on the bench: multitasking

One of the greatest joys curses challenges of being a small business owner is having each day be completely new, and completely unplannable.  Yesterday I had to step away from May Day Studio for a few hours, to train for a few additional responsibilities at the Savoy (for when my dear friends Eric and Megan are on maternity leave!), and didn't get to all the bookbinding that I needed to finish up.

But some of it did get done--the Bingo Books, at least, are ready for next week's shipment.

And I had to squeeze in a last-minute reprint of Hadestown programs for my friend Anais Mitchell. 

Here's the first color down--two more press runs to go!

on the bench: cozy time

It's been a rainy and blustery couple of days--and that, combined with a misplaced camera cord, has made me want to cozy up to a movie with a big mug of hot cocoa and two lap kitties.  Alas, work keeps coming in, so today I brought the movie to me--Katharine Hepburn's 1933 tear-fest Little Women.  And brag books, ready to sew.

your life work

This is the second vintage printing-related film I've seen...and it makes me wish (if only for 10 minutes) that I could've had proper training like them!

Now, if only I could get away with a white dress and white heels in the printshop.

Found via the letpress listserv, i love typography, and archive.org.

(The first film was on typesetting--also good for arcane pointers. Yes, this is really what I do five days a week!)

it's been a hard day's night...

Nothing to report, really. New books are in progress, mostly because my internet has been down this week, and my cell phone provider's towers went down today, so I've been catching up on everything but my internet presence and my hunt for a studio space.

And if you haven't seen A Hard Day's Night, truck over to your local hip video store, and watch it tonight. It makes me giggle!

ready, set, go: totally off topic

Not that I have a topic, per se, but I generally try to stick to work stuff. But lately I've been doing too much "work" {here's the short list: printing wedding invitations, co-managing a venue for the Green Mountain Film Festival, making amazing lattes, waiting on your table, making bingo journals, teaching workshops here and there, driving to and from here and there, putting bids on more print jobs, losing my mind in the projection booth at the savoy, designing business cards and cd cases for him, designing baby shower invites for her, and definitely not doing my laundry} and not enough fun stuff.

Fun times chez moi:

all refrigerator photos c/o noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com

Reading No one belongs here more than you. {Two words: brilliant and devastating. If you don't know about Miranda July, where the heck have you been? Go here now!}

Listening to my favorite song three times in two days. It's that good, really. And I just found the r.e.m. + David Letterman video on youtube, and it's here for your viewing pleasure. Also, r.e.m.'s new single is totally stuck in my head: supernatural superserious is my theme song for the week. And it can be stuck in yours, too.

{As a side note, I've been crushing out on r.e.m. and michael stipe for eighteen years now. That's longer than I've known almost anyone else in my entire life. And it makes me feel really, really old, instead of just thirty-ish.}

looking ahead...

I know it sounds a little cuckoo, but I can't help but be afraid of March. This year, I'll be projecting films for the Savoy Theater as part of the Green Mountain Film Festival--and as I'm still a novice projectionist, just the thought of messing something up in front of a crowd gives me the shivers.

And then there's the workshops: I've just updated the workshops page on my site to reflect dates that still have openings, as well as to announce a new date for Experience the Letterpress Thing (March 15) and a new workshop: Getting to Know Your Tabletop Press. Only one date (so far), March 8. And here's what it's all about:

A unique, hands-on workshop where participants bring their own tabletop press to work on.

The daylong class begins with a review of the press: its parts, operations, care and maintenance, adjustments, and more. In the afternoon, we make our presses ready to print.

Topics and techniques include setting tympan and packing; ink types, mixing, and inking the press; setting and positioning gauges and grippers; choosing paper; and registering the form. Particular attention will be given to troubleshooting and specific problems previously encountered. If time permits, participants will set type and print.

As always, email me for information, and sign up soon!