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Presentation Is<br />
Everything!<br />
I<br />
n our house hangs a small oil painting<br />
by my Dad, Victor Czerkas.*<br />
Crystal Czerkas-<br />
Sarbacker<br />
My Dad literally painted hundreds of paintings, but this<br />
one is quite different. At first glance, it looks like a Dutch<br />
city scene, but a closer examination reveals Montmartre,<br />
with its red windmill atop the famous Parisian nightclub,<br />
the Moulin Rouge. It’s not exactly a miniature but at 7”<br />
x 9”, it’s little. The surprising thing is its frame is quite<br />
a bit larger at 15” x <strong>17</strong>”. You would think the painting<br />
would be lost in a frame that’s almost twice its size. But<br />
it works because the area around the painting is filled<br />
with four wide mats. One of them is actually padded like<br />
a piece of upholstery, and the others are wood carvings.<br />
Because the inner mats are in graduated sizes, they look<br />
like frames within a frame. Amazingly this technique<br />
does not overwhelm<br />
the painting.<br />
Instead the<br />
dainty oil painting<br />
is enhanced<br />
by it’s elaborate<br />
surroundings,<br />
and any viewer<br />
intuitively senses<br />
that, regardless<br />
of its size, this<br />
is an important<br />
artwork.<br />
There’s also<br />
another bonus<br />
to this framing<br />
technique. If the<br />
painting had been framed to fit its actual size, it would<br />
have been so small it would have been lost on almost any<br />
wall. The only other sensible alternative would have been<br />
to group it with several miscellaneous items into a wall<br />
arrangement, where it would have been a piece of the pie.<br />
But in its expanded framing, the small painting commands<br />
attention, is large enough to adapt to almost any setting,<br />
and hangs in a place of honor in my home. Yes, even in<br />
the art world, presentation really is everything!<br />
*The painting shown here is by Crystal’s Dad, the<br />
award winning artist Victor Czerkas, the only known<br />
private student of the great Russian impressionist,<br />
Nicolai Fechin. If you have any questions about framing or<br />
my Dad’s artworks, please email me at Merryman2@aol.com.<br />
Want more info....?<br />
Call 702/463-0966<br />
Volume 14, Issue 4<br />
Marty Allen<br />
Adrea Barrera<br />
John Bielun<br />
Yvonne Cloutier<br />
Dianne Davis<br />
Chuck Dean<br />
Jan Fair<br />
Linda Gomez<br />
Ali Guggenheim<br />
Dan Hyde<br />
Mike Landry<br />
BJ Killeen<br />
Kathy Manney<br />
Kyo Mitchell<br />
Mary Richard<br />
Crystal Sarbacker<br />
Victoria Seaman<br />
Jim Valkenburg<br />
Beverly Washburn<br />
Devon Wickens<br />
Vicki Wentz<br />
James White<br />
A Police Intervention<br />
By: Dan Roberts / Publisher<br />
“<br />
You’re damn right you better call the<br />
police!” And with that clever retort it was<br />
“try me, I dare you” time.<br />
Regular readers are well-aware of my very special relationship with<br />
The <strong>Vegas</strong> <strong>Voice</strong> political editor Rana Goodman. During the past few<br />
years that she has been my PILL (partner in love & life) I have written<br />
about her various medial ailments and conditions.<br />
One of my jobs is to make sure that Rana takes her morning drugs<br />
and advise when it’s time to reorder. A situation came up last month<br />
which should serve as a wake-up call to all that you cannot rely on<br />
anyone except yourself (or your mate) when it comes to your health.<br />
My Ladylove was running out of her Januvia medication which she<br />
now takes daily to control her diabetes. She called the pharmacy and<br />
her doctor for the routine renewal and waited…and waited …and<br />
waited.<br />
After the third day without the medication, she mentioned the<br />
circumstances and the apparent lack of communication between her<br />
physician’s office and the pharmacy. The pharmacy (after you were<br />
finally able to get them on the phone) claimed it requested the<br />
renewal from the doctor a few times (so what do you want from us?<br />
they asked in perfect “CYA” mode) without success.<br />
Naturally, the medical office (after you were finally able to get<br />
them on the phone) stated that they never received any request and, to<br />
set Rana off, alleged there was no record of her contacting them either.<br />
With her frustration and (sugar blood count) rising by the hour, my<br />
Rana handed me the telephone to speak with the doctor’s office. And<br />
then the real conversation began.<br />
The young lady (and at our age, they’re all young) smugly stated<br />
that the doctor will get to it when he gets the chance. “No, that’s not<br />
going to happen” I assured her.<br />
I cheerfully informed the assistant that the renewal prescription will<br />
either be received by the pharmacy within 20 minutes or she would<br />
have the pleasure of my company at the doctor’s office within 30.<br />
She nastily inquired if I was going to cause a “ruckus?” “Absolutely<br />
not” I promised, “it would be more like holy hell.”<br />
She then threatened to call the police.<br />
As Rana rolled her eyes and walked away, I neither raised my voice<br />
nor used certain 4-letter words. However, my “New York attitude” was<br />
in combat mode.<br />
“Darling” I calmly stated, “you’re either going to send the<br />
prescription now or call the police. But I assure you, that either way,<br />
I’m going to get that prescription.<br />
“And if I receive it while the cops are there, I guarantee you’re<br />
going to have a lot more explaining to do to the doctor, insurance<br />
company, various lawyers, government bureaucrats, and the<br />
police. Think about all that extra paperwork. I sure hope you receive<br />
overtime pay.”<br />
Miracle of miracles, the pharmacy received the prescription exactly<br />
8 minutes later.<br />
“Who’s the gladiator now?” I exclaimed as my Rana picked up the<br />
pills. Instead of bowing down in gratitude and thanking me (like I<br />
really believed that that was going to happen) she just shot me her<br />
“look.”<br />
I’m pleased to report that her blood count has stabilized, although<br />
I’m still not sure if she would have bailed me out. But I might find out<br />
real soon – her other drugs need renewals next week.<br />
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June 20<strong>17</strong><br />
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