I spotted this globe in the gift shop of the Corning Museum and immediately wanted it. I wanted it so much that some Japanese visitors actually took a picture of me wanting it.
It’s about the size of a bowling ball and was created by artist Josh Simpson. While it may look as if it’s filled with water, it is in fact all glass, with formations under the surface that call coral reefs to mind. (The rows of white dots aren’t part of the sculpture, they’re reflections of the ceiling lights.)
It was only $50,000. I pointed out to Kathy that I had a birthday coming up in ten days or so. She allowed as how it was very expensive and cost more than my new car.
“But everything in the room is 20% off today!” I replied. “We could save ten grand!”
Kathy stood firm, alas. But she did buy me a Josh Simpson paperweight, a smaller globe also filled with reef-ish life, for a couple hundred bucks.
On further reflection, I think a fifty-thousand-dollar glass object would have been a source of anxiety. I’d have to lock it in a heavily-padded safe to avoid breakage, and even then I’d worry.
But we could have saved ten grand!
