good thing/bad thing, good girl/bad girl

Last Wednesday we had 11 pieces of glass delivered for the job we are currently working on. I sent two of them right back, two of the three beveled pieces were unacceptable.

Now we are engaged in cutting the stencils and getting the sandblasting done. This is the last of the three big jobs we got deposits for last fall. They have been very nice and patient so we are trying to get the work done as quickly as possible. Well, as quickly as possible for us. They were hoping to have it by Easter and at the end of last year that seemed entirely possible. But there are so many variables...like the week we lost in January due to the arctic blast, like it taking twice the amount of time to get the jewels prepared and glued on for the previous job, like losing a week in February while we were in Austin teaching, like spring break coming up and the grandkids wanting to come to the country house. So now Easter is just a heartbeat away and we are only just beginning. When we finish this job though, that is the end of all our scheduled work and the phone has been ominously silent all year.

The silent phone is a good thing/bad thing. It's a bad thing because, of course, no jobs mean no income. The good thing about it is that we have cushion for a little while and we are ready to get back in the studio and do some new pate de verre work.

Because we are trying to be good and get this job done sooner, we're spending more time in the city and more time in the shop. I'm afraid I'm getting behind in my blog reading and posting. And this is the part where I tell you how bad I am, have been. I have chosen not to display awards on my blog that have been given to me. Part of that is because I like a clean look to my blog. Another part of that is because I am not good about following the requirements and passing them on. I am honored, of course, whenever one is awarded to me and I do like to acknowledge them when that happens, but this is the black hole of awards. Whatever comes in never escapes again. And the last several never even got acknowledged, at least not here. I do go over to the giver's blog and say thank you. I kept thinking I would remember (hysterical laughter ensues) who and what and do a post but the days, weeks, months, I'm sorry to say, have slipped by and now I do not remember who and what. Only that there were several. This has floated up to my conscious level today because insomniac ellen of ...this bittersweet symphony has given me a shout out and a link on her blog. Thanks Ellen.

After another long day tomorrow, we will be heading home for clean underwear and grocery shopping and then on Monday, back to the grind.

On a high note though, we seem to have finally broken the back of winter here and I can confidently say that spring has arrived.