I just changed the desktop to this terrific Tamara deLempicka pic. It's one I've used before (in the winter, of course, as I do endeavor to be seasonally apropos)



One thing that really irks me about my current gig is that we can't style our desktops the way we want. Oh, we get our pick of whatever solid color we wanna put on there, but that's it pally!! Yep, the IT Dept blocked the worker bees from putting pictures on their desktops. This change happened quite some time before I came on board (so yeah..for the record..it's nothing *I* instigated) and Paul told me the management's explanation of the ban was that it "takes up too much memory" That is such horseshit.

Of course, I did my damnedest to try to reset my computer settings myself so's I could pick a pic from the 'net for my desktop..no dice yet though. So far all I've managed is to make my screensaver a slideshow of findings I've stashed in my My Pictures folder. And that is a very tiny victory because our computers are also set to only have the screensaver up for 5 minutes or so before zonking into sleep mode...well "locked" mode actually. This is on account of those blasted HIPAA regs...which the agency is ridiculously overzealous about.


Anyways, I went on Artophile.com and took pics from there for a 20s fashion themed slide show. That site is definitely worth a peek (the "Art Deco & Pochoir" section that is...all the other sections are totally skippable). I think Erte is the ubiquitous Art Deco fashion artist but I really abhor his stuff. My favorite artists therein are:


George Barbier
Francesco Javier Gose
Etienne Drian (below)





A.E. Marty
Pierre Brissaud (below)





and Fernand Simeon, who has a neat woodblock-looking style (although I don't know what medium(s) he actually did use) The site is featuring a lot more of Simeon's work than it had been the last time I'd checked it and me gusto mucho. For instance...





Ok, so WHAT would be so terribly offensive if I had that splashed across my desktop? I can't believe that even in the nursing industry they want to cultivate legions of corporate automatons, but that is precisely the case. I blame this new CEO (she is fairly new, came on the scene about 3 mos before I did, so she has less than a year under her belt) I had high hopes for her after hearing she was from Maine. Not sure exactly why I am predisposed to think Maine=good...it's either my knowing that Patrick Dempsey is from Maine or from my having watched Sarah Plain & Tall about 100 times over. Could also be my fondness for lobster . Whatever the reason, I was surpised to discover she is a real bitch-on-wheels dragon lady. I don't know anyone in the agency who likes her. Whatev...I shall not let her ruin Maine for me, I'll instead brand her the exception to the ME rule...a freak anomaly.

I want to work for a company that appreciates art and beauty and g-damned INDIVIDUALITY!! I know there are many companies that purport to...but am beginning to seriously doubt that there truly is such a place. I was kvetching to the Eileen-posse at dinner the other evening that my ideal gig is tragically gone the way of the dodo (not in those exact words...I only talk like this in type, you know) I would've liked to have lived in an era (I think the 17th ce was prime for this) where the filthy rich amused themselves by sponsoring the creative & charming professional bon vivant types... and I would be the latter type in this scenario. Although I of course would have no fierce objections to being the former ("filthy rich" that is...I could work with that...in any era!!).