photo by Jeff Stultz

anyone who expected answers to all the pseudo-scientific questions was probably missing the point the entire time. there, i said it. now, allow me to do the one thing LOST never set out to do: explain.

much like Twin Peaks, LOST mashed a lot of genres together. David Lynch seemingly set out to make a really dark, supernatural freak-fest dressed up as a soap opera, and ultimately the resolution (and entire second season) were extremely disappointing. LOST was a drama about interpersonal relationships, choices, actions, love and death (a soap opera) dressed up as a paranormal, mad-scientist weirdo-parade. the reason Twin Peaks failed is because it lost its heart in its second act. the superficial mask of humanity simply didn’t remain intact, and it was difficult to care about the characters anymore. LOST kept its heart in the right place. the rest doesn’t really matter.

maybe how you feel about the show’s resolution comes down to the kind of “man” you are (women, please excuse the reduction for the sake of reference). are you a man of science, or a man of faith? regardless of what LOST meant by “faith”, i don’t mean it in the judeo-christian sense. what i mean is: what matters to you? logistics or humanity?

did you not truly care about many of these characters? their back-stories were rich and complex. the acting was often top notch, and the emotion was often very real for those of us watching (and apparently for the cast, as well). the polar bear, and the hatch, and the three-toed statue were devices to draw us in. the mysteries are what keep us watching, not what we are rewarded with in the end. the show was always at it’s best when we were left in the dark. answers could only be disappointing. Twin Peaks is as good an example of this as any.

LOST left us with a lot more than answers, though. it brought something special to television viewers who demanded more from the medium than Slut Town and American’s Next Top Grilled Cheese Sandwich. the true test of an important, timeless show is it’s contribution to enriching culture. when a taxi cab zips by while it’s receipt is still printing, you’ll remember the black smoke. as you approach the check-out counter at the supermarket, you’ll think of the button.

think of your favorite character on the show, and then try to forget that character. try to imagine a world in which that character never existed. depending on who you pick, it might seem impossible, because a lot of the characters don’t really seem all that fictional. i don’t personally want to live in a world–or a flash-sideways–where Sawyer, Hurley and Charlie don’t exist. i care about those characters. more importantly, i have friends and loved ones–old and new–who feel the same way.

LOST was essentially about a shared experience: the experience of crash landing on a weird island, and learning to live together in the hopes of eventual rescue. watching the show was the same: the shared experience of watching people crash land on a weird island, while trying to understand what was happening in the hopes of resolution. not everyone on the island lived long enough to escape, and not all of us felt satisfied with the show’s resolution, but we did it together without having to watch American Idol.

the show’s finale made no attempt to hide the fact that LOST is (and always has been) about LOVE. it’s about the people in your life that you’ve come to care for, and that you’d risk your life to protect. that’s what life is about, too. in the end, the polar bears and hatches and buttons and three-toed statues in life don’t really matter.

and hey, it gave us something much more thought-provoking to talk about than Celebrity Whatever.

the skies opened up pt. III, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

it seems everyone in brooklyn took these photos friday evening. normally, i’m quite annoyed when everyone feels the need to take the same picture as everyone else (at an event, party, etc), but this was different. this was unique. it felt like a shared experience.

the cloud shapes and colors were so unusual, we all just felt compelled to stare and point and take pictures and share them with each other. these days–when we all have so many options of things to see, books to read, shows to watch and music to listen to–it’s rare that we all find the same thing to be so interesting.

the sky was a beautiful sight, and i’m glad we all caught these images and uploaded them. you can see more of mine here

drum kit trio, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

the above images were taken to be printed and framed for a housewarming gift. and they were. you can see them at full size here.

pale rider, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

…not for a hundred million, trillion, billion dollars! -Pee-wee Herman, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

sure. not everyone is that obsessed with their bike, and most of those who are would probably give it up for the right price. that said, manhattan and brooklyn bike people are intense. there are many different breeds, of course: the casual rider, the crusty tattoo-ed messenger, the spandex cyclist, etc. they all have their different quirks and characteristics, and they all want to ride their bicycles.

on memorial day, jodi and i made the mostly downhill journey from canal street to brooklyn’s greenwood cemetery (by way of the manhattan bridge, and through DUMBO, carroll gardens, gowanus, and park slope). while we were riding effortlessly down the bridge–i barely pedaled at all–i experienced an almost euphoric sense of peace and contentment.

the entire rest of the day was filled with much joy. photos from that evening’s rooftop bbq coming soon, but for now, please view my portraits of pale rider (jodi’s bike) at full size.

no fate but what we make, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

“the whole thing goes: the future’s not set. there’s no fate but what we make for ourselves.” -John Connor Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

so i guess that means i can’t just sit around and wait for good things to come my way. gotta get out there and be productive. make things happen for myself and mold my life into something that more closely resembles what i’ve envisioned.

okay. i can do that.

here’s to getting out there and taking control of my destiny. i’ve started by going outside. i took a walk the other day. i started finding interesting things in my neighborhood that i hadn’t noticed before. i photographed some of them.

i love the way these images came out, but i don’t think they work at a small size. please view the above image at full size to see what i see.

fleet week, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

late at night–with the help of liquid spirits–i become bold, especially with my camera. it’s always been difficult for me to ask strangers permission to capture their likeness, so a little lager goes a long way.

this saturday, on the way home from greenpoint, i stole the souls of five young sailors. their pure, white uniforms only made them look younger. they were really, seriously, very young looking. we had a brief chat on the G train, before i sank back into my book, and half listened to the rest of their conversation. they missed their stop. i went home.

view the above image at full size if you like

star trek movie ticket, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

someone referred to me as a trekkie yesterday. i argued that it wasn’t true. why? i’m simply not THAT familiar with a lot of the star trek universe. it’s true i grew up in a house with a framed hologram of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), but i’ve only seen a handful of original series episodes, and only watched the next generation sporadically in syndication. i’ve never been to a convention, and even i thought some of the people in the theater the other night were nerds.

what makes me a fan is the fact that i’ve seen certain films over and over and over again, and they have affected my life in serious, tangible ways. i care about [installations of] star trek, but i don’t live for it.

anyway, i’m going to keep this simple. the new star trek movie was really great. i thoroughly enjoyed it. i had my doubts when i first saw the trailer: young hotties zippin’ around, fightin’ kill-bill-style and having hot sex! WOO! it’s star trek for the fast-and-the-furious set!

but it seems that was simply part of the marketing plan to get new people in the seats, because what i saw was a prequel/re-imagining that was respectful of the tone and spirit of Gene Roddenberry’s ongoing mission. J.J. Abrams and co. somehow found a perfect balance between delivering for the needs of the many (the ave. moviegoer), and the needs of the few (star trek nerds)…

or the one (me):

• humor–arguably one of the most important elements in the best trek films–was intact and plentiful
• the casting, overall, was terrific. i was especially delighted by Karl Urban (Bones), Simon Pegg (Scotty) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov)
• Michael Giacchino (composer) and the sound designers didn’t forget to reference familiar sonics from treks of the past
• screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman slipped plenty of subtle references in, which served as a wonderful reward for having been such a nerd throughout my entire life

strange as it may sound, the one element which didn’t quite work for me was the portrayal of Sarek (spock’s father) by anyone other than the late Mark Lenard (who played the character from 1966 through 1991).

that said, STAR TREK was one of the most enjoyable movies i’ve seen in a while, and i look forward to seeing how J.J. tries to avoid the sophomore slump. i could write so much more, but i won’t. i will simply beam home, and once again revisit my favorite films featuring the original cast at odds with klingons, crazed supermen and cranky space probes.

foggy window + cacti, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

…now, watch out! here comes Genesis! we’ll do it for you in six minutes! -Dr. Leonard McCoy (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)

you’ll have to excuse me. i have star trek on the brain. supreme nerdiness aside, i simply meant to allude to the preservation of nature. a few more photos from a visit to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden are here

next up: STAR TREK (duh)

flowers, jodi + spring oreos, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

this may come off as a bit of a rant, but hear me out:

i am an editor. i edit by nature, but it’s also my job, both literally and figuratively. literally, in the sense that i actually edit photographic content for a small, stock photo agency in nyc; figuratively, in the sense that as a photographer, or an artist, or a musician, or even as a human being, it’s important that we all present to the world only the best and most pertinent material that we are capable of producing! i edit tightly (whenever possible). editing your own work can be difficult, but i can’t stress how important it is.

not everyone uses sites like flickr or facebook or myspace or twitter to post or link to “photography” or “art”, and that’s okay! not everyone produces creative work, and not everyone takes all of this nonsense as seriously as some of us do… but all too often i come across internet users who upload every single photo they’ve ever taken, straight from the camera. or maybe it’s every single song they’ve ever written and recorded. or maybe it’s every single thought they have in their head at the time.

in the words of vocalist/lyricist, Sean Nelson:

“some people will surprise you with a real depth of feeling / others still may shock you with all that they’re revealing / but one thing’s for sure: there’s always more information than you ask for”

he goes on to sing:

“some things are personal (at least they should be) / or is it too much to ask you just to maintain a little… radio silence.”

thanks, sean. i can’t imagine how people expect their friends, family and “fans” to dig through all the dirt to find the gold. i certainly wouldn’t want to, and i wouldn’t want others to do so when looking at or listening to my work.

that said, i don’t mean to say that all of my uploads consist of high art, great photography, or perfect songwriting, but i try really hard to put my best stuff out there, and keep everything else locked away. i write or post or tweet when i have something to say, and not just because i brushed my teeth.

with photography, i try to post only images that i think are worth a closer look. it’s rare that more than 10% of the shots i take see the light of day, and even then, i spend a good amount of time on each image, processing the files, correcting for color and exposure (as best i can), and retouching out nasty little bits and pieces that take away from the clarity of the subject of the image.

if an image is really good, but needs to be rotated 4 degrees to make it really great, i will take the time to make that happen.

consider this a prompt to everyone out there uploading artistic or creative content to the wondrous world wide web. take that extra step! take the extra five minutes to edit through and find the best of what you have. retouch out that piece of dust, or that thing in the corner that doesn’t add–but rather detracts–from an image! make it beautiful! make it count!

upload only that which is best, and let people have some breathing [and thinking] room between updates, and cool it with the nonsense!

i say all of this with love, and i welcome your comments, especially if you disagree with me. we’re here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

(above photos from jodi’s birthday. we visited the brooklyn botanic garden for the cherry blossom festival last weekend. more on that soon… but not too much more–only the best.)

just married, originally uploaded by iamtheeric.

my oldest childhood friend got married two weeks ago to a wonderfully sweet girl. matt and i have been fortunate enough to see each other grow up–literally–from the time we were in pre-school, through high school, college and now adulthood.

i truly wish only the absolute best for both of them, and thank them for including me in the ceremony (i played some music on guitar as members of the wedding party, including the bridge and groom, walked up/down the aisle).

i only snapped a handful of good photos between dancing and dining at the reception, but you can take a look at the selected few here.

speaking of matrimony, my uncle also got married last month! i spent less time strumming and more time snapping at that engagement. you can see the fruits of my single-lens-reflex-labor from that wedding here.