McElf GlassWorks

A Full Service Glass Art Studio

Blog

Captain’s Log: Here we go… Again.

Leave a Comment

So up until Saturday morning things were über-hunky-dory… then we very suddenly got hit by a mega-oopsie-daisy… About 24 hours ago — Saturday night, 9PM-ish — very suddenly, Mom’s headache came raging back, the drug-drunkness got a out-of-control, and it very suddenly felt like December 16th all over again. There are a lot of similarities to beginning of each “event” in fact; just change the AMs to PMs and it’s crazy how identical things go: There’s some noises and… a thud? Bonnie and Heidi respond. (Again.) 9-1-1 is called. (Again.) Ambulance to Mary Wash Fredericksburg. (Again.) CT scan. Brain looks… Read More »

Get Thee to a Nunnery!

Leave a Comment

Have you spent any time in your life with a nun? (Well, I’m told I should be specific here: a Fransican nun?) Did you know they drive purple minivans? Listen to Beyonce? Go to the Beach? Drink a lot of coffee? Something I never expected to enjoy in my lifetime was a symbiotic relationship with a nun. It doesn’t definite them — it’s just a small part of what makes them who they are. Which is to say, amazing, supportive, funny, amazing, positive, amazing, strong women. We’ve done some traveling together now. We’ve been doing some teaching together. We’ve got… Read More »

Captain’s Log: The Day After the Glue Job

Leave a Comment

I would post a picture of Mom, but she kind of looks like a crazy bird right now. (Appropriate, perhaps, as a chief of Bluebird Glass Studio?) A wild bird on REALLY good drugs, ha! Mom did great last night. I guess we forgot-to-ask/didn’t-think-about the fact that going in and mucking around in the brain, rerouting essentially all of your body’s blood flow in the area directly over your spinal column, might cause a wee headache. So, um, Mom had a literal killer headache last night. She’s on some sweet painkillers though, so she’s much better now. Despite the massive… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Surgery Day Part 2

Leave a Comment

6:59PM UPDATE: MOM OUT OF SURGERY!! HUGE SUCCESS!!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! Mom is out of surgery. The surgeon says that the fistula is completely successfully shut. This reroutes a lot of blood and Mom’s brain to go a different direction (the CORRECT direction!) so they’re putting her in the ICU and they’re going to watch her carefully for a while. But all in all, an enormously successful surgery, very happy with the results and how mom did!! Consider the mission accomplished!!!! 5:30pm UPDATE: They took her back AN HOUR ago but the nurse called out to say that they JUST STARTED!!… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Surgery Day Part 1

1 Comment

Well… she’s back in pre-op now… Mom had an early start this morning. She had to shower using special soap before they even left the house, so 6:30am was her wake up call!! (She hasn’t been up that early intentionally since pre-collapse!) So special shower, almost 2 hour car ride, into the hospital… then you guys know how it goes… sit and wait! We killed the time reminiscing… Last time we were sitting around waiting for surgery together was… 2007… and I was the one going in for special treatment. We’re in our little curtained area of the pre-op room…… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Administrative Hell Continues…

Leave a Comment

I think the one of the most difficult things to deal with in regards to Mom’s recovery is how vigilant we must be for the minutiae. Minutiae is actually become a favorite word of mine lately… There are always a ton of odds and ends to do in one’s life, but this entire thing has really taken it to an entirely different, almost professional level of b***s***. I went through some of this with pops when he first moved in with us. It quickly became evident that there were elements of his life — administratively speaking — that had seen… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Notes to Self

Leave a Comment

Today is a holiday so… I’m actually enjoying a little peace and quiet! I’ve just finished cleaning off my desk and I found a few notes that I’d jotted down over the last few months. (They gather under my stapler… when my stapler topples off my desk, that’s my signal that it’s time to spiff up!) So this one note — which to the best of my detective abilities is from the week of January 1, 2017 — is full of silly things my mom was uttering in her incredibly brain-addled state. (She’s now only slightly addled. And next week… Read More »

Captain’s Log at 6 months: How to Prepare for “Minor” Brain Surgery

1 Comment

June 30, 2017 I know it’s been all quiet on the Western Front for a while… I thought I just needed a week or so to get back on track and, well… that’s a different story. But here we are. Two months later. To catch up as efficiently as possible: Mom was here in Buffalo with me for all of April, then she returned to Stafford, VA where she has continued recovery and gaining strength. Her progress has been remarkable by any available metric! She’s walking every day (and often up to two miles!) with company, but without assistance. At… Read More »

The Implicit Challenge in Fine Plumage

Leave a Comment

à la Peacock Materials: Glass, Copper, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Maple wood Framing by Against the Grain Studio Built in 2016 and now in a private residence in South Carolina.  Who doesn’t love the peacock? The first time I ever really considered these strange birds at any length was on a college trip to study in London.  I was awe-struck at the number of birds on royal property, and it was my very first time ever seeing white peacocks.  Not only was I struck by how oh-my-geese-over-the-top-ostentatious these birds were, I was shocked at their insolence.  “Not everything that glitters is… Read More »

Special Report: A New Chapter in Art Glass Manufacturing

Leave a Comment

A year ago this week, Spectrum announced that they intended to close their doors. Now, there’s a new chapter in our sheet glass manufacturing story and I have LOVED writing it up. Seriously, I was almost sad to turn this puppy over. It was hard to put my pen down, power off the laptop, and just, finish this. BUT… so it is. And the SGAA has the ENTIRE Special Report in Spring 2017 Stained Glass Quarterly! If you’re ready to take an in-depth look at how things went from A to Z to WTF… Subscribe to the SGQ today! http://stainedglassquarterly.com/

Life's too short for decaf coffee or annoying emails.

What I can't promise is regular, weekly emails. What I can promise is sporadic, humorous updates with a serious amount of gorgeous glassy adventures inside. Occasionally, there might even be a chance to join me for a cup o' coffee. (The really caffeinated kind!)

(function(global) {
function serialize(form){if(!form||form.nodeName!=="FORM"){return }var i,j,q=[];for(i=form.elements.length-1;i>=0;i=i-1){if(form.elements[i].name===""){continue}switch(form.elements[i].nodeName){case"INPUT":switch(form.elements[i].type){case"text":case"hidden":case"password":case"button":case"reset":case"submit":q.push(form.elements[i].name+"="+encodeURIComponent(form.elements[i].value));break;case"checkbox":case"radio":if(form.elements[i].checked){q.push(form.elements[i].name+"="+encodeURIComponent(form.elements[i].value))}break;case"file":break}break;case"TEXTAREA":q.push(form.elements[i].name+"="+encodeURIComponent(form.elements[i].value));break;case"SELECT":switch(form.elements[i].type){case"select-one":q.push(form.elements[i].name+"="+encodeURIComponent(form.elements[i].value));break;case"select-multiple":for(j=form.elements[i].options.length-1;j>=0;j=j-1){if(form.elements[i].options[j].selected){q.push(form.elements[i].name+"="+encodeURIComponent(form.elements[i].options[j].value))}}break}break;case"BUTTON":switch(form.elements[i].type){case"reset":case"submit":case"button":q.push(form.elements[i].name+"="+encodeURIComponent(form.elements[i].value));break}break}}return q.join("&")};

function extend(destination, source) {
for (var prop in source) {
destination[prop] = source[prop];
}
}

if (!Mimi) var Mimi = {};
if (!Mimi.Signups) Mimi.Signups = {};

Mimi.Signups.EmbedValidation = function() {
this.initialize();

var _this = this;
if (document.addEventListener) {
this.form.addEventListener('submit', function(e){
_this.onFormSubmit(e);
});
} else {
this.form.attachEvent('onsubmit', function(e){
_this.onFormSubmit(e);
});
}
};

extend(Mimi.Signups.EmbedValidation.prototype, {
initialize: function() {
this.form = document.getElementById('ema_signup_form');
this.submit = document.getElementById('webform_submit_button');
this.callbackName = 'jsonp_callback_' + Math.round(100000 * Math.random());
this.validEmail = /.+@.+..+/
},

onFormSubmit: function(e) {
e.preventDefault();

this.validate();
if (this.isValid) {
this.submitForm();
} else {
this.revalidateOnChange();
}
},

validate: function() {
this.isValid = true;
this.emailValidation();
this.fieldAndListValidation();
this.updateFormAfterValidation();
},

emailValidation: function() {
var email = document.getElementById('signup_email');

if (this.validEmail.test(email.value)) {
this.removeTextFieldError(email);
} else {
this.textFieldError(email);
this.isValid = false;
}
},

fieldAndListValidation: function() {
var fields = this.form.querySelectorAll('.mimi_field.required');

for (var i = 0; i = 0) {
return 'checkboxes';
} else {
return 'text_field';
}
},

checkboxAndRadioValidation: function(field) {
var inputs = field.getElementsByTagName('input'),
selected = false;

for (var i = 0; i < inputs.length; ++i) {
var input = inputs[i];
if((input.type === 'checkbox' || input.type === 'radio') && input.checked) {
selected = true;
}
}

if (selected) {
field.className = field.className.replace(/ invalid/g, '');
} else {
if (field.className.indexOf('invalid') === -1) {
field.className += ' invalid';
}

this.isValid = false;
}
},

textAndDropdownValidation: function(field, type) {
var inputs = field.getElementsByTagName('input');

for (var i = 0; i = 0) {
if (type === 'text_field') {
this.textValidation(input);
} else {
this.dropdownValidation(field, input);
}
}
}
this.htmlEmbedDropdownValidation(field);
},

textValidation: function(input) {
if (input.id === 'signup_email') return;

if (input.value) {
this.removeTextFieldError(input);
} else {
this.textFieldError(input);
this.isValid = false;
}
},

dropdownValidation: function(field, input) {
if (input.value) {
field.className = field.className.replace(/ invalid/g, '');
} else {
if (field.className.indexOf('invalid') === -1) field.className += ' invalid';
this.onSelectCallback(input);
this.isValid = false;
}
},

htmlEmbedDropdownValidation: function(field) {
var dropdowns = field.querySelectorAll('.mimi_html_dropdown');
var _this = this;

for (var i = 0; i < dropdowns.length; ++i) {
var dropdown = dropdowns[i];

if (dropdown.value) {
field.className = field.className.replace(/ invalid/g, '');
} else {
if (field.className.indexOf('invalid') === -1) field.className += ' invalid';
this.isValid = false;
dropdown.onchange = (function(){ _this.validate(); });
}
}
},

textFieldError: function(input) {
input.className = 'required invalid';
input.placeholder = input.getAttribute('data-required-field');
},

removeTextFieldError: function(input) {
input.className = 'required';
input.placeholder = '';
},

onSelectCallback: function(input) {
if (typeof Widget === 'undefined' || !Widget.BasicDropdown) return;

var dropdownEl = input.parentNode,
instances = Widget.BasicDropdown.instances,
_this = this;

for (var i = 0; i < instances.length; ++i) {
var instance = instances[i];
if (instance.wrapperEl === dropdownEl) {
instance.onSelect = function(){ _this.validate() };
}
}
},

updateFormAfterValidation: function() {
this.form.className = this.setFormClassName();
this.submit.value = this.submitButtonText();
this.submit.disabled = !this.isValid;
this.submit.className = this.isValid ? 'submit' : 'disabled';
},

setFormClassName: function() {
var name = this.form.className;

if (this.isValid) {
return name.replace(/s?mimi_invalid/, '');
} else {
if (name.indexOf('mimi_invalid') === -1) {
return name += ' mimi_invalid';
} else {
return name;
}
}
},

submitButtonText: function() {
var invalidFields = document.querySelectorAll('.invalid'),
text;

if (this.isValid || !invalidFields) {
text = this.submit.getAttribute('data-default-text');
} else {
if (invalidFields.length || invalidFields[0].className.indexOf('checkgroup') === -1) {
text = this.submit.getAttribute('data-invalid-text');
} else {
text = this.submit.getAttribute('data-choose-list');
}
}
return text;
},

submitForm: function() {
this.formSubmitting();

var _this = this;
window[this.callbackName] = function(response) {
delete window[this.callbackName];
document.body.removeChild(script);
_this.onSubmitCallback(response);
};

var script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = this.formUrl('json');
document.body.appendChild(script);
},

formUrl: function(format) {
var action = this.form.action;
if (format === 'json') action += '.json';
return action + '?callback=' + this.callbackName + '&' + serialize(this.form);
},

formSubmitting: function() {
this.form.className += ' mimi_submitting';
this.submit.value = this.submit.getAttribute('data-submitting-text');
this.submit.disabled = true;
this.submit.className = 'disabled';
},

onSubmitCallback: function(response) {
if (response.success) {
this.onSubmitSuccess(response.result);
} else {
top.location.href = this.formUrl('html');
}
},

onSubmitSuccess: function(result) {
if (result.has_redirect) {
top.location.href = result.redirect;
} else if(result.single_opt_in || !result.confirmation_html) {
this.disableForm();
this.updateSubmitButtonText(this.submit.getAttribute('data-thanks'));
} else {
this.showConfirmationText(result.confirmation_html);
}
},

showConfirmationText: function(html) {
var fields = this.form.querySelectorAll('.mimi_field');

for (var i = 0; i < fields.length; ++i) {
fields[i].style['display'] = 'none';
}

(this.form.querySelectorAll('fieldset')[0] || this.form).innerHTML = html;
},

disableForm: function() {
var elements = this.form.elements;
for (var i = 0; i < elements.length; ++i) {
elements[i].disabled = true;
}
},

updateSubmitButtonText: function(text) {
this.submit.value = text;
},

revalidateOnChange: function() {
var fields = this.form.querySelectorAll(".mimi_field.required"),
_this = this;

for (var i = 0; i < fields.length; ++i) {
var inputs = fields[i].getElementsByTagName('input');
for (var j = 0; j < inputs.length; ++j) {
if (this.fieldType(fields[i]) === 'text_field') {
inputs[j].onkeyup = function() {
var input = this;
if (input.getAttribute('name') === 'signup[email]') {
if (_this.validEmail.test(input.value)) _this.validate();
} else {
if (input.value.length === 1) _this.validate();
}
}
} else {
inputs[j].onchange = function(){ _this.validate() };
}
}
}
}
});

if (document.addEventListener) {
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function() {
new Mimi.Signups.EmbedValidation();
});
}
else {
window.attachEvent('onload', function() {
new Mimi.Signups.EmbedValidation();
});
}
})(this);