March 2009 Archives

Pigeons: The Urban Seagulls

By
Kathleen Leonard
on March 4, 2009 11:16 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
pigeon_lady2.jpg
                   
This post is not about a strange human dweller of Davis Square, but rather an entire species that has set up shop in my neighborhood: PIGEONS. They've taken over the streets!

Those who know me best know that I really don't like birds of prey (i.e. pigeons, seagulls), the prey being me and anything I'm trying to eat. It's bad enough that birds invade my leisure time at the beach, but to raid my routine life? Give me a break. 

Pigeons are, in my opinion, flying disease bags. And for some reason, the birds of the particular variety that occupy Davis Square are the fattest and shed the most feathers. 

Maybe this is a cultural thing. In Spain, pigeons are caught and sold at markets. Whether they are sold as pets or food, I'm not sure, but why would I pay for a pigeon when I could either A) catch one in the street for free, or B) stick myself with a dirty needle?

pigeon.jpg
                                                 Captive pigeon in Spain 

Regardless, here in the U.S., the pigeon gets a bad rap and I'd say rightfully so. Who said it was okay for an animal to just lounge around and mooch off of other animals? They just feed on bread crumbs and scraps! If pigeons were people, I'd tell them to get a job. 

The video below is from NBC's 30 Rock and features Tracy Morgan (as Tracy Jordan) giving some life advice to a pigeon eating from the garbage. 

Streetcar Serenade

By
Kathleen Leonard
on March 3, 2009 10:35 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

There's a street musician that I often see at the Davis Square T station. Unlike that guy at Park Street that just moans along to a cassette tape, the Davis Square crooner has people smiling, and not tuning in to their Ipods to drown him out.

His voice is downright angelic. Usually there in the morning, he eases people into their days with a repetoire that includes hits from Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, and even some of the score from Disney's Aladdin. Today, he had attracted an enthusiastic crowd of young students, and in front of such a lively audience, he was really shining.

Often, I hear him play The Beatles' "In My Life," which you may remember was the theme song to the show "Providence" which was on NBC at the turn of the century (I love being able to use that phrase here). The show was on when I was making my decision to attend Providence College. "Blackbird" is another favorite of his, and so it was for my roommate freshman year. His performances invoke memories of my four glorious years at PC, and I can't help but feel happily nostalgic when I listen to this guy.

There's real talent in this guy, and in lots of other street performers. Check out this link to see what I mean. It's a feature story written by Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post, and it won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize.  

Also, check out this video below of a young boy street drumming in Chicago. Pretty impressive.  

 

Until you're living... IN A VAN DOWN BY MY DRIVEWAY!

By
Kathleen Leonard
on March 2, 2009 4:47 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Living on the road...cruising the open roads of the U.S. of A. in your VW van, windows open, a breeze blowing through your long, unkempt hair, your only care being where your next bong hit is going to come from...

Or living the nuclear family life, settling down in a Boston suburb where trendy babies ride around in trendy strollers while their trendy parents sip lattes and read The Economist. 

These lifestyles appear, to me, to be mutually exclusive. Either you get along with personal hygiene and indoor plumbing, or you don't. My neighbor on Grove Street, however, wants to have his pot brownie AND eat it too. 

van2.jpg                                                        (Actual photo) 

That's why he keep '60s van outside his apartment, and occasionally sleeps in it. I know he sleeps in there sometimes because I've caught him, shirtless, waking up and stretching his arms in the "bedroom" of the van (basically the trunk) in the early morning hours. He's even got a coffee pot in there- is that even possible? 

Why you'd pay an outrageously overpriced rent AND the maintenance for a live-in van is beyond me, but to each his own. 

Below, please delight in the comic deliciousness that is Chris Farley, in one of his best-loved roles as motivational speaker Matt Foley, delivering his "living in a van down by the river" pep talk.



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