Spending lavishly or saving up?

Well, now it's crisis time.

People are saving up every single euro cent or dollar. There is no little saving. Why? Because of the Crisis. Eventhough politicians try anything to convince us that it is not the case, people see it, feel it. Fear to lose one's job, mainly and no longer be able to join the two ends. Well basically, that's a good reason why. But is it so wise?

Been thinking for some time, not really in depth, that if my bank goes bankrupt (relatively unlikely scenario), the savings of my life (not that much since I only began working just two-years ago or a bit more, and I include my internship period - well-known for not being the source of money for extra-savings) would be lost (more or less, given governmental guarantees and the potential difficulties to enforce them). So, why not using this money now in useful or simply desirable items that I can enjoy during hard times, instead of whining because I have lost everything. This would at least give me the opportunity to enjoy the fruit of my savings and it would have the positive spillover of not stopping the economy because of savings. Let's say that it is quite a tentative way attitude, although I find it quite hard to follow (fear of the worst What If scenarios and reason too).

So, it came to me as a surprise when I saw this article in the NY Times: Some Purchases may still be worth the Price! Ok, the tone is different, doesn't envisage the bankrupcy scenario, but still, it contemplates the option of chosing to spend money instead of saving it. All is about considering spending as an Investment. Not an investment that would be profitble in terms of money, but in terms of well-being, social relationship, memories and so on. All these little things that make up what we are and that make it so special.

Well, before reading the NYTime's article, despite the financial crisis ghost that haunted me, To and I had decided to buy a TVset... I am sure we'll find out a way to make it "profitable".

From real life to (succesful) fiction

Subject of inspiration is surrounding us.

Just a few examples taken from Mass Culture icons. TV series and Movies!!

Once upon a time, I read that Marc Cherry , scenarist of the famous show Desperate Housewives had not been so successful in the past as a film writer. With all the competition in the industry, nobody wanted to put his stories on screen, until he found in the Miscellaneous pages of newspaper the inspiration that would finally make him rich (?) and famous (well, not as much as Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross, Felicity Huffman and Eva Longoria Parker). What did he read that was so inspiring? If I recall correctly it was the story of a commonplace mother who had killed her toddler in a quiet and commonplace American suburbs. That's was the starting point of the stories of desperate housewives in the suburbs...

What about Truman Capote? This writer began famous after writing his non-fiction novel In Cold Blood (1965) inspired by a brief news: the true and dramatic story of the Cutter family shot death in their farm. All this inspired two movies with different approach: the oscar-awarded Capote (2005) and the not so famous Infamous (2006), release one year later.

Well, that's it for tonight. We could add a long list of such real stories that inspired best seller novels or award-winning movies. The main idea is that, what makes the difference is not the story, not the fact, but the way one counts it, the details one enhances or hide, the details which are only suggested, the focus you give to the story.

Mere facts are short of striking. The way you dramatize and direct them is the real question.

Quote of the day!

Just read Toby Jone's Q&A from the Guardian Week End Magazine.

I don't know Toby Jones (born in 1967), and it appears that he plays the role of Truman Capote in a movie called Infamous , released one year after the famous Capote (2005) on the same story.

This is not funny, nor witty, but fairly true.

So, here are my fave Q&As:
Q- If you could edit your past, what would you change?
A- Time spent worrying about the future.

Q-What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A-The last time I had concrete sense of achievement was at school. Everything since has felt like an ongoing process of mistake and discovery.

Q-What is the most important lesson time has taught you?
A- To endeavour to live in the present.

What about Picasso's genious?

It's commonplace to hear people comment on Picasso's paintings swearing that they can't guess why he is such a famous artist and that their children could produce even better pieces of art.
Does that mean that they are not blessed by the artistic vibe or that they cannot detect their offspring's unveiled talent?

Yes, he created Cubism. "So what? Was it is unique talent the art of convincing a mecene, fool enough to believe in his tales?" would you say.

I don't think so.

Reading books about Picasso, you will always find some lines claiming his endeavours to draw like a child. So, where is the truth? where is the true beauty?

Watching his first drafts and drawings, one can tell his skills in drawing and painting. Reproducing images, nuances and colours was definitely one of his gifts.
Now, I have a question for you. Once you know that you can draw anything, whatever you want just as (almost) everybody can see it, can you be satisfied? Don't you want to add your personal touch? To show how you see it, how you can see it? or just play with the codes and rules of what is art? It's like adding more or less salt in a recipe. Isn't it?

Picasso's genius is more about its creativity in art, its research in volumes, representations, mixing textures, mixing feeling also, than about aesthetics. The development of its art beyond drawings, painting to sculptures like Picasso's goat or impertinent collages is simply the demonstration of his appetite for creation, trying to put things up side down, to change perspectives to creation. Everything but not following a path.