Unless you live under a rock, you have to have at least seen the only tarot card reader on the downtown mall. Perhaps he smiled, and you kept on walking, or perhaps he read you a future you never imagined. I assume most of you keep walking, hey, I was guilty of just that. I decided to break social norm and find out who he is. Here are a couple “Ed” factoids:
- His name is Ed Rowe (pronounced Rau-German ancestry) and he will talk your ear off
- He is a father
- a veteran high school teacher of the New York school system and probably one of the most well-read people you will meet in cville (outside of UVa I presume)
- He is a college graduate and has a Masters degree as well
- Has a cell phone that he pays for himself and ONLY uses to call his children
- Sleeps in a camp-site every night
- Showers and cleans his clothes every day
- Uses email regularly at Mudhouse or the UVa library
- Never begs for money and will NOT accept donations
Education
Born in Schodack, New York, Ed fell into the kind of mischief that can land you in jail. After breaking into one too many houses for fun, he actually ended up in jail for one night. Despite the luxurious accommodations and witty chatter from fellow cellmates, Ed decided he had bigger fish to fry and thought that seriously pursuing his education would provide him with a better life than crime. As soon as he returned to school one of his teachers put him in charge of the mentally retarded students. No doubt Ed learned responsibility and the joys of teaching very quickly. Aside from this job, he had to re-learn everything he had missed out on as a disobedient youth. After finishing Maple Hill High School he went on to Hudson Valley Community College for his AD in liberal arts. Next stop was the College of St. Rose in Albany NY. At the time it had a reputation for special education (mental handicaps, psychological problems, etc…). Ed’s love for special education flourished there under Sister Lucina Hays tutelage. She is famous for crafting the first commercial Piaget test. No, not the jeweler. Jean Piaget was a child psychologist famous for discovering the mental development process in children. Ed can explain this to you in vicious detail, and if you have a cup of coffee and nothing to do this Friday afternoon, I highly recommend it. He graduated and taught for 8 years while taking his Masters classes in the evening. Ed has a Masters in reading; a Teaching Certificate for Biology, General Science, Nursery School-6 and General Reading. This guy is wicked smart.
Kids and Marriage
Like most stories, his begins at a bar, in Albany. Introduced via a friend while playing poker, he met Lynn. A couple dates later she was preggers, and Ed decided to stay with her because that was the honorable thing to do, although he never loved her. While nervous and doubtful about being a father, he said his anxiety took a 180 degree turn the second he saw his new baby daughter (insert awwww moment here).
Ed loved being a father and spent every minute he could with his kids. He loved it so much in fact, that he wanted be a father again (kid #2) and again (kid #3). “Men are creatures that are very good at duty and are proper”. After 16 years of marriage, a series of events happened that put the marriage on the edge. At that point they had just purchased a house and Ed began to live in the basement… a mental divorce. “Ignoring a woman is the worst thing you can do. You do not know psychosis until you ignore woman.” The stress in the house led to Ed’s first heart attack and triple bypass surgery. Lynn quickly frequented the house less and less and left Ed to raise the children, which he was more than happy to do. Two months later he was handed divorce papers. At first he thought things could be settled in a civil manner and did not use a lawyer (mistake #1). Then he could only afford a $50/hr lawyer (mistake #2). His wife demanded $1,200 a month in alimony + her legal fees. Ed said “no”, and the divorce judge said they would take his wages to pay for the alimony…at which he replied that he would quit his job and therefore have no salary to pay the alimony. In the court system this is called “egregious behavior”. The courts began calling him every two weeks threatening him with jail (which he wanted to avoid for the life in him), until the pressure bore down on him and he contemplated suicide. He was all set to electrocute himself but stopped as soon as he began to write a suicide letter to his son. In May 2003 he was arrested for contempt while picking up his kids.
Jail Time
He swore he would die in the county jail. Ed gave a copy of his suicide letter to his court appointed lawyer and asked that he give the letter to the judge in the event something happened to him. The lawyer gave it to the judge regardless and Ed was immediately put on suicide watch. He was released 83 days later. Living in an apartment (his sister paid for the rent) and working two jobs (substitute teaching and a night clerk shift at a motel), he desperately tried to make ends meet. The family court began taking his wages to a tune that looked like this: 60% of his wages + 20% in taxes + child support + late fees + additional amounts.
In addition he owed $12k in back alimony pay from 01-03. It was like being the captain of the Titanic. When he told the courts they took too much money from him they said he needed to get another job. His cell phone went out in March 2004, then the car insurance and subsequently his vehicle registration. In June 2004 he was brought to the state court and told he had to sign over the house he purchased for his family to his ex-wife. The judge ordered him to sign over the house or the sheriff would sign for him and he would be put back in jail. Oh, the judge also ordered Ed to pay for his ex-wife’s lawyer….at which point he knew he would be homeless in a week’s time.
Enter the Homeless
He waited to leave NY until after his daughter graduated high school. With an uninsured and unregistered vehicle he drove down to DC. He knew the last thing he wanted to see before he died (result of being homeless) was the Smithsonian Institute’s museums. It was definitely worth it. Still alive and well, Ed headed to Virginia Beach (hated it), then Richmond (depressed him) and finally ended up in cville. At Fridays After 5 he found out the Salvation Army provides shelter for the homeless. While he stayed there for 36 days, he put in teaching job applications and read tarot cards in his spare time to make money. He had been reading cards since he was 16 years old and was pretty good at it.
From 2004-2007 Ed traveled the country reading tarot cards in every major US city. He wrote about his adventures in his preliminary biography located at the bottom of this post.
In the summer of 2007 he had the misfortune of watching Harry Potter in the movie theater…well actually it was the seizure he had outside the theater at the Fashion Mall that was unfortunate. He must have looked like, well, a homeless crazy person because no one helped. It wasn’t until he dragged himself towards the security guards and told them he was mid-stroke and needed an ambulance that they paid attention to him. The UVa medical center took care of him for 5 days, and then Healthsouth took him on for 20 days, then released him on August 8th, 2007. His body was severely damaged after the stroke and had to rehabilitate himself to be able to deal cards. It wasn’t until 2 months ago that he was able to carry a tea from the Tea Bazaar and not spill it coming down the steps.
Ed is currently negotiating with the Social Services with the help of a UVa benefactor to get disability pay (post stroke). Paper work wise it has proven quite tough when a homeless man asks for disability and the government asks for a birth certificate, current mailing address, etc…Ed sticks through it all and will hopefully begin receiving checks soon.
Next time you see him, say “Hi Ed”, or better yet, just sit down for a talk. I guarantee you haven’t heard stories like his before. Just be sure to bring a cushion or wear comfy clothes as he can talk for a long time.
[pic]
Read Ed’s travel stories here:
Popularity: 68% [?]
Tagged as: Downtown Mall, ed rower, mallstar, tarot card
Francesco, I can’t beat this stuff. Amazing article!
Great post! In another life I worked with the developmentally disabled out in Boulder. My mentor was also a graduate of the College of St. Rose, and was completely gifted in working with adults and children with mental/developmental issues.
Looks like I will need to find a cushion and a cup of coffee. Thanks.
Looks like I will need to find a cushion and a cup of coffee
You could always use a folded towel. You DO HAVE a towel, right?
holy shit, this is long. I’ll read it, but only because TCG called me angel yesterday.
Great post. I love that “TCG” is now “Ed” to us all. I have been extremely guilty in my less sober bartending days of simply attaching a descriptive label to regulars, and I regret it quite a bit.
(I know people mean little-to-no harm when they use those labels, and I’m not shaming anyone by myself, but it’s so refreshing when the stories break through.)
Wow. Great post. Interesting tales. I confess my skepticism of Ed lies squarely with the tarot. I cannot seemt to remove tarot from the same mental drawer in which I keep astrology, scientology, creationism, phrenology, physiognomy, and perpetual-motion machines. Which is to say: it’s bunk.
I realize this is my own issue. I submit my plan to get over it and say hi.
/hi Ed!
I realize this is my own issue.
Of course it is, your soul card is the inverted three of cups.
I submit my plan to get over it and say hi
Of course you will, your future environment card is the nine of wands.
/maybe a dumb question, but ed knows this bio would be posted on the tubes, right?
this was a really sweet write up. thanks.
Ed is one of the guys that I see EVERYWHERE and always wonder about. I really appreciate the insight and feel much more comfortable (though still a little weird) about going up and talking to him. It would be interesting to make this an ongoing experiment with different people around the city…?
It would be interesting to make this an ongoing experiment with different people around the city…
I think parlie should take mescaline and interview the loudest flautist. On video.
The loudest flautist yelled at me the other day for not tipping him, and he wasn’t even playing. He was leaning against the wall with his flute in his hand. Does he expect to receive tips just for existing?
Great post! I’ve always liked Ed despite having never really talked to him (we nod and smile daily as I must pass him 6 times a day on the Mall). He’s twice told me I had a beautiful smile and it made my day both times. Thanks, Ed, for being a nice guy.
(That being said I still won’t have my fortune read as things are going pretty well these days and it just sounds like I’d be tempting fate.)
To all: Thanks for your great feedback so far. I must admit I interview Ed about 1.5 months ago and have been sitting on this piece for awhile, so I hope it was worth the wait. He told me about his travels all across the country, which I took notes on….but its much better to read it in his own words, hence his biography. Also, if anyone has a pic of him I can use on this post I would be much obliged.
@6: I have heard the same opinions on Ed, and how the tarot card reading throws his whole angle off. I guess when life beats you down and you have a gift other people enjoy, it brings a new meaning to your life? The tarot stuff did freak me out initially, but all up, he is one of our city’s gems. Ed has a huge spiritual belief in him that he can tell you crazy stories about. Ask him how crows tell him what to do…its scary and super interesting.
@9: This is exactly why I wanted to do this. I meant to start off with Ed and then post Tony from Cubano, but Tony’s was easier to put together. Ed always stuck out to me on the downtown mall as a ghost to many. So many people walk by him and no one really knows him, yet he never means any harm and is happy to talk to anyone willing to give him 5 minutes…or 2 hrs. He is one of the many people that shape cville, yet no one really knows who they are or where they came from. Initially I wanted to call this series “Downtown Mallstars”, but someone took that dam term away from me…so now I am left in the cold. Also, I am sure there are other personalities around town that do not limit themselves to the downtown mall. Suggestions?
@12: Ed does not require a fortune telling just to chat with him. I refuse to have my cards read as well, lets start a club!
I love that “TCG” is now “Ed” to us all
actually, I think TCG is now TCE.
Does he expect to receive tips just for existing?
Dont know. But i do know he is, shall we say, ‘not as others’.
Which is why we need parlie to take one for the team.
15: parlie will parley with the purpose of purloining the panflute.
He thinks that the Knights Templar invented tarot cards?
/whistles quietly while rolling eye.
He always struck me as a nice guy even though I never talked to him. He seemed like the only clean homeless person in Charlottesville.
I had no idea what his background was, but it’s really unfortunate his life turned the way it did. There are so many cases of our broken justice system labeling good men and fathers as deadbeat dads because the system is sexist and biased towards women.
…and just like that, the thread rocketed from 18 comments to 192…
but it’s Ethan, so is anyone umbraged? If an Ethan comments on a blog, does it make a shockwave?
ethan’s shockwave gets a handicap, but as we see here just about every day, yes, somebody will get furious and spit internet venom at him. he won’t give a shit, and we’ll all have a good laugh because we secretly enjoy ethan’s contrarian posts and the ridiculous responses they generate.
Huh, I have always known him as Ed… I guess not a lot of people stop to talk to people like him, but, he is always around, why not? And yes, he will talk your ear off like no ones business, be repaired.
@17
Not that off a comment, the symbols on most tarot cards were derived from things time that the Knights Templar existed. So, not THAT crazy nor totally unfounded since they did have a series of cards similar to tarots, although tarots are believed to come from Egypt.
@20
What was crazy about what he said… it is a fact, in these cases the system is sexist. It is a well documented fact.
“be repaired”
How many lunchwhiskeys does that take parlie?
On behalf of the patriarchy—and before this thread really gets rolling—I’d like to go ahead and preëmptively apologize to all men for the sexist outrages you’re suffering. Hang in there, fellas.
If only they allowed men to vote. Damn that crafty Sacagawea!
@26: Men have sacagaweiners.
/pointless
Fantastic interview. Kudos to you guys for posting it.
The fact that you mock me only further illustrates your ignorance regarding the alimony and custody legal system.
OH SNAP
How do you know everything Ethan? Do you work in a library?
@ 29 Dunno if that was at me (as I was not mocking you), but I have empirical knowledge of said systems, and tend to agree.
31: I was mocking you, because making broad generalizations that ignore first principles (oh, like, say, living in a society that overwhelming favors men in the workplace, both in terms of salary and promotion, not to mention a culture of maternal parenting, where women are pressured to take off work or forego careers altogether) leavees you sounding like an ignorant loon.
Keep in mind, I’m not calling you an ignorant loon. And your personal experience with the divorce and alimony systems may vary from the norm. But there’s a song called “Ignorant Loon”, and what you were humming sure as shit reminded me of that familiar tune.
It was mc and parlie.
@33 FYI, workplace statistics are a little skewed for a very wide variety of reasons. Men do tend to make more than women in the same exact job, but they also work more hours per week than women on average. Also, men are more likely than women to negotiate salaries. Women tend to accept jobs with slightly lower salaries but offer more flexibility.
Who is the ignorant loon?
i don’t like to come across like i take any of this at all seriously, but tell me, where was the mockery? i sincerely enjoy watching ethan say things that get people all riled up, and the ensuing blog-o-crucifixion. he’s like the male version of shenanigans.
in the conservatory. with the pipe. huh?
wasn’t mocking, was just saying that guy is known for outrageous conservative statements and doesn’t usually raise anyone’s ire. My favorite wasn’t even the alimony statement, but this :
He seemed like the only clean homeless person in Charlottesville.
Does shenanigans get people riled up? I hadn’t noticed?
@36: Did you just compare me to Ethan? I’m not an arrogant know-it-all. Harrumph.
I’m not arrogant.
you guys are both nazis.
parlie is a genius.
@40: Are too! Are too!
/mc ♥ parlie
in soviet russia, ethan ♥ parlie
your tiny black hearts are really capturing the moment here, you guys.
I do heart parlie. I wanna have a million leprechaun babies, sleep at the end of a rainbow on a bed of golden bongs and go for walks with my pet possum every morning. At night, we’ll snuggle up to the sound of gunfire and whisper snarks to each other before stirring up cvillain in case you guys forgot to start fighting.
/no really, I do love parlie.
LMAO
Ethan, explain to parlie how bad his alimony payments to mc will be and how difficult it will be for him to get custody of his leprechaun babies.
You 2 have mad lubz.
/They’re always after me lucky smarms.
Are they his biological leprechaun babies or not? Even if they are not, he’s still obligated to pay alimony after he divorces mc!
@48.. or how hard it is to even find leprechaun babies (they blend in with the grass and the blunt wraps)
35: Ethan makes compelling arguments….laydeez.
/you should all sleep with him; I bet he’d do your right, Howard Roark-style
For realsy? That is so sexist and biased towards women.
53: My sarcasm; let me show it to you.
Are they his biological leprechaun babies or not?
you calling me a slut? misogynist!!
Get Maury Povich in here. I want some answers.
I love it when the guests call him “Murry”.
/You are………………………………………………………NOT the father!
@10 - yes - parlie on mescaline interviewing loudist flautist. how do we make this happen?
would spicy bear pay for the mescaline?
wow. if Judge Whitlock and my ex had their way, I would be the other Ed sitting downtown. Unfortunately, I can’t read tarot cards…
@58.. we only pay for love
Thanks for the great interview Francesco, but part of me wonders why he didn’t try to find a higher paying job so he could support his wife and progeny. Working as a sub and motel clerk isn’t gonna cut it. Then he decided to just not work so they couldn’t take his money? And to kill himself? I haven’t been in his shoes but my impression is of him being cowardly. Deadbeat dad. So now he does Tarot and his family is still wherever, not getting any support whatsoever. What a “nice guy”.
@37, he does shower and clean his clothes everyday…
right, but the statement is that no other homeless person is clean, which is a bit fucked up.
mc’s point (if I may) is that it is a lot like commenting that a black person is “so articulate” or some other such nonsense.
Yeah, mc’s pretty smart. For a girl.
yeah, man, popping out leprechauns raises the old IQ in a hurry. You gotta be quick to mother those mischief makers.
@67: I can’t stop reading that as “pooping out leprechauns”.
I know, I know, I numbered myself. I’m stupid. Let’s all stand around and point at stupid Lulu.
I was trying to make a joke in comment six-deuce…I clearly failed.
Perhaps I should have winky-faced it. Now I feel like the guy at the hippie party playing guitar and trying to be ironic and satirical by singing a song about being a frat boy and and drinking bud lights and one night stands that falls flat and everyone thinks I’m serious, then I have to explain, and then…well, it just doesn’t work…
I think I just got internet’d.
::hangs head in shame::
It’s Tarot or play Batman on Buckingham Palace:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/13/world/main643116.shtml
I think they have a point that it’s the only version of debtor’s prison left in Anglo-American jurisprudence… but also they could get a job for that little grown-up sperm they made too. Family court decisions just do not get a lot of review at higher levels. Lack of rational debate. Like going to Iraq.
It’s Tarot or play Batman on Buckingham Palace:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/13/world/main643116.shtml
I think they have a point that it’s the only version of debtor’s prison left in Anglo-American jurisprudence… but also they could get a job for that little grown-up man-fluid [other term blocked by filter] they made too. Family court decisions just do not get a lot of review at higher levels. Lack of rational debate. Like going to Iraq.
It’s Tarot or play Batman on Buckingham Palace:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-09/14/content_374407.htm
I think they have a point that it’s the only version of debtor’s prison left in Anglo-American jurisprudence… but also they could get a job for that little grown-up man-squirt [other term blocked by filter] they made too. Family court decisions just do not get a lot of review at higher levels. Lack of rational debate. Like going to Iraq.
Why is cbsnews.com blocked but not chinadaily.com.cn? Or was it my euphemism that got me past the filter?