| Before I came online, I had a dream of a | | | | worried about the alarm |
| great wide world were I | | | | |
| | | | going off. He indicated that it was not |
| could learn about all of the things that | | | | uncommon, and that he was |
| ever struck my fancy.When I came online, I | | | | |
| found just such a world, and then so much | | | | not the least concerned. So, I stopped being |
| | | | concerned myself, so |
| more.One of my favorite all-around learning | | | | |
| sites is: | | | | long as I did not see any other reason to be |
| | | | concerned.So, the young man took to talking |
| Just pick a topic, and chances | | | | me into having our caricature |
| | | | |
| are that they will teach you all that you | | | | done. I really had no interest in such a |
| would ever want to know | | | | thing, but I did have |
| | | | |
| on that topic.Being a science and an | | | | some time to kill. I was actually a hard |
| astronomy buff, I thought seriously about | | | | sell, but he stuck to |
| | | | |
| buying a telescope this Christmas "for my | | | | it. He finally offered me a deal to sit, |
| kids" ;-) and to | | | | since his prospects were |
| | | | |
| introduce them to the stars while they were | | | | pretty slim at that moment. After all, there |
| still young. I have | | | | was my wife and I, |
| | | | |
| been long in thought on this subject.So, a | | | | and the other two-dozen people stuck at the |
| few weekends back, I went to the | | | | 110th floor in a mild |
| HowStuffWorks site to | | | | |
| | | | state of concern. And, there were not any |
| learn about telescopes so that I would know | | | | new people coming |
| what kind of | | | | |
| | | | upstairs of any kind, since the elevators |
| telescope I should buy. | | | | seemed to not be |
| | | | |
| learned enough about telescopes to know | | | | running at all.So, we took a sit and had our |
| that I should not make | | | | own caricature done on our |
| | | | |
| a purchasing decision in a day. I learned | | | | honeymoon trip. I think he nailed me |
| that to get the | | | | perfectly. And, I thought he |
| | | | |
| telescope I really wanted, I might really | | | | missed my wife by a mile, but please don't |
| need to open my wallet | | | | tell her I said so. |
| | | | |
| real wide.What is the chance that I could | | | | She liked it, which is what is really |
| have gone to a store to learn | | | | important.For those in the learning mood, the |
| | | | first written history of |
| what I needed to learn to make a good buying | | | | |
| decision on | | | | "caricature" was made available in a series |
| | | | of articles that ran |
| telescopes? Zip. Zero. Nada.The really good | | | | |
| news is that I can continue to go to see the | | | | from February to December of 1875 in |
| | | | Harper's Monthly magazine. |
| awesome pictures from the Hubble Telescope | | | | |
| at the NASA website: | | | | Archived copies of those articles can be |
| | | | read online here: |
| the kids did not get a telescope this year. | | | | |
| Maybe they will | | | | . The |
| | | | |
| get one next year.All is good though. They | | | | author of this series was James Parton. He |
| got really sweet gifts anyway. | | | | was known in his day |
| | | | |
| Check out the | | | | as one of the pioneers of political |
| | | | caricature, and he was a |
| Cadillac Escalade.Now, it is time to find | | | | |
| something for my wife.And then, I begin the | | | | respected scholar in this field.In the first |
| long and frustrating search. What do you | | | | article, the author points out that a lot of |
| | | | early |
| get a woman who has everything she wants?I | | | | |
| know... There is no such thing as "a woman | | | | graffiti was a form of caricature. In |
| who has everything | | | | specific, he pointed to an |
| | | | |
| she wants." ;-) So, what do you buy a woman | | | | example of ancient graffiti found in the |
| who won't tell you | | | | excavated ruins of |
| | | | |
| what she wants?After a search for ideas late | | | | Pompeii, Italy, which was destroyed by Mount |
| into the night one evening, I | | | | Vesuvius in A.D. 79.It was only in the past |
| | | | century that people began to commission |
| leaned back in my chair and it hit me. | | | | |
| Hanging on the wall above | | | | caricatures of friends and family as gifts |
| | | | and to locate |
| my desk is a caricature that we had made for | | | | |
| us when we were on | | | | caricature artists at many tourist |
| | | | destinations. The internet has |
| our honeymoon. She loves that thing and | | | | |
| shows it off anytime | | | | allowed the Average Joe to locate a |
| | | | caricature artist without |
| someone new comes to visit.My big head in | | | | |
| that caricature almost seems to be an | | | | having to travel to the artist.After |
| accurate | | | | shopping around, I decided on |
| | | | |
| representation of my personality. ;-)Of | | | | Let me tell you why.I chose Give A |
| course, the internet offers me a possibility | | | | Special Gift, because I found that they were |
| of getting a | | | | not |
| | | | |
| caricature done on the sly, so that my | | | | thoroughly stuck on the big head caricature. |
| wife's Christmas present | | | | While I might have a |
| | | | |
| can still be a surprise to her.I can send | | | | big head about myself, I don't necessarily |
| family photographs to the caricature artist, | | | | like the grossly |
| and we do | | | | |
| | | | exaggerated "big head" that most caricature |
| not have to sit for a lengthy amount of time | | | | artists take to the |
| while an artist | | | | |
| | | | canvas. Of course, the nature of the |
| works his magic.And in not having to sit | | | | caricature is to exaggerate |
| while the artist works, we can avoid the | | | | |
| | | | the obvious, but that is not always what the |
| stress that both my wife and I experienced | | | | client wants.I wanted to do a more realistic, |
| our first time around.I did mention that our | | | | family portrait style caricature |
| first caricature was done while we were on | | | | |
| | | | with my wife, my kids and myself in the |
| our honeymoon. We took our honeymoon in Las | | | | artwork. My kids take |
| Vegas, and we stayed | | | | |
| | | | solo pictures beautifully, but they can |
| at the Stratosphere Hotel for seven days. It | | | | never sync for a family |
| was on our first | | | | |
| | | | photo. So, to the artist, I sent a digital |
| trip to the top of the Stratosphere, and | | | | family photo and solo |
| while we were 110 | | | | |
| | | | digital photographs of my children.I have |
| stories up, the fire alarms in the tower | | | | found the perfect gift for "the woman who has |
| went off!After having spent 30 minutes | | | | everything |
| waiting in vain for an elevator to | | | | |
| | | | she wants." This year for Christmas, she |
| the ground floor, we decided to make the | | | | will have a caricature |
| best of our time on | | | | |
| | | | of her family, using the best shots from all |
| high. Of course, we could have taken to the | | | | of us. And best of |
| staircase, but that | | | | |
| | | | all, she will be able to hang her gift upon |
| was a 110-flight escape route! And, we did | | | | the wall and cherish |
| not even know if there | | | | |
| | | | it for the rest of her life. Now THAT is a |
| was really a fire or whether some jerk | | | | Christmas gift worth |
| thought he was being funny | | | | |
| | | | giving.Merry Christmas everyone!Copyright |
| and set the thing off for kicks.We took a | | | | Bill Platt - All Rights Reserved. Reprints |
| walk around, and then I spotted the | | | | allowed with article and resource box |
| caricature artist. | | | | unedited. If you post this article on a |
| | | | website, you must set the links up as |
| I approached him to ask if we should be | | | | hyperlinks. |