November has slunk in amid warmer than usual temperatures here in the midwest,.though after a couple of snowy Halloween's the past few years, I will take the milder weather. Our plans for the drive-in were thwarted by a pipe repair issue in the apartment, so we decided to stay closer to home and see Terrifier 3 then get pizza then come home to watch J's ongoing introduction to AHS.
I did manage to finally get the ghost box artist book edition under wraps and release the e-zine version, which you can always read for free HERE. I am always torn between wanting to make work freely available (because, hell, in this economy) but also give people who want to get a physical thing the opportunity to get something tangible or collectible. In terms of other soon-to-be shop offerings, I was able to get the final tweaks done in the layout and design for RUINPORN and am eagerly awaiting the proof copy. No word on when that is shipping, but I did get a notification that the finalized stack of Elizabeth Devlin's chapbook Milk Spine I ordered a couple days before that one went out this morning, so it is sure to follow soon. Her book turned out lovely with the perfect binding and I plan to do more for unusually sized volumes in the future in addition to my own project and the handmade volumes. Since the color and image printing was so good with granata, I might also use it for books with a lot of art going forward, which while a little costlier, the difference is made less by the amount I end up spending on color toner for those books. I plan to just charge a little more to offset the printing cost difference. The covers and interior paper were glorious on Devlin's book and all the ones I've done so far on my own.
As I've mentioned, November will always be a rough month. The sparkle and spooky of Halloween fades, the Christmas glitter isn't quite set yet, so I always felt a plummet in my mood as daylight savings took hold and the trees gave up the ghost on their leaves. am tired at 5pm, and never know quite what to do with myself now that the days are so short and I find myself struggling with my energy levels and just needing naps I never need in summertime. I'm definitely a night person, but as in 8pm and after, when I am most productive and awake. Good things have happened in November--my move back to the city, my job at the library, my first book acceptance, moving into the studio initially. Of course all shadowed by losing both parents in the same span of weeks, albeit five years apart.
I feel a little loose around the edges for a few weeks, at least til the holidays are over and we're in the endless drag of January through March. There are some good things coming up, including some more musicals like next week's production of Little Shop...out in Skokie I am looking forward. We may hit the drive in tomorrow night as well if we feel up to it since they have an entire weekend of horror programming planned.
I am working a little on some flash fiction-ish pieces (or at least that's what I think they are, they are a little longer than my usual prose poems but not quite a lyric essay. I will probably share some of them as the month goes on.
