Downstream From Mainstream

My name is Eugene Walters. I am the Video Production teacher at Better Way High School, located just outside of Philadelphia. I dabble in the cinematographic and photographic arts as well as musical arts.

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"If this job doesn't kill me, I wrote my will for nothing."

- Elliott Parnassus Hoffelsteader IV, the strange co-educator of mine. 

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"Routine" (Walters 2013) - an original short film by Eugene Walters Pro-Duck-tions. Created by Eugene Walters

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Today, I met the curious character of Elliott Hoffelsteader the fourth. What a name. So retro. To my misfortune, I spilled my pumpkin spice latte all over my only pair of pleated pants. Looks like I will be hitting up Goodwill tonight. The students today really got into the material. We’re learning how to do three-point lighting, the great skill of cinema. I am glad to see their faces light up with the same passion for the art as I have. Ha, light up. I am so punny. Anyway, I invited Mr. Hoffelsteader to come to the poetry slam tomorrow night. I will be performing my newest poem, “Ashes in the Wind;” accompanied by my ukulele playing of course.

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Groove Tangent, a former local band from Athens, Ga. They broke up in 2012 but they're still good.

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The Significance of the Beanie.

The dictionary defines the Beanie as a small, close-fitting hat worn on the back of the head.

Yes, that is what a Beanie is if physical description is the only way you define something. If treated like an entity with character, a Beanie is so much more than a hat.

When it's cold beyond Kanye's dis to Ms. Swift, placing a Beanie on your head is like a warm hug welcoming you home.

When you are at a Thunder Clap concert at the 50 Lb, the Beanie bestows upon you an aurora of musical sophistication and knowledge that the Beanieless do not have.

When combined with the glory of Plaid, the Beanie sings a sweet melody to the eyes of those who pass by the wearer.

When brought into a coffee house, the Beanie soothes the very soul with a warmth that only a latte and a warm hug on the head can provide.

When worn in front of the gender of your attraction, well, let's just say, the Beanie is an excellent Wing Man/Woman.  

Oh the Beanie is more than a hat. It's a living soul striving to improve the lives of those who wear it.

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Art in Lights

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Why Plaid?

People ask me why I wear so much plaid and I say because it's the Holy Grail of style. Plaid is God's gift to man! The very establishment of society would crumble if it wasn't for these tiny boxes. People always say, think outside of the box and that's a solid statement. The biblical truth of society. Be your own person, think outside of what others think. Defy conformity. See with plaid, I am wearing the boxes. Therefore by simple physics, I am thinking outside the box. Because my head is outside the shirt. Without plaid, forward thinking would cease to exist.  

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We all fall like the leaves

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Ashes in the Wind

The fire sputters and spits as death consumes it.

Lush ember takes its place. A gentle gust touches the torched remains.

Just born are these little pieces of ash yet  

So quick are the black flakes to submit to the gust's command's.

One would say it just nature running its course. But who put 

Mother Nature in charge!

Why isn't ash allowed to develop into its own?

Why can it decide to follow the wind on its own or not?

Sadly, the ash must conform to old Momma's wishes.

So when it comes to life, aren't we all just ashes in the wind?