Saddle up!

Magnet #798 - Courage quote

Yep. Another of my John Wayne set. C'mon. Who doesn't love that I have a John Wayne magnet set!

Anyway, sometimes it feels like courage is one of those words that people throw around pretty lightly. But this magnet pretty much sums up my feelings about the subject.

I was kinda thinking that I should earmark this magnet for when I see something truly courageous...but the more I think about it, the more I believe everyday courage is something to celebrate, too.

It comes in many different ways, and I think you can see it anywhere you look. Whether it's a kid just making it through her standardized testing this week, or a guy working on an oil rig out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico. Or, someone and their family facing life-threatening illnesses or even someone just leaving the four walls of their home.

It's everywhere.

And it's awesome.

Anything you can do...

Magnet #797 - Tiffany's Magnolias and Irises

This Tiffany stained glass window centered around Magnolias and Irises is another of my art gallery magnets from the Met. Yes, I should own stock in the Met Shop.

This piece used to be in a Brooklyn cemetery mausoleum, which is kinda weird, mainly because I'm wondering what's now in its place over the bridge. I don't know why I didn't know this, after seeing so much of Tiffany's work, but he and his studios were often commissioned for memorial windows - that's the River of Life back there.

Even from its sad beginnings, I do love this magnet - it reminds me of both my parents. My mother, because she loves magnolias and irises. And my father, because he's something of a stained glass artist himself.

Basically, he took a bunch of stained glasses courses, learned the rudimentary skills, quit the classes, and started designing and making his own designs. He's designed a couple of really gorgeous pieces, mostly for the house. All of that, is because when he sees something, he honestly thinks he can do it better.

I mean, after all, we're talking about the man who sat in Musee Marmottan in front of Monet's giant paintings and said, I can paint better than that!

Frailty, thy name is woman!*

Magnet #796 - Victoria / Waterloo & City

I'm late! Blame Hamlet from last night. After 3 hours of David, I was pretty listless to do much more than fall asleep to Happy Town.

I picked this magnet in honor of dcsis, who's off on a weekend jaunt to Londontown and will be seeing Matthew Macfadyen in Private Lives along the way.

Yes. Because Matthew's perfectly fine and didn't hurt his back. David.

What? Yes, I'm still bitter. What. Of. It.


*Hamlet Act 1, scene 2, 142–146

This is the life

Magnet #795 - Florida

So there were a couple of all-nighters down in Tampa last month, but there was one night that was just one adventure after another. Basically, I had to run a friend out to the airport at 4 in the morning, but then on the way back from the airport, I must have stopped by every 24-hour-place along the way home. I mean, back to the resort.

I picked up this magnet at like 5 in the morning at a CVS on Tampa Road, I think. Really, who hangs out at a CVS at 5 in the morning?

There were a least a half dozen running around. The cashier asked me if the Championship was hiring. And yes, because I'd forgotten to take off my all-access pass from the day before. Heh.

But that's nothing compared to the fun people at the Walmart (no, not the groceries-only Walmart - which I didn't even know existed!). Seriously, 24-hour-Walmarts. Interesting place to be at 6 in the morning. And boy howdy, are the employees friendly! Actually, if one had one's druthers - I think 6am might actually be the best time to shop at Walmarts. Heh.

Anyway, I knew I'd have to get this magnet from that CVS at 5am...mostly because I laughed my bum off, when I read the fine print on the umbrella...

Oh, yeah. This is the life, indeed.

Wanderlust

Magnet #794 - Millard Fillmore (1850-1853)

I've been thinking a lot about travel lately, and this guy, Millard Fillmore, our 13th president best represents that thinking.

He's the guy that started it all, really. One weekend roadtrip, we went to Niagara Falls and on the way back we saw a sign for Millard Fillmore's house.

I yelped, Millard Fillmore's house! We have to go!

And my road trip buddies were like, Who???

So yeah. We stopped, so we could take pictures of the building...and thus begun a long history of roadtrips and roadside attractions.

Of course, my penchant for roadtrips was ingrained by the time we saw Millard's house, with immigrant parents who loved exploring what this country has to offer. But the need to start itinerary-planning blossomed shortly thereafter.

I do so love traveling. I hate the spending money. I hate the packing, but I adore the planning (once I finally settle into it) and of course, the actual travel.

And it doesn't matter, the conveyance. By preference: car, rail, then air. (Oh wait, but not by sea. You'll never catch me on a cruise, unless I'm in a black and white movie.)

So the concept of not wanting to travel to places is totally foreign to me. How can you not want to see what's in other countries? Their history, their culture, their people?

On the other hand, sometimes it's easier and safer and certainly cheaper to stay home. Which I totally understand. Totally.

Except when I've got wanderlust. And boy, have I got it bad.

"Terrible passions of humanity"

Magnet #793 - Van Gogh's Night Cafe

I love when my magnets tell a story, or have a story themselves. This Van Gogh is at the Yale University Art Gallery, where I picked up this magnet.

Such an awesome painting - I just love looking at it. It's a little painful on the eyes because of the bright yellows and the reds, combined with the greens - Van Gogh said he was trying to show the "terrible passions of humanity" through those colors. In truth, it's a sad little painting - it's supposed to be this place where people are socializing and having fun...and yet, everyone looks sad and miserable, in their own space.

People love the painting for the perspective of it, that it draws you in so well, so much so, that you're staring right at the door in the back, wondering what's going on over there. I just love that Van Gogh stayed up for 3 nights in a row in 1888, trying to capture this scene, of a cafe that was open all night in Arles, France. It's arguably one of his most famous paintings. I don't honestly know that to be true, because I do feel like there are several others that more people recognize. Still, I do like it. And, I also like that his pal Gauguin, also painted the same cafe, but from a totally different perspective. Ya'll know how I love that all those guys hung out.

Anyway, I just found out tonight that it's been at the heart of some controversy over the last year - by the early 1900s, the painting was sold into a Russian collection, and with all the government upheaval, it then became something like a ward of the state...the state which sold the painting on the open market in the 1930s, as a way to raise money for the government. A wealthy New Yorker bought it, and upon his death, gave it to his alma mater, Yale, where it's been ever since.

But, the kicker is that a descendant of the original Russian owner was like, dudes, that's my painting, and the government had no right to sell it, and therefore it was his. And, of course, Yale countersued for their rights, and they won.

So, there it sits, on a huge giant wall at this quiet museum. I do find this kind of ironic, there's something really funny about the hottentotty of Yale and all its visitors, staring at the night cafe full of drunk degenerates and prostitutes.

"You see, today I am *living.*"

Magnet #792 - Caesars

I have a couple of magnets from Caesars - one from Vegas and one from Atlantic City. I'll use the other one to rave about how much the Vegas Caesars freaks me out so much with their animatronics and scary thunderstorms. But this one, I have to use today for a couple of reasons.

When I woke up this morning, I was planning on finishing up a book (yes, I know, I was reading), then running out to get a camera to finally replace the crappy and crapped out Nikon Coolpix (a brand which I will never, ever buy again, based on most of the almost 800 magnet pictures you see here on joy magnetism), getting passport pictures done (because I can't believe I let my passport run out last month and what if my Italian prince finds me and I don't have my passport ready?), and then coming home in time to watch the UK episode of Doctor Who (which was the best yet, with Amy Pond, who is poised to become my favorite companion).

Alas, there were already a dozen work emails in my inbox this morning by the time I woke up, which of course, knocked the day and this night (still, because I seriously just emailed it out not ten minutes ago, and it's already 12:44am Sunday) for a loop (hence the crappy picture resolution above).

I had to use this magnet to tell ya'll about one of the best books that I've read in a while. I mean, a friend of mine read it ages ago in manuscript form and really raved about it, and I was completely like, really? Cuz it sounds like all the heroine did was a bucket list.

I generally admit when I'm wrong. And I'm admitting it here. I was wrong. She was right.

And now you must all run out and buy Sarah MacLean's Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. While it has the longest title ever, and one that I can't believe she convinced her editor and the cover art director to keep, it's also the one book that has managed to capture my rapt attention all the way through to the final page. And believe me when I say there are at least a dozen books (of all genres) sitting on these bookcase shelves with bookmarks in the middle of them.

It's the charming, engaging, and downright funny story of Lady Calpurnia Hartwell, who has been stuck overlong in Spinster Seating, and the hot Marquess she's been dreaming of for nearly a decade - ever since their first meeting in a darkened maze, when he recognized her namesake as Caesar's Empress (hence the magnet). In an attempt to live, Callie's written a to-do list to help push her clearly off the shelf. And that's all I'm going to say, because every one of her adventures is just that. One adventure after another. Fantastic.

I kinda just realized right now as I'm typing that I won't be able to write a review about this book, because it'll just turn into some combo of edit letter/cover letter, listing all the things that I loved about it, and all my minor edits, and all the things to look out for on the next book. But, that's not my job anymore.

And, for once, I'm glad. I loved reading this book, for the sake of reading romance. For the sake of reading.

I'll just say that clearly, I really enjoyed it, as I've totally been SimulTweeting my reading of it over the past 24 hours, I'm sure, bugging the bejeepers out of my Facebook friends.

I don't care. Go. Buy the book. You'll love it.

eta:
Dudes. See? Backordered. That's because it's so good. That's why I said Run. Out. And. Get. It.