Popular tattoos

When you walk around Boston, you see three popular tattoo designs.  One is the iconic 'B' that represents the Red Sox and, by extension in this baseball-obsessed city, the B that spells out Boston itself.  Secondly, there is that pair of red socks that are the Red Sox logo.  Thirdly, there is the shamrock, a symbol of solidarity for the many Bostonians who are of Irish descent.

Here and there you see a Celtics mascot tattooed to somebody's skin.  I can't recall seeing a Patriots logo or a Bruins logo.  If they are there, devotion to Boston's football and hockey teams pales compared to the display inscribed on biceps for Boston's beloved Sox.

In New Orleans, the most common tattoo is the fleur-de-lis.  You can see it on bodies everywhere.  While New Orleans' football team claims the fleur-de-lis as their symbol, that abstract flower is trademarked in black and gold.  Tattooed fleurs-de-lis come in all colors, from simple black on flesh to the official colors of Mardi Gras: purple, green and gold.

The fleur-de-lis is the symbol of New Orleans itself, not just its most popular sports franchise.  When most people decide to put ink and needle to skin for a permanent mark of their devotion, they are doing it declare love for this city rather than an NFL team.  Bostonians do the same thing, but you won't find any red socks on the Boston flag.  You'll see an antiquated portrait of the city's skyline.  It may be Red Sox Nation but the city doesn't acknowledge it on its seal.

In New Orleans, the fleur-de-lis came first and the Saints adopted it.  You can see fleurs-de-lis everywhere, not just on football helmets or incorporated in tattoos.   This is a regal city with a regal symbol.  I've been tempted to get my own fleur-de-lis tattoo  myself but I'm not quite ready to commit.  I see it in my future though, I just haven't found the right artist.

I was never tempted to make the Red Sox logo a permanent part of my anatomy.  Geaux Saints!

Who Is Rhonda Ward??

Rhonda Ward is a poet who has lived in New London for almost five years. Her first six months in the Whaling City were spent in a private, little house tucked a bit from the riverfront on Pequot Avenue. She didn't know much about New London beyond the way to the highway and the same route in reverse. That changed one summer night when she read that there would be an open poetry reading downtown. She decided to participate.

The poet Rhonda Ward cares about her craft. She lives for the written word spoken aloud. She promotes poetry as an essential, accessable art form and not only her own poems, but all poems. She believes in poetry's power to provoke and cause postitive change. For reasons mysterious even to her, she is drawn to poetry's pull of profound ideas put well. She believes in the power of speech and feeling.

The poet Rhonda Ward believes in bringing poetry to the people; not only her own poems, but all poems. She is a writer and a performer who publishes and travels widely. She is a carrier of the poetry germ. She knows many fellow writers with voices that run from the erudite to the street savvy. The poet Rhonda Ward is not only out to promote her own work, but the work of everyone who feels poetry's tug. To this end, she organizes gatherings of poets to read to the general public. She attracts some of the best and most of the brightest to her events. She has become a poetry impressario.

Four and a half years ago, the poet Rhonda Ward read in the newspaper that there would be an open poetry reading downtown. She went to the appointed place at the advertised time and no one knew what she was talking about but a gentleman who was also there for the same reason. Rather than get angry, the poet Rhonda Ward and her new companion read to each other on the Bulkley House deck while enjoying a Campari and soda and a plate of escargot.

The poet Rhonda Ward learned that, while nothing works out as planned in New London, everything works out fine. The two are still friends, helping and supporting the other's passion. They are two writers encouraging each other to do what they do best even better.

Hygienic Belly

The streets of New London overflowed with overripe fruit and fermented grain. Hygienic Night ushered in 2007. The year has officially begun in the Whaling City. Remember the spirit of this weekend and spread the cheer all year long.

New London's only winter tourist attraction attracted a throng. Downtown was busy after dark and the weather was surpisingly mild. People lined up around the block to see the Hygienic Art Show. They crowded Golden Street Gallery to see the work of the official Hygienic artists. The Oasis was packed with people shoulder to shoulder. The El 'n' Gee overflowed with fun. This is the best weekend to be an eccentric New Londoner.

There was a belly dancer at the cabaret. She was great. She was easily the best thing on stage last night. She was festooned with chains of coins and when she shimmied she sounded like a tamborine. She was New London Perfect. The crowd responded with enthusiasm. She was mesmerizing, weaving a spell with her belly. That's the kind of entertainment we need in a whaling city. She will become a celebrity.

Who is Joey Royale??

Carnie folk have always had a soft spot for the Whaling City. That is why there are always so many rides at Sailfest. One native was so taken with these travelling professionals when he was a child, he ran away to Coney Island to learn the trade.

Joey Royale is a fire-eater. Really, not metaphorically. He puts open flame down his alimentary canal like it is shavings off a snowcone. He mesmerizes crowds with his intestinal fortitude. He digests flame like a simple carbohydrate. During romantic dinners, he eyes the candles. Needless to say, Joey Royale plays with matches.

If you watch those tattoo shows on the Discovery Channel, you've seen Joey Royale's arms. He sports a pompadour that would be approved by both the Sharks and the Jets. He has moved back to New London, and his boyhood chums marvel at what he has become. He is a showman, an impressario, a man with a vision who marches to Calliope's tune.

Besides being a fire-eater, he is a musician. He is so talented with a tune that he was drafted into one of New London's most prestigious quartets. One look at Joey Royale and you know this is a man who is familiar with the mysteries of estrogen and tonic. He is a natural fit. Besides that he is an amateur cryptozoologist and kitchen table taxidermist. He has preserved samples of strange beasts shipped to him by explorers of stranger places than New London, Conn. He once thought of running a jackalope ranch, but figured fire-eating would pay off better in the long run.

Despite his lucrative fire-eating career, Mr. Royale still has a day job. He is a man of many callings who believes children are the future. He is known for his youth, fire-eating, mentor program run through Parks and Recreation as Joey Royale. Under a psuedonym, he works more directly every day shaping the outlook of our region's youth. He is an elementary school teacher.