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When Sound Rattles My Soul

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Last weekend I traveled with the Buffalo Silver Band to Syracuse where we performed an epic arrangement of “Feierlicher Einzug” (Gesundheit!) It helped that we were epically displaced around the chapel so that we surrounded our audience and ourselves. It’s a beast of a song. In rehearsal, the first time we read through, all I could think was “holy crap on a cracker, I’m blowing my brains out!” and “Are we going to get to breathe anywhere in this?!?!” But rehearse we did and magic we made. The SU Brass Ensemble, Buffalo Silver Band, Bones East, and organist Bette Kahler joined forces in this… Read More »

McElf for the SGQ: Glass, Science, Definition: The Never Ending Struggle

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“Glass, Science, Definition: The Never-Ending Struggle” Stained Glass Quarterly Vol. 111, No. 4 Winter 2016. 48-53. Authors:         William LaCourse, Ph.D. & Megan McElfresh   Glass is one of nature’s oldest inventions, yet humans are only beginning to understand and exploit its full potential.  It may be visually transparent, colored or clear, but scientifically opaque with a host of internal secrets and anomalies.  Thus, while artists can capture and tame its beauty, scientists still struggle to fully understand the nature of the glassy state.  Physicists and glass scientists still ask the question, “What is glass?”, and have lively discussions with… Read More »

THE I-95.

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Having lived on the I-95 corridor, learning to drive inside the Corridor of Hell otherwise known as the Capital Beltway… when I first moved to Buffalo, all of the road names sounded really bizarre to me.  And it wasn’t because they were long and had too many consonants (you try pronouncing Scajaquada your first day in town!)  It was because they all came with THE in front of them.  And there were so many different TYPES of “highways” — THE thruway, THE expressway, THE highway, THE skyway, THE, THE, THE. But there was also none of THE traffic that I had… Read More »

These are a few of my favorite things…

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A few of my favorite things live on this shelf. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen.  I have a toddler.  And toddlers… Never. Stop. Eating. (You could just as easily exchange “eating” for “snacking,” “wrecking,” “smearing,” … I know you know what I mean…) Add a dash of Irish and a pinch of Polish to our kitchen culture, and sometimes it feels like we never LEAVE the kitchen! So I took this blank wall, and put up a wee shelf o’er the sink where I could insert a little zen into the insanity.  Like the kitchen sink,… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 60

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Wednesday 2/14/2016 8:45AM Happy Valentine’s Day to any Hallmark Lovebirds out there. Progress continues. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the best Valentine’s Day gift a mother and daughter could ever ask for. What did you get from your Valentine? Maybe a big ROCK? (Cliche?) I love rocks. Last week was a biggie. I think we’re still adjusting to the new mindset a little. Physical therapy is now full speed ahead. The young whippersnapper helping mom to stand like grasshopper thinks she’ll have the feisty bird up on her feet without a walker by the end of March! How’s that… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 54 (The Rest Stop)

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Wednesday 2/7/2017 11:14PM My Mom collapsed 54 days ago. 54 days. 54 days ago she stood for hours upon hours at a work bench making beautiful things and teaching other how to make beautiful things. Sharing her passion with kids and adults. Eating full meals, planning holiday mayhem. Today she stood for almost a minute before she started shaking like a leaf. By the end of minute two she needed a break. I wanted to cry for her. I want to rip off my legs and give them to her. Then I think about how far she’s come and I’m… Read More »

Energy and Airplanes

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Life’s a funny ‘ol thing… This fall I started working on an awesome project.  It’s the best kind of project you can ever hope for because it comes with the best kind of customer.  No matter the project size, the right customer makes me as an artist want to hold onto a job for as long as humanly possible, because I don’t want to let them go.  (Due to insane, multiple family circumstances beyond my control, some of that has been going on anyway…) Let’s call this customer PBMC I did a simple drawing for PBMC over the summer.  The… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 25

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1/9/2017 9:30 PM Oh screw it. Burning a candle at both ends? Nay. I am a pro. And pros use sticks of dynamite when they detonate energy/fuel sources at multiple points. It took me about 16 hours to get home with one very miserable E’Clair. Teething. Exhaustion. A cold. She’s just had it with me. She was up at 4a.m. — Then Liam was up at 7a.m. And the day got rockin’ n’ rollin’ — Gotta get the car unpacked, check the oil, have it ready to turn around; I wonder if I’ve paid any bills due in the last… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Colleen’s AVM Adventures Day 22

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1/6/2017 9:30 PM This has been quite a ride. Today was another big one. A long week of what I’ll call physical abilities and strength tests has definitely yielded results. Mom is out of the ICU and has very nearly achieved commode-independence! (TMI? I just mean that if you help her to the bathroom, she can practically brush her teeth all by herself…) So tonight, the lady rests comfortably in a room with no active monitors. No beeping or booping or screeching. No hourly responsiveness checks. Tomorrow and Sunday, Mom will just be resting and preparing for rehabilitation. You know… Read More »

Captain’s Log: Mom’s got Jokes…

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January 5, 2017 Mom just asked for a Sriracha Turban. “I need a Sriracha Turban.” I’m like… “… you mean, the hot sauce?” She’s still all groggy from the morning and she moans “yes…” And then, still confused, I’m like… “And, like, turban… like, the head covering?” “…yes…” Long pause. “To hold my head together…” she says. And I’m like: “Yeah, but why the hot sauce??!?” “Because that’s how Chris and TK fix everything.” I laughed. Really hard. But quietly. Because, you know, her head hurts. But SERIOUSLY?!?!? This lady’s got jokes. Now. This probably has a plausible explanation. A… Read More »

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!)

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