The Evil Sales Ranking...

Coffee in the New York skyline mug, an homage to the publishing industry, "Cloudy This Morning" by George Winston on iTunes, a reflection of the weather. Sales ranking on the book got as high as 33,345 yesterday. Not bad for a book that won't even be out till November (and thanks, in large part I believe, to all of you who went out and pre-ordered!). I am now rolling on the floor laughing at having succumbed to the Amazon Writer's Disease (obsessively checking the sales ranking of one's book). When the book actually comes out I am going to have to put a parental lock on the page so I can't get to it. Otherwise I can just see myself obsessively, compulsively checking the ranking and the reviews all day, every day. Maybe the solution is to quickly start writing ANOTHER book. Maybe fiction this time (more hysterical laughter).

Yesterday I cleaned the studio annex (aka the garage). I have a shipping area again and wide, clean aisles. Good thing as I only have 15 sheets of clear irid from the *95* I had the first of December and so will need to order another case... and put it somewhere to languish unpacked. Unless there is more clear irid in the second box of glass from that shipment (which I will unpack today). I had to order in December even though I really didn't need as much as I ordered so I could bump up my quantity discount. I can't believe I went through 80 sheets of glass in the off-season...

This morning I already ordered the first round of metal stands from Elliott Metal Works--thank you again to everyone who participated in the poll (and Ren, your piece goes out next week!). I am excited to be debuting them at ACRE. Now I just need to decide whether to buy carpet for the booth now or not. I am seriously tempted. I will need it for the BMAC in August--I have rented carpet there for the last time!--why not have it for both? GO for a whole new look to complement the new stands?

And speaking of ACRE, I counted my metal uprights and crossbars yesterday that I will need to hang my lighting and I am several crossbars short. So this morning I have to do a formal (electronic) drawing of my lighting and drapery set-up to figure out how many more crossbars to order. And speaking of drapery... Since I am going to do my own poles I am effectively building a booth within a booth and not using any of the common elements with my neighbors. So theoretically I *could* do foamcore walls. They are cleaner, sleeker looking than the white drapes, and if I were careful I might even be able to re-use the foamcore for one or two more shows. Of course storing the 25 4X8 sheets of foamcore that come in a case would be a pain. They have to be kept flat as they tend to warp. Maybe I could put them in the loft area of the shed we had built last year to hold everything displaced when I appropriated the garage for a studio annex... Oh Dave will LOVE that!

A final note for the day: My father-in-law has knit me a cardigan (which I understand from him is a really, really BIG cardigan. Yummy. I love big sweaters) and he has asked me if I want to make the buttons for it! I am going for dichro glass buttons. Pics posted as soon as they're done.