Author Archives: Timothy Perille

Riddle

Portuguese, Irish, German

English

19, Student

Los Angeles, CA

24 April 2011

What word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right?

A: Noon

Brennan heard this riddle from his friend and it stuck with him because he prefers riddles that are possible to figure out. He doesn’t know where the riddle comes form but he has a certain way of performing it to confuse the victim. As Brennan tells the story, He speeds over the directions so that they get lost on the person, which makes it way harder to figure out. He said he learned how to stress unimportant elements and de-stress important ones to throw off the listener. This kind of control compliments the folklore of the riddle.

Riddles are interesting pieces of folklore. They are most often seen in liminal places and times because they break the ice and are acceptable at those occasions. This is a traditional riddle meaning one can figure out the answer from the question and it’s not trying to be too tricky. Riddles like this one need to be collected because they preserve the tradition of riddling. You can find riddles like this throughout history like the riddle the Egyptian Sphinx used to ask.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Rolling a blunt

Step 1: When you buy in Evanston its not like everyone has their own weed, you all throw five on the gram,

Step 2: The best roller present, gets to roll it

Step 3: Grab a grape swish and gut it

Step 4: lick edges to seal the two papers together

Step 5: place the weed in the paper

Step 6: roll it with your fingers maneuvering it into a circle

Steop 7: tuck one edge under and I like to do half the blunt at a time and then I roll it up and seal it together by licking the paper while pulling with my mouth

Step 8: use a lighter to “bake” the ends and the seam

Step 9. The person who rolls it sparks it and we always pass to the left rotation-wise and people will hit the blunt until there is absolutely nothing left

To Zach, rolling a blunt is an act, which can either gain you respect or shame within the present group of smokers. The person who elects to roll the blunt has to put himself out there and risk being judged. The group all watch earnestly as the roller steps up to the plate. When the blunt is done its presented to the group who sign off and give the roller respect. When the smoking begins, all the pressures gone and we soak in the atmosphere. For him smoking represents a spiritual experience where he can relax and connect wis friends.

Zach’s ritual reminds me of the dominance displays in chimpanzee clans. The roller is like a chimpanzee presenting himself to the group trying to prove himself. Then when the blunt is done, the group signs off on the blunt like Caesar would sign off on a gladiator before he was given the death sentence. The act of smoking and rolling blunts dates back to before anyone can remember there is multiplicity in variation and it is held sacred in a lot of social circles. To some, the blunt is the only way to smoke and an improperly rolled blunt is seen as an insult and a mark shame.

Hardcore folk dancing

Unwritten rules to hardcore concerts

  1. Don’t wear the tshirt of the band you are seeing
  2. When a mosh pit is being started clear off as many people as possible
  3. When standing around a mosh pit keep your hands in front of your face
  4. When someone falls down in the pit pick them up as quickly as possible
  5. Purposely hitting someone is looked down upon but accidents happen.

Tristan likes these concerts because everyone knows these rules and looks out for each other. This makes the concert a place where Tristan feels very comfortable and connects him to the music. Tristan says he’s not scared of getting hit or trampled, getting hit comes with the territory and he trusts the crowd to protect him. Tristan will continue hardcore dancing and actively participating in that subculture.

Tristan’s unwritten rules are important to him because he is passing on the traditional dancing associated with the hardcore genre. This is a classic example of folk dancing and folk customs. This type of dancing is a communal experience in which everyone swings punches while looking out for each other. If you observe this type of dance, as an outsider it would look like everyone was drunk, and fighting. To an insider, the display is an amazing expression of the music. The dancing represents the rage that the music conveys.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Irish Proverb

“People live in each other’s shelter”

This phrase means to Zach that people should accept and befriend honest people whose cultural differences that would have kept them apart. He learned this through an experience he had in 8th grade. He was involved with an organization called the Ulster Project. This project brought Irish teens over to America for a month to live with an American teen and perform community service acts. The purpose of this project was to show the Irish teens that people shouldn’t be divided based on historical rivalries and cultural differences. The feud between Catholics and Protestants in Ireland has caused deaths over the past centuries, and the program aims to end any anger that they may harbor to the opposing religion. Each of the Irish teens is paired with an American teen with the opposing religion. Zach said that after a month of living with this Irish kid they became best friends. He continues to go to Ireland yearly and the Irish teen has come back to Chicago for a month every year since the project, which was 5 years ago. This proverb means a lot to Zach because it has taught him that he can accept other’s differences and get to know their true personality before making any judgments on their character. He says that the best way to do this is by living with another person to experience their lifestyle and culture.

This proverb reminds Zach of his friend from Ireland. He has this proverb inscribed on a cross he wears around his neck for good luck. Zach doesn’t know where it’s from but he learned it from his friend in Ireland. If this arrived around the time of the wars in Ireland, his description is very fitting. The phrase teaches people to set aside their differences and work together.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA

Proverb

Portuguese, Irish, German

English

19, Student

Los Angeles, CA

24 April 2011

“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

To Brennan, this means don’t scrutinize a present just accept a gift and be grateful. Brennan says this proverb has special significance in his family because his dad and grandpa both use the phrase regularly. Brennan doesn’t have much money and so he’s really learned to appreciate the little things and be more generous from his parents and phrases like this. Brennan believes more people should be gracious and feels like this phrase should be more widespread. He doesn’t know where it comes from but it’s a family folk proverb that he continues to spread.

This folk proverb has been passed down through the Loftus family. This folklore is important because it has a positive message that teaches kids to be grateful. Folklore like this can be seen in literature and pop culture. There are variations on this folklore but the origins are unknown.

Tim Perille

18

1027 W. 34th St. Los Angele CA