Yes I know I have been really lazy about writing inn the blog but I have incredibly busy with work and blowing glass. Most of you know already but just in case you don't, I am going to be in AZ for Christmas. I you how excite you all must be! Coming along with me is some 20 odd peaces of glass and will be having a show on the 22nd with more details coming soon. This is going to be my very first art show and I can't even say how excited I am for everyone to see my work. I just finished blowing all work I am taking to AZ with me so all I have left to do is all the cold working and shipping. Sadly Katie can't come with me due to work conflicts which means that we don't get to spend Christmas together. We didn't get to spend Thanksgiving together either because Katie was in Florida and I was working. Here are a few examples of my work. feed back is nice and monique I have you for Christmas so...

the finished piece

Ok folks you wanted to see the finished piece from that video.
http://designsbyja9.com/glassart/other.html

Here is A video of Joe and I blowing a "roll up" for a lady that took a class at Uroboros in June. Last weekend she brought up ten pieces for Joe and I to do the hot work on, we did such a good job that they are planning two more trips up here with twice the work each time.

Our old man puppy Artex.

Last night Katie I had to sadly put our old man puppy Artex to sleep. Artex had been diagnosed with a brain tumor for a more than two months and had been giving him meds but yesterday it was apparent that the meds had stopped working. We got home from work to a very confused Artex, and we knew that he had a seizure during the day. We spent all night trying to help him calm down, but every time Artex would lay down he would have an other seizure. Katie and I are spending the day with k'ninja to mourn our loss. Artex was a great dog and will be missed.

glass

OK so it wouldn't let me post all these pictures at once. Well what do you think? I have been non stop busy lately either at work or working on art or at my glass blowing class.... working on art. In june portland hosted the Glass Art Society international conference and I got to see so much amazing art being formed out of the glass that I make every day at work. I have known for a long time that I wanted to blow glass but now that I have started there is no stopping me. these pictures are of some of the stuff that I have worked on however not all of it is mine by defenition but I did work on every peice you see. Also a picture of Joe and I blowing one of the peices below. I have been assisting joe and learning a lot more then I do in class. stay posted for more pics and I am working on a winter internship in Germany so.........

HEY FOLKS

So this is really just going to be more pictures of stuff so enjoy.

Europe 08

This is a small slide slide show but I am working on anonther one right now.

hi

so we're back and we had such a good time. I am going through the pictures to see which ones I like best so stay posted for the Europe 08 blog.

exciting.

I just checked katie and I in for our flight via the internet. and we leave for the airport at 6:30 in the morning and big thanks to Katie's sister jenn for picking us up so early.

booty

Exchange rate is 1 euro = 1.64 us dollars

A Little More

AHH, Day off. I took a little time to sleep in this morning and to be honest besides my back hurting now it was a good rainy morning to sleep through. I have so much cleaning and washing and packing that I have to do. I an just kind of realizing how crazy this trip is. Katie and I are going to be spending time in Amsterdam and paris and may a stop out at the french coast. In Amsterdam or I guess the netherland, we are staying with a friend of Katie's that is from Austria but did exchange student stuff in the US right after Katie had retuned back from thailand doing her exchange. Katie's friend Ellie is going to to school and lives about 30 miles out side of amsterdam. I am excited to be able to spend time out side of the city there, their are so well known for have amazing flower gardens and i really think the spring is going to be so full of color, you know the grass is greener on the other side. On the 23rd or 24th we are taking the train to paris, but we will be passing through Belgium and Luxembourg, but haven't made any plans to get off the train until Paris. Now we all know we have a very busy brother with a newly enlarged family, I have made some plans with James but it is mostly for a lunch and then to make more plans from there, so I'm not sure how much time i will get to spend with His family but i am very much looking forward to every minute of it. Katie and I have rented a small apartment in the Latin quarter which is near the old university district and also near lots of markets and maybe a mile of so from Notre Dam. Notre Dam, I have read has one of the best views of the city but I'll have to see for my self and no worries i'll take a picture or two. I just was able to pull off a whopping 63 cent raise at work, but that is still not a lot of money so if you are worried about the amount of pictures I will be taking fear not, My camera is going to be a live blood on this trip, I just got Katie a new camera for her birthday too, so the shutters will be clicking like crazy. I just had a funny idea. I can take pictures of all the cool stuff on the trip and will be more than happy to supper in pose people into the picture, yes that's right. Tight. This whole trip is such an opportunity for me I wish I could be sharing it with more of the people the I love and that mean so much to me. We have six nights in Paris and could use a little help, there is so to do paris.

If you were going too paris or france or amsterdam what would you do?

After we meander our we though the streets of paris for a week we are headed back to amsterdam for anther night at Ellie's and then to the airport. We will be arriving home April 1st and then starting back to the daily grind of life on the 3rd.

As for the past two weeks Katie's parents were in town then I worked all week and then Monte came up for a short visit, but i am going to have to leave out some of the debauchers details, but it was a lot or fun. I am feeling very lucky to have such loving family and friends.

teaser

so yeah, just so you all know katie and I have eight days till we leave to eroupe. We are both very excited and very stressed. I will have to right more later. I have to take the dogs out and go to work right now. but to night or the next few days I will have more up about the trip and the crazy past two weeks.

YES!!!

I FOUND IT!!!

phone.

I lost my phone. frownie face.

tickets.

Your Flight Details

Departing Flight Information - Thursday, March 20, 2008 (Arrives Friday, March 21)
US Airways
Flight 1180
4h 42m, 2398 mi
Portland Intl (Oregon) (PDX)
Portland, OR
Departs: 8:50 AM
Thursday, March 20, 2008
To Philadelphia Intl (PHL)
Philadelphia, PA
Arrives: 4:32 PM
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Aircraft
Airbus A319 (Jet)
Economy/Coach Class
US Airways
Flight 798
7h 35m, 3725 mi
Philadelphia Intl (PHL)
Philadelphia, PA
Departs: 8:55 PM
Thursday, March 20, 2008
To Amsterdam - Schiphol (AMS)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Arrives: 9:30 AM
Friday, March 21, 2008
Aircraft
Boeing 767 (Jet)
Economy/Coach Class
Returning Flight Information - Tuesday, April 1, 2008
US Airways
Flight 799
8h 30m, 3725 mi
Amsterdam - Schiphol (AMS)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Departs: 10:55 AM
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
To Philadelphia Intl (PHL)
Philadelphia, PA
Arrives: 1:25 PM
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Aircraft
Boeing 767 (Jet)
Economy/Coach Class
US Airways
Flight 927
6h 00m, 2398 mi
Philadelphia Intl (PHL)
Philadelphia, PA
Departs: 5:55 PM
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
To Portland Intl (Oregon) (PDX)
Portland, OR
Arrives: 8:55 PM
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Aircraft
Airbus A319 (Jet)
Economy/Coach Class

Look I blogged

So katie and I found tickets to paris last night for $647, that is freaking cool, So we are going to buy them to night. The new room mate Kristen and her boy friend Kurtas can't come on the trip any more due to a string for bad luck for kurtas, car getting totaled while it was parked, and his computer crashing. so having to buy a new car and computer in the same week and then going to france next month is a little crazy. We are after all just young starving kids trying to go on a super cool trip. With the loss of that party coming with katie and I are making plans to go by our self's, but if anyone wants to come and can make it happen we would love to have you along. viva la paris!! Also any one wanting to come to portland we do have an extra room with a bed that is open just for you. We wouldn't mind if people want to crash in our room while we are france too. It would just with out katie or i in town.

moving on

All I have been doing is either working or working on art. I have a lot to finish art wise right now. I still have all my Christmas presents to finish plus a huge wall hanging that i am working on for my house, that I wanted to finish before Katie's parent come the 25th of this month. If you don't know we rent from Katie's parents so we always try to have the house in it's best condition while they are in town and I thought a new peace of art would be nice to have and also nice to show off my skills. I will post up date pictures of my art work as they get closer to finished, which I hope will be soon.

I am taking katie out on a date tonight sense I have work tomorrow. I'm think dinner then a show and then going to pix for yummy yumminess best chocolate I have ever had.

I have to stop writing now I need food.

so i put up a lot of new music on here so that you all could have something to liston to.
yes i know i suck at writing bloggs.