A Walker’s Menagerie of Thoughts

Feature entry: A Walker’s Menagerie of Thoughts

Tennessee Williams: Each Spring the literary aficionados of New Orleans sponsor the Tennessee Williams Festival which includes the French Quarter literary walking tour. If I can muster the entry fee, the MoneyWalker plans to take the tour this year. As for Tennessee Williams, he gave us the theme for this blog—his award winning classic, the Glass Menagerie. A few walking quotes from the play:

Laura: “I’ve just been out walking.”

Amanda: “Walking? Walking? In winter? Deliberately courting pneumonia in that light coat? Where did you walk to, Laura?”

The MoneyWalker’s Hall of Fame: For some time, I have wanted to start a MoneyWalker’s Hall of Fame. This blog initiates the process. First, there must be criteria for inclusion. The person must have left a legacy in categories such as sport, literature, politics, industrial leader, academics, religion, etc. Second, the MoneyWalker must have a contact with the recipient, figuratively or literally. The basic standard is that the recipient should be a walker. Also, the person must have influenced the habit of walking, quantity or quality. Finally the recipient should be an innovator and trend setter. A few early recipients include Anthony Trollop, Anita Brookner, Charles Dickens, Abraham Lincoln, William Hogarth, and Geoff Nicholson.

The Brotherhood of the Street: The MoneyWalker is just Bob in the Brotherhood. As an avid and frequent walker in MidCity New Orleans, you learn that many people live on the streets. By now, they know me and I know them. At first, I tried to ignore them. No go, they would not let me. A couple of walks ago, I heard Bob! Bob! Bob! Stealth walking out of the question, I veered to his voice. It was Ed wanting to show off to his female companion. After a bit of friendly banter, he said “Bob, what do you do?” “Until retiring, I was on the faculty at the University of New Orleans,” I said. “What did you teach?” he wanted to know. “My last several classes was statistics” I answered. “Really, I use to teach high school math.” Such is life of the members of the Brotherhood of the street. What happened to Ed and the others? -- Drugs, alcohol, prolonged unemployment, mental illness.

Well, three pieces do not really make a menagerie but we will add more “animals” to the collection another time.

MoneyWalker

MoneyWalker Journal Entries, Dec. 7, 2010 through Dec. 14, 2010

12-14: Weight = 176.0 lbs.; Coinage = $2.08, 28 pennies, 4 nickels, 6 dimes, 4 quarters (one international coin and one super find of $1.47 found in the folds of a discarded sofa); Glass bottles = 11; Ground scores = 2.

12-13: Weight = 176.0 lbs.; Coinage = $1.84, 74 pennies (one wheat), 2 nickels, 5 dimes, 2 quarters; 3 glass bottles, 11 ground scores including one slightly abused electric Hitachi miter saw (now works.)

12-12: Weight = 176.2 lbs.; Coinage = $.74, 34 pennies, 2 nickels, 3 dimes.

12-11: Weight = 173.6 lbs.; Coinage = $2.30 including 10 pennies, 6 dimes, 4 quarters (one super find of three quarters in a newspaper vending machine).

12-10: Weight = 175.2 lbs.; Coinage = $1.17, 27 pennies (included a 13 penny dump), 1 nickel, 6 dimes, 1 quarter; one ground score.

12- 9: Weight = 174.4 lbs.; Coinage = $1.78, 33 pennies, 2 dimes, 5 quarters; Glass bottles retrieved = 26.