Monet Exhibit Date

Art! I am here smoking my long, thin cigarette and making a scrunchy face as if I smell dog poo. That's what you do when you talk about art and go to art exhibits, right? For some reason, I think I also need Marilyn Monroe type hair for this. And long gloves. Yes?

I have been talking about the Monet exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum since October. Last Thursday, the hubby checked on tickets to see when we could go over the weekend. Hooray for Husband!

*Dramatic music*

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday tickets were already sold out.

Since the exhibit is ending, I decided to let it go. Let it go ahead and be a thing. In college, once I was in Minneapolis at an art museum when a major Monet exhibit was there. I went to the museum but didn't pay extra to see the exhibit. I have always regretted that since I love a lot of his paintings. Over the years, even as I've come to know more about art and love a wider variety of artists and works, I've still held a special place for Monet. His paintings of his garden at Giverny in particular.

I figured my "thing" would be missing out on Monet exhibits. They'd come and go throughout the years of my life and I'd still see his works occasionally, ones that aren't special exhibits but are in museums I'd visit. Seeing his Japanese Footbridge painting in Philadelphia was one of the highlights from the 8 months I lived there. I saw it because it was a permanent part of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

My husband then surprised me this week by buying tickets early in the week and taking yesterday afternoon off of work to take me to the exhibit. Before we left, we posed in front of the Monet reproduction that hangs in our home. My father gave it to me for my high school graduation.

How hot is my hair now that I have a decent hairdresser?

Right? Right?

It is so hard to get him to smile in photos.

I mean, I can do it, but it's not pretty.

And so my husband cannot say a word about how

I only put photos of us on here where I look decent...

This photo is when I did some of my rapping.

Which I am awesome at, so I don't know

why the husband finds it so hilarious.

Yo yo yo! B*tches be crazy!

We drove to the museum. It was cold, so the park wasn't too busy.

The fountains were... fountaining.

The front of the museum had Monet banners.

Unfortunately, there was a "no cameras" rule, so the rest of our little date was for our eyes only. All the following photos of the art are from google images.

The exhibit was small but fascinating. Since they had issues finding our tickets (oh, poor, sweet husband), we also got the IPOD audio tour for free. I don't know how my husband was able to use the IPOD better than I was since sometimes I sleep with my damn IPOD and can clickety clickety in the dark. Also, I found out later, the sound was in fact supposed to come through both headphones.

Yes, on the car ride there, we did have a lively conversation about earphones and whether we were going to get Ear Herpes which I am sure is a thing. The headphones were not earbuds, so I'm pretty sure I only have outer ear syphilis and hair cancer now. Cool.

I just checked on the website to find proper names of the art and saw that all remaining tickets to see this exhibit are sold out. Wow. We lucked out! Hubby gets props! Mad props!

Sorry, I'm pseudo rapping again.

The Agapanthus Triptych is a 42 foot wide Monet 3-canvas painting. The canvases had been separated and in different museums, and this exhibit brought them together. It was massive and stunning. The painter took years completing this 3 part work, painting over and over the same areas, drastically changing the painting over time. We sat on a bench in the middle of the large room and listened to the audio tour, taking it all in. After that, we walked right up to it and studied it up close. It was really something to see. The scale alone.

Unlike in this photo, we were able to go right up to the painting. There was a simple black duct tape line on the floor about 8 inches from the wall, which really allowed you to be up close and personal with the artwork.

There were photos of Monet in his Giverny gardens, photos of the actual water lilies. Did you know he had a team of 6 gardeners, one of who's sole job was to dust the damn lily pads. Can you imagine? What a job. I don't like dusting my four shelves in the house. I cannot imagine how many frickin' lily pads that guy had to clean. I wonder what his salary was. Whatever it was, it wasn't enough.

There were also 3 large paintings that Monet did as sort of pre-painting work before doing the giant work. They were beautiful in their own right. One was of an agapanthus, which is a type of flower. That's how the main attraction got its name.

A similar image was once in the left corner of the massive painting and had been painted over. You could still make it out a little in person, so that was really interesting to see. A painting named for a flower that really didn't even make it into the final vision. Oh, art.

*Shakes head at art as if sharing a joke*

Anywho, Monet's water lilies are really his focus.

Water Lilies Harmony In Blue was also a precursor to the larger painting. This was really a well formed painting considering it was done as basically a learning tool for the Agapanthus Triptych. The colors are so rich. Blues in the top right to greens in the middle to maroon in the bottom left!

There was also a 2-part painting called Wisteria Numbers 1 and 2. It was painted by Monet towards the end of his life when he was blind in one eye and only had 10% sight in the other. Crazy, right?

Still very Monet but super abstract. I would have titled this "Swirly, Swirly, Swirly" and called it a day. 

We were able to see everything and enjoy the exhibit in about an hour. A perfect length of time. Get in, get out. We're not "Let's stare at this painting for 4 hours" people.

My husband ended the date with a trip to Cold Stone's. I daresay no one knows me better than that man.

Hooray! Dating is back on the Dating My Husband blog!

Christmas Tidings - Downstairs Edition (Finale!)

Since last Christmas when my folks helped us upgrade our receiver so we could actually have HD on our HD tv, we've been living downstairs. We went from 100% of lounge time on the (normal) upstairs tv to 100% downstairs on the HD one. I'd spent, what, 2 or 3 years, saying, "HD? I can't even tell the difference. Who cares? We're fine."

We were not fine. Non-HD now feels like some sort of torturous punishment. They should make criminals in prison watch HD tv for the first month, then take it away from them for the duration of their prison term. Ghastly, I tell you.

Anyway, I have always done all my Xmas decorating upstairs in our home. It is where we spent all our time. With the move downstairs, I decided to decorate down there, too, so we'd be able to actually enjoy it. Which is partially why that is still the part of the house that is decorated as Valentine's Day comes around. That and, you know, laziness.

I think part of it is because I really went to town downstairs. I lined where the walls met the ceilings with thick evergreen garlands. I hung ornaments and stockings and lit the whole sucker up so bright that we didn't need lamps or recessed lighting. Period.

Stuck a small tree in the corner.

Covered the couches in Christmas quilts.

Ignore the non-holiday monkey there. Thanks, Mav.

Focus instead on the festive.

Holiday throw pillows.

Holly coasters.

Shelves lined with lights.

And various Muppets and Santas.

Throw in a musical Rudolph clock

for a little extra festive sound.

Kept most of the photos up on the wall

but replaced the non-holiday glassware on the shelves.

Clearance giant birdhouse and red cardinal

from Pennys after Christmas sale last year

cost a whopping five bucks. Love.

Multiple clearance birdhouse ornaments from

an online Current sale last year

cost a couple dimes on the dollar.

Poinsettia candles from a TJ Maxx years ago.

Stained glass, large candles, antique ornaments

older than me from my gram's collection.

Mav and Mary Lou.

The wreath I made on the basement door.

Mav posing some more.

Large old-school lights on the fireplace,

the mantel lined with a poinsettia runner.

A couple wonderful smelling candles heavy enough

that little paws couldn't move the fabric runner.

Even the bird clock couldn't escape a little greenery and light.

Hi, Arty.

"Oh, hey. Nothing. I'm doing nothing."

Um, okay, Buddy. I didn't even say anything.

*Gives Isley suspicious stare, walks by, glances back*

"You little -! Wow, really?

Both front paws equally grabbing and causing mayhem?

Impressive..."

*Remembers this is bad*

"ISLEY!"

"Hey, Mama. I'm adorable. Look at how adorable! Now look away!"

*Glances at pretty poinsettia tree in the corner*

Awwww, such a cute tree.

Full of bird ornaments,

poinsettias,

red and green and gold balls. 

*Giggles because, heh, balls*

Hi, I am five years old.

*Looks back at Isley*

"Seriously, Little Man?"

And... Thunk, thunk, thunk.

That was the sound of the green shatterproof ornament there as it was swatted off of the fireplace and landed on the brick below, bouncing twice before landing and rolling across the carpeted floor.

A sound we have heard multiple times a day, one that draws us back downstairs. We always find several cats, suddenly none of them anywhere the fireplace. All of them either curled up in a ball,

sitting up straight, or washing themselves. All of them, if any eyes are open, looking in every direction except towards the fireplace.

On the carpet, anywhere from 1 to 5 round shatterproof ornaments of different sizes and colors lay scattered. There is no longer the same number of ornaments on the fireplace. Some have made it all the way across the room. Others, I'm still finding when I sweep or peer under an end table. None are anywhere near any kitty.

They think they are sneaky. I place the ornaments back. Pretend to scold since everyone in the room knows each party is in some way a guilty party.

What they don't realize is that those balls on the fireplace were a setup. A setup that worked so gloriously well that few other decorations in the house were bothered at all throughout the Christmas season. And not one, NOT ONE, of my Christmas trees were climbed this year.

From our home to yours, we hope your holiday season was merry and bright and that your 2012 is full of good health and all the happiness one can hold. And Mary Lou just said "mew mew" behind my desk chair, so "mew mew" to you as well. Which I am sure is some other well-wisher sentiment.

Get ready. The hubby's Christmas presents were tickets to see one of his favorite funnymen and tickets to a musical that shouldn't be called a musical. Because it has no showtunes. It's modern. And awesome. And even guys would want to go to it. In fact, I would say it is geared towards guys. My husband's age. My husband, if I dare say it, is the exact audience meant for this little show. *High fives*

In other words, someone is taking me out!

Christmas Tidings - Bathroom Edition (Stop It. Don't Be Gross.)

Christmas decorating, bathroom style.

Finally, a reason to not hate that pea-soup green.

A color that makes me want to track down

the former owners of this house the other

11 months of the year turns festive!

Garland around the mirrors, check.

Poinsettia shower curtain, check.

Holiday-themed towels, check.

Body wash/lotions in seasonal fragrances, check.

Bath and Body Works, I heart you.

Even if I am getting tired of smelling like a candy cane

in the middle of January.

Oh My God how I love a festive towel.

Is there a name for the type of mental illness I have?

One could ponder for hours, yes?

Christmas Tidings - Master Bedroom Edition (Turn Off That Barry White Song, Perv)

I didn't let the master bedroom get too crazy this year.

I did, however, tinker.

Okay, so maybe I did more than tinker.

I do love me some sparkle.

I decorated the little shelves next to the bed.

Thought they turned out pretty lovely.

The reason the Castle book is in there (and does not

match the holiday theme of the other books)

is that is what I was reading at the time. Stop judging me.

Firely!

Dr. Horrible!

I deny nothing, Mr. Fillion.

I would watch you

read a phone book.

But, I digress.

I went with a holly and apple theme.

Folded fabric poinsettia placemats to line

some of the shelves. Used a lot of greenery as filler.

I love those 2 little cat ornaments.

Inside the cranberry candle holder,

they were safe from prying paws.

I love my grandmother's little lantern ornaments.

And her small, bean bag-y Santa plush.

His little embroidered eyes are so sweet.

The little penguin was a more recent gift and plays music.

My little Hallmark penguin collection.

One of my favorite old lighted glass trees of my gram's.

Even the mirror right outside our bedroom door

was super festive and cheery.

It was a game of "how much stuff can I get on here

without causing the mirror to come off of the wall?"

So much, it turns out.

I only found roughly one rogue apple a day,

escaped from its proper place.

It would be hidden in the corner

or slyly placed near the area rug in the bedroom.

I never did see the kitty culprit

but like to think every day,

it was probably a different little sh*t darling.

Merry Christmas?

The last time I posted was around the time things with Mav the dog started to really hit the fan. Her new kind of seizures decided to put on a lengthy, detailed, often-repeated show over the holidays. Our grand plans were put on hold, and we've just been hanging out with Mav at home.

In other words, we have not had Christmas yet. My family has been especially kind, and they are waiting for a future weekend when we can re-schedule the cat sitter and steal a couple days away for our road trip and subsequent merriment at my parents' house. They have the Christmas tree up and waiting and everything.

We did leave Mav alone for the first time to go out to eat and see a movie this past weekend. Despite some new lingering problems from her seizures, she seems to be doing better and is still as excited about life (particularly mealtimes) as ever. And, we finally had a date. We ate at Sonic and then saw The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo at my insistence. I don't know why I so enjoyed the book, Swedish version of the movie, and then the American version of the movie. What a terrible, disturbing, misogynistic story. Clearly, I need therapy. Romance is dead because I killed it. My husband is as good a sport as ever.

Let's also take a moment of silence to acknowledge the end of 2011, which has been a mess of a medical roller coaster ride for me. The Tuesday after Thanksgiving I had my stint in the hospital to make sure my surgery on my stupid insides this past June had in fact accomplished what it was supposed to accomplish. Good news: it had! Bad news: I then had horrible, crippling problems 24/7 from that day until about a week ago. That's a long time for all your blood to say to your body, "Ha ha, Body! I don't want to be inside you anymore! Adios!"

Yes, yes, it has been a trying chunk of time for my husband. Why do you ask? How could it not be wonderful to live with me while I lost all my blood all day every day and took a bunch of wacko prescription medications in elephant-type amounts?

Even better news: my doctor's diagnosis and treatment that went "I don't know why this is happening. Call me in 4 months if it doesn't stop" has magically worked. High fives all around, Gang.

I have taken down most of the Christmas decorations. I still have one tree up and the one half of the room we use most is still decorated. A) Just in case my family winds up here and B) I'm just not motivated enough to take that stuff down right now.

I will toss out a couple posts to show the rest of the decorations. We went to the vet last night, and since we were both dressed (ie neither of us were in pajamas), we took our yearly photo in front of a Christmas tree. Merry Vet Visit I mean Christmas!

2011, the year I discovered I like wearing too much jewelry.

Ka-pow!

Is it me or does the following photo make it 

look like I'm holding onto the hubby all creepy?

You shall never escape my creepy palsy hand, Husband!

Palsy, the one medical problem I didn't have in 2011.

Hello, 2012.