Glass blowing and other fun stuff
Jun. 19th, 2008 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lillian13So, I've had my first two glass-blowing classes. And it's just as much fun as I thought it would be.
The classes are held in an big outdoor workshop, made out of that corrugated metal, with lots of gaps for breezes. No AC, but with the breeze we normally get, the fans, and the shade, even with the furnaces going it's...bearable. In other words, it's still very very hot--I'd say about 90-95F, but the humidity is low, so I only notice that the water level in my big container keeps going down. The nice thing? As long as we're in the workshop, the mosquitoes don't bother us. The stitches are holding up well--I'm taking off the splint and sleeve when I'm not actually working, which helps.
This class is...seriously cool. And fun. We're learning how to shape hot glass, add color, and do all sorts of interesting things. The instructor is being nice about my half-hand, and I can hardly wait until I can do the pipe work. We have to take turns, and we immediately began encouraging each other, helping each other out, and applauding at the end, when the instructor takes the piece to put in the oven to temper.
I've made a big heavy drinking glass (I mean, Fred Flintstone could drink out of it, and use it to club dinosaurs afterwards) and a smallish blue-and-white striped bowl. I'm going to make some nice things for my sister-in-law and the World's Best Niece (who has a serious thing for glass and glass artists), and some things for me, of course.
I'm going to see Spamalot on Saturday! Co-workers posted on our company bulletin board with an extra ticket, so I'm using my ill-gotten survey money I made last night (I had to get excited about chewing gum, seriously) to go with them to San Antonio to the matinee. Wheeeeeeeee!
State of the Hand: Incision is healing nicely; I have been gently flexing my wrist, as instructed by the physical therapist. Still can't grip strongly, and I know when I've overextended or done too much. Ouch. Heat rash on my arm is going away, thanks to calamine lotion. I can't wait to get the go-ahead to get back to work on my jewelry!
Dr. H. Jones' application for tenure denied. Hah!
The classes are held in an big outdoor workshop, made out of that corrugated metal, with lots of gaps for breezes. No AC, but with the breeze we normally get, the fans, and the shade, even with the furnaces going it's...bearable. In other words, it's still very very hot--I'd say about 90-95F, but the humidity is low, so I only notice that the water level in my big container keeps going down. The nice thing? As long as we're in the workshop, the mosquitoes don't bother us. The stitches are holding up well--I'm taking off the splint and sleeve when I'm not actually working, which helps.
This class is...seriously cool. And fun. We're learning how to shape hot glass, add color, and do all sorts of interesting things. The instructor is being nice about my half-hand, and I can hardly wait until I can do the pipe work. We have to take turns, and we immediately began encouraging each other, helping each other out, and applauding at the end, when the instructor takes the piece to put in the oven to temper.
I've made a big heavy drinking glass (I mean, Fred Flintstone could drink out of it, and use it to club dinosaurs afterwards) and a smallish blue-and-white striped bowl. I'm going to make some nice things for my sister-in-law and the World's Best Niece (who has a serious thing for glass and glass artists), and some things for me, of course.
I'm going to see Spamalot on Saturday! Co-workers posted on our company bulletin board with an extra ticket, so I'm using my ill-gotten survey money I made last night (I had to get excited about chewing gum, seriously) to go with them to San Antonio to the matinee. Wheeeeeeeee!
State of the Hand: Incision is healing nicely; I have been gently flexing my wrist, as instructed by the physical therapist. Still can't grip strongly, and I know when I've overextended or done too much. Ouch. Heat rash on my arm is going away, thanks to calamine lotion. I can't wait to get the go-ahead to get back to work on my jewelry!
Dr. H. Jones' application for tenure denied. Hah!
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Date: 2008-06-20 12:01 pm (UTC)re: Spamalot - I am tres jealous. The touring company was here in DC a while ago, but alas, the tickets were immensely expensive. Have a blast!!
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Date: 2008-06-20 02:37 pm (UTC)I actually used to have a S.O. who had a BFA in glass blowing. He wasn't very active with it when I was with him (we were both living in Oregon, working for a modem manufacturer, at the time), but every now and then we'd go out to this place on the coast where this guy had a studio back in the woods, and Himself would borrow the guy's tools and do some pieces. The guy's studio was in this little geodesic dome he had built in this tiny little clearing, and I would sit in the warm, dark closeness of it until I needed a break, then I would take my book and go out and sit on a log in the middle of the green, green, green of a PNW forest, trees and ferns and dampness all around, and cool off.
*sigh* It was nice.