Alright, you disgruntled blog followers! Your delinquent author rouses herself.

But incompletely. Still distracted, I shoot nervous glances around the room, out the window, at the shiny ring on my finger. (An engagement ring? It is.) I think about going to the grocery store, about buying some more socks downtown. I feel grateful that my agony at being pinned here at this laptop will be soon interrupted by an appointment at school, where I'll be accompanying a singing class, as part of a renaissance consort.

School has been largely absent from my life so far this year. I have a total of 2 hours of lessons every week, and all on the same day. And nothing else for the rest of the week. Also, my fall has been largely devoid of work projects. This is an amazing opportunity for both extreme productivity, outside of school, and truly epic laziness. Take a moment to guess in which category I more often find myself. I'll give you a hint: not the first. I've lost track of how many books I've read. Of all types. Just finished another one today. My dearth of work has afforded an opportunity to spend some time at the print shop, where I met and was befriended by an American artist named Elana Gutmann, who has been working here for the last few months. She's an interesting person, and makes really beautiful prints. (http://elanagutmann.com/) She also introduced me to some chocolate cake at a hidden cafe not so far from my house.

In the next few weeks I'll start work on a really interesting collaborative print project, organized in part by a printer friend I made last February at Codex. She and a friend have cut their own wood type, and are recruiting artists from all over to make art prints from the type, which will be included in an exhibit and a catalog. More information can be found here, including pictures of the type being cut with a router, and some prints off the first letter.

Also, the wave of work begins, in November. Thank goodness. I've been feeling a little high and dry here. First week of November has three projects, all overlapping each other. Bass on a Train! In the in-between-moments, I think of all the things I hope to fit in when Andrew and I go to California and Texas this December. Really Looking Forward. (Tacos. Ocean. Family, Friends. Clothes Shopping [I Am Shallow]. Maybe some more of these caramels that Maggie sent me for my birthday, if she'll tell me where she got them.)

Pictures, you say? OK. Here is the scene of a nice bike ride & picnic we had last time Andrew was in town (yes - we found him the same kind of bicycle as me, a Cilo! Here in Switzerland they call that "partner-look"),

some strawflowers from my late summer garden,

pumpkins (kurbis) from the farmer's market,

and the strangest little bug I've ever seen - found it on my wall. Any clue what it could be?

 

Maybe you can see, it walks like a crab. About the size of a grain of rice. Appeared to be completely covered in dust, but I think it was its natural state. Weird! Cute! Creepy! Fascinating!!

Oh yeah, also, here I am, tending to the basil plant.