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.
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.
I am very proud to announce the launch of a new photo agency site that I designed (and project-managed):
As with all creative endeavors, this site would not have been possible without the support and advice of the following people. I want to express my warmest gratitude to:
Quirine Hartong, Neil Voss, Cynthia O’Murchu, Neil Shah, Phaedra Brown, and Jason Pagan.
Went with a friend to see Belle and Sebastian at Battery Park on the fourth. It was a free concert (you had to get the tickets at starbucks). Seemed like all of brooklyn was in attendance. The crowd was really mellow. The band sounded great and the lead singer Stuart Murdoch granted us all our independence. Then someone in the crowd shouted, “Take our leader!” and Stuart got us all riled up to go out there and try to make some political changes. Belle and Sebastian’s albums can be very hit or miss, but they definitely brought out a lot of the classics from their green album, and the vibe was very laid back and pleasant. We went to their after party at Trinity pub where one of the band members Chris was playing dj, and his musical selection was quite eclectic and on the mellow side.
Last night I went out on the deck as it was raining and yet the sun was heavy as it set in the sky. Took some images of a duck family with two baby ducks who had fur! The sky was crazy, dark and grey in parts and bright orange in others. It was so relaxing after a stressful week to just be outside in the quiet, on the deck and the beach below it, walking around in the drizzle. I took this shot of my neighbor’s “make out room”. It’s a little room they built for their teenage kids to hang out in. And when the kids have a party, they hire their friends as bouncers to stand outside their little “VIP” room.
Tonight City Island has it’s own fireworks and we will sit out on the deck and watch them with our neighbors. I was just reading the wikipedia on City Island, brilliant read if you’re not familiar with the place. Oh and I’m totally overusing flicker’s blog this photo function, but i heart it.
DD and I were recently in Ireland, where we attended our good friends’ wedding. It was a really fun week, even the week leading up to the wedding. In Ireland, you get visitors every night of the week before the wedding. The bride and groom have to entertain them with drinks and food.
The night before the wedding, I went next door to where DD and his friends were celebrating with the groom. Lots of laughter and songs, and a guy playing guitar. I started singing all the Irish songs I knew, and in a room full of Irish folks, I was the only one who knew the lyrics to these songs! Thank God for the Pogues, that’s all I have to say.
The wedding day was really spectacular, I got to ride in the limo with the bridesmaids and take these lovely shots with my plastic camera. They had irish dancers at the wedding and it was brilliant. Then the next day, I was totally dazed and feeling rough, and I walk out of our hotel room and DD and his friend are drinking already at 12 o’clock. The bride and groom came down and then a bunch of DD’s friends were drinking…I had to go home early. I couldn’t keep up with the Irish!
Caring for your Introvert is a funny, partly tongue-in-cheek and partly serious commentary on introverts in our very extroverted society. I always had a feeling I was slightly different than a lot of people around me, and it’s because I’m in the minority of personality types. Most people are extroverts and our society is kind of set up more for that type.
I’m the kind of person who needs a lot of time alone to think and to recharge my batteries. I like a good party and I’m perfectly sociable, but after a night out with a group of people I’m definitely exhausted. And I really prefer a deep one-on-one conversation with a good friend about something I feel really passionate about. I actually get along famously with extroverts, most of my close friends are extroverts, and there’s nothing I like better than to listen to them talk on and on.
So are there any other introvert readers out there? What did you think of the article?
And if you’re not sure of your own type, check out my post about personality tests here.
I just love Red Chard. And I have urban organics to thank. Urban Organics is this organic vegetable delivery service. They send fresh veggies in a box once a week. You can’t really choose what they send, it’s just what’s in season. I had never tried red chard before. Well let me tell ya, it’s not only a healthy green leafy veggie, but it’s also delicious. Just sautee it with a little garlic and extra virgin olive oil, or if you prefer, cook it in a pan with bacon. Mmm bacon. Actually bacon makes everything better. But red chard doesn’t need to be better. It’s good just as it is. Some people also cook the stalks of the Red Chard, but I just throw them out. Anyway it’s really yummy.
