Not enough hours in a day…

It sometimes seems there are not enough hours in a day to accomplish everything I need want to do. For instance, yesterday I began working on editing a new book about the history of INFERNO. It is going to be a full-color 8×10 softcover with articles, images, and artwork going back to the first issue seven years ago. Yep, it astounds even me that we lasted seven years.

It was a busy weekend. Thanksgiving was quiet, and Friday I helped decorate the float for the Center City Neighborhood Group, Shine and Silver Run School – it was a group affair.

Derek Leary kindly loaned us his truck and trailer. Judy Kessler’s kids at Silver Run participated in the group project.

I don’t think the wind let up all afternoon, creating quite a challenge in attaching the paper decorations. We used quite a bit of heavy plastic packing tape and duct tape.

We congregated at the Methodist Church on 3rd St at 6pm, loaded up and drove to the parade staging area at Wheaton Plaza. There we waited. And waited. And I wished I had thought about bringing a thermos of coffee.

Sharkey was on the float with us. It is amazing how many kids went to Silver Run School, they erupted in cheers when they saw Sharkey.

Saturday morning Liz and I put up the Christmas lights and decorations.  It was amazing that every strand of lights worked after being stored for a season. I think that was a first!

Then I began working on the new book. I wrote all day. Sunday morning, I wrote all morning. In the afternoon Liz and I had to drive to Philly to drop off artwork for the DaVinci Art Alliance Holiday Exhibition of affordable art. Then we drove out to Overbrook to visit friends for dinner.

Monday morning, after reading the newspapers and checking email I began the process of creating the book.  I dug out my archive of saved CD’s with all of the back issues. I am going issue by issue, pulling out the cream and trying to arrange it into an interesting and cohesive whole. Not only am I printing the best of the best, I am adding brand new commentary, historical tidbits, and personal history. So even if you have a collection of every back issue of INFERNO (I don’t, I am missing Volume 4, Issue 2) fully half of this book will be brand new.

I have asked every contributor to write a short article about their experiences. Many of the photos that were initially in black and white will now be displayed in full color. Full page reproductions of our best covers are scattered throughout.

When I begin a project such as this, I become totally obsessed, compulsively focusing only on it. I forget to eat, and drink pots of coffee. The only breaks I take are to evacuate the used coffee. It is for this reason that I have been uncommonly quiet on my blog.

I am up to the sixth issue, where I wrote that the New Jersey Motorsports Park project was a welcome addition to the City of Millville, that it would spur growth, jobs and bring the city back to self-sufficiency.  Anyway – enough of this nonsense, I have to get back to writing! You will hear about the book soon enough!