 14th that the 22nd was going to be my end. Mind you, I had been inquiring all the way back in November what was happening and when. In the standard, careless act of indifference, the message was presented to me in a one-line email from the woman that had hired me for the position. I used my "week" to apply for the one position I could find that I think I had the skillset for, and might mean I could keep my rate of pay. Thankfully, the hiring manager for that position granted me an hour-long interview on my final day. It went okay, maybe a 5 out of 10, I am supposed to learn this week if I made it to Round 2 of the interview process. Logistically, it seems very unlikely that my former employer would be open in allowing me to pursue that path. First: as of this past Monday, I am a former employee, and I will be receiving a payout of my vacation time. If I did get "rehired", what happens to that? Do I pay back 200 hours of vacation, or do I simply have no vacation time? What if I quit before I earned another 200 hours of vacation, the employer certainly is not going to be okay with losing that money. How would they get it back? Second: I'm collecting severance. That, too, would need to be paid back. So, how long would I work without any income? That's a complication no one wants to deal with. Third: Learning curve. When it suits the employer, nothing is too great a task or difficulty, but when it benefits the employee, it's a detriment and counts against you. Despite proving myself a success in learning an entirely new skillset over the past five months, I guess, that was a fluke?!  In addition to the position I did apply for, there was supposed to be an effort between my hiring manager and the manager of another department to find me a suitable role. This dialogue, "supposedly" went on for weeks, but as of this writing, I have not heard word one from that department manager. More lies? More indifference? It feels, at the very least, like more of the same.

With all of that said, I am thankful. I could have been out of work mid-August, and looking at my severance to run out in early November. As it is - I remained employed through Christmas, into January and my 401k is untouched, and my severance will keep me covered until mid-April. I plan to go on COBRA, so at the very least if I get sick, I can get help. I just now have the monumental task of figuring out how to make $60K+ per year walking in the door somewhere, when jobs are so scarce and there's a pandemic. Employers have all the power at the moment and can afford to be selective.

I really don't know what's next. Aside from going to Florida for funerals, and the power outage resulting from Hurricane Zeta - I haven't had a vacation in nearly a year. I floated with maxed out vacation time for nine months; first because we were in a pandemic and I was an essential employee, and then because it was part of the agreement I made to take the temporary position, and mostly because I wanted the maximum payout of my time on my final check. But again, here I am, now four days down - and I've done little more than buy the rarest of king cakes and be a chauffer. Should I find a $15/hour job and keep making money while I get severance? Should I just actively look until I find something and hopefully do so before the end of severance, and if not, rely on unemployment? I just don't know. It seems like some money is better than no money - but wouldn't I also risk jeopardizing what I could make on unemployment if I take a low paying job? 

Listening to: Mike Lindell Bury Himself on Anderson Cooper 360

Cities Of The Dead: Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, Louisiana

Probably the most iconic cemetery in New Orleans other than the infamous St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. This cemetery features some of New Orleans' most illustrious and wealthy family tombs in the city. Elaborate and ornate family crypts can be found throughout the entire cemetery, as famous for its hauntings as it's architecture. This is my first recording, a Part One, if you will...