Framing

When I was young, I bought poster frames at K-Mart.

When I'd been married a while, I assembled mats and frames at the Frame Factory.

For lesser art, I now use framesbymail. For greater art, I use the hugely expensive West County Art & Frame store. It's the hard stuff. The others were just the gateway drugs.

(Hey - I wonder - It is Saint Louis, Gateway to the West, and everything is "Gateway" downtown. Is there a "Gateway Drug Store"  downtown? Aw, damn. Google says no.)

Okay, so one of the prizes I found at Mom's was the tattered newsprint silkscreen of me by my ex-boyfriend now esteemed artist and Pew Fellow Virgil Marti. And I found that if you carefully unfold the newsprint at the bottom it is signed, and titled "Ellen" and numbered 1/__ .  Essentially, I have the only surviving copy of a Virgil Marti print. I was surprised the print was 'titled' "Ellen" since if I recall we always called it "The Booger Print" since there was an unfortunate slip of the art glue on the print right under where my nose is represented.

At any rate, the framing consultation took an hour and the frame will cost an ungodly amount of money, even with the half-off coupon, even so much that other customers in the store asked our saleslady if that was indeed the correct number they heard.

I comfort myself that the same saleslady told us that the tri-color Obama hope poster would be worth some money someday. I was a little hesitant about framing it, because that's just a little too "Our Glorious Leader" for me, but I got it for free, it fits into a poster frame I already have up on the wall, and I went to the Obama tax cut calculator (http://taxcut.barackobama.com/) and I'll get enough back to pay for the Virgil Marti frame.

Luckily I kept the Obama poster even though it was banned at work this past Friday. I had to bring it home. Freedom of expression doesn't extend to the cubicle walls paid for by the TeddyJ company, and that's fair, I think. Does anyone know of something subversive yet clean I can put in its place?

Comments

[Erin]

I would totally take pictures in front of the Gateway Drug Store. It's really disappointing that it doesn't exist.

[TheQueen]

I hunted, and the only place that has a Gateway Drug Store is the Sims online community.

[magpie]

My office is all about the proselytizing. Last winter, my boss bought 01.20.09 buttons and handed them out across the board.

That said, how about this: http://signs.cafepress.com/item/geezerdingbat-yard-sign/308173853

[Big Dot]

Awww, I want to live in the US so I can have that sign on my lawn... Awesome!

[Amy in StL]

No suggestions here. As a gov't drone, we're also on political statement lockdown.

[keri]

how about the naked photo?

[Caroline]

What are the tax cut calculations in comparison to?

[TheQueen]

Magpie -Is there a "Cool Black Dude / Catholic" sign?
Big Dot - Ha! This is so sad. I don't have any idea who runs NZ. I'm sorry.
Amy in StL - This isnt a policy thing - evidently someone complained. Not specifically about me.
Keri - No! TeddyJ just had us take a whole 4 hour long sexual harassment elearning program. No way. It has helped me clarify why my inappropriate comments are inappropriate.
Caroline - Sigh, I don't know, Caroline. You could put Sarah Palin on the democratic ticket and I'd vote for her.

[Big Dot]

That'a all right, why should you? It's normal for us to be below the rest of the world's radar. I'm just happy that you know we exist and that we're not part of Australia.

We've had three terms of Labour, led by our first woman Prime Minister, the unfair in every sense Helen with the teeth that launched a thousand quips (seriously, Nanny McPhee). I've had enough of her, I'm over the woman thing and I want grey John of National to win this time.

Our election's on Saturday but it's going to be totally overwhelmed by the aftermath of yours. EVERYBODY'S watching what you guys do.

[TheQueen]

Big Dot - I hope we do the right thing. My state, Missouri, is yet to be counted.