Update on Norman

Norman, after spending 2 days in the ICU, got released last week Thursday to get the rest of the way better at home. In the meantime he went to see his Doctor. His white blood cell count was still rather elevated, leading us to the conclusion that there was after all food poisoning involved that caused the rest. That was what he first thought.

I could do with a weekend ...

Never mind I just had one, but the past week had more stuff in it than I could recover from in a 2 day weekend, especially after just missing about a week and a half, including 2 weekends but also time before and after work, to try to get the yard back under control and deal with everything else, and last week was just plain awful (see e.g. Tom's blog).


In spite of that I still didn't make any new beads, at least I got some pictures taken, one included here: finally a comparison picture between the Oahu mgambo/weleweka seeds and the ones from the Big Island. I just grabbed one of each, more for size and color comparison than for quality. The smaller darker one is from Oahu, the bigger lighter color one from the Big Island. Being that they are tree seeds, they may have dimples (you can see one on the Big Island seed on the left at the bottom), and they are not all the same size and color, but generally the ones from Oahu are smaller and darker. I normally keep the ones from the Big Island in stock drilled but if you prefer the Oahu seeds/beads I'll drill those too, it just may take some extra time.

A few things happened

Since the end of last week a few things happened.

- Norman got into and out of the hospital.
- I found out that my job isn't being cut (just jet?)
- 2 batches of mixed color Jobs Tears seeds sold where I donated the proceeds to the AGLF, and there's more available in my Etsy shop.
- there are more weleweka/mgambo beads available in my Etsy shop or locally
- I have not so far found time to make more lampwork beads

for the meantime, I'm pooped. However, I'll be at work in the morning and I'll be available locally to deliver beads and stuff,and to ship orders from mo online stores.

I'm back home ...

... without any new pictures.

Eventful 10 days, that's for sure.

Monday I took Norman to the airport as he was still teaching, met with Caterina later and we had dinner together.
Tuesday I met with Michelle Courchaine (I hope I spelled that right). She showed me her studio and let me pick one of her beads (a gorgeous focal), and her cat let me pick her up and pet her, then we had a very nice lunch together, then went to Bullseye where I got some slump molds for fusing and an ashtray for Norman that is made with glass that contains ash from the 1980 Mount St. Helen's eruption (the price reflects the year: $19.80, LOL), then picked up her kids from school (like those kids!) and parted ways at her house. I called Caterina and we ate dinner together again and tried to do some shopping but were unsuccessful.
Wednesday I checked out of the hotel in Portland and drove to Seattle. The weather for the drive was mostly decent and I only got lost on a very small scale after getting to Seattle. I found Rachel's house (she said that that's a rare occurrence for people from out of town) where I stayed while I was in Seattle. Thank you soooo much again Rachel, that was fun. I got to go to class with Rachel on Thursday and played with Photoshop for the first time in my life (so maybe I could post a picture, but it isn't done. I meant to give that bead to Rachel, but Caterina had already snagged it). I (obviously) got to meet her son (another really nice kid, and we did some cooking together) and the cats, and Menace seems to like me, which is good because I was missing ours, I met some of her friends as well which I very much appreciate, we talked until all hours, and did in the end talk about the Hothead mount we'd been talking about for a while, but this time with pen and paper.
Saturday we had a small get together of lampwork people (Rachel, Gayle Himes, David Houpt and PJ whose last name I don't know) which had a bit of a crimp to it by me getting into a fender bender (a very nice lady who ended up with one of my sand beads). I would rather have spent more time with the lampwork people, but sometimes things don't work out quite as planned. David, thank you for the rose bead, and PJ, apologies for not asking whether you'd like some sand too, but as you're working with Boro and sculpting I thought you probably wouldn't (David still has the rest of the sand for all I know).
After getting through some paperwork with the rental company (I had problems understanding the people and they were always asking Rachel instead of me), returned it, Rachel had offered to take me to the airport and I much preferred that to having to get up an extra hour earlier in case I got lost.
Rachel, thank you again for everything (and the bead. I really like it. and the glass! And yes, it survived too), and for taking me to the airport this morning.
And I got to see Mount Rainier this morning - the weather in Seattle was great.

After a rather uneventful flights I got back home. All 3 cats already sat in my lap, Tsume caught another coqui frog already (he calls me like he calls the SKOD - savage kitty of death, aka Mikia'oluku III -, as if I was a cat too, but frogs are for me to deal with not for her, in spite of that I really don't mind if he teaches her to catch them too.

Everything I brought home with me survived the trip: Glass (rubino from 2 different batches!) from Rachel, the beads I got from Michelle, David and Rachel, my slump molds from Bullseye (the tools too, but I didn't doubt that), the bisque fired pottery I bought for slump molds from Georgie's, 2 big jars of Mrs. Neushin's pickles, the maple syrup and belated Christmas ornament (porcelain) from Nina, Normans old hat (he bought a new one in Portland) and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. The suitcase weighed 48 lbs (the good old "arm scale" still works rather well even outside lilikoi season) and I'm kinda glad I didn't buy glass because if I had I would have traveled with a cardboard box for my second checked baggage piece (Hawaiian style) rather than my soft bag.

I'm home, and as much fun as I had, I'm also glad to be home. My Etsy shop is back in operation, and I'm available for shipping items from my website(s) as well.

Caterina Purves, BA

Well, the picture turned out a bit pixely, but that's what you get if sitting across the whole hall with a 'normal' camera. There she is, walking back down from the stage, diploma in hand, Caterina Purves, BA, University of Portland 2010.
We had a bit of a problem finding 4 seats together and ended up on wooden bleachers way up and across from the stage - mostly due to the fact that there were a bunch of seats reserved and never occupied and a bunch of seats held by people and never occupied either. Somebody remarked later that it would have been nice if they'd had the seats assigned by age. -

And, well, that's the beads that she got out of my bead box Friday night:
It's not the greatest of pictures, but it was taken at a restaurant in Portland near Lloyd Center where we were having dinner - and it's the best one of the 5 we took.

Just realizing, I have more beads to post - and some other stuff

After selling a bunch of the beads I made last week during the week (see a post or two ago), and taking into consideration that I was/will be going to meet with a lot of family and lampwork buddies, I decided I had to make some more beads:

The small beads on the rattail I already don't have anymore, and a bunch of others with them, because our daughter snagged them last night (picture to follow in another post). The small beads are older and my first attempt of batch annealing. I wasn't sure up to what size I can batch anneal beads without having to program my kiln, so I started with the smallest ones.

Yesterday I went to Georgie's (pottery supply) and got myself some ingredients to mix my own bead release, where I'm going to follow some tips I got from Jenny Newtson and Kalera Stratton as well as a couple of pieces of bisque fired pottery to use as slump molds for fusing.

Today I did manage to go to the Convention Center where there is an exhibition and market of the Portland Art Guilds (I hope I have that right) and managed to snag some of Jennifer Millsap's time - and admire her beads in person.

Tomorrow is the day of Nina's graduation and will be taken up by that.