Random thoughts – Page 29 – Michelle's House of Horrors

Metalsmithing summary

Here are the things I learned to make this Spring and Summer. Bear in mind that some of these are just learning exercises. And yes, that is a Sea Monkey. It was an exercise in using a jeweler’s saw. I think he is very fetching.

Techniques? Simple soldering/braze welding, bezel setting, making jump rings and chains, sawing metal, basic finishing/filing/sanding/polishing, very simple metal forming.

Last week, I started a new class that is very technique driven. We had a demo about etching, selected a design and cut out a hunk of metal to put it on. This week, we did the actual etching and learned how to form a simple metal bead. That involved cutting circles out of copper, beating it with a hammer into a hollow form, sanding until the two sides of the bead are totally level and then soldering them together.

The two pieces came out like this:

I am not the most confident woman with a torch for obvious reasons. Having a history of having been on fire makes me a little nervous about it, but it is kind of magical to use fire to stick pieces of metal together! Plus, if I want to make more beads then I have to get over it.

Current status: unreasonably giddy about making a silly little copper bead. And an etching. And a chain. And bracelets. And a ring. And a Sea Monkey.
Have YOU ever made a copper Sea Monkey? Have you? No. I thought not.

An imaginary conversation about gray days

Some days I just really wonder.

Wonder? About what?

Everything.

Everything? That is a lot to wonder about!

It is!

Why do you feel like that’s your job?

My job? I don’t. I just do it recreationally.

For fun.

More of a calling, I suppose.

Like the priesthood.

But with sex.

Of course. There would have to be sex.

I am not giving that up–not even to wonder!

Do you have some sort of point to this wondering?

Do I need to?

Not necessarily.

You don’t sound convinced.

It seems a little pointless to spend your time worrying.

Wondering.

Not worrying?

Worrying is different. That tends to have a point.

I see…

You don’t, but that’s OK.

So what were you wondering about today?

Gray skies. Or really, clouds.

Like what they are made up of?

No…but I could wonder about that!

What then?

You know how sometimes you see a cloud formation that looks like something?

Like a dragon?

Or a castle, or a naked lady, or whatever..

Sure. We all see things in the clouds.

How far away do you think two people can be and still see the same cloud?

Mentally or physically?

Exactly!

Huh. I wonder. So if we stand together and look up..

We’d see the same clump of clouds in the same shape and stuff.

But we wouldn’t necessarily see the same cherub or train or whatever in the sky.

No. But if we were standing a mile apart, would we even see the same clump of clouds, or different ones?

At some point they would be different, because they are moving.

It would depend on which way the air currents were going. And where each of us was standing.

That is a lot of thought to give to clouds passing.

And perspective. It’s interesting. I got a kink in my neck.

From perspective.

No, from looking up at the sky.

I can work that out for you!

I was hoping you’d say that!

Being a Duck

When I was in college, I didn’t like football. Traumatized by love gone wrong with a left-handed quarterback, I decided football fandom wasn’t for me. Too much heart break. Besides, the Oregon football team had a long history of losing. I didn’t need sports heartbreak too.

Even though I wasn’t into sports when I was at Oregon, I still learned a lot about how to be a good Duck.

I learned that no matter what you do, you are going to get wet when you walk half a mile between buildings to get to your next class. Might as well wear cute shoes and learn to enjoy the feel of rain on your face. I am still convinced that I have fewer wrinkles than many people my age because I am a Duck.

I learned that sometimes, most of the time, the things that are the most fun are the most simple. Sitting on someone’s front steps having a beer. Speaking French to a dog. Spending the whole morning at Taylor’s drinking coffee, and then (what the hell) spending the evening there too. Translating “Once In A Lifetime” into Italian.

At Oregon, I learned that weird is good and conventional is dull. I learned that blending in is mostly bad for your soul, but that sometimes dressing alike can be fun.

The U of O taught me to love underdogs. Pretty much all Duck fans of a certain age share that. You have to because losses are part of life. Sometimes, a lot of losses. Sometimes very few. But there are always losses in life as well as football. It is part of being a Duck and a human.

Anyone who follows Oregon football knows the team lost this weekend. Lost big. Lost for the second time this season. For the first time in years, things look a little gloomy in our football world.

Being a Duck isn’t just about winning football games. It isn’t even mostly about that. Or any other sport.

It’s about all the stuff that goes with the game. It’s about Sunny Fall Saturdays with your friends and family. Or rainy ones.

It’s about hugs and high-fives.

It’s about the celebration when the team wins, and fighting hard to recover when they lose.

It’s stomping through mud puddles to the game with a grin instead of worrying about your shoes.

It’s about everyone having the same goal even if it’s just for a few hours.

Football?

It’s just an excuse for celebrating life. Shouldn’t everything be like that?
Yeah, my team got the shit kicked out of them on Saturday. They’ll be back again this Saturday, and I will be watching.

They are still Ducks.
So am I.

Quack.