Sean Henri

Across the street at work

May 21, 2009 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

I've been watching this factory slowly come down across the street from my job in New Haven.  It's 99.9% demolished at this point, leaving me with a nice view of East Rock during my commute in.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Cherry Blossoms in New Haven

April 19, 2009 // 4 Comments  // Add yours »

I finished off a fantastic weekend by checking out the Cherry Blossom Festival in New Haven's Wooster Square. Also checked out some apartments in the area. Just weighing ideas...

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (4)

Friday night at Anna Liffey's

January 09, 2009 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Anna Liffey's in New Haven is my favorite pub in Connecticut for a number of reasons: relaxing atmosphere, great music, the perfect pint of Guiness, and the fact that they have Connect Four.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Food and Drink, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

A day at the gallery

January 04, 2009 // 3 Comments  // Add yours »

Today was my first visit to the Yale Center for British Art in New Haven.  I've probably walked past it a few hundred times in my life but for whatever reason never decided to step in until this afternoon.

It was the last day of an exhibit called Benjamin West and the Venetian Secret, which focused on two of West's paintings and told the story of his embarrassment in an obscure 18th-century art hoax.  You can read about it here.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Art & Design, New Haven, Photos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (3)

My first shot as an extra

December 25, 2008 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Watch closely during the chase scene of the most recent Indiana Jones movie and you might catch me in the background walking down the sidewalk.  I'm the guy all the way to the right in the picture up above, dressed as a 1950's college student with books in my hand.. the only one who's somewhat in focus.  It was filmed back in the summer of 2007 on High Street in New Haven.  The scene moves so quickly that I missed it entirely the first time I saw it.

Posted in:  Culture, Film, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Coping with the commute

August 11, 2008 // 18 Comments  // Add yours »

There's only a few people I know who enjoy their commute.  My friend Steph is one of them.  From my understanding, she gets to cruise through scenic country roads on her way to work.  I'd imagine I might enjoy that as well.  For most of us, the commute involves sitting in traffic with a bunch of  miserable drivers on some major highway like I-95 and dodging street repairs and building construction. It can get depressing.

My commute starts off okay.  I usually get to cruise past the traffic in the Naugatuck Valley and then along most of RT 34.  By the time I get to downtown New Haven it all changes and the quality of my drive plummets.  Some jerk might cut me off, the road could be backed up due to construction, or a pedestrian will dart in front of traffic and nearly cause an accident.  Typical events like these could easily set a bad tone for the day.

There's a few ways I stay positive during the drive into work:

• Music (lately it's been The Beatles, Vampire Weekend, or Franz Ferdinand... played loudly)
• Coffee
• Fresh Air (always drive with the windows down)

Still, once I get downtown, my mood can easily change for the worse no matter what I do to prevent it.  And then I think about how it's quite possible that I could be doing this for decades to come.  Some days I wish I could ditch the car and walk to work, or at least take alternate routes. Unfortunately, it just isn't possible for the time being.  Any tips from my fellow commuters on how to improve this unfortunate part of the day?

Update: Some responses I received from my twitter followers below the cut:

Continue reading "Coping with the commute"

Posted in:  New Haven, Thoughts & Ideas, Videos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (18)

Tin Foil "Chrome" Rims

August 01, 2008 // 8 Comments  // Add yours »

Working in downtown New Haven means that my coworkers and I get to see a lot of unusual things going on outside of our window.  This past week, while working hard on revamping the company ecommerce site, we noticed a slightly unusual showroom customer pull into the parking lot.  Typically, the showroom customers appear to be well-off - coming in with BMW's or other types luxury vehicles.  The guy however, came in on a bike with custom tin-foil rims.   Mindy couldn't resist snapping a photo:

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (8)

Paul McCartney Receives Honorary Degree From Yale

May 26, 2008 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

This morning I caught Sir Paul McCartney in New Haven as he received an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University.  I had no idea he was going to be there until around 10am when my phone started ringing off the hook - courtesy of my twin brother Justin and a young lass named Brooke.   Once I had all the details I gave Jenn,  Mindy, Justin, and Brooke a call and we all raced downtown.  It was a short ceremony, and he didn't say anything.  They serenaded him with a quick rendition of Hey Jude,  gave him a bit of praise, and after a quick bow and a wave it was all over. 

I thought it was a great way to start of Memorial Day.  It's not every day one gets to see one of The Beatles receive a degree.  Here's some video:

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, New Haven, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Videos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

So many ideas

March 25, 2008 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

On top of the previously mentioned idea that I have about a Connecticut related blog, two other projects you may see coming shortly are a photo blog (something I've played around with in the past), and a blog focusing on music /The Beatles.  More details to come.

Speaking of photos.. I've been experimenting with some over-saturation on the colors in some shots.  I'm trying to give them somewhat of a vintage feel.  A friend recently commented that it makes the photo almost look like a painting.  Below are two that I took over the weekend.  Any thoughts? 

Posted in:  Blogging, Derby, CT, New Haven, Photos, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

Try something new

March 25, 2008 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

It's always nice to get out and try something new instead of following the same old routine.   I did a bit of that on Saturday and Sunday.  My friend Mindy and I went into New Haven to check out the Yale Art Gallery.  I was a bit surprised by the amount of famous artworks featured their permanent collection.  I spent years working directly across the street and I never had any clue they were there.  The gallery is free to the public and absolutely  worth your time if you've never been there. 

Aside from the gallery, we met up with our friend Kam for some lunch at the Educated Burgher, drove up to East Rock, and ventured down to the coastline to check out Fort Nathan Hale.

The day's adventures got me thinking.  There are so many things to do around Connecticut that many people my age never seem to think of doing.  I wonder if maybe they simply don't know about them.  I frequently hear complaints that "Connecticut sucks" or have people tell me they can't go out because they're low on money.  Well aside from my lunch and gas, everything I did on Saturday was free.  It doesn't cost a penny to go to a park or the beach.  Museums and galleries rarely charge for admission and if they do it's a few dollars at the most.  There's so many things to do on a weekend aside from just going to a bar every Friday night at 10.

We live in a great state.  It's filled with cultural, historical, and recreational attractions.  Its proximity to New York, Massachussets and Rhode Island make it even better.  There's tons of great places to see and things to do that are all within a day's drive.  So an idea I have is to start up a new blog that focuses on these sort of things.  I have a few co-authors lined up, so it may be something we get going soon.  The blog will feature strictly localized content.  It's just an idea now, but I see this coming together in the near future.  It needs a name.  Any thoughts?

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Art & Design, Culture, New Haven, Thoughts & Ideas | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (2)

Paul Rudolph's Temple Street Garage

December 02, 2007 // 4 Comments  // Add yours »

Not sure what it is... but I really like the the Temple Street Parking Garage in New Haven.  The building next to it was recently demolished so it's become much more visible from the street.  Now I'm stuck staring at it for about ten minutes every day as I sit in traffic on my drive into work, and it's slowly begun to grow on me.

The architect, Paul Rudolph, seems to gets a bad wrap from critics, and many in the public hate his work for being too impractical, cold, and oppressive.  One of his building was even set on fire back in the 60's.   As a result of all the resentment, many of the buildings he designed have been demolished in recent years. 

I'm one of the few who tend to like his work.  I couldn't tell you why, but I do. I guess it could be partly due to the fact that I used to work in one of his buildings.  But who knows.  I admit that I know very little about architecture so I have no authority on this whatsoever. 

Anyway, the New Haven Advocate has a article on the garage this week.  Check it out.

Posted in:  Art & Design, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (4)

New Haven has its nice parts

August 26, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

If you drive down Townsend Ave. and stop at East Shore Park, Nathan Hale Park, or Lighthouse Point Park, you'll get some pretty nice views of New Haven Harbor.  The best time to go is probably around sunset.   There's paved walkways so you can go out for a walk along the water.  Seems fairly safe as well.

I was down that way last night for my friend Jennifer's wedding.  It was a lot of fun, as weddings usually are.  And I was lucky because I got to see a few friends that I haven't seen in a long time.  Some of them moved out of state and others I just don't get to see that often for various different reasons.  I even spotted a kid wearing a kilt and found out it was a Troop 3 scout who had bought it while on the troop's recent trip to Scotland.

More pictures in the "Newest Pics" album.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, New Haven | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Taking it easy

July 19, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

It's been a slow month.  I'm trying to take it easy until I go to Ireland in 3 weeks so I can save up a little extra spending money, so, I'm sorry if things are kinda boring on here until then.

But here's what's new:

• I have somewhat of an exciting announcement to make once I get back from Ireland.
• I'll be posting daily updates with pictures and video while I'm out there.
• My brother Kevin gets to travel to England, Scotland, Whales, and Ireland in the near future with BSA Troop 3 from Derby.  They'll be posting daily updates on their blog at Troop3Derby.org.
• Sally Jessy Raphael requested me to be her friend on Facebook yesterday. Ha!
• I've been spending a lot of my free time hiking, biking, kayaking, hanging out at Starbucks, and trying to get better with photography.  If anybody ever wants to join me, be my guest.

And finally, here's a picture of me on the set of Indiana Jones 4.   I'm by the tree:

By for now.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, New Haven, Photos, Stuff | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (0)

Who is Radioman?

July 01, 2007 // 6 Comments  // Add yours »

Radioman, or "Radio" is a bum.  His real name is Craig Castaldo and he's a former homeless man from NYC who earned his name by having a large radio hanging from his neck.  What makes him stand out from other homeless guys is the fact that he's appeared in over 30 major motion pictures, including The Departed, Mr. Deeds, Elf, and Godzilla. 

I first encountered Radioman while I was waiting in line to meet Paul McCartney last November.  At first I thought he was just trying to find a place to sleep, but then the next day we actually saw him in the building waiting in line with the rest of us.  I learned his name when a couple of guys walked by and shouted "Hey Radio!"  He sat there all night rewinding his tape and singing along to commercial jingles that he liked.   It was really annoying.

Fast forward to yesterday - I was in New Haven picking up my costume for Indiana Jones 4, when Radioman bursts into the door and runs right past security.  At first everyone was kind of startled, but once they realized who he was they brought him over, gave him a shave and a costume, and let him be an extra. 

Following the last shoot of the day, Radioman walked towards Steven Spielberg to personally thank him for allowing him be in the movie.  Spielberg let him come right up to him, shook his hand and said  "No problem!  Great to see you again".  Again?  They know each other?  So I looked him up online.  There are pictures of Radioman kissing Jessica Simpson, a story about him in the New York Times, and even a profile on IMDB.   His website features pictures of himself alongside people like Tom Cruise, Pierce Brosnan, and Johnny Depp. 

Radioman used to be homeless and a drunk, but now is able to support himself by collecting the small amount of money he earns from being an extra in movies, and by selling the autographs of the celebrities he meets.  Sometimes he sells autographs for sandwiches.  He's become well known among New York celebrities, and is a source of information for paparazzi because he's "in the know" when it comes to celebrity appearances and movie filming. He has hopes of becoming a big actor himself one day.

From the New York Times.

Posted in:  Culture, New Haven, NYC | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook | Comments (6)