my thumb got chopped off.

okay so, i haven't been telling the story over the phone to anyone, but here's what happened. i was in the studio late saturday night with my roomie lauren. i was fixing up the slip and there was one bowl that was being stubborn. it was essentially just a big mound of dried clay, and it wasn't coming out of the bowl. i guess i just don't know my own strength. i was holding the bowl with my right hand and pulling on the clay with my right. the bowl broke and i was really surprised, then i took a look at my hand that was probably going to be sore or something, i wasn't expecting much. there was just blood everywhere. i had caught a blood vessel. i had mikey hold the paper towels on it while i sat on the floor getting my head on straight and lauren called the paramedics. they told me not to go to the emergency room cus they wouldn't do anything. and there wasn't anything to stitch seeing as mikey had kindly thrown away the piece of my thumb left sitting in the bowl of clay. i'm now missing about a quarter of the pad on my right thumb. quite the night. its on the mend i guess. its going to get ugly so they tell me. and i will be half as productive in the studio now. wo to me. but i guess i've got my pride.

my vice

i don't know why, but i am addicted to looking at wedding invitations.

i am nowhere near getting married, nor do i run an invitation business. but finding websites like this make me want to start one! i absolutely cannot help myself. it could be my sister-in-law's obsession with stationary. but it could also just be my desire to look at pretty things. let me just say, there are some fugly invitations out there. and let me follow that up with, "don't be that guy!"

here is my advice, as an aesthetic snob:

-the simpler, the better
-earthy/muted colors only, do not go bright, you will damage eyes
-be reasonable with size, nobody likes getting a 6 by 6 inch square with someone else's name on it
-stick with one-two fonts, if you don't, people with start thinking they're dyslexic.
--fonts: not too loopy, make it legible
-put your parent's[or whoever raised you] name on there okay? they deserve some sort of recognition.
-be classy, do the double envelope.

nuff sed.

what the hey!?

opened my mission call tonight. get the whole story here, she writes better than i do. i'm calling the church office building in the morning to see whatsup. i'll be sure to keep everything updated. basics are as such: i thought i was going to cleveland ohio, then i realized i was actually going to new jersey. now i'm trying to figure out what language i'm speaking... CRAZYTOWN, USA! i leave february 11, 2009. its gonna rock. i am out of my mind excited.

may he rest in peace

though i did not know him well, sam fogleman was an intricate part of my elementary school life. and became more so in high school when i became friends with his sister shayna. Sam had a degenerative muscle disease and passed away this week. my heart and prayers are with the fogleman family and especially with shayna for the difficulty of what may come. i love you forever, shayna. sam will not be forgotten.

as i said...

as promised. the pics of the bronze casting. just so you are aware, bronze is liquid at about 2500 degrees. it was blazing!!!

lifting the bronze out of the kiln. setting it down in order to pick it up with the other tools.

locking it in place. making sure we don't kill anyone by spilling yellow hot bronze on them.


actually pouring the bronze. i had the stable end, brian did the aiming. thank heavens.


finished sprews with cooling bronze. they should be ready in a couple hours or so.
note the boots, chaps, jacket, mittens and face shield mentioned in prior post.