I was reading the six feet under fan site because I am totally obsessed when I came across this artist. I just love dioramas and I want to start creating a new series of them as soon as I get the chance. Matt Burlingame’s work is completely dark, surreal, and creepy. Some of his creations are actually a bit too violent for my taste, but for the most part I really love what he’s doing here. The photo below is a detail from Claire’s room in the six feet under house, and instead of beds all the characters have coffins to sleep in.

And by the way, I had no idea the art in six feet under was all done by actual artists that were commissioned to do the works — how cool is that?

http://www.mattburlingame.com/index.html

My favorite television show of all time is undoubtably The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling is a creative genius. The sheer output from this man’s mind is just amazing. His screenplays all start with a brilliant kernel of an idea, into which he infuses an atmosphere of anxiety and dread, finished off with a twisted ending that really makes you think long after the program is over.

(Read on …)

I have been a huge fan of James Lileks’s site for a long time. Culling vintage images taken from varied print sources, James has a lot of fun laughing at their crudeness and naiveté. This stuff is freaking hilarious.

And if you like James’s site, you’ll love the weight watchers recipe cards site.

The other night DD surprised me after work by taking me to the Central Park Conservatory garden, where we were married 3 years ago. We sat in the very same spot and admired the flowers and the pond with water lilies. A group of people were conversing by the pond with an older gentleman in a suit. I said to DD, I wonder if they’re thinking about getting married here! DD, being the shy guy that he is, implored me not to go talk to them. But I just had to. “So are you guys thinking of getting married here?” A young British woman said, “We’re getting married here tomorrow! But it’s supposed to thundershower.” I assured her the wedding would be rain-free, and told her the story of how on my wedding day it rained and rained until the moment when I stepped out of the limo when it miraculasly stopped. The next day, sure enough, new york city saw no rain.

The Central Park Conservatory garden is one of those almost “secret” spots in central park that noone seems to know about. At Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, it is far enough uptown to discourage all but the most bold tourists. It is a lovely garden laid out in three sections with an Italian, French, and English garden. Truly a quiet retreat for when you’re in a romantic or contemplative mood.

Long Day’s Journey Into Night, filmed in 1962, stars Katherine Hepburn and Dean Stockwell as a morphine-addicted mother and her sensitive poetic son. Katherine Hepburn is intense and I must say a young Dean Stockwell is totally hot in this picture. The film explores the murky, depressing lives of four family members who are so mired in past mistakes that they can’t make any positive changes for themselves.

Written by Eugene O’Neill, this classic play was never meant to be seen on stage, as he had a lawyer draw up a contract sealing the manuscript away. Somehow O’Neill’s wife got around this and that is why we can appreciate this work of art today. Deeply personal, the play draws from O’Neill’s own family life growing up.

Relentlessly throughout the entire film, the characters attack each other and blame each other for their own problems, while all the time trying to escape their own pain using alcohol and drugs. It’s a powerful movie that has a great deal of resonance for people today.

The movie was beautifully shot on City Island, and the house on Tier Street where most of the action takes place is still standing. A photo of the house can be seen on Forgotten New York’s amazing City Island page.