Love Is Not All

Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink
And rise and sink and rise and sink again;
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath,
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;
Yet many a man is making friends with death
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone.
It well may be that in a difficult hour,
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,
Or nagged by want past resolution's power,
I might be driven to sell your love for peace,
Or trade the memory of this night for food.
It well may be. I do not think I would.
-Edna St. Vincent Millay

Do you think if I read this continually that I might believe it someday?

The Unemployed Philosophers Guild

Viaggiatore and I wandered across a delightful new site and must share it with you; it's that good. I don't like to think of any philosopher being unemployed, but this group has made the most of it, that's certain!

Welcome to The Unemployed Philosophers Guild!

This is where you will find such fantastical fancies as:

Atonemints... for each of your sins - You could ask forgiveness with fresh breath, which won't hurt...  

Relativity of Time Watch  -  The numbers on this watch actually rotate with each passing second, making 3:00 into 9:00 in 30 seconds.

Alice's Enchantmints - Fresh breath for the Curiouser and Curiouser! 

 

Inspired by Leonardo's notebooks, this watch tells time backwards. The numbers are backwards. Everything is backwards. Look at in a mirror and it looks like a normal (but beautiful) watch.

Mug Shots - 6 arresting shotglasses! Includes Al Capone, John Dillinger, Bugsy Siegel, Lucky Luciano, Machine Gun Kelly, and Pretty Boy Floyd.

"Super Strong Manly peppermints. Let the world see and smell you for who you are."

One of their best products, in my humble opinion: 

Freudian Slippers! 

"Now you can really put your foot in it! Walk in the masters footsteps with our Freudian Slippers!"

There are so many clever, fun things to enjoy at this site.  I do love the mugs; most of them have disappearing and reappearing features when a hot beverage is poured into them, some of the best are:

The Cheshire Cat mug... the cat appears and disappears
The Global Warming mug... the continents disappear
The Civil Liberties mug... the civil rights disappear
Dr. Who's disappearing Tardis mug
The Freudian Sips mug
The Dorothy Parker martini glass "...'I like to have a Martini, two at the very most; three, I'm under the table, four I'm under my host!' So quipped Dorothy Parker."

I bought the Shakespearean Love mug, of course, as I am a hopeless romantic and I adore Shakespeare.
If love isn't your thing, there's a Shakespearean Insults mug which is very fun!

The best thing on my SLove mug is a little notation printed on the bottom that states, "For best results, use other side." Such clever mirth!

There are T-shirts, notepads, a large variety of mints, time pieces, finger puppets, energy bars, pill boxes... and so many other fun things for the keen thinker who has everything.

If you like politics, art, history, impressionism, science, philosophers, music, religion, literature or the renaissance, you will find yourself laughing at so much of what these Unemployed Philosophers offer.

Have a fabulous time visiting them.

Beautiful

Something very beautiful, to make up for the last post.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

The Esprit de Corps of Muses

It is Viaggiatore's 2nd birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VIAGGIATORE!!

My goodness, has it been two years already? My how time flies.

Two years ago, Seamus offered up 48 lions for adoption; an act that made both the adopter and the lion, members of The Shameless Lions Writing Circle. So began a journey of friendship, writing and travel for Viaggiatore and I.

Viaggiatore is my muse, my inspiration, and always my delight. He has never failed to bring a genuinely happy smile to my face every time I see him. We have written quite a bit, traveled so many places and met several wonderful friends. Time is continually improving our bond, moment by moment.

He is, to me, the 10th Muse.

There were nine, originally, according to ancient Greek mythology. He's in the good company of these ladies:

Calliope: she is the muse of epic poetry, her emblem is the writing tablet.

Clio: is the muse of history, and her emblem is the scroll.

Erato: who is the muse of lyric poetry, symbolized by the cithara.

Euterpe: the muse of music (which is also the etymology of that word), and whose emblem is the aulos.

Melpomene: the muse of tragedy; she carries the tragic mask.

Polyhymnia: the muse of choral poetry, whose symbol is the veil.

Terpsichore: she is the muse of dance, and her emblem is the lyre.

Thalia: the muse of comedy who carries the comic mask.

Urania: the muse of astronomy, whose emblems are the globe and compass (she is our favorite of the nine, of course).

Art Isn't Easy

This short video features some fantastic artwork by one of my favorite artists, Carmen. Her work is innovative, fresh and intriguing. She is well worth the time indulged in her world. The music is, of course, Barbara Streisand, which is indicative of Carmen's excellent taste. Look for CarmenArtStudio at these upcoming group art shows: 1) November 15-16 Multicultural Artists Partnership member show – www.realgallery.com 2) November 22-23 EAST Studio Tour with Bootstrap Art - http://www.eastaustinstudiotour.com/ 3) December 22-24 Armadillo Christmas Bazaar in Bootstrap Art booth - http://www.armadillobazaar.com/ (For information on Bootstrap Austin art subgroup, see: http://www.bootstrapaustin.org/wiki/index.php/Art_Subgroup) Enjoy!

Make A Wish At The Peasant Woman Statue

Phoctober 26th... and the photos keep coming. Thank you for hosting that, Moon Topples!

The Peasant Woman statue lives in the Denver Botanic Gardens.
She is hidden on a secret path, just beyond the bamboo tunnel.

I've put a penny in her bowl for you... go ahead, make a wish!

Fish

Phoctobering with Moon Topples in the Denver Botanic Gardens

This is M.C. Escher's "Three Worlds".
I love this picture, it hangs on the wall above my desk. There's a story about how it got there; but that's for another day.



I would love to replicate this print in a photograph.
I am on a fall fish mission; this shot can only be taken in the fall...



It's going to be an ongoing mission, as I made some nice photos, but I have not shot M.C. Escher's fish with my camera yet.



In the meantime... I like fishing this way, it's very clean.



And no fish were injured, used, filleted, fried, grilled or otherwise skewered or ingested in the making of these photos.

Today.



Sigh of relief...



Kisses goodbye!

See you tomorrow for more Phoctobering!

In Thoughts Of You

My avatar is Jack Vettriano's "In Thoughts Of You", for a few reasons. First and foremost, I love a lot of Vettriano's work. Secondly, this particular painting feels so familiar to me, almost as though I were the woman sitting in the chair looking out of the window. And lastly, it's a metaphor for so many moments in my life; perhaps you noticed the draped chair she is in, and the black attire; someone has passed away and she is leaving the home that was theirs. The room is empty save for the few items pictured, covered, and she sits staring out the window as she sips tea. Thinking of the one who has passed away, before she leaves.

Roads ahead... paths behind... this painting is a metaphorical crossroads, and I often find myself at various crossroads where I stop to consider things.

I contemplate where I've been, where I want to be, and what roads may take me there. And I try to think of every aspect; my own and those of others.

I am waiting at one right now, as a matter of fact. Sitting in this chair, sipping my tea and looking out of the window before me... deciphering that which is not yet clear to me.

Considering
Examining
Wondering
Wandering...

Found...
And lost again, In Thoughts of You.


Just a few of my favorite Vettriano works:

The Singing Butler

Dance Me To The End Of Love

The Billy Boys

Photoplay

I recently did a photo shoot at a church and I liked this shot of a large marble sculpture of Jesus of Nazareth so much that I decided to play with it. It's original is a black and white printed on 8x10 pearl paper. I decided to have a little darkroom fun and 'solarized' it... that is, dabbled in developer, water and high contrast... and the outcome was such that I wanted to share it. It was so much fun to make!

I hope you like it as much as I do!

Angels and Seasons

These are some photos (for Phoctober) of some incredible sculptures in the mostly unlikely place.... they guard the front of an antique store in Denver and watch over the city as it rushes by. On the left of the entrance are the four angels of the Crucifixion of Christ, on the right are the four Seasons. Behind them, guarding the door, are a recreation Donatello's Marzocco Lions (1492).

These sculptures are exquisitely done, and are a favorite of mine to enjoy. Their detail is nearly perfect (I've yet to find a flaw and I've examined very closely many times). They are fluid where there is movement in the concept and solid where foundation is necessary to complete it. They are made of sparkling white marble with whispering traces of grey. They are iridescent in the sun and glow warmly when the light fades. They are stunning by moonlight. Entrancing muses... I sincerely hope that you enjoy.

These pictures are basic, I have some detailed artistic shots that I may post before the end of Phoctober.

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Winter

Paris in April in Phoctober

Phoctobering with Moon Topples again...

Paris in April... a photo I took and then photoshopped so that it would look old/antiqued with the color painted on, like they did a million years ago, when photographers first decided to add a little color to life. I LOVE this shot... or maybe it's just the memory of that time in Paris, in April, with a very dear friend.

This is a photo that I told MT that I would post soon, one that is similar to a shot he posted recently. This also was taken in Paris in April... in Montmartre.

And some of the others from that trip...

This jaunty little chap came to join us for lunch at a sidewalk cafe one afternoon. We tossed him a large crumb and he picked it up, hopped over to another table near us where his lady friend was waiting at the base, and gave it to her before he came back for another crumb for himself. He was rewarded handsomely for his efforts. Quite a delightful little fellow!

A carousel in the sunset... Notre Dame in the background. We rode several carousels all over Paris, I love them!

Notre Dame... from the back (near the carousel)

Looking into the courtyard of the Louvre

Cupid's secret... he lives inside the Louvre! (This makes perfect sense to me)

Ahhh... the sunset in Paris...

A visit to Versailles... this is the view from King Louis bedroom

Fountain statues behind Versailles... does he weep for the queen who no longer walks in the gardens?

Detail of Ledo Basin behind the palace at Versailles

I think that no matter how many people visit a place (or live there) and post photos and experiences about it... we all see it in different ways, see different things, so it's wonderful to share the wide, wide spectrum of life and the world we live in.

Rel at Under the Microscope has just come back from a tour of Europe and he has some really wonderful photos of Paris and other lovely places.... definitely worth a look!