Whinge, whinge, whinge

[shanmonster]

From my lack of recent updates, you might have been able to surmise I've been busy. I've been in the metal studio until late at night pretty much every night for the last week. Tonight, I stayed until about 11:30, and I was so tired I was staggering around, crashing into tables and pillars and the like. By the time I reached my exhaustion point, I'd given up on using potentially dangerous equipment, and was limiting myself to my sketching and scrapbooking assignments. While I've been cooped up in the metal studio, the world has been passing me by. Friends have been moving into new homes, I've received a much-needed student loan, and people named John have been dropping like flies.

Today was a very frustrating day for me. I have an enormous amount of homework due in about 8.5 hours and on Tuesday morning, and despite my furious workpace, I've been making little headway. I only finished tomorrow's homework about ten minutes ago, and as for Tuesday's, well, I'm not sure I'll ever be done. I'm supposed to set three stones in silver bezels. I have my bezels made, but have been having a hell of a time removing all the firescale. In case you don't know, when sterling silver is heated up, its impurities make their way to the surface. When the silver is polished, instead of seeing a mirror-like finish, you'll see a mirror with lots of dark spots. These can be removed by a lot of sanding.

I sanded one bezel for about two hours yesterday, and four hours today, and finally removed all of the firescale. I figured I might not get all three stones set for Tuesday, but at least I'd have one done. So I set up my bezel at the vise grip, grabbed my hammer and my stone-setting tools, and got to work. Tap, tap, tap, tap.... For some reason, the ring seemed to be moving around. I looked more closely. Yes, it was moving! I guess the ring wasn't soldered on as well as it had appeared, and the hammering made it come loose.

I'm going to have to scrap that bezel altogether. I could resolder it, but it's already been sanded thin due to firescale removal. That's six hours of pointless work.

In my last week's ministrations, I feel I have next to nothing to show. I am feeling very frustrated, and think I've been set with (ha.) an impossible task. I don't see how any student can set three stones plus do all their other homework unless they're already competent at these assignments.

Bah!

Comments

[f00dave.livejournal.com]

Awwww, I know how much it sucks to have one's work ruined after so much effort put in. Code that vanishes may not seem the same, but if you've spent a day on it, and the machine eats it (for whatever reason), then all you're left with is the knowledge of how to redo what you did ... which will hopefully take you less time when you redo it.

My spleen is full of liver for you, honey-drippz0r. (*brain ... twisting! ... must not! ... erase lameness!*)

[metasilk.livejournal.com]

Bah!

*sets for you down a nice hot comforting mug of tea, or perhaps a glass of very fine scotch, your call.*

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I do have some Glenfidditch Single Malt in my cupboard, waiting to be opened. However, in my current state of overwork, I know that simply looking at the bottle would be enough to get me deeply, dangerously frunk.

Bah.

[metasilk.livejournal.com]

I'm torn between feeling very bad on your behlaf and falling over in giggles... Oh dear.

Oh well, good luck!