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