Monthly Archives: January 2010
Joe’s Amazing Grandfather…
by cheri block Interesting, Baby (not the waitress). Did I ever tell you the story of the time my grandfather Joe from the old country left me three tumulos in his last will and testament? I don’t remember that one, … Continue reading
The Great Geat
by cheri block The Nordic stars aligned yesterday in a series of random conversations that related to my current preoccupation with King Beowulf. First, I ran into my very charming 40 year-old Australian neighbor, Jason, who was driving down the … Continue reading
Beowulf’s Dragon
by cheri block I never played with dolls. I played with stuffed animals, setting up scenarios about everything from arctic sea expeditions where the polar bear eats the hunter, to circuses where the elephants, tigers, and lions talk back to … Continue reading
The Big Picture
by cheri block When I was about 25 years old, Joe told me that men see the bigger picture—the universal ideas we all wrestle with—whereas women see the details about those bigger ideas. I dismissed this outlandish statement as poppycock … Continue reading
Beowulf’s Kennings
Attention students: if you use any part of this essay, you must cite the source or you will be plagiarizing. You have permission to use part of my essay, provided you give appropriate credit. Thanks! by cheri block Until Seamus … Continue reading
A Visit to Lake Alcyonian
by cheri block Animal heroes were my heroes back in the days when I was knee-high to a donut. Lassie the collie—who could signal for help in Jeff’s mashed potatoes—evoked in me such deep respect, I would sit in front … Continue reading
The Sins of the Flesh
by cheri block The word confession is an attractive one to nosey journalists, betrayed wives, and Catholic priests. The Confessions of St. Augustine, written in the late 4th Century C.E., is the first autobiography. In thirteen chapters, Augustine tells his … Continue reading
Matrix at the Mall
by cheri block Myrtle is the loose woman who eyes rich Tom Buchanan on the commuter train from Long Island to New York City. He oozes money. She, wife of a garage mechanic with grease under his fingernails, sees the … Continue reading
