Stones of Erasmus — Just plain good writing, teaching, thinking, doing, making, being, dreaming, seeing, feeling, building, creating, reading
26.12.23
Exploring NYC's Hidden Power: ConEd Steam Pipes - A Journey Beneath the City Streets
29.11.23
Exploring Ancient Herms: A Visit to the Met Museum and Discovering Timeless Symbols
Join me on a journey through the Met Museum, exploring ancient herms and uncovering the enduring influence of these fascinating artifacts.
27.3.23
Griffins & Mythological Creatures: Architectural Motifs in the Jackson Heights Neighborhood of Queens
While some of the statues in Jackson Heights may resemble guarding lions more than take-flight griffins, there is undoubtedly a family resemblance. However, I must confess that I am not a pedant when it comes to classifying mythological creatures, and their presence in the neighborhood adds to their unique character and charm. |
- 72nd Street and 35th Avenue - Griffin
- 75th Street and 35th Avenue - Griffin
- 81st Street and 37th Avenue - Griffin
- 81st Street between Northern Boulevard and 34th Avenue
- 34-48 81st Street (between 35th and 34th Avenues) - Stone carving of two Griffins above the doorway
- 80th Street between 37th and 35th Avenue
22.12.22
Quotes from Bonesana and Rimbaud: Embracing Unity in Diversity: The Strength of Our Collective Individuality
19.8.22
Photos Taken Near the Bronx River and Two Stories About New York City from Louisianians
A New York City subway train traverses the Bronx River. |
And then, I asked him to imagine what the city smelled like and felt like (using sensory details): “New York is fun and stinky and interesting, like a hot dog.”
When I asked my seventy-something-year-old aunt what people in Louisiana think about New York, she told me a story: “Greig, I would say they think it's too dangerous, but when I went to New York with Uncle Raymond in 1993, that's the only place that I was able to go out at night shopping. Even in New Orleans, even when we lived in Chalmette, I couldn't go out at night shopping. Oh my God. I forgot how many years ago. That was probably twenty-odd years ago. But in New York, I could go shopping. We had a hotel near Times Square, So I was able to go up and down that street without any restrictions in the middle of the night. Do you know? And, um, you know, I never go at night, and Uncle Raymond never let me go anyplace at night.”
25.7.22
Journal Entry #2502022: I Woke Up This Morning on a Hot, Summer Day in Queens and I Fiddled
On Astoria Boulevard in Queens, there is a mural of a 7 subway train car; The author notes, "As I waited for my take-out, I snapped a picture of the fish in the aquarium. Life is good." |
12.5.21
Why Wednesday Is the Day of the Week to Send Messages (Because of Woden, or, as the Greeks Call Him, Hermes)
Wednesday is named for Woden — the Norse parallel for the Greek and Roman messenger god Hermes.
Ephemera
I’m obsessed with messages, epistolary novels, and journeys and undertakings. I never 👎 skip by a note or love letter. Even a torn letter I see on the sidewalk. I'll pick it up. And save it. And I love to eat tears and swallow joy.
My friends say I’m constantly flexing. My students want the school year to end. I’m listening to lots of books on tape and cooking lots of sausages and egg salad.
Achievements
I’m proud of my student @jukycheng, who got accepted into a Summer engineering program at NYU Tandon in Brooklyn. Congrats, Juky!
And I’m also excited for the Summer—those dog days. But I’m into May. With its warm afternoons and occasional showers.
Let's Chat!
How are you holding up? Need a hug? Here’s one. Need a nudge? Here’s one? Need a ride on a white swan? I don’t have that, but drop me a message if you want to chat about YA novels and the best place to walk in New York City.
11.4.21
A Paean to Payphones (And Why I Feel Nostalgic for Old School Telecommunication)
When is the last time you used a working payphone? How sure are you that you can find one if your mobile phone goes dead? Do you have a quarter in your pocket?
Found a working payphone in the Times Square / 42nd Street Station in New York City |
Nostalgia is dangerous. Start feeling nostalgia, and suddenly, everything in the present is suspect. "Oh, I remember the days when you had to call someone on a landline."
But I like it when old-school technology still persists. I don't want to return to using payphones. They are clunky (and who has change, anyway?). And just when the conversation gets good, you have to add another quarter to continue the call.
You can find a working payphone in a few subway stations, strip malls, maybe a gas station in Duluth?
I used a payphone recently. I cannot remember why. It was when I was traveling. My phone was dead. I think it was in an Amtrak station (which I feel like is where I would find a working payphone).
Ironically, the school where I work has a payphone in the main hallway. But it does not work. It just hangs there on the wall. Hundreds of people walk by it. Heck. I didn't even notice it until like two years working at the school. I think it will become an art installation. Soon.
Fun fact: Payphones still exist. And one in five of them are in New York City! The Federal Communications Commission still regulates payphones. They still maintain a tip guide for using them and not get scammed when using a calling card. Remember those?
When was the last time you used a payphone?
31.10.20
All Hallows' Eve in Greenwood Cemetery and Sunset Park, Brooklyn (Special 2020 Halloween Post)
In this post, I regale you with pictures and musing from an All Hallows' Eve visit to Greenwood Cemetery and Sunset Park, Brooklyn. It was a beautiful Autumn Day and we are all cognizant of the need to physical-distance ourselves — so what better way to do that than to be outdoors in a massive cemetery?
Exploring Greenwood Cemetery on All Hallows’ Eve, I scored a handful of great photographs. Located in South Brooklyn, the cemetery is one of the oldest graveyards in the city and is a site of a Revolutionary War battle. @historicgreenwood is also a National Historic Landmark. My friends John and Jennifer joined me; we also went to Sunset Park, my old neighborhood. Scarfed down a torta stuffed with spicy pork at @tacoselbronco, scored a free beer from a passerby, and watched the D train come out of the tunnel on Fourth Avenue — it was a serendipitous day.
3.9.20
Aesthetic Thursday: First Time Back at the Museum of Modern Art Since Covid
That time I stepped into the Museum of Modern Art since it had closed (like all cultural institutions) its doors because of the coronavirus outbreak.
MoMA normally has massive crowds. Not today. |
A series of five parallelograms on view in a special exhibition on the artist Judd. |
13.8.20
Photographs: Red Mask, Red Flowers, Pedestrians in Queens
Found these in my camera roll and I'm surprised by the shades of red found herein. It's hot and muggy here in New York. But flowers are abloom. I notice signs of humanity — a mother and son crouch together on the median on the 37th Avenue pedestrian zone and talk. A pile of police officers, eight or ten of them, stand in front of an apartment building, one holding what looks like a silver revolver 🔫. ”It’s fake, ” the officer says calmly. ”Found it here?” I ask. They did — after someone had called it in. A boy and a girl practice ollies on the street. I had hoped to use a camera to capture some of these moments. But I was too caught up in the moment.
21.1.20
A Moment of Clarity Waiting for the Q66 Bus in Flushing
It’s a skill. To stave off boredom and do. Something. And I don’t like to wait. That feeling of inactivity. Of time ticking. “Are we back at school? Yet,” asks Neil - who is sitting across from me. Yes. I say. Press the button to alert the driver to stop. “But I’m scared,” he says. I press the button. I get it. He’s afraid to stop the bus. To fling himself into the next thing and the next. I get it. I tell him. And we’re off.
28.11.19
Photograph: Looking Out the Window at Night
1.11.19
Lesson Plan: Teaching New York City with the Musical "On the Town"
I created a fun, engaging lesson for Middle and High School students inspired by the Broadway-turned-MGM-film-classic "Our Town." |
I created a lesson plan based on my classroom experience that is three days long, and I used it for my English Language Learners (ESL), but it also fits for a Humanities, English Language Arts, or Social Studies lesson.
- 1 Lesson Planning Guide and Calendar
- 1 Cloze Passage Worksheet
- Lecture Notes for the Teacher
- 1 Guided Notetaking Organizer
- 6 Editable Google Slide Templates
- 2 Color NYC Landmarks Contact Sheets
- 1 NYC Itinerary Template
- 1 NYC Map Template
- 1 NYC Map Resource List
- List of New York City Regional Transit Maps (including the New York City Subway)
- *Google Classroom / App Friendly Resource*
- Unit on New York City History
- ESL Class for English Language Learners
- Middle School Humanities
- Using Census Data to Explore Ethnic Diversity in New York City Neighborhoods
- Geography Awareness using a Blank World Map
22.8.19
Aesthetic Thursday: Marta Minujín Reloaded at the New Museum
La Menesunda (on view at the New Museum) has several interactive features. |
9.6.19
Video Installation: Flyover Woodside, Queens (with a Church Steeple and Cross in the Foreground)
8.6.19
Bathroom List: There Ain't No Place to Pee in New York City (Unless You Know a Few Spots)
Photo by Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash |
2.5.19
"Sin nombre" - Harold Mendez, Artist
Sin nombre 2017-18
Cotton, graphite, spray enamel, toner, and lithographic crayon on ball-grained aluminum lithographic plate mounted on dibond.
31.10.18
Third Grader Channels Pennywise the Clown at the Annual Halloween Parade in Jackson Heights, Queens
In Jackson Heights, every year on Halloween, the local "Beautification Society" hosts a parade on 37th Avenue. My school participates, so I have, for the last several years, marched in the parade. I love seeing the kids and adults who have lined the street, mostly dressed up and in a spirit of "being costumed." I feel like when kids, especially, wear costumes, it can be a moment to channel creative energy and to pretend to be someone you're not.
Third Grader Channels Pennywise the Clown
One kid I met on the route was dressed up as Pennywise the Clown — there were several permutations of this character, a malevolent force in Stephen King's novel-made-movie IT. I was struck by this Third-grader wild abandon into the role, like the video, posted below, demonstrates. Happy Halloween!
29.10.18
Two Photographs: Push (推) and Pull (拉)
"Push" 推 |
"Pull" 拉 |