My last post may have been a little misleadingly titled about an important subject so to take “going green” a bit more seriously, here we go:

Approximately two years ago, I saw An Inconvenient Truth. I went very unwillingly having bartered The Devil Wears Prada the previous week for An Inconvenient Truth the following week and feeling compelled to live up to the bargain I’d made.  I entered the theater an unmitigated skeptic believing in the cyclical nature of, well, nature and the power of homeostasis and spent the first part of the movie arguing (in my head) with every word out of Gore’s mouth (especially the graphs with no numbers!).

However, about three-quarters of the way through the movie, as he started making the parallels with the changing perspectives on smoking, my attitude started to soften. By the time he got to the solutions, I was ready to pitch in and do my part.  While I was not prepared to rush out and immediately trade in my beloved Jaguar convertible with its V8 engine for hybrid, I did determine that my next car would definitely be a hybrid.  Now, two years later, I have in fact traded in the Jag for a hybrid – my lovely Lexus RX400h in a beautiful pale, pale greeny-gold called Bamboo Pearl.  As I said in my previous post, green seems to be my color of choice these days.

I recently decided that I need to start using reusable bags for grocery shopping, but as should be obvious by now, your average ugly canvas bag is just not going to work for me.   I spent the better part of an evening searching the web for alternatives and found these Bag-Ease totes that conveniently hook onto the grocery cart: 

I’m not crazy about the blue.  Of course, I’d prefer green or tan which would coordinate with my car (where they will live).  However, they are definitely better-looking than anything else I’ve seen so far, and certainly, three bags for $20 seems like a good deal.

The next hurdle is light bulbs.  I’m very Blanche DuBois about my lighting.  In every office I’ve ever occupied, I always brought my own incandescent lamps and disconnected the fluorescent overheads.  I hate, loathe, and detest fluorescent lighting.   When I read a year or so ago that incandescent bulbs are going to be banned in the US in favor of compact fluorescent bulbs by 2012, I was horrified.  I decided that I would have to start stock-piling incandescent bulbs and began plotting ways that I could illegally import them, if necessary. 

While friends swear that the “soft” compact fluorescent bulbs aren’t bad, I rather doubt that my aesthetic sensibilities will find them tolerable.  I remain prepared to support a black market for incandescent bulbs; however, I am hoping that the technology will advance enough before 2012 —  either in quality of light from compact fluorescents or the energy efficiency of incandescents – that a life of crime will be unnecessary.   I was quite heartened to hear that GE is developing new high efficiency incandescents that may be available by 2010 so my fingers are crossed!

I’m determined that going green doesn’t have to be an ugly experience!  

I don’t know whether my tastes are changing or whether it is the inescapable presence of “green” in the media right now, I find myself really attracted to the color green now.

Sometimes when I’m bored or can’t sleep, I love to browse jewelry websites.  Ross-Simons.com is a particular favorite because it has a great sorting mechanism that allows you to select by color, type of gem, metal, etc.   Recently, I was browsing “green gemstone rings” on the site and was taken by these pretty, pretty specimens:

4.00 Carat Green Amethyst and .35 ct. t.w. Diamond Ring

1.65 Carat Peridot Diamond Ring

13.40 Carat Green Quartz Ring

5.00 ct. t.w. Peridot and .10 ct. t.w. Diamond Ring

I find that the green amethysts in particular are really appealing to me right now.  Now that I think about it, amethysts are my birth stone (I guess it didn’t occur to me because I’m so used to the purple).  Hmmmm. . . .  I may need a new ring.

So I was reading in the most recent issue of Vanity Fair that Chanel has created a touring art exhibit to mark the 50^th anniversary of the classic Chanel handbag.  Apparently, Karl Lagerfeld commissioned Zaha Hadid to design the “Chanel Mobile Art container” which will house the work of 20 artists “interpret[ing] the Chanel bag as a cultural totem.”  The exhibit debuted in Hong Kong in March, then moved on to Tokyo, and will arrive in New York in September.  Thereafter, it will travel to London, Moscow, and Paris.

I am tempted to roll my eyes at the descriptions of some of the alleged art (e.g., Nobuyoshi Araki’s sadomasochistic images of a woman bound with the Chanel bag’s gold-chain straps), but I think it might be against my religion to dis the House of Chanel.

Some time in my mid-20s, I started searching for “my” silver pattern.  With no immediate marriage prospects on the horizon, my mother thought I should still pick a pattern, and as I love to entertain and love to look at tableware, I started my search.  With no deadline for deciding and very picky taste, a decade or so has gone by without my having committed to a pattern (or a man for that matter, but that’s an entirely different subject). 

Over the years, there have been one or two patterns that looked like they really would be “the one,” but they never stuck.  I think part of my difficulty has been due to the fact that I’ve been chasing a ghost most of the time. 

Early on in my search, I would frequently go to antique shows with my beloved Aunt Jean.  I think it was at the Bustamente show in Pasadena that I fell in love with Josephine by Frank M. Whiting Sterling.  I love the delicacy, intricacy, and proportions of the design.  As you will undoubtedly notice, I am quite fond of scrolls, curls, and other frou-frou design elements.  I also like that it is not common and doesn’t look like one of a hundred other silver patterns.

However, this is where my aesthetic tyranny gets me into trouble. Like many of the things that I love, it’s rare and expensive and difficult to obtain.  The pattern dates back to the 1890s and has long since been discontinued.  Moreover, it’s so old that it doesn’t come with knives.  I’m told that people who acquire this pattern typically use antique pearl-handled knives.

A photo of Josephine from Replacements.com:

As a result, it is completely impractical and unrealistic as a pattern to collect.  While bits and pieces of it are occasionally available via eBay, Replacements, and other silver stores, it would take years to collect a full set and cost thousands.

Having reluctantly let Josephine go, I decided that I should stop searching for perfection and just decide already.  After my last tour of Geary’s, I came up with the following patterns as my latest possibilities:

Medici by Gorham

King Edward (Gorham)

French Renaissance (Reed & Barton)

Grande Renaissance (Reed & Barton)

Federal Cotillion - Towle

On second and third glance, I think King Edward and French Renaissance are too thick through the stem of the handle (which is the same complaint I have about Francis I, Marlborough, and Burgundy).  After taking another look at Medici and Grand Renaissance, I’ve realized that I just don’t like patterns where the design/decoration is attached to a straight shaft rather than integrated through the entire handle.  As a result, I think Federal Cotillion is my current favorite — delicate stem, enough furls and curls to make my heart’s pace increase a beat.  Naturally, since my visit to Geary’s, I’ve learned that it’s been discontinued although rumor has it that Towle will make it to order.  Figures.

About eight years ago, my heart was stolen by an antique French bronze bed I saw on eBay.  I didn’t bid on it then because it was a bit more than I could afford at the time, and I wasn’t quite sure how to manage European v. American mattresses.  That bed has been the “one that got away” ever since, and I’ve always regretted not taking the risk until a few months ago when a new bed overtook my affections.

My new love is also European, and according to my recent correspondence with the retailer, Graham & Green, it is currently un-importable (which is probably a good thing right now, given the current value of the dollar).  But oh, how I love it. . . . 

If I ever were to acquire this bed, I would combine it with some sleek, but classic, modern pieces (maybe one or two deco mirrored pieces that are making a big comeback – see Carrie Bradshaw’s redecorated apartment in the SATC movie) and luxurious but tailored bedding so that there’s lots of strong contrast.  I think the gilded nightstands in the above photo are just too much.   My dream bedroom would be decorated in shades of silver, gold, champagne/cream, and gray and I would add a brighter color (maybe raspberry) as a subtle accent in artwork and accessories.

As soon as the dollar starts scooting back up, I will have to inquire again about this bed, and hopefully, Graham and Green will be ready to export at that time.  In the meantime, I will continue dreaming about this bed.