Treasures

Definitely someone needs to take the Internet away from me. That, or maybe Craig should padlock my bank account. I can't believe I keep finding such beautiful gifts (for me, I know, selfish as it seems!) on this thing called the Internet. This woman's work, however, sweeps me and my dusty nostalgia right back to the tall fluorescent-lit concrete corridor of the Fine Arts building, second floor, where on one end the hallway is flanked by the metal shop and jewelry-making classrooms (if memory is serving me correctly, and it's possible they outgrew themselves and moved. It has been 6 years since I've stepped a toe in that place.) Anyway, I never took jewelry-making, and probably wouldn't have been overly successful at it, either. I never had much luck with the 3-D arts (except for bookmaking, which was my trade of choice back then). But look at the simplicity and beauty of these tiny silver elements she designs and makes! There has been some debate amongst the girls to whom I've sent this link: why would you buy a piece of jewelry sans a stone (gem) for this (they are a little expensive) much money? Well, in defense of an artist who makes stuff to sell, first there is material cost. Maybe not material cost for one single necklace (or, double-stranded as in the case of the one I want) but for the whole shop from which she operates. Second, there is the dollar value to be placed on her keen sense of creativity and the product that this creativity yields. Third, if I need to break it down to this, there is the hourly rate at which she deserves to be paid, maybe better described as her time or her labor. When I break these elements down into individual pieces that make up the necklace that I'd like to receive in the mail from her shop in Oregon, I'd say I, the consumer, am getting the better end of the deal here! The only factor I can isolate as a potential pitfall is that the product may appear to be more savvy in its craft in the picture than in real life. This is a danger in Internet purchasing. Digital cameras can do wonders when you want them to. So I am committing myself to having this awareness in advance so if the product (piece of art, what have you) arrives and I'm ultimately disappointed, I have no one to blame but myself, wild Internet shopping fanatic.*We had a fantastic dinner at Old Bookbinder's the other night. We ordered a bottle of chianti, and he ordered a soup while I ordered a caprese salad (one of my favorites). We both opted for the filet; his came wrapped in grilled shrimp and we also ordered asparagus with hollandaise sauce. He isn't a hollandaise enthusiast but I really like it. Following dinner we ordered dessert and a dessert drink, some sort of port, perhaps a sherry...I think we were both confused but all we knew is we didn't want a shot of espresso, which is usually what we do following nice dinners, because it was late Valentine's night for espresso. But better than the food was by far the company. Craig is my best friend. There are so many more things about him that I like than I've found in any single other person. I have a lot of very close girlfriends, especially as I get older, which is a blessing because commonly it doesn't work out that way. But when it really comes down to who knows me the very best, who can see right into the part of me that longs for attention or for respect, Craig is the one I turn to. There are times where he can't exactly identify with or relate to the places my mind wanders, but that isn't the important part. Key is that he takes care of me the way he does. We had a terrific Valentine's night this year, making up for all the years past when our Valentines were less than noteworthy.*I've had that kind of week, though, where I wonder where it's all headed (not Craig and me, but other things). I've got fragments of ambition that don't quite piece together to form a perfect shape. I developed an idea for a story this week, and I also managed to begin one poem (both New Year's Resolutions at the onset of '06). But by the time the work day rolls to a stop and we've fended for our hungry stomachs and our evening turns into night, time doesn't permit much room for the things I feel are important that I accomplish for myself. It's the age old dilemma, dealing with time and having enough. I want my quiet evenings with Craig on the couch. I want the occasional glass of wine with GR downstairs, especially because she is a very neat new friend and I love having friends. I am committed to book club which, granted, isn't an overwhelming time commitment but it still does subtract minutes from the clock. I want to travel down to Florida with Craig later this spring, see his friends from college, see a place I've never seen. I want to speak to my parents on the phone, to friends, send an e-mail or two. I really want to organize my photos, particularly the ones I've got with Craig so that our relationship's chronicles are rewarded the justice they deserve. But where is the time for all of these things? How does a person successfully fit it all in? And kids someday?? I'm going to offer two suggestions to myself which may resolve some of this: stronger time management skills, and less Internet shopping. No time like the present, as they say.