Be A Billiken

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Would you like to be a Billiken? I am, or was. (I'm not sure if it marks you for life.) The Billiken is the strange mascot of St. Louis University, where I attended college and law school. My abridged biography is that I was born in Manhattan, grew up in Queens, went to high school in the Bronx and then St. Louis U. was the college farthest away from home that let me in. Married this woman from Kansas a month before law school graduation and lived happily in St. Louis ever after.

The Billiken is just short of bizarre. It is based on a novelty doll from about 1910. You can see lots of pictures of it across time on Google Images here. The University's official story about how it became the mascot is here on its web site. But there are much deeper origins involving Alaskan coastal indigenous peoples and the Shinto religion in Japan. There is a Billiken Gift Shop in Juneau, Alaska, selling the little figure in hundreds of variations. I once checked into a guest house in Kyoto, went to the sitting room and, boom, a Billiken was the most prominent thing in the household shrine. I had more detailed notes about this with photos of the Juneau and Kyoto Billikens in a post almost three years ago. You can check here if you'd like to. See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billiken. And just for the record, the Billiken is not the weirdest college mascot in the US. The title has to go to the University of California-Santa Cruz's Banana Slugs.

Archives Dumpster Diving

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No time to hit the streets with my camera so far this week. Work work work... Looked around on the dumpster drive and came up with this summer picture of high voltage lines about to cross the Mississippi. Those big cumulus clouds tip off the season. Hope they don't mix with the wires and start a thunderstorm.

Macy's On Fire

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Nah, that's bogus. I had absolutely nothing to post for today. Since I was speaking at a bar association legal education seminar (they had me do the ethics block - who's idea was that?) at their facility on the top floor of a downtown office building (the 30th! woo hoo!), I brought my point-n-shoot to see if I could get something from such a vertiginous height. Oops, forgot about the reflections in the window from inside. They had a fireplace going in the lounge where I was standing. Didn't notice it until I downloaded this but it is in a good location.

That's my old favorite, Eads Bridge, in the middle distance. The walkway I shoot from is on the near/south side. The Mississippi is very low. That will change with the coming of spring.

Thursday Arch Series

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Well, I did find one in the nether archives, just a simple one. The flag reminds me of two quotes. Sir Walter Scott wrote: Breathes there the man with soul so dead, who never to himself hath said, ‘This is my own, my native land!’ On the other hand, Samuel Johnson observed that patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. (Sarah Palin, take note.) U Pick, as the signs say in the fruit orchards around Seattle.

Images And Memories

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People who visit Buenos Aires may remember the sound as much as any other sensation. The traditional accordion-like instrument is the bandoneon, played here by an old master in the show at La Ventana. It has a character all its own that can sing with exquisite lyricism (it seems especially well-suited to sadness) or tap dance around your ears. The great modern virtuoso was Astor Piazzola, who died in 1992. I recommend that you run right out and buy his CD Tango: Zero Hour. You'll thank me. The first track, Tanguedia III, makes me shiver. Watch and listen to Piazzola perform it here.

I suppose if I go dumpster diving I can come up with an Arch picture for tomorrow.

Images And Memories

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On the street in Santiago, Chile. Our superb guide and now personal friend, Luis Gumucio, told us (if I got it right) that these people were waiting in line for a bank to open so they could get the equivalent of Social Security benefits. Apparently you can get the money by check or direct deposit, like here. Some people do not want to maintain a bank account but can get the funds in cash at a bank. These people are a little slice of Chilean society.

Seeing Luis again is reason enough for us to return to Chile. He is a Renaissance man. He plays several musical instruments, is knowledgeable in a wide range of Spanish and English literature, teaches language and violin, is an expert in life insurance management and decided to do a little tour guiding on the side to meet a few interesting people. I'm glad he did. We met one.

Images And Memories

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I have no new local material and this week is horrible at work. For the next few days I will post a few images from Chile and Argentina that give me something to remember. Time to get back to leaving some notes on my friends' blogs, too. New St. Louis material around the weekend.

Many more pictures have been added to the trip set on Flickr here.