Splurge

Last summer, my daughter and I were whiling away the time before the start of a movie by browsing in a gallery near the theatre. There I saw work by an artist I'd never heard of before (Oleg Zhivetin), in a style that I usually don't like (cubist -- I think), on a theme for which I've not felt a lot of desire to have hanging on my walls these days (romantic love). But I was smitten by "Invitation Under the Moon" and I spent some time seriously considering how I could put together more than $1,000 to buy the piece. Ultimately, I decided it was not something I could do, but I still yearned for the image.

More than a week before I wrote last night's post about spending less, I found a giclee of "Invitation" on eBay, offered by a seller who has been around for several years and has a sterling feedback rating. So I went ahead and bid $250 on the piece. I won it two days ago for $200 (paid for it today, payday).

This may well be the most expensive item I've ever purchased on eBay, but I'm very excited to have it, and feel good about the decision. This is an image I've wanted for a long time, and a giclee will be much nicer to have than simply a poster print. Of course there's going to be the cost of framing. . . which will probably end up costing at least as much as the print. But this is one of those "lifetime" purchases, something that I will be living with for many years.

Here it is:



I think that it's the non-naturalistic style which makes the romantic theme attractive to me. It has a mythic feel, but also a sweetness and an innocence. It makes me think of my daimon (comment if you're new and have questions on that), and nourishes the part of me that remains a romantic, deep down.

I am qos, See Me Glow!

> WARNING

qos is radioactive. Wear protective clothing at all times.

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

Too Funny

What The Hell Happened Last Night?
LJ Username
What did you drink?
You wake up in the morning next to:	iswari
...who is wearing:	a Star Trek VI Captain's Starfleet uniform
...and rolls over to you to say:	wait a moment... you said you were 16 on AIM!
...and then:	uses your PC to check LiveJournal
This quiz by joneccleston - Taken 165879 Times.

New - COOL Dating Tips and Romance Advice!

meme gacked from ad_lumen, with whom I also apparently had a 'fascinating' night!

A Thought

While responding to saskia139 I found myself writing this:

There are probably a lot of people calling themselves "Christians" whom Jesus would like to sue for defamation of character.

If You're Reading This. . .

I've been reflecting on my Friends list recently, and marveling at what a fascinating, brilliant, wise, funny, talented, and compassionate community of people I've managed find here in LJ-Land.

Every day you make me think, you warm my heart, you make me laugh. Some days you move me to weep with you -- sometimes for your own pain, sometimes for others whose pain you have witnessed and shared. You prick my conscience and make me want to be more and better than I am. You broaden my perspectives and my horizons. You ask hard questions. You illuminate aspects of life I would not have discovered on my own. You enrich me with recommendations of books, movies, and music I might not have tried otherwise. You inspire me with your courage, your faith, your achievements, your creativity, your commitment to the people and activities and causes you love.

On days when I've been tired and sad, *hug*'s from people I've never met offline have made me feel loved and lifted my spirits.

You read and bear witness to my growing, my silliness, my struggles, my creativity, my questions, my anger, my longing. You keep coming back to this page, reading and caring about what I'm doing and thinking, and you take the time to engage with it, leaving comments that help me probe deeper, laugh longer, have more hope, or consider a different angle.

You're a pretty amazing bunch, and I consider myself priveleged to have the pleasure of your company day after day, in my journal and in your own. Thank you for sharing yourselves with me.

Happiness Is. . . .

Having the excuse of a new academic quarter about to start to buy lots of books on topics I find fascinating!

Books! Books! BOOKS!!