My Cat Crosby

Since I was young I've had either a dog, a cat or both. When I was around 15 we were living on Salem street and both of our cats had died. I'm not sure but it may have been a fisher cat (our neighbor down the street came out to his cat being slashed up by one a year before). However Ginger and Gilligan went I do not know for sure but I was left without a cat. A couple of months went by before my mom decided to do something about it.

I came home from school one day and my mom asked me to get the mail. As I walked up to the box I heard a pawing and whining noise that was the all to familiar sound of a kitten. Quickly opening the box I found a kitten. The little ball of fur was brown black and gray with a tiger pattern. I was smitten at once with the little guy. I was listening to a lot of CSNY at that time and decided after a couple days to name him Crosby.

As far a what type of cat he is, he was adopted from a shelter, so we can't say for sure although he has the markings, size and features of a Maine Coon. He likes to be outside a lot.

For a while there I kept him in my room, as is standard with most kittens, before letting him explore the house. Each day I came home from school I would run upstairs and play with him. Soon he began to go outside and explore the wild expanse of our yard and surrounding woods. When we moved about a year later there was no problem with him adjusting to a new area. There were still woods for him to play in and other animals to try and eat.

He was always good at killing things. He would drop mice off near the side door or leave a present to be found somewhere, but always outside. One time I went to turn the gas on in my workshop and I found a large headless squirrel behind the tank. Another time, more recently it was an absolute down pour as I arrived home. I saw him out by the side door and he was crouched over something. Normally I would never see him outside in the rain unless he was under a car or the little stone seat he uses for shelter on occasion. This time Crosby was eating a mouse full tilt like there was no tomorrow. I had never seen him do that, what with the rain in all. On the other hand he has been at times hunted.

Crosby cam back on day and it was evident by the blood soak that something either had him or tried to slash his throat. I couldn't see the actual wound but it healed fine all the same. He still has a little bump where it was. Although not from an animal Crosby did have some sort of infection on his ear that made it fill with blood and bob like a balloon whenever he moved it. The vet said that we could do surgery or just sort of cut it and then stick it up. We chose the latter and after it had healed his ear was shrunken to about a third of its original size. This probably happened nine years ago. Other than the ear, Crosby looks fine.

As far as cleanliness Crosby takes great pride in his appearance. He cleans his coat for hours on the couch or outside. Anytime he gets wet I dry him off with a towel and he loves that, or a nice brushing once in a while. He has a thick coat and can sometimes have a problem with hairballs.

As far as cats go they come trained, almost. They use a little box at a young age and there isn't much mess with them as a puppy would be. There are, however, ways that they can train you. Crosby figured out a long time ago that if he is to scratch at the screen he will be let in. He has ruined a lot of screens over the years., much to moms chagrin. He generally goes in or out ten times a day. He can be indecisive on whether he wants to be in or out and it can get annoying. Often he will come in, eat for two minutes and then ask to go out again. During the summer months he will stay out for a very long time, sometimes not coming back all day. I thought I lost him a couple times during the summer only to have him come waltzing back as if he didn't care. Whenever the dogs go out he will, too, and sort of mill around while they do their business. He will then come in again with them because he knows that treats are given out at that time. He'll jump up onto the counter and sit pertly waiting for me to give him a treat. Sometimes I give him cat nip, but he can be a mean drunk in terms of swatting at the dogs or anyone who's within range.

On evenings he is left inside, Crosby will, the following morning, walk upstairs and then scratch my door until I attend to him. Sometimes I give him a drink from the bathroom sink, which he is adept at using. He is surely one alarm clock that has no snooze button and he often waked me up at 5am.

For a cat over 10 years old ( I think he's around 11) he does well. He may have slowed down a little but he still has plenty of pep in his step. He naps more nowadays but he still kills on a regular basis. He is the oldest cat I've had and no other could replace him. I'll probably shed a couple tears when he does pass on but hopefully that won't be for a while.

That's all I have for now, I'll add some more on him soon in case I forget anything.

Looking back at 9/11

As you all know the 10th anniversary or 9/11 was Sunday. I chose to write this post on a Tuesday, even though its not the proper date it is the day of the week that it happened.

The whole thing was unexpected and was something no one could prepare for. I was sitting in Ms. Smiths' English class and things were typical of any day at school. Kids were doing their work or listening to the teacher talk and some went out to the bathroom. There was only one hall pass to do so and we'd eagerly await our own turn to roam the halls for a while, I mean go to the bathroom. It was either Phil Perkins or Chris Vining who came back in from the hall and he said something to the effect of "All the other classes have their TV on". This struck all of us as odd. We switched ours on and we saw a building in flames. I'm not sure if we knew what was happening at the moment, it was all a blur. We may have seen the second plane hit, but its all hazy so I'll have to ask someone else in class. Either way, everyone was silent. We didn't know what to think as all the reports were coming in about other hijacked planes. I think that everything after that was a blur, even to me. Each class from that time on all students did was watch the TV. There could have been a school announcement made, I don't know. The next day we did the same thing and jut watched TV in most classes and had discussion about what went on.

This whole set of events was our generations JFK. It didn't seem possible that it could happen. We had seen war footage and bombings on TV in other countries but when it hit home it made me go numb. I was awestruck that it had taken place. This Sunday I was watching footage of the planes hitting the towers and it took me right back to that day. I asked myself countless times 'did that really happen" then and now, expecting the outcome to change somehow. It did happen but part of me is almost afraid to let it register. I don't get sad about it, I just pissed that something so bad could happen on US soil.

That is all I have for now. If anything comes up about this topic I'll let you know.

Why I'm Awkward (Or at least think I am)

There is never one reason why. If I have learned one thing in life then it would be that everything is affected by everything else and nothing is an isolated incident. There is, of course, more than one reason that I am awkward.

I always tend to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, well, embarrassing to myself or someone else that is. It's like I don't even think it through before, all of a sudden, boom! it's out there. My brain has a mind of its out and it likes to prove that fact to me and anyone else in earshot. I always worry that there may be more than one of us in there. Trust me when I say that it feels great. I am better now at keeping that idiot under wraps.

I feel like I get looks from people everywhere I go. I feel like they're out to get me for some reason. Cops? Let's not even go there. I just feel like everyone knows all about me without even talking to me first, like there is just a clear spot in front of my brain that they can read everything that is going on as if it were a digital marquee at a theater. Anything they think they know is probably false, unless I've told them prior. I think its my lack of eye contact that enables them to be judgmental sort of the mindset of 'If you've met one then you've met them all'. This goes without saying that less know about me than those that truly do and the people that do know understand, as well as they can anyway.

I don't like how I can never seem to quite know what others are talking about without having to think it over first and by that time I have missed the point. This doesn't happen as often as it used to but every now and again I find myself lost in conversation.

It should be noted that the only true sports I find myself able to do are baseball and golf. The first one I excelled in, I even played in college. It was pitching, not hitting. As for golf, I can still hit it 275 yards after not being on a course for years. As for dancing, well, have you ever seen a cow being poked by a cattle prod? Just know that its a very unnatural motion. I run OK, until I get tired and begin to look like Carlton Banks dancing.

I could be described as awkward if you get to know me long enough. To most people though, I'm just a figment of their imagination, something they thought they saw until I somehow vanished, never to be seen again. Some wonder where I could had come from while others wonder where I could have gone.

My friends know me well enough that I'm not going to change and even if I could, they like me the way I am. I keep things loose and light and allow them to laugh, even for a short time, before getting back to their own problems. It goes both ways, as I can see their problems as something to both laugh at and learn from. We help one another through, that is just what friends do.

I have realized that I'm only awkward because I think I am so. In a way everyone is to everyone else, sort of like what I said by everything being interconnected in some odd way that you probably never thought of before. When the mind has time enough to think things over it can come to some interesting conclusions; and I reckon that's where the notion of me being awkward came from. Whether it was your brain, mine, or a combination of the two that came up with that answer remains to be discovered.

Questions or Comments? Let me know.

Jewelry School and How it Relates to AS

The whole week down in Virginia Beach was one of the best experiences for me as I've ever had. I learned a lot about myself and what I was capable of. I wasn't nervous about travelling alone for the first time, even paid for the plane ticket, but the journey to a place I had no idea of was sort of like back in college, just farther away. Instead of being a fifteen minute car ride away I was a plane trip. I just took the scale of it out of the equation. The layovers at the airport were boring because I had no one to talk to and had to take my two bags everywhere I went.

The hand work itself was sort of like learning anything else; in the beginning you're sort of crappy at it but through practice and repetition you can become a master. I like to approach it as I would when I think about how I learned to play video games when I was younger. I used to be poor at them and would try so hard. I then came back to the same games when I was older and was able to master them. The hand control is something that can be learned, in time. I have no doubt that my techniques will advance to above average quicker than most but the initial awkwardness I encountered will linger for a little while as I test things out. Messing up is expected and tolerable to a point; provided the ring you're working on isn't too expensive.

I am excited to think what I will be able to make when my confidence with the tools, those I had no previous experience with, (such as the flex shaft and assorted burs) reaches new levels. Learning to me, especially various hand skills, has always been something I enjoyed but initially struggled with. There is a sort of struggle that AS provides in terms of learning new things that is unmatched by anything else I've seen people have to deal with. I almost have to trick myself into knowing I can, while wiping away the fear that thinks I cannot, and sometimes there is a lot of doubt and anxiety that can build up. Once I do, then I'm fine.

I am a little nervous about making the trellis ring, though. You start of with a one foot wire and then shape three baskets for the stones and a whole shank assembly, by hand. Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that the wire is a solid piece of platinum! (The picture above is what it looks like)

I am sure that my time in Nashville, come the end of January, will be one of the best times of my life. I am nervous about it even now. I think to myself, often, "Can I really do this'? I then take a step back, laugh, and realize that I learned so much in five days, imagine what I can do under Blaine's instruction with sixty. That thought alone keeps me on track and striving towards my goal of becoming a goldsmith. Is this trade for everyone? Certainly not. Is it for me? You know the answer to that one ;)

Questions of Comments about my time at jewelry school? Let me know.

Jewelry School Part 5, The Last Day

The final day of the course was all about re-tipping and re-pronging stone settings. Re-tipping was actually easy, or it seemed so because I did it correctly the first time. All you have to do it heat a small ball of solder and place it on the prong to be re-tipped without having the ball 'migrate' down the prong. It was all about torch control. To round out the top of the prong we used a cup bur. This bur is unforgiving when it comes to cutting yourself as it is takes a 'core sample' rather than cutting you open. Blaine said he did this once and it took a long time to heal, very painful. We were all thrilled to be using it.

Blaine then lightened the mood by saying "Make sure you choose a size that flows loosely around the top of the prong, and make sure it isn't too small. If you use say, this one, (here he held up a very small bur) then it won’t be able to go fully around. We call this one 'The Yarmulke'". At that comment we couldn't help but laugh.

The ruby that was in the setting held up well to the heat of the torch, 3,700F, and turned a dark color when heated, then it turned back to its regular hue. I had the worst feeling that the stone was going to explode and hit me in the face.

The next task that day was to re-prong, two different ways. The first was to cut back the prong so that it could be filed at an angle to accept a new top. The part being put on had to also be filed accurately so it would fit onto the top at a 90 degree angle. It may sound confusing and it did, until I saw it done. The filing was important, as was holding the wire up after putting a ball of solder on the end of it. It was more of a free hand joint that we had to make, but we had had practice with this technique when doing the three stone ring, so it was easier this time around. Mine turned out a little sideways, but Blaine, (he had a trick for everything) showed us how to fix it using capillary action. If you heat the prong and the solder pick behind it carefully you can then push the piece back to position. This was a small miracle.

The second re-prong was to be done by cutting the prong halfway down and making a whole new piece from sheet stock. Using the old sheet we had used the first day we all cut out a piece around the size we would need. Next we were to use a four square file to make the girdle of the stone fit into it. This took a while but was of utmost importance. Eventually the piece was put into place and soldered together.

After lunch Blaine took is into the polishing room where we would learn some aspects of finishing our pieces. He had this polish that was mainly used on platinum that he used on most things now. It made everything look amazing and he had shown it to Tiffany's when he was helping to set up one of their factories. On a side not: Everything that Tiffany's needs worked on valued at over $100,000 they send to him. This was hands down the best polish I had ever used and I will surely bee buying some. Everyone who was not in the room, he took us in in small groups, was free to work on whatever they wanted.

Some people had to drive a long way home so a couple left early. We said our goodbyes to one another it was assured that a couple people were most likely coming back for the twelve week course. It was good to find this out as I would know some people from the get go. This is going to be at the end of January so I have some time to practice all the things I learned. One of the greatest things about the course is that the school is likely moving to Nashville, Tennessee! I've heard this is close to southern paradise as it gets. I can't wait to go back but I'm nervous all the same. What a journey it THAT be.

Jewelry School Part 4

The next mornings after breakfast the lot of us packed into cars and were off to class. Once there, some people set out to finish the three stone ring from the day before while others used the variety of flex shaft accessories to refine their work. This took up a decent amount of the morning. My ring had a lot of copper oxides coming through because I had heated it for too long. I was lucky, at one junction, not to undo my other solder joints or melt it entirely. Lucky we were using hard gold solder. I was just getting to clean my piece in the acid bath when Blaine had us come up front for another demo.

The typical chair race ensued and we each took our respective spots that we had since Monday. Today's lesson would be how to set stones. I had never done this before and using the flex shaft with certain burs to cut the prongs out was new to me. Blaine, of course, made it look easy. He gave us some heads to practice on and I was surprised when I cut my first seat to find that it looked OK. The second or third was not nearly as nice, beginners luck I guess. The trick was to angle the bur so that the stone would sit evenly at each of the four cut marks. Easier said than done, I'm afraid.

After a little practice I began to get the hang of it and now it was time to set the synthetic rubies that were handed out. The seats I cut this time were less than perfect but sufficed. I put my stone in and it fit, although it rattled around in the setting a bit. This was remedied by the technique we were shown. After a little manipulation of the prongs my stone never moved again. It was just about level too, I think I cut one of the seats out a little much; for a first effort it was good enough. To end the day Blaine had us do a couple of ring sizings, both up and down, to make sure we hadn't lost anything. In fact we all got better at this task. The class had apparently done its job.

The day ended as each one began; everyone packed into the car they had come with and we drove back to the hotel. It was a low key night and we met in the lobby bar, right in the lobby, to see if anything was going on. People were tired and after a couple drinks people didn't feel like going out that night. I was tired as well and decided it would be best just to have some dinner and relax for the night.

Jewelry School Part 3

As everyone groggily strolled in the next morning we took to our benches. I looked at my chain repairs from the next day to see if I had applied what I had learned correctly. Everything was fine. Blaine called us over and told us that we were doing so well as a group we were going to begin the three stone ring.

To me this seemed like a daunting task but when laid out its not too difficult. Blaine showed us, in great detail, how to cut a hole through each on the three parts of the top gallery of the ring. Each had four prongs and one was bigger than the other two. He drilled through and flattened each one. Next, using a special clay and some other techniques he made the bottoms of the settings match up. Doing this without the clay, is probably the most frustrating thing ever, or so I have heard. After the settings were attached we soldered them together. Mine came out better than I thought it would but there was more to be done.

The next step was making the ring shank. We cut a simple shank into a different shape and put a throat so that the bottom and top galleries would touch the corresponding parts of the ring. This may sound confusing but I'm sure you've seen what it's supposed to look like. I had a little trouble cutting it straight at first. Once I figured out the proper technique I measured and cut where the throat would be on each side. This was going fine until I broke the piece that would touch the bottom gallery off. This got me a little mad and I had to make it all over again.

Meanwhile, Blaine brought us up for another demo of how to solder the top gallery to the shank. This was a lot easier than anyone thought it could be, as long as you followed the tips and tricks that he showed and had good torch control, which at that point we all did. For some people this took longer to accomplish than others. I did it slowly for fear of messing up again. In the end it looked OK and I was proud of it. I didn't think I had it in me.

That night I relaxed with a quiet dinner and a few of us had some drinks by the pool. It was low key that night and we all drifted off on our own time up to our respective rooms.