It's Glass Ya'll

I finished the Bunny Window - well almost

2008-01-19T10:50:00.000-05:00

The endless fall project for my niece Emma is almost complete. For some reason this window has taken me months to finish and not weeks like it should have. It might have been that some of the cuts were hard, or that by tuesday night I am worn out after racing after the little ones, teaching swim lessons and then getting up to the studio. It was almost complete last week however as I was showing it off - Rita noticed that there was a crack in one of the side pieces. So this past week it was break it out, recut, wrap and put it all together again. Had a little help getting the rings one and I did not have to pull my hair out trying to do it.

On Wednesday I got out the great box I had for it and turns out the rings make the box to small - so off to the post office I went looking for one a little larger - the ones there were the same size as the one I had... so they lady at the post office was like go down to the UPS store and have them pack it and then come back and we will mail it for you- well that would have been nice except those crazy people in there wanted to charge me $31 to pack it up. I wanted to say do I have stupid written across my head or I am made of money... so now I am on a search for a box that will work, if not I might just wait till May and take it with me when I go to the beach with the family.

Emma's new room is under construction anyways so its not like there is any rush - even more so since it was going to be a gift for her nursery but when the studio was closed when she was born there was a hold on the project from the start.

So whats the next project? Not sure - I did notice that I cant find any of my cuff links so I might just have to make a few pairs - so that means some fusing... but I have a few free form ideas floating in my head so it might be a freestyle project with squares of clear glass with patterns. But we will see - I have had some requests for a turtle window too.

a replacement job

2007-11-21T17:06:00.000-05:00

So out goes the gap and in comes the swimming. Coaching makes me happier. Sometimes you take a job because it pays well and at other times you take a job because it looks better on the resume and sometimes you take a job because its something you really want to do and it makes you happy- and that is what this one is all about. I really do love being a pool deck as a coach - someone for the kids to look up to- teaching them something that I love. And with this maybe I will get some wahoos out there and swimming with me. The pay by the hour is better than Gap but the hours are less. It still gives me the flexibility to teach swim lessons on Tue & Thur and the possible weekend days too. But I am already out at Lee on Wednesdays for pilates so now i get to be out there for 2 reasons. Ok that is if I get up early enough on Tuesday and long on to the site and get into the class for the next set which starts in Jan.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. I cant believe that another year has come and gone - this time last year i was making paper turkeys and waiting till 6 pm on wednesday night to leave school and start the needed break - Can it really be time again to get up before the sun does and go shopping after a night of to much food and drinks. I am thankful that I am lucky enough to keep landing all of these part time jobs that are keeping me afloat... I am thankful that my sisters are all coming to visit but know at the same time it will make my life crazy for a few days.. Caroline offered me her BIG ass car to drive if i need one while they are here - so I will wait and see what happens once they get here.

So I am posting this later than I thought I was going to...This morning like most after thanksgiving I got up before the sun did - TARGET here we come - it was not that crazy in there at 6 am - got some birthday and a few christmas gifts out of the way. So it was a good day shopping. J and A went to Walmart at 5 am and said that it was down right crazy in there and it was a good thing that I was not there because I would have left due to all of the people. for some reason we then ventured into Curcit city and after about 15 min I had to leave due to the crowds - it was wild in there. the shopping day ended around 11 and was followed up by thanksgiving left overs and a good nap... Happy Holidays - get to shopping and dealing with families...

10 year is enough

2007-11-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

So after 10 years of being a GAP girl I am turning in my name tag and taking the 10 year watch and walking out of the store right before another holiday season. I HATE the new store manager- she is very negative and 2 faced - and i just dont enjoy going in anymore. In fact i have started to hate saturday nights knowing that I should be calling in to see if I am working on sunday or not. Beth the bitch told me that for me to stay that I would have to work on weekend night - now I might just be down right crazy or she is because the last time I checked Sunday counts as a weekend - but not according to her - that for me to stay there that I have to work on a friday or saturday night and increase my hours if i wanted to stay. now that I am working 5 part time jobs I just dont have 20 hours in my week to give to a place that pays the least and only gives me watches every 5 years and to many clothes in my closet. I have had mixed feelings about it for a while and I wanted to wait for the 10 year watch - I do have to say that I like the new watch - even though it needs a link taken out. SO I am saying good bye to the discount - which might be hard in a way but then again there is not much in the store that I would buy if I did not have the discount - so for all of you who have taken advantage of the friends and family day cards in the past - you will just have to pay full price from now on or make new friends working in there.

Its not like they do markdowns like they did in the past but I know how it works that in time everything gets marked down if you wait - and are willing to look for it. And I did buy a big gift card that I can use to buy things in the coming months. Most of the time I think I buy things in there because of the discount and not any other reason.

So some of you might be asking what is going on with 5 jobs, well now that I gave up gap its 4, and since swim lessons are on hold till the end of Jan that takes it to 3, which will soon be 2 after the next fused glass class. but those 2 will rebound - and I am going to go talk to a year round swim program tomorrow about coaching for them 2 days a week. hopefully I will be back on the pool deck sooner rather than later. Even more so since Dina called me today to see if I could go in and coach for her today - but I had to go to the Gap so I could not do - but from now on I will have my sundays for the first time in 10 years to do what I want and not have to think about it a week in advanced...my i will go to the galleries and see new shows, or hang out in the markets or i might just sit on the sofa and watch tv, play on the computer and talk on the phone.

so I will have to watch the money during the holidays - I did get a flight home - it was cheaper to stay for a week so I am going home for 7 days. I might really be crazy in the end - but even more so when all 4 if the sisters come to DC for some holiday shopping and some wine tasting in early December. Yes all 4 of them are coming to stay with me for the weekend. We will be on the go for most of it and I am going to try my best NOT to have to go to tysons while they are here but I dont think i will get that lucky. so here is to the 5 of us in DC- watch out here come the rowlands...

I love Wolf Trap, I hate ChickenMan

2007-08-27T09:19:00.000-05:00

I will say it again, I love going to Wolf Trap for concerts. One of the main reasons would be that when they say that a ticket is $22 that is what you pay, if you go to the box office and pick them up - its not $22 plus this fee and that fee to make the ticket $35. Ok so sometimes it is just down right HOT but the fact that you can bring in your own food, wine, and beer saves you a ton. The people watching is always a trip and running into friends, a plus. The lawn sometimes gets a little over crowded, like last night when you couldnt find even the little patches of ground between blankets to walk through but it is always great - and even better when the sky is clear. I love it that I have found the back way into the bathroom for shorter waits, and even more so that last night it took us yes, 2 minutes from the time we got into the car to route 7. knowing where and how to park and pulling right out is the key to all of the pleasures of Wolf Trap.

I think out of the last 8 summers that I have been in DC i have seen the Indigo Girls play all but one summer, and there is only one request I want to see them play ONE TIME when they skip playing chickenman - I hate that song- it is one of the only songs of theirs that I completely HATE it goes on and on and there is just no point of the song. Last summer I was about to have my show without the song and then someone requested it. They have so many other songs that they could play. I do have to give them a hand this time for having an opening band that was good and reflected their own music and was not just noise. But I have to say that maybe we are all getting older because that was an odd mix of people at the show. Ok so a couple got engaged at the concert and there was a bit of people watching of odd looking couples, as you ask yourself HOW did that happen. This show used to be 90% female at every show but last night, it was such an odd mix, more like 60/40. We had one of the odd looking couples come and sit in the small space between our blanket and the ones next to us - and they wanted to know why this was such a crowded concert - I wanted to say well it is sold out. They left half way into the headliners- I was glad to have her and her husbands ugly feet off the corner of my blanket. I love a good summer concert even more so when it cools off just a bit when the sun goes down.

so till next year at wolf trap i will pack up the shower curtain (to keep your blanket from getting wet) and wash the tacky bright quilt that was passed on to me (you cant miss it) and wait for more great outdoor concerts and cross my fingers that next time I will not have to hear ChickenMan again live.

Job search again

2007-04-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

So I had come full circle and had decide that I would return to the school where I have been teaching this year after so many changes have happened in the last few months. And then last week i find out that they are not going to renew my contract as full time for next year - I was offered part time but as you know I am not married and not going there anytime soon - I kind of laughed and said do food stamps come with that. They are not willing to work with me and let teach in the morning and let me have my afternoons free to go do swimming - they also want me to do afternoon day care - and that is something I do NOT want to do. I helped my mom with her daycare business for years and I want to TEACH and not babysit. So I get to start the job search all over again. At least this time I have one year experience under my belt, I know what I want to do, I have some lesson plans set and others that I still need to work on - it is spring break this week and I should be doing grades right now and lesson plans for next week but with this blow of the no contract I have to say it is hard to right now to want to go over and beyond for someone who has kicked me to the curb in a way. And here they are asking about an Art curriculum - and I ask how will you ever get one if you cant or don't keep an art teacher for more than a year and here you are on your 4 th art teacher in 4 years.

I also believe that Kindergarten and First graders should have fun in art and that they should be able to define art as what every they want and not what someone tells them what art is. Yes they should be exposed to art but they should be able to make there own definition of what is great art. I have 3 parents who have made me dread teaching the first grade class - they have never come to see me teach they are basing my teaching on what their first graders may or may not tell them, or bring home. But I have remember that these are just 3 parents out of 180 kids who come to my class. I have had many come to me and say that their kids love my class and that it is the one class that they talk about at home. I will admit I am still learning a lot - and it really has taken me the better part of the year to get to this point - that I know which classes like to do what - what levels they are and how to keep them busy - some of the kids would love to come to my class and just use the free draw books every day and sit and draw from them. there are others who just want to make paper airplanes. So for now I will try and enjoy the last of the cold days of spring break (what happened to Tuesdays weather?)

As for glass the studio is still closed - and I should be sending glass out to my alum show next week- hopefully we will be up and running in the studio by May...

How do you end the year in a bang and a depleted bank account?

2007-01-03T12:15:00.000-05:00

Well I topped off Christmas for myself this year. My mom told me that my list was just bad ok, so really with after 10 months of not having a job and trying to stay away from the malls and realizing how little you can live on/with, I guess I just did not need as much or it might be that I just dont have the room for much. Then again there are a lot of things that you can by in the big city that you cant always get at home, and then there is the whole other issue of getting it back to DC. So right there you have limits. So I did what I said I was going to do but it just took me a little longer to do it On Friday I started the day out with a trip to the DMV - yes, Over due- Yes, there was a long line but I was surprised when they called my number when I had been there a little less than an hour (ok, so there were 16 windows too). I made it in and out of the DMV in about 1 ½ hours. Not bad to title & tag the car and get a new DL- which I have to say the new id photo is a BIG improvement over the old deer in the head lights from the last one I had. So what should you do after you spend your morning at the DMV - I headed to the Apple store. Yes you heard me I went with the AOL stock money and bought a new apple Laptop and printer/scanner/copier. Now if this one will last as long as the other one that is sitting on my desk at home (years in the making, which I bought used from a friend) I figure I will get my money out of it. It is beautiful and well over due and I love it. Plus I have crack like addicting games on there too which suck away time like never before they might be a bad idea but for now they are fun that is if you dont have anywhere else to go. So I have stepped into the land of the computer age but I did not stop there Â to all of you who I have dropped calls with or had my phone shut off and power down you will be happy to know that I also upgraded and renewed my phone Yes I ended the day with a new cell phone so it was a day off all new things and a lot less money in the bank account when it was all said and done.

Happy New year everyone may 2007 be better than 2006, we all need a little luck and to all of you who have announced that you are getting married this year its a damn good thing that I have a job - and yes I am willing to wear a bridesmaids dress for some selective fewthat really means I like you if I am willing and happy to wear a dress and stand by your side while you kiss your single life away all I ask in return is a good party.

Glass Shows should have better Directions

2007-01-03T11:59:00.000-05:00

The table fee should have been the big red flag on if we should do this show or not, $45 was low but it was at a school, a school where I thought I would want to teach and had heard a lot about. Well let me just say there are 3 schools with in 5 miles of each other that have the same name. Little did I know that the school that was having the show was the public school and not the private that I thought it was. So on the Saturday morning of the show, I drove directly to the school thinking I am so on top of things here. I knew something was going to happen (the lack of sleep from the night before- after going to the el Vez Christmas Show was going to kick in soon) There were no cars parked in the lot- RED FLAG- so I call Madeline asking it was at this school right. As she runs around trying to find me the answer (cause the piece of paper I have does not list an address- just an email and no one is answering the phone) my little helper with me is getting a little irritated with me. Some one drives in and I follow them to ask about the show, they send me to the next campus – still no one is there and I cant find the gym – someone comes to the front door to say are you looking for someone and I told him I am looking for the art show – when he informs me that I am not the first person there today looking for the show – which is at the public school further down 123. So I call Madeline again and ask her to see what she can find out and she gets online to have it crash, then she go old school and gets out a good old paper map and talks me the rest of the drive to the school – oh but that was not the end of it, I pulled in to a school 2 blocks early following the signs for something else, it was the 4^th location before we found the right school with the art show going on. I made a little money, traded some glass for some dips, rubs, and mixes. met another glass artist (who also got lost and went to the private school that morning too and was about to give up), who was then told by a complete stranger- who was also selling things- that her posture was putting people off and that she should stand up straight (little did this nosey lady know that other glass artist had had 3 back surgerys in the last year). So I at least got a good laught out of that. Would I do the show again - not sure - I made money but not that much - at least I am getting good at the set up. I think for now I will stick to the basic and keep working on the stained glass windows... another one which will soon be finished if i just put the rings on and take it to the newlyweds. (i will post the picture one day)

A year Later...

2006-10-30T10:56:00.000-05:00

A year ago a big door slammed in my face and with that a few little doors opened and there was a lot of change that took place Â so as I pass the one year anniversary of the AOL lay off I look back at all of the changes and things that happened over the year.

For Jobs:

I was unemployed

I worked in a glass studio

I was a substitute teacher

I was a swim instructor

I was a Swim coach (go Wahoos)

I was an art teacher with CHAW

I was a stained glass and Fused glass co-instructor

I continued to work at Gap

I babysat

I gained plaster 101 flood damage lessons

I pulled up carpet

I laid tile

I helped someone move

And in the end I started teaching full time as an Art teacher

Some of the things that happened over the year:

I had my house flooded by a former roommate Jann)

I had 2 of my tires slashed by a friend's neighbor (may)

I had 2 wrecks in one day in July (I think I am finished with the bad luck)

My side view mirror had a battle with a trashcan and lost

My Antenna fell off the car (after a battle with a tree last may)

I have had 2 roommates move out and 3 moved in and another 2 are moving out

I became an Aunt again - this time I got a Niece

The glass studio closed for the summer and then was extended to the spring

I went to the beach twice

I loved Coaching Swimming

I was asked to be a bridesmaid (I accepted this time for 10-07)

Gas prices went well over $3 and stayed there for awhile (not fun when unemployed)

I did start driving less

I loved my 3 mile drive to work this summer

I had a lot more interviews than I ever had before:

In one I was not sure if my car was going to be there when I left.

I was offered a teaching job that required a bouncer in the room ( I turned it down) I am not ready to save the world yet.

I got an interview for the pool in a " hour access, 24 hour psycho" t shirt

I did not have to interview for the summer coaching job

I was offered a year round coaching job that I had to turn down due to Tuesday nights in glass and that I could not leave school and get there on time. (I miss swimming)

I was offered the full time job in the glass studio in MD, but the drive was to long and the pay was to little with no health insurance.

What I miss about the old job

I miss the free gym

I miss the flex hours

I miss getting to wear jeans every day

I miss free coffee from Fatima on Fridays

I miss my friends

I miss the options of what to eat, in what cafe, at what time (I dont like having to pack lunch every day)

I dont miss the work

I dont miss the 1 hour plus drive home at night

Do I miss the free t-shirts and food - not really

Some how in the mess of all of this I have managed to send in my last car payment J (ok so I have to take what would have been next months and fix the side mirror and the antenna)

I still run into old AOL people those who are still there, those who left before me and those who got kicked out with me.

To the ones of you who are still there it is hard at first but life gets SO much better after you get kicked out the door.

And with my AOL stock that I had to sell (and then watched it go up $2) I am going to by a MAC to replace my 11 year old on and make a good investment.

So thank you AOL for the 5 years I was there and the friends I made and the lessons learned but most of all thank you for giving me my life back, for getting me back into swimming, and for Laying me off - Cause I am a much Happier Person than I was a year ago.

Summer is over almost I have a job and a tan

2006-08-14T23:44:00.000-05:00

Well I have made it - made it for 10 months in the month to month slow and low pay check to pay check in the "unemployed" time of my life... and as much as it has sucked at times - I really have enjoyed the time off - not sure if I am ready for the 40 hours a week in one place yet but I am looking forward to the paycheck that will come every 2 weeks with a set amount and not the guess and the waiting game that I had this past week - when my paycheck took a detour out to Dulles from alexandria and back- like I will ever skip getting a paycheck from the pool on a saturday again.

I have one week left before I start the new job... not sure how I feel about all of it- there are going to be a lot of challenges and changes coming soon... but I am reaching out and taking a few things with me to make my room feel and look like me... I found a great rocker at an estate sale a few weeks ago ( I still might paint it) and then on a trip to the home depot I found this great color block rug with a sample area cut out of the rug - it was like a $200 rug they gave me for $50 - so I have a nice little area for a reading or resting place for my kids- wait who I kidding for me...I have a few books on order that should be here this week - so I can start with some lesson plans and growing list of things that I need to find and get before school starts... I can make it through the first 4 days - then I get a 3 day weekend and 4 days and a short weekend and then I am off and running for the rest of the year... I have 2 set vacations but I get a 3rd one in the summer too ...

so I have to look at it as having more time off than I had at AOL... it is good to be out of that place, they are getting ready to lay off again- this time the rumor is something like 5000 people - so it is going to hit hard in this area - but life gets better after that place- it might not be easy at first but I have to believe that they did me a favor by sending me out the door -if they had not I would not have ended up coaching again , or teaching swim lessons or art... I have to thank them for giving me my life back - for making me decide that the sitting behind a computer day in and out gave me no satisfaction in life and that in fact I was bored, depressed and down right unhappy for most of the last year I was there when I was not in the gym or going to the gym...in the funny little world that I live in, one of the guys that was hired with me at AOL and laid off a year before me - well I ran into him at Nordstrom’s rack the other day- and I have to say it was nice getting to say that I just landed a job after 10 months and that I would be starting at the end of the month. To all of you who are still there I hope that you will get to leave on your own time and they will not force you out but if they do - know that there are longer days outside of the office, that you can go home before 9 pm and have a life, and that life does get brighter and better after a layoff...

I cant wait till I get that second pay check and know that I can go shopping at the grocery store and buy what I want and not just what is on sale... maybe I will eat school lunches and maybe I wont, maybe I will get up on time and make my own lunches or just end up with eatting a pack of nabs for lunch if it comes down to it.... I have to get by AOL and take back the fridge- I am moving into my classroom and it will be like my second home for the coming year- so I have to make it me...

oh and for those of you who know about the flood and the plaster - round 2 has started- FRED you are NOT a plumber and listen to the one you called and go buy a new potty cause the plaster in my room has taken another hit... yes the roommate upstairs reported an issue with the running toilet that I guess wanted to come for a visits down my entry way, bucked plaster in the walls, there goes my nice white walls....

the beach was nice this year - we walked away with out any major fight and we were all on good behavior with Ashley’s baby on the way - any day now I will get to post on a new little one when he/she gets here...till then we have to wait a little longer for baby D...

1 art class, 2 swim practices, 2 wrecks, 3 resumes and interview number 4 and counting

2006-07-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

Why is it that Tuesdays have started to be the day that things start to go wrong... OK so the layoff happened on a Tuesday, and so did the endless day of the leak in the house. But how did I have 2 wrecks yesterday, please note I have not had one since I was 16 and I had 2 with in an 8 hour window yesterday. Not to worry I am fine - the bumper on my car might be another story - it is attached to the car but there is some green paint from one car and some damage from the rear end hit I took too.... OK so here is what happened....Got up early for swim practice all is well, come home get a package for my mom ready to send out (the humming bird that I finished as the studio closed) Headed out to the school again to talk to their communications director - their latest offer is part time art- part time graphics and the salary is up to something that I can live off of...I am still sending out resumes and such...so I leave the school and I want a coke and I need to stop at the bank so I stopped to deposit a check, get a coke and head home - no it did not go that smoothly- as I was backing out of the bank on a hill I hit a woman in a 94 Toyota (just very happy it was not a 04) I t ed her right at the tire and the base of the door. She was nice about it - exchanged info - and called my dad (he is my insurance agent)...stopped and got some lunch , dropped off 2 resumes at local schools and then home to get my things for art class...made it to class on time and in one piece...the kids wanted to do the same thing as last time so I let them and the ones who wanted to bead, we started something new....I could feel a killer head ache coming on....I made it through class, stopped at 7-11 for an treat, then off to the post office to mail the humming bird to my mom in memory of Mimi who died 7 years ago this week and the letter of interest about another job. Where I ran into one of my swimmers and her mom - gave them a ride up to the pool...practice round 2, HOT HOT HOT my head is pounding - hot I am in pants - I finally make it to the dressing room and then dive into the water... cooler now but still hot... after that is over Dina and I go to starbucks to get coffee and work on the relay carnival line up... I have to go to AC Moore to get art stuff for class before the sale ends- so off king street I go...I make it there get what I went for- head back towards my house in hopes of going to the library to finish up the line up to send it to Trina- NO GO...

I stop by 5 guys and get some fries - I eat some of them there in the parking lot and head out....make it to the top of the hill right before the 395 split and I am waiting for the red light to change and BAM... I get hit from behind- I had ketchup in my hand which is now all over my dash, in my hair, up my nose, all down my shorts and my t-shirt, in the speakers, on the seat and the carpet- more of less everywhere - Didn’t I think that little bit of ketchup could spread like that- Note there is another wreck across the street and this is what the ASS who hit me was looking at and not on his side of the road- so it is 8:10 this is my second hit of the day and I am having a pounding head - it is HOT out and I get to deal with this - NOT HAPPY.... I get out of the car as the EMTs show for the other wreck and they come running over to me asking were the blood was coming from - ok you can laugh, I was later - its ketchup from what should have been my fries...I had it all over my face, chin and neck- the cop later asked if I needed something to wipe it off with and then tells me that what ever I had in the car did smell good...as part of the report he asked where I worked now I can tell you right now I can type out chinquapin but I cannot spell it without righting it down - the cop was like I am not going to spell that one- then asked about swim lessons for his 5 year old....we wait for the police to do a report since they are already there.... I am cleared to leave at about 8:40 - come home to take a shower, to call my dad again- and when I get to the ketchup part he is laughing so hard-Some days you have to laugh at things like this that seem so unreal cause if not you are going to bawl your eyes out- it’s like the day when Courtney was a senior in high school and her car got hit 2 in one day when no one was in the car - the 2nd time that day it was by a cop- this is not the first time a R had been hit with in 24 hours. Called and made a report about the wreck - finished up the line up for the meet this weekend and made it to bed before midnight - I think I was asleep before I even got into bed (I kind of like it when I fall to sleep that fast) ...another bad Tuesday over with and I did not have glass class to tell all of the adventures too - and if I had been at class I would not have been in wreck #2... oh well that’s my life- and another great story to add to the list. So now it is Wednesday and it is one of those HOT HUMID and Hazy July days when you walk outside and it takes your breath away and you will need 3 showers before the day is over. We have a swim meet tonight so that will be just to much fun in the heat...but we had 4 new swimmers join this week - we got the 8 & u girl who we needed for a relay since our other one up and moved to NYC after the 4th - and turns out she knows my college roommate Emily ( Small world)... And for all of you who know about the gold dress I would like to report that shoes have been found to top it off...the deal was I wanted some for less than I paid for the dress - I now have GOLD flip flops type shoes with about 1/2 inch heal and they are TACKY to top off the dress lets just hope I can walk in them and not fall over.

3 flats, 2 job interviews and they found my USB

2006-05-22T08:44:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a weekend that you were waiting and wishing for Monday morning to arrive. Lets just say that I am glad that the weekend is over... Saturday morning after teaching swim lessons I head out in the dulles are to go meet J&A for lunch...I meet them at Nordstrom Rack, headed to Red Robin for lunch. Where the food was good but the service was poor and in the end the manager offered us free lunch - which would come back to bite us in the ass over and over- as we headed out of the parking lot J said the car was pulling, got out to check the tire, which was low...So off we went to find air...You know that the first one that you go to they will not have a working pump...So by the second gas station we found a working pump, fill up the tire - no there is a crack, tried a patch repair kit- no luck, tried fix a flat-no luck, tried electrical tape- no luck, tried duct tape- no luck, tried the spare -no luck-- why cause there is a lock key on the tires so that you have to have a special lug to try and get the tire off and the one that J had did not fit...So after 2 hours we head out to walk to my car about 1.5 mile away. At least my car was close, we get to it and decide that we need some retail therapy... So it is time to shop... So after shopping we head to the house were the neighbors are blasting their music at 11:30 at night... Police are called, they come to tell them to turn it down and the neighbors talk back to the cop. They turn it down, the cops leave, they turn it back up, by 3 am they are called again.

With one flat that needs a lock key to change it and the dealership service areas are closed on Sunday we head out to put a new note on the car that we will be back when then dealership opens on Monday. I had called Gap to say that I would be in later but I had to deal with a flat tire. We walk out and at the bottom of the stairs the left side of my car was on the ground, some one had come and stabbed my tires... I was not going to work... We called cops again, they came and took a report and the madness started. Called Mel to come and help and with her Costco card she was a big help. We jacked up the car took of the first tire, all is well...jack up the back take off the back tire - but the break was on- had to release the break and when we did it rolled and the car fell off the jack.. s%%^&(*^&... jacked it back up got the back one off (note that if you ever do 2 on one side, put the spare tire on the first one and then change the next one) and it rolled again...f%*^%...J was like I will take care of it, you go get the new tires and come back...So Mel and I head off to costco get 2 tires, tp, paper towels, a new tool kit, gum and batteries head back to the house with the fixed tires. By the time we get back to the house J has found someone who has a professional jack and he is helping with the car...Toni was great - he helped level out the car, get the tires on, and sent us on our way to get the tires balanced and set on the car...So back to Costco I go with the card in hand to get 2 more...Cause you know the assholes who did this had to get the good tires on the same side so that I could not really us the other one... plus they had over 60,000 miles on them - so I am all balanced in the tires and not so balanced in the wallet, cause I bought 2 and J got the other 2 cause the assholes saw her get out of my car and thought I was the one who lived here.

A week later I am going to finish this posting---

The cars have been better. Swim team starts tonight. Interviews went well last week - One I turned down, the school would have been a nice place however I think it would be a high stress environment and sent them a note that at this time it was not the location for me. the second interview was far better however it will start out as part time - but everytime I talk to the principle she wants to add more hours and is willing to work around coaching/ or swim lessons. So I will wait and see what they can offer me -- I have another interview tomorrow and another one next week (that was moved from tomorrow).

Hope that everyone had a great long weekend - believe it or not I was not the first person in the outdoor pool in fact I have not been to the pool yet - I think with coaching I will get my fill in for sure this summer. And yes I will stay safe.

I love the beach, interviews to come and I lost my USB. What a week

2006-05-19T09:05:00.000-05:00

I love pawleys island. This was the first time that the sisters along with mom and
dad have gone in May and the first time in over 13 years for just the 7
Rs to take a vacation. IT was a nice trip over all , I got my own room
since I was the first one to arrive. The sun could have come out more but we were
at the beach, we were having fun, technology other than a cell phone did not
interfere with reading books, drinking beer (which caused a pregnant sister is
have a fit when she told us we were rubbing it in her face that we could have
a drink and she could not- now she was the one who wanted to have a baby and
a 9 month commitment not to have a hard drink) OK so I am not sure if I could
handle family vacation with a drink myself ... To many people in a little
space can do that to you. And we will all be back in august to do it all over again with all of the brother in laws and nephews and baby D on the way. But in the end we all left the beach as friends and talking to each other. I had some good laughs waiting at the MYR airport watching all of the Harley Davidson riders who where coming to myrtle beach for Harley week.

I got back from the beach had dinner and drinks with friends, and delayed what I
think was the post vacation hangover/withdrawal...which seemed to hit me on tuesday morning...And then back to working on Sunday.
I sent out more resumes and I have 2 interviews next week for teaching art - I will let you know if there are any hits with those schools...One is full time and they will pay for me to go back and get my masters...The other is part time and would mean that I would have to keep teaching swim lessons and get my benefits from Gap - Something that they have just started for the part time workers. So things might work out in the end - cause the insurance that
I thought that I had was returned in the malt to me today ... My sea turtle
panel is now showing 2 cracks and with the studio closing in 3 weeks I need to
take it in and fit it - so I will not have to wait till October ... And then to
top the day off I left my USB port at the Library the day before and now it is
missing and it had all of my cover letters and resumes and pictures all on
there - it makes me sick that people don't turn in things like that to the desk -
I have posted a note and maybe who ever took it will come back and see that I
am looking for it and turn it in ...
and Fred is raising rent with all of the so called improvements (we needed some before the flood even came-- it is the biggest one ever from him -- but it is still cheaper than moving and I like it here, plus I Love the new carpet.

Yes the studio will be closed as of June 6th, the move out day will be the 10th and since I have to work then I will offer to help on that Friday when I have free time. It will be sad to see it close but the new room is going to be nice and we all need to clean out... The break will be hard and yet in the summer most of us are busy... I will be none stop with the swim team and practice 2 a day and lessons in between to fill in the gaps. It will be a busy summer and I will miss the studio - I think I will miss it more in the fall, but they are saying that they are going to have it finished my October... We will wait and see.

I will find a job - one full time job that is

2006-05-08T22:12:00.000-05:00

So the jobs are starting to add up...Oh how many do I have now, 4 I think...I think that I am going to stop counting till I have to do taxes next year. I have resume after resume out there and the offers for interviews are starting to come in...I sent one last night and got an offer this morning for an interview for next week... Today was the first meeting for the Alexandria Wahoos, for the coaches that is. I am the head coach for the summer...I have not been a head coach since the summer of 97, and I have to say that for now I think that I missed it... Love being on the pool deck... afternoon practice starts on the Tuesday after memorial day and morning practice the day before my birthday, meets are Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. It makes me feel better that I have the summer set and that I have some $ coming in even if it means working 7 days a week. I will let yall know what happens at the next interview...they need an art teacher and a digital art teacher and they are willing to pay for me to go get my masters... it might sound to good to be true.

The floors arrived, so has spring

2006-05-01T11:16:00.000-05:00

So the floors arrived and they look great...I love that I have carpet again and no longer have to put on shoes to walk down the hall. But with the new floors a lot of packing and unpacking came with it. I still have a few things in boxes that I need to finish putting back where they belong or get rid of them...I had to repaint the shelf that some of the things call home so now I have that complete I have to finish with the boxes and return them to their owners. I still have Monas wet dry vac sitting at my front door to take to her, I had it in the car many times heading over that way and then I forget it is in the back seat and I never make it to her house...I have all of the green boxes from Nikki at the front door too, but I plan on seeing her Thursday night and giving those to her then... So here we are close to 5 months after the Flood and life might make it back to normal at somepoint...

We have a missed visitor in DC for the week...choo choo is here working and playing for the week, if only choo choo and T would move back to DC...but that is a no go they are moving to TX. Good luck out there girls. We would love to have you come back for the next move... or just come back to visit again so we can eat to much, laugh till we cry, and see the baby panda try not to fall out of the tree.

I started this post a week ago so it is time to finish it up before I get on a jet plane tomorrow and go to my favorite place in the world, pawleys island, SC for time with the sisters and my parents... but before I can even leave I had to find substitute teachers for all of my classes...I think that I have them all covered all I have to do now is send the lesson plan to the art teacher and then I am set for the week.

I want to say congratulations to Marissa and Chris for getting married this weekend - and glad it was then and your guests checked out yesterday cause there was a shooting next to the hotel today and they had something go down in the hotel where everyone was staying. Wishing you both the best in your life together. I love the turtle blanket... I even had an offer from one of the brides maid to take pictures of my glass for me. I think that I might just have to take her up on the offer...I need to get some formal pictures of my work.

one of the latest in the stained glass works... Happy birthday J, you requested it and you got it.

The candle sticks are one of a kind and still need some work but they are fun and happy...next will be the mirror...and then I need to finish up on the last of the projects before the studio closes down for the summer.

The Floors are coming Today

2006-03-30T12:19:00.000-05:00

Stained Glass has made its come back, ok so once again its more or less do it now or wait 6 months…the church is closing for remodeling and the glass studio will be moving from the 3rd floor to the basement (hopefully cooler) plus we get a sink in the room J. Why have I made the swtch? It might be that time is limited before the closing or it might be that I am teaching stained glass with Madeline and it has made me want to cut more, or it might be that the kilns are always full and I hate having to fight to get in them. I need to make some earrings for the alum show plus I have to send those out in about a week, got to hop to it, maybe I can fuse tonight while teaching. I have finished 2 stained glass windows in the last 3 weeks. One for above my front door, very simple, no pattern needed and the other is my sea turtle…I am happy with both…I saw my turtle on another site priced at $375…now if anyone wants to pay me that or even a 1/3 of that price for mine I will be happy to wrap him up and send him your way. So Madeline is heading of town early today so I am running class tonight, the easiest class of the 4 weeks ( did it last time alone I can do it again) so she can go celebrate her moms 95th birthday in southern VA. At one point she was going to leave early and then she was not and then her husband’s office had a fire and they told him not to come in today so now they are leaving early…but with that came so good news with the clean out…(see below)… I have been on the search for some new glass patterns and found one that I have to make for Parker and Carson called the easterfrog, he is just too cute. I have to make some adjustments to the pattern but I can make it work. Then I have another birthday gift that I need to start working on too

The FLOORS are coming…YES today the hardwood floors are going to be installed and the carpet is coming on Saturday…I am so happy that after 3 months of living with the sub floors exposed they will soon be covered with a nice hardwood and Berber carpet in the bedrooms. Now the downfall of this is that I have to more or less move out of my bedroom, which I have lived in for 7 years, so they can install the carpet, and have I found some FUNNY things in this clean up, clean out, and move…ok so I don’t have to empty the closet but I did refold things and started a give away bag. I found a gift that I did not even remember buying with the original wrapping; I had to open it to see what it was (a silver turtle music box). I tried on the suit that I bought after college and NEVER wore and had a good laugh, the tags are still on it so I need to send it to dress for success and let someone who needs it and will wear it get some use out of it. http://www.dressforsuccess.org/. They come to Pentagon City Mall the first Wednesday of the month to collect items if you have anything send it over there, I will have to go next week and drop mine off. So when I called Madeline today to say that I got her message about class tonight she was talking about someone coming and picking up things at her house tomorrow and I was welcome to add to the pile. So there is a stack at my house that I might be taking over there to add to the front steps and get out of my house before the new carpet is even in. This year is really about some spring cleaning.

In the land of the job hunt, got another hit for online work, got another school position filled email, and was offered a summer swim team – I am happy about that one- so I hope that Bryan can make it work and I will have a few more hours to add to the summer time. Daylight savings time starts this Sunday, I love it that it will be light out longer… I am keeping Ashley for the next 5 days while Jackie is in CA, she will get to be my little helper at the house moving me out and back into my room. It could be a long weekend. With the floors being installed, keeping her, trying to fit in private swim lessons and a chance that I will be at Gap too (yes they have started using me there again- I need the extra cash- oh and my manager called and left a message a while back but never said about what till she saw me and was like Hadley I never knew that you were on TV) Its going to be a long one, busy one, and a lot of driving up and down the toll road. And once again gas prices are on the raise and my gas light is about to come on...I was up at 5:30 today to take Jackie to the airport, and then decided to hit wegams at 6 am, there is no one shopping then and bagels are very fresh at that time, then I came back to take a nap, but I need to head up to the house to let the floors guys in, pictures of that next week…

More Donations

2006-03-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

The TN aquarium pendant sold at the GPS visions auction for a good $50...Now Converse is asking for things for an auction so I think I might see what I can find in my goodie box and send them a piece too. I have to send some of the glass for the GPS alum weekend soon. I think that I will be sending some of the dancing women too - but I am still having an issue with the base of the star not covering the way I want it to. I am helping Madeline with another 4 weeks of stained glass classes, racking up on the credit in there. This class might even be faster than the last group we are making up for not having any guys in the class last time to having 3 now. Its like couples night, kind of funny how they are taking stained glass together for quality time. I should finish off a new window for above the front door tonight and then I just found a sea turtle to make next. I think that I am going to see how many of the stained glass windows I can make before we have to close down the studio for the move and the remodeling. I am still not sure what it will be like not having glass up there on Tuesday nights. I might just pick up the stroke clinic class...No Swimming is close but does not give me the same satisfaction as glass does.

So the old roommate is out, the new roommate is in and the carpet is on order, so that means that I more of less have to move out of my room so that they can come and put it in... I have been in that room for close to 7 years - who knows what I am going to come across in the coming weeks. The carpet guys will move the big things, but I have to move the breakables and the small stuff...Ok and I want to move my bed. It might be a good change and I might find a few things to give away - and that will be a good thing. I need to see this as a good thing - a lot of hard work but a good thing... I am getting the wood floors in the hallway that I wanted and I got to pick the berber carpet that is replacing the plush...If I move all of the little things out and even the bed maybe I will paint the room before the new stuff comes in and go for a complete change of the room...

The Job search - well that is what it is, a big search - somedays are good and others are hard, I just want to find that one person who will give me a chance to come and teach for them. I have to keep thinking that things will happen and I will make it. Swim lessons are good, I am really enjoying the adult lessons, and the private ones are fun too...The Saturday groups are over till after Easter and I am about to have a break from the week day lessons to - which means I can now go and have dinner with friends when I am not working 4 nights a week... A little hard on the social life at night. So if any of you see or know of any schools in the area who are looking for an art teacher let me know so I can send out yet another resume. I just want to get every thing set at somepoint sooner rather than later so that I can figure out what will happen over the summer and the trips to the beach. (and then I can by my own upgraded computer and stay at home and not have to come to the library to check out anything that my little mac cant do/ maybe I should start playing the loto?) I just have to keep telling myself that I was laid off for a reason and things are going to happen, plus I am so much happier not going to the dark office that sucks your soul away every day. Its all going to work out and I am going to be an ART teacher by the fall.

Glass in the winter time

2006-03-21T16:21:00.000-05:00

(posting this a little late )

After having a few weeks in the studio with just the regulars we were invaded with new people last night and they were not friendly. One even picked up the kiln and moved it or tried to when Madeline was like no they all stay over at table. I tried to keep my distance cause I was not feeling up to meeting new people and trying and be social last night. I was thinking about fusing but when I saw the new people I knew that my chances of that were out...So I went to work on my other glass...I have finished 5 of the dancing women candle sticks but I am still having issues with covering the stars with the flux and getting it to stick, taping the stars works OK but there is still a small gap...So there is still some trial and error with that. They are for sure handmade and I will send at least 2 of them to the GPS Alum art sale. I found out that my pendant that I sent for VISIONS auction made $50. Thursday when I was teaching the stained glass class and Madeline was in NY taking all of these cool glass classes...Tom came up to look for a necklace and to take proof that I was there teaching-he took a BAD picture of me, but it is funny. The class went well, everyone who was there cut all of their pieces with in the first night. It has been a great class -- even though there is one who is very high strung and she needs to laugh more - I need to take the tape of the show up there Thursday so that they can watch it if they want and then again on Sat for the fused glass show -- when things are cooling off I will show then my show and they can laugh with me. Class might be a good connection to finding a teaching job, Mary brought me the card of a local principle of the art magnet school - I need to call her and see what I can do to get in there full time as a teacher...The house update -- the roommate who might have caused the flood is out of the house as of next Wednesday...The carpet guy was just here and maybe I will have carpet by next week. We still have yet locked in a roommate but there is one we are waiting to hear back from...As always I have had some odd ducks show up and look at the house -- many others who said they want to come and look at the house and never show or the hours to show the house don't work out and they never work out. For once I am not worried about finding someone good this time

Lessons in teaching

2006-02-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

Teaching has a new meaning when you find out in the middle of class that half of the students in the class room don’t speak English…now that puts a new little twist on teaching art to 4 year olds – oh wait that was not in the plan either – I was told K-2 but I made it happen and the joy of art is that it is not science and you can be flexible and you let things flow the best that they can. Oh there are going to be some challenges but this is also something that I want to try and see where it will take me. Plus it looks good on the resume that I can say I have had ESL experience and teaching too- in the public schools. We made a little mess with the cooking oil that made the pictures ‘shiny’ – so that they made their own stainglass window. Next week I will have the older kids and we will be making stainglass windows with tissue paper.

I was supposed to have another interview today but it was canceled, or at least moved to another day and time. I am running the studio tonight since Madeline is in NY playing with glass all week and I am teaching the stained glass class on Thursday night alone. And then next Saturday I am teaching the fused glass class – the one that enjoy the most. But I do have to say that I really enjoyed the PMC class, a few of the regulars from Tuesday nights attended Madeline’s pilot class. I could really get into that – however I am not so sure my wallet can. Why is it that I have to find the fun and $$$ classes and habits to love. The studio has been quite for the most part since the holidays, I think it is hard getting out of the house when it is cold outside. But I will take the quite and the space. The church is saying that there is a big chance that they could be closing down for the summer to start the construction and the big move for the studio to the basement to a room with a sink. The sad thing is, we will be without a formal studio for a few months but we will be returning to a better room- yeah a sink just makes an art room that much better.

I am still working on the dancing women candle sticks and I have found these great star bases, however I am having issues with getting them from gold to silver and locating more of them. I need to send a few to the GPS alum art show and some over to Hoopla too. I have the cutting down it is the wrapping that I am having issue with when they get to hot and I drop them…got to remember that metal conducts some good heat.

In other news…the roommate who started the flood is moving out on the 15 th- that is 2 more weeks from tomorrow (happy happy) we still have not locked in a new roommate but I know we will find one. I had one girl come and look at the house and after talking to her she asked “does your den always look like this?”…my comment was no most of the time the art is on the walls…she then told me that she would want to departmentalize the den and put my cocktail napkins which are in some martini glasses into the drawer… I don’t think we would mix well – and who puts there monogrammed cocktail napkins in a drawer for no one to see? (yes I am from the south and my little sister works in a store where almost everything is monogrammed)… There are still some who are calling and say they want to come and see the house but you never know if they will show up or not. I would love to wrap that up but for once I am not worried about it. Really I just want new carpet in my room -

Small world with glass

2006-02-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

So I went and played with the new stainglass books that I picked up a few weeks ago from a great after x-mas mark down of 50% off - I found this one project that I had to try - but to try it I had to search the area to find 2 things that I needed to make the stain glass women candle holders. So I started at AC Moore and found the 2 things I needed but thought I have to be able to find these else where - well elsewhere has yet to be found. the votive candle holders are only 44 cents at AC Moore a great deal maybe they will let me by a case of them with their 40% off coupon. And the rings will they are the only place so far who has them - I have a few more places to check out to see if I can find silver plated rings. The first run of these turned out to be easier than I thought they might be, other than touching the hot metal that wrapped them a little bit before I should have - gloves are the trick and the metal curler to make it fit. I will see how long they take to make after this first pair and see if hoopla might want them... I need to go by there and pick some things up... I will post a picture of the candle holders when I finish the pair. So I might have a new little project to work on...That is till the PMC silver clay class happens and then I might really get into trouble.

Wednesday the painter was supposed to show and did not again, that is after I spent the morning taping down shower curtains and such all over my room before I headed out for substitute training... The training was fine, filled with paper work and small world connections. I had the one guy sitting on the row with me end up as the 2nd of 5 kids also... then we had to have ourselves introduced by the person next to us and say something - so I used the good old HGTV gig - so after lunch I had this guy come up to me and hand me a card and say , my wife does glass too you should contact her - I look at the name on the card and I know Patti - I know your wife - I work up at the studio with Madeline - so its just a small world. I get to go up there today to be finger printed and to check and see if the painter did show. Cause they said that I could be in the system and start working next week - now that could be a busy week since I also start teaching swim lessons then - and the list of the days for the lessons keeps getting longer. It went from none, to Mon & Wed and now add Th and Sat to the mix - I am going to be water logged by the end of the WSI class. Back into the work force I jump...dive and just hope that I will float to the top again.

I have a ceiling and a LOT of Dust.

2006-01-31T13:11:00.000-05:00

Well after 3 days filled with Rob, the plaster guy, I once again have a ceiling in my bedroom, bathroom, laundry room/closet, hallway, kitchen and the dinning room. It is never a good thing when the plaster guy tells you that it was one of his hardest jobs, and it took longer than he ever thought and one of the worst looking ones he has seen in the past 4 years. That much damage was done with the water from 3 weeks ago. Now I just get to wait for the painter to come and finish it up and for me to move back into my room and wait for the carpet and the hardwood floors to be refinished and fixed downstairs and installed on the 2^nd floor – all while searching for a new roommate. I am hoping that my current roommate will be going someplace for spring break and we can have the hardwood floors redone then…I guess that means I get to move the den and dinning room into the kitchen while that job is done – and my bedroom into the hallway for the carpet- FUN FUN- I am thinking moving might be easier…other than the fact that I will get to play tetris with furniture… With the kitchen getting wrapped up yesterday – I spent about 3 hours in there washing everything in the room – plaster dust goes everywhere – it does not matter if things are covered or not – and I know that with the sanding that will take place tomorrow that there will be even more to clean. Really I am not sure the last time my kitchen was that clean – I even mopped yesterday – like there was even a choice not to- well I guess there would have been if I thought that my roommates would have risen to the challenge but I did not see that happening yesterday – and with the jobs coming together I am not going to have the extra flexibility in the coming weeks –

Yes the jobs are coming together…I got an email about the swim lessons yesterday, I have been offered the Adult swim classes on Monday and Wednesday nights… And from this I hope that I will get some private lessons too. While the next 3 weekends will be filled with WSI training and time off from gap (not that I was getting after holiday hours in the first place) – you sometimes have to spend money to make money- I keep saying…about 12 private lessons will cover the cost of the class or 4 weeks of the adult class. The security of these classes will give me a starting point. I am in training to be a substitute teacher all day Wednesday – so for me to even get to this point I had to take a trip to the VA health department for a TB test, what an experience…I thought that I was never going to get out of that place, the woman that they had typing/working at the front desk was beyond slow and wondered why so many people where there on a Tuesday – well HELLO the TB shot is only offered once a week, I am not sure she had ever had a computer class and for sure did not know the short cuts to the program (picking up the mouse every time to move to a new form field and not just hitting the tab key) and it took her forever to type a name in – plus she did not know how to multi task at ALL or organize – It could have been so simple -the ones that had to pay enter their info first and the one that did not have to have the shot and could just leave with the pass slip enter those names at the end… I was there for almost 2 hours (30 min of waiting for her o enter my name so I could just pay the $7 and leave) which made me late for the drug test so that I can teach swim lessons, which did not end up being an issue – I was willing and ready to wait for that one but I was in and out of there in about 20 min with little waiting time. So on Thursday when I had to go back and have the TB test read- I was like please I hope this lady will not have to type again or I will be there for ever- lucky for me it was just a piece of paper and I was in and out of there in no time. So that part of the sub paper work was complete next on the list for wed or some other point is finger printing…along with all of the criminal background checks and all sorts of other things… I am glad that I have lived in so few places over the last 7 years because listing those could get tricky…I have to double check and make sure I have all that I need for tomorrow and know how to get there – its been so long since I have had to make a formal public appearance at 8:30 in the morning – oh it could be so much worse- 8:30 is a good time.

Yesterday I could have been inside cleaning in the morning but it was one of those great spring like days in the middle of January and I decided that I was going to wash my car, clean out the inside (ok well I vacuumed and threw out the trash) – it always feels good to have a clean car even when it rains that night.

For the rest of today should be filled with sending the weekly resumes out, checking to make sure I have everything for tomorrow (even my puzzle book if there is downtime and water to drink) cleaning up the bedroom so I can sleep in there tonight for the first time in 3 weeks and going to glass. Tonight I am going to try and make the stainglass women candle holders. I found 4 rings to use – however they are in gold and not silver I might just have to tape them and work around them…and keep my eyes open for more options and try more stores…this run is just for a proto type and to see if they are hard to make or not…and see if maybe Hoopla would want those since they contacted me last week to say that they are no longer going to carry my jewelry this year, but would be interested in looking at other things in the future, I think the candles would sell well there. My glass would have sold more too if they did not need to mark it up 50%. So to another week of many changes and what looks to be the first in the job offers, if only I can land a full time job for the fall by the end of spring…

A Quite Tuesday - I needed one

2006-01-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

I could hear the quite room down the hall as I walked in late last night and I thought there might really be a chance that I can fuse tonight and not have to fight for a kiln. It was a small group and only 2 of us wanted to fuse last night, those are the great nights. I was not sure what I was going to work on, other than I needed to be there with my friends after the hell of a week that I had last week with the ceiling. I had the digital camera with me to show all of the pictures of the disaster in the house and the story that went along with the madness. What really happened I guess I will never know since I was not at the house when it all started but I do know that there is still a LOT of work to be done at the house. I have to decide if I want to repaint my room a new color or keep the one I have...what color of neutral carpet to replace the dead carpet with…I am voting for pergo or wood floors in the hall with the washer and dryer out there. But at this point I really just want the ceiling to be fixed so that I can sleep in my own bed. I have been displaced by this all and I guess in away it has me homesick, when I am at the house I just walk in circles not sure what I can do next or what to do next. I know that the ceiling at this point is not going to fall on my bed but I just don’t feel the comfort in the room that I need to sleep – plus if I got up in the middle of the night I would have to find shoes to get to the bathroom. So I stay with friends for a few more nights and wait for that night to come along that I can sleep back in my own bed.

Today I got up and started in on the list of things to do…called the Alexandria City Schools to sign up to be a substitute teacher, I have to take an all day class with them on Feb 1…and if I sub one day I get paid for the class. Oh I do have to find a place to get a TB test done before the class and I am waiting for Converse to send me my transcripts of my hours, this is something that I should have had with me all along. And then on top of that I get to be finger printed… Now I just need to get a few people to do the recommendations for me too and then that will be crossed off the list. I heard from Chinquapin about swim lessons, as of now I am going to be the sub there until I finish my WSI and will be the go to girl for private lessons – which in fact pays much better and I prefer them…Now all I have to do for chinquapin is go and have a drug test. So many new things that I get to do over the next few weeks – glad that I have the extra time for the TB test, finger printing and drug test…all of that just to be a sub…maybe some of these things can be crossed over from school to school if needed.

There is another private school looking for a middle school art teacher for the fall, from the site they seem to be a progressive school and that is something that I am looking for. I still have to work on the list and get my name and resumes out there…and there is a Fairfax county teachers job fair coming up too that I need to sign up for. I just have to keep telling myself that things will come together and it will all work out and in the end I will have a job for the Fall locked in before the summer.

Got to find a new glass pattern for another stainglass window incase we get another influx of fusers.

No ceiling No glass

2006-01-11T13:53:00.000-05:00

This is a part of the hole in my bedroom-

I got a call on Monday night about a leak at the house from my roommate – this is not a leak that I come to find out later – it is more like a mini Katrina has hit the inside of the house…So what do you do at 1 am when you come home to a ceiling that has fallen to the floor in the entry way with water all over the place and you can hear it dripping and it just gets worse as you climb the stairs and you go into your bedroom and see that the ceiling has fallen out of your bedroom and onto your bed. I am talking about an 8 foot by 4 foot area of ceiling that had fallen out onto the floor of my bedroom. Could it get worse…yes cause as the night and the next day go on the Hole gets larger, and larger… I left many panicked messages with my landlord at his house and then at his office that we had a major issue and that he needed to call me as soon as he got the message. I grabbed as many towels that I could and garbage bags to fill up and started any where I could to get some control of the room. Then I grab the digital camera and take some pictures of the damage before I start some of the clean up. I filled the garbage bags with the plaster and went outside to find the trash cans filled, Wednesday is trash day and 2 weeks after Christmas people are just now throwing out big boxes. The neighbors who moved out last month their trash can was filled to so too. So I over flow mine – my roommate does the honor of showing up at the house about 30 min after I get there, drunk, saying that she is going to try and help I send her down stairs with a trash bag to get the plaster out of the entry way and clean up there. ( after about an hour and moving the stuff out of the way in the entry way she calls a cab and goes back to her sisters house cause she says she is scared to stay at the house and sleep – I am to tired to fight about it and I don’t want her in my room)… The water is still dripping down the walls and into buckets. The light in the kitchen is filled with water- so is the one in the hallway – I tape the light switches as they are so there is not a short to come. The roommate helps with the kitchen light – as I try and pour it out into the bucket – ok so she gets a good splash of water on her head but at this point I don’t care. We go into the 3^rd floor and turn off the water under the sink because that is the area we think that the water is coming from but not sure. Our other new roommate is in Baltimore for her internship – her room is all intact and looks fine- I put my quilt over her door to dry and my bathroom stuff into her vanity area- since my vanity area is leaking and looks like it is going to fall at any moment. I need a wet dry vac…the towels are soaking up the water and I am wringing them out into the sink, the squishing sound of the water soaking into the towels every time I walk over them is just something else that I need to add to the list. The ipod is on and the music is playing with all of the work…I get to a point of I need to get some sleep and craw into my bed – over to the far side where the ceiling is still all there and dry – and try to fall asleep – but with the hole in the ceiling I am scared that a mouse is now going to come flying into the room so I turn back on a light and try to sleep at 3:30 am. The phone rings at 5:21 it’s my landlord Fred calling to ask what has happened. He shows up at the house by 6 am and I am waiting to call other friends who might have a wet dry vac that I can borrow. I call Rita thinking she would have a wet dry vac and I know that she gets up before 6- I leave a message… its after 6 am now- I call my dad about an insurance question thinking that he is up – no I work him up- he wanted to know what I was doing up at that hour – I am not real sure myself. After I get off the phone with him I call Mona – I think Mona had a we dry vac- I woke her up to and yes she has one – so I get in the car and drive over there to get the vac and take the camera with me to show the pictures. It was a baby one but I needed it…after I got that one – Rita calls me to say that she has a large one too if I needed it …but at that point I have the little one and was going to see how far that would get me. Since I had to drive past Jackie’s office on the way back from Mona’s I take her up on the offer of coffee and she wants to see the pictures. So I start the morning with a sugar free vanilla latte and one of their new breakfast sandwiches ( the turkey bacon one is ok) And head back to my house to play with the wet dry vac and see what else I can do… I need to wash the towels but I am not sure If I should turn on the washer or not… I call missy who lives down the street to see if I can come and take a shower at her house and wash a load of clothes. Yet I never make it to her house cause every time I am about to head over there someone else is calling or heading to the house… I find some more sleep in the blue chair downstairs between phone calls- final get up when Jackie shows up with tippys tacos in hand for lunch and offering her help…Jackie calls in a favor and a plumber comes over to see what is going on. He does not see a busted pipe and the water to the house is still on and there is no water leaking in the house. After the plumber leaves and fred shows up again we are off to Target to get carpet knifes to start pulling up the wet carpet (ok this carpet has need to be replaced for YEARs and I am not sad at all that is has to go – however the moving of my bedroom furniture to get the carpet up is going to be like moving out of the house. At this point it is close to 7 and as much as I would love to go to glass I know that I cant and will not make it there. We are pulling up carpet in the hall at 7, and then start pulling it up in my bed room…the really wet areas and it is looking like it is has already started to mold…Moving the desk – packing the shelf into a big bucket, and putting things on the bed…the first side of the carpet knife has died and I flip it over …We have hauled out bag after bag of wet carpet and padding, lucky that Wednesday morning is trash day…it is another reason I wanted to get up as much as I could by then – after we get most of it up for the night it is almost 8 and fred is back – I so need a shower and a bed…So I leave with Jackie to come to her house for dinner and to shower and sleep thinking that I would ride with her this morning to get my car and be there for more cleaning – but I am worn out and there is little that I can do there other than laundry without the help of someone else. So I stay at jackies house and sleep and get up and take a hot bath to try and help my aching legs and back. I need a nap. For the first time I am glad that I don’t have a job and that I was able to stay at the house and deal with some of the mess…I know that I don’t own the house but I have been there so long and I guess that I take pride in the fact that I live there and would hate to see something happen to it. It is my home…oh and on the other hand well Fred is beyond not being happy or please with the slob who lives on the 3^rd floor – yes the one who had the nerve to move my food out of my cabinet and called me a hoarder and said I had a metal disorder – that did NOT make me a happy person- and up till this flood like event we had not spoken to each other in weeks. So Fred has decided that it is time for her to go – I am all for it – he was appalled with the appearance of her room – 4 empty red wine bottles on the floor – coke cans with cigarette ashes – she is NOT to be smoking in the house- dirty dishes and trash on the floor – along with clothes every where – we had to kick a pathway so that we could get into the room. She is late most months that I am aware of paying her rent, she is late giving me utility bills and I no longer have the extra money to float with the lack of a job…. So it looks like with the request of the landlord that I will be finding a new roommate for the 3^rd floor and you know what I am not upset by that at all. I could use a lot less drama in my life and she can move to her sisters place cause that is where she is most of the time and the only one who will let her in with the bad credit she has…

oh there might be a swim gig coming up at the end of the month but I am waiting to see about that one – and then the next Idea is to sub teach during the mornings while trying to land a gig of full time art teacher for the fall. I was planning to stop by the Field school this week and drop off my resume but that is not happening with all of the mess at the house. Maybe there will be time later in the week for glass – Madeline emailed this morning that they might be up there tonight but I still don’t think that I will make it there with all of the madness – not that I had anything planned to work on…

Why do things keep happening on Tuesdays?

But on the brightside of things in the middle of the madness, with some happy news, Ashley, my sister, called to say that during her first visit to the doctor for an ultrasound and blood work that she had passed out twice as they tried to get the 6 things of blood that they needed. In the end someone asked if they got all that they needed and Ashley response was something along the lines of “I f-ing hope so.” She made me laugh in all of the madness that I was sitting - Congratulations go to Ashley and Ward who are due on Tiffany’s Birthday, August 21. So the beach trip is still ago with a very pregnant Ashley – lets all hope they don’t have to take anymore blood.

Roommates from Hell and christmas Treats

2005-12-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

I fused last night for the first time in a while after finishing up so many
of the stained glass windows that I have been working on and I can soon post on
the site... But I think that I could have fused the glass together with the
anger that I had when I got there...ROOMMATES -need I really  say more - but
the one who has been living with me for over 2 years and is a SLOB took it upon
herself to move the boxes from the lay off (that were stacked at the bottom of
the stairs) into the doorway of my bedroom and move her glasses into the
cabinet that I have had my things in since i moved into the house 6 years ago.
Now if  I had come home and not turned on the light in the hall way I would have
flipped over the boxes and hurt myself....I was pissed off and what did I do
but move the boxes back to where they had been and posted a note on them "DO
NOT MOVE"  And then to top  it off we get a note from the condo board saying
that starting Feb 1 we can only have 2 parking stickers for the house - now I
have lived here as I said earlier going on 7 years and we have never had
stickers for parking - which is not a bad idea for those who have a lease or
live here - but the limit of 2 and  no option of a visitors pass after 6 at night is
complete and total BS. that you cant have anyone without a sticker even parking
in your own reserved spot.  I have to look  into this and see what I can do
about it since I know there are a few people in this lot alone who live alone.
I think I need to go to the board meeting and state do yall not have friends
- 6 is BS I would understand 10 pm or even 9- cause at that point you can
still have a dinner party but 6 that is a joke. Who do you know in this town is
home at 6 anyways.  Do you not have friends- what if you have a friend who has a
broken leg and they want to come see you - do you expect them to dodge
traffic on Glebe Road or hobble down 2 blocks- cause they cant park in your
reserved spot - does that not just cancel out the whole idea of the spot-  now I
understand that they are trying to get rid of the over night guests who are
always here - but these rules are starting to be worse than college parking lot
rules.  it would be one thing that guests need to park in the over flow lot down
the street but they are saying you need a sticker there too.  I really don t
think they have thought this out.  It used to be one of the nice perks of living
here was the option of parking and the freedom of friends coming over and not
having to worry about their cars being towed or broken into down the street. 
So all of this happens as I walk in the house on Tuesday - and you can say
that I am pissed and all I want to do is go work with glass but I have to calm
down some before I can even head over there- so j tries to talk me down but I am
MAD at the roommate and over the parking - and lets just top this off with
the need to wash clothes and still pack and send out resumes before I leave for
TN on Thu to be with the family for 5 days.

So I get up to the studio and I just parked the car and Rita is calling -
Where are you? I am in the lot - come on up- so I am heading up - Madeline is
like nice to see you - we were hoping you would show up tonight - and waiting
for me was a little package and a card for helping her through out the fall.  A
bottle of magic gloves - this lotion that is great and a little help inside the
envelope from the craft group.  I have a lot of great friends up there who
really care for me and look forward to me coming up there -- even when I have my battles
with the roommates before I come to class.  And they are all willing to listen to all
of the crazy stores and the little things that stress me out. Plus they have all been
so supportive in wanting to help me get that next job.   Last night was the last Tuesday
of the year for glass. And it was also the return of one of the fusers who has been away
for a few months ... maybe I will stick to the stained glass for a little while longer -
Alesha has asked for me to work with her mom and make her one for her new studio - it will keep
me busy -  but then again after Christmas I should have some new glass to play
with too.  who knows what the coming year will bring and what changes will
come with it - OK so I new job for sure

Went by the church and picked up the glass I fused last night - and one has already been
grabbed by my best customer- love when I make glass like that -  Merry Christmas to yall
and my your stockings be filled with dichroic and the glass of your dreams -

Glass to Holidays

2005-12-13T00:17:00.000-05:00

So another Christmas gift was cut last week, I finished cutting the glass for the latest window in 2 nights, with a nice and quite Wednesday to cut and wrap it. I have to say that I love the nights up there when there are only a few of us up there. There are nights that are starting to get crazy in the studio (so not like last year with 24 people in the room) and I am really ready for some people to disappear after the new year – there are a few who make it so that others no longer want to come to glass and I HATE that – cause the ones I like are talking about buying there own kilns- and Tuesdays nights would not be the same without them. It’s like we need to have a vote can you stay or have you over stayed to your welcome and it is time for you to leave. So some of those did leave at the start of fall but you never know when they will show back up. We have a few kiln hogs these days and I really want then to get a kiln for their house for the holidays – however I don’t think we will get that lucky. We have some people who have never taken a class just show up and they have no CLUE what is going on up there and they don’t ask and they wonder why there things don’t turn out. And whets even more of a pain is that they are coming with some of the people who just grate on my nerves… Really I think that it is all about lack of manners and respect…ok so it might be that I am one of the ones who has been up there for the last 5 year…and maybe the church really does just need to shut down for the remodel so that we can filter out a few. But then again this might explain why I have quite fusing over the last few months and I have turned to the stainglass again – that and it is cheaper. However I hear that I might be getting a good bit of glass from Santa…glass can make me happy.

Christmas is right around the corner, and most of my shopping is done, I am still on the search for a few things and I think that I am going to have to bite the bullet and do the online order – which last year I was all over it but this year I am up for the hunt of the items – cause you would think that I have more time to look for things –and yet at other times I feel like there is less time for the little things and more time for fixing real dinners and spending time with friends…the sisters have not asked or requested the money for mom and dads gift, I want to give them the money but I know that they will not take it now since I don’t have a job, I so would love to have one before the new year…Today I had 2 requests for resumes, ok so both of the schools are in MD, but I need to get my feet in the water anyway, anywhere I can – even if that means that I have some EARLY mornings, there are open houses for schools coming up in Jan and many schools start looking for next year teachers by Feb. or march… I have even sent a request for a letter of recommendation from my AP art Teacher who I went and taught for last fall. Need to think of a few others to add to the list, maybe Emily GC …then there is the other idea of going back to the world of computers and lack of sunlight and sitting at a desk all day – but the pay would be good and the time would be flexible- but it is all about the connection and who you know and who can get your foot in the door. And maybe it would work out till the fall and then I could go and teach, because I am so much happier now than I was in the fall sitting at a desk all day looking for something to do that was at least a little creative.

Oh and in the other world of glass – I did go up to the studio to see what happens there in MD…and they had me do a little of everything – I have to say that having to crush dichroic into a powder almost made me cry, ( the power compressor was fun but the crunching glass was like nails down a chalk board) that cutting into a full sheet of dichroic – and that is the LARGE round one- made my heart beat faster and my hand sweat and I but it off till I had to and then I even used the straight line cutter- that pulling glass into stringers with the torch is fun but I still need a LOT of work doing it, that making a large sheet of glass as one big pendant 9 x16 – which is fired and then cut, fire polished and then put on metal bases- can be both fun and a great task at the same time. It was a great experience and I am glad that I went up there to meet all of the people who come and go up there – and you have to move your car when you block them in- I just wish that the weather had been better and that the snow and the ice had stayed away. and I am glad passed on the full time offer for many reason and not just the low pay – it was hard work and maybe you get used to it, standing most of the day with cuts on your hands, but then again there is a pile of stuff that you helped make at then end and you get to see what you accomplished with in the few hours you are there and maybe moving around all of the time I would be thin, but the stress of no money would do that too, the one thing that I found funny is that I stayed one night till 6:15 and I was the last artist there, and to me that was early…but I think that in the end it would ware me out and I would lose my love of glass and that is something that I am not willing or ready to do at this point. Glass is the broken, the cracked, the flawed, the imperfection that we all have in our lives and need to be reminded that nothing is perfect but you have to look for the one thing that can be perfect in your eyes and accept all that comes at you, even if it is cracked, and things break and life goes on – sometime I just have to swim a little harder to get to the top of the water.

So how goes the interview....

2005-11-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

Glass studio Assistant, Kensington, MD-pay is not enough to live on in DC maybe TN but by far not DC, benefits = none, a cool studio =yes, could I learn lot= yes, and will they have me for just a week= yes, if I want to take them up on the offer to help them with the holiday rush. I could learn a lot and it would give me contacts for the future, in fact Gary gave me one today who will be building a studio in VA. in the next year which could be fun, but the guess would be low pay and no benefits. Who do you know, who can live in (a safe place without food stamps) DC making less than $30,000 w/o benefits? So maybe if you are married and the other half can cover the benefits and you are doing it for the fun of it, but in reality could I do it and still have a quality of life and not have to go back to Gap full time part time...NO - so the search continues for another week, and reality sets in with the bank statement from last month, of what really bare bones living is all about - NO FUN No sushi and No extras and that in the end of the month the basics start to run out and you have to replace them, yes the price of gas has dropped but others have gone up up and away- plus it is Christmas time and I would like to give a few gifts, not made of glass. There is another design job out there from the same company that I got my belt "drink beer" from, so I have to work out a design for them and send it in...I did send out 3 resumes and cover letters this morning so the word is out there that I am looking. I have more work to do on the teaching front and it is time to figure out what I want to say to the Field School. (I drove past it today on the way to this interview) . It might be time to sign up for sub-teaching, to get my foot in the door.

This morning was a successful one -- and I have to say that I need to keep the TV off to get a lot done, but it is good company. I had a list from last night of what I needed to do today and i have to say that by noon I was marking off things left and right...so there are still things left to do there always are, but I feel better about those that I crossed off...the harder things to remember are dates and that the end of the month creeps up on you and you have to send that car payment and rent out again. So this morning was dropping off the resumes and bills at the post office, renewing books, dropping gap cards off, hitting the bank and having lunch with Rita. While standing on the sidewalk, an old friend was walking down the street -- who I had not seen in a long time -- she has that glow going on, she looks happy with a baby on the way.

Glass Glass Glass- well I did start on another Christmas gift request and a challenge something that I had not done before the 3-D kind _ you will have to wait to see a picture cause I am not sure if she is reading this or not_ I have a large credit with Madeline that I need to start tapping into, I picked up some glass fixes that I had tried last week, some of the fixes worked and others did not, a few that I might have to refire again to get the look that I was going for...i did play with one that had wire in it - need to place those in the book as debit.... I have found the one pattern that I was in the search for in the oddest of places but it works and I will reveal it later when the window is complete and the gift is unwrapped- so it is time to do some tweaking of the pattern and keep moving on. maybe I need to keep glass as my passion and hobby and not as a full time job - cause I dont want to hate it in the end. need to go work on more resumes, let me know if you find anything....

A new direction for the job search

2005-11-11T11:54:00.000-05:00

In the last 3 weeks things have changed a lot in the job search. I have been helping Madeline teach the stainglass and fused glass classes for the last 3 weeks and with that it has changed my direction for the job search. So here I am 3 weeks out of work and I think I have figured out for now what I want to do…I think I want to go and teach art and coach swimming. Now the grades that I want to teach, that remains a question, they all have their advantages and disadvantages, the little kids you can still do all of the holidays with them but most of their projects are short so there are a lot of lessons to come up with…middle school – I hated middle school – but you can do more with them in terms of longer projects but they don’t know what they want from one min to the next and there own bodies are changing faster than they can think…high school you get tricky – most of the kids who are there want to be there and you have some who are doing AP art so there are some set things – but at that stage I feel that some might be better artist than I am, and they can talk with you and those are the teachers that I remember most and I can coach swimming too … I do know that for now I want to go to independent / private school…The school that I would really like to teach in is the Field School but the chances of them hiring me mid year – highly unlikely but I have seen a good selection of art teacher openings mid year- so those make you wonder a little too -but at this point, mid year I am not sure how picky I can be –

What do I have to lose at this point in the job field, search, market…Anything that will keep me away from a dark office sitting behind a desk 40 hours a week sounds like a good change to me…I have found a book at the library called “Great jobs for Art Majors” so that was the morning reading…the other one I found …getting from fired to hired…so those are the books and guides I and going to use to see where I need to go next and what the next steps are…So I have put my resume up on the NAIS.org site (how my brother in law and 2^nd cousin both found their teaching gigs) and I need to go a few step further with this and get the cover letters all set up plus the books have a list of other organizations to check into…So that is what I will be doing over the next few days. I also got a copy of the Washingtonian, this month, 55 of the great places to work in DC…and the funny thing is I was looking at one of the pictures and I think one of the girls who I worked with when I first moved up here is in the photo. There are a few places on the list that sound creative and most of them are based on the good and different benefits the companies give…from free lunch, Fridays off, 3-4 weeks vacations and the week between Christmas and New Years (the full office is closed) and other little perks…And AOL was far from being on the list.

Well we have a new glass addict…she started with the stainglass and is moving fast to the fused and with that she has gone out and found the magnetic hook necklaces …little did she know when she offered sale of the necklaces at wholesale that she had a few bite and the order went up drastically. Tuesday was a fun night up in glass – and I never cut anything …I was showing the resume (which everyone was like it looks good) and I was trying to work on a new stainglass pattern, and Madeline had to go get Adina from the airport at 10, so we ended up leaving close to one time …ok so I was going to fuse but its not like there were any kilns open in time… so I was just going to cut and then fuse it when I was teaching on Wed –Tuesday was just a social night and then again so was Wednesday, met up with a friend for coffee in the morning and then had another friend come over to the house, which I had to kick her and her friend out of my house at 6:55 so that I could make it up to the church to help with the stainglass class. It was just one of those good days and I spent so little time in front of the computer stressing about what I will be doing next. I just have to keep telling myself it will all come together…

oh well – I have the big box of glass filled to the top…in fact J is taking the box to her office again to try and get the holiday rush started in case I need to make matching earrings…the holiday season is here and I guess that Is how I can make some holiday money, for now, but I would love to have a job before Christmas for sure.

Hadleys Park - I need a spark

2005-11-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

I found my own park this weekend, ok so it’s named after a little girl named Hadley (there is even a hotel) ...I knew that it was out there in Dulles but I never took the time to find it till this weekend. A playground for all kids, and on a sunny day, what a great place to be...we made it there after there was a mild baseball accident earlier in the afternoon when a ball hit Ash in the face and knocked her glasses off of her face and needed to be adjusted at the mall. I then looked up to see if Hadleyspark.org was hiring - and I found out that they are no longer designing playgrounds so that’s out - I thought my name would give me a foot in the door. So today it is 2 weeks that I have been unemployed and the first real day of separation (what ever the hell that means)...I don’t really miss going into work, and I think that I am a little happier not going there every day, I do miss the girls and the group lunches, I don’t miss the drive. So I have to think that most drives will be shorter than the one I did for the last 5 years. I am still not sure what I want to do next - but at this point anything other than Gap might be nice. I guess I should take another test online and see if I get any closer...

Halloween was yesterday...over the weekend I had a wedding party on Saturday night, I went as an Oscar...but I think that next year I am going as a gold digger- I can wear the gold dress again and carry a shovel covered in gold...Last night we went over to the Sees old neighborhood to find some candy (and to check out the changes the new owners have made to the house - the kitchen is now red and the hallway is khaki and not lime green) Just the little changes you can see from the outside - it made me miss them and miss Dixie...and then this morning I get an email from Shannon with new picture of her parents new yellow lab puppy Rose. One day when I have a backyard I will have another yellow lab.

Not sure what I will do in glass tonight...fuse I guess unless I find a stainglass that I want to do today...Since things have not come up today, I think that I will help Madeline again on Wednesday night with the stainglass class and build up some credit...I should be there today but I am here in front of a computer looking to see what is out there for me. (Ok you know it is bad when I have figured out what shows come on when - yes a real sign of no job) I need to start somethings on the list...like post a new roommate notice, call media barn and Boss and see what they can do for me. I need to find something sooner rather than later...

Tagged For the 23rd post

2005-10-28T11:06:00.000-05:00

Blue Dog Art Tagged me - but I just found this out after I was reading hers...and I am only 2 posts past that 23rd...

Here are the rules:

1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the 5th sentence (or close to it.)
4. Post that, along with these rules, in your blog.
5. Tag 5 people.

And the 5th sentence of my 23rd posting was:

"The water is only 5 small cuts, so I will take a look at it next Tuesday and see if I want to recut those before I start to wrap all of the glass up."

I was talking about the fairy window, that I just finshed with this week. I do have to say that I was much happier with the new water than I was with the first colors and shapes that I had picked...

So for the others to Tag :
1. tiny robot
2. The Hindsmers
3. Blue Dog Art (but she is the one who tagged me)
4. Glass Hole Studios ( has left a comment)
5. Sophiagrrl

In other news I just found out that the newest of the roommates has accepted a job in another state and will be moving at the end of the year - so yet again I will have to do the roommate search for Jan which is a pain in the ass cuase no one wants to move then...and its not like I can just split the house with the remaining roommate cuase as of now I dont even have a job - thanks to the lay off...another thing to add to the stress of life these days

I dont have a job but I have my glass.

2005-10-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

Its been a full week since I was formerly "let Go" and I have had many mixed
emotions about it all - there have been some good days and then there are have
been some bad/hard days.  The hopes of the job lined up from last week did
not come through - but I am working up in the studio tonight, helping Madeline
with a new stainglass class in trade for the stainglass window of the fairy
that was completed last night.  OK so having all day Tuesday to spend in the
studio -- might be one of the highlights of having the week off.  I was really
hoping that I would have something lined up by this Friday for next week -- OK
so I have 2 days to day that -- not so sure if that is going to happen but maybe
an interview with media barn will happen.

Yesterday up in the studio I took some glass blobs that we found over the
weekend at the Maryland Renn Fair - that have eched patterns on them-and made
them into necklaces. So there might be another thing to make with the blobs,
that is if we can find some tiny stencils.  While we were there I got to see the
glass blower and I wanted so bad to be in there blowing myself again...I want
another trip out to Old Way to blow...I did get a sun disk to hang in the
window -- now which window that remains in the air for today.  They had other
glass artist - the stainglass looked like kits and the fusers need to fuse their
glass a little longer - they still have the sharp edges...but I have to say the
FOOD was unreal, the people watching excellent, and the cheap gas at wahwah
($2.45) was something we had not seen in months...to bad we had just filled up
at 2.64 and thought that was a good deal....at least we got some good coffee.

So on Tuesday I decide that I wanted to spend the afternoon in the studio
finishing the fairy...which it took me all afternoon to finish it up...I am
happy with the way it turned out.  After a lot of tweaking and grinding of the
final piece it came together. I will post a picture when I can - for now this
little mac does not even have the port for me to even plug the camera in to down
load the new ones.  Another Christmas gift off the list.

So when I went up there Tuesday afternoon I meet the lady that I have heard
was a pain in the ass (well I found out that she is another one of the crazy
cat ladies). She Talked NONE stop, and repeating things over and over, and
hogged the kilns so I was glad I was not up there to fuse.  She then got all
snippywith another one of the Fusers, Patti, who has been fusing for a much longer
time - the talked offered the kiln to Patti and when she was not ready at then
she waited about 5 min and jumped in front of her and took over the kiln that
Patti had been planning on using - so there were a few word said - OK so
patti could have taken her for sure.  But its like a list of rules need to be
posted about manners and not hogging 3 of the 4 kilns at once.

So when I was finished with the window - I came home for dinner and went back
up there for night class and to see all of my friends and I fused for the
first time in a month...trying some glass I had never seen there...it was orange
and the  funny thing is one of the pieces is very orange and the other one
looks pink...I also tested the expensive glass for color and the silver pen for
burn off - which it did not do- but the silver did  not stay very silver - so I
might have to play with that some time soon.

Not sure what I will do up there next week - but I have say that sometime you go
where everybody knows your name and there always glad you came- so for me it is not
a bar but the glass studio and I will take it.

laid off and no sleep - makes a stressed out Had

2005-10-20T05:44:00.000-05:00

So all I can say is that it has been a sh...y week and that is all that I can say about it…ok not really…I can say a lot more, I am pissed off, I am sad, I am stressed out, I am laid off and I can’t sleep through the whole night. I really miss my Mimi right now because she would have had the perfect thing to say to me about all of this. I have to believe that there is something better out there and that job that wake up in the morning for and look forward to going to is out there. It might be the best thing that could happen 6 months down the road but for now life is a little STRESSED. Ok so it could be worse I did get a package of 2 months but that is 6 weeks away…till then I will do what I need, even if that means picking up extra hours at Gap during the week. But hopefully the connection with a former manager (who left AOL close to 2 years ago and started his own business) will get me closer to a job – when I left on Tuesday Dave was like call Jason he might have something for you as a production artist…so I called him on Wednesday morning, heard back from him on Wednesday afternoon- requested a resume…I spent the rest of the day and into the evening working on updating my resume (thanks Jackie for all of the formatting and embellishing –aka BS that a resume involves) So that I can tweak it in the morning – ok so I was not thinking of 4.30 am but here I am awake typing this out cause I really need to go for a swim or run or a bike ride…(I am waiting for the running shoes that I ordered 2.5 months ago – the tracking number says they are on the way here- should be here today) Damn it I no longer have a gym -…and the old running shoes got a good bit of paint on them at volunteer day at a local school – at least I was not in the office on Friday and left early on Monday. And why did I wear running shoes to work on Tuesday cause I don’t think I had ever worn them there in the 5.5 years that I worked in that office – bouncing all over cc1.

I was writing this in Times Roman, and had to change cause it was about to piss me off- what an over used font – (this is also a result of working on the resume) ok so you Can see the brain is working in over time Hadley – bouncing from one thing to the next – if you can keep up that means you really know me by now and if not well read it again- . I don’t work well on little sleep. So I am in the dark glow of the computer typing…maybe if I get some of this out I can sleep in the morning.

So I am flipping back and forth with the resume and this and it is almost 6 – what the hell am I doing up- STILL-there is an almost full moon over my head in the sky light- So I should say something about glass…the fairy window has had a few more adjustments but I am happier about the water change and the way it is fitting together now. I only have to grind some of the last pieces but I should have it wrapped before next Tuesday so I can put it all together. (remember stainglass is a little cheaper than fusing but no Xerox now so who knows what I will do next- but the holidays are right around the corner so maybe I can get the sales going) So on Tuesday when I walked in they all clapped and were happy to see me – they all thought that I would be out at a bar having a drink – but no Tuesday is glass night and I needed that little bit of normalcy cause I knew it was going to be the last of it for a while. We had a few strangers return from a 6 month break (welcome back girls) – they are all coming back- And then in walks Cindy and Leah – sad to see me leaving – but they had a yellow m&m shaped ice-cream cake and glitter dyed flowers for me…it felt more like my birthday than my lay off…but they just wanted to show me that they were going to miss me at work. (Remember the pond on a day when you really need a break from the office – and school store runs for chocolate) So now they are just going to have to come to Alexandria on Tuesdays to see me and the rest of the crazy glass ladies and guy.

And in the middle of all of this crazy morning hours I check my email and I have one from Cindy saying that she has designed a t-shirt in my honor and all of her sleepless hours - if you want to see it -(www.designrabbit.com/blog )…and it made me cry – but then again I have made her cry this week too by having to leave. This is not a vacation this is reality that I have to find something cause I want to be here and I want to stay here…I will make it happen and hope that things will always be a little easier than they first were when I moved to DC 6.5 years ago. Could it be worse than that 3 week job at BETv? At least I started some of my Christmas shopping earlier this fall- I think I had something telling me this might happen. And I really don’t think that I had been happy there since Marty left back in August. My job was no longer a challenge it was the same type of thing every day…that is if there was something to do – I had slipped into going in later, leaving closer to 5:30 than 6:30…I looked forward to lunch with the girls and going to the gym – how I will hate missing 20 20 20 and cardio sculpt and kick-boxing…and I will miss my Friday morning coffee from Fatima, telling her good bye was not an easy thing- I made her cry and then I teared up and she was like those stupid people (for laying me off) but said I would be fine and that I would be missed. Maybe I can send another coffee cake via Cindy and Leah to her for the holidays –since her husband ate the one I made her for her birthday. I will miss that place – maybe not the full drive out there but the simple trip over to Wegmans (does this mean I have to go back to the Giant?) the general knowledge of the area – ok so I had been there for 5.5 years – oh and that is some JUNK to haul out of the office on your last day (I can now hear the early morning planes coming in for a landing). At least Elizabeth came and found me in the parking lot and picked up the very over due table that I borrowed from her in May and had been in my trunk all summer – a slacker with that one for sure. And Marty your fridge is now at Leah’s desk, maybe she cleaned it out and defrosted it.

I played the lotto yesterday – the pot was $340 million – I did not even win $3… well I think it is now time to try and craw back into bed and try and get a few hours of sleep now- the sun is about to come up – today is polish off the resume some more…listen to my phone ring and think do I have the minutes left to talk this month…go get my haircut cause if I am doing interviews I need to at least look nice…dig in the closet and find a pair of dress pants that fit to wear to the interviews…and stop by Madeline’s Holiday Show at her house and get some of the chocolate covered peanut brittle (that stuff is SOOO GOOD) and get that run/swim/ or bike in there too. Oh and to make calls for the placement center to go on Friday afternoon if I am not meeting with Jason by then, find out about my 410k balance and if I have worry about that, stock and insurance are 2 weeks away but the list is growing and the notes by the side of the bed are too – of what I need and want to do and in between the sleep and the dreams that keep waking me up and making me talk in my sleep. Stress it is such a great thing – maybe my glasses will come in this afternoon and I can see the next time I am up at 4:30 am working on the computer.

There back and I can see clearly now.

2005-10-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

The masses of people who were missing last week returned this week. The studio was full, not packed but with the changing weather and the holidays starting to creep up on us more people will start to show who have not been there in months.

I got a better picture of the star over the weekend, you can see all of the colors now. I finished cutting all of the glass for the fairy however now I am not crazy about the glass that I picked for the water. The water is only 5 small cuts, so I will take a look at it next Tuesday and see if I want to recut those before I start to wrap all of the glass up. I am not in a rush right now to get it finished.

The new dichroic arrived in the mail on Tuesday from PJ, I did not fire it up last night...I think that I am going to order some of the clear glass this week, but I need to wait till Friday (sat is pay day) since the money for glass went to getting new lenses for my glasses (cause the flex card would not work). I went to the eye doctor this morning to pick up the new contacts and to ask about getting the lenses replaced in my old frames ( I have some flex spending money that I need to use up) and they are like your right eye in those glasses is so off we are not sure if you would pass your drivers test with those. So the girl at the front desk made me leave them - so no glasses for the next week, at least I have new contacts. So bring the world into focus.

Stars in the air

2005-10-07T13:46:00.000-05:00

This is the star that I stabbed my hand with while wrapping the glass...Ok so the stab mark is just now healing from 3 weeks ago, maybe it was deeper than I thought. The other star, well I did not take a picture of it before I gave it to Emily and Paul as a house warming gift. I came up with this pattern a few years ago thinking that I would make tree toppers but that never happened...I tend to give them as housewarming gifts.

So this past Tuesday it was so nice in the studio, only 5 of us were there. It was good group of people and it reminds me of why I go up there. The one night that I plan on starting a stainglass piece no one was there to fuse. With 4 open kilns, I should have fused, but I was waiting on new glass, that I ended up getting outbid on all but one in the last hour, and one in the last min. So I want to order new glass...I have been on a search for some new clear, everyone seems to be making it on black right now and it limits you to what you can do with it. So I think I will make a big order of clear from an ebay store that Madeline recommended for the holiday. I did turn some new things into Hoopla, even some Christmas trees for the season...I am happy with how they turned out. Maybe after I get some new glass I will be ready to fuse again for the last minute Christmas purchasers.

In the past few weeks I have gone back to stainglass, taking a break from fusing...I was sick of having to fight to get into the kilns and I needed to make some gifts. So it started with the very late wedding gift, which turned into the stars, and now I am doing a Christmas gift. Yeah, I know, a little early but then again it will be here before we know it and I did not want to be rushed to finish this one...And with 44 pieces I was thinking it was going to take 3 to 4 weeks to finish it up. On Tuesday I managed to get the outside pieces cut, having to recut one piece 3 times to get the grain of the glass going in the right direction. So now all I have left to cut is the fairy on the inside, her wings are going to be iridescence clear and she is going to blue...The fairy is kneeling on some rocks with her hand in the water, the background is going to be like trees and a sun set sky. I can just add it to another Christmas gift that I can cross off my list early this year...Even though it will be the end of October by the time it is finished.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, I got Carson and Parker's at Art on the Ave over the weekend. They are each getting hooded towels, Parker is getting a frog and Carson is getting Spiderman. And one of them is getting a Brazilian tree frog hat. Tiffany requested no toys since they will be moving in the spring. I also bought a new turtle necklace and mini bud vase which is magnetic from a company from NC and a new belt that says "drink beer" that I cant wait to get. I LOVE Art on the Ave...However I am glad that I did not do the show cause there was just to much glass there this year. I found out that in the spring there will be a new place to eat and see art...Someone is opening a bistro / art gallery with a dark room and studio space in the old dry cleaners, what a great idea. Delray is such a rocking place.

Rerun on HGTV

2005-09-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

For those of you who might have missed it the first time or you have nothing better to do at 7:45 am on Thursday morning than to laugh at me on TV here's your chance. The rerun of my show (crafters coast to coast) is on this Thursday, the show starts at 7:30 am but I am the third person on the show so it will be closer to a quarter till 8 before you will see me. Yes you can laugh, please do, cause that is all that I can do when I watch it. I just have to remember to check my mail on Thursday and Friday and see who watched it this time and how many hits I get on the site.

In other glass news...The stainglass 3-d stars - I need to take a picture of them - where both received with smiles and "yes, they are sharp." Sharp for sure, in making them I sliced open a knuckle on my left hand cutting glass, stabbed the fatty part of my palm on my right when I was wrapping it with foil, and then when the flux popped with the soder I got 2 small burns on my arm...with those 3 injures in one night I should be good for a while. The pain I will go through for art and making glass for others. At least I did not have to get stitches this time. I think that I have a few more stainglass projects that I want to do before the holidays, so I might try and hit the studio some more on the off nights for fusing and Tuesday for stainglass. Thats the plan for now but you never know what will happen.

So enjoy the show if you are up on Thursday watch it, tape it, TiVo it or wait for the next rerun.

2005-09-07T16:20:00.000-05:00

The over due wedding gift

Over due is done

2005-09-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

It only took me 3 weeks to complete the very over due wedding gift, but I am still within the 1 year grace period (and even the 11 months that rita keeps saying that I have to get it there by). So it might take me another week or 2 to get it to the couple but it is complete. I am still just happy that I was able to finish it within the 3 weeks. The pattern had a few adjustments along the way. First I had to remove the skull and the rose on the original piece and then I had to change a few of the cuts, over all I am happy with the result. I think the most comments come from the glass that I chose for the end of the books to look like pages. It is the one glass that I had in mind from the start.
I had one friend commented on the window "I never knew that books to look so BEAUTIFUL."

Next, I think that I need to make a new 3-D star for a house warming gift and then I might even start on Christmas gifts, now that I don't have a fall show to stress over and churn out fused glass. Getting ahead of the rush might be good thing - wait I am not that organized... maybe I will just search for the patterns and then sit on them till the holidays- now that sounds more like something I would do.

Stain glass, Stroms and Gas $$$$

2005-09-01T13:47:00.000-05:00

I knew last Tuesday that I had to much luck and cuts where going to smoothly – because last night it took me longer to cut the middle of the stain glass window than it did to do all of the sides last week. I had to many recuts and grinding to get things to fit in place. All but one piece was cut last night and they are all sanded down and ready to wrap this week. So next week all I have to do is cut that last little piece and then start to put it all together.

But on the minds of so many last night: New Orleans and all that has happened there in the last few days. The pictures make me cry. Those who are still there – you were told to leave so why did you stay – thinking that you would make it through another storm and now they are having to send people in to rescue you and then send you off to other towns, is it not better to leave at your own pace than with someone dragging your ass out of there? The ones that I feel for most are the ones who no longer have a home to go back to and they dont have the money or the means to start over there again. So will they drive as far as they can, if they have a car and means to get there and stop and start a new life in a new town. Or will they wait it out and return to the Big Easy - Life down there is not going to be the Big Easy for a while. They are now saying that those who lived there should not expect to come back to the city for 3 - 4 months now. The numbers of the dead keep going up and the bodies keep floating by, they are lost in the count. If you lived there and ever thought about moving away this is the time to do it. And I sit and think that if something like that happened where would I go and what would I do...and I think that I could go home if I had to for a while but the pull of DC would bring me back to be with my friends. Plus to much time at home could send me over board - and where would I do glass there anyways. I am just glad that I am lucky and that all of my family is safe and maybe that is why I dont live at the beach... I have heard that others who lived down there are safe - no they have no idea about their neighborhoods or homes but they are alive and will learn to adapt to the things that surround them...but be on the watch out for New Orleans making it way to other towns -- maybe they will help slow the pace of the crazy lives that we all live.

But then again you start to question is this the beginning of the end of the world with the storms like no one has ever seen hitting and taking away so many lives. The tsunami in Dec and now this one-and not to mention the 3 major storms that hit Florida last year. And others say that it global warming and to many SUVs on the road. No matter what you want to say or believe the weather is changing.

And then to top it off - I had almost panicked on Monday when I heard all day about gas going up so I was glad that I stopped on the way home to get gas for $2.69 and today (Thursday) gas is $2.95 and over $3 at so many other places. I have to have gas to get to and from work, so there is no option not to fill up - it just means less trips to Target to get things I dont need and another reason to stay at Gap so that I can top off my tank. I dont believe there will be the after Labor Day gas break.

2005-09-01T11:01:00.000-05:00

Hadley

Stainglass is overdue...

2005-08-25T16:43:00.000-05:00

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you...I was working on a stainglass window (OK a very over due wedding gift) and not fusing on Tuesday night. Tom was even doing stainglass and not mosaic, and Rita was fusing and not beading. It was like all of us decided that we needed a change this week.
The group was small and emptied out fast and the room was much cooler than the previous weeks (thank goodness). Madeline is still at the beach and when she is gone so are others, I guess it will fill back up again next week.

I started with the stainglass so many years ago and I try do at least one a year to keep the skills up...The over due gift is a stack of books on a table with curtains blowing in...I have to say that I am VERY happy with the cuts so far and I only had to recut one small piece. The boarders of the window are complete now all I have to work on next week is the stack of books in the middle. Most of those cuts should be easy however they all have curves, its the picking out that colors of glass that might take longer than anything. The table is a swirly brown and black, with green with white swippys for the curtains, bubble clear for rain-like drops on the windows, and clear ripple for the page ends of the book. Not sure what I am going to use for the books. But it will all come together. And the following week I will take the pieces home and wrap them and bring them back to put it all together...and then it will be ready to take over to the married couple at the first part of September so that they will have it with in the "year" of their wedding.

**@#@*$^(#& the crafty bastards

2005-07-23T17:06:00.000-05:00

Thursday was a bad day in the news of glass for me. I heard from the city paper and the one show that I wanted to do this year is not going to happen this year...Why in the world would they change to a smaller venue when they had 120 people show last year and knock it down to 70...And when you have over 200 apply for the show and they had to vote out 2/3 -I was cut. So where does that leave me now other than pissed off at the city paper and the fact that I don't get to be in the show this year - Without a fall show...A large fall show that is. There are others who got cut from the show too...And so we may bond together and form our own show for friends and coworkers in the fall.

IF we find a good location with parking in the area and invite friends to come and see fused glass, beading and precious metal jewelry close to the holidays, will they buy?...Do you think that the offer of wine and snacks will attract them?

I have to remember where crafty bastards took me in the past year - HGTV (crafters coast to coast) would not have happened for sure, if I had not been in the show and placed the ad that has been running for free since...Damn it, I was the featured Crafty Bastard of the week and I still got cut - I have talked about it non stop for a year -do they know - no they don't - that I have been a great advocate for the show and the paper for the last year. -- Guess I should have sent a piece to the office and not just pictures - pictures don't do the glass justice all of the time. Ok so I have my stuff out in Harpers Ferry too due to the ad too...The only one that I have found on my own would be Hoopla Traders...And my friends who all love to wear my glass and are great about talking it up and selling it too. At least I had not started adding up stock for the show...But I am still very disappointed and upset over all about the show.

In other news of glass I have a lot of new glass to play with- and much thanks to M & T for a belated birthday gift of glass...A ripple of emerald green that I have never seen, a clear radium, and a solid blue ( that did break in the mail - but I tend to like the broken pieces better)... Then there is the latest arrival from Melissa Treasures of water cut cowboy boots, a clear bubble, rainbow daisies on black and butterflies on clear. And then there was a full order from PJ that came the week before in some of the Savoy patterns on black along with some clear dichroic stringers. OK so I still have some other standard glass that I want to order... Big dots on clear and the small boxes, the never ending list of glass that I want to buy. BUT now the question comes up with do I need to make this order since I no longer have the big fall show that I was planning on... Guess now I need to play with the ribbon awareness glass with the torch for the fall and then start the VERY late wedding gift of a stainglass window for Mona and Jeff. Maybe it is a sign to take a break from the fusing or take the stress out of cranking them out for a show... Another show will come along...But I do think this is another reason why it is just a hobby and not job...

Yesterday I should have been Blond...

2005-07-13T13:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I should have been a Blond...In the rush to get a package to my Mom out by the end of the day and make it to glass before 8, I lost my head in the middle of it all. I was walking out of the office and spotted a nice box in which I could use to send the package, so I grab it and head out to the car. Drive over to the post office and find out that the humming bird feeder will not fit into the priority box, so I had to make it fit in the one I brought with me, so I pack it in there tight and fill it with shredded paper, tape it up, pay for and head out the door. Thinking this is great it will get there in time for Thursday and all is well - oh no its not- I get in the car and start looking for my phone, that's when I realized that I had packed my phone in the box that was on its way to TN...so I go racing back into the post office and tell them what I have done...they start laughing saying that is one they have not heard of happening...and before I open the box up the girl was like do you want to call it and make sure its in there...so she hands me her cell phone and I dial the # and sure enough the box starts to ring. So I open it up from the bottom and out pops the phone. I am just laughing at this point. Tape the box back up and head out to the car.

On the drive home I realize-WHERE is my MUG? In the middle of all of the madness of getting the package out and then retrieving my phone, my mug gets left...now they dont make my mug any more, they have switched to some keg looking mug that has a twist lid and for some reason twists lids dont always work for me...so I had to wait and see if I could make it to the post office to find my mug...luck was on my side and I found it there this morning, its a good thing cause my back up mugs are either to big to drink with one hand and you have to seat belt it in so it will not flip over or just not big enough...I guess I need to start looking for another 32 oz mug in case this one goes missing for good.

On the drive home pop up showers had hit the area so traffic was backed up and I sat on the end of the toll road onto 66 for 30 min trying to make home. Made it home, get dinner and off to the studio...its not a good sign when you are walking in and the note on the door says "new member retention meeting, in the back of the chapel, the coolest place in the church", you guessed it the AC went out again...what is it about being over 90 outside and the craft room not having AC...you can say it was a HOT night before the kilns were even turned on. My turtle that I tried to make from last week looks more like bear without ears with a bubble on the shell, the green turned light gray blue, not what I expected but still fun. The bubble set (ring, earrings and pendant with the striker glass that turned a dark purple) did not turn out the way that I had hoped so I did another round. If it was not for a birthday gift I would have left it but there are some requests that you try and live up to. I had all new glass last night to play with so I was trying out samples to see what they will fire up as. The next new order should arrive before next Tuesdays class so there will be more fun new things to play with. And I still have some other glass that I want to reorder, its never ending but I think I want some clear big circles (which are great for double overlays) and I need some small boxes...and maybe a ugotglass order of specialties too. Guess that all of my birthday money is going to glass, now that really is not a bad thing, got to spend it where you love it.

HOT HOT HOT Glass in a Hot room

2005-06-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

Summer has arrived with all of the humidity of the south...We went from highs in the mid 60's and with in a week we had temps of over 90 and in a hot room with 4 kilns going makes for a very HOT room. There is talk of either closing the craftroom for a few weeks due to the heat or closing for the night if the temps for that Tuesday are above 85. I would hate to have the room close but no one wants to be up there when it is that hot. I have been leaving early over the last few weeks cause I cant stand being up there in the heat. But the numbers have been going down - not sure if its the heat or people are on vacation for the summer, even the regulars are not there. I will take the extra space when I can get it.

Updates on glass requests- Mark from Hoopla called to say that someone had requested cufflinks for Fathers Day. So I made a special trip up to the hill on Thursday night to drop off 2 pairs. Now lets just hope that they will sell. Sales this week for me have been good, 2 sales at the office...Kaki called me this week to say that she had dropped by the GPS alum office and they started to ask about my glass. She told them about awareness ribbons that I had started to play with. So now there is a request for a special one to be made for the Fall. Turns out that Susan G Komen's sister is the opening speaker for the next school year, which just happens to be the centennial anniversary of GPS. And they would love to give a piece of glass to her as a thank you for coming to speak. Now that could take off and go some where - but those are not simple to make at all and I still need time to play with the torch to get the loop going the way that I want it to. It might be a good thing that I know now and will have time to play with it... there are some extra steps that you have to take to get the glass to do what you want it to do...you have to tack fuse them first so that they will lay flat and then you have to fuse them again with the cover if you want the shine...but playing with the torch still makes all of them unique and that's what counts...

Summer Glass

2005-06-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

Last week I was still sick from the stomach bug and took the night off to get ready for a trip home to TN. Sometimes you need a break from class and all of the craziness in life. I went home for a wedding and made one sale while I was there to an old friend who was blowing glass at one point. The find of the weekend was at the new market at cricket pavilion on Sundays, a blown torch work pendant for $15...I got home and someone wanted it - no you cant have it - it look like a turtle without the flippers. I will have to figure out how he was making them later. The depth and colors change with the light...Got to love glass.

Last night I was late even for me getting up to the studio (rita even called to check to see if I was ok) but in the end it was good timing since I had to wait for Kathleens kiln to cool before I could get my stuff in there. When I pulled to the parking lot the number of cars seemed to be on the small side however I think they all belonged to people in the craft room. As I was driving up there I had some peanut butter toast do a face plant on to my jeans, looked nice and pretty but at least it did not get on the nice clean detailed car. I walk into class and what do I see over on the snack table but a box of KKDs and to top it off a chocolate covered one with sprinkles. I have NO control when I see a box of KKDs and even less when they are still on the fresh side. It turned into an earlier night since Tom was around and staying late, so I was out of there by 10.45. It was a fast night up there but sometimes those are what you need.

The last time I was up in the studio I had been playing with some different glass, limiting the amount of dichroic and using textured and chop stix glass as cover pieces. Ever changing and experimenting with scrapes of glass. Someone said one looked like a hotdog (yellow, red and green) there is a hidden sail boat on one that you don't see until it is against something dark. A few more of the double layers with the clear waves on top. Long skinny ones and the small ones made up for most of the glass that I pulled out of the kiln - Last night I tried to make a few repeats of the time before, not sure how they will turn out - guess I will have to wait and see next Tuesday.

SMAF NO MORE

2005-05-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

Some shows are worth it and some are not. You have to take the good and bad and hope that you take something from it and learn a lesson or 2. This past weekend was filled with both. What lesson did I learn from this all - Be sure to ask "What is the vendor return rate from the previous year?" OK so the other sign should have been there are only 22 vendors and that was counting the food people, and only 2 returning vendors... I do have to say thanks to the girls from DITC, the weekend would have been a total bust if ya'll had not been there to keep me laughing.

After packing up the car on a cool Friday morning, stopping by the bank to get cash for change (which I ended up not needing) forgetting to stop by the church to pick up the last load out of the kiln (no big deal) and stopping for coffee with a friend, I started the drive up 95 for Darlington, MD. I thought I was getting a late start but things went well over the river and up to Baltimore, into the long tunnel (which I would HATE to get stuck in with traffic) and to Havre de Grace. I headed to the camp grounds but I was in search of ice so after not passing anything by the time I was turning off the main road I turned around heading back toward the Mc Donald signs and went searching for a 7-11. Found the ice, a bathroom and headed to the campground.

I arrived around 2:00 to set up for the day - in the cold...After I set up the tent and laid out the glass, I was told that we would be moving inside the gym for the night and I would be sharing half of a table with the DITC girls...But in the mean time I should go get a bed in the cabin. So I head to the cabin to find out that the one they placed me in was coed and not female only like requested. So I had find Erica who then told me to move further down the hill to the spider web filled cabin 17, without heat for the low 40's that were coming that night. I moved into the gym away from the wind, where I would only make one sale for the night. But the people watching - the girl with braids and blue hair doing yoga and praying during the singing was quite a site, Bren who acted as if she was my new best friend - a little on the drunk side- wanted to talk about glass - she did give me a good idea on how to display the cufflinks on the cards... so I was entertained and at least beer was cheap to help warm me up. By the end off the singing and packing the car back up I crashed in the cabin, I forgot how small those beds are and almost rolled off in the middle of the night and just tried to stay warm.

Saturday morning started off with the trickle of warm water for a shower and cold air...I was then greeted by my helpers Jackie, Nikki and Ashley with a thermos of HOT coffee to help me warm up, and bagels too. We had to unload the car again and set back up in the wind...the sky was clear but the winds were kicking... We chased the signs and the earrings all day till I put the earrings in the change drawer of the cash box. Sales were still slow and the music, well some of those people we would have paid to have them kicked off the stage. At least the sun was out and we just hung out for most of the day soaking up the sun, eating PB & J's and junk food...by 5:00 Jackie and Ashley had to head back to DC and we had to move back into the gym again. Sales would pick up again but I still had a lot of lookers and not so many buyers. The girls from DITC had to go out, so they came back with some Captains & Coke and we enjoyed the night listening to Dar Williams play. Later Nikki and I had to listen to the breaded girl snore all night and did not get all of the sleep we would have liked.

Sunday, it was warmer out, but the vegan guy had run out of food the night before so options of PB & J would be it by lunch time. The tent would be hit by a 30 MPH wind gust that would bend one of my tent poles, to were I could not fix it there so we just took it down (and it would not fit in the car the same way I had gotten it up there) The same wind gust broke the DITC tent too and would continue to knock everything of theirs over so they packed up and left before noon. Nikki and I would sit in the sun for the day and try to make the best of it. I had a few more small sales and ONE big one. I left to go to the cabin to come back to some girl, who I think was on Dar's crew, buying 5 pendants & necklaces and a pair of hairclips - she alone doubled the sales of the full show and covered the cost of the table and cabin fees. After that sale they announced that they would be closing the CD tent at 5:00 and I would be out of there by then too. I was more than ready to head out of that place - so by 4:30 I started making trips to the car to pack it all up and head out...we needed some real food - ok so taco bell is not the best real food on the road but it was fast and open. And I wanted to get back to Reston for Sunday night TV.

So the spring show was a bust, in total I think I sold 10 pendants (max), 2 earrings and 2 sets of hairclips. So now with all of the stock that I have I want to find a summer show or start getting friends to sell them at the office. Things will work out and I know that the DC area is ready for me, but northern Maryland was not sure what hit them. The next show will be better.

Here comes the Show

2005-05-05T14:17:00.000-05:00

So the crowds of Tuesday nights returned this week, after 2 weeks of less than 10 people. We were back to the packed class and fighting for kilns and the squirrel had well, squirreled away some more glass. In the rush of getting ready for the show and after counting the innovatory this weekend I found out that I had to make some pinks and reds for the show. I feel like I have been having some good runs with some new styles over the past few weeks, this weekend will be a test for them. I am still really looking forward to the down time that will start next week to try some of the things that I have wanted to for a while. Madeline offered to open the studio for me and Laurie on Wednesday so that we could get some extra kiln time in. I Have to say it was SO NICE and quite and I got a lot of last minute fusing finished. Now I just have to stop by the office on Friday morning to get the keys and get my stuff out of the kiln.

My big spring show starts tomorrow in Darlington, MD. I have over 175 pendants, 22 earrings, and a mix of hairclips and cuff links...lets just hope the glue holds this time... I have some friends who are coming to help me keep my voice so I dont have to talk to everyone. I am a lot more relaxed about this show than I was about Crafty Bastards. It might just be that I know what should happen and know how to put up and take down the tent. Friday will be the hard day, since I am going up by myself to set up...Nikki, Jackie and Ashley are coming up first thing on Saturday to bring coffee and to help. Nikki will be staying over night and helping on Sunday and then will ride back home with me and keep me awake. I know that I am going to be worn out after it all. But I am also looking forward to the weekend and the bonding with other artists.

So I have lists of things to pack running in my head, tables, tents, buckets, bags, sign, chairs, GLASS, business cards...PB & Js, Drinks, water, snacks...pillows, sheets, sleeping bag, towels and why bungie cords I am not sure but for some reason something is telling me to take them and of course you cant do an art show without Duct Tape. So tonight I will be packing the car and wrapping up all of the last minute things for the show.

The weekend is off to a good start in the sales department since I sold 2 pendants and necklaces this morning in the office. lets just hope that is the start of many sales to come.

Glass, baby, heat and roommate search.

2005-04-20T13:30:00.000-05:00

For the first time in a while the craft room was only half filled this week, what a nice change. The count last night was 12 compared to the 20-24 we have had over the last 2 months. I even got 2 loads into the kilns on Tuesday night and NO burns this week. Plus I had NEW glass to play with - that ended up breaking in ways that I was not happy with at first but when they break like that I always make the best designs. It helps to push me to think outside of the square on square quilts that I some times make. It was a nice warm day out and maybe people did not want to be inside. It was HOT in the room with the 4 kilns going-even with the windows open and the fan on. I think that I am happy with the stock that I have for now - All I really have to work on for the show should be gluing the earrings and cuff links -- which means I have to find glue that will stick and do a beadazzled run for the small earring backings and cufflinks. And a few small things like set up the tent once before I go. I did another set of trial glass ribbons last night with the help of the torch to get a nice gentle curve. The pink glass was to thin to try it with the torch so last nights test color was red. I will see how they turn out next week. Madeline is going to order some 2 mm pink and purple so that she can make them for a walk that she is doing with family members for breast cancer. She did ask if I cared if she made them too. The thing is with the torch they are all different and still one of a kind - they might look really neat tack fused, giving more of a 3-d effect. Really looking forward to the slower months to play around more.

In other Glass News - Carrie had her baby girl on Sunday, Feona Mae, was a month early coming into the world. Its a good thing we threw the shower last week. Kathleen, Alesha and I are heading back to Sperryville this weekend to pick up the glass we blew and going wine tasting along the way. Ashley is requesting a bowl - so she might be sponsoring the next trip to Sperryville. And the roommate search is on again. This is search # 7. I think that I have it down to a skill of what to ask and what to look out for. I have a few good leads and then I have had a lot of names come across that I can't pronounce. Its always an adventure and something that I always look forward to ending.

Open the doors and I will be there

2005-04-15T19:29:00.000-05:00

I love when the studio is open on Thursday nights for new classes and I get an extra night to fuse. Plus its a much smaller crowd. I think its more that I am in a panic with this show right around the corner that I need to be up there churning things out. Plus the studio has been packed which has not helped and I have been fighting to get kiln time. And as always I wait till the end to make the dreaded earrings. Not that it helps that I have been having gluing issues for the last few months and decide not to even send any to the show next weekend. Madeline and I were in the studio till after 11:30 last night. I got 2 full loads in. I had to refire a few from the last load due to some slipping and the findings not being fully covered. But with a 500 degree burn on one hand and then trying to set up the kiln I was happy that any came out. The burn is looking good the small blister seems to have gone away. I have learned my lesson it is all about a LOT of ice and Aloe.

As for the green ribbon project - I am happy with the way it turned out and tried 2 other style last night - had another slip (even with glue) that covered the top curve of one - There are still a few other options in making the curve that I need to try in the coming weeks. I have not heard from the friend who requested the ribbon to see if she liked it or not. I really just hope that some of the leaches and copy cats dont take over my idea - I know that some there dont have there own design skills and try to copy everyone else-but it gets frustrating when you cant keep an original idea these days. But I have to remember that mine never end up looking like theirs. So far the list looks like this green: Liver, Pink: Breast Cancer, Gray: Brain Tumor, Red: AIDS, Yellow: soldiers. I found a site that lists all of the colors and causes that go together. There and endless possibilities if I start making ribbon glass. I have a feeling they will be like my little people (have a new one that is head less unless it is on a dark color) and other awareness symbols. However with the ribbons they will be more alike - I can change the background color for contrast and they would be an easy item for orders to be placed. I think the pink ones would be a huge hit.

3 more weekends till the big 3 day weekend....feeling good but I still have a lost of things to do before then. Like set up the tent at home once before the trip and I need to get candy to hand out and a few other things but over all I feel good about it.

Burns

2005-04-13T14:00:00.000-05:00

Last night at glass I was waiting for a kiln to reach 500 so that I could put my glass in...ok so it was already 10 till 11:00 but Madeline was addressing rehearsal dinner invitations for her sons wedding, so she was like go ahead and fuse. So when the kiln reached 500 I took the shelf out with a gloved hand but it started to tip and I caught it with my uncovered left hand-- and now I have a nice at least 1st degree burn on my middle finger of my left hand - yes I feel like i am flipping off the world today since it hurts. However it looks better this morning than I thought it would. I had it ice for over 2 hours and then covered it will aloe before bed. The blister is small and the skin is thick so thats a good sign. It might have hurt less if it had been my own tile and not someone else's.

When I walked in last night we were also having a baby shower for Carrie and a HUGE glass order from Bulleyes had arrived. Bulleye raised their prices by 10% on April 1, so Madeline had placed close to a $2000 order. Can we say BEAUTIFUL glass - and the red chopstix and new herringbone was almost orgasmic. It was like Christmas in April.
I had a request yesterday to make a kelly green ribbon piece for a friends Mom who is a liver transplant survivor, who had seen me on HGTV. Kelly green is not a color that you can find in dichroic, but I tried with green stringers and glue to keep them in place from rolling. It will come out of the kiln on Thursday night and I will see how it came out. That could start a whole range of ribbon glass art: pink for breast cancer, Red for AIDS, Green for liver and who knows what other colors will come up from that.

Still having glue issues with my earring backings. So I decide not to send any to my High School Alum Art show that had to be mailed out this morning. Hopefully I can work these issues out before the big SMAF show Mother's Day weekend. It was a good day with new glass to fuse even if the night ended up with a burn.

Blowing

2005-04-11T14:09:00.000-05:00

Sunday I got up and headed out of the house by 10:45 am to go pick up Kathleen so that we could head out to Sperryville, VA to blow glass. Had to stop by and get some Einstein bagels on the way and then we headed out towards Warrenton. Planned on stopping there to get the "cheap gas" ok so 2.15 beats the 2.32 in the city. Stopped for snacks and gas...reeses peanut butter lovers cup limited - now that is a treat...then back in the car for another 45 min in the cell free zone to a HOT afternoon. Passing to many vineyards that we did not have time to stop for -- but plan to when we go back to pick up our pieces. We arrived right at 1:00. We were greeted by Eric as we walked across the swinging red bridge over the creek. We walked around the gallery checking things out while coffee was brewing and then we headed out to the studio.

First Eric walked us around and did a demo and then I was first up to make a shot glass. Yes, we do plan on taking a shot in those glasses soon. My shot glass was great, clear glass: short with fat sides. But I was just glad to have something that I could show off at that point. Speedy Kathleen was next to stand by the HOT furnace. (her warning is be careful when wearing an underwire bra and standing that close to the heat) Her shot glass was taller than mine. Then on to the fun stuff - the accident - the former TV stars son (yes we meet Walker Jones - Cooters son from the Dukes of Hazzard) - the many stories and lessons of the afternoon... I wanted to make a bowl next - well it almost became a glass blob and sculpture when i tripped getting back into the seat and the glass feel off the honey and crashed onto the floor. The block had not been moved after I had stood on the bench to blow the bowl out. Eric says that his clumsiest students end up being the best ones - so if that is true than I am off to a good start. When the glass fell, they said my face did too, but somehow between Walker and Eric they saved it, got it back on the honey and we shaped it out - so it is very hand made and unique for sure. But what a great experience. Kathleen's bowl came out looking like a bowl - but we had been there since 1 and it was close to 6:30 we both knew we smelled bad and just wanted something to eat. So off we head back to Warrenton to find food - ate to much Mexican (good Mexican with chicklet gum) and then drove back to the city.

So now we have to head back out there next weekend and pick up the bowls and I would love to go wine tasting on the way out and back - I cant wait to try it again. So if you want to have a great drive out in VA head over to Old Way Glass and buy some art or blow so glass. http://www.oldway.net/

ALL that buzz about the show

2005-04-11T14:07:00.000-05:00

Did you have a good laugh? Did you see the bikes in the kitchen and the martini glasses at the foot of the steps? Guess you did not see it on the big screen yet. I watched it at noon with friends at the office on the big screen in the Geneva conference room and noticed all of the small things. If you count the pictures on the side table all of my sisters and a few friends made it on the show too. I really dont think that I heard anything that I said in the first viewing. But what everyone has said to me is more along the lines of your "eyebrows" and "expressions" were great. OK I have to admit that I was just Happy to have a job that Friday when I was filmed. (we had BIG lay offs that Tuesday, I had mice in the house, an art opening that weekend plus some friends decided that was the week of my life that they needed to shake up a few things- Stress does funny things to people) And no I was not nervous cause there were only 4 people in the house I was not thinking of the 50,000 that would be watching it later...

On Tuesday I watched the show at noon, 5:00 and later that night with everyone up at glass. This past Tuesday was crazy up there, biggest crowd that I have seen since holidays of 2003. And I will watch it whenever the next person asks to see it. The biggest shock of the show would be the fan emails that I got with in 2 hours of the show airing. Most of them were asking the same questions -- what is the glass cutter that you used on the show? ( Score One) And what kind of kiln was that? (Hot box with a window) And I cant get to your website- (there was a double http call for the link) So I had to contact HGTV have them correct the link and update my email to the one that I wanted to get glass questions and then turn around and put up a new page to answer all of the product questions.

My dad made the Chattanooga garbage men watch with him at the BI-Lo, after he asked to change the channel. My Mom said she had not seen me with that much makeup on since the last wedding. Scottie said it was "The Coolest thing ever" and I know that the next time I see him I will get harassment for the way I said "bubbles." LB called laughing and then asked if I wanted to come down to Tampa and teach arts and crafts to the neighbors. Everyone that I watched with at noon said that I had the better music than the others on the show that day. (thanks Celia) Em asked, Did they just love your eyes? Katherine wanted my autograph and a few other did too but I told Katherine that she had something worth more than that since she has access to my teeth x-rays. A teacher from home saw me on and then called my third grade teacher to say that she has to turn the channel now. The winner might be the Delaneys (friends from way back) saw me while flipping channels and contacted me.

So with in 2 days I have had over 325 hits on my page, only 120 have made it to the page about the kilns and cutters. I have also been asked to come to DE to teach - not sure what is going to happen with that but it could be a wonderful offer and a great resume builder if I do want to teach down the road, plus its on the way to the beach.

Guess now it is time to add the link to the blog on to that page.

HGTV

2005-04-07T14:33:00.000-05:00

Did you have a good laugh? Did you see the bikes in the kitchen and the martini glasses at the foot of the steps? Guess you did not see it on the big screen yet. I watched it at noon with friends at the office on the big screen in the Geneva conference room and noticed all of the small things. If you count the pictures on the side table all of my sisters and a few friends made it on the show too. I really dont think that I heard anything that I said in the first viewing. But what everyone has said to me is more along the lines of your "eyebrows" and "expressions" were great. OK I have to admit that I was just Happy to have a job that Friday when I was filmed. (we had BIG lay offs that Tuesday, I had mice in the house -not at all happy about that-, an art opening that weekend out in harpers ferry, plus some friends decided that was the week of my life that they needed to shake up a few things- Stress does funny things to people) And no I was not nervous cause there were only 4 people in the house I was not thinking of the 50,000 that would be watching it later...

On Tuesday I watched the show at noon, 5:00 and later that night with everyone up at glass. This past Tuesday was crazy up there, biggest crowd that I have seen since holidays of 2003, and they were not all there to watch just me. I will watch it whenever the next person asks to see it and send it around to others who missed it. The biggest shock of the show would be the fan emails that I got with in 2 hours of the show airing. Most of them were asking the same questions -- what is the glass cutter that you used on the show? ( Score One) And what kind of kiln was that? (Hot box with a window) And I cant get to your website to come up- (there was a double http call for the link) So I had to contact HGTV have them correct the link and update my email to the one that I wanted to get glass questions and then turn around and put up a new page to answer all of the product questions.

My dad made the Chattanooga garbage men watch with him at the BI-Lo, after he asked to change the channel. My Mom said she had not seen me with that much makeup on since the last wedding. Scottie said it was "The Coolest things ever" and I know that the next time I see him I will get harassment for the way I said "bubbles." Everyone that I watched with at noon said that I had the better music than the others on the show that day. (thanks Celia) One friend asked "Did they just love your eyes?" Katherine wanted my autograph and a few other did too but I told Katherine that she had something worth more than that since she has access to my teeth x-rays. A teacher from home saw me on too and then called my Third grade teacher to say that she has to turn the channel now. The winner might be the Delaneys (friends from way back) saw me while flipping channels and contacted me. So with in 2 days I have had over 325 hits on my page, only 120 have made it to the page about the kilns and cutters. Guess now it is time to add the link to the blog on to that page.

Breaking Glass & Shows

2005-04-07T14:03:00.000-05:00

What a buzz that I have going on with glass these days. The Studio is packed, I am fighting for space in the kilns and thinking maybe it is time to buy my own. But what kind of fun would that be? I love going up to the studio on Tuesday nights to see my friends and create. I really don't think that I would enjoy it as much if I was working at home alone. Plus i like to walk around bare foot in the summer. You cant do that if you have been cutting glass at the kitchen table - glass in my food is not the crunch that i have been looking for. Its the interactions with others and the time commitment and the stories that we all tell when we are there that I look forward to each week. My glass friends are like an extended family and I know that if I needed anything from them that they would come to my aid.

Madeline has been such a great support through all of this. Loaning me kilns to take home to TN to teach, to letting me borrow everything to make a mock studio out of my dining room table so that HGTV could come and film. And now she is the one who is willing to take over the extra emails that I have been getting and start sending out kilns and Score Ones to anyone who wants one. This glass business is about to get out of hand in the part time job department.

Its April and there are 2 shows coming up with in the month and a glass blowing class this weekend. The GPS Alum show is April 23 but my glass is due next week, the glass has to be sent this weekend to make it there on time. Tonight I have to go up to the studio and pick up all of the earrings that I fired on Tuesday so that I can glue the posts on and get them out the door. The stress of the post office and have to send things - another reason I am not ready to set up an online store as of now. (a subject to be addressed again later)

To get ready for the SMAF show-
Over the weekend I did make it down to the outlets to get things for the big show in May. I got the last canopy that was on sale (not the red that I wanted but a good price - plus the bag has wheels - a nice touch for a 45 lbs tent). Then it was off to get the necklaces that I still cant find anywhere else, put a nice dent in that credit card, and luck would have it that they too were on sale. Then I stopped by Ikea for the new table cover...Colorful for sure. So the big things for the show are starting to settle down. Elizabeth is loaning me her 6 Ft folding table, another thing to mark off the list after I pick it up. And Nikki located some lanterns that I still need to go get at the Big Lots. Now I just need to piggy back into a Sams or costco for some candy to hand out over the long weekend. Its all going to be over sooner rather than later. But with some of the big things purchased I feel like a weight has been lifted. But there is always something else around the corner to add to the list of things that I need to get before the show.

HGTV and SHOWS

2005-03-29T12:04:00.000-05:00

I heard from HGTV last week and found out that my show will be on next Tuesday. So if you need a good laugh and want to check it out you can find me on Crafters Coast to Coast on Tuesday April 5, episode 207.
Spring is coming (at least that is what the calendar says) and that means Art Shows too. I now have my glass in two local shops on consignment, Hoopla in DC and Art Unlimited in Harpers Ferry WV. I will be shipping glass home for the GPS Alum show. And you can find me out in a tent selling my glass over Mothers Day weekend in Darlington MD at the SMFA show. So things are gearing up and I am trying to make earrings for the shows ( I HATE making them but they sell) and stocking up so that I can send some home and then have enough to sell over a 3 day weekend.
The SMAF show is starting to add up fast...So the shopping list is growing for the show. I just found out today that I not only have to find a table, chairs, & tent but I now have to have lighting since the tables can be open till 11:00 PM- thats going to make for a LONG day. Pack the caffeine in all forms cause I am going to need it. I am going to have a blast listening to music and visiting with other artist all weekend. I have been looking forward to this show since the Fall and just hope that it lives up to what I want it to be. Maybe I will take Monday off to recover from the lack of sleep.

Holidays at home

2004-12-28T13:49:00.000-05:00

Trips home always seem to crawl by and fly by at the same time, by the end of 5 days I am ready for my own space again - and some alone time - something that I did not get much of at home. Christmas morning I went to my room and took a nap just to get away from it all and I am not sure if they even noticed that I was missing for the 20 min that I was sleeping. Or if they did, for once they did not say any thing...Ok so when you have close to 25 people in a house it is easy to slip away for awhile. Parker is getting so big but is in a "no" stage as he waddles around...Carson I think was just overwhelmed by all of the gifts...My cowboy rainboots were a hit...

Christmas was a normal craziness that we have every year...not sure if it is harder or easier as we get older. Mom did pull a disappearing stunt on Kaki and me at Proffits on Wednesday night and it took us close to an hour to find her in the mall - and yes we even had her paged at one point...thank goodness she now has a cell phone thanks to Dad, the question is now will she use it and remember to take it with her.

Glass was a hit as always with the Jones side of the family...Its fun showing off new glass to other artists and not having to explain what the white kiln wash is on the back of the glass. Sometimes I feel guilty taking money from them but then if I want to make more that is how it has to be done. Glass sales over the holiday were small but I think in the end they covered the taxi to the airport and the small things along the way. It is amazing how little I think I spent once I made it home. Glass went to Leo for his nieces, aunt Frances for herself, Alice got a piece in the parking lot of Riverview (so she wanted the one I was wearing but I was not ready or willing to give that one up yet) and then Amy Miller came and got me at the airport and bought a pair of the cuff links. So in the end I think that covers the cost of all of the glass I bought earlier in the month. Breaking even is always a good thing.

Airports are always entertaining...this year heading home I ran into a GPS classmate on the way home in National...The best time to sit and write holiday cards might be on the flight to and from home, wrote so many I ran out of cards. ...Got to the Chattanooga one for the trip home a little to close to the line (a good thing the flight was about 30 min late taking off)...I could have gotten an extra flight both directions but I was not willing to spend another night at home (plus I had to be at work today) So when I land back in DC I go to get my baggage and I see a hang up bag that looks like mine and pick it up and think this is not as heavy and I don't think the strap was still on when I checked it in...And I look at the name and turns out I picked up Dori Thorntons bag, she was no where to be seen and I did not have a # to call her or I would have. And for once I have some picking me up and there is no line for the taxis. The misshap of the week would have been as I walk in the house and my roommate had decided that since no one would be home for 3 days to turn OFF the heat and it was 45 inside the house - just glad the pipes did not bust...some times I wonder why is the extra cash and the room worth dealing with others who dont think things all the way through...

Broken

2004-12-21T14:44:00.000-05:00

Glass breaks and so do so many other things. Working with glass makes you realize how easy somethings break and others don't, some break the way they should and others break how they want to. And you can pass that off to other areas of your life be that in work, play, love, what have you. Some things can be fixed while others have to be thrown away, some can be replaced and others are lost for a life time. Making one of a kinds with glass that is fragile and does what it wants and not what it should is always a test. Lesson in life... And so I have to remember like glass, people always change up on you and throw a curve and you should not over think things and expect them to go the way you want them to. So I am going to step back and wait and see where it takes me this time. Trying not to over think things...Easier said than done...But you can also say it is the holidays and to much going on and that it is best to wait it out and see where the new year takes me. Takes me and my glass and a budding business on the brink of HGTV and a love for art. I love for new glass and patterns and ideas and knowing that my glass is like snow flakes all so different and yet the same...

HGTV

2004-12-21T14:18:00.000-05:00

So crafters Coast to Coast came to the house a week ago and filmed me making a pendant.

What a big Friday– HGTV arrived at my house 10 min early after they were 15 min late on Wednesday – guess they were making up for lost time – I had just gotten out of the shower – good thing that they had approved what I was to wear for the show on Wednesday. So I yell out the window that I will be right down to let the crew in the house. Kim and Celia were waiting at the door along with Rich the camera guy – the sound guy is in the truck…So the day started earlier than I was planning on it – Ok so most days at 7:52 AM I am hitting the snooze and not letting strangers with cameras into the house. So I start some coffee, head back upstairs to dry my hair and finish getting ready – Yes, I did put on make-up for this. What did I wear; jeans (that fit) and my fleece vest with a black t shirt – along with a small piece of glass – they did not want a big one to distract the viewers from what I was making. Oh and I did go and have my nails done for all of the hand shots but the color that the girl gave me ended up looking like bubble gum pink and not the natural that she said it was – so I ended up taking it off…plus I had placed a big dent in one of the thumbs…moral of the story just stick with clear…

It’s going to be a cheesy show and I know this now. Yes there were some lines that I came up with and others that I was feed, I popped up from behind signs and fanned plates filled with glass in front of my face and smiled into the camera…smiled so much my face hurt, had to be perky for 6 hours on camera and crashed towards the end when we filmed the opening… Filming is hard work and when you spend 5 hours ad-libbing lines over and over you wear yourself out. There were many retakes…and even some new words along the way, "flaggish" being one – the piece that was made on the show is a blue – almost to blue for me – but I am not willing to let it go – it also reminds me of the ocean – water, a net, and a sea creature…but the one that we fired on the show has green in it – just goes to show you never know what the glass is going to do. As for what you are asking and have asked again and again I still cant answer – I don’t know when it will be on- They said that it will be any time between March and September – ok so that is about a 6 month window there…so when will I know, well what they have told me is that I can keep checking the HGTV website and the name of my show is listed under my name. So when I find out I will be sure to let you all know to set TIVO and VCRs and to have a viewing party…so we can all laugh together… If you want to watch it now it is on at 11:00 am M-F and Tuesday nights at 11:30 PM.

In other glass news…The gallery out in Harpers Ferry had its grand opening this weekend – they are making a little money out there and people have come by to ask when the are going to make it bigger and they have only had their doors opened for 2 weeks. The cold wind in the mountains put a bit of a damper on watching the fire performers, little did I know there would be about a 15 degree difference in temps plus 10 -15 mph winds between Alexandria and Harpers– it was worth the rushed drive out there. Scott was interviewed for the paper this week about the opening so maybe business will pick up before long and then there will be some lag time with the cold weather before the campers return to the KOA (which is next to the gallery). So things with glass are going well – I did miss the Washington glass school opening but I think there will be others in the spring – so many other great classes to explore and BIG kilns to play with – So in the last week I have purchased and received as a great Christmas gift - GLASS...And tonight is Tuesday so that means I get to play with my new glass tonight. Targets and Navaho, Ripple and china swirl and some scraps of all different patterns, I cant wait to see what they look like when fired.