Old lies

I've been behaving badly, staying up until 3am reading books, getting up in the morning and finishing books, reading books at all my meals, reading in dim light, reading until my eyes go all blurry. But I can't help it! They are so delicious. Though today or last night I caught, finally, the passage that I had wondered about for years, since the mid-90s. I had been involved with a boy who was very dramatic and wrote beautifully (both in terms of his composition and his handwriting--dangerous traits, I came to realize too late) and had terrible posture and treated women badly. In one of his dramatic letters from his first ever trip abroad, he wrote about the mountains, and about how Annie Dillard said that you could throw your anger at a mountain and it would not throw it back. I see the passage now, and he paraphrased it horribly (she wasn't talking about anger) and completely skewed my idea of her writing back when I was all too impressionable. The funny thing is that I can see all my youth's folly now, but I'm not that much further along in current folly. At least all of my citations are bibliographically correct, and with the proper pagination. I don't like to paraphrase and only do it when I have to (which is a lot) and always worry that I got it wrong.

Then again, I suppose we are all entitled to our own misreadings and misunderstandings. Better to think for ourselves than not.

A sure thing

Today I tried to stay off the computer once the library opened. Hooray for that, after holiday and blizzard closings! I came home with ten books and ripped into half today. I laughed and laughed at Nikki Giovanni's brilliant Sacred Cows...and Other Edibles and was completely distraught by Joe Sacco's Footnotes in Gaza. I also got wonderful things in the mail: the perfect book gifts from Velma, and the new issue of Hand Papermaking Magazine that includes an article I wrote about my research in Korea and how I am trying to share it with a wider audience online.

From Sacred Cows, I enjoyed this (but miss the typewriter days b/c there is MORE room for procrastination now that the keyboard can access all sorts of other things besides paper. Actually, keyboards these days can access everything else in the world, it seems, but paper):

I think, by the way, that every intended writer should learn to type. Most of us have a poor handwriting, and thinking on a typewriter is different from thinking on a yellow pad. The sooner you can think on a keyboard, the less room you have for procrastination. And all writers are great procrastinators!

But mostly was heartened by this: "I would hope each and every woman who ever thought she wanted to write would at least give it a try."

A good day to work from home

Lots of snow, lots of wind, a great day to be without a commute.

p.s. - West Elm reprinted a HAND/EYE article on me, changing up the design.

It's true about the zoo

Bad dream about blood gushing out of my head + broken gel pen that I pliered apart.

I am feeling a sad about my grand experiment this month, which I'm failing miserably at. Yesterday, I re-read this from Annie Dillard's The Writing Life:

I do not so much write a book as sit up with it, as with a dying friend. During visiting hours, I enter its room with dread and sympathy for its many disorders. I hold its hand and hope it will get better.

This tender relationship can change in a twinkling. If you skip a visit or two, a work in progress will turn on you.

A work in progress quickly becomes feral. It reverts to a wild state overnight. It is barely domesticated, a mustang on which you one day fastened a halter, but which now you cannot catch. It is a lion you cage in your study. As the work grows, it gets harder to control; it is a lion growing in strength. You must visit it every day and reassert your mastery over it. If you skip a day, you are, quite rightly, afraid to open the door to its room. You enter its room with bravura, holding a chair at the thing and shouting, "Simba!"

She's so right it's scary. But for the clawing I will get soon when I re-enter the cage, it was worth today's break to watch "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work" and "Exit Through the Gift Shop." And, embarrassingly, I got so self-involved that I forgot to say, send good vibes in the direction of the deployed, around the world in a cold, windy patch of desert. I wish they got to celebrate their holy days differently.

A big puffy joy

I just mailed a mini-model (it looks like a normal one that accidently was guillotined. But that's not what happened) of one of my favorite bindings of this bunch to Velma. I got some longer paper in the completely wrong grain direction to do the slipcases, but these are the willing sacrifices I make when it's the only stuff I can get locally, immediately. On the way to the post office, I passed one of those blow-up lawn decorations: JOY in red. That's my today!

Sixteen books later,

I can finally breathe easier (last night I had some kind of strange panic attack in bed) now that all of these models are done. Tomorrow I'll scrounge for big paper to practice slipcases and then, DONE! And back to computer work (boo). An update of my comings and goings has been posted on IAKA's blog.

Velma's stash of paper lasted me through the entire book, but I had to do some piecing near the end that would have horrified purists. You can see the most innocuous evidence here. The last book was much more obvious, made from no less than 9 scraps. Now I have to figure out what to do with all these trimmings!

Elephantine stress

Ay! Where is the time GOING?? I feel like I can barely stay on top of the research, the prep, the writing, the admin. But this was the best check ever that I got yesterday in the mail, and the snow that finally stuck brightens the day. Last night I had a great quick catch up with Paula from my violining days, and a nice long dinner with two girlfriends who've known me for even longer. One was the only friend who visited me when I was hospitalized at 16 with food poisoning that had turned into liver disease. I remember laying in bed being totally stressed out that I wasn't going to be able to research and hand in a report on elephants for a science class. And I still remember the flower she brought in a white bud vase and her mom. Thinking back, that was a really nice thing for another kid to do.

Today I am going to continue my grand experiment, propped up after reading a million more comics and finding this quote that I shared with Ben right before he deployed: “I have come to believe over and over again, that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood.” –Audre Lorde

Today's stash

Immediate access to a library is such a blessing, though I also use it as a way to get out of doing other things I should be doing (like writing). I especially loved that when I read Jessica Abel's La Perdida, I saw the character in front of an "All About My Mother" sign, which was tonight's movie. Both were satisfying. Derrida's Paper Machine is on my bed, but I'm putting all other reading before that to avoid the drudgery.

In a panic late last night, I bought my ticket to Oakland. I have one month left, and all I want to do is continue my version of hibernation: read, read, write a little, read, watch a movie, read, sleep, eat.

Permeated

I had nightmares about an artist acquaintance coming into my home, rehanging ALL of the artwork, doing a terrible job patching the old nail holes, and then covering the walls with a hideous bad paint job with glossy paint (on top of the existing flat paint), so that it was obvious where all the brushstrokes were. Then I screamed at him. The upside: I usually have a hard time yelling in my dreams, so I must be gaining more verve.

These days are a little ridiculous, the amount of time I'm forced to be on the computer. But here are two things to do if you want to stay online:

1. This only works for NYS artists: apply to go to Saltonstall in Ithaca next year! It's a GREAT residency.

2. Watch the fun and inspiring video of the very first kozo harvest at the Morgan! I almost didn't recognize my friends b/c I was so used to them being half naked in their summer garb, but they're all bundled up now.

High on sharpies

I finally bit the bullet and made a comic book section on my site. I avoided it for a while because they don't look very exciting like this, but now they're somewhat penned in. True to their nature, there are definitely plenty of strays that are not in the lot and chewing on grass elsewhere. I made a nice zine yesterday AND the day before. I think my best work belongs to my beau. Too bad we can't open a zine library in Afghanistan. Maybe there is one and I just don't know about it.

How can you not love James Baldwin

About my interests: I don't know if I have any, unless the morbid desire to own a sixteen-millimeter camera and make experimental movies can be so classified. Otherwise, I love to eat and drink--it's my melancholy conviction that I've scarcely ever had enough to eat (this is because it's impossible to eat enough if you're worried about the next meal)--and I love to argue with people who do not disagree with me too profoundly, and I love to laugh. I do not like bohemia, or bohemians, I do not like people whose principal aim is pleasure, and I do not like people who are earnest about anything. I don't like people who like me because I'm a Negro; neither do I like people who find in the same accident grounds for contempt. I love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually. I think all theories are suspect, that the finest principles may have to be modified, or may even be pulverized by the demands of life, and that one must find, therefore, one's own moral center and move through the world hoping that this center will guide one aright. I consider that I have many responsibilities, but none greater than this: to last, as Hemingway says, and get my work done.

I want to be an honest man an a good writer.

--"Autobiographical Notes," Notes of a Native Son

Reasons for grumpies

I like to follow trains of thought whenever possible, and the one that I had followed through several books led me to The Feminist Memoir Project. I didn't read the whole thing--that wasn't the point. But I read one thing that led to another that led to another that reminded me of the failure to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. And then I got sad. And read some more about the ERA and got even sadder. I didn't realize that MOST people in this country think that it did pass and that we live under a constitution that grants equal rights regardless of sex. I remember being horrified when I learned about the failure to ratify the ERA in secondary school, but then other things came along to distract me. Now I am horrified again, but mostly at the intense powerlessness in the face of the machine. I'll probably get up tomorrow and be fine, but wouldn't it be great if this got resolved soon? Then maybe I'd be more understanding of women who claim they would die for the Constitution.

The big experiment begins tomorrow. It will be a secret between about three people and if it goes well, the rest of the world gets in on it next year. Wohoo!

Speaking of websites

I just did some big updates to mine, though it's all stuff I would notice more than anyone else b/c it makes my body sore to do the updates and no one else's. Lucky everyone else! This is a brand-new section, of all knit books (I know, I should have made this section a long time ago but when I was at the 5th book, I thought I was done for good). Starting from this woven book are a bunch of new woven pieces (under the photo on the left side, click on the tiny "Next"). And then from here are a few more joomchi pieces (though technically, a few are NOT...but it was the best section to classify them!).

Every time I do a big update, I see why I need a website overhaul but it'll have to wait until FY11, whenever funds come in!

"No one is as fragile as a woman but no one is as fragile as a man."

[I read that quote by Ted Hoagland last night in Gretel Ehrlich's The Solace of Open Spaces.] Last night I finally found Interweave Knits. I am happy w/how they used my images (but wanted to say that papermaking DOES require specialized equipment, for certain kinds of paper). It was a wonderful treat before heading to a party to see Ellen and David. There were a million different conversations going on and mostly I listened while eating and grazing. There was one, inevitably, about politicians these days. All evil, of course. Someone talked about how Republicans love the she-devil that we love to hate from the largest state in the U.S. and their reasons for viewing her so favorably. My view was that she finally portrays women the way that Republicans (and not just them) want women to look: gorgeous, stupid, running at the mouth, incredibly flawed, irresponsible, and always in lipstick. This makes me very sad, of course, since it's part of the whole rolling back of advances made by women for women's equality. But it also makes me even more grateful for the women who are themselves completely and unapologetically, who live lives of integrity, who are connected to the land and non-human life, and who write about the harvest moon and hunter's moon. No wonder I am burrowing into their books so ferociously these days and reading about kelpies and blue heelers and border collies. So here is to one of them (and her equally-lovable border collie Wendy): Velma celebrates her birthday today!

After the feast

I am so glad that is over. I over-stressed myself but at least the food all came out fine. While on the stationary bike, pretending to work out, I read Buddhism & Culture Magazine and loved what Jon Kabat-Zinn said about how human beings are more like "human doings." Which makes me think we are all just pieces of shit. That's what glancing at "human doings" looks like to my semi-bilingual brain.

Rebecca and Don out in Indiana are starting a new improvisation series in Lafayette: find out more here or donate here. I did both since I am all about improv (you don't have to take a very close look at my own work to know this).

In more exciting news from old friends from our Mexican residency days, Elizabeth has been working hard at getting eyeseverywhere, a women artists photoblog out in the world. Tomorrow, it will be presented in the photography week in Madrid at Espacio monosUno! I was part of this project for a few years and am proud of Elizbeth's hard work.

Last night I finished Drinking the Rain (thanks, Velma!) and loved this line: "But of course, you don't know till you know."

Unnatural

[Stefan did his usual amazing job. I love especially how this one turned out.] I've been building a new press kit and am in that place where I suspect there is a much easier way to do it, yet it's harder to figure out what it might be than to labor on as I always have. That means today was proposal and cornbread day. I think I am sick from overeating already, trying to figure out the best prep for tomorrow. I don't like how we've been tricked into thinking that we MUST have turkey &c for this holiday. I would never choose to eat this stuff on any other day of the year (and will probably not tomorrow, since I'll be full from tasting as I cook). Thank goodness we're having a Korean half of the meal.

This image is my little protest of all the hoopla going on in Korea but also the usual media antics surrounding it. This is to say, Korea is more than commies versus us, or China versus U.S., or taekwondo and bboys. It also produces the plants that make and dye this paper and the genius and hardworking hands that transform hanji into something else altogether.

G is for gratitude

[More Bruno Munari.] I had the most unexpectedly pleasant meeting w/a public services worker today. I met a mother who had lost her son to the war in Iraq. I watched a TEDTalk about women and war. I finished A Match to the Heart but I think I liked The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating better. I felt overwhelmed by my workload, which I have brought upon myself, but feel better after a workout and shower and decisions about stuffing (I am in charge of the "American" portion of turkey dinner this year, not voluntarily). And I loved this image by Elizabeth.

Bruno Munari made beautiful books

[From Bruno Munari's ABC. This book was a great way to start the morning.] Big Monday, lots of being all over. Yet it was spaced out enough that I didn't feel like I was running all the time. My first appt was a half success; I need to return tomorrow with more paperwork (health insurance tanglies). My second was good as usual: a shoot with Stefan to take care of the Ithaca art. He noted that I didn't have any comics or zines. This will have to be remedied immediately. My third was a failure: Barnes & Noble only had the holiday edition of Interweave Knits so I still am up a creek trying to find the latest regular issue. My final was also good as usual: a we're-both-a-bit-frenzied-but-calm-together visit with Terttu. I came home to a mountain of daunting inbox work but am avoiding that by packing a gift to mail tomorrow instead. Priorities! Friends are up top, and more fun to spend time on than long lists of physicians.

Book addiction

Velma's words have fallen prey to my need to make books with my female friends' words (and images). It started last year with Chela, and then Jami, and then Joana. This last book came to me last night and I fine-tuned it today, the most simple of all. I'm not sure if this is a big warming up to or a big procrastination away from my own words. Small miracles, though: today I wrote some. Maybe it has something to do with walking out in the yellow leaves, on dirt, passing community gardens and a baseball diamond. It came out in the middle of Anil's Ghost, which I just finished. Tragic and beautiful, lovely and arresting, totally Ondaatje.

Waiting, stopping, starting, hesitating

What I've been doing:

1. Making a new edition of Chela's bball book
2. Still foiled on an edition of Jami's
3. Crying while watching "Milk"
4. Reading Joseph Campbell
5. Cleaning up after the window man
6. Free weights
7. Calling people who like to pass the buck (yes, they work for the gov't)
8. Getting a haircut
9. Being passed over for jury duty after calling in for three nights
10. Throwing things out into the world to construct my 2011.

But not a single sit-up. Maybe those, and some push-ups, will help motivate me towards the big task I've been avoiding for over a year now. But probably not. Who knows, though. I could start writing...tomorrow!

Work is hard but hanji has finally landed in NYC

Tonight's Book Arts Lounge went well! No time for being a lizard, and not even time to eat wasabi peas or whatever refreshments were out; there must have been at least 40 people in attendance. People started to come in well before the published start time and were all super engaged. I was going to make a joke at the beginning about how it was a lounge so the first portion (my lecture) was the part where I'd let people sleep, but i didn't even have time for that. The three hours actually seemed long, so I was able to cover a lot of material and then stagger my demos. It was the most amount of people I've ever had do joomchi in one space (this is one of the two bindery spaces and both were full), so it was like a massive drum circle. It seemed uncoordinated, but it was amazing to hear, at one moment, a lull when suddenly everyone stopped banging on the tables. And there was laughter. And what I especially love about all of the hanji workshops I've taught thus far: people always help each other, which lightens my load significantly.

I learn more each time I teach cording, and have to remember to include "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" into my demos. I also made my first public mention (even before I mentioned it here!) tonight about my jiseung teacher's wife: she passed away suddenly over a month ago. I was very upset and had gotten the news from my teacher the night before I left to meet Ben, but thankfully I've heard from him since and he is hanging in there. His entire immediate family is now gone, but he even said he wants to travel more, so I hope I can get him here sooner than later so he can perform his magic. Tonight reminded me again of my huge debts to all of my teachers in Korea, b/c they had been so generous. I think that is why I go all out whenever I get a chance to teach about hanji; it's the only way to go!

As an aside: the other night, I watched "The Story of the Weeping Camel." It's a wonderful film set in Mongolia and involves families, camels, and a morin khuur player (roughly a Mongolian violinist). Near the beginning, the men shear a camel and then bring the wool to an elder woman who is cording it into rope to create a harness for a colt. I had noticed the fuzzy rope at the very start of the film when an elder ties up sticks with it and had wondered, but was SO taken by watching the woman cord. It was like cording hanji only backwards! We cord from down to up and she was cording from up to down. I loved it. It's so funny the things that jump out at you once you key into certain things (like the random job cases and letterpresses in "Inception").

And a final hurrah from tonight: a student tonight told me about how we are all taught that Gutenberg did the first metal moveable type, but she told me about a tiny display somewhere in the depths of the natural history museum here in NYC that shows Korean metal moveable type, dated well before his time. I didn't know they had those artifacts since I figured all western cultures like to go w/the Gutenberg story. Maybe I'll look for it after jury duty next week. For now, I need a breather. I have to install one more set of window shades tomorrow (I did more today, manually, since the power drill stripped all of my screws) and then I am calling it a weekend!

A day late, a day early

Ah, my first gloomy-looking day since arriving back home. And huge piles, still, of work. But I managed to finish up the third in an edition of 3 yesterday that I had started in Ithaca, so that made me feel slightly more sane, to be able to do a tiny bit of the work that I'd rather be doing. These days, it's the home renovation business that has taken all of my energy, so I can't even blame the admin for keeping me away from the art. But it's fine: having a nice place to live makes it easier to work, in the long run.

In my strangely-long-lasting jet lag, I forgot to mention a show that opened last night in NYC. It's been traveling around the world for the past few years and I have a tiny green piece in it. This Saturday (6-8pm), Manhattan Graphics Center will have an opening, which includes work of past scholarship recipients, so my work will be on the wall.

But, most exciting: tomorrow, Velma's solo show will open in Potsdam, NY! That book up there, I have four of, and one has her name on it. Which means I need to call my photog today so I can shoot them and then release them into the world.

Back to the road

We made another trip to the airport this afternoon. I have been to Logan so many times in the last two weeks I can't keep track. Tomorrow morning will be our last, Ben back to deployment and my final big leg of the Great Month of Travel: California. The travel and admin have been a bit of a drag but overall the R&R has been a great success. More ideas and opportunities are flowing in, for ways to shape the future, and Ann did another thoughtful post about me that gave me some perspective on all the work I've been doing thus far. Time to pack, again!

p.s.--The MassArt William Kentridge show is fabulous. That totally made my Boston trip.

Last day!

Caron left me a story yesterday and I sketched it out last night. This morning, I drew it into two books. One for me, one for her.

Pogo is great to have around. She gives things that no human could, plus she makes me run up the hill a lot, so I am grateful for the cardio.

Denise is responsible for our delicious dinners and is probably delighted to be done cooking for us since we don't do a great job keeping the kitchen neat, but she's SO much fun to be around.

Brooke is the most dedicated runner I've ever met at a residency. Every day, without fail! Judy was just saying the same thing to her at this very moment.

Denise, Daniel, Ryan, Caron before dinner. I was ravenous but had to restrain myself. So tonight is my last night of overeating! Wohoo! I started packing already even though I told myself I'd do it in the morning. I think I will beeswax some bark hanji and then I can do a full-on pack. SO much work awaits me, which I'm not looking forward to, but it has been a fabulous month. Thank you, Connie.

The thing about paper

is that it all flies away when it's windy! Which is why it's tricky balancing cross ventilation for air circulation with laying lots of tiny scraps out all over the studio. Last night after dinner, I printed up a new poem for a set of four books. Somehow, I thought I would sew them all that night.

HA! I got one done and went to bed. This morning, I thought I'd finish all three before lunch. HA! I ended up talking to Judy for a while and it was good b/c she looked at one of the books and I realized that the placement of one word was bad b/c it was right where a reader would naturally place her thumb, and thus, never read the word. I finally finished the whole batch after lunch and this is the scene of the crime.

They're so lovely all together that it will be sad when they part ways. One for sure will go to Velma for a trade.

The book refers to a famous 16th-century Korean kisaeng and poet. I had been stuck last night writing, b/c I was using a difficult form and riding on negative energy. Once I pulled away from both the form and the content, it all came together. Meanwhile, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I made no BIG work here as I had planned. I didn't know I was going to make a billion books. But I guess that is that. I wrapped up a few paper samples instead of making my usual obsessive sample books, just so the paper is saved, and am trying not to overexert myself or force work that isn't ready.

Rain and sauna

This is a very satisfying stack of books. I have to tie them up or they spring open and are very unruly. But I'm SO glad that they're all bound. The content is still a mystery for all six of them but I'll deal with that later. The on the on the very top is a 3-in-1 book.

I made this edition of two books from concrete paper I made in Cleveland this summer. I had been on the fence about doing it and then last night I just cut down all the paper for it. This morning, before my massage, I sewed them up, and afterwards did the glue and text and so on. They're very satisfying, too, and I am so glad that I finally found a use for this paper.

The massage was lovely. It's been a low-key day in that I haven't exercised, ate too much rich food, and napped. But I also did my best in facing an old demon, printed Robert Motherwell images onto hanji, and let the ideas fly. Just a couple more days, so we're all hunkering down in our studios.

Open, and now back on task

Today's open studios were lovely, though of course I got all nervous about losing so much time. We stayed in for dinner and cooked up a storm and then I moved all of my stuff back to where it was (yes, I tidied up and swept and made everything presentable). Tons of people came and they were lovely and enjoyed our work and we had some of the best readings I've ever heard. Go, us! I was able to bind a few more woven books and hopefully soon I can shoot them and share. But for now, a little more work before I fall into bed.

My hands are tired

I was thinking today about a scene in Korea when some man noted how strong my hands were. I can't remember how he knew this, but I was probably doing something that tipped him off, like weaving. I scurried to the Ithaca Farmers Market this morning when I knew I needed to give my hands a break. It was lovely and I indulged in things that smell heavenly. I tried to take pictures of the gorgeous drop and scenery on the drive home but failed miserably. I don't know how drivers take pictures while driving without the driving or shooting suffering considerably.

I sewed these up yesterday morning. Still waiting to see what the content will be but at least it's an edition of four! It took me an entire day just to weave covers for three of them. I sat outside for a while today to weave, just to get outdoors, but it was too cold to stay out for long. I also had a very deep nap that clued me into how tired I was. Then I had a fantastic hike on the blue trail (I always take the red trail b/c I can't navigate through open meadow--no blue blazes!!) and enjoyed myself thoroughly. The temperature had dropped and the foliage is reckless in how quickly and beautifully it is changing. Later, Caron and I hung out with Judy, who does amazing animal noises (tree frogs, foxes, turkey vultures, raccoons, and more!) and then went for a walk on the road. Ryan passed us on his bike and the she broke off for a run. I turned back and then Brooke passed me on her run, and I picked up rubbing compound from Joe and it worked like a charm! We all showered and had staggered dinner. Caron and I had our usual Saturday soup and extras (she does soup, I do extras) and now we are ALL hard at work preparing for tomorrow's open studio.

Sedentary and hot

Whoa, sudden heat! I didn't even think about how hot it was getting and thought I would do some dye tests again this morning, only to find that my bath had gone to mold. SO SAD. To be safe, I did a big cleanup with bleach, which I hate, and then got it all over my clothes. My apron was right behind me but I was too frantic to put it on in time. The utility sink is now remarkably clean.

At least I was able to bind five books before it got too hot to do that kind of work. I wove all day and night and I should stop but I want to get ALL of the dyed cords woven and out of my hair. I just took a walk down the hill to the mailbox since I got no exercise at all today, and it was lovely to be in moonlight in and out of the clouds.

Just now, for a moment

I still woke up upset and funky so I tried to escape by going to the wildflower gardens and arboretum of the Cornell Plantations but I didn't last long b/c I had to pee and was too tired and cranky to 1. find a good facility and 2. use a porta potty. There was lots of morning pretty, though.

I drove past Flat Rock not quite knowing what to look for or how to get there but then I had a great visit with Judy and got the scoop on a few places in case I need more getaways in the coming week.

I tried to hike off the grouchies but it was hot and still and buggy in the woods so that didn't work. I DID weave a bunch today as well as yesterday and don't have much to show for it but hopefully the books will all come together before I'm done here. Though I'm itching to work on the huge hanji project I had in mind, too.

Oh, and cochineal dye has been neglected and probably the vat has been contaminated by my sloppiness/fear of hard water in rinsing. So I'm not sure yet how I feel about these tests, half cochineal, half persimmon. Maybe if I mix dyes the result will be more satisfying? Dunno. But I finally got the worst of the worst out and will just keep on weaving tonight. And I'll look for the full moon, which is rising, and I saw it for an instant before the clouds ate it again.

Funky and humid

This morning, I saw birds fly across the sky. Fast! Other than my walk to the mailbox, no exercise, just weaving hanji ALL DAY. I have so very to show for it. It's amazing how hard you can work and yet it looks like you've done nothing. But my hands are feeling it. Tonight we went to Denise's house for dinner, which was such a treat. Gorgeous log cabin, property, all of it. Judy was there and so was Bill and his wife Sadie. He's the board prez and a super painter as well. I was the designated driver and feeling super cranky for a whole host of reasons but I will blame it on the full moon arriving tomorrow in Aries. Hopefully it passes soon!

Skinny atlas

Today's big field trip was a drive north with Caron to the Bixler press and foundry. Hot metal type!

We were guests of the letterpress class at Wells, and I'm not quite sure that these undergrads understand how AMAZING it is to have this opportunity in college. Or ever, for that matter.

While the students were picking ornaments that Michael cast for them to take home, Caron and I peeked at the amazing books that he had pulled out, like a letterpressed edition of Ulysses and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

[Molten metal! It's spurting out of that little thing sticking out--I know, I have no vocab for this shop.] I left a couple samples of hanji for them--one from my teacher in Korea and one from Cleveland. We got to meet a few of the championship dogs, too. Then we drove to the village and walked around and got to see the gorgeous Skaneateles Lake. I treated myself to potato chips and chocolate and the drive was mostly pretty.

I love this quote and also love that I got to see Ruskin's home back in the UK this spring. I kept looking at the knives on the roll for Michael's new hollander beater...it is going to be a beauty. Oh, and via Velma, a nice slide show in Michael's own words about what he does is here.