"Ahhhhhh! It's f-ing freezing!!!!"

I know that isn't the normal title for a blog about hot blown glass, but just wait for it...

Today was more of the same of this week.  Blowing tumblers in molds.  I am happy to announce that I am getting better everyday and people are really impressed by how little I have blown before I was here.  I learned that at most glass schools (like in Finland and Sweden) for the first 3 months you just learn to gather glass and blow a bubble, the next 3 months you learn to gather again on the bubble and shape it.  Finally, after 6 months you can blow into your first mold... and here I am doing in my second week of school! HOORAY!  It made me feel better that I wasn't as good at the people I am working with and that I am not total crap and will be able to do this for real!

This is the ware-cart full of stuff all the students have made the day before.  When I went to look at it this morning it was completely full from just 2 days! It is hard to find your stuff in there but once we take it to the cold shop I think it will be easier!

Here is what I made in the cold shop yesterday, I didn't do any work today there:

These are just stick figures hanging from the rim and sitting on the bottom sandblasted onto the cup:

Here is some practice engraving patterns we have to try... kind of boring but really hard!

This is my first attempt at deep cutting!

You lay out some line patterns on the bowl then cut it with wheels by free hand.  Look how nice and even my lines are! If you don't hold it straight then your cuts are crooked in the glass and one side is fatter than the other and it looks odd.

Here is more of the stick figures:

After class today we decided to go swimming at the nearby lake.  It was just going to be a few of us but quickly escalated into more than a few of us.  It turned out to be 9 all together I think.  The air temp was about 18 degrees Celsius, which is about 65 Fahrenheit I think, so pretty chilly.  

We got to the lake and there was a lot of standing around thinking about how cold it was going to be... the Nordic people think it is good for you to swim in FREEZING COLD WATER... weirdos!  So, finally I just jumped in and flew back out in a matter of seconds and screamed "AHHHHHH! It's f-ing freezing!!!"  So, I stood on the dock and took these pictures:

Rosanne is trying to push all the boys in while they are standing on the edge being sissies.

But, they got the best of her and she was the next one in!  I love the look on Bjorn's face... he is clearly very pleased by the turn of events.

Nick and Jonathan agreed to run in at the same time and of course Nick at the last second stopped and in went Jonathan cussing Nick as he flew into the water.

Back flips... why would you want to go head first into FREEZING WATER?!?!? 

BRAIN FREEZE

The water is actually black when you look straight down into it.  I was half expecting the Loch Ness monster (well Swedish version... the giant water troll Nessy maybe?) to pop up and eat Yenni whole!

Ah, what grace and form and poise... 

exactly what you would expect from an alcoholic 16 yr old in tighty whities.... right?

This is better. But this kid is able to remember that this isn't called Bathing, but Swimming...  so of course his dive would be better then the rest... I think he touched the bottom this time.  The only one to stay down long enough to touch the bottom I think!

We finally all got out of the water and sat around shivering in our towels before our long walk back.  I jumped in twice, once at the very beginning and once at the very end! I don't think I will be doing that again soon.  The rest of the people are talking of doing it weekly until it is too frozen to swim! I think I might just start taking pics and not swimming well before it is frozen...

On the way back to Orrefors we all realized we didn't have anything to eat for dinner! This was upsetting b/c the grocery closes pretty early and we had to stop on the way back to the Elevham (housing that I live in).  So while at the store it was decided that Rosanne and Yenni and I would cook some salmon together.  We got all the stuff and I went to my apartment to steal the good frying pan (there aren't many good dishes around here it turns out... maybe I would notice if I cooked more than just pasta and boiled eggs) and we were all set for an awesome meal.  Then Nick showed up b/c it turned out he was cooking the same thing and we all cooked together, a few times there were too many cooks in the kitchen but we all had jobs.  I was in charge of the salad (I served a naked salad... the Dosters would be upset, but there are people here who are allergic to anything and everything... I didn't even put the feta cheese in it, just the on side!)... and setting the table!   But it turned out to be REALLY good:

It is salmon, argula basalmic salad, rice, broccoli and mushrooms!  We all ate a ton and had no leftovers! And the great thing was it was good company, a home cooked meal and it only cost me 30 Kronor ($4.00 + a beer I already had!)  Hopefully the cooking together thing will continue... that I will participate in well past the time the lake is frozen!