No News is Good News

Baseball



It's baseball time again and things are getting heated here at Tamarind. As you might recall, Patrick is a fan of the Milwaukee Brewers. I'm not usually the bettin' type, but challenging Patrick is one of my favorite pastimes. We decided that the better team's fan after the first 10 games would be treated to Chuck-E-Cheese (including game tokens) by the lesser team's fan. So far the Cardinals are 1-1 and the Brewers are 2-0. If it weren't for that stinking Opening Day Rain-Out for the Cardinals, the teams might be tied. Peh! (At least the Brewers are beating the stupid Cubs.)

Printing

After Spring Break, we discovered that we had only TWO weeks to finish our next projects. Somehow when setting the critique calendar Rodney neglected to figure in the week we had off for the break. It hasn't been too big of a deal for me because I have only one artist and it's an easy print. But I feel bad for some of the other printers.

Here's the first proof of Ben's print (the green one on the right). It's the third print in a triptych (the first two were printed by Pat and Alex):



I've also been trying to work some on Kathy and Nikki's prints from Dallas. Here's a proof of Nikki's print:



And... I'm trying to do a few things for myself as well. We're having a show of our own work at the end of April and everyone is scrambling to get something done for it.

After this project, we will have a good month for the last one. I'm looking forward to being done.

Second Year Stress

Meanwhile everyone is freaking out about the second year. Everyone except me, that is. You see, I've decided NOT to apply for the second year. That's right! There! I said it out loud to everyone and I'm NOT changing my mind. (I think.)

As a reminder, each year they take 1 or 2 people for a paid position at Tamarind, working with Bill Lagatutta on the REAL Tamarind prints. At the end of the second year, they are certified as Tamarind Master Printers.

Up until a few weeks ago, I'd had every intention of applying for the second year and felt confident about my odds of making it. But as the application deadline drew near, I started to have doubts. I gave a lot of thought to the pros and cons of staying in Albuquerque versus the pros and cons of returning to Saint Louis. In the end, I realized that the only reason I was applying for the second year was for a title that I didn't necessarily need. Also, there's something alluring about being "the one" picked. But I have so many more reasons to come home.

Plus, we recently were informed that they are only taking ONE this year. More reason to get out while I still can. Being "the one" is going to be a hard hard job.

Big Muddy Editions

My purpose in going to Tamarind in the first place was to better prepare myself for opening a print shop. I went from having no clue what I was doing to feeling confident that I could actually open a print shop in Saint Louis and really make it work. Although having no money and massive school debt doesn't really help, I think I'm still in a position to get it done (eventually).

So the plan is to come home, find temporary work (most likely Six Flags drawing caricatures), look for buildings with commercial space below and apartment above, remodel the building and get in before the end of the year. Carrie's landlord has agreed to month-to-month leasing so we won't be bound to the apartment unnecessarily.

I'm trying not to rush the business side of things but it's hard not to get excited about it. I'm working toward a new website and have a brand new press name...



It says "Saint Louis" to me a little more than "Porkchop Press". What do you think?

Chop

In preparation for my new venture and as a celebration of my year at Tamarind, I've finally gotten around to ordering my new chop. A printer's chop is a stamp that is used to emboss the bottom corner of the paper after printing. Traditionally, it's used to identify either the printer and/or the shop it was printed at. At Tamarind, they use the Tamarind chop and then the printer's chop. At Tandem Press, they just use the Tandem chop. So the chop will be ready tomorrow afternoon. I'm so excited and will probably chop everything I can find. Here's what it looks like:



It's obviously the Saint Louis Arch with a heart in it. But if you really reach for it, you can see that it kind of makes an "A" with a "M" at the bottom (my initials).

Night Terrors

I've been so excited about my return to STL and the opening of Big Muddy Editions that I've been staying up late and not sleeping well. I've been having more night terrors lately. Due to the influx of giant cockroaches in my apartment, I often wake up thinking there are bugs in my bed. Look at the size of this guy! That's enough to give ANYONE night terrors!



But last night I thought someone was trying to attack me... so I jump out of bed and run all the way to my front door, quickly undo three locks and jump outside my house. I stood there for a few seconds in my bare feet and pajamas before I realized that I should probably go back to bed.

Oprah did a show on Night Terrors on Tuesday but I missed it. It's probably for the best. I find that the more I think about it, the more likely they are to happen.

Another reason to go back to Saint Louis! Not that I don't have night terrors there. But it's a lot harder for me to go outside!