Paul left yesterday and I think he enjoyed his time in New York. I encouraged him to explore the city as much as
possible and I know he went running in Central Park a few days. He also shopped, typical thing for him to do. I was
hoping he would have more to do at the NSS, but my booth wasn't inundated with buyers as much as the booth down
the way offering embossing tools - apparently that was THE thing to have for sale.
For this last day, the plan was to be comfortable in running shoes and skirt and to tear down the booth for storage
overnight until I got the car out of hawk to restuff with the booth elements for the long drive back to Boise.
Last night I joined Brian (Old School Stationers) and Lindsay & Brady from Hammerpress for a beer and dinner. I also
finally found out that they (Lindsay & Brady) were more than just business partners. I was happy for them as they seem
to be one of those couples who just IS a good match. I enjoyed my new friendships immensely. After the competitive
and backstabbing environment at Boise State's art department, the general feeling of goodwill and shared interests was a
refreshing change. Boise's art scene is filled with posers, a lot of talk and not a lot of action and I am a woman of action.
I do. Being with others who DO, who believe in their own business and that of other upstarts, was a great thing for me..
I like this community and am glad I've changed my business to be amongst my peers - I feel a change coming on.
We spent the evening talking about paper, presses, the perils of business and the community of handmade card people.
In jest, we laughed at the corporate vendors who walked our aisles and imagined what they thought of us. We mused
about the activities of the mouse, or mice, that apparently made a home under the Candy On Cards booth and whether
we should tell her or not. For the first time, I was happy to be with other artists and I was grateful for their generosity.
In celebration of the end of the show, and after a late Italian dinner over wine, we visited the site of the World Trade
Center and the NPR verbal history booth display at the WTC Subway stop. The verbal history project is a wonderful
idea, that we as a nation need to keep a verbal history of the lives of our citizens, especially those whose stories will help
to inform future generations of lives lived before, tragedies endured and hopes maintained. I expected more of a feeling
standing there, some sense of tragedy, sadness or death like the feeling one gets upon walking into a house that is
haunted. There was nothing in the air but an emptiness. After encircling the site, I found myself drifting off to sleep as I
waited for the subway train to carry me back to my hotel.
-t