random thoughts – Day 2,414 (Monday 10/26) – plans

Kiki gargoyle.

The temperature continued with the autumnal mood swings starting in the 30s in the morning and hitting nearly 70 in the afternoon. Being forewarned and dressing in layers are key to surviving. Put them on in the morning and peel them off as needed throughout the day. As I drank coffee, ate toast, and consulted the weather forecast, Kiki worked on her gargoyle impersonation on the chair across the room. She's so cute.

On the way out of town I stopped at a gas station that was top of the list in the Waze listing sorted from lowest price. It turned out it was a full serve station and for the first time in decades, I didn’t have to pump my own gas. I asked the gas pumping guy about the cost of the air machine ($1.00) and he pumped the air for me and the next thing I knew I was scheduling rear brake work while my tires were being topped off. It was the most productive gas stop in my history of driving.

Before going to glass class, I had to visit the appliance store. The solution from the service department for my repeat offender defective refrigerator was to credit my original purchase amount towards another fridge. The manager who called this morning said they had one the same size as mine and I said I’d be there today. We got it all settled and a delivery window is set for Tuesday. I love a customer service team with a plan. 

Glass class was the first of the next three-week session and it was crowded. In the last session there were three of us, and today there were seven because several past students returned. It was very loud for the first 30 minutes as they all loudly caught up with each other’s lives. I don’t know any of them and it wasn’t my place to butt in, so I headed to the sanctuary of the grinder and let that noise take over my brain. Very therapeutic.

Packed for transport.

Every time I took a step at the worktable, my foot hit the leg of the stool of someone directly behind me and I kept apologizing.  Two of us were jockeying for position at the light table. Three of us were tripping over each other to get to the grinders. The chaos must have energized me, because I got everything done that I had planned. I had a refresher on cutting circles with the instructor, got the colored glass pieces cut and ground for a panel and started the foiling. The freshly cut, ground, and partially foiled pieces were taped to the pattern for transport home.

My goals for this session are perfecting cutting circles, learning how to add patina to the solder lines, and learning how to reinforce pieces with wire. It’s good to have a plan.