Ben Chapman relaxes between takes on the set of Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954, dir. Jack Arnold) (via Hollywood Horror: Gothic to Cosmic)

“The reason they didn’t credit me in the movie, and this is crazy, is the studio wanted to give the impression, the illusion, that it was a real creature. If you see the original Frankenstein, Boris [Karloff] doesn’t get credit. It’s a question mark in the credit. I looked at the studio and asked if they thought the people were that stupid, and they said, ‘You’d be surprised what people believe’”

From

 

Some Dara going on.

Crash

About a million years ago, or two weeks in sane time, the hard drive on my MacBook crashed. With it went a project I'd labored over, three years of writing, all my iTunes and every photo I'd meticulously collected.

When the new hard drive was installed, I rejoiced. I had an external hard drive and surely much of what had been lost would be there!

Twasn't.

It was as if I were starting over. With everything.

And so I am. The ideas that are worth writing about again will still be in my soft drive (i.e. cranium) and the project may be better the second time around (and I thank thee, oh saintly project giver, for your patience).

After slowly recalling all of my passwords, I made my way back here. Here, too, I will begin again.

The Boy

Enchanting music by Tom Rosenthal

My Brother Jon is at Bouchercon

San Fransisco, except a strange weather system.


From and business

Happy Song

Lyrics of woe matched with music of joy. Glorious.

Everything’s horrible today,
La la la la horrible today.
I’m so sad and lonely, I’m so sad and all alone.
No one’s gonna love me, la la la la love me.
I’m gonna be an old woman all by myself.
With my dog in a house on a hill,
And then I’m gonna die and no one’s gonna even know,
And I’m gonna rot for days, I’m gonna rot for days, I’m gonna rot,
For diddly diddly diddly days.

Ingrid Michaelson

A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. And so do I.

The Dick van Dyke Show began 49 years ago from the 3rd of this October.

If you can't get enough of Dick, go here.

Today, if you're not an alcoholic, you're nobody.

Dick Van Dyke

Hey Hey

Charles I in Three Positions, Anthony van Dyck, 1636, oil on canvas

My Autumn So Far

Red Admiral

A morning glory folded in on itself

Sumac leaves turning

Spirals from gourd vine that had taken over the garden.

A rose water stained by the previous nights rain.

Chinese lanterns.

CSI Disney

J'adore

Mother Goose & Grimm

A Glorious Pile of PaintThei

Thierry Ysebaert

WAY OF TEA

WAY OF TEA
Originally uploaded by ajpscs

Japanese Tea Ceremony

By the 16th century, tea drinking had spread to all levels of society in Japan. Sen no Rikyu, perhaps the most well-known—and still revered—historical figure in tea ceremony, followed his master, Takeno Jōō's, concept of ichi-go ichi-e, a philosophy that each meeting should be treasured, for it can never be reproduced.

His teachings perfected many newly developed forms in Japanese architecture and gardens, fine and applied arts, and the full development of chadō, "the "way of tea". The principles he set forward—harmony (和 wa), respect (敬 kei), purity (清 sei), and tranquility (寂 jaku)—are still central to tea ceremony.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sir Tilda

"A dame? I’d so much rather be a knight. It would, of course, be a great honor to be asked whether one would. I don’t know. But I think Sir Tilda sounds so much better."
- Tilda Swinton

Sometimes Its Hard to be a Straightman

"Once a little boy sent me a charming card with a little drawing on it. I loved it. I answer all my children’s letters — sometimes very hastily — but this one I lingered over. I sent him a card and I drew a picture of a Wild Thing on it. I wrote, “Dear Jim: I loved your card.” Then I got a letter back from his mother and she said, “Jim loved your card so much he ate it.” That to me was one of the highest compliments I’ve ever received. He didn’t care that it was an original Maurice Sendak drawing or anything. He saw it, he loved it, he ate it."

— Maurice Sendak