A beachgoer in Perdido Key, Florida Summer 2017 |
Stones of Erasmus — Just plain good writing, teaching, thinking, doing, making, being, dreaming, seeing, feeling, building, creating, reading
11.8.17
Summer in Perdido Key: Belly Beach Parade
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
10.8.17
Throwback Thursday: Pet Hamsters Were All the Rage (and My Pet Hamster Hails from Another Dimension)
As a child, my little brother (pictured above) and
I believed that our pet hamster Hammie controlled
an interdimensional portal between Earth and wherever
Hammie lived (we never asked).
|
I swear to God - Hammie the Hamster lived for a good six or seven years. But it felt like she was always around. She lived from like 1989 to God knows when - how many times did we release her into the yard to nibble - and store! - clover?
You see - Hammie was a magical creature.
My younger brother and I created our own made-up mythology - partly based on Noozles - an animated series that ran on the children's cable television network Nickelodeon - the show featured hidden portals and an interdimensional wizard koala that ends up in our world. Instead of koalas, my brother and I made Hammie the star!
Hence the longevity. And the adoration.
Labels:
brother,
family photograph,
Hamster,
imagination,
Journal & Rants,
noozles,
pets,
pics
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
9.8.17
Amtrak's Scenic Journey: Speeding Along Lake Pontchartrain to Slidell
Experience the captivating speed of Amtrak's Crescent along Lake Pontchartrain to Slidell in a fast-action video journey.
As the morning sun casts its golden hues over Lake Pontchartrain, the Amtrak Crescent (Train #20) embarks on a mesmerizing journey. The scene unfolds in a captivating fast-action video, where the train, a silver streak, hugs the lake's edge on its route to Slidell, Louisiana.
The video is a vibrant dance of motion and stillness. Lake Pontchartrain lies serene, a vast expanse of tranquility, contrasting with the train's brisk pace. Through the lens of an iPhone's fast-action feature, viewers are transported into a world where time seems to bend — the train speeds along, yet the lake's gentle ripples move languidly, untouched by the rush.
This juxtaposition offers a unique perspective on travel and nature's calm. It's a reminder of the fleeting moments we often overlook in our fast-paced lives. As educators, we can use this video to inspire discussions about the beauty of nature, the marvels of modern transportation, and the importance of mindfulness in appreciating our surroundings.
This journey along Lake Pontchartrain, a natural treasure of Louisiana, becomes more than just a route; it transforms into a visual poem, celebrating the harmony between man-made wonders and the grace of the natural world.
Labels:
Goodbye,
louisiana,
louisianatravel
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
Eating a Beignet in New Orleans: Classic Portrait Photography
A photo of a cousin’s friend eating a beignet at the Café du Monde in the old casino building in New Orleans’s City Park.
I was home for the Summer. We went to the Café du Monde in City Park 🌃. A kid eats a beignet with glee. One rule when eating a New Orleans-style powdered fried cake - always eat it with glee.
Labels:
beignet,
boy,
city park,
cousin,
food,
french,
friends,
louisiana,
louisianatravel,
new orleans,
park,
photo,
smile,
travel
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
3.8.17
Throwback Thursday: Family Vacation Photograph from A July Summer of 1984 Trip to Destin, Florida
My Brother (to the right) and I in Destin, Florida circa July 1984 |
Somewhere in the 1980s, my parents made me wear floaties as I learned to swim. Read more about it right here, on my writer's blog Stones of Erasmus!
That's pretty much how it went down for the "Roselli - July 1984" beach vacation. Except I was eating Planters brand cocktail peanuts - and that's my older brother in the photograph, not my younger sibling. And look. He's attempting to give me bunny ears. I'm clueless.
Mom says we jumped on the bed. But there's no photograph of that.
And no one can confirm it's Destin. But I don't care. I'd like to think that there's a six-year old me floating in some beachside pool in Destin - the State-of-everlasting-beach-vacations, Florida.
And ohhhh. I found the floaties. And look at me chomping on those Sour Cream and Onion Ruffles brand potato chips.
Wear Your Floaties! |
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
2.8.17
Transcript of a Dream (from Beijing)
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
1.8.17
"On Evil" - A Brief Reflection on Theodicy
I am not sure how I first became interested in evil. Maybe it was the repetition of the line in grade school from the Lord's Prayer, "deliver us from evil," that first alerted me to the concept. Evil - at least how I conceived the concept then - was something akin to supernatural power. Like a demon with wings. Or a nebulous force á la Freddy Krueger tearing away carpet and bedding (cum bodies) in horror movies. Certainly evil is akin to horror. However, I probably was propping up evil with dramatic flair by honing my focus on demons — and by contrast, the good on angels. If there are demons, or so my logic foretold - there must be angels.
Labels:
evil,
musings,
philosophy,
problem of evil,
theodicy
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
28.7.17
Family Photograph: Throwback to A New Orleans Mardi Gras from the 1990s
I really like Mardi Gras. Even when I was thirteen. Throwback post to that time I went to "all dem parades" for Mardi Gras back in 1993.
I wanted to save this post for actual Mardi Gras - but, heck, it's kinda too funny to wait - and I'm impatient.
For me, New Orleans Mardi Gras wasn't really celebrated in New Orleans. We went to Jefferson Parish, secured a spot on Veterans Highway in Metairie, a few miles west of the Orleans Parish line.
On this strip of highway, folks set up ladders on the neutral ground (the grassy median). We got there early, lugged ice chests filled with sandwiches, cola, and liquor (for the adults).
In the Metairie version of Mardi Gras, the first parade is run by the Krewe of Argus (compared to the Krewe of Rex which runs on Saint Charles in New Orleans). Argus is an interesting choice for a Mardi Gras pleasure krewe. Argus is the mythological creature with a thousand eyes - so he can sleep but keeps several eyes open. The signature Argus float is spectacular in my memory - a bust of the many-eyed giant flanked by papier-maché peacocks.
Maybe I caught the undies and bra at Argus? I don't remember.
For many years as a kid, I would go with my family
to the "truck parade" on Mardi Gras day on Veterans
Highway in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
|
For me, New Orleans Mardi Gras wasn't really celebrated in New Orleans. We went to Jefferson Parish, secured a spot on Veterans Highway in Metairie, a few miles west of the Orleans Parish line.
On this strip of highway, folks set up ladders on the neutral ground (the grassy median). We got there early, lugged ice chests filled with sandwiches, cola, and liquor (for the adults).
In the Metairie version of Mardi Gras, the first parade is run by the Krewe of Argus (compared to the Krewe of Rex which runs on Saint Charles in New Orleans). Argus is an interesting choice for a Mardi Gras pleasure krewe. Argus is the mythological creature with a thousand eyes - so he can sleep but keeps several eyes open. The signature Argus float is spectacular in my memory - a bust of the many-eyed giant flanked by papier-maché peacocks.
Maybe I caught the undies and bra at Argus? I don't remember.
In the photo, we're waiting for the truck parade. It rolls immediately after the Krewe of Argus. The trucks number in the low hundreds. They're eighteen-wheeler cabs affixed to a flatbed converted into a Mardi Gras float.
Maybe I got the wig from home? I'm not sure - but judging from this picture it was one helluva Mardi Gras in Metairie, Louisiana.
Labels:
Journal & Rants,
louisiana,
mardi gras,
metairie,
new orleans
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
27.7.17
Throwback Thursday: Flour Babies
Back in the mid-nineties - hell, it probably still happens - our public middle school in Saint Tammany Parish Louisiana conducted a program meant to curb teenage pregnancy.
The program was called Flour Babies. Every kid in our Seventh Grade class bought a six-pound bag of flour from the grocery store, we dressed it up to look like a boy or a girl and propped a head on it. I guess we gave it a name.We carried the flour baby with us everywhere we went. We took it to class, brought it home with us, and made sure we didn't leave it behind.
Leaving behind your flour baby was tantamount to committing childhood neglect - I think kids who left it on the bus or in homeroom had to endure after school suspension. Or maybe they were told, "Don't have kids."
Here are two photos from my flour baby days:
I hold onto my flour baby like it's my own dear baby, baby. |
Younger brother and Mom pose with the flour baby. |
Did you have a flour baby growing up? I'd love to hear about it.
Labels:
family,
Journal & Rants,
memoir,
memory,
middle school,
photograph
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
26.7.17
Video Post: Feeding Ducks in Robertsdale, Alabama
Ducks hang out in a parking lot in Robertsdale, Alabama |
Off of US Highway 90, my mother Pamela, my older brother Bradford, and I stopped at an old, dilapidated building with a sign out front that read "Interdenominational Church." We fed the ducks. Greig (that's me) conducted an interview.
- Posted on BlogPress
Labels:
Alabama,
family vacation,
road trip,
travel,
Video & Media
I am an educator and a writer. I was born in Louisiana and I now live in the Big Apple. My heart beats to the rhythm of "Ain't No Place to Pee on Mardi Gras Day". My style is of the hot sauce variety. I love philosophy sprinkles and a hot cup of café au lait.
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