Archives for October 2013

Making the Krewe Cut: My Year of Mardi Gras Joins a Krewe

October 7, 2013 by

morpheus-iris-01. . . the Krewe of Morpheus!”

My heart pounded with excitement as I resumed my seat in Panera after startling the entire breakfast crowd and reread the response more carefully the second time.

Hi Eric,

I am sorry it took me so long to get back with you. Life is Crazy!

I read your Blog and see what you are doing—go ahead & put me down as the Lieutenant. I will put you with my float to make sure you have a fantastic time. I mean, everyone has a great time, but this way I will be able to help answer any questions you may have along the way!! You will be on a Super Float—The float will be one of two that holds 60 riders!!

Your Blog is great. I read it off & on all day yesterday. As long as you do not write anything negative, I can connect you with people in our origination that may give you some inside to the ins & outs of the back side of Mardi Gras. A lot of stuff people don’t know about.

I am looking forward to sharing this experience with you!! You will have a blast!!

Morpheus patch blueAs I reveled in this belated birthday news, I did not yet realize that the Krewe of Morpheus derived its name from the Greek and Roman god of dreams. Origin of the word ‘morph,’ Morpheus can assume any shape he desires while you sleep to provide wisdom or reveal the future. Morpheus’s job is to literally make your dreams come true. How appropriate! Apparently I was on the correct path with my pursuit of orpheus, it’s just that in true Sesame Street fashion I needed [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Greatest Hits, History & Trivia

A Krewe X 2: And So It Begins . . .

October 4, 2013 by

EXPECT THINGS NOT TO GO AS EXPECTED

09-28-13 Bike Ride Me

‘Selfie’ Taken During the Chewbacchus 2014 Kickoff Bike Ride

Although my vision of My Year of Mardi Gras has always been to paint a broad, layered portrait of New Orleans and its food, music, people, and culture, the heart of my mission upon embarking was to join at least one Mardi Gras Krewe and document that experience. Since arriving in town on February 6th, though, my path has taken many unexpected twists and turns.

My dramatic housing search, in particular, lasted over half the year. Attempts to reach out to other blogs, volunteer at WWOZ or the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, or promote the site though handing out cards and pure force of personality at local events paid little dividends. On the other hand, I’ve had much more success than anticipated connecting with local authors and encountered unexpected enthusiasm with resurrecting an old novel. Now working with someone to resubmit this book for publication has been a major unexpected endeavor. I have also met a small but growing group of talented and intriguing artists and intellectuals that have made ‘Red Beans on Monday’ an emerging success. So there have been surprises and disappointments, and I should have known that the only thing you can plan on is that things won’t go as planned. Still, somewhere amidst these triumphs and tribulations I began to fear I’d lost sight of that core mission.

Until I received [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Travel, Venue & Band Reviews

Read Beans on Monday: Yellow Jack by Josh Russell

October 1, 2013 by

LOVE IN THE TIME OF COLOR-CONFLICT

(YELLOW FEVER & BLACK MISTRESSES)

Yellow Jack

by Josh Russell


Josh Russell’s fictional historic re-creation set in 1840’s New Orleans, Yellow Jack, is a quick and compelling read that whirls its reader through two equally tragic narratives: the destructive power of a love triangle in a time of conflicting social mores and the annual devastating epidemics of yellow fever, a.k.a. ‘yellow jack,’ that ran rampant through this swampy outpost.

Russell tells his story through the eyes of Claude Marchand, a fictional apprentice of Louis Daguerre, the inventor of the first camera or daguerreotype. After Marchand has a falling out with his teacher he smashes Daguerre’s equipment, setting him back several years, and runs off to New Orleans to set himself up as part magician and part artist years before the photograph makes its European debut. Upon his arrival, though, Marchand takes to the streets in desperation and survives by using the pistol he’d taken from his master to rob locals. This theme of thievery rings true in New Orleans‘s history and serves as a good introduction to the danger the has always followed the city’s excess.

Marchand soon starts a transition to respectability, however, after he is [Read more…]

Filed Under: Book Reviews (Read Beans On Monday)
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