Here’s the deal: I still think that the majority of Americans are right in wanting to keep the traditional definition of marriage as between one man and one woman (though I’d personally get the government, both state and federal, out of regulating a religious arrangement, and make civil unions open to all consensual (pun intended) couples).

But this is (pick one):
(a) uncalled for.
(b) excessive.
(c) a cheap political move.
(d) just dumb.
(e) underhanded.
(f) akin to writing “Three Fifths” back into the Constitution.
(g) etc.
(h) so on.
(i) so forth.

Men and men (or women and women) living together! Shocking. Glad there’s not a war on… oops. Well, glad the budget’s balanced at least … oops. OK, at least there’s no glaring ethical scandals … darn.

Maybe it’s time to give something like this a look… Though if Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Cape Cod) would get on board with the Cape Wind project, I might even consider going straight Dem. Especially if they’d propose lifting all federal tariffs on biofuels.

For Apples In Stereo’s first full length album lead singer Robert Schneider asked artist Steve Keene if he would do the cover. Legend goes that just as Schneider was about to give up on hearing a reply from Keene he received over a dozen paintings in the mail. So, instead of having one CD cover for “Fun Trick Noisemaker”, Schneider included all the paintings on the CD sleeve in a manner that allowed the CD purchaser to refold the sleeve and choose which of Keene’s paintings they liked best.

Becky caught Keene at an exhibition in Las Vegas commisioned by the Venetian. He had dozens of paintboards hung in a semicircle wall around him and he would quickly yet efficiently move from board to board making one or two of the same strokes with his paintbrush, then he would return to the first and start again, repeating the process until the paintings were complete. Becky purchased “Venetian at Sunset” from him for less than $20. It’s one of our favorite pieces in the small inexpensive collection we have and it hangs in our bedroom.

Typically after one of his exhibits (or at clubs around New York) he sells his paintings with a small collectien box and a sign that says something like “Put $ In The Box, $20 Large Paintings, $12 Small Paintings, Honor System”. His philosophy is that his art should be like purchasing a CD: relatively inexpensive and valueless as a physical object, simply creating a sense of happiness for the owner.

I went to his website last week and was overjoyed to see he is selling artwork straight out of his studio. For $21, shipped, you can order one of his larger paintings (12×20) without knowing what specifically you will get. I ordered one and have been impatiently anticipating what I would receive. When we returned from a weekend away last night, a thick package was on the couch waiting for us. Inside were four paintings, each giving us great pleasure to own.

YMMV but even a single painting of Keene’s seems worth the $21 to me.