A Busy Few Days
This weekend flew by so ridiculously fast. It wasn't until I got to work around noon on Sunday that I was able to slow things down a little. We're in the midst of our first big snowstorm this winter.
We made plans to meet up with friends last Thursday night to spend a few hours together in Northfield (25 miles south) to take in the sights of Winter Walk. It's an annual event that the city's Chamber of Commerce puts on to draw visitors and attention to the many shops that make up the downtown area. We weren't meeting up with our friends until after 5:00 so we got there at 3:00 to give us a chance to bum around a little together. It was a nice time.
We got up early the next morning for 3 hours of glassblowing at Foci. Steve was there and I commented to him that I'm feeling a little stuck in my progression, that I should be further along. He assured me that it's something all glassblowers go through and to not worry too much about it. It was good to hear him say that. I know I'm making steady improvements but they're not coming as fast as I'd like. The expected plateaus seem to be longer than I'd imagined they would be. Steve said he'd like to spend an hour with me next week and observe how I'm doing. I'd like that a lot.
As it turned out, I had a better than average day in the studio. I made 3 vases that I was reasonably happy with but I won't be certain how happy I am with them until I pick them up this Thursday. I need to hold each vase in my hands and look each one over, seeing how the color transitions played out and such before I can pass judgment on them.
We found ourselves back at Mall of America Friday night. It's likely the last chance we'll get to spend some time there before the holidays are over.
I left there feeling like I'd had my fill of the mall for the season. We finished out our night at Ernie's Pub and Gille which we've recently discovered and are growing fond of. It has a quiet atmosphere that provides us with a relaxing way to wind down the day, chatting or playing each other in Ruzzle (my favorite smartphone game lately) as we sit there in the dim lights of the bar amid the few other tables of people. The help is so attentive and always deserving of more than a 20% tip.
Rachel called while we were there, just wanting to chat. She's such a nice interruption. She was a little frustrated with work, venting about the lack of staffing just as her mother would complain when she was working in the same environment. I told her that she will one day be in management and that what she's experiencing today will be important for her to remember years from now when she has people beneath her who are struggling with the same issues. Always remember where you came from. But still, I'm not happy that she's forgoing (just like her mother used to) her breaks as she tries to complete all of her tasks because she's only enabling the facility she works at to get by with fewer people on staff than they should have. But I understand that it's the mindset of so many people in that field who care more about the people they're entrusted with than they do for their own needs. I admire that even though on some level I'm troubled by it.
We finished our weekend with our neighborhood's annual house-hop. Always a fun time and a late night. I'm struggling with a sore throat now, not sure if it's the beginnings of a head-cold or from having to talk too loudly last night. I can't believe how loud we are as a group at these get-togethers. Unless you raise your voice you're not going to be heard and that causes others to have to raise theirs too. Maybe I'm one of the few among us with reasonably good hearing yet and all the others are going deaf with age? Yeah, I think I may be on to something.
Hear for yourself...
We made plans to meet up with friends last Thursday night to spend a few hours together in Northfield (25 miles south) to take in the sights of Winter Walk. It's an annual event that the city's Chamber of Commerce puts on to draw visitors and attention to the many shops that make up the downtown area. We weren't meeting up with our friends until after 5:00 so we got there at 3:00 to give us a chance to bum around a little together. It was a nice time.We got up early the next morning for 3 hours of glassblowing at Foci. Steve was there and I commented to him that I'm feeling a little stuck in my progression, that I should be further along. He assured me that it's something all glassblowers go through and to not worry too much about it. It was good to hear him say that. I know I'm making steady improvements but they're not coming as fast as I'd like. The expected plateaus seem to be longer than I'd imagined they would be. Steve said he'd like to spend an hour with me next week and observe how I'm doing. I'd like that a lot.
As it turned out, I had a better than average day in the studio. I made 3 vases that I was reasonably happy with but I won't be certain how happy I am with them until I pick them up this Thursday. I need to hold each vase in my hands and look each one over, seeing how the color transitions played out and such before I can pass judgment on them.
We found ourselves back at Mall of America Friday night. It's likely the last chance we'll get to spend some time there before the holidays are over.
I left there feeling like I'd had my fill of the mall for the season. We finished out our night at Ernie's Pub and Gille which we've recently discovered and are growing fond of. It has a quiet atmosphere that provides us with a relaxing way to wind down the day, chatting or playing each other in Ruzzle (my favorite smartphone game lately) as we sit there in the dim lights of the bar amid the few other tables of people. The help is so attentive and always deserving of more than a 20% tip.Rachel called while we were there, just wanting to chat. She's such a nice interruption. She was a little frustrated with work, venting about the lack of staffing just as her mother would complain when she was working in the same environment. I told her that she will one day be in management and that what she's experiencing today will be important for her to remember years from now when she has people beneath her who are struggling with the same issues. Always remember where you came from. But still, I'm not happy that she's forgoing (just like her mother used to) her breaks as she tries to complete all of her tasks because she's only enabling the facility she works at to get by with fewer people on staff than they should have. But I understand that it's the mindset of so many people in that field who care more about the people they're entrusted with than they do for their own needs. I admire that even though on some level I'm troubled by it.
We finished our weekend with our neighborhood's annual house-hop. Always a fun time and a late night. I'm struggling with a sore throat now, not sure if it's the beginnings of a head-cold or from having to talk too loudly last night. I can't believe how loud we are as a group at these get-togethers. Unless you raise your voice you're not going to be heard and that causes others to have to raise theirs too. Maybe I'm one of the few among us with reasonably good hearing yet and all the others are going deaf with age? Yeah, I think I may be on to something.Hear for yourself...
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