Where You Been, Willis?

Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?

I've been down to London to visit the Queen.

Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?

I frightened a little mouse, under her chair.

It's been a long time since I posted, I'll try to do better, can we move on now? What a long summer! Got back to the studio Friday after 2-1/2 weeks in Montana and I leave for the summer Buyer's Market of American Craft in Baltimore on Friday with Todd, John and Dee. We're all driving up together in my minivan and then Dee and John are driving it home while I drive a Penske truck filled with old display, work, and Vegas (ACRE) display back to Atlanta with a stop on the way in Greenville to drop off Black Cat's stuff from storage. It will be an interesting show this time as Black Cat isn't going and I will have about seven crates dropped in front of my 10X20 booth. My neighbors are going to be thrilled. We also only have *one day* for set-up this time and I need things out of almost every crate. It will be... exciting. But after this show we'll finally be pared down in several ways--geographic area of shows, number of shows and amount of stuff stored at shows. I am currently only signed up to do two shows next year--the Buyer's Market of American Craft winter in Philly in February and summer in Baltimore in July.

Blech. I'm almost too tired and out of practice to post, but I'll forge on.

At the beginning of next month I am participating in an exhibition at MODA. I received my instructor certification from the Ichiyo School of Ikebana this year and I will be presenting an arrangement the week of September 7 with the other members of my chapter. Our headmaster is coming in from Japan to do a workshop and open the exhibit. I mention this news here as I am creating my own container for my arrangement... and I still have to design it. Procrastination 'R Us. I begin to wonder if I require the anxiety and adrenaline of an immediate deadline in order to get anything done.

Other deadlines coming up Friday (or before) include a Tech Talk article for Profitable Glass on Jonathan Schmuck's roll-up workshop, pre-show orders for Baltimore, new work for Baltimore (including a half-lattice stand), the application for the Oakhurst Art Fair... I'm starting to have palpitations. My book is scheduled to be released in paperback this fall and I am in talks with the publisher about doing another one. Met a wonderful artist in Montana while I was there and he has been looking for someone to cast his work in glass--what a coincidence! I have been looking for work that isn't mine to cast in glass (my talents do not lie in drawing and sculpting at this time--I primarily want to dive into the techniques of casting).

J starts school this week and I still need to get her cello, put all the new patches on her girl scout vest, take her for her swim team tryout, take her to the dentist, do the back-to-school shopping, get her checked for lice (a mandatory pre-school ritual here in the south), and attend the opening assembly on Thursday. No wonder I woke up with a long anxiety attack at 4:00 this morning!

Better get working on the firing schedule and date night cd's (I have 15 slideshows to create and cd's to rip of the glassblowing date nights that happened while I was gone). It's going to be a long week (and I haven't even addressed the online changes coming up at the studio).