Elefant Näsa (Elephant Trunk)!

Here is the ONE bowl I made yesterday afternoon:

 Look at the pretty stripes! It doesn't have a hole in the bottom, the punty just took off the color when I broke it off because it was a thick an elephants trunk 

(hahahahahah thats what she said.... oh god, I need to get some sleep!)!

The bottom is also kind of round... so it doesn't sit.. I decided to just hold it so you can see the size and it didn't roll around like a maniac and crash off the table... Since it is just sooo beautiful... it would be dearly missed, can't let the bowl be suicidal! 

This morning I went to the hot shop right off.  The whole class was late as usual and Stig-Allen had Mia and I work on bowls some more.  It went much better then yesterday I am pleased to say! During break Mia announced that she had had it with bowls and wanted to make something useful, like drinking glasses.  So, after she didn't say anything (as usual) to Stig-Allen I ask him if we can try doing that.  Of course he shows us and gets us all set up!  After a few failed attempts on both our parts Mia again announces that she has had it.  She will continue to assist me of course but she is just not feeling the glasses.  I JUST WENT AND ASKED STIG-ALLEN TO SHOW US THESE FOR HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well, I continued to make them and slowly improve.  But it was the last straw.  I decided that I can't handle her mood swings or her angry out bursts or talking to me in Norwegian and expecting me to be able to understand her! I have had it with her snapping the tweezers (nipsax as they are called here) at me and complaining so much.  So, I went to Rebecca and said "I don't really know who to talk to about this, but you are my advisor so... Is there any way that I can not be Mia's partner for the rest of year?!"  And, Rebecca said that yes, she was the one to talk to about that and she was glad that I had said something.  Often times the nice students get stuck with difficult partners because they just take it and take and say nothing and no one notices.  She talked to Stig-Allen and we are going to rearrange my schedule some so that I will have more time in the hot shop with the first year Nordic students (like Rosanne, Björn and etc) rather than the 16 yr old gymnasium kids.  So, that was nice,  I feel and felt kind of bad/weird talking to Rebecca about this, and like I was telling on a naughty student or talking bad about someone... but I didn't sign up to be abused or to have to encourage someone through every rough patch... that is what teachers get paid to do! I am glad I did it and I hope that it doesn't lead to any awkwardness, or at least not too much awkwardness.   

After lunch Mia didn't show up for a while and everyone asked me where she was, I of course had no idea... and when she did finally show up she went a made beads all afternoon.  She didn't say anything to me all morning about not being in the hot shop after lunch or anything.  So, I got paired with Björn and we worked together.  He did bottles and I did glasses.  My glasses are getting a little bigger and Stig-Allen said you can use the little ones for an aperitif!  I made a joke to Rosanne that since they were Swedish glasses you should drink Akavit (gross Scandinavian booze) from them... she had no idea what I was talking about.  Such a shame.  Oh well, maybe it will get a laugh from Pappa later!  But Stig-Allen said to remember the American motto "Bigger is better!"  and told me to make normal size drinking glasses.

It is getting pretty damn cold here.  I had to break out my winter coat and a scarf! While I was carrying my bags back from the grocery I had thoughts like "maybe it would be nice to have gloves!"  IT IS SEPTEMBER! This is a bad sign for my survival in February!!! When I went to Kirsten and Anniina's tonight to watch bad tv and laugh at facebook pics I thought maybe I should wear long underwear... but I thought that was silly for two reasons... 1. It is September and 2. I was wearing pajamas and would have to take the long underwear off then put the pajamas back on to go to sleep... not a good plan.   I decided to just run down the street to their apartment.  I also helped Rosanne dye her hair! She wanted to bleach it all blonde so she can dye it apricot colored later this weekend.  Sounds interesting.  It was hard to dye her hair because she has SO much.  We used 2 boxes and still didn't get a very even coat... but we think it will give the apricot color more depth, like low lights and high lights... right?!?! Oh god, I hope it turns out OK!!!! 

I was looking for a funny quote for the title of the post... it is so hard to name them something.  I googled Last Straw Quotes it and brought me to domestic violence quotes... eep! Who would have seen that coming?  Ok, maybe lots of people... but not me.  Now I still have no idea what to call it.  Maybe I should start numbering them.  This one would be # 53 I think... that is kind of boring too.  Oh! I've got one ;)