Starting the Holidays Right

Last night we had our first holiday event. We met my boss and some of our colleagues down at Formosa for sushi and Christmas drinks. The members of this group are well-known notorious martini drinkers, but Brian and I, knowing we are not up to their level (and incidentally being the youngest people there by 20 years or more) were careful to stick to beer except for the champagne toast. It was a merry gathering, to be sure, and didn't end when the sushi ran out. After that, Brian and I went with Nick and his lady friend and another friend to the Dublin Underground, where the others shot pool and I provided moral support (I refuse to play pool if anyone can see me while I'm doing it), and Brian and I continued to drink beer, until an end of the evening shot of tequila. By then even our slow but steady beer intake had impaired us sufficiently to make this seem like a good idea.

We walked home, rather sotted. Once back in our house we realized we'd eaten only small portions of rice and raw fish for dinner and probably needed more food. We ordered pitas, watching bad TV online while we waited. They arrived. Mine had nothing in it but meat. Had it been the opposite problem, nothing but vegetables, I wouldn't have minded, but even intoxicated at midnight, I couldn't choke dry meat on dry pita down. So, we called and they brought a replacement, but it was all very slow and we didn't get to bed until nearly 1 am. (A nearly unheard-of feat for us, as we're normally out cold by 10.)

So, this morning I am in a slightly delicate state, though there is a part of me that is proud that I don't feel worse. Holiday festivities are a tricky thing. Sharing drinks with friends and colleagues is a wonderful, time-honored tradition, but since Brian and I drink so little most of the time, we are lightweights on the bar-scene. Drinking enough to have fun but not enough to suffer for the entire following day is a careful business.

Tonight, we have holiday party number two. This time Brian's work-friends will be gathering to celebrate. Hopefully, we can hold up through another evening of good cheer.

Drag

You know how sometimes you wake up to an alarm in the dark out of a deep sleep and irrationally think, "It must be Saturday," but then the love of your life sits up and groans, "It's Tuesday," and Tuesday means you have to clean five stalls, toss several bales of hay off a stack of hay that's three times as tall as you are, carry four flakes into each stall, fill up 16 buckets with water, lead 14 horses into a barn over icy ground... and also yesterday you had a tetanus shot in your right arm so now that hurts all the way to your fingertips when you move, and really you just want to snuggle back into your warm bed until you can wake up on Saturday for real?

Tricks of the Trade

A few days ago at work my boss said, "Paint the rabbit black."

So I did.

Headline: Buzzing Tenant Evicted After Notable Failure to "Keep it Down"

JOHNSON COUNTY, IA: After a few days of rocky co-habitation, a local conflict ended this morning when Robin S-, resident of Iowa City, evicted a large house-fly from the upstairs office of her home. The house, which S- occupies with fiance Brian D-, has already dealt with several conflicts of the human-insect variety, and its history of resolving these tensions employing diplomacy over violence has become somewhat legendary.

However, "Everybody has a limit," S- is quoted saying, mid-morning on Nov. 17^th, shortly after the eviction took place. "It's not like we didn't warn [the fly]." This is true, authorities verify. Just a few days ago D- reportedly said to the fly, as it buzzed against a window, "Hey, keep it down up there." (Though there is some confusion here as some evidence has indicated D- thought he was talking to a lady-bug, for which the house has a particular soft-spot.)

When asked about her feelings on the outcome of the conflict, S-, after expressing relief, said sadly, "It didn't have to end this way. But this morning the fly continued to knock repeatedly against the windowpane while I was trying to work, which was very distracting. Then after I took a shower and sat back down, it just came crawling right at me across the desk. That was the final straw." When asked if the fly's manner was violent in this moment, S- hesitated and finally clarified, "Not violent, but it was decidedly creepy."

Authorities agree S- was "within her rights" when she acted quickly on this final transgression, and using a New Yorker magazine and a 1999 Cactus Cup mug usually used to hold pens, trapped the fly without injuring it and took it outdoors, where it reportedly fell into the dead leaves in the yard.

A neighbor, who prefers to remain anonymous, sympathized with the S-D household, saying, "Sometimes this street can be pretty noisy, and it gets to you. It is only fair that some of these disruptive citizens face the consequences of their actions. I just hope that fly doesn't get into my house, now."

The fly has not been able to be reached for a comment.

Highlights

We have continued on with the most beautiful fall of my memory. We still haven't gotten a hard frost, so the leaves are just slowly changing to vivid shades that don't exist often in nature. We've had some busy times lately. I will touch on the parts for which I have photograhic evidence.

First, there was the Frijole Bowl in Tucson. Brian was offically initiated into the family by helping out with the beans!

I added the garlic, and we had a grand party, as usual.

When Brian and I left Tucson, we took my brother with us, and held him hostage here in Iowa for a week, where he got rained on at the barn and walking around town, but also drank some good beer and had some quality time alone in our house while we were at work. One evening, Jesse and I got to reminiscing about the old board game Balderdash and how it was the best game ever, and how it's a pity we somehow lost ours, and now they have changed it so you can't even get the original version anymore. And then we thought, by golly! We are resourceful people! We have internet access! With just a list of rare words in the English language, a piece of cardboard, an array of sharpies, and some scrap-mat from work, we resurrected the game and played it with delight.


After a lot of hilarity, creative definitions, and (yes) a fair amount of slyness too, Jesse (blue) won - but it was quite close at the end.


After taking my brother back to Chicago and dropping him at the train station, Brian and I returned home and have started to face the fact that we are going to have to take some part in planning our own wedding. I've been looking for a dress - a search which is not going well. Last Saturday afternoon we decided to head over to Von Maur in the Sycamore Mall to see if they had anything that might suit me. They didn't, and as we wandered glumly past the other stores, a gaming storefront caught our eye. For some reason, we went in, and after much deliberation, came out again with a puzzle.

I thought 1000 pieces would be no big deal. Afterall, we're resourceful people. We chose an only-mildly-sickening lakeside scene with (we didn't notice this in the store) lots of vaguely textured neutral gray areas. Assembling it was surpsing hard, and true to the darker side of my personality (the side that relates to people with OCD and loves printmaking), I got a little obsessed with it.



Thankfully, we finished it, finally, after several days. In case any of my readers have the same questions the guy in the game-shop did: No, we do not plan to glue it together so we can hang it on our wall and admire it always. We're going to put it back in the box. Just as soon as we need the coffee table for something else...

The Answers to the Questions on Your Mind

Liz (this link only works if you are her friend on blogger) asked me these five questions because this is a blog-game thingie. If you'd like me to ask you five questions, post a comment.

1. What characteristic about yourself do you wish more people would notice?

Hmm... I guess it is hard to know the difference between what people notice but don't react to and what they don't notice at all, but laying that distinction aside, I wish more people would notice that I am really, truly, exceptionally good-looking. A lot of people just don't seem to see that, somehow.

Ok, joking aside. I guess I wish more people would notice that I am shy. I think most people miss this because I have a good deal of self-confidence in a very insular way, and can readily engage someone just as soon as they are friendly to me, but as far as initiating the first friendliness goes, I have trouble, and I believe this shyness makes some people think I am aloof and stuck-up.


2. Can elitism be a good thing?

I just heard a piece on NPR the other day about the word "elitism" and how it has become one of those meaningless words that people use in far more situations than it applies to. However, we can explore several definitions.

If elitism means assuming your kind of person is better than all other peoples and therefore belittling others without your same qualities, thinking you deserve to have more privileges or take things away from other people because you are more important, then no, it is never a good thing.

If elitism means narrowing your scope to only one kind of person and one kind of lifestyle and one set of values and failing to take any other set of variables or beliefs into consideration then no, it is never a good thing.

But if elitism means holding yourself to a higher set of standards and trying to achieve levels of accomplishment most people never even aspire to, much less reach, then yes, it can be a good thing. The elite used to be a class of people who were admired and respected because they had risen above the common man. I think too many people these days think being mediocre is the best way to be. The catch - elitism only remains good if the elite never forget those unlike them, and manage not to become conceited about their accomplishments.


3. Do you think that certain people are born more blessed/lucky than others, or do all people create their own circumstances?

Some of both. Some people are born into the most dismal circumstances and manage to rise up and out of it anyway, and become more than anyone would have ever anticipated. Some people are given everything but make nothing of themselves. Most of us fall somewhere in between. I think on a day-to-day level, we make our own luck. I truly believe it is my decision most of the time whether to have a good day or a bad day. If someone is rude to me, it is my choice whether or not to take it personally and let it get under my skin. However, this only works to a certain degree. If, say, my horse died, I'd have a bad day. Period. And I think it is important to engage with my life to a degree that some things do mean so much to me that they can't just roll off my back. However, some people seem to hit those kinds of stumbling blocks constantly, over the course of their entire lives - big, bad luck beyond their control - death, illness, war, etc.. And certainly, we can still choose how to navigate through the huge tragedies, but some people do seem to get the short end of the stick as far as how often they are challenged.


4. You have to sacrifice one: writing or visual art. What do you choose and why?

Well, you know how to hit where it hurts, but I would give up visual art - mainly because getting my BFA really taught me that I am a better writer than I am an artist. I am an okay artist, I think, but I believe I am a good writer, and while I am a genius in neither, my writing gets closer to the core of me than my art does. I can commit to and focus on writing in a way I can't with art and while in my visual endeavors I am always trying to figure out what I'm trying to say, with writing it all comes together without any real effort on my part. Frankly, visual art is a bit of struggle - writing is as easy as pie. I think that means something.


5. What is the most important thing you know about yourself?

I know that I am one of the elite. Haha, just kidding. Okay, seriously, I know that I am prone to withdrawing and living too much in my own head. It is important for me to structure my life so I have responsibilities that force me to get out into the world, because I won't do it on my own. If I am given the vague choice on any given day, go do something, or don't go do something, I will always choose not to go. So, I have to replace the "something" with a thing that I love. Brian is great at rooting me out and making me put on real clothes and leave the house. Steen is also a big motivator as far as this goes. Also, committing to things in advance so that I will let people down if I back out at the last minute is always a sure-fire way to break me out of my stasis. I think I could easily become very eccentric and a little scary if I didn't keep this in mind.

Visiting and Visited

We are back from our brief dash back to AZ with my brother in tow. Although Brian and I have both had to abandon him for work daily, he seems be bearing up fairly well. We have so far spent our evenings relaxing and drinking Oktoberfest, which is pretty hard to beat. He also came out to the barn and got a number of really great photos of Steen, which are viewable on my other blog.

Winter appears to be setting in here with more earnest since our return. We have had days in the 40's and chill, drizzly rain. Not the most ideal weather under any circumstances. I'll be glad when the rain turns to snow, so at least we can ski.

In work news, I unframed an original Rembrandt intaglio print yesterday from the 1620's. That was unbelievable/nerve-wracking. I really need to start keeping a list of famous artworks that I handle. So far I know I've got Durer, Rivera, Pollack, Warhol, and now Rembrandt, but there were a few other famous pieces I worked on at the museum that I've forgotten. Still, not a bad start.

Rings

Brian and I got our engagement rings yesterday. We ordered plain silver bands for Rio Grande Jewelry Supply to get a feel for size and shape so we can better design our own custom wedding bands when the time comes. I put my "practice" ring on yesterday afternoon and went immediately to the barn. I haven't worn any ring at all for many years, and never one on this finger (obviously) and it feels very strange. It continually intruded itself on my attention while I drove, but while I was working with Steen I forgot about it entirely, so I take that as a good sign. Brian is going through a similar adjustment, and last night at dinner we were both unconsciously fidgeting with them constantly. Still, I imagine we will get used to them before long.

Anyway, I'm going to do my best not to turn this into a wedding blog (and not to turn my life into one never-ending wedding drama), so I may be silent on this subject for a while. Thanks for all the heartfelt good wishes we have received!

Yes

A beautiful afternoon in the park, some cucumber sandwiches, and the nicest port I've ever had in my life. Of course, I'd have agreed to marry Brian no matter how he asked, but when he pulled out that bottle and proposed, I agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Kids These Days

On Monday I ended up having a brief conversation with a 19-year-old boy. Clearly, this person thinks of himself as an adult, yet I could not quite take him seriously as he regaled me with tales that highlighted his bull-riding prowess and talent for drinking his friends under the table. I feel I'd have found myself similarly torn between amusement and discomfort had I been approached by a five-year-old proud of his ability to draw whiskers on people's faces with an eyeliner pencil and burp the alphabet. I spent the conversation hoping to avoid any demonstrations, and wanting to say, "I've no doubt you're awfully cool, but these just aren't skills that I value."

Indian Summer

We have had such consistently good weather, we haven't even closed the windows in a couple of weeks. We've had sun, cool nights, and temperate days. Although fall is spreading yellow through the fields and some of the trees are changing, there is still an awful lot of green out there when I look out the office window.

However, our walnut tree - always one of the first to toss in the towel on the summer - is looking pretty sparse, and the violent thuds of walnuts hitting the house on their way to the ground are sounding less frequently. Brian learned something the other day about walnut trees that makes me feel slightly better about my failed (although admittedly meager and erratic) attempts at gardening in the back yard. Apparently the peel that surrounds the nut-shell of walnuts is extremely toxic to many other kinds of plants, so most seeds that fall (Or are planted. By me.) underneath a walnut tree will not grow. Our entire back yard is underneath our walnut tree. But, since it provides us constant entertainment in the form of an abundance of squirrels, I suppose I don't mind its herbicidal ways.

Room Design

Before:

After:

Road Trips, Visits, and Picnics

Well, it has been a busy time for Brian and me. Last Friday we journeyed north to Hayward, WI, so Brian could race Chequamegon. In spite of rain, mud, and long hours in the car, we had an enjoyable time.

Only a few hours after we returned, I drove up to the Eastern Iowa Airport to meet my mom, who had made it in only after many kinds of delays.

She graced us with her presence until Thursday, and in the time she remained, we accomplished many great things - such as planting pansies in the planters on the porch step railing, and painting/redecorating the bathroom (photos pending). I also took her out to meet Steen, where she took this photo of him getting his grain fix.

Finally,I took her back to the airport and she flew away.

The rest of the week was hectic, with a big rush job at work, a gallery opening, old friends in town, etc. But today, Brian and I took some time to cool our jets. First, I spent the morning at the barn with my horse. Then, I came home. Brian and I filled up our bike-baskets with home-made cucumber sandwiches, baguette, and a bottle of port, and rode our single-speed townies to Hickory Hill Park. There, we laid out a blanket, sat down upon it, ate our food, drank our beverage and enjoyed the beautiful late summer/early fall afternoon/evening. When we had exhausted our consumables and started to grow cold, we came home.

With such momentous events behind me, I am now looking forward to a few weeks of staying within a 20 mile radius of Iowa City, and not doing anything particularly interesting.

The Soldering Life

My basement studio has reached a point that I am pretty happy with. I have a basic jewelry-shop set-up down there, lacking only large quantities of precious metals to fashion into whatever I desire. I also found a pair of lightly used speakers for a very good price,


and when they arrived Brian discovered they slide perfectly onto the ends of the brackets that hold up my heating-unit concealing curtain. So, now I can sit down there, happily sanding or polishing away, whilst I listen to my current audiobook*


or my favorite radio station.

Of course, jewelry making, like many other very fun things, requires chemicals and substances that aren't necessarily safe. In the interests of keeping my studio as non-hazardous as possible, I have taken to using things like self-fluxing and pickling solder (to avoid the presence of a pickle pot), and a tiny little propane-fueled torch.

Before attempting to set up this studio, I didn't know such a thing as self-fluxing and pickling solder existed. Naturally, when I found it on the Rio Grande website, I was quite excited. It came in a tube instead of a roll, and my first experiment involving this high-tech substance failed miserably. Luckily, I had anticipated this. One's first projects with new tools fail miserably almost across the board. So, I was not discouraged, and immediately thereafter successfully soldered three bracelets and a necklace in row - which is to say they are completed pieces today. Then I took a jewelry-making break.

In the last weeks, however, I returned to the studio and I began another bracelet. As before, I cut out the pieces, filed them, sanded them, etc. Then I went to solder them together. Since I don't have any ventilation in my basement, processes that produce toxic fumes (soldering and polishing with compounds) must be done outside at the picnic table in our back yard. This isn't ideal, particularly at times of the year when our back yard is wet and mosquito-infested. Although I embarked on my most recent project without the faintest doubt in my soldering abilities, the process once again failed miserably. The solder wouldn't flow or take. The two pieces of my bracelet would fuse only in a very irritatingly imperfect manner. After several attempts, varying slightly in technique, I gave up.

So why wouldn't the solder work all of a sudden? Was I distracted because of the horde of mosquitoes trying to feast on my flesh while I worked? Was I out of practice? Had I applied the wrong amount of solder? I searched all my jewelry-making knowledge for an explanation, and came up with nothing that could help me. Then, I compared this time's problems to the problems I'd had the first time I tried to solder at home, and found them exactly the same. I immediately isolated the key similarity between the failed projects. My first attempt at soldering involved brass and copper. The middle four involved silver. The most recent, brass and copper.

Thinking I was on to something, I looked at the tube of hi-tech solder. It did indeed say "silver solder" - but when I was learning about jewelry-making I had often used the old fashioned kind of silver solder on brass and copper. Still, the more I thought about the problem, the more my failure seemed due to the solder. I grew indignant. Shouldn't they put things like this in the prodect description?

I went back to the Rio Grande website and found the product. I read the description. It said, "Perfect for all non-ferrous metals except aluminum."

I reflected briefly. Then, I clicked the "similar products" link. This immediately introduced me to another self-fluxing and pickling soldering compound, this one "for copper and brass." I added it to my shopping cart.


*I read Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell last year, and liked it so much it seemed only logical the revisit it in audiobook form.

Side-tracked

Although I will admit I have rather been neglecting this blog, I've been doing a reasonably good job with my other one...

The Wet and the Falling

The seasons are changing here in Iowa City. As much as some aspects of the winter aren't all that pleasant here, I do love this time of year. The walnut tree in our back yard is already shedding leaves and nuts - much to the peril of our heads but the delight of the squirrels. Today it looks like we are going to enjoy a chill drizzle for all our daylight hours. Although I would have happily gotten up this morning and gone off to ride my horse if the conditions weren't so exceedingly miserable, part of me is not upset at the prospect of staying all cozy and warm indoors until I have to go to work after lunch.

Stupid

It is 66 degrees outside. Our neighbors are running their air conditioner.

A Good Lie-In

I am pretty excited that it is the weekend. Nick returned on Wednesday and I deposited the gallery safely back into his hands. Then he immediately went and picked up several huge jobs, and several people brought in rushes and changed their minds on big orders we thought we'd finished, so the week remained busy. Also, Brian and I were intermittently sleeping at Adele and Peter's house this week because they are out of town and their cats needed the companionship.

Other highlights of the week included Brian's continuation down the road of artistic expression,

the mauling of my thumb with a utility knife,

and a phone call from Sukha telling me he's happily settled in Bozeman, Montana.

Last night, after a pretty incredible evening at Simone's with a group of people connected to me via the gallery, Brian and I came home, crawled into bed and slept until 8:40. Now, I am looking forward to spending my weekend doing things like cleaning the house and spending some time with my horse.

Framing Daze

I have not been a good blogger lately. For quite some time, I haven't had much of a reason not to blog. This week, I have a valid excuse, but am going to blog anyway. Nick has left the gallery in my hands again, so I've been working 9-5 and dealing with every circumstance that arises.

Truth be told, I kind of like running the gallery on my own. Sure, it is more stressful to be the one to have to take every phone call and greet every person who walks in with a smile and an air of calm expertise regarding every component or relative of framing. But I got my job at the museum at NAU and began developing my understanding of putting art behind glass over three years ago, and since I've been working for Nick, my knowledge of the craft has increased dramatically. I can draw a French mat, with or without panels of either pigment or paper. I can wrap a custom bevel or cut a 12 ply window. I know how to handle a wide range of glasses and plexis, and of course, execute everything to "museum standard."

When Nick is there I know how to do everything just as well, but I also know should something get tricky, I can back out of it and make him finish. I almost never do this, but the knowledge itself is a cushion and confidence booster. When Nick is not there, it is different. When for instance, a moulding company calls to tell me a frame we ordered is discontinued, I have to provide alternatives to the customer who already chose something they were happy with under Nick's guidance. Being the only one in the shop, I also have to juggle overlapping clients without making anybody feel neglected. In short, it is a much more active job than just hanging out in the work-room alone all day while Nick maintains our public front.

So, when a customer called me yesterday asking about five large canvases she wanted stretched, and I tried to tell her they wouldn't be done until next week and she got very upset, I had no one to fall back on. She needed them by Saturday. She wouldn't have brought them to us if we hadn't given her a definite time-line of two weeks. She would not be put off, even when I told her some of the stretcher bars didn't seem to be in yet. I finally told her I'd call her back, and got off the phone feeling a little abused.

In our little work family of two, Nick is the one who deals with stretching canvas. It is about the only thing in the shop I haven't gotten into the habit of doing since I started to work there. Fortunately, back when I was getting my BFA I learned how it is done, but as I was not much interested in painting, I never got good at it. It had been several years since my last attempt, and I'd never done it with canvases that already had the art on them. I'd also never stretched anything even half the size of these 48" by 60" monsters.

I called Nick and he told me where he'd stashed the stretcher bars I hadn't been able to find. Then he said, "Well, you can either try to do it yourself or tell her it can't be done." To me that meant, "You can do it yourself."

So, I cleaned off the table, assembled the stretcher bars and jumped in. The first two went smoothly. The third almost ruined my day. The stretcher bars wouldn't stay square. The people who printed the canvas didn't leave enough margin on the edges. I was tired, frustrated, and quite convinced there was no way to get that canvas on that stretcher without leaving some white showing on the edges.

I took a break and sent the glorious Brian an email, and while complaining to him of my plight, I figured out how to solve my problem. Using the staple gun and the corners of the work table, I reliably squared and reinforced the corners of the stretcher. After that, I was careful and patient and managed to pull the third canvas through. The fourth and fifth canvases, though the largest, went easily.

Of course, when one successfully does something one does not know if one can do, one feels far more accomplished than if one merely does something one knew one could do all along. I left the gallery yesterday feeling a little bit proud of myself. Now let's just hope I can make it to next Wednesday without dropping the ball on anything major.

Weekend Delights

I must say I had a glorious weekend. I worked all day Friday, and then came home to a lovely evening hanging out with Brian and neglecting to eat any real dinner. Saturday, we got up at a reasonable hour and then hung around drinking coffee for quite a while. Brian went to volunteer at the Iowa state road race, and I went to the stable where I had my greatest ride on Steen to date. I came home and shortly thereafter went in to work to set up my boss's new computer - very fun (I actually do mean this sincerely). After that I hung out with Brian a little more, once more neglected to eat a real dinner and then the two of us went back to the stable to hang out for one of the other girls who boards there's birthday. That was entertaining and enjoyable.

Last night a storm knocked out the power in our house for half the night, and since I can't sleep without a fan on, that means I was awake for half the night. Today, I recovered from this awful circumstance by doing next to nothing other than cleaning all the personal software and files off of Brian's old laptop to sell on ebay, and digging my old racer-x frame out of the basement to also sell on ebay.

Tonight, Brian and I actually did cook a good dinner, and played some scrabble and had some more quality hanging out time. Currently, I'm ready to go to bed early, wake up, and take on the week.

July, July!

I feel like the whole month more or less dashed off when my back was turned. Between the trip home, the wedding, house-sitting and then recovering from it all, life has felt a little too much like just going through the motions to suit me. I am used to getting very tired around 10:00 pm, but I'm not used to dragging myself out of bed only with difficulty well after 7:00, many mornings in a row. That is what happened all last week, and my tiredness even persisted through many of the days, making me drag along through work, and have difficulty motivating to leave the house when not entirely necessary.

However, so far this weekend has been just what the doctor ordered, and I'm feeling much better. Yesterday we managed to catch up on laundry and other exciting things around the house. This morning I turned my attention to the fact that I left my old faithful 256 MB jump-drive in Tucson. Mom offered to ship it out to me, but I declined, saying it might be time for me to upgrade anyway. This morning I took a peek at slickdeals.net, a great site for finding really amazing offers and anything remotely nerdy. I found a 4 GB USB flash drive for $13.99, free shipping. Now, admittedly I hadn't shopped for a USB flash memory device for many, many years, but this price blows me away, nevertheless. 4 gigs is huge. And $14 is really not a lot of money.

So, I placed my order and now I'm kind of excited for it to get here.

Home, Kind Of

After many days and many events I find myself back in Iowa, where things haven't changed a whole lot. I feel like I was gone for a long time. And I suppose I was. After flying back from Arizona on Friday, I spent the weekend in Chicago at Brian's sister's wedding. It was an enjoyable event, but after three days of attending various receptions and gatherings and ceremonies, I was more than ready to head home. Sunday evening was glorious - sitting around quietly with Brian and catching up, and then sleeping in our own bed.

Unfortunately, that all ended on Monday morning, when we both had to leave for very long days of work that involved a good deal of catch-up for both of us. Then there is the further complication that I agreed to house-sit this week for someone I don't know. The two dogs are Shelties - and the smallest examples of the breed I have ever seen. The house is about two miles away. I thought house-sitting would be no big deal, but the dogs so far have proven very strange. Although they are young, they have bizarre and elaborate feeding requirements, and so far have refused to eat all of my carefully prepared meals. They also won't engage in any sort of normal dog activity. They don't even wag their tails. They follow me around the house staring but run away when I talk to them or try to get them to play. And although they will allow me to put their leashes on and walk them around the block, they don't seem to derive any enjoyment from this experience.

But of course the main discomfort of the whole thing is having to spend so much time at someone's else's house, and sleep there, so soon after returning home myself. Also, between the extra work and the dogs, I haven't even gotten to see Steen yet. =(

So, I guess this has turned out to be a fairly whiney blog post. I do apologize. The good news is I'm sure I can persevere until the dog's owner returns on Saturday, and in the meantime it looks like we will even get a visit from Brian's parent's to cheer us up. And after that, Brian and I should have many unbroken weeks of living our life the way we want to.

Arena

Today Meryl and I spent the entire day constructing an arena in our very own backyard. We are incredibly exhausted, sore and sun-burned, but we are also pretty pleased with ourselves.

Mom came out and took some photos. This is most of the arena.

This is the rest of it.

This is the arena with Meryl, me, Romeo and Jak all inside for scale.

Oh, Romeo

This is my sister's great dane, Romeo. He has grown since my last visit.

He likes to sprawl around and take up as much space as possible.


He face is still pretty cute, though.


But his paws are absolutely enormous.

Introductions

Well, I'm back in Arizona for a little while, and I finally made it out to meet Autumn and Efrain's new daughter, Isabella. She is about three months old, and when she is not sleeping, mostly occupies herself with working on being able to roll over.


Here she is, sleeping happily in her swing.


Her dad dotes on her.


He also brings adventure to her life.


Liz also came in to town from Santa Fe, making the day into a grand reunion of close friends.


Autumn was excited that we were there.


She also seems pretty happy to have Issa in her life.


Even I got to be pretty comfortable with her by the end of the day.

Westward, Ho!

Tomorrow, I am going to drive to the Chicago suburbs, leave my car at Brian's parent's house, take a train into the city, take the el to the airport, and get on a plane that will fly me back to Arizona. Once there I will bask in (dry) heat and intense sunlight for just over a week. Although Brian will not be going with me - and I will miss him - I am looking forward to the trip. I love the Tucson mountains in the summer, and lately I'm experiencing a bone-deep craving for open space. Although I grow more and more fond of Iowa, (largely thanks to Steen), I still miss the freedom of hopping on a horse, riding over a ridge or two and then pausing on hilltop to look out upon a 360 degree view of empty land without so much a phone-line to indicate nearby human habitation.

Of course, even in the remote parts of the desert north of Tucson, these views are growing fewer and farther between. My favorite one is now marred by two houses. Most of the others are mere illusions provided by rising and falling geography. Still, even with the encroaching buildings and roads, there is a different feeling in the west. The land is still wild. Here, everything has been tilled and harvested a million times. There, in most places outside of town, man has mostly just passed through.

Wind Power

Fortunately, the flood waters are going down. Last week was a rainy week, but it didn't make anything worse than it already was. Today it is just windy. So windy, in fact, that I played a game on my way back in from the stable called "how much can Robin use her tailwind instead of her gas pedal on the drive home without actually dipping below the speed limit." I enjoyed the game, and was quite astonished by the long periods of time I could go along with my car out of gear, rolling up and down hills. One or two cars behind me seemed not to enjoy the came quite as much as I did. But like I said, I never went below the speed limit, so in my view they had no right to get fussy with me.

The Sun's Come Out

Although we currently live in an official presidential disaster area, I must say we had a very relaxing weekend. The river, for the time being at least, has stopped rising, and a couple of bridges across town even re-opened. However, the water has not yet receded significantly - so much of the city remains shut down and in disarray.

Until the water goes away, however, there is very little that can be done to repair things.

So, Brian and I spent much of the weekend with Steen. There are some new photos and another short video on Steen's blog to prove it.

The last few days it hasn't even rained. The sun has been out, and the thermometer has been reporting temps in the 70's. Better yet, these idyllic conditions are supposed to continue for most of the week.

Brian's new job is already full of perks - like getting a whole week off since the university is closed due to flooding. (For those of you who didn't know Brian has a new job, you can read more about his decision to leave the literature PhD program to become a professional adviser here.) I recently completed and launched two complete websites so have a lull as far as that work-load goes, and since summer means slow at the gallery, I won't exactly be tied to a grind-stone myself. We have plans to relax with a vengeance.

Enough Already

As many of you may already know, we are having a rainy season here in Iowa. My general weather strategy consists of trying not to worry about it too much and making the best of things even when conditions are not ideal. I don't always succeed in doing this (I did occasionally burst out this winter, "I am not leaving the house today," when things got too cold), but I do try.

I have likewise been trying to ignore the rain. It could be worse, afterall. We could be having daily tornadoes. Still, the wet can be irritating, particularly since Steen takes a childish joy in finding any mud available in his pasture and rolling in it.

When the Iowa River got so high it overflowed and blocked off the road I usually take to the stable where I work, I found another (albeit significantly slower) road to take. When Brian called me at work to let me know Black Diamond Road, my route to Steen, is likewise closed, again I took another way around.

But things have finally gotten out of hand here. The day before yesterday, the dam above Iowa City filled to the point that water started gushing over the spillway - meaning we no longer have any control over the river. Yesterday, they announced the river was going to continue to rise by many feet until June 20th and then slowly start to recede - if we didn't get any more rain.


But this morning, guess what we woke up to? That's right. A raging downpour.

You may all rest assured in the fact that at least Brian I are in no danger of having to leave our home as we are on high ground nowhere near the river. All of downtown Iowa City would have to flood before our house started taking in water, and if that happened we'd probably leave anyway. Steen is likewise quite safe.

However, many people who would not have been considered in the flood zone are evacuating their homes today.


As you can see, there is water in all sorts of places where water should not be.



I just hope things start to dry up soon.

Photos from The Press Citizen.

Fuji Gran Tourer SE

I can't help but notice an awful lot of people come to my blog from google having run a search for my town bike. I have no doubt they are not searching for my town bike in particular, but rather some broader information about its kith and kin.

Unfortunately, I know little about the Fuji Gran Tourers beyond my own, but I thought I should at least have an up to date photo of mine available for these weary internet travelers.


This is my daily bike. I ride it to work and around town in all kinds of weather. When it came to me it had all its original parts. Since then I've converted it to a single speed, replaced the pedals, seat-post, seat, handle bars, brake levers, grips (and cables, housing and chain, of course) and added fenders. In return it has carried me safely to my destination time and time again.

If you see this post and have a Fuji of your own, please leave a comment telling me about yours, and link to a photo if you have one.

To the Leader of the Ant Tribe that Regularly Attempts to Install an Occupying Force in Our Kitchen

Dear Sir or Madame,

Although I seriously doubt your actions are actively designed to incite a state of open warfare between your people and mine, I must advise you that the increased number of your agents in our territory is making it difficult to avoid carnage. Please note that we cannot be held responsible for the death or injury of your subjects brought about by our mundane kitchen tasks - including but not limited to those involving water, heat, and frequent relocation of objects such as utensils and crockery.

Furthermore, I would like to alert you to the fact that when your soldiers deliberately breach all known forms of good-breeding and etiquette and raid our food stores while we are using them to cook, it cannot be held against my people if they sometimes retaliate with violence.

Since such trespasses seem to occur with steadily increasing frequency, at this juncture we must gently recommend that you withdraw your soldiers from our kitchen for the good of everyone involved. Every other insect society seems able to function quite happily outside of our walls, and please be advised you are more than welcome to forage in our garbage can and compost heap.


All the Best,

Someone Who Could Squash The Likes of You With One Finger but Doesn't (And Frequently Even Rescues Your People When They Wander Into Dangerous Situations) Due to a Ridiculously Overblown Sense of Compassion

P.S. Conscience also compels me to mention there are sects within our highest orders who do not entirely accept my ideals of tolerance and nonviolence. Should your selfish behavior continue unchecked, other ways of thought will inevitably gain ground. Our current "Clean A Lot and Try to Avoid Them" policy might soon be replaced with the increasingly seductive "Kill. Kill Them All" alternative commonly enacted in nearby homes.

Friends With Benefits

I've been stretching whenever I think of it lately - pseudo yoga type routines crammed in quickly here and there to help my back heal from the bucking episode and also in an effort to get rid of the ongoing plantar fasciitis issue in my right leg. But this morning I had a little more time and decided to do a light version of a proper yoga workout. I haven't done that since before my life was hugely (but gloriously) disrupted by my new status as horse owner.

So, for about half an hour I contorted myself around on the office floor, and I discovered a few astonishing things. As I said, I haven't done any serious yoga for a while. I also haven't been riding my bike any more than usual, doing calisthenics before bed, or anything like that. And yet, as soon as I got to some of the more demanding bits of my routine, I noticed my balance has improved dramatically and my ability to hold core-strengthening poses (I have always considered my abs the weak link in my muscular chain) vastly increased. Also, my plantar fascia causes me only marginal discomfort, even in the deep stretches (it still twitches a good deal though).

Of course, it all made perfect sense as soon as I stopped to think about it. In giving Steen a thorough workout 5 days a week this last month, I've been giving myself a bit of one too. As an unexpected bonus, the downward thrust of my heel when my foot is in the stirrup is identical to the stretch I'm supposed to do all the time to help the plantar fasciitis. I've been doing all sorts of healthy things for myself without even meaning to. I suppose that's really the greatest thing about riding a horse. It feels a good deal more like hanging out with a friend than consciously maintaining a healthy body, but if you do it enough it produces the same results.

Something for Nothing

A few days ago an internet company in Germany offered to buy my domain name. I told them it wasn't for sale. This morning they sweetened their deal to $350. It is still not for sale, but I can't help but think how odd it is that people will exchange real money over things that don't even exist.

No Spare Moments

Things have been very busy and a little nuts of late. I did have a half day on Friday, which was nice, except I spent the extra "free" time setting up a forum for one of my clients. Saturday was a bit surreal. I woke up alone, Brian having slipped off before 6am to get in an early century. The precise dates of Meryl's visit have been up in the air due to various complications with schedules, but at 7:30 I received a text message letting me know she was on her way to the airport. Shortly thereafter I realized the flight she was trying to get on was leaving half an hour earlier than I'd told her, so this resulted in a bit of a scramble for her, but worked out in the end. It was also her fist non-rev experience, so I wanted to be on hand to help out in case she didn't get a seat on the plane she wanted to take to Chicago. Fortunately, she did, and as soon as I got the text telling me she was on the runway, I headed for the stable.

I went out to Steen and took a video of him, then rode. I came back to town, showered, and began packing for our trip to Chicago and getting a hot lunch ready for Brian so he could eat soon after he arrived home. Before he came home, however, he called my cell phone to tell me he was running late because someone had assaulted him towards the end of his ride and he was talking to the police. He assured me he was ok, just late.

When he finally got home, we got him fed, cleaned up and the both of us loaded in the car, but we still arrived in Chicago over four hours after my sister. Fortunately, Brian's sister happened to be on the same flight as Meryl, so his mom picked them both up. It was a bit of a trip walking into Brian's house to find Meryl sitting on the couch.

We had a lovely dinner in Chicago, came back Sunday afternoon and then Meryl and I headed for the stable as she was keen to meet Steen. What followed was definitely the low point of my relationship with my new horse. There is a more detailed post on the subject on my Steen blog, but we'll just sum up by saying two bucks and then hard contact with the ground has made for a very sore Robin the past few days.

The good news is the incident (which Meryl was not in the least involved in, fortunately) combined with my sister's fresh view of things sort of coalesced into a better view of my relationship with Steen. I needed to stop worrying so much about everything I've read the last few months and have some faith in what I've learned through my experiences over the last 15 years. The end of the story is a happy one and I've never been happier about my decision to purchase Steen, but I'm not going to type it twice, so you'll have to find it over here.

Last night after Meryl and I got back from riding Steen and Brian got back from work we had a glorious evening playing cards and drinking wine. I think the rest of the week is going to pass in a similarly enjoyable fashion.

Road Warriors

Although I've been spending most of my free time on horseback lately, on Wednesday Brian and I participated in a Bike to Work Week event that consisted of meeting over 150 other cyclist near the New Pioneer Co-Op in downtown Iowa City and then riding, led by a police escort and the mayor herself, to the New Pioneer Co-Op in Coralville. Once there we were greeted with a free dinner of tasty hummus pitas, strawberries, olives and natural ice-pops. In addition to food there was a free raffle (I won some Burt's Bees sunscreen and lotion). All the frivolity was accompanied by live music and good friends. After the bulk of the participants began to clear out, a small group of us adjourned to a nearby bar for a few drinks, although Brian and I called it a night before things had a chance to get raucous.

All in all, I think it is great that Iowa City is so supportive of those of us who take two wheels to work instead of four. There was an entertaining range of participants, and ample time to look at them since the ride rarely reached a cruising speed of more than a few miles per hour. Some people showed up in full kit with their race bikes. Some people rode in baggy shorts on full-suspension rigs. There was even a tandem. My favorite thing was looking at the selection of cool townies. I chose to bring out my trusty Jamis for the occasion.

I will say, however, that I noticed a number of things that left me wondering. For one thing, as the long string of cyclists wound its way through downtown Iowa City several times, we forced motorists and pedestrians to stop and watch us go by. I heard a number of angry comments from people who were not well pleased to take a moment out of their busy lives to gaze a the broad array of bikes in the street. I must say that although I think getting irritated over such a small delay is silly, on the other hand making people angry is not usually the best way to promote tolerance. I can't imagine anyone who was delayed getting home on Wednesday because of our ride would be happier to see more cyclists on the road in the future.

On top of that, I saw some cyclists behaving in a questionable manner. At one point the guy in front of me looked down, saw his shoelace was coming untied, so reached down with his hand, pulled it the rest of the way apart and then left it there, dangling dangerously near his drive-train. I took the first opportunity to get around this guy, not wanting to be caught in the tangle if he went down. Why he didn't just stop and tie his shoe, I do not know (like I said, the ride wasn't exactly a speedy one and he could have easily caught back up). At another point, a woman in front of me signaled to change lanes. She raised her right arm out to her side, bent at the elbow so that her hand was pointing up. Then she moved into the right lane. ??

And this brings me to the root of all evil between motorists and cyclists. Motorists are not the only uneducated people on the road. Many people who ride bikes make poor choices when doing so. They ride on sidewalks, run stop-signs, go the wrong way down one-way streets, use incorrect signals, and do things to deliberately agitate motorists. On the flip side, when I ride along conscientiously following traffic laws I am often honked at and yelled at by people passing in cars. Clearly, neither of these groups have any knowledge of the actual regulations that supposedly govern cyclists. When pedestrians and motorists have to deal with bikes barreling every which way on any strip of concrete available, who can blame them for sometimes being short-tempered?

Of course, as always, the answer is education. It seems like adding a mandatory bike section to traffic schools and license tests would go a long way to help motorist know how to treat bikes in traffic. Additionally, it seems bike stores could distribute some information to go with the bikes they sell, and cycling events could preface group rides with a few notes about proper bike etiquette. The truth is, until bikes and cars understand each other, there will always be conflict. Unfortunately for us bikers, miscommunication is far more likely to end with an injured cyclist than an injured driver.

Nevertheless, it was great to see all the cyclists out en-masse. And although a utopia where everyone commutes in their diverse and sundry ways exchanging only smiles and yielding with patience is still a ways off, I am impressed at the good work the Bike to Work Week people have done. I hope they keep it up.

Well Oiled Leather

So far it has been another lovely weekend. Yesterday I woke up, rolled over and grabbed the book I've been reading. Brian brought me coffee, so I enjoyed a tasty hot beverage as I finished the last 50 pages or so. A weekend doesn't start a whole lot better than that, in my opinion.

When I did get out of bed, I went out for a nice ride on Steen. When I came home I decided I should really clean up my boots. Here in Iowa they have to contend with things they pretty much never encountered in Arizona - mainly mud and dew. When I was cleaning the mud off of them I noticed how dry and weathered the leather has started to look, the black worn to nearly green in some places. Although my cowboy boots are definitely not a fashion statement, they are nice boots and rather indispensable footwear when it comes to working with horses. I've had them for roughly six years now and have worn them on many, many rides. I want them to last for many more. So, I dug out Brian's shoe-polishing kit (thoughtfully assembled for him by his father) and oiled and polished the leather. It was an oddly satisfying experience, and had I anticipated the extreme transformation they would undergo, I would have taken a before picture. As it is, we must content ourselves with the after only.


Unfortunately, they will only stay pretty for a few more hours. Then I'm going to go ride again, and they will encounter mud, dew and dust once more. But, underneath the grime the leather will be well hydrated and pliable.

In spite of all the reading and staying in bed late, we've had an unusually sociable weekend. On Friday night we went to a bonfire at Steve and Cody's for some good times drinking beer, eating pretzels and getting smoke in our eyes. Last night we went to Cody's show opening where we bent our genders, drank more beer and ate tiny little vegan cupcakes.

In exciting upcoming events, Meryl (who has no internet presence whatever for me to link her name to) is coming to visit next weekend. She'll stay for about a week and I'm sure we'll have a grand time.

The Dawn of Summer

On Saturday we spent the morning lounging about reading. Brian introduced me to the Dark Tower series, by Stephen King, and though I've not read much of his work in the past, I'm enjoying these books. In the afternoon I went to the stable and spent most of the rest of the day with Steen. Then I came home, we had a nice dinner, hung out, read more, went to bed and slept in.

Sunday included a trip downtown to hear Michael Chabon read an excerpt from his book The Yiddish Policeman's Union. Chabon is a very entertaining reader/speaker and the event was both wonderfully amusing and inspiring. After that, we came home and I took a short trip to the stable and Brian took a short spin on his bike. When we both returned, we spent the evening lying around again and grilled some tender steaks for dinner. While grilling we hung out drinking beer and watching the lovely sunset with only light sweatshirts on, enjoying the spring activity in the backyard. It is so nice to be able to do things like go outside without a hat and open windows again.

After dinner we watched a relatively bad movie Brian needed to see for his Spanish class, Open Your Eyes, which kept us up until the astonishingly late hour of 11 o'clock. Then we went to bed and my poor tired body couldn't get up until the ripe, late hour of 7 this morning. A raucous weekend indeed.

More Fake News

Wedding Enjoyed By No One But Bride

NEW ROCHELLE, NY-The lavish, 250-guest wedding of James and Mindy Gallagher, held Sunday at the New Rochelle Country Club, was enjoyed by no one but the bride.

Green

Today I woke up and looked out the window. I was immediately startled by what I saw. Although many trees have been blooming in whites and purples, and grass and a lot of plants on the ground have been growing, the big, old trees that surround our house have remained rather impassive to the coming of spring. But today when I look out our upper story windows I see a widespread blush of bright, new green. Now it really doesn't feel like winter anymore.

Another One

Today, I set up another blog. This is to spare those of you who like to read about me but perhaps don't love horses quite like I do. In the sidebar to the right you will now see a new link under "Recommended Bloggery" called "Steen." This will take you to a blog that I will use to detail my progress with my new horse.

More Photos

Today Brian went to the stable with me. He and I and Steen all took a little time trying to get to know one another. Steen, while sweet, hasn't been ridden much for the last four years and tied even less, so we are working on things like how to stand quietly while being groomed, and trying to get some muscle tone back on him by longing him. So far, so good. Even better, he and Brian seem to like each other.

Here are a couple photos Brian snapped:

It's a Boy!

Meet Steen, my brand new eight-year-old paint gelding.


He's 15.2 hands, and seems to be a big sweet-heart. I imagine I'll get to know him better in the days to come.

Return of the Rotating Banner

Well, last night was one of those evenings that somehow happens after the discovery of a mere simple coincidence. ("Really? We're going to Takanami too.") Somehow, Brian and I ended up at a table with my boss and our number one client, our number one client's wife, and another artist we represent at the gallery. It was great fun, but one martini is generally too much for me. Two undoubtedly is. I am feeling a bit rough this morning, and for some reason on mornings like this one, sometimes the only thing I can do is fiddle with html code.

I'm not trying to say this makes sense.

Anyway, the point is, I've tinkered a rotating banner back onto my blog, so now every time you come, you'll get a random taste of imagery to accompany your reading.

Choices, Choices

Today it was a 7 year old paint. Beautiful. Sweet. Rusty, but trained.

This is an exhausting process.

Horse Hunting

I have known since I moved here that keeping horses in the midwest is not the same thing as keeping horses in the southwest. A horse is a somewhat simple thing when you have acres of open land out the back door. Not so when you have only a small back yard within city limits.

But lately my job at the stable has helped me begin to piece together what opportunities and difficulties there are here as far as owning and riding horses. I have been under the impression since I moved here that I could not afford to buy and keep my own horse, but with the extra cashflow provided by my job at the stable, the prospect of my hopefully soon to arrive federal tax return, and my timely discovery of something called pasture boarding, a remarkable change has come over my perception of the world. In just one week I went from someone without horse ownership in her foreseeable future to someone who is in the market.

Unfortunately, buying horses is hard. It is difficult to keep from rushing into things. I went this morning and met a very sweet four year old white quarterhorse gelding, and I go tomorrow to look at a 3 year old saddlebred-arabian cross filly. Earlier today I visited the stable where I intend to board (not the same one where I work), and in the last four days I have looked at roughly a thousand photos of available horses online. My head is spinning, and I'm constantly waffling between feeling incredibly excited and intensely worried I'm overlooking something important.

However, the more I look and calculate and shop, the more I think it will work out for me. I'll have to shift my priorities, for sure, and inevitably have to go back to doing things like driving my car and buying gas. But, provided I find the right horse and don't suddenly change my mind about the whole thing, it seems a whole new chapter of my equine history is about to begin.

Back Blogging

This weekend while rooting around in my virtual closet, I found an old word document I saved when I abandoned my old blog to start here. It goes back to just after I arrived home from England (although early posts are quite sparse). I've decided to start back-posting, adding my old entries to the beginning of this blog. This is mostly invisible to my modern readers unless they choose to click the links to past years in my sidebar(except when I initially forget to adjust the date on my new/old posts...).

Today, the sun is out, the squirrels are happy in the high-up branches of our massive walnut tree (which happens - due to the slope of the back yard - to be more or less on level with us when we hang out in the office upstairs), and crocuses are blooming more fervently than I've ever seen before.


This fine specimen of the Richard William clan was clearly giving me cheek, but did deign to pose for a photo.

Goodbyes and Hellos

When I got my new computer, I obviously didn't have need for my old one anymore. So, I reformatted it and breathlessly listed it for sale on Craigslist. I'd never sold anything on the internet before. After a number of indecisive interactions with potential buyers, I grew less excited about the whole prospect. Days passed. I moved the old computer from the middle of the study floor to the closet. The listing expired. I re-listed, asking for slightly less money. I got the same trickle of queries, including one guy who said, "I want to come buy it tonight," and then never called to get directions.

The second listing expired and so did my interest in the matter. Two months passed. A couple days ago I came across my old computer whilst digging for something in the closet. I posted a new listing. Two people emailed asking questions and didn't reply to my reply. Today, a third wrote. She said, "call me if it is still available."

Half an hour later, my faithful old computer was gone and I was left holding a check and feeling a little bit like I hadn't prepared emotionally for the parting. I develop a rather personalized relationship with my inanimate objects and although I have bonded to my new machine, I won't forget the old.


Then, to take my mind off things, Brian and I decided to install the weather station I got him for our anniversary. The results of our efforts are pretty exciting. Off the side of our house, passersby will now see this:

This little doodah measures the wind speed...


...and sends the info to this other little doodah...


...which adds its measurement of the temperature and then wirelessly broadcasts the combined data to our station inside...


...which then includes info about our inside temperature and forecast to the mix. So, just as long as the Richard William clan doesn't make war upon our new plastic devices and ravage them using their sharp little squirrel teeth (Eponine sure did love chewing wires, but perhaps it was a rat thing), we now don't even need to look out the window to figure out what's going on right outside our door. Of course, we do enjoy looking out the windows, and have many large windows that are great for looking out of. In fact, it would take significant effort on our part to avoid looking out of windows. Still, the point is, we don't have to.

Doings

Well, things have been going pretty well in Iowa as spring begins to dawn in the midwest. Yesterday we had hours upon hours of rain, which I wouldn't have minded except it was my afternoon to do the stable chores, and also I begin to fear for those who live by the river.

However, we are not by the river so we mostly ride by on our bikes and say, wow, the river is really high right now and then don't think about it much.

Among other things, I finished editing my novel to the point that I think it is ready to send to agents. Since I also have a few friends who want to read it, I thought I'd print a few copies and start mailing them around. I was just going to print them like normal on 8.5 x 11 paper and maybe bind them with a coil or something, but I discovered that there is actually only a negligible price difference between doing it that way and this one:


So, that's it. My novel exists in the flesh. Three copies arrived in the mail yesterday, and I flipped through one I couldn't quite fight down a giddy feeling (in spite of the fact that I somehow assumed they would add page numbers, so didn't do it myself. Oops. I suppose this is why books have editions...)

My other exciting diversion lately has been setting up a functional metal-smithing studio along-side/overlapping my existing art studio. This has involved acquiring many new and interesting items, including this lovely flex-shaft grinder.


My soldering torch should arrive today, I got my box of goodies (silver, copper, brass, saw-blades, bur life, polishing compound, etc.) from Rio Grande yesterday, and since my father passed on to me when I was in Tucson a beautiful box of tools he saved when an old friend of his who happened to be a jeweler passed away many years ago, I'm more or less ready to go. I'll keep you posted as to the results of all this activity, though my brother has wisely suggest I start selling bracelets on a website called MetalStrong. He even came up with a slogan...