I'm on a self assigned project of making 100 little mans sculptures before I pick up a mandrel. I decided to do this to combat the fear factor in glass that I endulge. I knew if I ran home made a bunch of beads to sell when the time came to make a sculpture I would chicken out and pretend I didn't remember how to make one, so over the next probably 2 months I'll be practicing the techniques that I was shown while working at Scuola Bubacco in Murano. I also will be makins 50 crabs.

This man sculpture is the best of four I made today. I also phoned the kiln company to learn how to program the computer on it to anneal sculptures. Guy who helped me was very good at explaining things on the phone. tomorrow, I add feet and Architechture.

Buddy

Bonnie, the little ink blot, I had to lighten her picture up.

I'm home from Murano .

I woke up about 5 am today unable to fall back asleep from my anxiety over leaving Murano. My room mate, Markels purred like a cat and slept as I reluctantly crept out of the room.

Ofelia had previously refused to ignore me when I made excuses that she need not walk me to the Lagoona bus to the airport. She said, I should wake her so she could take to trash out to the dumpster, and walked me to the museo stop about 10 minutes away, in her jamies, and coat. What a sweetie, so in the dust of a february winter morning we chortled and cuckled over our previous adventrues. And I proceeded to wait for the water bus for about 55 minutes, I had read the wrong sign the night before when Markels and I went to check (from the station) what time the earliest water bus (called a lagoona bus or line or something)

She walked away in the cold morning fog and I sat there with my two bags and watched about 4 other water buses (called vaporettos) come and go, each time asking, did they go to the airport. no. And every time one of the buses came and went, you must understand these buses are boats, I don't know why they have been referred to as buses, but I will forever referr to them as transport boats and not busses, because that is confusing to refer to a boat as a bus. (for me anyway). ,,,, now where was I....

I don't want to unpack too fast because things will start to change once that happens, I'm unpacked all the way, but I would like to find the photos.

My room mate at Scuola Bubacco is Markels Lorini .

class mates who have websites that I know of include

Debi Johnson

John Rizzi

Jenny Wilson

Ofilia Cinta

watched items on eBay I wonder about that, as a seller I have a count on each auction how many people are watching my auction. I can only assume most of the watchers are other bead makers who just want to see how much my bead finally sells for. Although, I know many times a few of the watchers are actually customers waiting for the last few seconds to put in their bids.

Now, there are services out there that will make a bid for you at the last minute and they only charge a few cents per auction. Bidding early in an auction may make it so you are outbid, but it is also a guarantee. You decide well ahead of time what is the most you are willing to pay for a bead, and would you be bummed out if someone else bids 50 cents higher and wins. That is what I think about when I bid on something. I think ok, if it goes one penny over 80$ I really don't want to buy it, in fact, I'll be happy not to buy it! and you avoid getting caught up in the auction frenzie.