Nice guys finish aghast

Dotting the eyes and crossing the wheeze

With less than a week until the printing deadlines, the looming exhibition again is all I’ve had time for this week.

So, please, indulge me as I regale you with the past week’s undertakings.

I sit and wait until that moment arrives
I’m so excited that I tingle inside
Regurgitator – Miffy’s Simplicity

There’s been emails. So many emails. Last minute ramblings, in the vague hope that the recipients will be able to decipher my manic garble, and respond with clarification.

Nice guys finish aghast

There’s been meetings. Meetings with the owner of A Gallery In Preston. Again, we’ll call her Sarah, because that’s still her name. These meetings have been to lock in final details; review proposed images, deadlines for images to get to the printers, dates to begin hanging images, what date opening night is, what beer to serve on opening night, etc, etc.

There’s been the curse of international time-zones. Emails and messages sent, needing a reply, only to have to wait until the other side of the world wakes up. This indiscriminate curse works for both emails from Australia to Sweden and vice-versa.

There’s been last minute decisions to be made. Wall colours. Wall colours? I hadn’t even thought about this? The name of the exhibition. We had, if I do say so myself, a pretty snazzy name when we were four, but now that we are two, a new name is required. And they all seem to pale in comparison to the initial.

There’s been culling. When we went from four to two, my initial fears were we’d maybe be one, just me. So, to avoid last minute panic mode, I went into preemptive panic mode, and began to amass enough photos for a solo show. However, as a result of my initial fears being denied, I now have twice as many photos than required. Some might assume this a positive, but narrowing these down is as wearing as not having enough for me.

There’s been assisting my kids whilst they take their last minute photos for the show. Yep, both Christoffer and I are including a couple of photos from our kids in the exhibition. As lovely as this is, it’s meant more work for me, answering questions, assisting with setups, advising on shots, and helping with editing. Albeit great spending time with the kids sharing a common interest, it’s time I could’ve easily spent on one of the many other things I need to get done.

I’ve always been reckless and foolish with love…

And, if all this wasn’t enough, there’s been the release of the latest LEGO collectable minifigures in Australia, finally. Great! Just what I needed. A new distraction. Precious time spent fondling blind bags for the minifigures I need/want, when I should be doing other things. A new set of minifigures I’d been thinking of possible shots for ever since the images were released online. A new set of photos I MUST scramble to shoot, edit and add to the collection I already have the arduous task of narrowing down!

You might be forgiven for thinking that I haven’t enjoyed the experience of planning an exhibition thus far. I won’t lie, there’s been times I haven’t.

At the end of your ride
Who gets to decide when it’s over?
Front End Loader – Pulse

It’s been a roller coaster ride at times, and not one of those fun roller coaster rides where you get time to try to spot your house as you amble around the tracks above the fair, giggle, and maybe get to hold hands with your sweetheart. No, at times it’s felt like one of those roller coaster rides that as soon as you’re strapped in, you notice the belt doesn’t connect properly, just as you rocket off, screaming in sheer terror, being whipped from side to side in a way that would make your chiropractor start planning their next family vacation, with the distinct possibility that all that carnival food you’ve wolfed down might make a violent reappearance.

Yet, despite these moments, I’m sure it’ll all be worth it come opening night.

If anyone needs me, I’ll be having a nice cup of tea.
(Just no one tell Vesa that I’ll really be having a beer!)