almost there

Maybe it's an even number sort of year.

Yesterday was one of those really bad printing days. It was just me, the machines and all the rain on the roof chattering away and eating up our meager allotment of sunlight. I had been hoping to sail through my day, finish printing enough letters to relax into this final countdown of days before all 26 letters must be complete and make it to a yoga class too, stretch and embrace this brand new year. Instead, just getting the make-ready (this means print set-up) right to print the type on letter U, took nearly an hour. I started to get cross-eyed peering so often at the alignment of one sentence on one print and suddenly the 17 remaining letters weighed heavily upon not only my spirits but also upon my sense of possibility. This project requires good alignment and it always takes a long time. And there is never as much time in a day as I expect. I am not quite slow, but easily distracted and standing there feeding sheet after sheet of paper into Smokey the press, is tiresome. He requires so much ink and attention. He could eat my hand.

Today was so much better. I am more than half way done. Cross your fingers all the black ink is finished by tomorrow and that Smokey behaves himself for another week.