Appreciations of the day

[Anastasia]

My extra credit class Art Metals and Jewelry is fun!

That sounds pretty fun, yeah. Good teacher?

[Rukatin]

My extra credit class Art Metals and Jewelry is fun!

That sounds pretty fun, yeah. Good teacher?

Yeah, he's pretty chill for a newly hired teacher. He's like "here's the themes for your art piece and what needs to be in it. Use whatever you can find in the room and ask if you need advice or you want to know how to do something. Go nuts."

[Anastasia]

My extra credit class Art Metals and Jewelry is fun!

That sounds pretty fun, yeah. Good teacher?

Yeah, he's pretty chill for a newly hired teacher. He's like "here's the themes for your art piece and what needs to be in it. Use whatever you can find in the room and ask if you need advice or you want to know how to do something. Go nuts."

Awesome, enjoy it. Senior year's a special time, so get the last out of your final year of high school.

I know that sounds like something your yearbook would say, but it's true. It's your last bit of childhood schooling. You're really on the cusp of a big change, and while that change may be good, bad or neutral, it's still a big change.

[Rukatin]

Okay, today I got to see how much of a badass my art teacher is.

To explain, he encourages us to explore and experiment, and thus has two stations at the back of the room designed for heat treating. This includes things such as soldering, creating wax molds to put easy-melting metals into, and open fire tools.

Now the tool I was using at the time was basically a portable Bunsen burner with trigger-like handle with a built in striker. It was pretty cool, but there was only one. So upon finding that hand-made riveting is both difficult and time consuming, I decided to vent my frustrations by finding out how steel and brass looked glowing red.

Now, the propane-the Bunsen burner- The thing is was using was not the problem of this story. Rather, it was from the girls in the station next to mine. You see, the propane-handle striker-burning tool was actually relatively new, and thus handled like a dream.

The others, not so much. Last week, the second burning tool's tank ran out of gas. (I know because I was one of the last people to use it.) So today, when two girls requested other tank be brought out, Mr. Rumohr shrugged and obliged, attaching a nozzle he pulled out of a drawer that looked like an actual Bunsen burner to a new tank.

It was then while I was melting spare solder onto my experiment I noticed the girl in the station next to me was having trouble creating sparks with her flint and steel striker. I was about to suggest applying more force to create more friction when another student brought out a better striker and struck it.

And then everything was on fire.

Not really, just that there were two major problems. The girl had the gas on for all the time she was having trouble with the striker. So when there were actual sparks, it created a small fireball.

The second problem was the seal on the nozzle. When the small fireball went up with a fwoosh it didn't stop. Thus leaving a panicking girl with a thing that was literally leaking fire from the seams. So she drops the thing, crying out for help and leaving it to start to burn the wooden frame of the work benches.

This is when Mr. Rumohr comes striding over, picks up the canister with his bare hands, tries to turn the nozzle off (which is where all the fire is leaking from) and only looks mildly annoyed when his fingers start to get singed.

Meanwhile I'm just standing there dumbstruck. He looks over to me, still holding the portable fireball, sees the still active fire-tool in my hands, and calmly asks me to turn it off before walking into the hallway. You know, just in case the thing explodes in his hands.

[Anastasia]

I have several days off in a row. In December. Working retail. It won't be the most enjoyable days ever (family issue needs me here), but still. Yay.

Don't look at me, I feel like writing stubby sentences today.

[Rukatin]

Thus begins my countdown to adulthood.

Also, in Numenera, my new character is a giant crystal rock monster with lightning!

[Anastasia]

Thus begins my countdown to adulthood.

Also, in Numenera, my new character is a giant crystal rock monster with lightning!

Awesome. So he's all glowy and zappy?

[Rukatin]

Thus begins my countdown to adulthood.

Also, in Numenera, my new character is a giant crystal rock monster with lightning!

Awesome. So he's all glowy and zappy?

Yes, I'm a giant quartz golom with four big pylons jutting out of my back. It's funny that even though I can't swim well, my character likes to.

[Rukatin]

I have accomplished one of my life goals as a socially awkward teenager.

I have made a real life friend.

[Rukatin]

Today is my 18th

[Anastasia]

Happy Birthday, man! I was about to make a topic about it, actually.

[Dracos]

Happy birthday.

[Anastasia]

Indeed. Two hours late, but I got a birthday topic up.

[Dracos]

I have landed without too much trouble, and enjoyed a good hangout with an old friend.

[Anastasia]

Thanks to people who reported the spam posts during the recent flood.