ACRE!

Diet Pepsi in a really, really big go cup (good thing my booth is close to the restroom), the hum of buyers and artists chatting and commercing for music. Yes arts fans, it's live from the American Craft Retailer's Expo in Las Vegas!

I've been up since 5:00 am which not a big deal if you consider that I live in a time zone three hours earlier than this one. But I have to say that it doesn't work to treat the mornings as if I were on the east coast and the nights as if I were on the west... There has to be time for sleep. I have been up since then because yesterday I discovered to my GREAT dismay that my book is only 128 pages long. It's supposed to be 144 pages long, I wrote it to be 144 pages long, and I was forced to cut it back in February when I was told it was too long. Turns out it wasn't too long, and it's a mystery how it ended up short. Also turns out that it's now too late to do anything about it without pushing the publication date back to next year. (And for any smart ass out there who feels like saying I can put all the cut information in the NEXT book, I have to remind you that there won't BE a next book!)

I cried a lot between yesterday and this morning, but I am finally reconciled to the publisher's decision to go ahead with only 128 pages. And make no mistake, it was their decision. They didn't ask me, write me, call me, apologize for the major screw-up, acknowledge that they made a mistake, zip, zilch, nada. But we move on. I have to hold to the thought that it is still a very good book (whose Amazon sales ranking is on the rise again!), and 8 pieces of paper are not enough to either make or break it.

Now for the show. I picked up a great new gallery in Asheville, NC today, the Grovewood. They--and everyone else so far--love the new stands. I am all set-up, I have pricing on the pieces and I only have a couple of documents left to create... oh yes, and an electronic catalog. But if I don't get to that till next week I'm not going to sweat it! I can't believe it's already 2:30 pm--the day has flown. Tonight is the show party, but we are giving it a miss. With all the furor over the missing book pages I haven't been able to focus on editing the lasers (the book layout in black and white) so I must get to that tonight.