McElf GlassWorks

A Full Service Glass Art Studio

My Writing Desk

Object Stories: Sheep & Whiskey

Leave a Comment

Looking back, it’s fairly obvious that I’ve always aspired to keep a “board of directors” for advice and guidance. I haven’t simply looked up to people around me in silence and awe, I’ve literally roped those people into mentorship and service. I have many memories – some crisp and less-so – of talking philosophy, economics, life stories, relationships, values, goals, etcetera with one, some, or all of these wonderful humans in a variety of spaces and times. The better I got to know each of my chosen ‘board members,’ the more human they became to me. This is not to… Read More »

Decompression

Leave a Comment

Never underestimate the power of decompression, be it time alone with a good book, or sharing the craziness of life with your friends. I say “sharing” carefully – somehow getting together with friends to “decompress” has become fairly synonymous with BITCHING. If you’re a creative person making your own way in today’s world, yours is a path of increasing uncertainty these days. Getting together with friends and colleagues that are your equals in passion and motivation is a great way to refill your own energy tank. Getting together to “bitch” will just drain your tank further. Choose your Friday nights… Read More »

Let There be Light?

Leave a Comment

Air has sound. Initially, we think of it as silent, invisible substance. But dig deeper and think of the wind — the sound changes as it encounters obstacles, impediments. It’s just air, but it definitely has sound. Think of the sound of air as it’s compressed and released. Our lives are surrounded by the sound of compressed air… refrigerators, air conditioners, pumps… so many of us are so used to it that we’ve become unaware of it; we’ve tuned it out. (Actually, fun fact — did you know that compressed air is so widely used that it is often regarded as the fourth… Read More »

Geriatric PB&J

Leave a Comment

I work in a warehouse with a shared kitchen facility. And this lovely man, who works for the business next to mine, keeps the above snacks in the fridge. At LEAST 97.38% of the time. Like, I can basically guarantee that when I walk up there on Tuesday mornings, fresh packs will await me. Now, I’m a believer in all things peanut butter. But I just can’t help smirking every time I open the fridge because it’s totally, 100%, “Old Man PB&J.” And I am 100% delighted by it. Old men are adorable. True Story.    

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/

When Sound Rattles My Soul

Leave a Comment

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

Leave a Comment

“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 Bold Urban Fox…

Leave a Comment

I’ve had some animal incidents since I moved to Buffalo. If you want to be really entertained, get me drunk one night and ask me about “our horse…” but that’s for another post. Right now I would like to address a slightly smaller animal currently affecting my commute. (Yes, all 60 feet of it.) We have acquired a fox on our block. Our city. block. And the boy has cojones. Our neighbors have chickens, so I’m sure that’s what the slick fellow is actually after, but it’s very unnerving that he won’t move out of the way when I’m trying… 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!)

(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);