Here’s one of the Challenge quoins I won on Ebay. So exciting! I love these quoins. I snapped this on top of the ink plate.

Doesn’t the lemongrass paint color look great as a backdrop?

I think so, too.

I spent the afternoon hanging at le studio, and seeing gpa.

Gpa was surrounded by a few more ladies this afternoon. I was thoroughly entertained.

I had the pleasure of meeting Helen and Vera, two sisters, who are quite the personalities. And Gladys. Oh, that Gladys. She told me she has many good stories to tell me.

Of course, I wanted to know how many scandelous stories she has and she assured me, there’s plenty of scandal.

I can hardly wait to hear those.

As if the homies weren’t adventurous enough, things only continued at le studio.

I got the heater working in there, granted, it takes a while to heat up. But hey, I ain’t going to complain … I have heat and I am thankful.

Because. I am a big baby when I feel cold. I don’t like it. And I let everyone know. Not that I have people to inform of my coldness at le studio … I’m tucked away. You wouldn’t even know that that thing, that building? That’s home to le studio extraordinaire?

It’s like its own world in the midst of this neighborhood. Okay, so in the midst of an alley. Alley-esque-hood.

It’s so awesome.

So. I had some help this afternoon.

The Commodore.

Yes, he has official standing and honors.

He’s super cool and was totally my dad in another lifetime.

He’s actually my dad’s bff. And le studio? Well, it was kinda his. That he let go to hell and be taken over by termites and all sorts of other scary critters and creatures who called that place home … till I came in and sprayed.

Now. I did try to scoop them out. One by one. Like Noah’s Arc … out they came.

I have a thing for ending the life of any being … it’s very difficult for me to do. Even those pesty gross insects that I feel don’t have a right to be in our homes when their home is outside … I don’t want to be the one to take all that way from them.

Who am I to do that?

Am I getting too Siddhartha on you?

I was telling my friend about this one day when she looked at me and said:

Well, aren’t you just The Buddha!

I was totally lost. Naturally.

Not on the Buddha part … come on now, I do practice Zen, but I had no clue till she told me, that apparently Buddha also found himself in many similar predicaments with creatures of all kinds.

He opted for the no-kill route. In fact, I’m willing to bet that he’s the one who started the whole no-kill movement with animals, so I try to channel that.

And think about how enlightened I must be for making a comment a la Buddha.

I’m not. But, let’s just let me believe I am for a little while, ok?

So Comm was armed and ready to help me prep a de-rusting plan of attack. It wasn’t quite the vision I had assumed it would be with a power washer in hand — but I did have my lipstick on.

That’s ok. That power washer will come. First, we needed to make sure we had a fool proof de-rust route ready to go.

Which mainly consisted of WD40. What a great product that is. I went through a whole can of it, if that tells you anything.

Progress was really coming along. We figured out how to de-assemble a couple parts. We agreed on de-rusting options and then.

Then.

It happened.

I’d love to blame Comm but I can’t. The guy was my dad, afterall. And I know he didn’t mean to …

To lift up the part that holds backing and paper down for pressing … to be getting the wheel in motion, to be demoing the press …

To smash that part and have it come flying past my feet.

There was silence. A lot of it.

What could be said?

Alright, so maybe I said a few: Oh, fuck$. It was very appropriate.

I know Comm and I know he’ll get it working, get it fixed. It won’t be a big deal.

While he tends to be rather pessimistic about everything, he turned to me and said:

There’s only one way to look at this. As a blessing in disguise.

I’m not sure what the heck this “blessing” might be, but he’s right and considering he’s never so optimistic, I have to agree.

Not just with this, but that all things. All challenges. Remain a blessing. In some disguise.