CHASING A DREAM: Glory hole-second full day

Tuesday July 27

Well, it's the end of the second full day here. I'm in the lobby hoping to get some internet time tonight so I hopefully won't be so rushed in the morning. This morning I didn't really get anything done in regards to writing or posting. Just as I got set up people starting arriving for breakfast and I felt rude not hanging with the glass clan so I put the computer away and started my day with them.

The day went well. We had a short demonstration and then broke up into teams to do some gathering. Everybody was pretty ambitious and suddenly doing large and heavy glass pieces. Most everything turned out great but there were a couple of mistakes and injuries. Some glass hit the floor- too heavy, too hot, lost control, etc. and a couple of people got burned. Either from the glory hole - just sheer heat coming out of the furnace- or picking up hot tools- or myself- stupidly reaching up with my right hand to turn the punti. At the bench, the right hand is for tools only. But until you really learn that once sitting at the bench, your right hand never touches the pole, it's a natural instinct to want to turn with both hands. Especially if you're just turning to cool your piece and someone starts talking to you. Dusti got the worst of the burns. She was out the rest of the class.

Not too far into the morning I was waiting my turn, hadn't had enough coffee, feeling a little bit blue for some reason, and walked over to sit in the sweet spot. The sweet spot is, yes i understand, another innuendo, but it is actually about 5 feet from the door, in between the fans. It must be atleast 10 degrees cooler with a breeze. Anyway, I look over and notice this bucket for the first time. It was just a bucket of water to keep shaping blocks is but across the top, written on purple tape was MILES. A sweetness washed over me and I had a smile to myself.

After the video Tommy had a talk with us about the rest of the afternoon. We were going to start blowing but i think because of the big jump today and the accidents that came because of it, he wanted to reel us in and get us back focused on learning technique more than size. So, hopefully we'll get on that in the morning. I'm a little nervous about it. There is definitely an element of frustration for me. I'm so use to working like Tommy does. Smooth and successful with ease. (for the most part)

The video today was very interesting. The first part was a performance art group called group B or something like that. Amazing stuff- girl dancing on hot glass, people spinning hot pates and someone else shooting melted glass balls at it like a target. Even raining molten glass. Crazy rock and roll glass stuff. Following that was about the founders of the glass blowing movement and their innovations and studios. .Also amazing and inspiring. I'm definitely a metal girl, but I am truly digging this glass. It is absolutely hot hard work- when you leave the studio you look like you've been laying asphalt- but it is also very zen.