new orleans: i made it!

[greta]

well, i've been in new orleans for over a week now. it's starting to sink in that i'm not just here for a visit...

all in all, the move went very smoothly. we packed my car (we decided to try to make due with only one car, and our bikes) as full as possible, and off we went. we left on a wednesday afternoon from long island, and arrived in new orleans on friday early morning 1:00.

fortunately my DH loves the apartment i picked out, and we both are very happy with the area. it's very convenient to his job, and to most things we need/like to do. we've been biking, running, SWEATING, it's been great! actually, we got here a few days before the tropical storm--bill came thru, and it has been relatively cool for new orleans (so i'm told).

the ONLY big drawback so far has been ROACHES!!!!! we have them, and they are a b**ch to get rid of...the first day i was here, we went to the local coffee shop and i asked the guy behind the counter if he knew the best way to get rid of them. he was amazed that i never had a roach problem before. well, as soon as i asked him about it 3 people came up and gave me their best solutions. one lady gave me her number b/c she had a "cookie dough" recipe that she swore by. well, after a couple of fumbles w/ the wrong kind of boric acid, the wrong recipe, we made the "right" recipe last night. we woke up to 3 dead roaches...we're hoping this will get rid of them! i saw a couple of live ones today, but may be it will just take a few days?...EEK.

for someone who really enjoys cooking, roaches are a huge bummer. i completely lose my appetite and desire to cook when i see one crawling around. fortunately my husband is a good sport, and they don't seem to bother him as much as me.

so, again, a big thanks to all of you who helped me along this journey. i look forward to seeing some of you soon!

homesick, but happy,
greta

[dixie]

Maybe it will make you feel better to call them "palmetto bugs". Roaches in coastal areas somehow turn into palmetto bugs which doesn't sound nearly as nasty...good luck!

[Robyncz]

Oh man. I forgot about he palmetto bugs in New Orleans. Yech! I think I got used to them after a while, but I haven't missed them a bit since I've been gone. I think in the 13 years since I left Tulane, I've probably seen 5 roaches, and all of them together didn't add up to the size of those New Orleans monsters. Ugggggh!

[Little Bit]

In my experience, roaches are a fact of life in the Deep South. Kid yourself that they aren't a problem to be regularly sprayed for, and you'll wake up with 'em fighting for their share of the covers, even in a new house.

I'm of the opinion that the only good roach is a dead one, so happily recommend Bengal brand roach spray. Spray it along the baseboards (into the crack between the wall and the floor) and around/under any and all sinks or other sources of water. Bengal comes with a tiny little tube to attach to the spray nozzle that helps get the stuff in between the cracks.

Roaches live in tight spaces, so that's where the poison needs to be. (read Kafka's Metamorphosis for more than you ever wanted to think about roach-wise.)

Welcome to the sweaty south. :) :) It really isn't much consolation to note that this June was one of the coolest we've had in recent years, but better some consolation than none at all, lol! :) :)

[kwormann]

...and if they ARE the large palmetto bug kind, be fore warned they FLY!!!! You dont want to be surprised by that kind of thing!

My first experience with one was when we first moved here and came home to our cat sreaming in the next room. SHe was looking at one on the wall and was NOT happy! ALso, they arent like the ones up north that are after your food (from what Ive been told and am choosing to trust:))

[Leisa M]

I HATE roaches. No matter what kind. When I was in college the dorm I was in had roaches. To make it doubly hard, when they sprayed they only sprayed every other room:eek:

I had the room next to the laundry room so they were really bad. I happended to mention this to my grandmother and she told me about something that really worked (have forgotten the name since then) It was a light blueish/white powder that came in a yellow can.

My dad made up a sprayer and sprayed that stuff all over and then put it along the baseboards as well with a spoon. I never saw another roach and never had to worry about having my room sprayed again:D

[sunberst]

i never knew roaches were such a big problem in the south, but i noticed it when i was in new orleans 2 weeks ago. while walking down a sidewalk in the middle of the day, a HUGE one walked right over my foot! and i was wearing sandals!

despite that, i hope you enjoy your new home & stay cool down there! i couldnt understand how all those people were sitting outside at cafe du monde drinking HOT coffee in the middle of the HOT day. my body cannot handle that! iced cafe au lait for me!

[gertdog]

Greta-

I don't have anything to add about the roaches except EWWWW! :eek:

But I'm really glad to hear you've arrived, gotten settled, and are happy with the apartment- good to see you here again! :)

Stephanie

[phantomcg]

Greta - I'm glad to hear that you and DH are getting settled in. I know how you feel about the roaches (sorry - palmetto bugs :D ). I remember the first time I saw one of them when I was living in Alabama - I could not believe that a roach could be so big!! I guess the roaches here in Michigan spend too much energy on trying to keep warm to grow.

DH and I are still planning on being in New Orleans August 8 - 15th - I'll get in touch with you closer to then to see if we are able to get together while I'm there.

Cheryl

[Beth]

You can sprinkle boric acid powder around the back of cabinets, cracks to the outside (especially under the sink and DW), outside doorways. It is less noxious and less expensive than the sprays and string chemicals, but you want to sweep it into cracks and not have it where it can get tracked or licked up by pets or get into your food.

Thes big guys usually live outdoors, so look for cracks where they can enter -- like doors, windows that don't shut tight, openings aroung pipes under the sink, fireplaces, etc. And if you ever find one in your bathtub -- they practically melt in hot water. My revenge after having one fly in my face! :mad:

[KathrynY]

Greta, I'm glad you're getting settled in. Sorry to hear about the roaches :( - I'd be freaked out too. Will you be looking for work, or going to school yourself? I hope you meet some friends soon, and feel more at home after a while. :)

[greta]

i've been trying to think of the roaches as palmetto bugs the last couple of days, but then i see one and i realize they look to nasty to be called something as nice as palmetto! ;)

the "cookie dough" (boric acid, shortening, sugar, flour, onion, milk) has killed quite a few of them, but some of those buggers are VERY persistant.

kathryn, you asked the question of the day! my DH and i have been talking about my plans of school v. work. i applied to graduate school at UVa, but realized that we really wanted this year together--it's the first time we're living alone together. unfortunately, there are no graduate programs here that are suitable for me, which means i won't be starting graduate school for another year. i will probably just look for a job just to make some money--i'd love to work for an international NGO, but unfortunately there are none of those here. our trip to kashmir has been pushed up to mid august--we leave in a month. i'm very excited, but it does make the job search a bit more difficult. "hi, i'd love to work for you but i need a month off!" ;)

cheryl, i will be around the first couple of days while you're here, then we are heading for india. still hope to see you though!

and thanks to all of you for the roache/palmetto bug advice! i'm sure i'll be using ALL of your suggestions.