WITH TOOTHPASTE ON HER FEET

Pia has had toothpaste on her feet all day. I'm not even going to ask how that happened.
There is a pitter-patter of toothpaste footprints in the corridor.
I know it involved Max.

He's denying all knowledge.

It has been a day of 3's. Everything repeated 3 times.
Don't. No. Stop It. Look where you're walking. Get off her. Tidy up those toys or they're going out in the bin. Enough. What are you doing to her. Come on. Now.
All repeated 3 times. And then again, and again. 3 times each, every time.

The lesson in this? Staying up till after midnight when you're tired after a long day at work (not quite finished the work thing, but soon) makes you very grumpy the next day and very short tempered. And nobody enjoys their day. Not even Portuguese Tarts made me happy. I think I wore the death stare all day. No wonder I look haggard.

I stayed up because I thought I might just download the Booksmart software from Blurb. Just to have a look. Maybe I'd just have a little try at working the book in my head into reality. I'd just familiarise myself with the software. I'd need some photos in there first. So I'd just add a few. And I'd just add a little text. 4 hours of the Blurb time vortex later, and I'm happily creating a book. Just to see. And then I wanted to play some more, and then I realised it was way past my bedtime. I'm still playing with it. I need to tinker with the text a little more, but I'm happy with the result so far, and the software is easy to use. I read eagerly as Simply Photo compiled her book about breakfasts, and I've been waiting for a little time to sit and do it. Like the midnight hours. I looked up some other books in the bookshop and these all looked good: Fiber Addict, A Vision Of Maine Through Photography, Some Harvard Bathrooms, and the very beautiful I Spy.

I've been wanting to do something with some of the detail processes I go through for a long time. A little document of time and detail - of a year of work through snippets and peaks into what I love, the things I take away from projects and ideas - the stripped back essences of it all. A photographic record as well as a record of thoughts and paths. Sparse and clean in format and text, I'm not sure it would appeal to a broad audience, but I will get one print done, and see if I like it enough to make a limited run more available. The Blurb site has a bookshop associated with it, which I think is a brilliant way of executing a small book run. I could sit down and plan out at least 4 other books. The possibilities are endless.
I guess the trick is though, to know when to stop tinkering, and when to hit publish.........

Comments

[mary]

Here I am still awake at 11.00-pm when I am strictly a 10.00pm girl (who lives for reading in bed at night). I am reading blogs and playing with my photos on Flickr.

And thinking how lucky we are that we can do these things. Think that we might like to write a book and get to play with something on the internet that can make that dream seem more real. Whilst the net has made life dramatically more complex and demanding for many (my husband included) it has also made a lot of dreams come true.

[alice]

what's the portuguese tart that makes you so happy???

[Mama Urchin]

The three times for everything. That dialogue sounds just like my house.

[stinkerbell]

I am giggling about the footprints, wishing you had taken photos of that :)
Oh and I exist in the blurb vortex as well... finishing up a book on my Morocco photos as we speak :)

[lyn]

'The death stare' - I love that.

[greenolive]

hmm, toothpaste. I spent the day with toothpaste on my lip. A home remedy for cold sores. It worked a bit.

[charlotte]

as Polly always says that her father always says, never over-render.

[Carson]

Oh, I do like the new tweaked blog look Al!
And I so empathise , you know it must be really f*%#@d if not even a portugese tart can cheer (not even one from Sweet Belem!! )
...But wait!... I thought you had this totally ordered, perfect life! Oh no, another illusion shattered :)
Am intrigued about the Blurb thing and must check it out this weekend.

[michele]

oh a Blurb book! yours will be fantastic. i'm not ready to do one yet but i'm so glad you're going to do one. it will be be-aut-i-fullllll. and it's worth death stare days.

[Kristen]

Busting to see it! The book that is, not the toothpaste...

[ice]

enjoy studying the book.

[ali nash]

oh, linnet + blurb books! i am imagining the beautiful possibilities :)

i've been considering making a blurb book for some time now, just need to sort through the 10,000 photos in my iphoto first...not quite sure when i'll get to that!

[martha]

I will be first in line for the 6.5 st. book at the blurb bookshop.

[jen]

can't wait to see the book you come up with!

[Gabrielle]

I'm addicted to blurb, have done two books already - very impressed with the results. I think they should warn you though, that the small square format books are printed on a different printer than the larger ones (You only find this out when you look through the forums) I've done both a square 7 x7 inch and a larger 8 x10 inch. The print quality of the smaller one is still very nice, but not quite as good as the larger ones. It's a shame because the square format is really lovely. And last time I looked you can only sell books for profit in their bookstore if you are in the US. Of course you can still order a small run yourself (you get a discount for over 10 I think) and sell them for any price you like. I'm sure you would have lots of keen customers.

[natasha]

our kitten izzy managed to get toothpaste on her feet and underside and because she doesn't like to groom herself, it stayed there until i wiped her down. i swear she is a human child. who would thing anyone else would have the same issue!

[amisha]

the toothpaste made me laugh out loud... i can just see the little toothpaste footprints :)
and i am so excited about your book!
xox