there are moments in my workday when i feel an ulcer coming on.
i am pretty sure i am too young for this.

hoo-ray, it's mon-day!!

or, at least it's 65 degrees in the twin cities, and that makes even a monday a great day.
off to the studio to get some work done in daylight.
also looking forward to my brand-new, life-changing book that came in the mail (finally! who knew media mail takes a month?).
i'm not kidding about the life-changing part. i am really excited.

more cube food.

this is starting to be a fun little game (i'm thinking of making this a regular blog feature. this is really only the beginning of the pictures, which is only the beginning of what i actually eat in my cube. which is perhaps why i need a diet?) i'm thinking i should become a spokeswoman for surdyk's, the home of many a delicious thing, particularly the yummy sandwich-baby. i'm pretty sure most of my workday meals [that i don't make myself] come from there. oh, and i do love girl scout cookie time. . . .


in other news, i think my press is fixed!! thanks to a fresh pair of eyes and a level. so we'll see if the tighter screws hold. all plans for tomorrow are scratched, i am spending every moment i can with that press-baby.
kim came to visit today and saw the press and the studio and we walked all over northeast and it felt great to be in the sunshine and smell like outside again for once. i cannot cannot wait for spring and summer.
today is amy's birthday, so we are going out for fancy-schmancy dinner, which we never do. but i've been sitting on a big fat gift card for awhile now, so why not? i need to scrounge up something appropriate to wear, and i discover once again that i have no fancy clothes, let alone fancy clothes that are seasonally appropriate.
regardless, i am looking forward to a little dinner, some wine. . . a movie to follow, perhaps?

making my day.

this cover song, played by my favorite deejay.
it's friday and my workday is flying, so i am happy.

this is how i entertain myself at work.

but only sometimes! turns out the direct florescent light in my cube is not horrible for styling my snacks. it gives me the chance to practice my photography skills, too. i'm starting to get the hang of the macro setting. the granola i actually made myself (i think most of the food i post about is totally store-bought and often way processed), the palmier and coffee are my new favorite cheap treat from surdyk's, and the donut. . . oh, the friday donut. officially on the 'no' list as amy and i have begun serious diet change as of today (an incentive-rich program designed to motivate and inspire us to healthy eating and plenty of exercise), but a visual marvel nonetheless.

spring fever.

today i miss the mountains so much i am on the verge of tears. there is nothing i want more right now than to escape over monarch pass.

image found here, a weird page with lots of links to beautiful natural things.

more officialness.

here they are! i finally made it to the studio with my camera, so here are the first photos of the little press-baby. i have diagnosed her problem, which is that the roller hook arm on the left side is not solidly attached where it needs to be. however, i don't know how to fix this. if anyone out there does, please let me know! i have tried posting on the briarpress discussion board with not much luck. perhaps i will try again with my updated knowledge.
i really cannot wait to get printing!
she came with lots of type. here is a small sample.
this is my name, spelled out in type (duh). i'm going for expositionalness today. i'm also having dinner from mcdonald's. there, i said it.

the submarines.

just heard a great in-studio performance.
another reason i love my mpr.
also checked out their website. it's lovely.

nyc.

i have not ever really wanted to move to new york. i have always thought of myself as more of a west coast kind of girl--or a mountain girl--stranded in the midwest, of course. however, lately, the idea of living in new york does not seem altogether unappealing. today i came across another reason. who doesn't want to blog about all the great places to eat in their city? hmmmm. . . .

via oh, joy!

it's official.

well, friends, i really wanted some photos to accompany this news, but i have forgotten my camera the last two times i went to the studio, so i had to turn to the wide world of flickr to provide a symbolic photo. thank you, cake & pie, for the photo you didn't know i borrowed. this is actually very similar to what my new girl looks like (yes, she is a girl, it's true).
she is smaller and more complicated than her older brother, the etching press. and she is a great addition to the studio. she arrived on saturday; i didn't have to go anywhere to pick her up or pay for shipping. really, the whole experience was pretty providential. i am excited to start printing all kinds of great things on her, so keep your eyes peeled (although, to be honest, i am currently working out a little problem with her so i need to get her fixed up and working). she also came accompanied by a bunch of great wooden type that will be great for experimenting with.
last night i shared the news with some friends, who so helpfully started to suggest some names for my press/business. as you can imagine, the ideas got sillier as the night went on, and most of them are not at all appropriate for sharing here. however, some highlights include:
pressy press, the most-advocated name by far (by the end of the night the slogan went something like, "pressy press is not an effing joke!"), which evolved into smooshy press and smooshy-pressy-press, obama! (no press necessary in that name, obviously), and press up against me, not to mention the various other puns having to do with being depressed, impressed, oppressed, etc.
and yet, somehow, i am still unsure.
i had other thoughts i wanted to share about the weekend. . . .
friday night i saw some great music at the cedar, perhaps music in one of its best forms: friends playing and having fun together.
i got a haircut and a massage, and managed to snag a sweater for $16 at anthropologie.
the themes of "out with the old and in with the new" are layered all through my life these days. it's kind of amazing to watch.