Current Status: In a relationship with the autumn leaves. Please respect our privacy while we take our mutual fascination with one another to the next level. I will not be taking questions at this time but thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Dopamine Chamber by Fontaines D.C. (2026)
What an album! Give it a spin, folks.
Angie Dickinson in Dressed To Kill (1980)
Dolly Parton FOREVER.
Elsinore looks like Oscar bait for Andrew Scott.
My colleagues made me do it! The Very Hungry Caterpillar costumes by Erin Bennard. Happy Halloween from The Art Department.
Halloween at my friend Steve's totally basic and undecorated house watching the OG Carrie (1976) and drawing in my sketchbook. Sissy Spacek is absolutely everything. PLUG IT UP! PLUG IT UP!
More figures made by my student Soren
I received this anonymous note at work. It says "Dear Christian - Your Halloween picture was terrific, but even you, the great artist, cannot mask the wonderful work you do with our students. Thank you for your example and dedication. Have a wonderful day!" Thank you to whoever left me this humbling and very sweet note. You absolutely made my day!
Is Throwback Thursday still a thing? The Montone Family in Rome in August of 1983. Dad (age 34), me (age 10) and Mom (age 31). My parents have a large stash of great photos from this trip but this one is in one of my photo albums. Sweet memory that I've been thinking about today. That said, I think I need to grab and digitize my parents' vast photo archive.
Is Flashback Friday still a thing? Here's me in 1992 (age 19) outside of Bella Pizza on 9th Street and 6th Avenue. The soda cup is a dead giveaway for where I had eaten lunch that day. My college friends and I would frequent Bella Pizza or Joe Jr's for lunch between classes as they were a short walk around the corner from Parsons. Behind me is the famous Balducci's gourmet grocery whose bakery and cheese departments were unrivaled. In fact, walking up to street level from the PATH train station (just out of view to the right) one could smell Gorgonzola, Reggiano and Stilton on any given day. I'm not sure who took this photo but looking at it now I'm realizing that I still dress like that... hoodies and double layered jackets. My hair still does that flip thing in the front. Whatever was going on when this photo was taken I can safely say I was probably saying something funny or reacting to something comical. Maybe I was making a toast to Future Me... and Future Me is very much in the present smiling back at that kid because very little about him has changed and time is indeed a flat circle. Good job, kid. You turned out okay.
Yvonne Elliman & Mahavishnu Orchestra... LET'S GO!
It's always great to visit my friend Bobby's record shop. He's a kind, friendly and knowledgable guy with great records, tapes and CDs. I'm never far away from a brilliant gem for my collection here. Incidentally, once again a customer walked up to me asking questions about the merchandise and I had to say "Sorry I don't work here but maybe I can help." This happens to me frequently in record stores. I guess I have a record store employee face (and that tracks).
Today I got third piercings in each of my ears, received a transdermal microchip so I can be located by extraterrestrials, got an illuminati pyramid tattoo on my chest, completed my real estate licensure, took an Amway salesmanship course and learned how to make the perfect charcuiterie board on a shabby chic distressed cabinet door at Claire's.
Novembering into shorter days.
Not much 2026 left.
Cheers to all. - CDM
