through a lens blurry ~

i don't want february to get away from me without posting the obligatory picture of my desk. as you can see, my camera is on its last legs. it suddenly went screwy on me in january and i haven't been able to resuscitate it. i might buy a new one this weekend, which means i won't be getting that new tv i'd been hoping for. ah well ~ i've lived without tv for years now and i'll continue to do so. i think i need a new camera infinitely more. and the good thing is: camera prices are way down!

so the blurry desk should give you some sense of why i am not getting much done: that pile there is 5 volumes of a 14 volume salvage project i picked up sort of randomly. it's Harper's Monthly from the 1870s and 80s. as bound books it's probably unsalvageable, but i'm going to do a little experimenting this weekend to see if i can't get it to hold together (most of the covers and spines are off, though the interior blocks are generally good).

if it's a lost cause (and it very well could be; the leather is seriously rotted and i'm going to do some experiments to see if it can't be "stayed" with some fixative), i'll probably just salvage the interior illustrations (and maybe some pertinent articles) and recycle what's lost. i hate throwing out books, but i feel like i am giving these at least a second chance. wish me luck!

it's a messy task, but somebody's gotta do it. and i need something like this to break up the writing/drawing routine. i'll post anything interesting that i find ~ and maybe even report on the results of my weekend experiments. i know you can't wait ~ !

: D