On the first molecule of the year – caffeine
This year they’re for sale. Any offers? Requests for other molecules?
Blowing bubbles / Glass / Work
On musical confusion
Dear musicians, band managers and English-lyric writers, Please (PLEASE) help me. I have colleagues who listen to the radio. Even though there are several German bands, most of the music on the radio is currently sung in English. As the only “native-English-speaker” in the place, it’s my job to tell them what’s being sung. I […]
On things I really need to stop getting angry about
Holes punched on the wrong side of the page and therefore filed upside down.
Papers filed in chronological order, except when they aren’t
On decorating the workshop
Decorations – not just for Christmas! This is the wall on your right as you come into the workshop: These are on the wall on your left: All of these Glass Things were hidden in the workshop, gathering dust. As part of our Christmas cleaning marathon, we decided to put them on display instead.
On Christmas cleaning
My colleague and I cleaned the workshop today. Every. Last. Inch. Of. It. It took ALL DAY. From 9am until 5pm, with half an hour for lunch, we scrubbed and wiped and vacuumed and washed and dried and sorted and tidied… …and decorated. And now it looks all sparkly and clean and luffly…..and we feel […]
On blisters (and carrots)
I’m used to getting blisters at work. The sort caused by touching glass before its had a chance to cool down properly. I’m not used to getting blisters from washing carrots… Edit (3rd Nov): Squeaky clean 🙂
On Advent decorations – part 2
<- part 1 ….Then I moved out. I also had a Christmas box, though mine was decidedly smaller – my flat was also smaller than the house ;). My treasures consiated of 3 or 4 strings of fairy lights, red, gold and silver stars outlines to hang on the curtains, home-made glass baubles and icicles […]
On brand new computers v clean hair
I have 2 jobs. Both are part time, but I always work full days, if that makes sense. One of the companies I work for bought me a brand new computer today. I’ve never had a brand new computer before, unless you count my first laptop, which I suppose I do, and even that was […]
On creating a ‘real’ website
No. Not one for notthrowingstones. Not yet anyway. This is a new website for the company I work for. Yes. I know it’s the weekend. That’s not really important. What is important is that I have managed to download the WordPress editor onto the hosting company /programme and start making pages and playing with layouts. […]
On the wonders of chewing gum
I don’t remember coming across chewing gum as a little kid. By about year 4 I’d discovered bubble gum, but wasn’t ever very good at blowing bubbles (glass is much better than bubblegum in that respect, even if it doesn’t taste as good ;)). A bit later, maybe in year 8 or 9, someone told […]
On glass spirals
I have somehow earned the reputation for being good at making glass spirals. It started when I was practising for the Meister exam. The man who would become my current boss, but who was back then my ‘coursework’ supervisor told the president of the German glassblowing society that I had a fascinating technique but produced […]
On forced free time
I am a glassblower. I work with hot glass. In order to heat the glass I rely on a steady supply of gas. Methane for anyone interested. Someone in the building where I work is busy building something. I have no idea what it is they’re building, but it’s loud and dusty and resulted in […]
On leaving windows (or not)
I have been given the ‘opportunity’ (read: taken it upon myself) to get rid of XP from the work computers and make them ‘safe’ again*. At work there are 2 computers in use and a 3rd in another room waiting for a cable to connect it to The Internet. None of the staff are especially […]
On working with my boyfriend
The DB has an order for 10 glass things due 2 at a time over the next couple of months. The first 2 are due next week. He didn’t want to leave it to the last minute, but it’s a 2-person job and the guy who usually helps him was away last week and doesn’t […]
On not existing part 3
I phoned the passport office in the UK and they apparently don’t have the facilities to write an email to say that they’ve got my passport and are working on the new one. They are also unable to tell me how long it will take, the new system’s having a paddy so the 4 weeks […]