Is it me, or is it hot in here?

And more importantly, could I get some Swedes to pay to experience this?  I am wearing the minimum (meaning, I'd be arrested in the street dressed like this), sitting in front of a breezy window, and totally bathed in sweat.  I often consol myself during the summers with the idea that Swedes pay to bake in saunas, so it must be good for you, and, hey, I get to sweat for free! (I kind of like how the pay and hey rhyme - that tells you, right there, how crazy this weather has made me... will it ever end?  And when it does, will I return to normal or be crazy forever??)

I tried to take a picture of me sweating for this post but I just look like a convicted felon. Maybe a chain gang member, in the swamps of somewhere hot and sticky.  I'm not sure if it's my wrinkles, my gray hair, the look of desperation in my eyes as my sight is obscured by yet another floodlet of sweat... I think that might be my grandmother in the mirror, except I can't remember either of my grandmothers mentioning sweat, ever.  It was probably a forbidden subject, 40 years ago, for "ladies;" both of my grandmothers were assuredly ladies.  And I was a immature 12 year old, who probably didn't even have sweat glands yet.  (sweat... yet.... ha!)

[Caption 1]  It's too hot to focus on anything!
[Caption 2]  Some of us look better blurry!

Take your pick :-)

My eyes are bugging out... I'm turning into a computer frog!

Writing a book is a long haul - harder than I expected!  After all, I'm following that cool rule, write what you know, so it should just flow, right?

Wrong.

I guess the first issue is that I want everything to be word perfect (and I'm not talking about the computer program that everyone has forgotten).  The next is that I want the projects to be stunning, yet do-able for newbies.  And the most important is that the photos have to be striking, stand up and shout pictures.  Thank you, Nataly, the most talented, wonderful photographer on earth!

See what I mean?  She makes my work look so good!!

Technology is a wonderful thing but it's hard to spend 16 hours a day at the computer, either writing, rewriting, reviewing photographs or uploading them to the publisher in the US. (OK, or checking out CNN, People and Dilbert.) To meet my photo delivery deadlines, I had to get up every few hours at night for about 2 weeks upload a few more photos.  Every once in a while the ftp transfer would time out and I'd have to start the batch all over again.  Oh joy, oh agony - it's like having a baby all over again, but without the diapers!

Still, I wouldn't miss this for the world - it is the most amazing experience.  In fact, I have a huge list of potential books just waiting for me to delve into.  Combining writing (a life-long love) with glass art (my passion) is a dream come true.  It's true that I'm in the studio less - at the moment - but it still feels like the perfect life!


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