The Weekend in Numbers

I will spare everyone any overtones in the saga of getting my work back and just give you facts alá Harpers:

Number of works coming back to the studio this trip: 13
Number of phone calls needed to arrange shipping and packing of paintings and drawings from BNA to LAX: 22 calls
Number of emails needed to arrange shipping and packing of paintings and drawings from BNA to LAX: 10 emails
Number of new boxes I had to buy: 3
Cost of buying new boxes plus packing material to ship works back since old boxes and packing material were missing: $55.98
Cost of shipping 3 boxes of framed drawings back via UPS: $90.11
Cost of PT Cruiser needed to transport work to UPS: $116.67 (I had a coupon)
Cost of plane ticket from LAX to BNA: $268.30
Cost to pay another artist to repack the large crated paintings and deliver them to the shipper: $25.00
Cost to ask same artist to deliver one painting to my mom's house on the way to the shipper: Large Master-Pak shipping crate originally valued at $160.00
Cost to pay Bax Global or whatever they are called now to ship the larger works via another gallery in town to my studio in Culver City: $135.00
Cost if I had shipped them via UPS: $528.00
Number of hours needed to reframe 12 framed drawings that have come unhinged: ?
Number of people involved thus far: 6
Odds of me showing in that town again: 1:100 (I made this number up, could be higher, could be lower.)
Total: $851.06
I still have a few paintings left in Nashville to ship back, but I implemented the Just-In-Time thinking and decided since I didn't need them back as urgently as I needed the other work back, I could postpone that cost.

Somehow this turned into a group effort. Many thanks to everyone involved, especially Chris Scarborough and Lain York in Nashville for physically handling AND ARRANGING THE NITTY GRITTY OF THE SHIPPING! the large crated paintings that required 2 people and a truck, but especially Chris who also has a solo show opening this weekend at Curator's Office in DC. (And I only say 'especially Chris' because I actually met with and spoke with him through this whole thing, which made it slightly less painful and awkward).

The stress factor was considerably high considering the timing worked out so that I could check up on my mom, do housekeeping, recycling, sneak junk and clutter out of her house, take a 90-pound manic dog to the vet for his annual checkup and attend my HS reunion all WHILE doing the above shipping stuff. It was a little nuts. I actually puked this morning either from stress or taking a vitamin on an empty stomach.

It rained for 4 days straight. I have never been so happy to get back to LA. and I can't frigging wait to get in the studio. I may even get that silly Thumb Box after all.