The Real Thing

In "The Real Thing," Henry James writes,

"It was a real marriage, an encouragement to the hesitating, a nut for pessimists to crack."

Happy third anniversary, Billy.  I love you.  Thanks for being the other half of my realest thing!

"Third" anniversary is a little misleading, though.  Here we are along the way...

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

(You can read the full text of "The Real Thing" here.  And you should.  It's one of my favorite short stories.  It asks you to consider the tough questions, like: What is the real thing?  When is the real thing different from the ideal thing?  What do we do when we recognize that the real thing doesn't promise what we thought it did?  When are art and the real thing incompatible?  When is the real thing more important than art?  Of course it asks these questions.  It's Henry James.)