Transparent Vinyl: Waiting for Violence

I admit, I am impatient. It's hard not to get a little frustrated. This isn't "Ohio" and I sure as hell am not Atlantic circa 1970 but, damn, things just seem to take a long time:

winter is coming.
grab a jacket.

September 12 - Masters shipped for lacquers/plating; Pressing plant order placed and deposit and label artwork submitted.
September 23 - Vinyl is mastered onto a lacquer.
September 24 - Lacquer is shipped to be plated. Turnaround time quoted as 7-10 days to arrive at the pressing plant.
October 22 - Pressing plant finds the master plates (turns out they got them October 19).
November 2 - Test pressing received.
November 3 - Test pressing shipped to band for their approval.
November 5 - Test pressing approved, balance due transmitted to pressing plant.
November 16 - 300 of the 500 records ordered (3 of the 5 variants) delivered.
November 28 - Pressing plant states remainder of the order "should be completing and shipping by Friday if all goes well."

Should and if aren't reassuring to me. Than again, maybe they shipped. I have learned that proactive communication is not a strong suit from anyone involved in this process (aside from the band, who are constantly on the ball).

If all went well and everything did ship, we plan to open pre-orders once the records are received, likely late Tuesday evening, December 4. We should still be A-OK for a Christmas release (and, if all goes well, a hell of a trip to the Post Office for me on December 26). The band is waiting to see the vinyl so we can match the ink for the remaining jackets exactly. This will be a damn fine release.

And it's worth the wait.