Peter at Antonios
Peter Carroll came up for the weekend and as always, his visit involved multiple visits to Antonios. Today he had a fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil, then a salad slice. I had the special which was melanzana (eggplant, feta, roasted red pepper, and spinach).
Graveyard
No matter where I live, there is one spot which I am always surprised to see. It is as if it doesn’t belong to its surroundings, so in my mind I block it out. In Ithaca there was a stretch of road that gave me the feeling of being somewhere else, and there was a street in Springfield, OH that had the same affect on me. / Peter and I were walking in downtown Amherst yesterday and as I looked to my left down an alley, I saw this graveyard. It is literally in the very center of town, but is situated in such a way that it is not visible unless you are really looking for it. Emily Dickinson is buried here, so there are almost always vague looking people wandering around paying their respects.
Theatre
I have been shooting theatre for a very long time. I mostly still enjoy it, but one thing I like the best is that actors are pretty comfortable around a camera. These women are really beautiful.
Memento mori.
I was in Farmington, CT yesterday driving down Main Street when these two words caught my eye. I knew that the phrase had something to do with death, and after doing a little reading, I learned a bit more. The literal translation is “remember you must die” or “remember you will die”. In classical times, it was said to victorious soldiers by their slaves to remind them that their good fortune could change at any moment. In other words, we are all mortal and sooner or later…..pfffft. It still seems like a good idea to think about this from time to time. For me, the only consolation in losing people close to me has been to let the loss reinforce the idea that being alive is amazing and I should feel very grateful for my wonderful life and all of my lovely friends and family.
Three feet
Cris had to take the train to New York today, and I like train stations, so it was nice to give her a lift. I always wait around until the train leaves. These folks were waiting for the 2.50 calling at Windsor Locks, Windsor, Hartford, Berlin, Meriden……..
Lotto
I like looking into the windows of parked cars. You can see some pretty interesting sights. I was on my way into the Stop n Shop and noticed this guy’s affinity for the lottery. Serious business goin’ on here.
Clingstone
I am partway through shooting a story for the Old House Journal about a most amazing house off the coast of Jamestown, RI. Clingstone was built in 1905 and is now owned by the Wood family of Boston. It was abandoned from 1941 to 1961 when Henry Wood bought it for $3600. Last weekend was the annual “work weekend” when volunteers come to the island to help out with all sorts of repairs and upkeep. It was a very interesting collection of people. This shot shows Dan Wood on the launch with the house in the background.
NYY Steak
I’m not sure why this seems so funny to me. Maybe because I remember Bill Simmons referring to Hal and Hank as Uday and Qusay. Cris and I were at Yankee Stadium yesterday for our nephew Adam’s NYU graduation, and after the ceremony John and Lynne took us upstairs for a memorable lunch at NYY Steak. We did it last year when Adam got his undergrad degree, and I had failed to notice the display of knives near the elevators. This year I saw them. Everybody’s there including Rudy Giuliani, although I didn’t have time to look for the empty spot where Ronan Tynan’s used to be.
Oyster Bar
Without a doubt, one of my favorite places in the world in the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. Had some Cotuits and Blue Points and then a great pan roast before getting on the train to come home.
Wall Street
There was lots of action downtown because the president was here talking about Wall Street reform. There were tons of tv people doing stand-ups. They always draw a crowd.
Jon Crispin's Notebook 
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