What Else is New?
It was nice to take my Thursday and Friday off from work this week even though it caused me to not be able to keep my days straight. Thursday became Friday and Friday was Saturday. How will I ever manage when I'm retired? I'm sure I'll find a way. I'll be in the every-day-is-Saturday mode then so I don't suppose it will matter much.
I really struggled at Foci this week. Anybody who's been doing this any length of time will tell you that there will always be days like that. I felt tired and not all that focused.
Definitely not the best mindset to have when trying to blow glass. Tammy did well so I was happy for her. We've decided to expand our knowledge base and shift our focus to making bowls. We're not going to bother with adding color until we've got a decent grasp of the steps for making them. Adding color adds considerably to the prep time which would be better spent just practicing the form. Besides, color costs extra and a good many of our early pieces will likely not make it into the annealer. I think our goal is that maybe we'll each do one tumbler and three or four bowls per session.
The photo to the left is of some of my efforts from the last couple of weeks.
Our neighborhood is on the move with three for-sale signs going up this week. Rick and Jene are looking to ease into townhome living. Greg and Mary are wanting to downsize now that they're empty-nesters and I'm not sure about the other family. These are all really good people so it's not good to see them go.
And speaking of moving; I spent a good part of Thursday helping Paul and Kate load up for their move to Montana. I got there just in time to help with Kate's piano.
They've been residents at the Woods apartments in Burnsville for the past 28 years and we've been blessed to have them as a really nice addition to our small group at church for the last two years. They're in for quite a change—from a large apartment complex to a home-on-the-range with mountains as a backdrop. But what a nice change for them it will be!
Tammy and I have been talking about driving out to see my brother Bryan and his wife Sue in Portland. We could easily make whatever slight diversion would be necessary along the way to visit with Paul and Kate as well.
Mom has been glued to the TV when she's at home, tuned into the Casey Anthony trial. It was funny—I was talking to her on the phone the other day and she was going on and on about the trial. After 5 minutes I finally had to interrupt her to ask her "what else is new?". I remember how my dad was so engrossed by the O.J. Simpson murder trial. I'm sure he'd have been outraged had he lived long enough to see its conclusion but he died one month too soon for that.
The Decorah eaglets have 'branched', meaning they're out of the nest but they haven't flown off yet. They're expecting that to happen anytime now but most likely closer to the end of June.
I came home Thursday afternoon to an army of workers ripping up the street in front of our house.
It's gotten so bad the last few years that I actually called the city last summer to see if they had any plans for resurfacing. I was glad to see them out there not just doing more patchwork. I was talking with a city inspector overseeing the operation and she said the money to pay for the work comes from a maintenance fund and not from assessments to individual owners. That's nice to know.
Rachel is beginning to explore other career options as she prepares for her 2nd year of college. She's been talking about pursuing a degree as a physician but last night she texted me with concerns about doing that and having a family. Not that she can't do both but the additional schooling and residency requirements would cause her to put any of those desires on hold for much longer. With that in mind, she's now thinking of Physician's Assistant (rated #2 on CNN Money, Best Jobs in America 2010) which would still be a 6-year degree. The career comes with exceptional job prospects and security but also with high-stress levels.
I'm not all that worried about her ability to manage stress; I think she'll do fine. My main concern is that she's happy in life no matter what path she chooses and so far I like the direction she's headed and the choices she's making.
I really struggled at Foci this week. Anybody who's been doing this any length of time will tell you that there will always be days like that. I felt tired and not all that focused.
Definitely not the best mindset to have when trying to blow glass. Tammy did well so I was happy for her. We've decided to expand our knowledge base and shift our focus to making bowls. We're not going to bother with adding color until we've got a decent grasp of the steps for making them. Adding color adds considerably to the prep time which would be better spent just practicing the form. Besides, color costs extra and a good many of our early pieces will likely not make it into the annealer. I think our goal is that maybe we'll each do one tumbler and three or four bowls per session.The photo to the left is of some of my efforts from the last couple of weeks.
Our neighborhood is on the move with three for-sale signs going up this week. Rick and Jene are looking to ease into townhome living. Greg and Mary are wanting to downsize now that they're empty-nesters and I'm not sure about the other family. These are all really good people so it's not good to see them go.
And speaking of moving; I spent a good part of Thursday helping Paul and Kate load up for their move to Montana. I got there just in time to help with Kate's piano.
They've been residents at the Woods apartments in Burnsville for the past 28 years and we've been blessed to have them as a really nice addition to our small group at church for the last two years. They're in for quite a change—from a large apartment complex to a home-on-the-range with mountains as a backdrop. But what a nice change for them it will be!Tammy and I have been talking about driving out to see my brother Bryan and his wife Sue in Portland. We could easily make whatever slight diversion would be necessary along the way to visit with Paul and Kate as well.
Mom has been glued to the TV when she's at home, tuned into the Casey Anthony trial. It was funny—I was talking to her on the phone the other day and she was going on and on about the trial. After 5 minutes I finally had to interrupt her to ask her "what else is new?". I remember how my dad was so engrossed by the O.J. Simpson murder trial. I'm sure he'd have been outraged had he lived long enough to see its conclusion but he died one month too soon for that.
The Decorah eaglets have 'branched', meaning they're out of the nest but they haven't flown off yet. They're expecting that to happen anytime now but most likely closer to the end of June.
I came home Thursday afternoon to an army of workers ripping up the street in front of our house.
It's gotten so bad the last few years that I actually called the city last summer to see if they had any plans for resurfacing. I was glad to see them out there not just doing more patchwork. I was talking with a city inspector overseeing the operation and she said the money to pay for the work comes from a maintenance fund and not from assessments to individual owners. That's nice to know.Rachel is beginning to explore other career options as she prepares for her 2nd year of college. She's been talking about pursuing a degree as a physician but last night she texted me with concerns about doing that and having a family. Not that she can't do both but the additional schooling and residency requirements would cause her to put any of those desires on hold for much longer. With that in mind, she's now thinking of Physician's Assistant (rated #2 on CNN Money, Best Jobs in America 2010) which would still be a 6-year degree. The career comes with exceptional job prospects and security but also with high-stress levels.
I'm not all that worried about her ability to manage stress; I think she'll do fine. My main concern is that she's happy in life no matter what path she chooses and so far I like the direction she's headed and the choices she's making.
Comments
This video shows one of the eaglets flying at about 2 PM today.
http://www.youtube.com/user/raptorfan81#p/a/u/1/R0pkJFvSAA4