Throwback: Black and White Selfie

Ten years have gone by - more or less - Do I look the same? 

I'm sporting a short-sleaved shirt I still wear. In the photo, I'm taking a selfie with my old Canon Sure Shot. It was metallic pink. I'm in my old apartment on Cohn Streer (in NOLA). Who remembers me then? I was teaching High School English at a Christian Brothers school. We we reading Gilgamesh - probably. Comment this photo with your reminiscing. 

Time-Lapse Video: Kids Play at Brant Point Lighthouse

Brant Point Lighthouse
Here's another video of our school group visiting the island of Nantucket for Spring Break. We explored the beach surrounding the Brant Point Lighthouse. We woke up early and hiked to the lighthouse. The weather was fresh and chilly. It's Springtime in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Life is good. Seize the moment. Seize the day. Carpe diem.
Viewing Tip: do you notice the ferry leaving the island? That's the same ferry in the video I posted (see the previous post).

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Time-Lapse Video: The Eagle Departs Nantucket Island En Route for Hyannis

Spring Break with Kids from School
I was with a school group on Spring Break in Nantucket. Here's a short time-lapse video of the ferry leaving the island en route for Hyannis. We were on the Eagle, a sea-faring vessel built in Morgan City, Louisiana. The trip was fun. I liked hanging out with the kids. The weather was chilly and invigorating. I ate lobster. We went on a ghost tour. We ate s'mores. Life can be amazing.
Go Back in Time Two Years Ago
Two years ago, I did a similar trip with our school. Here is the time-lapse video of the ferry once we arrived at Hyannis.

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Photo Post: Ghosts that May or May Not Inhabit Nantucket Island

Ghosts inhabit Nantucket Island. Or maybe it's just a storefront mannequin.

A ghost of Nantucket island appears in a storefront window on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

I am a writer and cannot confirm or deny the existence of ghosts. However, it is likely that the reference to a "storefront mannequin" is meant to be metaphorical or symbolic rather than a literal statement.

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Artful Photograph: Philip-Lorca di Corcia

Photo by Philip-Lorca di Corcia (c. 1995)

What story does this photograph tell?

Philip-Lorca di Corcia is an art photographer. You may be familiar with di Corcia's body of work. In the early Nineties, he did a series of photographs of street hustlers in Los Angeles - charging them to pose for him at the same price the men would normally charge a client for sex. 

In the above photograph, part of a series of images wherein di Corcia would photograph a banal scene (i.e., a gas station, a drug store, a hotel room) with a model who does not quite fit into the scene, the artist plays with light, setting, and storytelling.

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Artful Photograph: The Eye of Osirus (My Apologies to the Ancient Egyptians)

The eye of something. Real. I was walking down a high school hallway, and a ninth grader showed me his metal eye (that I'm assuming he made in art class?). I love my job — every day is an adventure, and I get the Osirus eye — even if for an Instagramable moment. 

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Greig Roselli is a writer and an educator. He lives and works in New York City. You can contact him via email at greigroselli@stonesoferasmus.com or on his website - stonesoferasmus.com

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Movie Review: Tully (2018)

A scene from Charlize Theron's movie Tully

Charlize Theron's movie Tully (2018) reminded me of another movie I saw that also deals with the theme of beleaguered motherhood. In that movie, Towheads (2013), Shannon Plumb also plays a beleaguered mother. In both movies, the characters rely on their own inner resources to cope with stress — but the results are different for each character. Theron’s character Marlo hires Tully, a night nurse who provides an outlet for Marlo’s conflicted feelings about motherhood. Tully serves as a salve to the fact that Marlo’s husband Drew is a feckless, overworked drone — albeit a sweet, lovable one. I loved the scenes with Tully and Marlo — not only because the conversations passed the Bechtel test — but because I could see that Marlo needs a tug to lift her out of her malaise. Some viewers were dissatisfied with the film’s twist ending. I won’t give an outright spoiler, but if you watched Towheads, then you’ll not be surprised by Tully’s ending. Both movies play with the idea of how creating alternative versions of oneself can be a release from mental drudgery. But there is a downside to escapism - a point the plot of Tully makes more clear. Watch one and then watch the other. Did you like Tully? Did you think it was an accurate portrayal of beleaguered motherhood? Let me know in the comments.

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