(Free post cross-posted on my Patreon page)

The Chicago zine is done!!! I am going to do one final proofread, but it’s overkill at this point and I’ve already posted it on Etsy for whatever that is worth. 

I don’t mean to seem like I’m not excited about it, because I totally am, but also I am a little terrified. It’s really personal, y’all. But also I think it’s kind of good? And interesting? My friend Sam said it was “captivataing.” (!!!) What a nice compliment. I really had so much fun putting it all together in the end, in spite of multiple self-invented obstacles and chaotic shenanigans.

For example(s), for a lot of the zine, I hand-pasted collaged backgrounds, and then printed the text in various sizes, then cut and pasted it in strips, like a cut up…editing out parts I didn’t like…And then scanned them into the computer, only to find that when I printed them, the background kept bleeding through. So instead of, like, using an image editor to fix that issue, I just casually decided to digitally copy and paste that same strips and randomly-sized blocks of text that I had printed and hand-cut and pasted…being careful to digitally skew the sections of text directly over top of the scanned collaged text, and adjust the opacity to let some, but not all of the background seep through. 

And then…when Acrobat (the app my workflow RELIES on for the bookletizer feature) randomly decided a single page of the pdf was invisible (even thought it was visible LITERALLY everywhere else) I doubled down in my stubborn dedication to NOT troubleshoot, and instead find the longest workaround possible. I created an entirely new document, and dragged and dropped each individual PDF page into the appropriate place in the landscaped document in booklet format.

Of course, when I discovered typos on those pages, I had to then layer over MORE text blocks to cover those errors, because I can’t edit the PDF images I pasted into the document. 

I’m declaring an end to the futzing as of now and offering it to the world. Take it or leave it. But if you take it, I really hope you enjoy it.

Paid Patreon subscribers will be getting a copy in the next zine grab bag. Others, if interested, can order through my etsy page or contact me directly for bulk orders, trades, or if you are broke and curious about my silly little tales.

Oyster Lexicon: an z-z of me <3 Lainie Oyster Issue @ 2 C is for Chicago, hand-written text in green, red, and yellow marker over background of Picasso sculpture sketch and a “Chicago Flag” composed of Blue stripes of “cheesy hearts” and 4 Chicago six-pointed stars.

Link to my Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/listing/4490989111/oyster-lexicon-an-a-z-of-me-c-is-for

Musical Interlude: Extreme Wealth and Casual Cruelty by This Mortal Orchestra – https://youtu.be/xRFVawWsfUc?si=juzbHEfCGx16tXxs