Here is a very small sample of some of the books I make. These are the best ones I currently have, but are by no means the best ones I’ve made. Like I told flac last week, when I make a really good book, I’m so excited about it, I can’t wait to give it away. I’m thinking about creating a post eventually, about how I make the majority of my books and why I go that route. It’s funny, because I’ve made so many of them the process seems pretty straightforward to me, but when I stop to think about all of the techniques I use and why I use them, I realize there’s quite a bit of stuff to explain. In short, I made all of my books with as many natural and bio-degradable materials as possible. The only polymer based materials I intentionally use are PVA Glue and Acrylic Paint. I bind my books with the flat back binding method for two reasons, mostly because I don’t have the tools to do rounding and backing on my books, but also because the extra board on the spine means I don’t have to put headbands on my books if I don’t want to. The one drawback to that binding method is though, while the books open completely, they don't lay flat. It makes writing in them a bit awkward. So it's great for text blocks with pre-existing text already in them, but for journals and sketch books, not so much. When I create my own textblocks, I use linen book tape for reinforcement, french link stitch to help prevent vertical travel between signatures, and kettle stitch on the ends to keep everything nice and secure. Here’s what a text block looks like by itself. Here’s a close up of two different lino-cut stamps I’ve made for my books. I like lincocutting a lot. Partly because you can kind of get a woodcut print look out of it, without having to work as hard as you would carving a block of wood. Additionally, because linoleum is made from plant materials, it's biodegradable, which is a plus. The paint for the dog is Liquitex Acrylic and the rooster on the right is Speedball Block Print Ink for Fabric. I’m not too happy with either. The Luquitex Acrylic, while it dries nice and quick, is really hard to get an even, consistent color out of. I use it though, because I know it’s acid free. I’m saving up some cash this month and I’m gonna buy a few tubes of Luquitex Soft Body Acrylic to see if that’s easier to work with. I’m assuming the answer will be yes. The Speedball Block Print Ink on the other hand, takes forever to dry. We’re talking days. Additionally, I can’t find any information as to whether or not it’s acid free, so there’s that as well. These are just test prints for the two linocuts I’ve made so far. I’m thinking of buying a button making machine in the future, to turn these test prints into buttons. That way, they’re just not sitting on fabric going to waste. So yeah. Bookbinding. That’s what I’ve been spending a lot of my free time learning and working on. I have three different projects down the road that I’m gonna try and document to share with you guys, but other than that, if you’re ever wondering what I’m doing with my free time and blowing my money on mindlessly, you’re looking at it. Have a beautiful day guys.
So many reasons! Firstly, I just love books. I don't mean just reading and collecting them, as actual objects I find them so beautiful. I love the variety of sizes and colors, the way they look on a shelf and the way they feel in my hands, and when you're holding a well made book you just know. I love seeing how printing techniques change over time and how those techniques can add to or detract from the quality of the book. I love paper, I love colors, I love art, and I love reading, and books take all of those individual components and somehow make them bigger and brighter and special. I also love antiques, crafts, and folk art. Wood carvings, metal engravings, quilts, hand made furniture, on and on the list can go. I'm not very crafty though and some things take a lot of skill, know how, and often expensive tools to start. With books, the entry level cost is quite low and the initial learning curve starts out relatively low (but ramps up quickly the better you want to get and the more you want to learn and incorporate). While I wouldn't call my books "art," I would say I take a deliberate and artistic mindset when I'm making them. Coupled with the fact that there is learning and research and problem solving involved in figuring how to make a good, sturdy book that also looks nice, there's growth and satisfaction there. Lastly, I tried to get a job in bookbinding, but unfortunately everyone that is hiring for that kind of thing requires degrees in stuff such as library science or art conservation or, for everyday publishers and manufacturers, there really isn't demand for traditional, handmade books. So I figured one day, if I really wanna make books, I should just make them on my own, because if I love them so much, why the heck not?
Oh man, now I love books. That enthusiasm is infectious! Just reading through it, I was thinking about a big book we have that's the complete genealogy of our family going back to the 1600s. It's in fine shape now, but it's definitely something I would pay to have nicely and artistically bound, because I want it to last generations. My gut says, if you could find a clean way to put Ancestry reports in a book, you would have a real business.
Books are super easy to love. That we still have such a demand for physical books even with the internet and movies and games and all is a testament to how wonderful they are. :) There are still a ton of traditional binders out there that would be more than able to help you out with that. Of course a lot of them do book restorations too, so if you ever have an heirloom Bible or something that you want repaired, they can do that for you as well. I've thought a bit about binding stuff for other people. It's something I might definitely look into down the road. I don't think I'd be able to do something like an Ancestry Report, just because those are copyrighted, but I think if I ever come across a poet or an artist that wants to make maybe five or ten or twenty books, I could try and help them out. It would probably be a lot of fun and maybe a bit of a challenge.
we're on month 18 of trying to start a family. Medical intervention started at month 12 and if things don't happen this month then we're going to start much more intense medical stuff. It's a really weird situation to be in - the mix of taboo and rarity, combined with being the gender that it "shouldn't effect" and the fact that I'm not great with my feelings make it hard to deal with. I'm also building a greenhouse - so that's cool. I still need to figure out some aspects of the footer, mostly how to minimize contact and potential rot, how to make a drain under it, and how to deal with the roof, but those are all fun challenges.
I'm glad you can share here. It's a strange culture where this subject is at all taboo. I'm sorry for your struggles. Some very good friends have dealt and are dealing with fertility issues... I guess what I can say is... I'm sorry, and you're not alone, and... we're here for you.It's a really weird situation to be in - the mix of taboo and rarity, combined with being the gender that it "shouldn't effect" and the fact that I'm not great with my feelings make it hard to deal with.
Thanks, I kind of reached a breaking point last month and I'm just bringing it up as much as I can. It makes a lot of people feel awkward, but I figure that's just part of making it acceptable. Plus, a bunch of people will talk to my wife about it because she's a woman, which she's super over, but not me because dudes don't talk about it. I'm getting in the habit of inserting myself in those conversations, which is interesting in its own right.
people sometimes think "oh cool man - that's just MOAR SEX! you must be loving it!" They don't realize the strange and disheartening aspects of the mechanization of the sex act. It takes an intimate and sacred experience and turns it on it's ear (and not in a fun way). I'm glad you're talking about it and walking into the conversation. You're wise to confront it.
I've had several friends go through in-vitro. My wife performs IUI. What I can tell you is that you'll forget everything you're going through now as soon as it takes. And it will almost certainly take. And it will be worth it. You can minimize rot by using plastic or mason block. You can also take comfort in the fact that if you build it right, you can fix it. My father-in-law's greenhouse is 40 years old; I helped him replace some panels and the footers when it was 37. Keep us posted.
Thanks. And I'm building it on a weird pseudo-sidewalk in our backyard that is the remnant of a filled in pool. It makes a great foundation, so I think I'll use that, build a plywood floor, and use mason block to level out the parts over earth. There's also a huge sump pump well that I'm trying to re purpose into some kind of rain barrel, but that's a much bigger engineering issue.
There's that well off to the left (not pictured) the cap of which isn't quite flush with the foundation. I think I need to raise the whole thing to account for that height difference, so I figured I would add a floor. But I could probably accomplish the same thing with a ramp. Then I could fill the dirt in with rocks and make a primitive french drain.
I'll also point out that unless those windows are near-free it'll work out to be cheaper to buy a greenhouse kit. Grower's Supply will happily send you a lust-inducing catalog.
oh yeah, I'm building it because we just got new windows and those are the old ones they took out. 100% free. I am, however, trying to figure out the roof, which I'll have to buy, and this site looks great for that. I really want the steep side that face the sun to be able to lift for air flow, but that might be too much for this project.
My casual observations in no real order. They make actuators with a fluid that passively expands when it gets hot for greenhouse applications. Kind of pricey but really cool. Also think about the edges of the window, idk what yours look like are they channels or some other shape that will trap moisture and mold? You will want an upper beam thats not in the sketch on the roof, that will prevent the panels from taking a bunch of shear load. You are missing a window retention ledge i think, those windows will take a ton of load, you will want a strip of wood or something to distribute load into them. You probably have too many windows, you don't need that many since at least 1 side will very little sun. Figure out what the available angles are for metal roof brackets at the hardware stores. Use one of those if not using one already. The center span will sag way too much. Youll want to put posts every 24" or closer. 4 post wont cut it with that long of a span.
As it turns out, my university offers various types of job interview coaching and similar stuff, but I only found about them very recently because of how goddamned well hidden is that place, both physically and on the web. Even if I was studying on that campus (humanities, 20 minutes on bus from sciences) I'm not sure if I'd ever wander behind all those other buildings to discover it. Their SEO is even worse than physical location. Anyway, the first meeting concluded with some general remarks on my overall outlook, which they guesstimated as 'good' due to a relative lack of experience with STEM students – though at least they were upfront about it – and some tips on body language. I came off as too aggressive and both people conducting my mock interview felt closely scrutinized. I guess it can't hurt to give it a try, but I doubt much can be accomplished over a few sessions every two weeks or so. I have a new RPG group formed from a bunch of people who wanted to try it, but for whatever reason couldn't play. There are surprisingly many of those, three people reached out the same day I put it on student announcements board, and I love the enthusiasm. They seemed stoked about Warhammer Fantasy, but I'm OK with whatever at this point. Can't wait for Saturday.
My partner has long wanted to do a project where she makes a comprehensive list of all of the resources that her university makes available to students and creating simple search filters like 'Where is this office?' 'What are they actually able to do to help a student?' 'What documents do I need to bring to accomplish my goal for visiting this office?' etcetera. We started doing a survey and promptly gave up. There is simply too much ongoing change in personnel and inconsistency in what one representative of the university says they can do compared to a different person, in the same office, in the same week. This was true of basic administration (Scheduling classes, arranging payments for tuition), financial aid, academic counseling and university mental health resources. I am thankful to hear that you found a resource that feels like a value-add for you. Who is running the Warhammer game? You?As it turns out, my university offers various types of job interview coaching and similar stuff, but I only found about them very recently because of how goddamned well hidden is that place, both physically and on the web. Even if I was studying on that campus (humanities, 20 minutes on bus from sciences) I'm not sure if I'd ever wander behind all those other buildings to discover it. Their SEO is even worse than physical location.
I guarantee the intranet and various school web servers are littered with exactly these tools... and exactly zero of the links and info will still be working. The hard part about the library sciences is not FINDING everything... it is keeping the index up to date. where she makes a comprehensive list
We have (had) a similar problem with discovering publication access from home (uni IP is recognised everywhere, fortunately), which is hidden behind a login screen and two menus in a section of the Central Library website that's titled something along the lines of "what we offer". Plus it's so unbelievably slow that I've been using sci-hub to get my hands on things that my uni paid for anyway (and it's so broad that I can't recall a publication I couldn't access… which definitely isn't cheap). It's so incompetent that I'm lost for words. Thanks! I have no doubt it's going to add value. It's just a shame I discovered it by mistake on my last semester. Yup. We're meeting at one of the study halls on Saturday. The plan is to make their characters and introduce the setting, explain the rules, and – admittedly being quite optimistic timewise here – maybe give them some sort of prologue while we're at it. I plan on starting them with a slightly changed Return of the Lichemaster from the first edition (we're playing WFRP 2nd, it's a lot more streamlined), and see where we'll go from there.I am thankful to hear that you found a resource that feels like a value-add for you.
Who is running the Warhammer game? You?
Skiing went great. We went to this amazing glacier, 8,000-9,000ft above sea level. I am so glad I took the ski lessons I did - setting aside my error of trying to ski with one and a half sizes too big on the first day, I skiied (skied?) about as good as I hoped for. Even did a few red (lightred that is) pistes. It was an exhausting weekend though. And I think I caught something, because I've been having a sore throat and I'm feeling weak and nauseous off and on since Sunday. PS: I'm planning a trip to Seattle in May to visit KB and others. Let me know if you're in the area then!
I should be in town most of May. Going to NYC the 9-13th, but other than that I'll be here. (You might be interested in presenting on your research to my development department. They do geeky lunches where they have someone come in and talk about cool tech. And since we are in the automotive industry, and owned by Continental and Daimler, autonomous vehicle tech is very interesting to us.)
Hey, it's been awhile. I find myself here again for the same old reasons- procrastinating from something, feeling a bit moody. Trying to clear my head, trying to ground myself by simplifying my story. I moved to Burlington VT last month. I've made a habit to visit the lake every day to see the sunset. I live with an old friend who travels a lot, and work on a desk in a kitchen that we keep stocked with airplane cookies (biscoffs!) and coffee, sometimes tea, sometimes cream. I moved here to take advantage of a remote worker's grant, but complications have made it so that I don't qualify for it, and now a grumpy cynical voice has been visiting me to ask- "Why the fuck did you move here?" That's alright, it's a learning experience. I work for chess.com now, which is nice. It's a big enough company where if I was to link the URL to it no one would care if the analytics showed it came from Hubski, which was how my previous employer found my account (how embarrassing.)- but that's alright. I've always had a naive thought that I could put a lot of myself into the internet and people either find me endearing or not care. Sometimes it works. Also, other than a pair of jeans and a coat, I haven't worn men's clothes since I've moved here. So that's a thing.
I'm well! Sorry about dropping off the earth. How have you been holding up?
6,700 rows in an Excel file. I need to enter a check box or two-letter code into each of 4 columns, for every row. So Column A is "Description" B is "Compatible?" C is "Not Compatible" D is "Code ID" and E is "Other" This is just ONE of the 14 documents I need to complete - within the next two weeks - IN ADDITION to the 100+ page technical document I need to create out of thin air, that will convince the State of NY to buy our product over our competitor's products, and that we have an clear plan of action that will deliver everything they want, for a lower price than anyone else. Have I mentioned that government contracting is stoopid? Oh. And I have 5 other projects - three of the same magnitude and size - to deliver in the EXACT SAME TIMEFRAME. My boss shattered his ankle and is in the hospital on drugs and getting surgery and will be incoherent for at least the next 9 days. His boss's dad is passing away, so boss-boss has flown to the UK to be with dad and family. Unavailable. The guy that's kinda my boss's compatriot and stand-in to help me out when my boss is busy? Yeah... his wife just disconnected his cornea, and is undergoing surgery, and will need his help to do absolutely anything for the next two weeks because she is effectively blind until she recovers. --- The plane is still in the air... barely. But it is full of holes, the tail is missing, my copilot is dead, I'm running on 2 of 4 engines on one side, so I have to adapt to the one-sided torque with flaps and lowering a single wheel on the opposite side of the engines to create a little drag, fuel is running out of the bullet-riddled wings, and I can see the faint profile of Messerschmitts in the distance, if I turn around and look out through the hole in the bulkhead where my navigator's body was sucked out of the aircraft. The sun is coming up. I cannot see the English coastline yet... This is fine. Everything is fine.
Um, well. I feel you, not in the most exact sense, but this all feels familiar. Here are some mantras that help me get through all the soul-sucking bullshit: We get to come to work. (I read this in an article that I almost shared here recently but didn't, sorry, and also I have a coworker whom I love dearly who tells me this when I am ready to hide under my desk.) Laugh or cry, you choose. "When jarred unavoidably by circumstance, revert at once to yourself, and don't lose the rhythm more than you can help. You'll have a better grasp of the harmony if you keep on going back to it." -Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.11 'In all that happens, keep before your eyes those who experienced it before you, and felt shock and outrage and resentment at it. And now where are they? Nowhere. Is that what you want to be like? Instead of avoiding all these distracting assaults - leaving the alarms and flight to others - and concentrating on what you can do with it all? Because you can use it, treat it as raw material. Just pay attention, and resolve to live up to your own expectations. In everything. And when faced with a choice, remember: our business is with things that really matter." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 7.58 (this is the one I am trying to keep in the forefront of my mind with regards to my work. In fact, I think I am going to put this on a post-it note and stick it under my keyboard. Folks are leaving where I work like rats jumping off a sinking ship and some days I want to go too, but I don't think I have anything marketable outside of where I am, so I am trying to concentrate on what I can do with what I have, where I am, without resentment, outrage. I got past being shocked at the things people think (or perhaps don't) to do a long time ago. Anyway, best of luck to you, just do what you can do my friend and know that I am rooting for you!
Bit late! In Texas recording an album and doing some blues shows. Hit me up if you are interested. Also, I really missed Texas.