Awww... that means I can't just say bjh21 for all of them (except the last, that's me. It's in the job description and everything)
1. my blender 2. the painting of two fish which was the first thing Jon and I were given as a couple 3. Hermione, the mirror which davefish gave me 4. the passport photos I got before realising that as my glasses ar photochromic, I need passport photos without my glasses on.
Dyson vacuum cleaner (in one of the less objectionable colour schemes, but still far from actually pleasant)
Far too many dragon ornaments
LONG BLACK COATS
GameCube!
Ha. Found something that's not useful as such, and is definitely not beautiful in its own physical form, but equally clearly isn't something I'd want to throw away, because it's worth keeping for a third unmentioned reason, which is that it's fun.
Mind you, I suppose I can't blame a 19th-century renaissance man for not having anticipated the games console :-)
Interesting that two people independently thought that. I'd have been more inclined to see it as related to being beautiful - it shares with beauty the property that it directly provides pleasure, rather than causing an effect outside the user's mind.
I suppose you could argue that it is beautiful, in the sense that even if its exterior casing is squat and functional the pictures it generates on my TV are often very pretty. But I'm unconvinced, and in particular I think it would be very little less fun if this weren't the case, if we were still in the Spectrum era of games where there was very little scope for attractive graphics and gameplay was perforce king.
I suppose one could, although I'd argue that one would be stretching the definition of "beautiful" some distance beyond that guaranteed by the manufacturer, and might be in danger of voiding one's warranty. Possibly "useful" as well, though I haven't thought it through carefully.
Amazing the violence people will willingly inflict on a language just to patch the holes in one particular usage of it :-)
Useful: Two toilets. Beautiful: A 1919 Obermeier upright piano. It's a family heirloom. Unfortunately, it's also very hard to keep in tune these days. Re-stringing would destroy its mellow tone. I play the Roland digital piano, instead. Both: The Times World Atlas. Neither: Lots of bin bags full of refuse. Our rubbish collection service is shit these days, and I've not taken them to the dump yet.
1. A pushchair. 2. Photographs 3. smallclanger's classic Winnie the Pooh fleece blanket 4. A big pile of very old newspapers (the Observer for 22 June, anyone?). If they are arguably useful (papier mache, recycling, looking up stuff for quizzes), then substitute an empty Tango can and the paper backing for some photograph mounts.
Many things. Toilet duck, three bathrooms, a hatstand, Henry the hoover, kitchen utensils, the wiggly pony shelves, you name it.
# beautiful
Two Venetian-style carnival masks; ivory-coloured jacquard bedlinen; wood furniture; (currently) cleanliness. Clothes that are too small for me but too nice to fling and are being kept while I slim down. A lot of silverfish too.
# both
The wood furniture, the bedlinen (I like to buy beautiful utility items, it appeals to my sense of elegance in the geek sense of the word). Temerity, who is a mirror; and the stone faces if you count breaking up vast blank expanses of wall as useful.
# neither
The unattached bike-light bracket sitting on the bookshelves in the lounge; assorted creepy-crawlies; the landlord's naff surplus crockery; lots of old clothes I should sling out.
1) huge sprawling assemblies of lasers and pumps and computers and stuff 2) a calendar (and some posters real soon now, honestly) 3) shiny shiny SHINY polymers 4) infinite piles of scrap paper
Useful - Dishwasher. Now that standing for long periods and getting close to the sink are both increasingly difficult, washing up is a chore I do not miss!
Beautiful - a painting my ex-father-in-law did as a wedding present and which I had to fight to keep. Heck, Ex got to keep the Khalil Gibran quotation all about not tying your partner to you and the John Piper print, I intended keeping the painting his dad did in the colours I chose, for a specific space in the dining room!
Useful and beautiful - a handmade wooden standard lamp.
Neither - keys to things I no longer own. Or even never owned!
1. I think the most useful thing in my house is probably the fridge. That's a very domestic thought :( 2. The painting of the Sydney Opera House my brother did. 3. Our wooden clock with mirrors (but no names for the mirrors) 4. The ugly, stringy houseplants that I don't have the heart to throw away because they're technically alive.
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ewx
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:17 am (UTC)in response (one of each):
my rucksack;Pseudojonathan;my pen;a fortnight-old container of leek soup in the fridge.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:09 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:26 am (UTC)2)A framed picture that one of my friends made me for a housewarming present
3)Fairy lights,
4)Suitcase full of clothes that don't fit me
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:42 am (UTC)I should throw that last away now I've replaced it.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:53 am (UTC)Awww... that means I can't just say
1. my blender
2. the painting of two fish which was the first thing Jon and I were given as a couple
3. Hermione, the mirror which
4. the passport photos I got before realising that as my glasses ar photochromic, I need passport photos without my glasses on.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:53 am (UTC)- Dyson vacuum cleaner (in one of the less objectionable colour schemes, but still far from actually pleasant)
- Far too many dragon ornaments
- LONG BLACK COATS
- GameCube!
Ha. Found something that's not useful as such, and is definitely not beautiful in its own physical form, but equally clearly isn't something I'd want to throw away, because it's worth keeping for a third unmentioned reason, which is that it's fun.Mind you, I suppose I can't blame a 19th-century renaissance man for not having anticipated the games console :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:04 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:06 am (UTC)I suppose you could argue that it is beautiful, in the sense that even if its exterior casing is squat and functional the pictures it generates on my TV are often very pretty. But I'm unconvinced, and in particular I think it would be very little less fun if this weren't the case, if we were still in the Spectrum era of games where there was very little scope for attractive graphics and gameplay was perforce king.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:23 am (UTC)Amazing the violence people will willingly inflict on a language just to patch the holes in one particular usage of it :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:42 am (UTC)It's beautiful because it increases your mental welfare. (OK, that's a very ugly definition of beauty).
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 02:58 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 04:09 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:13 am (UTC)Beautiful: A 1919 Obermeier upright piano. It's a family heirloom. Unfortunately, it's also very hard to keep in tune these days. Re-stringing would destroy its mellow tone. I play the Roland digital piano, instead.
Both: The Times World Atlas.
Neither: Lots of bin bags full of refuse. Our rubbish collection service is shit these days, and I've not taken them to the dump yet.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 03:56 am (UTC)1. A pushchair.
2. Photographs
3.
4. A big pile of very old newspapers (the Observer for 22 June, anyone?). If they are arguably useful (papier mache, recycling, looking up stuff for quizzes), then substitute an empty Tango can and the paper backing for some photograph mounts.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 04:03 am (UTC)Spoilsport.
# useful
Many things. Toilet duck, three bathrooms, a hatstand, Henry the hoover, kitchen utensils, the wiggly pony shelves, you name it.
# beautiful
Two Venetian-style carnival masks; ivory-coloured jacquard bedlinen; wood furniture; (currently) cleanliness. Clothes that are too small for me but too nice to fling and are being kept while I slim down. A lot of silverfish too.
# both
The wood furniture, the bedlinen (I like to buy beautiful utility items, it appeals to my sense of elegance in the geek sense of the word). Temerity, who is a mirror; and the stone faces if you count breaking up vast blank expanses of wall as useful.
# neither
The unattached bike-light bracket sitting on the bookshelves in the lounge; assorted creepy-crawlies; the landlord's naff surplus crockery; lots of old clothes I should sling out.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 04:07 am (UTC)(What's even more worrying is that I've gone out with both those people ;-)
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 04:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 05:09 am (UTC)1) huge sprawling assemblies of lasers and pumps and computers and stuff
2) a calendar (and some posters real soon now, honestly)
3) shiny shiny SHINY polymers
4) infinite piles of scrap paper
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 05:35 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 07:33 am (UTC)Beautiful - a painting my ex-father-in-law did as a wedding present and which I had to fight to keep. Heck, Ex got to keep the Khalil Gibran quotation all about not tying your partner to you and the John Piper print, I intended keeping the painting his dad did in the colours I chose, for a specific space in the dining room!
Useful and beautiful - a handmade wooden standard lamp.
Neither - keys to things I no longer own. Or even never owned!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-01 09:17 am (UTC)1. useful
a source of drinking water
2. beautiful
Escher's "Three worlds" picture
3. both
the sofa cushions
4. neither
a plastic bag full of broken PC hardware!
(no subject)
Date: 2003-10-03 09:16 pm (UTC)2. The painting of the Sydney Opera House my brother did.
3. Our wooden clock with mirrors (but no names for the mirrors)
4. The ugly, stringy houseplants that I don't have the heart to throw away because they're technically alive.