This is the first genuine (almost) smile we’ve managed to capture. They are fleeting to say the least. It’s not a great photo I’ll grant you, but I was so desperate to get a picture of Billy (my son) on Paul’s site I couldn’t resist.

I’d always imagined Republicans didn’t care about the environment; after all, by the time the rest of us are choking to death from the putrefied air, blistering under 100% UV rays and desiccated from lack of water, the Republicans will have constructed huge domed enclaves, protecting themselves from the perishing masses. They’ll be happily cooped up in front of Bible TV whilst us schmucks quietly curl up and die outside.

This is the stuff of bad sci-fi I know, but the stance of many Republicans toward the environment has had me worried it might come true. Not only that, but that they have already accepted it as a given. They do believe in Armageddon after all. This article from today’s Guardian has given me some hope.

Have you ever cried helplessly for 15 minutes because something was so beautiful? If this doesn’t appeal, do not watch the final episode of Six Feet Under. It took Heidi and I that long to stand up after the credits rolled. We couldn’t speak or even look at one another—no TV show has ever had such an effect on me. I’d hate to be a TV writer after tonight; as I write this I envision an exodus involving LA and a thousand ambitious young writers. Finally it has all been done. There is nothing left to say. I know, I know; this has been said of art for as long as people have been making it, but just for tonight it actually feels true.

I won’t say anything about what happened in the show. As with most episodes of Six Feet Under, what happened wasn’t even the point; what mesmerized us was how it happened and how gorgeous it looked. Do you realize that tonight was historic? The greatest TV show ever made is over, forever. I feel like there should be fireworks outside. Instead there is nothing, and very few of the people I know will have even watched it. I know how I’ll feel tomorrow. I’ll feel like I did in 1997 when I bought ‘OK Computer’ by Radiohead. I thought it was an earth-shattering work of art and I was buzzing with joy. I wanted the whole world to join in celebration: the greatest album of our time had just been released, please somebody acknowledge it! Unfortunately, all anyone seemed to care about was the death of some two-bit celeb named Princess Diana.

Being honest with myself, I wasn’t always so enraptured by Six Feet Under. Through the seasons there were plotlines that annoyed the hell out of me, there were characters I couldn’t stand and scenes I was tempted to fast-forward through. Claire’s had me cringing so much I’ve nearly peed my pants. Nate and Brenda’s perpetual and pointlessly circular introspection was enough to make me want to give up. That goes for Billy and Olivier too. Rico & Vanessa, the token plebs, had their moments, but I was usually happy to see the end of their scenes. Oh, and let’s not forget Lisa. What a pathetic drip! I was as glad as Nate to see the back of her. God rest her soul. David, Keith, Ruth, Bettina, Sarah, Margaret, Maggie and George I loved.

Up until tonight my only other criticism was that the characterization sometimes appeared slapdash; personalities seemed to lurch between extremes too fast for me to process. By the end of season 2 we thought they’d done all there was to do and that they should have ended it. In retrospect, I think I can put this down to our watching all five seasons in one year. Had we watched it week-by-week over five years I think we could’ve kept up with the plot twists. And as irritating as many of the characters were, I felt for them when they were in trouble and forgave them when they went crazy. All they had to do to win me back was play pleasant for a week or two.

Now that Brenda’s a single mom, Nate’s dead, Lisa’s dead, Claire’s grown up, Rico & Vanessa are independent, Billy’s sane, and Olivier is human I love them all. RIP the lot of you; I’ll think of you often.

Hungry dog spotted on 5th Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn, waiting for his master.

Photo by John Long

Every blogger needs a break now and then and this one’s no exception. I left New York two days ago but have been keeping up the pretence of being around because it is my mum’s surprise 60th birthday party today and I’m in England to celebrate with her.

I’ll be away for another twelve days. But I leave you in the capable hands of my friends and neighbors Ben, Nick, Simon, and William, all to varying degrees bloggers, and all Brooklynites who live within a ten minute walk of my apartment. In order of proximity, I present…

EiNY readers are already well-acquainted with Simon of the Brain. Simon is a native of Rochdale, Lancashire, which is also the home of Lisa Stansfield (although the less that’s said about that the better). Simon is currently coming to grips with fatherhood and a Canon Digital Rebel XT camera which he bought to chart his son Billy’s early days, weeks, and years.

Nick is a newbie to Brooklyn. He arrived here from the UK about three months ago. Nick was born up the road from my home town of Leeds in York. He works as a tech geek in Manhattan by day but his passions are politics and current affairs. Nick’s never blogged before, so I’ve got no idea what he is going to say. But I do know it will be worth listening to…

William aka Macboy is a cartoonist and Mac consultant. He is the animator of the wonderful NY Mug cartoon that I could watch again and again, creator of the Shabot6000 cartoons and animations which are zipping around the Internet, and has entered the blogging world in his own inimitable way with Lowercase L—charting the improper use of lowercase “l”s in signage across the city. I kid you not.

Last but certainly not least, Ben is soon to desert New York for the cooler air of Boston, where he’s jumping into the editor’s chair at The Jewish Journal. You may already have come across Ben at Anguswit. Expect politics—lots of politics.

So there you go. Thanks to all four for agreeing to look after EiNY for me. I know the site will be more interesting for their contribution. I just hope there will be room for me when I come back.