01 February 2002 - 12:26 a.m.

I tried mixing some Prussian blue pigment last night, and I'm remembering one of the reasons why I stopped considering blue a favorite color. Add water. Add gum arabic. Change angle of easel. Swear vehemently. Rinse nib. Flick in some more gum arabic. It's the hue I want (the "primary blue" gouache I mixed earlier this week is too bright for the text I'm working on, and I already know that if I bring out the stick ink I'm just going to wear out my wrists and want to throw it across the room). I will get it to do what I want. I'll also eventually get consistent with the letter "f" (right now the descenders are all over the place, so they're all off-kilter). Dammit, why didn't I practice this stuff back when I didn't need sleep?

Swear, lather, rinse, repeat, pause, check computer. Hey, it's Friday!

1. Have you ever had braces? Any other teeth trauma? Yup, and headgear too, and the retainer that got lost in the college cafeteria wastecan, and all four impacted wisdom teeth out at once (otherwise remembered as The Week Of Pureed Ravioli...)

2. Ever broken any bones? No - just lots of bruises from low-impact klutziness.

3. Ever had stitches? No, other than the kind you get in your side from running in circles.

4. What are the stories behind some of your [physical] scars? Vaccinations, plasma donations, blood donations, rampant acne, bloodying my knees on concrete after tripping over my own feet. I confess that I found watching my skin grow back all pink and shiny underneath the yellow ick and dark red scabs was rather fascinating. What can I say? I'm not physically adventurous and I don't seek pain. (Emotional exhibitions, well, that's another story entirely.)

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend? Visiting ma mere, which will most likely include eating excellent food, biting my tongue, and crocheting a storm.