Glass Pendants

I made my first batch of glass pendants this last weekend. I saved all of the interesting scrap glass and my work that went wrong for later use. Once I had a good little pile, I turned each one into a pendant and added a clasp. My favorites are the clear one with the bubbles and the insect cocoon looking one in orange.

Happiness is a Warm Gun

Is the motto under one of the torches at the Glass Blowing studio. I must agree. I submit this photo as evidence! Of course, what I do for my apprenticeship is actually called Lampworking. But who has heard of that? But it is very different from Glass Blowing. Instead of using a large vat of molten glass and a big steel tube, we use glass tubes, glass rods and a small flame. The torches are typically supplied with gas mixtures of Propane and Oxygen. Since the glass can emit eye-damaging light when you get it very hot, special safety glasses are worn. An even more effective second darker set of lenses is kept close by. Focus and patience are essential, while a grasp of "down to earth" physics or fluid dynamics is helpful. Glass is actually a liquid. If you visit a colonial era home here in America, ask for a closer look at the window panes. They are actually thicker at the base then the top. Like a very slim pyramid. When you heat up glass, it just flows quicker. Gravity and centrifugal force are used to control the molten glass. Manipulation of the glass and the addition of color come only and always from constant learning by doing. Stay tuned or sign up for my feed to learn more glassworking tips.

PETA ad banned from Superbowl...

So this ad supporting vegetarians was apparently banned from the Superbowl, good thing we can share it here!!!

The Vegetarians for Social Acceptance just reached 100 members!

The VSA has just reached 100 members! Thank you to everyone for showing your support! As an added surprise, the Vegetarian Times was the 100th to join! I especially enjoy the wonderful recipes they share with us.

Let's keep up the momentum! I invite you and your friends to join us and support vegetarians everywhere! You can also find more information on the VSA via this webpage.

The Vegetarians for Social Acceptance are a collection of people working towards a wider understanding and acceptance of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. All are welcome to join the VSA, you are not required to be a veggie to show your support!

The Goals of the VSA are:
1. Vegetarians should be accepted socially.
2. Disseminate education on vegetarian lifestyle choices.
3. Encourage vegetarian choices, labels or options on restaurant menus.

Any questions, comments, ideas or concerns? Email me at MindJunket@gmail.com

MindJunket.com update!

I just finished updating and revamping the Mind Junket website. Cleaned up the HTML a bit and fixed the font problems. The big change is the new photo pages!

http://www.mindjunket.com/photos.html

Now with Thumbnail indexing for my Scrabbled and Artsy Photo collections.

Reef now, and then!

So, a couple of days ago, I once again found myself in Houston. While I was there, I went to see my old friends- Nero, Marina, Coral and Reef at the Downtown Aquarium Houston. They happen to be White Bengal tigers. I was working at the aquarium when the tigers where first brought in and introduced to their new home. The pictures here are of Reef. The one above is current, at about 380 pounds. The one below is from back in the day about four years ago when he was first exploring his new home. He is a cutie! This is the tiger that the pawprint came from that I made coffee mugs, stickers, ties, magnets and posters of on Zazzle from his first birthday.

Life is Random!

So I had a good friend tell me today that they admired how I could just go with the flow all the time and just see where I end up. It made me think about it life a little more in depth (at least for a bit!). I have found that life is a wonderful journey, you just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. Yes, it can get bumpy and at times, jolting. But it all happens for a reason. Sometimes it is obvious immediately why it happened and occasionally you happen upon the reason later in life. But usually, you have no clue in the grand scheme of things. But that is the wonder of it all. Every inescapable moment in this world is unique and new. You never know where you will end up in five minutes, a month or even a lifetime. You can try to plan things out, set goals, and set schedules. But the one mainstream constant is that things change. The ripples of life and perception gradually spread and intermingle with the rest of the world around you. And it is a wonderful ride! Enjoy it!

So, I saw the movie "Yes Man" (with Jim Carrey) the other day. I highly recommend it. Even if you're one of those that adds it to your Netflix cue or even waits to Tivo it. Its worth it. Fortunately, I had already set a goal in my life to seize more opportunities and take invitations as they come. To stop letting them all pass me by. But that is the real challenge. Getting off your couch, breaking the mundane blank out of work, actually being aware of the world around you. It is a great place to live. And there are wonderful people in it. Embrace it all and live your life!