My decorating style has always tended towards posters (and the occasional alien head and pretty rainbow-shaped rug). I have occasionally had friends create original works of art for me, such as "Pop-Tart Mural" by Amy or "Wax Sculpture Soaking Into The Carpet" by Anonymous (come to think of it, that was probably Amy too. What the hell, Amy?). But on the whole, my walls have generally been decorated by relatively "low-class" things.

When I moved to Covington, I decided I wanted to start having more real art on my walls — especially photography. I put up things like the Japanese scrolls I got in Kyoto, but left the posters in their tube. The problem, though, is that real art is a lot more expensive than posters and crap your friends find lying on the street. But finally in March I found a photo by a local photographer for sale in a coffee shop that I really liked, and the price was reasonable — $50 for the photo with its frame. So I took it home, and it's now on the wall in my "office".

There's a painting in Michelle's parents' house that I've always liked. It's a huge 40x60" piece by Alice Dalton Brown called "Blues Come Through." I'd been planning on buying a print of it myself once I moved up here, but it's not cheap to frame a 40x60" print. I had some unexpected income a few months ago, though, and I decided to use that money to finally buy it. I hung it in my "dining room" (which is really more of an art gallery/weapons display/bicycle storage space, since I don't have a dining room table), and I love it. It's big enough that it feels kind of like a window looking out onto the ocean. It makes the apartment feel more open, and it reminds me of one of the few parts of Puerto Rico that I liked.

Although the Dalton Brown print was more expensive than I ever thought I'd pay for a piece of paper, I realize it's puny compared to the cost of original art. I don't know if I'll ever own anything original, but for now I'm quite happy with the pieces I've got.