The Glass Turtle

Why you should look for an SRA badge.......

2011-08-04T11:39:00.000-04:00

I thought I would revive this information that I have always had posted on my website just as an FYI :)

Please click on the image above to find out more about the SRA program!

So, you may have seen the SRA logo shown above and wondered what the heck it's all about. If you click on the logo you'll get just about the best explanation you can find and even better than what I can give you so I recommend you check it out there first and if you still have questions I'd be more than happy to answer them for you!

The movement to form a group for SRAs stemmed from a huge controversy in the land of lampworkers over the misrepresentation by one vendor of the type and quality of beads being sold. I'm writing about this because I feel that it is important for you, as a potential buyer of lampworked beads, to understand what there is out there and what you should be on the lookout for.

First, let me say that I do believe there is a market for lampwork beads of all qualities and prices. Let's face it....not everyone out there is creating works of art with one-of-a-kind beads that cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. What is of crucial importance for me, as a seller, is to ensure that you, as a buyer, are aware of what it is you're buying.

Having said that, let's consider what you're getting when you buy beads from a self-representing artist:

handmade beads made by one individual
beads that are properly annealed for strength and durability
bead holes that are smooth without any rough edges
bead holes that are clean and free of bead release
an unconditional guarantee from the artist regarding breakage

When you buy from a seller who is selling mass produced/imported beads you're probably getting:

beads that are made overseas by workers working in less than ideal conditions

beads that are most likely NOT annealed and very likely to break

beads that do NOT have the bead release cleaned out of them

no guarantee from the seller as to the quality of the beads

no guarantee that you will get your money back if the beads DO break

These are just a few of the major points I think are important for you to know as a consumer. I'm not saying that you should only buy beads made by self-representing artists (well...that would be nice!) but simply be educated about what you're getting and who you're getting it from.
Without naming names there are many sellers who have listings for lampworked beads claiming that they are not mass produced but rather quality artisan made beads. I urge you to use your own good judgement to determine whether or not these are indeed artisan beads that meet some of the basic criteria I listed above.

There are also sellers using images stolen from many reputable, self-representing artists to falsely advertise and represent their own beads. Consider that you may be doing business with a vendor who knowingly misrepresents the origin and quality of the products he/she sells using images stolen from other hardworking, honest, self-representing artists.

There is a place for all types of beads and sellers of beads and as always, caveat emptor! Know what you're buying and who you're buying it from. It's like if you go to the boutique and buy a genuine Louis Vuitton you KNOW you're getting the real deal....if you're really on the ball and know your Louis you might still get the real thing somewhere else BUT, if you take your chances and don't do your homework beforehand you may think you're getting a real Louis but most likely you're getting a dud. Do your homework and get the real deal!

My $0.02 worth :)

-Yee

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T16:57:00.001-04:00

To all my American friends and a belated Happy 1st to all my Canadian peeps. Guess it's just a grand ol' celebratory weekend this weekend :)

Here's what I was up to this AM. Unfortunately, I was so in awe of my ability to make these that I stared just a bit too long which resulted in thermal cracks through both :( Back to the drawing board.

If you're interested in owning your own interchangeable ring base you can purchase one through Jet Age Studios or Little Castle Designs and then you can shop for the toppers and change the rings out to suit your mood!

Hope you're all having a safe and fun-filled 4th!

Procrastinating.....

2011-04-30T10:13:00.002-04:00

because I'm so good at it :) But really I need a brain-break from studying. I've been at it non-stop (it seems) and I can't stop until the last final on Wednesday. The great news is that my last final for this semester is on Wednesday!!! Other than that.....well, I wish I had more fun stuff to tell you.

Let's see. The beads I showed you in my last post sold so I had to say goodbye...it was sad :( That just means I'll have to get to making some more! I've been feeling a little bit like a "dealer" lately. Lots of purple powder has been getting measured and shipped out. If you're looking for Zimmermann Z-99 Purple Rose powder you'd better mosey on over to the Etsy store before it's all gone. Don't I only wish I could reproduce this "lampworker's gold".

Allergies are finally subsiding a little so I can breathe. This is a good thing.

Looking forward to starting clinicals in a few weeks (could also say I'm slightly nervous about the whole thing!) I probably won't be around much but will definitely try to keep you updated. I keep thinking it would be super cool to tell you about all the stuff I'm doing at school but I worry about all those privacy issues so I think it better to keep it simple.

So that's my blah update for the day. Weather is beautiful. Stuck inside. Maybe I'll try to escape the house a little later on this afternoon :)

Hope you're having a great one!!

ps. Here's a pic just for fun. You know I'd go into severe OCD induced shock if I had to deal with this on a daily basis!

@DH's workplace! How do you find anything???

All sorts of good things.....

2011-04-12T17:08:00.000-04:00

1. My last post contained sad news about my friends S and J but in a miraculous turn of events they did get the baby and everyone's just thrilled that Baby K will be coming to Raleigh soon so we can all meet her :)

2. The semester is almost over (3 weeks to go!) and I will able to say I survived my first semester of grad school!!

3. DH switched to a new group at work and is all happy, smiley again. Woohoooo!!

4. DH got a certification that he had been working on and I'm so totally proud of him for putting his nose to the books and getting it done. Some nights he was studying more than I was!

5. The weather is warming up and everything is in full bloom. I love this time of year.

6. Made some super sweet beads which, when the time comes, I don't know if I'll be able to part with.

Hope life is treating you well!

Keeping it all in perspective.....

2011-03-05T10:11:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm still here. Another month has passed since I last wrote and I thought I'd finally sit down to put my scattered thoughts into words. Many times in the last few weeks I wanted to blog out my frustrations. There are have been so many things I've wanted to vent about but thought it prudent to keep things on the DL.

The events of the last few days have motivated to me to write this post. My friends, S and J, recently had a devastating thing happen. The short of it is......they were matched with a birth mother and were totally ready to welcome a baby girl into their home when the mom changed her mind after giving birth and decided to keep the baby. I can't even imagine what this feels like. I have no words and the standard platitudes are just that.....platitudes. Whenever I think about this I want to cry so I imagine it must be 100x harder for the two of them.

Which just makes me realize....no matter what I have going on that I may want to vent about....my issues are trivial. When I was working I would be reminded on a daily basis of how unfair and sucky things could be and it really helped me keep things in perspective. Now that I'm away from it I find myself losing perspective more easily and I don't like it.

Today I am thankful for so many things:

the most wonderful, supportive, and loving husband
friends and family who listen and help keep me grounded
good health
all the opportunities that have been given to me

I hope that you are having a good day wherever you are and thank you for reading this blog. Each and every one of you mean a lot to me.

One down......27 to go....

2011-02-01T07:47:00.000-05:00

Yup. Hard to believe that one month has already passed and that we're into February. Of course, since February is a short month it's going to be over in a flash too. Funny how that works. At first I thought school would never start and now it's just starting to pick up steam and I bet this semester will be over in the blink of an eye.

So, it hasn't been bad so far. A bit of a change of pace. Just getting back into the swing of full-time school has been challenging. I'm trying to treat this like my job for the next 27 months and get into a routine - get up at the same time, if I'm not in class then I'm in the books. Surprisingly it actually is working out nicely. I'm less stressed than I thought I would be and enjoying the learning (mostly!). Most importantly I feel like I still have time to spend doing other things which I really thought I wasn't going to be able to do.

Creating has fallen by the wayside. I'd be lucky to get in a day of torching every few weeks I think. I did spend this past Sunday doing some sewing. Just needed to get away from the books for a while and do something non-educational :) The upside to that is I'll be swimming in scrub caps by the time clinicals start.

No pics for today. Maybe I'll try and see if I can get back with a more detailed post about what my days are like and the courses I'm taking. For now, I'm back to the books. Yay ;P

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are!!

First day of school.....

2011-01-19T21:40:00.000-05:00

I wanted to post after my first day but was super swamped and never got around to it so this is just a bit late.

It's official. I am an unemployed, full-time student. And on my first day of school I felt like the kid in the picture above. It's finally set in that yes, they did indeed mean to offer me a spot in the program and no, they did not make a mistake :)

Last week was orientation so we spent a good deal of time just dealing with logistics and administrative stuff. I think that might have been the worst week.....you're ready to get going and yet it's dragging by because you're not really in "school mode". Well, if I wanted school mode I certainly got it this week. We jumped right from the frying pan into the fire!!! Never-ending reading. Concepts that have my brain screaming for mercy. More paper, more assignments, more reading....more, more, MORE!!!

But I LOVE IT!!! And I'm so totally excited about it. Today we finally got to the good stuff. The anesthesia gas machine (AGM). Yeah!!! It makes sense!! It's awesome!! I can't wait to drive it!!! Instead of dreading it (like I thought I might) I'm totally stoked about this....about all the learning and the challenge. There's something to be said about being an adult learner. I think you take it all so much more seriously and it's more meaningful somehow.

Anyhow, I'm rambling but it's because I was up way too early this morning and have already put in a full day. And my brain is fried because I can't comprehend pKa, pKb and all the other p's. ;P

I hope that I get the chance to take you all on this crazy journey with me but I can't promise frequent updates. I'll do what I can. In the meantime......keep calm and carry on!

On the cusp of a new year.....

2010-12-31T18:36:00.000-05:00

I'm sure I'm not the first to say.....My goodness! This year has just FLOWN by! At the start of every year I find myself wondering if it's ever going to get going. Then, before you know it, the summer is over and all of a sudden it's Christmas and a new year is just around the corner. Then I find myself wondering....where on earth did the year go and what the heck did I do all year???

The highlights of this year include:

Kev not killing himself falling off his bike. Don't know if you recall that one but he knocked himself unconscious and was transported to Big Duke. Didn't know his name. Talking out of his head. Major concussion. For a while there I thought maybe I wouldn't ever get my Kev back. Thankfully he's back to his same silly self with no seeming lingering effects of the accident.

I freaking got into Duke for grad school!!! YEAH!!! Please remind me that this was a highlight of my year when I get on here in the coming months and moan and gripe about how school is sucking the life out of me :D

I found some additional creative outlets - incorporating metals and whatnot into my repertoire. Keep checking back. I've got some fun stuff planned :)

Thank you everyone for being a part of my life this past year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!

Post Holiday Slump....

2010-12-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

I finally feel like things are slowing down. Even though my last day of work was on the 13th I didn't really feel like I was winding down because there was so much craziness going on with the house and then the ramping up to the holidays (even though we didn't do anything!). But with the start of this week I really am in full-blown veg mode :D

The house isn't completely done yet. Unfortunately they had an issue with one window that's held up the job. I'm hoping that window comes in today in which case it might get installed sometime later this week - maybe after the snow melts - and then they can finish the siding and painting on that one section. Some of the gutters still need to be finished. Same thing with later on this week. Can't imagine anyone wants to get on a 20ft ladder while there's ice and snow on the ground.

In the meantime, DH and I are fortunate enough that we get a full 2 weeks to spend together. This time is super precious because I have no idea how much time we're going to get to spend together like this once the insanity of school starts. We don't have any major things planned other than to veg together and do whatever we want whenever we want. It's pretty sweet :)

I've managed to sit down and torch a couple of times. Played with some silver. Got some new ideas cooking. More on that later. For now here are some house pics for fun.....

Hope you're staying warm and safe this winter season!

Scattered....

2010-12-09T19:50:00.000-05:00

Haven't updated in a while. Kind of been all over the place. Wrapping up work. Trying to get all of my life-support courses renewed so I won't have to do it until close to the end of school.

They're working on the house (siding and windows). Those of you in-the-know know that this has been a rather extended project and, while we're getting closer to being done, it isn't moving along a quickly as I had hoped. I think the plan is to have all of the house wrapped up by the end of the week next week.

My last day of work is Monday. Haven't quite figured out how I feel about that. Wednesday I'm officially switching status from worker to student. Wish me luck as I have to travel to Buffalo to cross the border to get paperwork done. Given the ridiculous amount of snow that's been coming down up there I'm wondering whether I'll actually make it there and back on Wednesday as planned.

In the meantime I haven't really been at the torch but did manage to work on my first ever spinner ring as well as a couple of mini cab rings to go with the stacking bands.

That's all I've got. Well, actually there's something else in the works but I'll update you on that once it's a done deal :)

Hope you're staying warm wherever you are. It's kind of freezing here in NC which is very, VERY, unusual!

Ring-a-ling-a-ding-dong....

2010-11-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

Yeah....I'm on a crazy ring making spree!!!!

Love them! Wear them all the time! Wear lots of them! Truly......the more the merrier :D

Metal? or Glass? Who care so long as i get to use a torch!!!!

2010-11-14T19:41:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday I took a quick refresher metals class. I had taken one a few years back through the local park and recs offerings but didn't really keep up with it and, consequently, really needed to get back into the swing of things. So, off to my local bead store where I played for a couple of hours and made these:

I just love these simple bands! Round wire, twisted wire copper and silver findings. It was a blast. And in the end I walked out with a finger adorned in ring-a-lischousness. I think I'm addicted. Not that this means that I'm giving up glass.....oh no. Just means now I may have a new addiction. I swear my studio is just not big enough. I think this means it's time to move just so I can have room to really get elbows deep in all these hobbies :D

Although....come January I may just be packing them all up for 28 months while I concentrate on getting through grad school. Now can you see why I'm cramming as much as possible into the next 2 months? Next Saturday I'm taking another class where I'll be making another type of ring. Oh yeah...stay tuned for more silver goodness!

I just want to party all the time.......

2010-10-24T21:54:00.000-04:00

Because it's just SO MUCH FUN!!! They came. They ate. They laughed. And in the end I wasn't left with a ginormous amount of leftovers so I consider the whole thing a great success. I can't wait until the next gathering of the Hennies. Thanks girls.....for making it such a great evening. I loved eating and laughing with you all!!

Hen Partay.......take 4!!

2010-10-22T08:13:00.000-04:00

It's the Hennies!

I don't know how it all got started. I think Karen was bragging about how good her short ribs were and we decided that she had to prove it by throwing a dinner party where she would cook food for us. No boys allowed - hence the hen reference. I think Anna made it official with the glass hen which would then become the mascot for our informal dinner group.

I figured I'd volunteer for the next dinner get-together (it's the 4th one?). My thinking was cunning actually. I knew mom was going to be in town and since she can cook and I can't it would be the perfect time to have a party with food. I'm also thinking that if I don't do it before January there's never going to be a dinner party at my house once school starts!

So the next Hen meet is tomorrow evening and I think I'm completely worn out running around trying to make sure I have all the stuff I need for this fest. Today we still have shopping to do and food prep later on this afternoon. The house is still not done (stairs are incomplete due to Kev's recent bike incident) but who needs to go upstairs anyways??

I found out that I don't have enough chairs for everyone who's coming so will have to rectify that sometime today. Eeeeek....the more I think about it the more there is to do!!

Well, wish me luck! Hopefully the food is good but I'd settle for lots of laughter and conversation. Worst case scenario........we order pizza!!

Flu shot....should you or shouldn't you?

2010-10-10T16:21:00.000-04:00

I never used to get the flu shot. Up until last year I had never gotten the flu shot. That is.....until I worked with my first patient who had H1N1 who was deathly ill. This was a young, previously healthy individual with no significant medical history who, all of a sudden, was struck down by this crazy flu strain. It didn't take much to convince me to get the flu shot after that. Last year it seemed like everywhere I looked someone was really, really sick after getting H1N1. Mind you, I do work in a critical care setting so it would be normal for me to see really sick people but the number of illnesses attributed to the flu were distinctly out of proportion compared to the norm.

So, this year, the minute flu shots were offered I got mine. That was 4 days ago. I am officially sick. I guess it's a small price to pay to protect against possible greater illness but this really sucks. My sinuses are clogged. My eardrums feel like they're about to burst and I'm sure my patients will be thrilled that I'm coughing and hacking all over them at work tomorrow.

Nevermind that this week is the one week where I'm scheduled to work 5 days in a row and that my mother is arriving next Saturday and I have no energy to do anything other than veg in front of my computer and blog about how yucky I feel.

It's going to be a splendid week. Yeah.

Best of intentions...

2010-10-01T09:05:00.000-04:00

You know what they say about the best of intentions....like I always intend to update this blog on a regular basis but it winds up never happening because I just have too much other stuff going on. Also, I don't have that much to say on a regular basis and I'm sure you have no desire to read about the goings-on in my daily, hum-drum life!

I did want to come on here today to just post a quick note about an incident that happened to TheDude earlier this week and some lessons that I've learned and would like to pass on as a consequence of the incident.

On Tuesday afternoon TheDude went for a bicycle ride. He does a loop that is about 10miles long and is mostly on a trail with very minimal road time and when he is on a road section he stays on the sidewalks. Long story very short....he wound up in the hospital with a pretty bad head injury - loss of consciousness, amnesia, and a multitude of scrapes and cuts - some of which required suturing. Luckily he eventually regained consciousness and was able to tell them his name (which he did not know on arrival to the hospital!) and where he lived. That is how the cops found their way to my front door.

Lesson 1: Always wear your helmet. I hate to even think how much worse his injuries could have been had he not been wearing his helmet

Lesson 2: Always carry ID with you even if you're only stepping out for a minute. He did not have any ID on him and I don't know how they would have found me had he not remembered his address.

Lesson 3: If at all possible try to go out with a friend. Just about everything is safer when you've got someone with you.

Lesson 4: If you should ever see someone in need of assistance - no matter the circumstance - please do not simply turn a blind eye and drive on. I am so thankful that the people who found Kev were not the type to just turn a blind eye so....C.S. and no-name bicycle guy..... I'm thanking you from the bottom of my heart!

A big shout out to the Apex EMS and the folks at DUMC who took care of my hubster. Even though he doesn't remember any of you or any of the events leading up to his hospitalization I know he is truly grateful for everything you did for him.

Yes....I'm still here.....

2010-08-21T11:18:00.002-04:00

Isn't it terrible of me to drop off the face of the earth for months at a time? I can't believe the last time I updated it was the beginning of July.

Once again I bring you numerous updates - one which is kinds HUGE.....at least...to me :)

Let's see.....

1. I FREAKING GOT INTO GRAD SCHOOL! And not just any ol' grad school. I'm going to DUKE!! And not for just any wishy-washy thing.....I'm going to be A NURSE ANESTHETIST!

So that's my big news :D :D :D

2. The Dude has finally made headway on the stairs (which have been in limbo for the last, oh, 6 years) and this weekend I hope to have the first 6 stairs - treads and risers - fully installed. YAY!!

3. I got an iPhone 4. Is that news anymore? Maybe not but I have to say I love the thing. What can I say? I'm a gadget freak. Yes. I have an iMac, iPhone, iPad, iPod....you name it. If the device is named i-something or other I've probably got one. Yeah. I know. I'm spoiled. You can blame The Dude.

4. I've been working on lots of simple beads lately. Mainly because I've developed a totally unhealthy fascination with the variety of silver glass available for lampworkers and since I'm just slightly OCD I've determined that I must catalogue all the color combinations that I use so that I may duplicate them in the future. Here are a few pics from the first test batches:

Fun stuff, eh?

I've been working like a fiend trying to build up the coffers before the insanity (school!) starts in January so I haven't had much time to be the social butterfly but I did get to see my favourite gals this past week. Here they are:

Life is so sweet. I almost don't even mind that I'm working 5 in a row next week. Almost......

Hen party tonight with another bunch of lovely gals.

Hope you're having a great day wherever you are!!

Random thoughts for the day.....

2010-07-05T19:57:00.000-04:00

Well, first off....happy belated 4th of July to you all! I hope you had a great weekend with lots of food, sun, and fireworks while surrounded by loved ones :) I got to spend the weekend with DH (who shall be henceforth known as "the dude"). We didn't have anything big planned. In fact, we try never to do anything around holidays as neither of us can handle the stress of crazy drivers and the overall frenzy that seems to surround any kind of holiday.

We lounged around the house. I actually got on a bike and went on several bike rides with the dude. There are parts of me that hurt that I didn't even know existed! For someone who only learned how to ride a bike in her late teens I think I did OK. It's still an ugly sight but I'm getting there :) We also grilled on the BBQ and made the yummiest fajitas. I'll have to post our special concoction sometime soon. You'll love it!!

I did get a small bit of torching in and my most favorite bead of all time was born this weekend. I have it listed for sale but, seriously, would be more than happy if it didn't sell. Hmmm, maybe I should deactivate the listing and just keep it for myself. Is this one I'll regret selling?

The bead is big. Focal sized. Definitely meant to be worn as a stand-alone on a simple chain or ribbon. The bead caps are all handmade by yours truly.

Anyhow, other than taking it easy and enjoying time with the dude I'm also buzzing with some big news. I can't share because I don't want to jinx it but you know sometimes you have such a big secret it's just dying to pop out? I haven't told anyone other than the dude and a couple of select peeps. All I can say is that it's going to be a stressful next couple of weeks. I'm just on tenterhooks and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to stand it!!

Well, before I ramble anymore I'm signing off. This is going to be a crazy work week so you definitely won't hear from me at least until the weekend.

Have a great one!!

Scattered....

2010-06-14T14:00:00.000-04:00

That's kind of how I feel. That might be how I've been feeling for a while but consciously I'm really feeling that way today. I had the best of intentions for this day off:

1. Finish online tests for school
2. Torch

Well, I managed to accomplish #1 (yay!) and am officially done with all the testing for my summer course. Phew! One final assignment - which hopefully I'll pass the first time around - and then I'm done until classes start back up at the end of August. Now...you'd think that means I'll have plenty of time to "play" but not really. Feeling guilty about not having worked much this year I've scheduled myself for lots and lots of work while I don't have any classes. Maybe not such a good idea?

I sat down to torch. When the 3rd bead exploded I figured it just wasn't meant to be and shut it down. I wish I could be a more "on the fly" kind of beadmaker. Just as much as I could never be a jazz musician because I totally lack the ability to improvise I also cannot come up with bead ideas on the fly. It's a curse :) I'm just not flexible enough to go with the flow. I need some sort of plan....some idea of what I want to accomplish. Give me Bach any day.

So, today I feel artistically stonewalled. And maybe that's way I feel all antsy. Like I'm not quite sure what to do next.....because I didn't get all the things on my list checked off. Gawd....talk about OCD!!

OK...enough of that....here are some pics of recent stuff just for fun.

Hope you're having a good day wherever you are! It's 90 degrees out today (more with the humidex I'm sure!) and I'm staying indoors. Maybe I'll even try to get back on the torch :)

What to do when you're stuck at home

2010-04-30T22:46:00.000-04:00

after getting your wisdom teeth removed and you look like a chipmunk and can't go 2 seconds without slobbering all over yourself.....

Get out the PMC and get to work! Since I'd recently emptied my stash of mini silver spacers it was time to get cracking at making some more.

I didn't count but I'm pretty sure there are at least 100 spacers there. Hand cut, hand decorated, and the most time consuming - hand polished.

I keep wondering if there's an easier way to do this but I guess not. It's the polishing after the liver of sulfur treatment that takes the most time. I'm seriously considering whether to adjust pricing on these things to reflect the total handmade-ness of these beads.

Anyhow, at least it kept me busy today. I wasn't fit for anything but being at home. Tomorrow? I have big plans for melting some glass :)

Trey Cornette teaches a mean class!

2010-04-16T17:14:00.000-04:00

So I travelled all the way to PA last weekend with hubby in tow to take a beadmaking class from Trey Cornette. The class was held at Noodlesaurus Glass Studio and I'm telling you.....if you can take a class from Trey or you can take a class at Noodlesaurus....DO IT!!!

Kris and John Schaible were awesome hosts and the 6-torch studio - just perfect for an instructor and 5 students - was an awesome place to take a class. I loved the small group. We got so much individual attention and there was always room to look over Trey's shoulder while he demo'd. I don't think it could have been any better.

I wanted to learn about twisted cane and scrollwork. I learned so much more. I don't know how many glass epiphanies I had but I came away with a greater understanding of how glass moves, learned a few of Trey's tricks and really got to pick his brain about all sorts of things, both glass and non-glass related.

Here's a hastily snapped pic of the beads we learned how to make. Mind you, I wish I could take credit for the rockin' Sun Garden bead in the middle (long green bicone) but that was my prize in the demo bead drawing at the end of the class!

Things I really enjoyed:
1. Meeting everyone!
2. Trey's generosity in sharing
3. How each student went home with a demo bead
4. The smaller studio setting really enhanced my learning experience

I really could go on and on....and on. But I think you get the idea. Anyhow, just wanted to share some beady goodness and say a huge thanks to Kris for hosting the class and to Trey for teaching the class. I feel like I really came away with some excellent glass knowledge which I hope to incorporate into my art going forward :)

Fire on the Mountain

2010-03-29T07:52:00.000-04:00

was such a blast!! Pictures of final product to come at a later date. I just have no time this week to even attempt to take and edit photos but I came away with a kick-ass Libby L. flower pendant and a Brad P. inspired vessel. Those of you who know me know I don't do that kind of glass work.

Brad and Libby are FABULOUS teachers so if you ever get a chance to take one of their classes you definitely should!

I had such fun rooming with the coolest group of gals and met a whole bunch of new beady friends. These meetings are the best!

Unfortunately....it's back to reality. I would like to simply make it through this week (keep chanting "one day at a time").

Big thanks to Marjorie, Gary, Brad, and Libby as well as all the other Fire on the Mountain peeps for putting on such a great show!!

See you again in the Fall! (I hope!)

Exercise in frustration....

2010-03-11T11:52:00.000-05:00

I've been holding off venting to the world but this morning I feel like this:

I feel like I may need to exercise some primal scream therapy or something. For the most part I'm pretty level-headed. Until something really irks me and then I have been known to say some not so nice things under my breath.

I have been taking a course at the local community college. Believe me...it's no institution of higher learning. Still, I'm invested in this course, learning as much as possible, getting the best grade possible. If I'm foiled in my quest because the person teaching the course is a butthead who has no idea how to teach and the reason I get a poor grade is not because I dropped the ball I'm going to be (I already am!) a seriously unhappy camper.

I find it highly inappropriate that we should be teaching ourselves the course material. Not only that but when did you ever have essay questions as your whole science exam (won't say which science)? I mean, 10 essay questions in 1 hour??? And then you tell me that the reason your taking points is not because the answer I gave wasn't right but because you didn't like how I answered the question?????

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

I WANT TO HIT SOMETHING!!!!

Check out this site....

2010-02-21T12:25:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered Barbara Lewis' website/blog through a fellow lampworker. Once I checked out her stuff I fell in love and am determined to get an enamelling class under my belt (like I really need more hobbies, right??)

In any case, Barbara recently upgraded/updated her blog and I'm telling you, you should check it out. Her blog is Painting With Fire Artwear.

I'm hoping that I'm one of the lucky ones who gets their name pulled for one of the awesome giveaways she's doing!!

It's beautiful outside today. Finally some sun and warmer temps. We're off for Thai food and then a day of R&R. Life is indeed good!

Hope you're having a good one wherever you are :)

Taste test results

2010-02-14T17:13:00.000-05:00

Surprisingly both Kev and I preferred the Rao's. Not sure what happened as I was all ready to pick the Cento without even tasting but after cooking the Rao's is definitely more zippy and tomato tasting. The Cento mellowed out and didn't have the acidity that I expected it to. Not that it's bad. For today the Rao's is the winner but, as I said before, I wouldn't hesitate to use either of these brands in the future :)

The tomato quest finale!

2010-02-14T17:05:00.000-05:00

I think today will be the last of the tests and comparisons. Today we're pitting Cento D.O.P against the Rao's. On initial opening both appear very similar. Both are packed in puree and a nice, rich red. To the nose the Cento is a little more "bright" - so says Kev and I have to agree. It smells maybe a little more acidic, not quite as deep as the Rao's.

So off into two pots with an onion and the requisite butter. The simmering is almost done. Quick observations - the Cento appears to be less watery during cooking. The overall color of both sauces is remarkably similar. We'll have to do the taste test shortly to see which brand we'll wind up sticking with. Either way I think either of these brands will do and will depend on what's on sale at the local grocers. Today Rao's was on sale at our local Fresh Market at $3.49/can so I stocked up.

Check back for the official taste-test results :)

The Tomato Quest....part deux

2010-02-11T13:38:00.000-05:00

The latest in my quest to consume the most amount of tomato sauce that one human can possible consume in a week :D

Nah...not really...but I am on a quest to find out if it's the San Marzano tomatoes that really make the sauce.

On a crazy shopping expedition one night not too long ago Kev and I drove around to just about every grocery store we could think of and bought pretty much every brand of canned San Marzano tomatoes. So far the conclusion is that Cento D.O.P is the way to go.

Now comes this particular brand. Rao's. I think we found this one at either Whole Foods or Fresh Market (wish I woulda kept closer track). In any case, on opening I was happily surprised to find nice, dark red, tomatoes in puree. I think part of what also makes the sauce so great is if it already comes in puree. Others may just be canned in juice so won't be as rich or thick after cooking. Anyhow...I'm happy to report that after an hour of simmering with the requisite onion and butter this particular sauce tastes just as yummy as the Cento. The true test would have been if I'd cooked them side by side but I've got to stop producing so much tomato sauce :D

I would definitely use either this brand of the Cento in a heartbeat. The house smells yummy and I'm geared up for some simple pasta tonight!

The tomato quest continues!

2010-02-06T17:18:00.005-05:00

Now that I'm totally addicted to this simple tomato sauce I've been trying to figure out if any old canned tomatoes will do. In my previous attempt it was painfully obvious that the generic stuff at my grocery store would not do. After some research it appeared that maybe I had to limit my testing to San Marzano tomatoes. The original receipe called for these tomatoes and that's what I used the first time around.

So, off to the grocery store I went. Seems that there are San Marzano tomatoes that are imported directly from Italy (look for the D.O.P stamp) and then there are San Marzano varieties that are grown domestically. In my second attempt I tried the USA San Marzanos. Close in color but no where close in flavour.

OK...so now I'm thinking I need to do a relatively scientific comparison. Off to the grocery store I go again (actually I think I scoped out 3 stores) and come home with the original Cento D.O.P and a couple of other brands that are all imported from Italy.

Today's experiment pits Cento D.O.P against Zia Rosa, also D.O.P

On initial inspection the color looks to be about the same. The consistency of the Cento looks thicker. The Cento smells fuller and maybe a little sweeter. I think the Zia Rosa may smell a little more acidic.

The true test will be at the end when we do the taste test :)

Both cans go into separate pots where one onion and 5Tbsps of butter go in and the simmering begins. An hour later the tomatoes have been broken down and the sauce is ready to go. The taste test says Cento is still the way to go. It's sweeter, slightly thicker, and more tomato-ey. The Zia Rosa isn't far off but is less full flavour-wise and isn't as rich bodied. I think it's just a little watery compared to the Cento.

Nevertheless it's all still good and now I have two batches of sauce that will tie me over until...oh, maybe Monday?? I still have two other cans of tomatoes that will undergo the same testing. It'll be interesting to see if anything measures up to the Cento.

While the sauce was on the stove I was busy knitting up some cotton dishcloths. Will show a picture of those when they're done :)

All tomatoes are not created equal....

2010-02-03T21:59:00.003-05:00

This I found out when I substituted a fairly common brand of whole peeled tomatoes in a recipe that recommended San Marzano tomatoes. But seriously...how different can a can of tomatoes be? The color, the sweetness, the ripeness was all "off" in the cheapo brand. I went to the grocery store today to buy another can of the "right" stuff and I couldn't believe my eyes. The freakin' can was $6.99!! Now I know I didn't pay that price the first time. Or at least I don't think I did?!? I just know I was looking for San Marzano tomatoes and picked up the first can I saw. Maybe I did wind up paying the premium but now that I've tasted the difference I think it's worth it.

Here's some interesting info about San Marzano tomatoes.

Now go out, buy yourself some San Marzano tomatoes (I bought Cento) and make yourself this totally yummalishious sauce. I guarantee you'll fall in love!!

Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onions
Adapted from Marcela Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking

Serves 4 as a main course; makes enough sauce to lightly coat most of a pound of spaghetti

28 ounces (800 grams) whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)*
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Serve with spaghetti, with or without grated parmesan cheese to pass.

It's 10pm. Do you think it's too late for a bowl of pasta??

The perfect cereal?

2010-02-02T10:45:00.005-05:00

I've been meaning to talk about my current, all-time favorite cereal for a while now. I know, I know. It's such a personal thing and what I like may not be what you like. However, I thought I'd throw this out there for all of you who may have seen this particular item in the cereal aisle of your grocery store and thought about it but never bought it.

Yes. I could eat this cereal day and night. Why? It's just everything I want in a bowl of cereal-y goodness. First, and most importantly, the flakes stay crunchy forever! You could leave the bowl sitting while sitting down to update your blog and when you came back your cereal would still be crunchy good!

It's sweet but not too sweet. Just the right touch to prevent it from being bland. Oh...and the strawberries and raspberries. Swoon. Yes...tons and tons of fruit. So sweet and plentiful. This cereal does not skimp on any of the good stuff and that is why every time I go to the grocery store you'll find me walking out with a box. It's panic time in the house if there isn't a box sitting in the cupboard.

Yes. Don't wait. Go buy a box and see for yourself. You won't regret it. I promise! And no. I have no affiliation with the company. Just an avid eater of this particular cereal :)

Hope you're having a better day where you are. It's cold, slushy, and rainy in this neck of the woods. How un-North Carolina.

Busy weekends...

2009-12-06T15:48:00.003-05:00

As if the weekdays weren't busy enough DH and I have resolved to tackle all the remaining tasks around the house in hopes that we'll finally get the place into "visitor" shape. We moved into this house in early 2004 and, up until recently, it looked like we had just moved in last week! In my last post you got to see some pics of the master bathroom. We're a little further ahead now with the toilet installed. We were all ready to install the new sink and cabinet until we realized that we accidentally got the wrong sized leg/brackets for the base unit and so we can't finish the install until the replacement parts arrive. Not bad. 90% complete. It's looking really nice :) Will post final pics when that's all finished.

This weekend we were committed to clearing out the front living room. This space had become a repository for all the crap that had migrated from all the other rooms as we worked on them. The time had finally come to turn it into a real living room. So, we put in a couple of hours of dedicated sorting, throwing, and cleaning and miraculously it looks absolutely fabulous!! Just a little more decorating/organizing and we'll have liveable space.

The other big thing we wanted to get accomplished this weekend was to put down new flooring in our little kitchen. When we first moved in we laid down linoleum tile - which looked great initially. However, after a few years of living it started to look less than nice and I convinced DH that it was time to do something about it. Gotta love sales at the local big box home improvement joints. We found some Pergo on blowout and so that's what we're finishing up as I type. It looks like tile but won't be as fragile or require as much maintenance. Certainly the installation was 10x easier than tile! Overall cost for our little kitchen? $100 in materials and some sweat equity. Pics to come on this too :)

I managed to get some serious beadmaking done late last night. I had some items that needed to go out for an order so I definitely had to get that done. I cranked out a ton of staple items - no off the wall creating going on - but it was nice to light the torch and get the feel of a mandrel spinning in my hands again. Hopefully I'll have more time over the holidays to work on stuff just for fun.

As for work....it's still going well. I'm enjoying the change of pace and just starting to find the groove. Unfortunately I kinda overextended myself for the next 2 weeks so I may be nowhere near the computer for updates until after the dust has settled.

Life is good. I hope you're enjoying your day as much as we are ours!!

Where does the time go?

2009-11-21T08:35:00.010-05:00

Checking in quickly and realizing that the last time I wrote anything was the beginning of September. Geeze. Time really does get away from us. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Good in the sense that things progress quickly without incident, bad in that I feel I haven't accomplished anything in the time that has passed.

So...let's see what's new since the last time I posted. Well...big thing is I started a new job - two actually. I finally got rid of the cancer that was my old job and moved on and I have to say that, so far, I'm a much happier person. I work when I want. No nights, weekends, or holidays. I get to work in a bunch of different units so there's no getting into any of the silly politics and whatnot of being in one place. And...I get paid more than I did at my last job. All in all I think things are looking good :)

DH is just cruising along after his surgery in September. Aside from the humongo scar that's left he's back to his old, spunky, self. I am very thankful for his superb surgeon and gastroenterologist. Keeping my fingers crossed that DH stays in remission for...well...the rest of his life.

We started gutting the bathroom just before the last hospitalization and when the time was right afterwards we picked the project back up. I'm hoping for it to be complete by next weekend. We tore up the old tile floor, wallpapered over the old stuff and repainted the walls, laid a new floor and now all that's left is to install some trim, the toilet, and the new bathroom sink/cabinet. I'm really excited. This one is going to look fab! Here are some before and work-in-progress pics.

This is just after we finished busting up the old floor. Don't you just love the wallpaper? Nothing like cabbage roses and navy blue wallpaper to welcome you into a bathroom. It had to go!

Unfortunately, the builders applied the wallpaper directly to the sheetrock (which we knew from another project earlier on) and so it was not an option to remove the paper. Since we didn't want to hang all new sheetrock we took the easy route and just gave the wall a new covering which we painted to match the bedroom.

You can't really tell the color in the next picture
but it's a soft greyish green. Very bathroom appropriate and kinda spa-like. We found some textured wallpaper that they were discontinuing at the local home improvement store and used that to cover the old flowery stuff. The nice thing about textured paper is that it hides all the underlying imperfections. Painting over it then gave us brand-spankin' new walls and I'm super thrilled with the results.

It was my very first time hanging wallpaper and I did it all by myself so I'm giving myself a big pat on the back :)

Here you can see the whole room top to bottom. We need to put new window trim up. You might get a better idea of the room color. We laid new concrete backer board on the floor in preparation for new tile.

Because the subfloor was warped just enough we had to use levelling compound underneath the backer board to make sure there weren't any major dips or bumps. I was not about to lay tile floor to have it crack on me!

So far things are looking good an level and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we evened things out enough that everything will stay intact :)

So here is the almost finished result. We got the walls done and the tile floor is down. We used a prefab patterned tile. It's alternating hexagons with 1" squares in between.

When the bathroom is fully completed I'll take bigger closeups so you can see more of the details. I'm super duper happy at how this is turning out. Mainly because I don't think anything could have been worse than what was there before!

More to come on the bathroom reno in the next little while.

Hope you're having a fabulous day wherever you are. The sun is shining here today and I'm going to leave DH to the trim work in the bathroom while I fire up the torch and kiln to see if I've forgotten how to melt glass!

Playing catch-up...

2009-09-09T15:48:00.003-04:00

Well, doesn't time fly? Since the last time I wrote there are been tons of new happenings. The one that comes to mind first is that DH wound up back in the hospital. Long story moderately short....he had an abscess that was not fully treated and it wound up doubling in size. Fortunately for him it didn't rupture and they were able to drain it. Unfortunately the consensus was that the time had finally come for him to have surgery to fix the "broken" innards.

I could go on and on about how I think his gastro doc did a shabby job of addressing the initial problem but that would just make me mad and what's done is done. So, instead I'll tell you that DH had surgery today. Right hemicolectomy. Basically they took out part of his large colon and small intestines and stitched the two ends up. My DH, being the unique individual that he is, of course has to have insides that aren't quite the norm and, therefore, the surgeon had a bit of harder time of things than expected. Overall though the end result hopefully should be the same but with a bit more of a scar. Let me just say that I can fully understand how people go broke trying to pay for medical care down here. If we didn't have premium health insurance we'd be crying over the bills right now. Last hospital stay: 4 days = $20,000. I don't even want to guess that this stay will amount to.

Most of my/our time has been spent in the hospital - getting treatment....getting ready for the surgery. I don't think I've worked much in the last few weeks but I've also come to accept that there is more to life than work and family is my top priority right now. However, in between dealing with all the health issues I did find time to consider other options work-wise and will be making some changes in the next few months. Thankfully the healthcare profession is one in which there are always job openings allowing for all sorts of flexibility and mobility.

Not much else to tell about. I did have my 2month post-op eye follow-up. That went well. At one month I was seeing 20/60 in my right eye, 20/30 in my left. Last time I was seeing 20/30 in my right and 20/25 in my left. I'm hoping for more improvement although I can't really complain as, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I can actually see without any visual aids. I think before the surgery I was 20/800 so any improvement is amazing to me!

Haven't found time to do much creatively. Lots of projects got started and then put on the backburner when we found out that DH was going to have surgery. We started gutting the master bath and got halfway done so that's got to be finished at some point. The stairs still need to be done (ongoing project!). Once those things are done it's small finishing touches around the house and then we'll actually be able to have people over. Yay!!!

No beads or otherwise to talk about/show. Maybe in the next week or so.

Hope you're having a good one wherever you are!! Stay healthy and safe :)

Just blah....

2009-08-16T16:39:00.005-04:00

I'm at a bit of a crossroads. I find myself having to make a whole bunch of decisions about a whole bunch of different things and I kinda just want to crawl into a hole - or at least under the covers - and not think about anything at all.

I think I'm feeling blah because I haven't been able to do anything creative lately. I haven't been able to torch - not because I've been put on restrictions - because I've placed myself on restrictions. Somehow I think after something as life changing as eye surgery you probably should stay away from lighting up the torch and exposing yourself to flare etc too soon. Of course, without the torch I don't have any beads to play with so can't translate that into anything else.

Does re-doing the bathroom count as something creative? We finally got around to leveling the floor so when that's all dry we'll be able to lay the concrete backer board and get to tiling. I think, if all goes well, we should have the bathroom completed by next weekend (fingers crossed!). Before and after pics to come when project is completed.

Meanwhile, I've been shopping around for a new pair of shoes for work. So far I've found that Crocs (even though they're hideous) seem to work best for me. I'm wanting a pair of the Custom Cloud shoes that I'll be able to throw my orthotics into. Anyone else wear these and have any feedback? I'm waiting to hear back from Crocs as to how to size the shoe appropriately to accommodate my inserts. I hate shipping things back and forth (especially if shipping is on me!) so I'd like to get it right on the first try.

Other than all of that my eyes are doing well. I don't really notice anything odd most of the time. There is still occasional blurriness which I'm convinced is due to dry eyes. I'm terrible when it comes to adequate water consumption on a daily basis! Scheduled for 2 month post op follow-up in a couple of weeks and am hoping for improvement in the right eye from the last visit. Otherwise I'm thrilled with the results and don't regret opting for the procedure at all :)

Lots of things going on behind the scenes. Hopefully I'll be able to tell you all about them when all the loose ends have been tied up.

Hope you're having a great day where ever you are!!

More of the same.....

2009-08-08T09:46:00.002-04:00

I had my one month post-op followup earlier in the week. Everything looks like it's healing just as it should however my eyesight is not as I expected it would be. I still have days of blurred vision. Overall my vision is great i.e. I can see and do all the things I used to need glasses or contacts to do. My left eye is great had is showing "no prescription" meaning (I'm guessing) that I'm seeing 20/20. My right eye - which started as the worse eye - is still lagging behind and at my follow-up I was seeing 20/60 and I'm concerned that this will not resolve.

From what I've heard and read it can take months for vision after PRK to stabilize. As the corneal cells grow back vision may change. I'm hoping that things will continue to improve and that at my 2 month follow-up I'll be doing better in the right eye. Not that it would require glasses or anything but after going through all of that I seriously am not relishing the idea of having to wear glasses whether they're temporary or not. Another option that is available if the vision in my right eye doesn't improve over the next few months is that I could get a touch up on my eye. Something to think about I guess.

So, for now things are definitely going well. I have occasional blurriness but I think this is due to eye overuse and fatigue as well as dryness. I still haven't gotten used to my new eyes and still find myself thinking that I need to take my contacts out before bed because I can still see clearly. It's a hoot :)

PRK - Week 3 quick update....

2009-07-27T14:43:00.003-04:00

Reponding to a comment left re. last post.

It took me years, literally, to even wrap my head around the whole idea of laser eye surgery. The whole fear of being in that miniscule number of people who had adverse outcomes..something I could overcome for a very long time. I don't really know what it was that finally changed my mind. I guess I figured that it wouldn't hurt to just get a consultation to see if I was even a candidate and then I could go from there.

I got an appointment with one of the laser eye centers locally. This was a couple of years ago. Basically they told me that I was not a candidate for LASIK because my corneas were too thin. Instead, they suggested that perhaps I consider lens implants. OK....if I wasn't quite on board with laser eye surgery I certainly wasn't on board with lens implants!! Funny....I remember being totally disappointed that the consultation turned out that way. I guess since I'd finally bitten the bullet and committed to the whole idea I was ready to go!!

So...put that idea on the backburner for a couple of years. Fast forward to this year. After thinking about it I realized that lens implants were probably not that bad....I mean, people get cataract surgery every day and it's an outpatient procedure, right?? Made an appointment with one of the top names in our area and was all set to get a consult for lens implants.

Long story short....even through I wasn't a candidate for LASIK, I was a candidate for PRK. I took about 3 weeks to think about it then just decided that it was now or never. Fortunately so far I fall to the "successful procedure" category. Of course, who knows what will happen down the road. Will there be regression? How long will it take for my vision to stabilize? All I know is that I can see - see better than I can remember - even when I'm having my blurry eye days.

I'm at the start of week post-op week 3 and most days are clear eye days. There are occasional blurry moments - washed away with my endless supply of lubricating eye drops! I fully recognize that it will probably be months before my eyesight fully stabilizes but I have to say that I'm pretty happy with the results so far. My prednisone taper starts today. I'm down to 3 drops per eye per day. At this rate I'm looking at completing my taper sometime in September. Aside from that I'm not on anything else and I figure putting in eyedrops 3 times a day is hardly a chore if the end result is perfectly clear vision.

My PRK surgery - Weeks 1-3

2009-07-25T08:45:00.004-04:00

I wanted to blog about this as a way to keep track of my progress and to share my experiences with laser eye surgery with others out there. I'm about 3 weeks out now and if I could have blogged in actual time I would have but unfortunately that was not the case :)

After an extensive consultation my doc advised that I would not be a good candidate for LASIK but rather PRK. The reason for this is that my corneas were too thin to make the corneal flap required for LASIK. In my case, the corneal epithelium would be removed, the laser part would remain the same, and after that the epithelial cells would have to grow back. I was told that recovery would take longer and that I would most likely experience more discomfort than if I got LASIK. OK....after thinking it over....I was still committed to having it done. I got both eyes done at the same time.

I had my surgery on July 7th. I was premedicated for the procedure with some Valium. Eye prep was done and then I rested in a darkened room for a while before they took me to the OR. In the OR I lay on the table where they positioned the equipment over my face. I remember lots of very bright lights. The first part of the procedure involved removing the corneal surface cells. I don't know what the exact steps involved were but I do know that at one point they applied pressure to my eye and everything went dark for about 40 seconds. I could hear the nurse counting down. Then, vision reappeared and the doc did a lot os sweeping and flushing of my eye. After that prep was complete I was told to focus on the green lights flashing overhead. The laser fired up. I could smell it. I think that freaked me out more than anything else. It took about 30 seconds and it was over. My eye was flushed out with cold solution and all of a sudden I could see with perfect clarity. Same procedure to second eye. Bandage contacts were applied and I was good to go. I think I was in the OR for a total of maybe 20mins. Actual operating time maybe 10 mins.

Kev drove me home (no driving after taking Valium) and I basically kept my eyes closed the whole time even though I was wearing the ever so stylish huge wraparound sunglasses :) Didn't do much for the rest of the day but rest. Had moments of clear vision that was encouraging. I'm convinced I made the right decision.

Went back the next day for a quick followup. Was reading 20/30 or so. I'm thinking this is totally the reason why I finally decided to do this. For the rest of the week I'm diligent with my eyedrops just waiting for the bandage contacts to be removed. I remember I felt like i had to use tons and tons of hydrating drops. Towards the end of the week I was able to finally focus on things closeup. With my pupils being hugely dilated I really couldn't do that earlier in the week.

Monday the 13th I had my second followup. This time my vision sucked and I could barely read the eyechart. I remember feeling totally disheartened although the folks assured me this was normal and that I could expect my vision to get worse after removal of the bandage lenses before they would get better. I went home after the visit and I felt like I was back to day 1 all over again.

Went back to work on the 16th. Although my global vision was fine I was definitely experiencing blurred vision and had a terrible time working on the computer. Don't know how I made it through that day. Same thing the next day.

I'm now at the end of week 3. I'm still using Prednisone eye drops 4 times a day. Will be starting to taper next week but it only drops 1 drop every 2 weeks so I'll be on for another month or so. I have my 1 month followup on August 3rd. My vision, when it is clear, is amazing and gives me hope for when it finally stabilizes. I've been told that this could take several months. I'm getting to the point where I have more moments of clarity than blurriness. My eyes get fatigued pretty easily. I'm just trying to take things easy and not doing eye-intensive stuff (like staring at the computer screen too much!!!). I don't have to use the lubricating drops as much these days.

Best moments?? Waking up on the day after the surgery and being able to see the numbers on the clock on my bedside table! Watching TV the other day and realizing that I could clearly read the ticker scrolling across the bottom of the screen!!

All in all it was totally worth it to me. I sometimes get frustrated with the fluctuating vision but I was told to expect this. I guess I just didn't realize how much it was going to fluctuated. Still, I know the end result will be worth it. Would I recommend it? Definitely!! Just make sure to pick a reputable facility and get recommendations on the doctor. I wouldn't shop around for a bargain with this particular procedure :)

It's been a while....

2009-07-11T17:03:00.002-04:00

Goodness....I didn't even realize it had been close to a month since I last updated. There's been a ton of stuff that's taken place since I last wrote I don't really even know where to start.

Let's see....well, the situation at work never really got fully resolved but I've managed to wrap my brain around things and have come up with a game plan that will work for me. I'm still waiting to find out whether or not I got an interview for the grad program I applied to. I hope to find something out in the next couple of weeks!! Once that's done I'll have a better idea of what the next step of my plan will be.

Other than that I've spent quite a bit of time getting to know my torch again. I've made a ton of beads and been working on getting my website updated. I'd love it if you'd take a gander over there and let me know what you think of the small updates (a little shopping wouldn't be bad either!) :)

The biggest news is that I finally bit the bullet and got laser eye surgery done. I was all psyched to get it done in early June but couldn't get a date that would work with my work schedule so I worked my July schedule around my surgery date and now that's come and gone. I underwent the laser this past Tuesday and am happy to report that recovery is going well. I think I was prepared for the recovery to be much more than what it turned out to be so overall I'm very happy with the way things are going. I had a follow-up on the day after the surgery and I think I was reading around 20/20 which is AMAZING considering that I could barely even make out the numbers on my bedside clock prior to the surgery!! Vision is still blurry due to the fact that my pupils are still grossly dilated. I expect for this to wear off in the next few days. I don't have as much light sensitivity as I did earlier on in the week so that's good. I can't wait for everything to stabilize and for the fuzziness to dissipate. I have to say that this is such a fantastic feeling...to be able to see without contacts or glasses. I was scared spitless at the moment of the actual laser firing but am loving the results!!

Bad news is that DH is not feeling well so we're working on getting him better this weekend. Some IV antibiotics and a short stay at the hospital are going a long way to convincing him that it's not a good idea to just go on and off his maintenance meds as he feels fit. Yeah....I've spent more time trying to convince him of that but it takes something like this to really hammer it home. So....hopefully we'll be home by the start of the week and no surgical intervention will be required. We're the walking wounded....he was supposed to be taking care of me after my surgery but as it turns out I have to take care of him in my not fully recovered state. In sickness and in health......

Well that's all I've got for now. Hope to keep updating more often!

Deep cleansing breaths.....

2009-06-15T16:21:00.009-04:00

The hoopla seems to have died down for a bit. I think that's more me burying my head in the sand and choosing to try to ignore the situation while trying to come up with an alternate plan. At least I don't feel the urge to cry every time I think about "it". I've also overcome the urge to commit some kind of bodily harm around certain people :)

In the meantime I got the GRE over with. Took it last Thursday. Did OK. Could have been better but was decent. Now there's nothing left to do but wait. My application for the program is completed and submitted. I only need the GRE scores to be reported directly to the school and then it's all wrapped up. Now we play the waiting game. Have to admit...was never really good at that.

Also got busy and finally committed to getting laser eye surgery done. I have a date scheduled and it's coming up fast! Have to make a note to remind myself to stay out of my contacts at least 2 weeks prior to day of surgery. So excited but also scared spitless!

In the meantime with no more studying to do (yay!!!) I have all of this extra time on my hands and I've committed to getting back to the torch. In the spirit of trying to find my glass mojo I prevailed on hubby to help by making more space in my miniscule studio. This is what we came up with:

We built an "arm" onto the left side of the workspace. Underneath you'll see some plastic storage bins which hold all the stuff that used to be in the dental tools cabinet that inhabited that space. I'm planning to get more plastic bins for the PMC stuff I have stashed underneath the table on the right where you can't see it.

Here's a pic of the old dentist's tool cabinet in that space. I think getting rid of it opens up the space up a lot and also makes for additional table space which is super useful! We also added the pegboard to the wall where many of my tools have now taken up residence. I think this is great and makes everything really easy to find. I'm particularly fond of the blue rod holder thingy on the leftmost side. I think it was intended as a paper towel holder but I've decided that it will hold all my reels of silver. I'm sure that over time the pegboard will fill up with more stuff. For now I'm super thrilled with my added workspace and storage! Have I mentioned how much my hubby kicks butt???

Today I sat down for a few hours and made big hole beads. Some just for fun. Some for a bead exchange. Some may be for sale. It was really nice to have a day with nothing hanging over my head to just sit and mess around. The beads are cooking in the kiln right now but I'll be sure to take a pic when they're done . This is the first step in regaining my glass mojo :)

Hope you're having a great one wherever you are!

Primal Scream......part 2....

2009-06-06T20:03:00.002-04:00

So....you could call this a continuation of my previous post. Let's just say that these days I have a ton of venting to do and, unfortunately, all of you reading are going to wind up being my audience.

This week was a very bad week. It's all tied in to what happened last week (last time I blogged). Related to the same incident. I can't give out details just in case I get outed but let me say that I discovered things about people I kind of suspected but never wanted to believe to be completely true and that those things turned out to be even worse than I could have ever imagined.

In one fell swoop I had the carpet pulled out from underneath me and I'm still reeling from the shock. Whereas before I was contemplating a possible change in my work situation I am now 100% convinced that a change is needed. QUICKLY!!!

I'm proud that I didn't do what I wanted to do which is quit on the spot. At least I've grown up enough to know that probably wasn't the best thing to do. However, I am taking this time to come up with an alternative and if that doesn't get figured out next week I'm quitting regardless. It's truly for my own sanity. You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. I'm emotionally drained. It's been a struggle to get through this week and I'm mentally worn out. For the first time in forever I keep wanting to lay down and sleep....and not get up. Like yesterday...I got out of work early because of a low census...came home and fell asleep at 6pm. Today we went out for a short while in the afternoon and when we got home I lay down on the sofa and fell asleep for a couple of hours. I'm lethargic and have no motivation. I feel hollow. This is so unlike me. I'm afraid I won't snap out of this funk in time. I take the GRE next week and at this point I just don't care which is really, REALLY bad!!

Think happy thoughts for me.

Primal scream therapy.....

2009-05-27T11:33:00.002-04:00

I think I could have used some yesterday. I really wonder if it works. My guess is probably not because even after you managed to shatter the eardrums of those in close proximity whatever it is that caused you to want to scream in the first place will still be there.

I'm conflicted. I'm sad. I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I know there must be tons of people out there who share how I feel. You bust your butt to do a good job everyday. You do your best because it's who you are. You try not to let all the other stuff around you get you down. And then one day it all comes crashing down. All that suppressed anger and frustration finally manages to reach the surface and all you want to do is hit something...really, REALLY hard. Either that or you want to tell the person who is responsible for letting the demon loose to just shove it or kiss your ass. But you can't. Because that would be burning bridges...bridges that are necessary right now. And so you try to find a way to get back to your happy place. My happy place just happens to be closed for renovations right now. So what am I to do?

I'm trying really hard not to make any snap decisions but all I want to do is say F*CK IT! Is it worth it to be this unhappy?

I have today off. I'm going for a massage. I think I'll exercise the option to take the rest of the week off to try to find some perspective.

Maybe I'll even try some primal scream therapy.

Almost roadkill

2009-05-17T21:35:00.006-04:00

or maybe that should be lawnmower kill. Yup...Kev was out mowing the lawn on Saturday when he almost ran over this little guy...

I shouldn't be surprised I guess. Our cul-de-sac does back onto a local park and we constantly find wildlife that's wandered over to our neck of the woods (so to speak). One time we opened the front door and found 4 deer on our lawn literally less than 6 feet from the front door. It was seriously cool!

Another time we found that a mama bunny had decided to make her nest in the hollow of a tree stump in our front lawn. Those were the cutest bunnies ever. I so wanted to keep them but Kev said we had to leave them to nature. I do believe that nature came in the form of the next door neighbour's cat. But let's not think about that. We have one bunny that loves this one particular spot in our backyard. I named him Winston-Bunny. I love seeing Winston-Bunny in our backyard :)

Anyhow, I'm glad that this little turtle was in our backyard and not trying to cross the road (like the other unfortunate bugger we saw a couple of weeks ago). We took the little guy over to show the kids next door. Of course they wanted to keep him but mom said no. They turtle-sat until the mowing was done and then he was freed to roam at will.

Adrenaline rush...

2009-04-30T11:11:00.003-04:00

It only lasts so long. I feel like I've been on an adrenaline high for the last week or so. I guess I really needed it to get stoked over finals. Well, our final exam for the class was yesterday and I have to say I'm really feeling the effects of the rush wearing off.

I leapt at the chance to be put on call today. If all goes well I won't get called in. In the meantime I'm just puttering. Surfing the 'net. Trying to get started on my personal statement for my application. Looking at the half finished hat I'm knitting thinking I should probably finish it. Debating whether I want to turn everything on in the studio for some beadmaking and risk being called in. I'm just all over the place.

Now that the class is done I have to shift my focus to the next task at hand - the GRE. Can I tell you how much I'm NOT looking forward to this? I know it's a necessary evil but darn it! Tests suck!! Thankfully I think I've got it under control and besides focusing on one more test and finishing my app all I've got is work (have to admit it's difficult getting back into the swing) and just life stuff to deal with. Not so bad, right?

It's kind of overcast today. Feels appropriate. Hope you're having a sunny day wherever you are!

There is no original thought...

2009-04-20T19:31:00.005-04:00

This subject - copying, that is - comes up every now and then on the lampworking forums that I frequent. I try to stay out of those threads because there's nothing guaranteed to turn people in raving loons faster than the mention of one person "stealing" another person's idea.

I've long believed that we are fast approaching the point where there is no more original thought. Let's face it...just about everything we do, write, create, say, is inspired by something or someone else. I remember one time...the sheer lunacy of it...when a pal from college was almost expelled from her program for using the phrase "The house is red".

Having said all of that...maybe we are inspired by things we see, hear, etc but even the blindest of the blind can tell when you've blatently ripped someone off. Where am I going with this? Well, recently it was pointed out to me that a reputable vendor is now manufacturing a tool for lampworkers. Not that the manufacturing of tools is a bad thing....it's that this vendor took a tool being made by another person and pretty much copied it down to the last nut and bolt.

You judge for yourself.

Original

Not so original

I'm mad. Mad on behalf of the toolmaker who spent all of his time, energy, and effort to create quality products for our lampworking community who then gets totally ripped off by this larger manufacturing company. I'm curious to know what the ripoff is going to cost. Are they going to try to undercut the little guy on top of ripping off his design?

I urge you to get mad. Money talks and you should speak loudly by refusing to do business with such a shady, underhanded, un-principled business. I also urge you to pass this information along to anyone you know who may be considering buying such a tool. They deserve to know!!

Slow-moving Saturday...

2009-04-18T11:10:00.003-04:00

What are you all doing today? It's gorgeous out today - bright, sunny, and warm! I do believe that Spring has finally arrived!!! No big plans for the day 'cept catching up ton household stuff and some minor running around.

A big THANKS to Kristen (my biggest fan I think!) for being the first to try out the flower spacers and winning the surprise giveaway. Kristen, if you'll send me pics of what you do with them I'll be sure to get them up on the blog and website :) Kristen is a fabu jewelry designer so if you're looking for some neat pieces for personal adornment you should check out her blog and links.

Hate to say but the last test didn't go so well. It wasn't terrible but definitely not one of my finer moments. Will be cracking down for the last and final tests coming up in two weeks. If I go incommunicado you'll know why! I'll be so glad when this class is finally over and all I have to look forward to is the GRE. I'm not actually looking forward to that but am looking forward to getting it over with. It's been a nutty past couple of months.

Just for kicks I decided to see what all the excitement is about Twitter. Yeah...like I need one more thing to update. Like anyone cares what I'm doing in 140 characters or less :) If you're a Twitterer? Tweeter? whatever...you can find me "yeepers".

That's it from me. Off to enjoy the day. Hope you have a great one wherever you are!!

On your marks, get set, GO!!

2009-04-13T10:34:00.004-04:00

The new goodies have been listed on both Etsy and ArtFire. The first person to make a purchase of the flower shaped, big hole spacers gets some totally cool freebies!!

The flower spacers are guaranteed to fit any of the interchangeable bracelets like Biagi, Pandora, Chamillia, and Troll.

Textured on both surfaces, darkened then hand polished to produce highlights and lowlights. I do believe I'm the first to bring this shape to interchangeable bracelets :)

If you will, also check out the new Lg and Sm CHUBBIES. Just like the regular spacers but thicker and more substantial.

Here's a preview...
Leftmost are the regular thickness spacers. Middle are the small chubbies and right are the large chubbies. The chubbies are approx 5-6mm thick. Small chubbies are about 11mm in diameter. Large chubbies are about 14mm in diameter. Any of these make a bold statement on your wrist!!

I think you should throw a bunch of all of them on your bracelet for a truly one-of-a-kind creation. You know all of these have been handmade and finished. One of the perks of buying artisan make products!!

Uh oh...

2009-04-12T20:59:00.001-04:00

The new goodies took longer to prep than I thought so there will be no goodies tonight. Instead check back tomorrow :)

Have a good night all!

Promo time :)

2009-04-12T15:43:00.002-04:00

Quick update.

Worked on some silver stuff today. Will be running a promo that starts as soon as I get pics of the newest stuff posted. Here's how it works:

I post pics of my newest creations.
You be the first to buy some.
I give you some very cool, very free, handmade by me, stuff.
(I may even give away some stuff even if you're not the first!)

That's it :)

I gotta get some economic stimulation going!

It's sunny out and we're having sushi for dinner. It's been a great weekend. Don't forget to check back later this evening for my next update. The website, this blog, and all my various online store areas will be updated.

So this is what it's like to have allergies....

2009-04-06T08:43:00.004-04:00

A couple of years ago I went through a "spell" if you will. I felt under the weather...general malaise that just lingered forever it seemed. Later on that year I got tested for allergies and as it turns out I'm allergic to just about everything under the sun. I opted out of getting allergy shots (little bit of a money grab if you ask me!) and decided to take my chances with medication. I didn't really have any problems after that until now. My allergies are running amok. Congestion, itchy eyes, the whole shebang. Of course, all the trees are in full bloom and everything is covered in yellow pollen. Oh....when will this end?!? Medication isn't helping at all. What's a girl to do?

Hiding inside the house is the plan for the day. Not only will it limit my exposure to these allergens but it'll force me to hit the books. Big test on Wednesday and I feel grossly unprepared. This might be the one that breaks me. Who ever thought that putting the respiratory system together with the cardiovascular system would be a good idea for a test? To me...those are the two hardest systems to study :( In any case, I'm home, I can't breathe through my nose, and I'm going to be studying all day. What fun!

Hope you're all having a better day than I am :)

Babies, babies, everywhere....

2009-03-30T20:35:00.004-04:00

No....not me silly! Everyone around me. Seems like there must have been something in the air six months ago because there are a TON of people around me who are due to have babies come June. In the spirit of baby-ness I've started knitting. Not very original I know but these make good use of some fantastic yarn I've got and by the time the kids get to Winter of 2009 their teeny little heads will be just the right size for these noggin warmers :)

I'm just about 2/3 of the way through the green/purple one. I think I like this particular colorway alot! Good thing I have a bunch more skeins stashed away for another project. I think I have to crank out another one or two of these totally cute head toppers. I think these test the limits of my knitting abilities i.e. knitting in the round and decreasing stitches but I have to say I'm very proud of how these are turning out. Watch out world....I'll be knitting socks in no time!!

Say nothing about the fact that I've made no beads in the last 3 weeks and that I should be studying for upcoming tests and whatnot. A girl's gotta make time for some fun stuff, no?

Runny nose, sore throat....

2009-03-25T18:28:00.004-04:00

I've got the cooties and I'm gonna kill the person who gave them to me. Well...ok maybe kill is too strong a word. I seriously hate getting sick. I've got that sore, scratchy throat. I feel that dry, feverish burning behind the eyes. I get chills every 2 seconds. I'm just miserable. And I have to go to work tomorrow. Sigh.

Studying gets difficult when all you want to do is turn on the bed warmer and climb under the covers. I'm such a wuss.

I'm going to dig me up some Thera Flu, climb into my jammies and call it a night.

Phew....

2009-03-21T11:21:00.003-04:00

It was a busy week. I got certified as a critical care nurse (YAY!). In short, I think this means that critical care is now my area of specialty :) By no means does this mean that I know everything about everything but I definitely no more now than I did a couple of months ago! See....studying does pay off!

School started back up after a week off. 'Nuf said.

I'm totally feeling unmotivated right now. I feel like I busted my butt for the certification exam and even though I only have 2 weeks until my next major exam my brain is on strike. I think I'm going to take it easy this weekend and spend it hanging with Kev and then I'll get back in the studying groove on Monday.

Have I mentioned before how I've never studied this hard or this much in my life? Seriously, I think if you put all the time I spent studying in highschool and university it doesn't come close to how much I've studied since January.

I love winning!!

2009-03-11T20:03:00.013-04:00

Well, not that I've actually won anything....yet. But I'm hoping that I do :) I entered this frit challenge contest that Lori Greenberg is holding and am hoping that I will be the lucky winner of Val's Frit Secrets book!

I've been using Val's frits...well...pretty much ever since I started lampworking. I'm more for letting the frit blends speak for themselves and love to use them mostly in crystal shaped beads where the colors really shine. Someday I'm going to take Val's class where I'll hopefully learn how to do more with frits than just put them on a bead and encase them :D

Here are some of my faves....the ones above were all made with Val's Glow frit on different bases, encased with different colors, with silver, without silver. Very neat!

These ones to the right I used Raku frit for the background which I thought gave these beads a lovely earthy feel.

Below is more yummy Raku-ness. Gosh is this particular glass every hard to work with though. Very tempermental.

I don't think I've used Raku for much in a long while. Maybe it's time to whip it out to see what it'll do for me now that I have a new torch setup. Maybe it'll play nice. It was like pulling teeth for a while. I'm really envious of anyone who can make Raku sing. Like Kim Neely...and a whole bunch of other beadmakers who are infinitely more Raku-blessed than I have ever been!

My faves though are the crystal beads with just the colors and a nice thick clear encasing to make them shine. Yup...those I love the most.....my ROX. All made with Val's frit blends except for the last set which I blended up myself as a special request for "Java Blue".

As promised...

2009-03-09T08:54:00.003-04:00

Here's the pic of my silver haul from yesterday. Snapped really quickly and so not the best picture but you get the idea. Now to find the time to actually put them on the beads :)

Today I'm off to a quiet place to study, study, STUDY!!!! Have a great one :)

Nonsense and whatnot....

2009-03-08T20:01:00.003-04:00

Hello world....(or at least those of you who happen to be reading this!),

I wish I had tons of interesting stuff to tell you but, alas, my life has been quite boring as of late. The good news is that I wound up doing quite well on that last test that I was stressing about. Now...the question will be whether I can repeat that on the next one. The next one promises to be a ball-buster and I'm being realistic about what the possible outcome might be.

In the meantime I've been preparing for an upcoming certification exam. Seems like all I ever do these days is take tests :( I can't wait for this part of the year to be over with.

Today I took a break from the books and decided to break into the stash of PMC3 that I had lurking around. I finally got all the knick-knacks "needed" to work with the stuff and I decided that there's no time like the present. So...in the end I churned out a ton of bead caps that I hope to use for my beads. I also made about a dozen large hole spacer beads that look quite neat on my Pandora bracelet. I'll try to post a pic as soon as I get one taken. I have to say that I'm quite addicted and am already searching for affordable sources for more PMC3.

Other than that I haven't lit up the torch for a while. I got a bunch of stuff done earlier that I listed on Etsy. A couple of the bigger beads I finished I was hoping to core with silver - hence the decision to play with silver clay. I'm also waiting on some additional supplies to come in so that I have the right size of tubing for the coring.

I'm really looking forward to tomorrow because I'm treating myself to a 2-hour massage!!! It's going to be the best day :) I hope you had a good one and I'll catch up with you again soon.

Shameless self-promotion :)

2009-03-03T14:55:00.001-05:00

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
theglassturtle.etsy.com

Phew....dodged a bullet...

2009-02-24T18:53:00.002-05:00

Recently I've been telling DH....keep your cool. Be the "yes" man. You don't have to like everything they're doing. You don't have to agree with all the decisions. Just fly below the radar and do what you have to do. Don't sweat the small stuff. Don't make yourself a target.

Good thing he listens to me. They did the first round of layoffs at his workplace today and a couple of his close co-worker/friends got hit. Good guys. I can't imagine what they're going to do now. I Hope they had some sort of plan in place. I feel badly for them but at the same time am glad that DH dodged this bullet. There may come a time when that might not be the case but for now we're chugging along.

It's crazy days I say.

Weren't you wondering?

2009-02-18T21:09:00.004-05:00

I'm sure you've all been hanging around just waiting to find out how the test went. It sucked. You know how after the fact you could kick yourself for not paying attention to the small details? Like you were so busy thinking about the big picture - understanding the physiology - not really worrying about the minutiae. Yeah...well that came back to bite me in the butt.

Well, at least it's done. All I can do now is hope it went better than I think it did. I won't know the results until next week. Could they torture us any more? How long does it take to run a freakin' scantron through a machine?

I'm curious to know how many of the answers I changed wound up being right or wrong. They say you should never change your answer and to always go with your first instinct. I didn't really follow those rules today.

Keep you posted!

Huh?

2009-02-17T13:29:00.003-05:00

I've been told that because I don't have kids I'll never understand about having/raising kids. OK. Well, if this is an example of how to have kids then I think I'll take my ignorance and live happily.

On the way to the library this morning. See a mom who is out running with her kid in one of those running strollers. Usually would not even blink an eye except that this woman is RUNNING ON THE ROAD into oncoming traffic WHEN THERE IS A PERFECTLY GOOD SIDEWALK right next to her to be used.

I say....ignorance is bliss!!!

Giving it my all....

2009-02-16T18:20:00.003-05:00

Goodness. I can honestly say that I've never felt so compelled to work this hard in my life. Since making this decision to pursue an advanced nursing degree I've really been working my butt off to put my best foot forward for the application process. In hindsight....if I would have known what exactly I was signing on for I might have decided to space things out a little. In any case...it's too late. I'm 100% invested. I've never studied so hard in my life. Never felt so pressed to achieve a goal. Some days I'm not sure I'm cut out for this.

Not only do I have high expectations for myself but it seems that everyone else around me has the same high expectations. I guess I put on a good face :) If only all the people who think I'm the schiznicks could talk to the admissions committee on my behalf I'd be in like Flynn!

In the meantime I'm buried in the books. I've got physiology coming out of my ears and when this first test is over on Wednesday I'll be able to gauge whether or not all the effort was worth it. But no time to mull it over...I'll be busy preparing for my certification exam.

Whose idea was this again???

Mere mortals....

2009-02-14T18:19:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note today. Been thinking a lot about life and death recently. Maybe because I've been witness to too many sad events this week involving people who should have lived much, much longer. Makes me think about how I want to live my life....right now....for the moment...as much as I possibly can. Because you just don't know.

So you think free healthcare is the answer....

2009-02-08T08:42:00.003-05:00

The healthcare system in the US may not be the ideal system - let's face it...is there such a thing as a perfect one? From an ex-emergency dept nurse I can tell you there are about a million things that need fixing! However, if you came to my ED and were complaining of chest pain and especially if you had just recently failed a stress test (leaving out a bunch of factors here) I do believe that you'd be triaged in appropriately and that we'd have you back, EKG done, on a cardiac monitor with O2 on and nitro at the bedside. You'd probably already even had your aspirin before the ED doc made it in to see you. Now, if all your tests were inconclusive i.e. no acute EKG changes, enzymes were negative etc you'd probably still get admitted for serial enzymes and maybe you'd even get a diagnostic cath and/or an echo ('cuz you failed that stress test).

Contrast that to showing up at an ED complaining of chest pain and then literally waiting 8 hours before the doc even sees you! Your hospital doesn't do caths so you have to be transported to another facility. But wait....there's a waiting list for caths and heaven forbid you're actually having a cardiac event. I guess they don't measure door to PCI times up in Canada. So you're stuck in the ED because the hospital is capped. Because there is only one hospital to serve a city of almost a quarter of a million people. You're stuck because the can't send you home (your blood pressure is swinging crazily back and forth - diastolic anywhere from 80-120) and they have to wait until there's availability in the cath lab in another city so they can get you there.

I have to shake my head. I think there are many things wrong with the healthcare system here in the US but in comparision to the scenario I described above I think we're doing pretty darn well!!

Tapping into my mind....

2009-02-04T17:35:00.004-05:00

My biological clock is broken.

I couldn't believe it when I saw this headline....it's like this woman has the direct link to my brain.

This is me!!! (minus the dogs and the fact I'm already married)

Little piece of heaven...

2009-02-01T10:41:00.003-05:00

I love my new studio. Have I said that enough? I swear it's just the best little space I could have dreamed of and I have my DH to thank for making it happen.

Here's a pic of me working in my beady space.

It's such a pleasure to have space where you can feel creative. The airy-ness and lightness of this space just makes you want to spend more time in there. Having said that....off to light up the torch!

Art Fire - for artisan products

2009-01-18T17:33:00.005-05:00

As artists (doesn't that sound mildly pretentious?) I think we're always looking for venues to offer our goods where people appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into producing a handmade, non mass-produced, piece of art. Recently I was introduced to another online venue for selling created to compete with Etsy. Don't get me wrong...I still think Etsy is great but have to admit that, like Ebay, it is becoming somewhat saturated more with supplies and mass-produced items rather than promoting the artisan made product the way it was initially intended to.

If you're looking for another place to sell and buy handmade items check out Art Fire

If you're interested in signing up for an account I'd love it if you use the link I've put up here (Register on ArtFire.com) - it's basically a referral link and you'd be helping me out :)

I'd like to know what you think about Art Fire so leave a note and let me know

Slightly overwhelmed...

2009-01-18T13:59:00.003-05:00

I have this tendency - not necessarily to rush into things but more to sometimes bite off more than I can chew. In the last few weeks I've been thinking maybe I'm attempting to do something that might be more than I can handle.

So...let's step back. About mid-December I decided that I was actively going start the process of possibly going to anesthesia school. That started me down this path of craziness that's going to last about 6 months. I registered to take an advanced physiology course, registered and scheduled to write the CCRN (certification for critical care nuses) and GRE (graduate records exam), and have to get all of my application stuff done before July 1st (really am shooting for June 1st). The course and the certification I am doing to boost my chances of getting into school. The GRE I don't have a choice on for grad school. Oh...did I mention I'm also working full-time?

So....I know it's doable. I just have to focus on meeting each target and not over-thinking the whole thing and becoming overwhelmed.

Yeah.

Easier said than done. Will I have a life between now and then?

I've moved...

2009-01-12T13:51:00.006-05:00

into my studio that is :) So I'm supposed to be making beads right now but I got caught up organizing and then I liked it so much I decided to take pictures. Long story short....I haven't turned anything on yet but I'm READY!!!

Here are some pics to get you started. I'm kinda 95% moved in and Kev thinks I'm nuts because it's not really final but who cares?

With the lights on.
With the lights off.
This is the top of the dental tools cabinet I got for a song. I totally rigged together something that resembles pegboard to hang my imprint tools.
The lovely powders that I'm going to work with (today hopefully!).
Pic of the studio from the doorway. Funny how all the posters I have are color sample posters. I need more arty stuff :) There was one more photo but for some reason I can't seem to upload it but you get the idea. Have I said again how much I love this space? It's small to be sure but it's fabulous!!!

95% complete.....yay!!!

2008-12-29T19:19:00.005-05:00

I looked back on the forum I like to frequent and it was over a year ago that I first hinted that we were thinking of turning the pantry into a mini studio. I remember that there were a lot of nay-sayers (sp?) but my thinking is....it's my studio....I can do whatever I want so long as I adhere to the rules of safety. So...without further ado....here are the 95% finished pics. More tomorrow as I add back some of the gear but for now it looks wonderful!

The corner workspace where I will primarily be working. The vent, instead of going up and out, now goes down and out. We hooked up a honking vortex fan which wound up being too strong so we added a speed dial so that the fan can be adjusted easily. Also, the table tops will be wrapped in metal so no fear of smoldering or burning.

This is the arm of the desk where my kiln will sit. Originally I thought I might try to put glass storage underneath or store my oxycon there after working but I think I might keep it clear because it makes the room much more airy.

A pic of the whole setup. I moved my balance ball chair from upstairs to my studio so now I'll have to find alternative seating for the study.

And the room from the doorway. I'm keeping the dental cabinet even though I originally didn't want to because it took up so much room but it's awesome for storage. All my miscellaneous tools, presses and whatnot are easily accessible. And it was a steal at $7!!

I love my room!!! DH worked super hard on it for me - even breaking into his vacation time just to make me happy so I'm a lucky duck :D

Walls and floors...

2008-12-14T19:18:00.004-05:00

The last time I posted we - well Kev - had thrown up the drywall and taped and mudded the seams. This time we primed and painted the finished walls and when that was done yesterday we got to work on the flooring today.

Here is the room just painted. Hard to tell because of the lighting but the walls are pure white. I wanted to keep it clean and because it's such a small space I didn't want color to overwhelm it.

Here is the corner where my workspace will primarily be located. You can see the gas outlet near the floor. That hole in the floor is where my ventilation system will come up through the floor. That dial on the wall is the speed controller for my ventilation fan.

Here is another pic of the walls with the flooring. We still have to put up baseboard around the bottom but that's a quick job and should be one this week.

Here is a pic of the actual flooring. It's laminate. I think it's supposed to be rustic pine looking or something like that. We got it on super blow-out at Lowes. We paid $3/case and picked up 3 cases so the flooring cost us virtually nothing. The nice thing is that it's a floating floor so it can be changed out easily (not permanent) and it was almost free!

This room looks really good empty :D

Quick hello....

2008-12-06T21:33:00.002-05:00

Hi all!

Not much exciting to tell you. The studio reno continues and Kev was busy taping and mudding today. I think we should be ready for primer and paint by next weekend. I wish this meant that we were close to finishing but there's still tons to be done least of which is the building of the custom tabletop that's going to be my workspace. Yeah. That's going to be interesting.

On a happier note Kev found me a way to create custom ringtones for my iPhone. That, to me, was always one of the greatest flaws of this great phone - the total inability to put ringtones on unless you bought them (what a racket!)

So, if you've been struggling along with the set group of ringtones that Apple has decided to stick everyone with and are looking for a way to create your own ringtones click on this link: How to create your own ringtones for the iPhone.

All you need is iTunes 8.0, music you've uploaded (can't be purchased from the iTunes store), and an iPhone!

Enjoy!!

The reno continues...

2008-11-30T18:23:00.004-05:00

Nothing terribly interesting to talk about. Well...that's not entirely true...there's alot I could talk about but I am unable to because I'd be committing some major HIPAA violations and that's not cool. Suffice it to say sometimes people can really suck and I wish I felt like I worked with more people who are team players. Enough about that.

So Kev had 4 days off in a row which is a really big deal for him! He spent 1 day totally farting around doing absolutely nothing. Day 2 he started working on my room and got some drywall up.

He got the wall directly ahead done. We took Saturday off from drywalling but Kev did pull another line for me and so now I have a dedicated 20amp outlet that I can plug my kiln into.

Today we worked on more drywall and now all the walls are done and we just need to tape and mud (which I really hate doing!)

See that dial on the wall? That's the speed controller for my fan that's going to power my ventilation. I was so worried I wasn't going to have enough ooomph that we kinda went a little overboard. The solution? To put a speed controller on so I can adjust as needed. Kev's the best!

I wish I had beads to show or something fun to talk about but it's really been all doom and gloom at work and the most fun thing I've been working on is the studio. Keep checking in for more!

Paint your pot....

2008-11-25T14:43:00.002-05:00

I had a run of days off so I decided to do something crafty. Ever since I played with PMC at Andrea's class I've been reading through books and surfing the net for cool PMC tools and supplies. I've come to realize that the one thing that all PMCers fight with is trying to keep their clay moist.

I borrowed this idea from some book I took out of the library and with about $20 in supplies and 15mins of my time I made up a whole bunch of these for my PMC buddies (so if you get one you won't be surprised!)

Supplies: Mini terracotta pot and saucer (bought at Michael's), paintbrush, sponge, recycled rope handle from an old J Crew shopping bag, acrylic sealer. You could use spray on sealer. I chose the paint on type because I don't like sprays and I felt like this would give me more control.

Here you can see I've sealed the saucer - important because you don't want the terracotta to soak up any moisture from the clay you'll be resting on the saucer. I also sealed a portion of the outer surface of the pot. This is up to you. You could seal it all? I only went part way because...well...because I felt like it :) I cut out a sponge circle big enough to fit snugly in the bottom of the pot. The rope I formed into a loop and tied a knot.

I then threaded the loop through a hole in the center of the sponge. Then I threaded the loop through the hole at the bottom of the pot.

Here's a view of the inside of the pot with the sponge and loop knot. To use you'd simply soak the pot in water long enough to saturate the clay and of course the sponge would hold water in it as an additional source of moisture.

Here's the finished product. You could paint your pot all sorts of cool colors I suppose but I kinda like the earthy simplicity of the clay pot. Voila! One very cheap, very simple, PMC humidifier. The most expensive component was the sealer but for $4.99 you'll be able to seal a gadjillion things. I mostly used stuff I had lying around the house but if you don't have these things the dollar store is a wonderful place to find cheap crafting supplies.

Now it's your turn to paint your pot!!

Let the games begin!!

2008-11-23T15:00:00.005-05:00

So I finally wrangled Kev into doing some work on my tiny pantry-turned-studio. It's about the smallest studio you could ever imagine but there's enough room to work and I figure so long as all the basics are in place it's better than freezing or roasting my butt off in the garage :)

Here are the post-demo pics:

View from the door. Yeah...it's pretty tiny. We measured and it's about 4 1/2' x 6'.

There's a crawl space entry there to the left which is a fairly large space under the stairs. I plan to cut out some wall in between some of the 2x 4s to create some "built-in" storage. See! When you have such little space you learn to maximize.
This is the 6' length of wall. We're going to build a table that will be essentially L-shaped. My torch will face the corner and the kiln will sit along this wall.

Down to the subfloor. We found some uber cheap flooring on clearance at Lowes a while back so we'll be laying that once the walls are done and all the other stuff that needs to go in has gone in. It's hard to see but over in the corner where the level is there's a hole in the floor (has a pair of blue jeans stuffed in to prevent air from entering). That's where my ventilation ducting will be coming up through the floor.

I originally had my venting going up but that took up a lot of space and made my tiny workspace even more crowded. After Andrea's class we decided to change it up and vent down and out using a setup similar to what Whit built for her. We got a Vortex 6" fan that blows 450CFMs (which I honestly didn't think would be enough) and it's too strong! Kev is going to add a speed controller so that it can be adjusted for maximum pull.

Keep checking back. I think that the new walls should be in place and done by next weekend (Kev has some days off!) I'll keep posting pics to keep you updated.

Hahahaha......

2008-11-16T19:58:00.005-05:00

I had to blog about this although it was probably ALOT funnier at that very moment in time. Still...

So we went out today. Ran a bunch of errands. Wound up at the local Target and while Kev was checking out I wandered over to one of the sample stations where they were giving away freebies of Starbucks chocolate (who could resist, right?). As I get up to the station the woman standing behind it says to me "You have to have your parents' permission if you're under 14." I'm wondering if this woman is speaking to me and I look at her. I guess I must have had a really funny look on my face because she then says "You look really young......." I totally bust out laughing and informed the nice lady behind the counter "I'm thirty-three" to which her eyeballs totally widen and her jaw drops open. I wave Kev over and ask her to repeat what she said to me. She tells Kev "Sir, you look like you have a child bride." At this point I'm totally keeled over laughing and just can't stop. She offers us each a sample of the chocolate and I tell her she's totally made my day. Imagine me laughing all the way out of the Target. I'm sure I sounded like a crazy woman.

Good thing I got a ton of laughs earlier in the day because then we got home and we realized that none of our fans would work for the new ventilation setup in the studio and I'm now missing the one essential piece that will prevent me from torching tomorrow :( Aaaaarrrrrgh! Now I have to find a fan solution that will work. Why can't things ever be easy?

Here are some pics that I forgot to post earlier of some other beads that I made during Andrea's class.
The bottom left is supposed to be an Ammonite bead (it didn't turn out because I screwed up one of the essential steps!). Top is a Sea Garden bead and right is a Moth Wing.Close up of the Moth Wing bead. I was very happy with the way this one turned out.
Moth Wing from another perspective. Yup. Love this bead.

And the winner is.........

2008-11-12T07:38:00.004-05:00

JUDITH JOHNSON!!!!!!!!!!

Wooooohoooooooo :D Thanks for participating in my first ever blog-related bead giveaway. Please get a hold of me to give me your mailing info so that I can get your prezzie out to you. It might be a little convoluted but you can find my contact info if you link through my profile (see over to the right). If you have problems finding me then leave a comment and I'll try to find you.

Thanks everyone else for joining in the fun. Keep checking back for more.

I never did get around to posting again yesterday (my bad). I spent all day online shopping for stuff, stuff, and more stuff. Of course I need all of this stuff to make the new, most awesome, beads that I learned how to make this past weekend!

This morning finds me getting ready for a class in neurology so I might not get back online anytime soon but we'll see.

Have a great day everyone!!!

Just Pics....

2008-11-11T11:59:00.001-05:00

Quick post with bead pics. More to come later.....

Don't forget today is the last day to enter the drawing for a bead/bead set. You need to add yourself as a follower of this blog (look over to the right side of the page) and then add a comment and I'll add you to the draw :)

Home Sweet Home...

2008-11-10T23:05:00.003-05:00

Yup. We're back. It's great. I love the "being there" and "being home again" aspect of travelling but not so much the actual travelling to get there and back. There would definitely be something to the whole concept of teleportation. I wish I was like Hiro on Heroes - bend space and time, close my eyes and be anywhere at any time. That would be so cool!

Anyhow, the trip was a blast. I am fully overloaded on what I learned. I have too much shopping for new equipment and supplies to do. I have to catch up on house stuff. I have to get back to work. Sigh. It was a blissful escape. I think I'm going to have to make it part of my plan for personal mental health - must travel at least 4-6 times a year.

Will try to post more pics tomorrow with another update. Will definitely include some bead pics.

Have a good night all!

More pics....

2008-11-08T22:59:00.004-05:00

Today was intense....my head is spinning from all the information thrown at us. The most amazing thing to me is that I totally haven't made anything that resembles what I normally make and am, therefore, working outside of my comfort zone. Not just with colors but with techniques and the sheer sizes of the beads I'm making. My glass supply is going to be dwindling alot more quickly if I keep making beads this large!

These are some beads from yesterday's haul. It's hard to see but most of them are on larger mandrels in preparation for what we'll be doing tomorrow.

Tomorrow we work solely with silver. PMC. I'm totally stoked about this as I've been dying to learn how to use PMC for the longest time. We've got tons of beads to line with silver and a bunch that we'll add caps to. Goodness....there is going to be a frenzy to purchase all the new supplies I'll need when I get home ;)

In the meantime, here are some photos. The sun actually came out today so there were some good photo ops. I hope the sun's out tomorrow too!

This picture is taking straight from the backyard of Andrea's place. The views are absolutely breathtaking!
Looking over to the right of Andrea's place. There is access to the beach which I'm sure is fabulous when it isn't raining.

Another view from Andrea's backyard. Yeah...if it wasn't so gloomy and rainy all the time we would actually consider moving to the PNW :)

Wi-Fi!!!

2008-11-08T11:56:00.005-05:00

OK...so we may be off on some island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean but there's wifi at the local grocery store. Sweet. So here are some pics as promised. I wish they were pics taken on sunny days but so far all we've had is rain.

I'd love it if only it wasn't gloomy like this all the time.

This one is the view looking out of the studio that we're staying in. I really like this place and would recommend it to anyone looking for something other than a hotel to stay in.

Here's one that Kev took of a random view on his way over to Bellevue. I think this is Port Defiance?

This is the view on the trail down to the beachfront. Another pic taken by Kev.

Anyhow, signing off for now. Off to class with Andrea!! I think we'll be spending more of our time at the grocery store on this trip :)

Quick hello

2008-11-08T10:20:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to say a quick hello. Turns out here's no wifi where we' re staying so all my grand plans to update this blog have crumbled. I am, however, having a most marvelous time! If you ever get the chance to take one of Andrea's classes I'd definitely recommend it.

It's raining, it's pouring

2008-11-06T21:26:00.004-05:00

Our cross country trip commenced at a painful 4:30am this morning. Up and off to the airport after a quick shower and last minute lookover to make sure we hadn't left anything on and that we had all the essentials with us.

One short layover in Cincinnati and then we were off to our final destination - Seattle. A long 4 hours later we landed somewhat bumpily and set off to get our rental. It was raining when we landed and it continues to rain as I type this update.

What I could see through the rain looked wonderful, green, and lush. I only wish that the forecast was predicting something other than rain for the duration of our stay. The studio that we rented for our stay is as cute as I hoped and I think it's going to be a nice haven for our long weekend getaway.

After getting settled in we got back in the car to explore Port Townsend. I like it! Quaint and historic, there are tons of neat buildings and niche businesses. We found a pub/bar joint for an early (5pm PST/8pm EST) dinner and I'm pleased to say that the food was spectacular. I think we'll be giving it another try before we leave.

Before I get off the computer for the evening (really poor wireless connection) I'll leave you with a pic snapped quickly as we were exploring. This is of the coastline which I bet is gorgeous when the sun is out!

Hope you're having or had a sunny day wherever you are. Keep your fingers crossed that the sun comes out tomorrow over here on the dreary west coast.

Don't forget to add yourself as a follower of this blog and then leave a comment to be entered in a draw for some beady goodness. Draw will take place Tuesday, November 11th.

Antsy in my pantsy....

2008-11-02T17:52:00.004-05:00

Yeah....I'm getting totally antsy. This week I get travel to take a master class from one of my all-time, most admired beadmakers - Andrea Guarino. I've been lampworking for close to 5 years now and never taken a class because 1. they're usually far away 2. they cost an arm and a leg 3. I just always figured if I put my mind to it I could probably figure out my own way of doing it :)

Well, I'm ready for an adventure. I'm heading out to the Pacific Northwest and I've bought my ferry tickets ready for the trip from Seattle to Port Townsend (picture the ferry scene on Grey's Anatomy). I can't even begin to express how totally STOKED I am about this trip.

We were looking for a place to stay and I was hoping to stay away from the usual run of hotel/motels. Well, I think this is just the neatest place. Kinda the same idea as the place we stayed at while in Asheville.

Check out 331 Cook Ave. Studio if you're ever in that neck of the woods and want a unique place to stay. I do believe this is about 1 mile away from Andrea's studio so really it's just about as perfect as it can get. I hope the sun comes out to play while we're up there because all the pics show the location with the sun shining and it's just beautiful.

I'm going to try to take pics and upload them during the trip (if I remember to bring the right cable with me!). In the meantime I just have to survive the next 3 days at work. Maybe knowing that I have this awesome get-away coming up will give me the added boost that I need to make it through the week. I'm totally excited about getting to meet some of the folks I've only ever "met" online through the glass forum. This is definitely going to be a trip to remember!

Shameless self promotion....

2008-10-25T21:27:00.002-04:00

Yes. It's true. I guess everyone wants to feel loved so here it goes. Add yourself as a follower of this blog (see link in the column to the right) then add a comment to let me know you've done so. You'll be entered into a drawing for a set of beads. Drawing closes November 11th when I get back from Andrea's master class.

:)

The will to live....

2008-10-25T20:55:00.003-04:00

You may or may not know that in my real job I work as a nurse in a critical care unit. I used to work in the emergency department but after a while found that I needed a bit of a change and so I made a move that seemed to be the natural progression for me. In the ED I would work to stabilize patients and get them moved out to which ever unit could then continue to provide them the care they required. It made sense to go from that to "The Unit" where I would learn (and am continuing to learn) how to provide continued care to patients who suffer from a whole host of medical problems.

I could go on and on about all the things I'm learning but I just wanted to take a moment to say that the one thing that has struck me the most is just how resilient people are and how strong the will to live is in certain folks. It never ceases to amaze me that human beings can bounce back (albeit slowly) from the most debilitating circumstances. Just when you think maybe it's time to prepare for the worst something happens and before you know it the patient you didn't think would ever wake up again is slowly opening their eyes. They're following commands. They get extubated. They're getting transferred out of the unit and are going to a floor bed.

I like to sometimes think that we, as care providers, did something that made a difference. That we somehow helped this person in their deepest, darkest hour of need to make the decision to fight, to stay alive. Maybe it was simply by talking to them while in their room. Making them more comfortable by propping and padding with pillows. Washing their faces. Combing their hair. Touching their hands and assuring them that someone is always there watching over them. Oh I know there's more to it like administering meds yadda, yadda, yadda. But I think it's the human touch that can make the difference between staying or going. Does that make any sense?

I am humbled by each and every person for whom I have had the honor to care for. I have learned something from each of them. They have all had a strength I can only hope to have should I ever find myself in similar circumstances.

Healthy back....

2008-10-20T18:22:00.003-04:00

I've been thinking about my back a lot lately. Actually I've been feeling it more than anything else. When I was in nursing school we had a whole class on ergonomics with emphasis on how to prevent injuries to ourselves in our line of work.

I have to say....we, as nurses, suck at ergonomics. Yes...we may have lifts and we may even try to pretend that we subscribe to the notion of a lift-friendly environment but when push comes to shove (and believe me....there's a lot of pushing and shoving....of patients) it's just bloody well faster to grab a bunch of people and give it the old heave ho.

The problem is that I've never had back pain until just recently. I think it may have something to do with the fact that we're dealing with patients that are getting heavier and heavier. And, no offense, these are the folks who tend to wind up with the most health issues and subsequently wind up in either the ED or the ICU. How fortunate for me that these are the two units I work in the most.

It scares me to think that in a few years I may be a candidate for disability. It's true, isn't it? How many nurses out there are on disability for something or another? If it isn't feet, knees or legs it's probably the back or spine. I told myself that I would be smart about it, take care of myself but I've come to realize that I'm sacrificing my own health for the sake of expediency at work.

So....what to do? Well, changing how things are done at work is like climbing Everest. For me I decided that I'd start doing little things at home to help myself and my back. So...step one. I got myself one of these:

Not that this thing is going to save my back but besides work I spend the most time sitting in front of my computer so I figure I can work on my home ergonomics.

I love this chair. It forces me to pay attention to my posture. I can't slouch or be a chair slob like I used to when I used my other chair. It can be just a chair or it can be an exercise tool as well :) I love things that serve more than one purpose. So, while I'm sitting in front of my desk I can do a bunch of stretching exercises. I can even pop out the ball and use it by itself. I've been wanting one of these chairs for the longest time and now I'm kicking myself for not getting one earlier. If you've been thinking about changing your seating situation think about getting one of these. I think you'll love it!

The water bottle to end all water bottles!

2008-10-11T19:46:00.003-04:00

I've been on a quest to find the ideal water bottle. One that keeps liquids cold. Doesn't sweat. Doesn't build up gunk in all sorts of weird places. Believe me....I've tried them all. Nothing worked out as well as I'd hoped until I went out on a limb and bought this bottle on a recommendation from an online acquaintance.

Let me tell you. Everyone needs one of these. I'll tell you that I put water with ice in the bottle at 10am and at 6pm there was still ice in the bottle. The bottle didn't sweat. I never had to wipe it down or worry about watery puddles.

I'm in love.

I'm going to buy the black one :D

I'm throwing out all the other bottles I have accumulated in my cupboards. They dead to me.

Perhaps I was a magpie in a previous life....

2008-10-06T20:13:00.003-04:00

I definitely have a prediliction for bright, shiny and colorful things. I think that's how I wound up with this.

Yeah...maybe to the average, untrained eye it might not look like much but to the lover of odd-lot glass it's a veritable box to drool over.

Let's not forget...this box of glass turned into a new roof for our house. Yup. Who needs stocks, bonds, or shares? All you need is some odd-lot glass and voila! Instant appreciation. Turn $30 into $400 if you just hold on long enough.

Funny thing is these days I'm trying to divest myself of all the extraneous stuff. I still love colorful things and have my fair share of glass but I'm definitely better about not hoarding everything under the sun. My philosophy these days is to try to obtain the best results working with the glass I currently have and not buying more hoping that the new stuff is going to make what I create any better. Lemonade from lemons?

I'm home...

2008-09-28T20:47:00.003-04:00

Wow....I'm home. My head is buzzing with all the information I gathered this weekend. I'm dying to sit down at the torch tomorrow to see if I can replicate some of the things I learned over the last few days.

I wish I could describe how great of an experience it was for me. I've never taken a formal beadmaking/lampworking class before and while this wasn't exactly a class it's the closest I've come to one. I loved watching other people make stuff and was overwhelmed at how generous people were to share tips, techniques, just about anything you could want. Everyone was kind and wonderful and I'm all ready to sign up for the next event!

Weekend getaway...

2008-09-25T16:25:00.003-04:00

Finally.....I put my foot down and decided that whether or not we had time I was going to make time to get away. Do something other than stay home and do nothing on the weekend. Just my luck there was a spot open for a lampworking/beadmaking retreat in Asheville and I paid my fee to reserve my spot.

I'm looking forward to meeting all my fellow beaders who I've only had the pleasure of conversing with online but never met. I'm definitely thrilled about the opportunity to learn new techniques and watch other people work. Most of all, I'm happy to be up in the mountains, enjoying a little bit of an adventure.

Originally when I was going to make this trip alone I had booked myself into a Red Roof Inn. Then Kev decided he wanted to come along and so we decided to see if we couldn't find more interesting accommodations. An online search found this place: Asheville Rabbit Hole

I think it's pretty neat that there are places like this out there to be found. We're doing the same thing when we head out to Port Townsend in November. We'll be staying at 331 Cook Avenue Studio and I think that's going to be a blast.

The best thing about both places is that they're just minutes away from where the classes are being held and it's kinda nice that they're not your typical hotel. Maybe that will be my goal from now on - to find neat little artist studio spots to stay in whenever I travel.

We've just gotten settled in to our getaway spot. More pics and stories to come later!

Dual personalities....

2008-09-13T19:48:00.002-04:00

Yup. It's official. I'm developing split personalities. I guess when you work in two totally different places where all the policies and whatnot are different you kind of have to learn how to turn off the part of your brain that "belongs" to the other place. Ever since I started splitting my time between two different hospitals I've found that it's a little more difficult than I thought it would be.

Having said that, in the short period of time that I've been doing it I've come to realize a few things about what direction I want to be heading in - in terms of my nursing career. It's been an eye-opener. I find it somewhat ironic that all the things I think I want tend to wind up being the opposite. Do you find that? It's like coming full circle. When I first started nursing I was convinced that the ICU was where I wanted to be. But then I found the ER and that is ultimately where I started. Convinced that the ER was going to be "it" for me I moved on to a larger, level 1 trauma center and here's where the irony sets in. I find myself being pulled back towards the ICU for all the things that the ER doesn't offer me. In the end I think that I thrive on the thinking that you need in the ICU but also on the adrenaline and doing of stuff in the ER. So, the solution is simple......find a job that incorporates all those things!

OK....no more talking about work. What I do want to talk about is the new Blogger tool that you'll find over there on the navigation bar on the right. "Follow the yellow brick road". If you read this blog even semi-regularly why don't you sign up to follow this blog? It's a little bit of self advertising. People read this, see you as following this blog, click on your link, read your blog! Kinda like a blog ring but snazzier. Go ahead....give it a try :)

Kit Kat Update....

2008-08-24T20:32:00.002-04:00

Remember I talked about the crazy green tea Kit Kat I found while on my last trip back to Toronto? Well, I finally broke into one and it was pretty interesting.

So it comes in a pretty swanky cardboard box that hinges open at the top. Inside are two individually wrapped sticks. Each stick is about the same sized portion as 2 of the sticks on a regular Kit Kat bar.

Taste-wise? Not too terribly different from a regular Kit Kat. Maybe a little less sweet. The green tea was barely discernible. The overall consensus is that it's cool and gimmicky but not worth the premium pricing (they were $1.50/ea CDN). I might pick this up if it were being sold side by side with a regular Kit Kat and was the same price but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for it :)

I'd be curious to see if anyone else has tried this version and what your thoughts are about this new flavour.

New job....

2008-08-22T17:20:00.005-04:00

So I survived the first week of the new job. Not actually on the job because it was more administrative orientation stuff this week. Next week is when I get to do real on-the-job stuff. I have to say that I'm excited and scared all at the same time. I guess I must have felt the same way the first time I actually had to take a patient all on my own. It's not that I'm not confident I can do a good job it's just that things are going to be so different - a different computer-based charting system, different protocols, different people. I guess it just takes getting used to :)

All in all things are going well. It will be interesting to see how the next 6 weeks pan out. Will I absolutely love working at a level 1 trauma center? Who knows? But I'll try my best to keep you posted.

Enjoy the weekend! I'll be indoors working all day tomorrow.

Home Sweet Home....

2008-08-17T10:45:00.007-04:00

Let me say again how sweet it is to be home. There's nothing like sleeping in your own bed, being surrounded by all your own stuff.

So, not a long update today but I did want to post a couple of pics - nothing major - from my trip. I have to admit that I'm a horrible picture taker. I'm just not one of those people to whip out a camera whenever something catches my eye. I think I'm going to work on that. After all, with camera phones these days I should be able to take a pic of just about anything, right?

OK. Here's a pic of my first meal upon my return. What else? Noodles. Yeah!!!

I swear, if someone would just open up an honest to goodness genuine Chinese noodle shop they'd make a killing down here in Raleigh/Cary.

Anyone interested? I'd invest in your venture :) My faves? Some kickin' wonton noodle soup with a side dish of simple veggies with oyster sauce. Nothing like the basics to make my tummy happy!

After the noodle shop we stopped by the ubiquitous asian grocery where upon browsing the shelves I saw these.

I wish I woulda grabbed the ones that had the english wording but the overall gist is these are KitKats with......matcha green tea!!! I swear. Only in Toronto. If it's hip (green tea/matcha is pretty hip right now) then the asians are all over it.

I haven't actually opened one up and tried it....yet. I'll be sure to post my impressions when I do. Haven't scientists been saying all along that chocolate is healthy? Well, with the addition of green tea and all those antioxidants this stuff has got to be even better for you than before, right?

And here's my final pic. Just for kicks. I've never seen anything like this before. Has crime really climbed to such an all-time high that this is what we have resorted to in Toronto?

I wish I would have looked a little more closely to see what the rental fee is. Gone are the days of the simple metal racks where you'd park your bike and clip on your handy-dandy bike lock.

I wonder whether those bike lock companies now include Toronto on their list of cities where they will not offer a guarantee against theft??

Well, that's all from me this fine Sunday morning. Hope you're all having a good one wherever you are!

I love my iPhone!

2008-08-16T19:34:00.002-04:00

What else would I be doing while sitting in the airport terminal waiting for the plane to finally take me home? I swear this thing is the greatest invention of all time. I can surf the net regardless of the fact that wifi isn't free (what's up with that?), send and receive email, and do goodness only knows what else!

I have some funny pics to post from my trip that I'll get to when I get home. Unfortunately the my camera didn't like the cable I tried
to use to download the pics.

Anyhow, just a quick update from moi. It's good to get back stateside.

Sent from Yee's iPhone

Toto.....we're not in Cary anymore......

2008-08-13T17:21:00.005-04:00

Living in Cary, NC is a unique experience that some have referred to as being similar to being in the movie Pleasantville. Everything's manicured and color co-ordinated. Some used to joke that Cary was like vanilla ice-cream with flecks of vanilla bean. Make of that what you will. 9 years ago I moved from metropolitan Toronto to the small town of Cary and that was an eye-opening and life-changing experience.

Let's just say that the pace of life down south has grown on me. Making my way up to Toronto to spend some time with family and to get some paperwork done has only served to solidify my belief that it's highly unlikely that I will ever move back here.

Take driving for example. Yes it's true that there are some really dumbass drivers down where I live - those who can hardly manage to merge onto the highway. No problems with that up here because everyone drives like a maniac and it's bumper to bumper every which way you look. It's enough to make someone who isn't claustrophobic become it. Traffic snarls with no end in sight. Eeeeek....I wanna go home!

But, for all the craziness that this place brings it also has things that one would never see south of the 49th parallel (actually...as a good friend just pointed out...I was a couple of parallels too far north at 49. Maybe closer to the 43rd!). Just wait until I get my pics downloaded and you get a look at some of the things I've found in just my first of 3 days back.

More to come......

Don't know what to do with myself....

2008-08-03T15:04:00.004-04:00

It's not often that I get more than 2-3 days off in a row. I know, I know...some of you out there may be thinking you never get more than 2 days off in a row ever. I guess my thinking is that I work 12-hour shifts and usually at least 4 of those a week so it's just always happened that my days wind up spaced in such a way that I don't get a huge chunk of time off unless I purposely plan it that way.

Anyhow, somehow I actually wound up with 6 days off in a row! Nice, right? Not for me....that's too many off in a row :D I picked up an extra shift so instead of 6 days off I get 4 off, 1 on, 1 off, then 2 on. I'm a nut. It's not bad though. That's just about the most time off I want to take....for now.

My problem is that even when I have a whole bunch of days off instead of getting tons accomplished I get absolutely nothing done. There are a million things I could be doing but instead I'm totally frittering away my time - surfing the net, vegging, hunting mice on Facebook. Will I ever actually get anything concrete accomplished??

I'll be heading back to Toronto for a couple of days shortly. Maybe I'll take some pics and post them. I can't wait to get back....lotsa yummy food that can't be found here in the south. Can we say "real" dim sum and authentic asian cuisine??? My salivary glands are working overtime!

Hope you're having a great weekend wherever you are :)

My tiny studio - in the works!

2008-07-27T17:55:00.006-04:00

So a long time ago I promised that I would bring you updates as my studio progressed. Well, so far we've gutted what used to be the pantry and the setup in there is bare-bones with most things mocked up to see if it would all fit and work as a bead-making space.

I'm happy to say that it appears that the space will do nicely for a tiny, in-house bead studio. Of course, it would be splendid if I could build myself a bead castle like some other folks but my homeowner's association would never let that fly and we're saving a major studio for the day when we have a couple of acres to ourselves and DH can have the woodworking space he's hankering for.

In the meantime here are some pics of my very unfinished space.

Above see a pic of just about the whole workspace. It needs tweaking. We're designing a custom tabletop that will be L-shaped so that I have room to spread things out. The kiln that you see at table top level will move up onto a shelf about a foot or so above the tabletop so it doesn't feel quite so crowded at elbow height.

The hood needs some further work. It's been difficult to find the best setup for a corner but everything works nicely and it just needs some beautification. I'm also working on a nicer method of baffling the setup to keep all the fumes travelling in the right direction and not escaping.

You'll see the flexi-pipe underneath the table. That's bringing in my make-up air that flows through a register at the back of my table. The register can be opened and closed so that it keeps out the majority of air when it's not in use.

That cream colored cabinet was a $5 find and is an old dental tool cabinet. It's perfect for that small space and offers a ton of storage solutions. I love the narrow top drawers for laying out tools and storing stuff like silver wire etc. The larger bottom drawers I use for my presses and misc. frit and frit-making tools. The smaller silver cabinet next to it I use for all of my frit jars. They're separated by color family :) This cabinet is almost full!

The opening you see on the left is to the crawl space under the stairs. We're working on emptying out all junk that's accumulated there and then what we plan to do is where the wall is next to the opening we'll open up the spaces between the framing and build custom storage for glass. I'm really only wanting space to stack all the fence rail and perhaps that would also allow for some recessed space where I could put my stereo? Right now my glass is all underneath the kiln (on a rolling cart) and I'd like to get stuff off the floor in that area so that the working space stays relatively uncluttered.

The plan in the next little while is to re-sheetrock the 2 walls that form the corner where I'll be working. I'll be tiling the tabletop and carrying it up the walls to create a 1-1.5ft high "back splash" to protect the walls from all the hot stuff. We found some really cheap, blow-out flooring at the Lowes so I'll have manufactured flooring in an oak? pine? color that I won't worry about glass falling on etc.

That's about all the planning I've gotten done. I'll post more pics as we work on the room and hopefully get to the finished product sooner rather than later!

So little to say...

2008-07-20T19:39:00.002-04:00

Another month has come and gone which just goes to prove that I usually don't have much to say. Actually, most of my friends would probably laugh their heads off at that statement :) I usually have something to say about everything else but me!

Lots has changed in the last month, especially in the last 2 weeks. I made some huge changes to my career - still in the same field but making a move to some different places. I really struggled with this decision as it meant leaving all those near and dear to me. I've spent the last year and a half working, laughing, cursing with these folks. Most of them taught me just about everything I know and it's going to be tough not seeing them on a daily basis.

I am looking forward - with a bit of trepidation - to moving on to bigger, though who knows if better, things. We'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll come back and blog about the new job.

In the meantime I've cleaned up my bead studio. Dipped a gadjllion mandrels. Pulled endless feet of stringer. I'm ready! That means beads in the near future. Keep checking in!

SRA?? What's that all about?

2008-06-21T15:41:00.003-04:00

I was going write a while piece about the SRA but realized that I've pretty much covered is in this statement that I wrote a while back for my website. So here it is again...

Please click on the image above to find out more about the SRA program!

So, you may have seen the SRA logo shown above cropping up all over the place recently and wondered what the heck it's all about. If you click on the logo you'll get just about the best explanation you can find and even better than what I can give you so I recommend you check it out there first and if you still have questions I'd be more than happy to answer them for you!

Over the last several months (maybe even longer!) there has been a huge controversy brewing in the land of lampworkers over the misrepresentation by one vendor of the type and quality of beads being sold. I'm writing about this because I feel that it is important for you, as a potential buyer of lampworked beads, to understand what there is out there and what you should be on the lookout for.

Having said that, let's consider what you're getting when you buy beads from a self-representing artist:

handmade beads made by one individual
beads that are properly annealed for strength and durability
bead holes that are smooth without any rough edges
bead holes that are clean and free of bead release
an unconditional guarantee from the artist regarding breakage

When you buy from a seller who is selling mass produced/imported beads you're probably getting:

beads that are made overseas by workers working in less than ideal conditions

beads that are most likely NOT annealed and very likely to break

beads that do NOT have the bead release cleaned out of them

no guarantee from the seller as to the quality of the beads

no guarantee that you will get your money back if the beads DO break

Without naming names there is a seller on Ebay who has hundreds and hundreds of listings for lampworked beads claiming that they are not mass produced but rather quality artisan made beads. I urge you to look at the feedback for this seller and use your own good judgement to determine whether or not these are indeed artisan beads that meet some of the basic criteria I listed above.

This seller, I know for a fact, has/is used/using images stolen from many reputable, self-representing artists to falsely advertise and represent their own beads. Consider that you may be doing business with a vendor who knowingly misrepresents the origin and quality of the products he/she sells using images stolen from other hardworking, honest, self-representing artists.

There is a place for all types of beads and sellers of beads and as always, caveat emptor! Know what you're buying and who you're buying it from. It's like if you go to the boutique and buy a genuine Louis Vuitton you KNOW you're getting the real deal....if you're really on the ball and know your Louis you might still get the real thing somewhere else BUT, if you take your chances and don't do your homework beforehand you may think you're getting a real Louis but most likely you're getting a dud. Do your homework and get the real deal!

My $0.02 worth :)

Artsy-related new stuff

2008-06-14T20:44:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I blogged about anything artsy. I've been so busy with work that really I've not had much creative juice flowing. With my studio partially finished I've found it difficult to overcome the dry spell and so this week I decided it was time to jumpstart my creative endeavors and leap head-first into a couple of new things.

First: I made an effort to re-introduce myself to an Etsy group I joined a while back - NC Triangle Street Team (see links/image on side for more). I hope that this effort will motivate me to create more and to advertise and put myself out there so that more people can see what I'm working on :)

Second: I joined another Etsy group - Lampwork Etc. (LE) Street Team (see sidebar for more links). This one caters more to the lampwork group and I'm also hoping that this membership will prod me into becoming more productive at the torch.

So, I've committed myself to participating in these two dynamic groups. There's no turning back! Visit tomorrow when I plan to blog on the SRA and some other thoughts about recent goings on in the art world.

Thanks for visiting!