Let the Week Begin

Coffee in the Los Angeles skyline mug, no music, one project written yesterday. I am so hosed. My project meeting at the publisher's is this Friday. I tried the table again yesterday and this morning when I opened the kiln to put in the fiber blanket for insulation there is a big bubble on the top. Time for plan B. There is no plan B. And the medium kiln is tied up until tomorrow morning with the rest of the table firing (it is 1" thick and going to take a loooong time to cool down). I just don't know if I'm up for/have time for trying a fourth table. Darn the table base company anyway: such a deep recess requiring a thick table top is just a pain. There is no way I can do another thick tabletop by Friday... but maybe I can do a thinner top and use vinyl bumpers (lots, and lots, and lots of them!) to raise the table level 1/2".

I also still have the checkerboard (and pieces) to do, the necklace to re-do smaller, the paperweights to re-cast in lighter colors, and the mirror frame to glue to the mirror and hang. Oh I just had an idea. If the tabletop falls through (again) maybe I can do a gold and silver leaf holiday candy bowl. A simple project, pretty, flashy even. Lord knows this book needs a bit more flash.

On the gallery-order front, as I was unable to squeeze in the slumping of the pieces for the new gallery over the weekend I will be unable to ship it today. And with the current firing configuration, I am not sure when I can get it done. Just one more damn thing to have to work in. On the plus side, the orders for the Art Institute, the catalog in New York and the Chicago gallery are all done. I just need to sign all the pieces (about 130 of them), package them up, enter all the shipping info online for UPS and have them picked up today. Just.

But now it's time to get dressed, have another cup of coffee, and get ready for the onslaught of the yard clean-up crew. Our backyard went to hell in the proverbial handbasket over the summer with my schedule and I finally Did Something About It. Today the grass will be cut and the lawn area will be cut back, the beds will be weeded and mulched, the bamboo will be tied up, and things will be tidied. I can't wait.