Is it still brain-drain if you're aware it's happening?

I got back into town late Saturday afternoon. I was relieved to be back amongst my own family unit and was happy to feel like a grown-up again instead of the youngest. It doesn't matter how old you are, when in certain settings, you fall into line with your birth order. I'm surprised I didn't break out with acne while gone.

Anyhow, I got back and was pretty much a waste product. I was looking forward to doing nothing but the the crossword puzzle on Sunday when I remembered that Grizzled had signed us up for a glass class. Working with glass was always something that called to him, and a number of months back, he convinced me to go to a class with him. It was not something I ever felt the need to do, but hey... he was asking, and I wanted him to do it. I'm so glad we went.

It was just Grizzled, me and a very wonderful, knowlegable instructor. Since we were working with ovens that were cranking out 2400 degree heat and were going to be carrying around rods with molten glass, we had to focus. We had to really focus. There was no time for imaginary scenarios going around in your head... no time for judgment, no time for anything other than making sure you kept that rod spinning in your hand and doing what you needed to do to that molten blob of glass... at some point after my "second gather", while fusing my colored glass in what was called the "glory hole" (our instructor made the jokes, filthbot did not need to), I realized my mind was completely silent. I had experienced brain-drain, and I felt peace. Even though my mind acknowledged this, it couldn't stay on it for too long as I had to move to the next station, had to keep moving and doing, intensly focusing on the task at hand...

We pick up our paperweights sometime at the end of the week... they spend a fair amount of time in the annealing oven and then have to have their bases polished. They were so hot when we last saw them, I'm not even sure how they'll look. I don't even care. The process would have been worth it had we gotten nothing to take home. The brain-drain was definitely worth it.

When we left, the instructor asked if we'd be interested in doing more. He said it was addictive. Oh, I'm sure it is. I could already tell it was one of those things where once you got the feel, you had to go back to see if you could do it again, and then try this and try that. I'm not sure I need to do glass though. I kind of hope Grizzled does, but I know I need to do something that's hard... well, maybe not hard, but truly challenging... not something you know you'll be good at if you just give it a whirl, but something completely new... something that takes all of your focus and is also a little bit scary. I think the part that was most addictive for me was the brain-drain.

Comments

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

well, maybe not hard, but truly challenging... not something you know you'll be good at if you just give it a whirl, but something completely new

Volunteer to mentor for the local FIRST Robotics team!

[Jennifer]

There already is one, and if there weren't... NO!
:)

[ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©]

Congrats on the brain-drain.

Of course, a zombie is the first common-tater...
~

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

There already is one, and if there weren't.

Already a FIRST mentor in the Yes Household? I WAS NOT AWARE!

[Jennifer]

Of course, a zombie is the first common-tater...

Brain lures in the subject line are hard to resist. :)

ZRM- oh... no, none in the Yes Household. I wasn't thinking that local, or loco. I thought you meant at our schools.

[zombie rotten mcdonald]

Brain lures in the subject line are hard to resist

YES THEY ARE. I WAS TOLD THERE WERE BRAINS DRAINING HERE.

...also, mentioning alcohol.

[ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©]

alcohol

But it's only 4 minutes after 11:00 AM!
~

[ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©]

In some parts of the planet.
~

[blue girl]

I realized my mind was completely silent. I had experienced brain-drain, and I felt peace.

Ahhhhhh, awesome.

[Jennifer]

It was, BG. :)