glass blowing demo
last november, just across the river in washington, i almost missed the signs on the highway offering free glass blowing demonstrations from 1-4pm. but i didn’t. i followed the signs to a house in the woods with an unfinished turret poking out of the trees, its narrow driveway lined with swirling light catchers and dragonfly yard spikes. the basement door was open and inside was a friendly craftsman making christmas ornaments and vases in his weekend clothes. the room was divided into two halves - the professionals-only work area, and the gallery/viewing area, complete with two rows of old theater seats. quick introductions and then right down to business. he seemed very much at ease talking while he worked and described every step, adding historical and scientific detail to explain his methods. he answered questions, described his worst mistakes and talked about his children. all while bobbing in and out of a 5000 degree oven. it was cool. see more pictures here.
goodbye my friend
you were the first and the best to ever line my heart with fur
i am more than lonely
i am crippled
invented by augustin fresnel, this lighthouse lens was built in 1822 and is made of glass prisms stacked into concentric rings to beam light up to 250 miles out to sea. it lives now in a museum at cape disappointment near astoria, oregon.
marlin
i don’t generally think pictures of food tend to look all that appetizing, but i was rather proud of how this turned out. it was my first attempt at cooking marlin. my plans for grilling were dashed by the rain, so i did it on the stove. olive oil, salt and lemon pepper. it was delicious.
fall is my favorite
it’s always so exciting. one day a cool breeze floats through the window, carrying the smell of a single sun dried leaf, and you just know - fall is coming. on the weekends, a faint whistle from the nearby park where tiny football players are running around for their mommies and daddies who sip warm drinks on cold benches. the trees start to turn from green to brown and, in oregon, the grass starts to turn from brown to green with the first rain of the season. it’s comforting to zip up a light jacket, throw on a blanket, some thick socks. the night comes sooner, lending to the smattering of spooky plastic crap adorning store fronts. less lawn mowers, more leaf blowers. less barbeque, more stew. fewer berries, more squash. not the flashy, in your face, extreme fun, hot pink of summer. it’s fall, it’s orange and brown and cool and lovely. and it’s my favorite.
working is hard
the weekend always comes fast, and it’s never as bad as i imagine from my bed in the morning, but i’m just wondering - is there another option? may i select Not To Work as a choice for my adult life? that sounds nice. i’ll take the money too.
‘it is not that i object to the work, mind you; i like work: it fascinates me. i can sit and look at it for hours.’
-jerome k. jerome
excuses
i’m tired of making excuses for missing out on life. i have migraines. horrible ones. almost every day. last weekend i went to urgent care and twice had an iv put in to get a combination of drugs that made me panicky, sore and vomitous. the first time the nurse accidently removed the iv from my arm, so when i went in the next morning for the second in what was to be 8 to 10 rounds of the cocktail, i had to be refitted with the iv, this time in my hand. the effect, the same as the first, was so awful that i had a friend remove the iv later that night and cancelled the rest of my appointments. i had a migraine the next day. and the next. yesterday, at my desk at work, i cried for the first time in a year. i have 4 prescriptions that are supposed to help, the newest is also prescribed for epileptics. every morning and afternoon i swallow six ounces of foul tasting chinese herbs that are meant to reduce inflammation. all of these supposed remedies cost me roughly $80 every week. luckily, i am saving money by not spending time with my friends. not going to see the new harry potter movie because it will be too loud. not driving my car during the day because the sun is too bright. not living, just having a headache. almost all the time.
i’m not making excuses. i’m just complaining.
model A
anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. anyone who keeps learning stays young. the greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.
-henry ford
de vacaciones
sur les vacances
auf urlaub
sulla vacanza
op vakantie
de férias
на каникулах
på ferie
休暇
on vacation!
old windows
catastrophe
my first mobile
i have a big mouth. recently i was at a barbeque with a very pregnant friend of mine who is having a baby shower tomorrow. when i asked the boring but requisite question about where she was registered, she said she wasn’t. she has been shopping to pass the time during her pregnancy and has all the baby clothes she needs through 18 months, anything else anyone would like to buy is fine. i asked if she had a mobile yet, and she said no, she’s looked at hundreds, but can’t find one she likes. i should have nodded in sympathy and bought her Blueberries for Sal, and been done with it. but i have a big mouth and, apparently, a whole lot of faith in myself.
so here it is. i made a mobile. i sort of like it, i sort of think it looks like something i made at summer camp. but it’s done, and i’ve learned my lesson.
spring flower post
