Michelle's Journal

This is one of my last unplanned/chill weekends until the end of the year. It's odd how that happens, but here we go.

As such, my goals for this weekend are to finish at least two binding projects. I've got five half-finished (two folded and ready to punch, three folded and punched and ready to sew) projects and I'm a little grumpy about the whole thing. I have been using my new punching cradle, but it's a learning curve. Which? I didn't think it would be? I have no idea why the holes don't line up when I use the same holes for punching! Realistically, I don't actually need to have the holes line up because it's going to get glued over, so. SIGH.

BUT! I do need to finish punching the last two projects and sew everything. Minimally, I want to sew up at least two books and assemble them to finished. Not sure which ones though. Blergh. I am so bad at art. BUT. I am doing my best! Maybe I'll go to Michael's and see if there are any fun single papers with a fun print on them.

I do have a couple audiobooks I want to listen to. I should charge my headphones.

In related news, I've been wanting to see if I could take a seminar or course in book binding. I found one out in Colorado, but it would be a significant investment (the whole thing would be ~$3k with travel, tuition, and food and would require either 5 days off work or 10 if I go for the full course). I wish there was something closer! I know the University of Iowa has a Center for the Book, but it doesn't seem like they offer community seminars. Maybe I'll email them and ask about it. I know they have community writing seminars; maybe they'll say yes? IDK. I have tried poking around the Chicagoland area, but my search skills are not serving me well here. Most of the stuff I've found is for, like, blank notebook creation? Or short, afternoon things. There is a binder mildly close to me and I might try and reach out to see if they have any advice, but they just seem to be a professional binder. Which I did not actually know was still a thing? Good for her!

Mind, I know there's a lot I can still learn on my own. Hell, there's a whole lot of formatting work and formatting programs I could learn. Honestly, if I had the time and money, I'd love to take the University of Iowa's program to learn binding properly! Maybe when I retire. *shrug* Although, apparently, there are a couple programs open? I have not heard of Lillistreet Arts classes, but apparently that's a thing? And it's not that far from my house? OKAY!

ANYWHO.

Apparently, I'm in a Florence + The Machine mood. Take that as you will.

I slept a lot yesterday. Not sure why, but I just kept dozing off. Maybe it's the weather. Things have turned cooler here (again), so I've dug out the hoodies and longer pajamas. I wish we had a bit more rain, but cooler weather has spurred a desire for hot tea, folk music, and fuzzy socks.

I went a bit overboard on hoodies last year. I think I have four heavier ones than I did before. It's kind of nice though. They feel a bit like hugs.

I did get some things done. Laundry, shopping, and Dungeons and Dragons have been accomplished. ( D&D chatter. )

I did drive in to work today. I have gotten away from it (which is good!), but it's smart to drive the car more than once a week and today is Indigenous People's Day, so everyone else has it off and the traffic and parking reflects that.

I did give up on a book I was planning to read for book club next week. I'd picked out one by an Argentine author, but it turned out to be include a lot of contemporaneously accepted patriarchal bullshit and I just don't have the tolerance for that right now. Even if it's a good reminder of how fucking lucky I currently am. I'll go try to get in to the cozy series I've been reading. It's wildly inconsistent in quality, so I'm a bit hesitant to commit, but eh. I've also made progress on the film history I've been poking at for the last few months. Usually I'm fine reading about films I have zero attachment to, and this is a good history! But idk. Midnight Cowboy has never really called to me. Glad it exists and I am enjoying the cultural context the book is giving me, but I keep picking it up and putting it down without much ambition to finish the thing.

I do think I'm getting a little more excited about committing to my light novel series. I am cheerful to have a full series to read through.

Right. So. Because I was Motivated due to obtaining basically the entirety of The Civil Wars Discography on vinyl (...I was going through it, ok?), I finally bit the bullet and bought the greatest hits compilation that got put out back in June. I had meant to do it earlier, but as it didn't have a physical release (boo), I got really unmotivated.

Anyway, having listened to it through, the only "new" version we got of anything was the early release "from the vaults" of "If I Didn't Know Better". Which, given that the only pro-release of that one was on the original live album from Eddie's Attic, this is actually a nice little gift? It's the first track on the album and is intimate, sexy, and really does benefit from a full band. I legitimately love that Joy and John Paul managed that level of fame and touring with just them, a guitar, a piano, and occasionally a vitriola? One of those tiny little hand accordion things.

Like, one of the most startling images of them, EVER, was of them from behind, standing on the SXSW main stage. Just them with a guitar and a mic and legitimately thousands of people in front of them.

BUT. I love when their stuff gets the full band treatment. It's why I do actually enjoy "Dust to Dust" from the album so much. And "Eavesdrop". Which, ngl, I am a smidge baffled by the tracklist for this greatest hits record. It's kinda hap-hazard? Like, there's not actually much of a rhyme or reason for the way it's put together. It's almost kinda random with the 'hits' at the beginning? Seriously, it feels like someone hit 'shuffle' once they narrowed down what was going on the album. Also, it seems like all the tracks are from album-releases. Wait, let's do an experiment. Here are the tracks from the released album.

( Track list as-is. )

Meanwhile, if it was up to me to do a greatest hits compilation, or even just a treat for fans that were still around, THIS is the set list I would have given.

( The One That Got Away )

The second tracklist is a lot more intentional! It's pretty much chronological and adds in some deep cuts from EP's that people might not want to put hands on. Plus In Another World, we would have had a 1930's production-style concept album from these two because the Dustbowl version of Long Time Gone is FUCKING STELLAR, and TELL ME that wouldn't have been a cool-ass concept album. And there's the intimacy of the BB EP versions with the exception of I Had Me A Girl which really, really does work better with the electric AND JP's little tongue click on his last verse is just. UUUGH. And the fact that the damn thing didn't end on either a live version (possibly from their 6th Street concert) of You Are My Sunshine is just ignoring the damn lore entirely. And Marionette is just so beautifully bitter and a great button.

Side note: I remain bitter we don't have a clean version of D'Arline or any versions of "Teresa", "Secret", "Devil You Don’t", or "Getting Worse". The latter four are songs registered as written by Joy and John Paul that were - presumably - written for their second album that just... didn't get recorded. Or if they were, they are likely unfinished. Or are just unreleased.

ANYWAY. Mildly grumpy I spent $12 on that, but if you're curious about this band I've been banging on about for the last three years, "The One That Got Away" is an ok compilation. It just could have been a whole lot better. :|