Tag: Indiana
“A secular spirituality from the seasons?”
EVENT: Sunday, July 9, 2017, 4-6pm at The Venue, 114 S Grant, Bloomington, Indiana This summer, join me for a community discussion on the question, “Can we derive a secular spirituality from the seasons?” Held at The Venue in Bloomington, Indiana, the event will be moderated by longtime local journalist Mike Leonard. Light refreshments will […]
Read More → “A secular spirituality from the seasons?”A Jazz Funeral in Greenfield, Indiana
I’m still in touch with a number of friends back in Indiana. Last week I heard some sad news from one of these friends: His mother had passed away. She was advanced in years, but it was still rather sudden and unexpected. Yet what he asked the next day brought a smile to my face. […]
Read More → A Jazz Funeral in Greenfield, IndianaJunior Portrait
Greenwood, Indiana, 1983 or ’84: I took my glasses off for this high school yearbook photo. Note the acne. Note the haircut. Note the enigmatic expression. I’m not smiling — not quite. It’s hard not to smile when you’re having such a photo taken. I imagine I was pretty pleased with myself for resisting the […]
Read More → Junior PortraitIndiana?
I guess what amazes me the most is that Indiana went for Obama. Indiana, which in the 1920s had “the largest, most enthusiastic, and most politically powerful Klan in the country.” Indiana, where I went to high school in the 1980s with active robe-wearing Klansmen. Indiana, home of the Humanoid Artifact. Indiana, which hasn’t gone […]
Read More → Indiana?More Ike Madness
My cousin Leslie and her family in Houston went to Austin for a wedding around the time of Ike; they are still waiting for power so they can return. But this news from Mom in Indiana threw me for a loop: The remnants of Ike hit Indiana pretty hard. Nothing compared to Texas, of course. […]
Read More → More Ike MadnessThe Lure of Bloomington
When we were stranded here three years ago, I was somewhat immune to the lure of Bloomington. I was focused on getting back to New Orleans and the tasks of rebuilding. This time, though, I felt the attraction of the place as soon as we rolled into town. It’s an old familiar place that I […]
Read More → The Lure of BloomingtonRevelations
I’ve been catching up with various friends and relations here in Bloomington. Met up with some roxlysters. Met up with Laura Dedelow, a fellow Gustavacuee. It was especially cool to meet Josh (goodhands) in person. And supercool to finally meet Lee (magic) in the flesh. Lee and I had a very near encounter three years […]
Read More → RevelationsBloomington
Part of me wanted to get back home to New Orleans and gloat over the fact that we appear to have power while most of the city does not. But I didn’t relish the idea of sitting in traffic with two million other evacuees all trying to get back home at the same time. So […]
Read More → BloomingtonNot Laughing Anymore
When I first heard about flooding in Indiana last week, and saw some pictures of IU students frolicking in the high water in Bloomington, with little indication of property damage or loss of life, I’ll admit I laughed. I used to live there, I’d seen canoes on Kirkwood before — I didn’t think much of […]
Read More → Not Laughing AnymoreThe Quake of ’89
All my friends and relations up in Indiana are talking about the earthquake last night. None of them seem to remember the Quake of ’89 as well as I do. Mom thought it was 87, JB thought it was 86, and Lee doesn’t recall a quake in his lifetime. But I remember it like it […]
Read More → The Quake of ’89Black ‘Em Out Day
Many people on campus today are wearing black in support of the Jena Six. I’m reminded of my high school days in Greenwood, Indiana. We often had “Spirit Weeks” to support the football team with different dress-up days. One time we had something called “Black ‘Em Out” day. Everybody was supposed to wear black. One […]
Read More → Black ‘Em Out DayHoosier Car
As I’ve mentioned before, a white Honda Prelude has been sitting on our block for over three months. It’s had debris piled on it. It’s been jacked up and cannibalized for parts. It’s had the rear window smashed out. The police came and looked at it on several occasions. But still it remained. I was […]
Read More → Hoosier CarCar
In April I looked out my window and saw three white kids pushing a white car. They stopped just down the street from our house. I thought to myself, “Oh, they’re having car trouble.” An hour later I noticed they were gone but the car was still there, and it dawned on me: That car’s […]
Read More → CarProto-Borat
Back in the late 80s, when I was just getting interested in video production, I shot some stuff at the County Line Mall in Indianapolis with my friend, Butt. (Yes, yes, that’s his real name, his last name. I will refrain from telling his first name in order to spare him potential Google embarrassment.) He’s […]
Read More → Proto-BoratMeet the Neighbors
Xy talked to some of our new Mexican neighbors. Turns out they’re from — drum roll, please — Indiana! We’re from Indiana too, in case you didn’t know. What are the chances? It’s like this little block in Mid-City New Orleans is being taken over by Hoosiers. I talked to one of the guys, Antonio. […]
Read More → Meet the NeighborsTime
My computer still thinks it’s in New Orleans, and so its clock has “fallen back” an hour. But here in Indiana, clocks never change — as I well know, since I grew up here. Most Indiana clocks stay the same year ’round. The television schedule shifts an hour, just to remind us the rest of […]
Read More → TimeGray State
Why does Indiana look so gray in the Google Maps satellite view? Thanks to Mr. Whybark for pointing this out.
Read More → Gray StateI-69
Hmmmm… Maybe I’ll go to Indiana this summer.
Read More → I-69Farmhouse
Xy & I inherited the Seddelmeyer family farmhouse in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We promptly moved in. It was huge, much bigger than I remembered, covering acres. We bedded down in a small room early in the evening, but I was restless, and soon we ventured forth to explore the house. From a window I saw […]
Read More → FarmhouseSprings Valley
Xy and I spent the last two nights in French Lick. I highly recommend it. French Lick is about 45 minutes south of Bloomington, and it sits right next to its twin city, West Baden. The area is sometimes called Springs Valley because of the abundance of mineral springs. Those same springs, and the seven […]
Read More → Springs Valley