The Verdict, The Sentencing, We'll Decide The Action

Dennis has had lung issues pretty much all of his life, but recently they have been getting worse and when he failed his lung function tests for his work, medical attention had to be sought so off to the Doctor, and then the Lung Specialist. After the battery of lung function tests, blood tests, ECG, chest x-rays, and CT scan, the Specialist had the results, the diagnosis, and the "prescription". The good news is that there is no scarring and no asbestosis, which is always on the back of ones (and spouse's) mind when one works industrial. However Dennis has inflammation in his lungs and the causative agent is organic in nature vs inorganic. During Dennis' initial Specialist visit, a complete history was recorded and the question of whether we have pets. The answer was yes: 4 cockatiels and 2 dogs. Dogs are outdoor, however for obvious reasons the cockatiels are not. So back to the organic causing agent. In a heartbeat the Specialist told us that because the causative agent is organic the cockatiels have to go and the house professionally cleaned because HEPA filters are no match for bird dander. Bottom line sentencing: birds have to go (and so does the dust, but that's a given).

Considering that we have had these birds for at least 5 years, some of them 10, and we've had cockatiels for 18 year, this is like being told to get rid of your child and in this case, 4 of them. Better yet is the assumption is to choose between Dennis and the birds and of course the choice would be Dennis because the birds are just pets and they can be "gotten rid of". WRONG!!!!  Yes I am still keeping Dennis and we are also keeping the birds because in the realm of possibility, there is ALWAYS another way, ALWAYS, just have to figure it out. So far we have a solution, just have to test it out.

For starters we don't have any ordinary home and those who have been to our house can attest to that. First of all we do not have a furnace nor do we have carpeting so all dust is in the open and visible so that makes for easy cleaning. Still not wild about washing down a whole house, but whatever, needs to be done. Plus we have a whole house HEPA air-to-air exchanger where the whole house air is dumped outside and fresh taken in.  Next is that the birds will be moved into my office (that I'm in frequently) which is the next room where they are now and the bonus with that is the door can be closed. Now here is our genius idea: a dust containment system. We are putting the cage into a screen house that will catch the majority of the dust and I can wash it frequently. Plus in the screen house we will also put a small HEPA filter as it's one thing to purify a room or a house, but when the area is small the efficiency of the filter goes way up (think fumehoods).

As far as we can see, it's worth a try as neither one of us want our birds to go. As much as I want to BBQ them sometimes, they are entertaining, they are companions, and there is bonding between us, all of us. We are a family and families find a solution. So right now I have a tentlike screen house in my living room that's waiting to be moved, a house that needs cleaning, and furniture to be relocated. The other good news is that this gives us a very good opportunity to declutter and organize so best wear my pedometer to rack up those kilometers. One thing that I can say is that living with Mr. Packrat, this is going to be interesting.
Sherri Donohue

Cha-Cha-Changes

The major change I did this last week was to change my weapon to master especially after seeing Sihing Lowery attack both herself and her lawn chairs with her spear and reading that Sifu Bryant's revelation was that chucks do go through windows quite nicely. After serious contemplation about having the Nerf pool noodle as my weapon, my fear then was that I would not be taken seriously neither as a martial artist or weapon bearer. It was then that I decided to reconnect with a weapon that I started to play around with last year and has been calling my name since and at times being a persistent "nag".

I have decided to change my weapon from the chucks (and save any surrounding windows) to my fan. When I picked up my fan again, it just felt right on so many levels. I was like a kid with a new toy seeing what happens when I do this or that and I do happen to think that the sound a fan being opened is very cool. After talking to Sifu Michael Playter about my fan (and getting the okay from Sifu Brinker) and how it's used for both as a weapon and as a distraction, I'm on a whole new level of excitement. Plus watching some of the videos on YouTube has granted a whole new level of respect for the fan as well. With my new-found knowledge I will be working out some cool moves and putting those cool moves together into a Beta version form so stay tuned.

Another change/phase is that gluten is one aspect that I will be scaling back on in my diet. I did try gluten-free for a period last year in November and it did not fair well for me. Looking back I was cold-turkey subbing out one starch for another and my body was revolting. This time around I will be doing the phase-out method while keeping my diet moderate to high raw. Today I got a recipe for a gluten-free pizza crust that uses chick pea flour. Guess what I'll be trying tonight for supper?

Comfort Zone Conspiracy

It seems to be that when I'm out of my comfort zone in one area, all other comfort zones feel the need to jockey for position to see just who is the alpha. Last week it was sparring that started it all. Well let's add in the fitness stripe test (squat thrusts are my nemesis), torch anxiety over making dragons, oh hey let's plunk down cash for a new kiln, glass order, plane ticket. Oh and don't forget show entries for Leduc Black Gold Rodeo, Lloydminster Christmas, Stettler is also saying hello, and I'm sure Ponoka Stampede will be following up very shortly. Did I miss any comfort zone here?

Even though this is almost a "feeding frenzy", there is good news on the horizon. All of the comfort zones are related so when I work on one, I'm working on them all. Does that mean when it's done, it's done? Not necessarily and it when I run into this conspiracy again, I will be at a whole new level and that is good.

As for the dragons, I have made another two and through each process I can see where to improve and make the process more efficient. I have found out that no matter which toe I put on first, it's always the easiest toe to put on. Yes it's a drag to melt one part while making the other (flame always gets in the way), but I shall get a system figured out. I have found that making the wings separate paid off and I will be trying that with the legs. As with my horses, I have found that my dragon heads are more caricature than "realistic" and yes I can find that frustrating. However as Dennis puts it, that just might be my innate style so why fight it? Yeah, he's right but do I really want to be a person who specializes in  googly-eyed dragons? Hah! I knew there was another comfort zone lurking around.

Oh well, step by step, dragon by dragon, I shall get to the next level for that is the only way I will grow both as a person and an artist. Will I be ready for the next comfort zone conspiracy when this one is ironed out? Who knows, but I will make every effort to ensure that I'm the alpha, not the comfort zones.

Feel The Love

Today is Valentine's Day and, in my opinion, is the most manipulative commercial conspiracy going. If a guy does not buy his gal flowers (which by the way are jacked way up in price a week before V-Day), on this "special" day he is an ultimate loser who should repent by spending the rest of his life in the doghouse. Tell me what's wrong with the gift of flowers on all of the OTHER days of the year. Oh yes, and if the gal does not receive gifts of flora, diamonds, dining out, and chocolate on this ever special day, well then she is just not worthy of such love and lavishness. Again, according to my calendar ( including Google), there are 364 (365 for 2012) other days in the year. Talk about a commercialism guilt trip of which many buy in to.

So what if today was used solely as an excuse to express love? What if today was an excuse to be kind to someone, give them that extra special jumbo charmer of a smile or pick up the phone to say "Hi"? What if today was used as an excuse to do something special for someone? And what if, just what if that someone was yourself? What would happen if today was an excuse to look yourself in the mirror, square in the eye, and say "I love you"? What would happen if today was an excuse to do something special for yourself today? What if this all felt so good that one couldn't wait until next Valentine's, one indulged sooner, monthly or even weekly? What if today was an excuse to give someone special (self included) a hug that lasted for at least 10 seconds (no timing allowed)? I wonder what would happen. It just might be something to try and after all, it just might be addictive.

So with a wave and a big, pearly white smile, Happy Valentine's Day.

Pouncing on Procrastination

This last week I was working on procrastination or rather how to break through it in both my glass art and in practicing my forms. It's amazing how a few hours can slip by and oops! too late. Enough of that nonsense so time to do something about it.

I am learning EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques) or tapping that involves tapping on acupressure points while focusing on the issue. What I learned about procrastination is that at one time procrastination actually served because the project was not right at the time and since then the subconscious kicks into procrastination mode when it's time to move forward. So how was my procrastination "serving" me in regards to my glass and forms?

With my glass, procrastinating was "protecting" me from visiting burnout island. Been there, have the "souvenirs" and sorry, don't want to go back. What's not serving here is that this protection mechanism is keeping me in the T-ball league when really I need to be shooting for the major leagues. In forms the procrastination was keeping me from seeing my mistakes and therefore, keeping me from being wrong. After all, in my mind my forms are perfect and again, this keeps me stuck in T-ball league.

After I tapped on the issue, I set a plan in place for going forward. Along with my pushups and situps first thing in the morning, a form is also done to hook me in. Plus when I'm not at my torch, I set my alarm every hour-ish so that I get up from my computer and go train. My alarm is in an adjoining room so I have to get up to turn it off. So far that is working so carry on.

During practice with my broadsword, I noticed that I tore a hole in my pants. I wonder if we get clothing allowance.......

Connect The Dots

This New Year's banquet and celebration was the best yet for many reasons, but one in particular because I had a deeper connection with the event. I knew the candidates from being both with them in class and being team mates and it was very exciting to watch their journey closeup. Being on the dragon dance team was a thrill all of its own and setting up and helping with the silent auction made it more personal as well. As great as those instances were, what's to come next had even a bigger and more profound impact on me.

As proud as I was with my dragons I wasn't going to put them into the auction as I could make better ones with practice. When we were setting up Sifus Lindstrom and Kichko asked where the dragon was and I said that I wasn't going to put it in the auction. That started the why???? Then my "wonderful" husband blabbed that they were in the car and as a result off he went to get them.  I unpacked my dragons and  I was "peer-pressured" into putting the dragons in the auction. All through the night I kept getting blasted with "what do you mean you weren't going to put those in the auction??!!" and "you're your own worst critic you know". I must say that it was extremely humbling to see what the dragons sold for and that they both sold to the same person who was thrilled to own them both. It was made very clear to me that I, even though proud of my dragons, was looking at them through my list of improvements whereas everyone else saw the dragons for what they were. Two very different sets of pictures. While it's good to note the improvements, the improvements shouldn't be the focal point and that was the mistake I was making. Oh gee, guess which set of "glasses" I was looking at my forms through? No wonder I wasn't wild about doing them and yes I changed that picture as well.

On Sunday my husband, during conversation about the banquet events, looked at me and said "why don't you bite the bullet and get the kiln you want (and need)?" The kiln I want is a Skutt Scarab (a Cadillac unit), made by a torch hound for a torch hound, is much bigger and costs more than some of the cars on the road. Translation: a sizable investment. Then it hit me: I had been asked numerous times if I make such and such and my response was no because I was limited to the size of my kiln. Whew boy!! Talk about keeping myself in little league with that one! Am I serious about being all I can be as a glass artist or not? So I now have a call in to see what the local Skutt distributor can do for me to get the kiln up here so yes I am serious. Besides, I have a bunch more dragons to make among other things like a Turkish coffee pot and someone has been pestering me for wine glasses.

Oh yes, I have also been asked if I do large shallow glass bowls. My first thought was no because that's a hotshop project and I'm a torch hound. However after giving my head a rattle I had another thought: I don't have a hotshop, but I sure know who does and he's been doing the hint-on for team glassblowing. Must see about seat sales to California.....

Dancing 10 Feet Above the Ground

Right now I am dancing 10 feet above the ground. Why? I accomplished a goal that I set for last year and did not complete, but today I did and I made 2 of them. I made a glass dragon, 2 of them actually and am damned proud of myself for both making them and how they turned out.

All of my life I have had the inner chatter of "not good enough" which is a real plague when I am an artist. People can tell me until doomsday how much they loved my work, but no amount of ego-stroking is going to made an iota of difference if I don't recognize the greatness within myself. However today was different as I do see the greatness. So, what changed?

On Monday I had an energy coaching call where I focused on the block of not going forward despite how much I wanted to. Within minutes the block was clearly identified as a big "not good enough" and it was set in very early in my life. Plus my parents played into that by holding me back in various things and event because they feared that I wasn't good enough. Time to clear that energy and replace it with energy that supports. To make a long story short, this was the most deep, intense, and powerful coaching call that I have ever had. I have taken a lot of personal development courses, been coached, have my Reiki I, and it all pales in comparison to this coaching session. Unbelievable!!

So today was my first day on the torch after the call and I was wondering how it was going to go. It was amazing as I had a peace and calmness that I have not experienced before and I really got into my "zone". After I made my first dragon I was (and still am) very proud of it even though there are mistakes. I looked at the dragon, learned from it, and made another incorporating the corrections. The result was an improved dragon. Dennis says that he can see a definite difference between the two dragons and so can I. I think that this is the first time that I can say that I am over the moon proud of my work. I think that if I plugged into a light socket I could easily light up Western Canada. What a rush!

And to make this event even more spectacular and great, I had an email tonight from a lady wanting to purchase, sight unseen, one of my early dragons as she is born in the year of the dragon. Only Dennis and I know what my dragons look like because they  are still in the kiln. I think I have a bruise on my jaw from it hitting my laptop in joyous shock. Needless to day, I am dancing 10 feet above the ground.