March 1, 2003
Greetings Accumulators!
This has been a week for track shoes! I've taught a class at CW Post
College, in a room without heat in 12 degree weather; I've taped another
Montel Williams Show; and I've been in rehearsal for an improv show (yes,
you rehearse the format) that takes place in New York tonight. I'm happy to
sit down for a while and type to you.
FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTHRITIC DOLLS WITH HAIR GROWING OUT OF THEIR EARS
AND NOSES
Those fun folks at Mattel - you know the ones - they're the bunch with the
questionable grip on reality - are coming out with two new dolls, due to
hit the stores in the fall. They're grandparents for Barbie! In accordance
with The Mattel Theory Of Aging, which is: "Aging? What's that?", the
grandparent dolls have grey hair and the same unattainable bods that Ken
and Barbie have. This should be no surprise to anyone, as Barbie herself is
40, still single, and not a sag in sight. Not only that, she's not the
least bit surprised or depressed that she's not married, which you must
admit is very strange, since she's had several weddings. I hope when she
finally kicks the bucket they donate her brain to science. What a study
that will be! Anyway, I know you'll be happy to know that the grandparents
are dressed in sensible clothes and that they come packaged as a couple.
This is probably motivated by the same set of family values that resulted
in Barbie, in her latest incarnation as an obstetrician, delivering her
friend Midge's baby so that Midge, her husband Alan, and their baby, Ryan,
can be sold as a package. The grandparents have no names. Maybe they'll
just be called, "Can I have some money?"
HOW TO SHARE ANTIQUES DEPARTMENT
Ever think, "I'd love to buy that expensive antique, but where am I going
to get that kind of money?" No? Well, someone did. Three women who fell in
love with an antique Spanish rug owned by the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor,
Marianne Moffatt, Rosalie Patton and Micki Baltish, friends for thirty
years, chipped in to buy it at auction in 1998 for $2,000, and now rotate
it amongst their homes. However, they live in Michigan, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania, so this is a rug that travels. Each keeps the rug for six
months at a time, and they admit thay have been "so verbally abused by our
friends and loved ones about this rug." To make it work, they have all
agreed to keep all the identifying tags intact, to vacuum the rug gently
and to keep pets off it. Of course, it's not all fun and games. This year,
at their annual reunion, they will have to discuss what to do about the
rug's fraying fringe and decide who gets the rug when they die. The Duke of
Windsor, as you may remember, was the King Of England who abdicated in 1936
to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. Perhaps he should have
checked into why she had been twice divorced. New material recently come to
light indicates that Wallis was a golddigger/trollop who carried on a
longtime affair with a used car salesman whom she lavished with gifts at
the Duke's expense. Oh well, as long as they weren't rolling around on the
rug....
SITES TO SEE
Illegal Art - Here's one you don't want to miss. The creators, alarmed at
how copyright laws, meant to encourage the free expression of ideas, have
become a stifling influence, have put together "fringe art", gleaned from
images in the public domain - sort of. As they put it, "The laws governing
'intellectual property' have grown so expansive in recent years that
artists need legal experts to sort them all out. Borrowing from another
artwork--as jazz musicians did in the 1930s and Looney Tunes illustrators
did in 1940s--will now land you in court. If the current copyright laws had
been in effect back in the day, whole genres such as collage, hiphop, and
Pop Art might have never have existed." The result? Fascinating works of
every kind, including a devastating documentary on 1990s politics, put
together from satellite feeds most people never see. Take some time to
explore this site! LINK
The Grow Hair Gallery - The owner of this site describes it this way:
"Here's a stupid amateur photographer in his late thirties, who's doing
what he should have been doing in his teens. Enjoy glancing some Tokyo
scenes his eyes have been belatedly opened to!" Some of the site is better
than other parts, but if you like photography, you'll enjoy yourself here.
Particularly interesting is the section called "Enoshima Fantasy", a
collection of photos of Japanese fireworks displays. LINK
HINT FROM THE BOOK
If you have one of those thin gold chains that's always getting full of
knots, drop one end through a paper straw, bend it around, and close the
clasp. No more knots! For costume jewelry, storage is important. Store in a
dry environment, and include one of those little dessicant packages that
come with everything from shoes to cameras.
That's it, Accumulators. Time to start the day. Tonight will be fun for the
improv group, and it may even be fun for the audience as well. We'll be at
the West End Gate in Manhattan. If you're in the nabe, come on in. If I
were not doing this show tonight, I'd surely be in Cuddebackville, NY, at
The Old Red Barn, where there's going to be another terrific country
auction. If you want to see what they've got up for sale tonight, go to
their site here: LINK. Have a great week, Accumulators. Happy
hunting!
Best,
Judith
© 2003 Judith Katz-Schwartz. All rights reserved.
Antiques and Collectibles Newsletter #210
U.S. Library of Congress
ISSN 1520-4464
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Your comments, as always, are welcome. If you have something to say, write to me.
To subscribe to the free short weekly email newsletter, send a blank email to subscribe-judith@topica.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
RETURN TO INDEX OF NEWSLETTERS