Poetry: Notorious B.I.G.+ Hippie Mashup

NOTE: I am in the midst of drinking my weight in white chocolate mochas on this sun-drenched Sunday afternoon in Portland. Outside Peet’s Coffee on Hawthorne is an eternally stoned hippie Jesus and his hippie lass (think: Miley Cyrus washed-up at 28 with horrendous green arm tats). For some reason, this hippie power duo called to mind Notorious B.I.G., specifically his timeless smash “Hypnotize.” Check it!

Hippie, hippie, hippie, can’t you see
Sometimes your bongos just hypnotize me
And I just love your woodsy ways
Guess that’s why they so clean, and you’re so unbathed (uh!)

PS: Awww! The bearded hippie man stopped playing his bongos to flash a peace sign at a little girl. Somewhere a hippie just got his dreads!!!!

A Checkpoint For The Fringe NOLA Crowd

Laura McKnight's stomping grounds

NOTE: I incorrectly labeled Laura McKnight’s post on the Hubig’s Pies fire as her Cajun Tomato writing debut. It was not. I glanced through my archives and neglected this post that originally ran March 20, 2011. When I switched host servers earlier this year the link to this Checkpoint Charlie’s ode was broken, and the post disappeared from the site. Here it is again in all its glory.

By Laura McKnight
Cajun Tomato Correspondent

NEW ORLEANS – As I scribble the notes for this, my heart is working overtime trying to pump greasy beef through my veins. The Cajun Burger from my Laundromat is delicious, but loaded with grease. It’s the kind of grease that trickles out of the meat patty with each bite and dribbles onto jean shorts, staining them.

At this Laundromat, which also happens to be a bar, I could probably just take my shorts off, throw them in the nearest washing machine and chill in my panties with few stares, much less objections. One of my college professors told me he spent part of a rainy Mardi Gras here, buck naked, waiting for clothes to dry.

Stains aside, that burger did nothing good for my physical constitution. Likewise, spending regular laundry sessions at this place, known as Checkpoint Charlie’s, is likely not advisable for healthy living. But it’s fun and my clothes need washing, so I come here anyway. That’s how we roll here in South Louisiana.

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