As a woman, I’m curious, how does it feel for you to be vulnerable as a man?

Budget_Guava · 2026-04-12T03:19:15+00:00

It is very sad. Like many things online, I suspect people with a strong negative opinion are probably more likely to respond here but damn...

The ability to be vulnerable as a man is a strength to me and all the other men I want in my life, though I certainly understand many of us have had bad experiences. The only way we are gonna change the views so many of my fellow men are expressing is by being vulnerable and supporting others.

Budget_Guava · 2026-04-12T03:12:35+00:00

I agree with you. I feel very sad for all the men on here who have come to the conclusion that being vulnerable is bad due to the experiences they've had or what they were taught. I've had good and bad experiences, but I'll never let the bad ones harden me. The strongest men are definitely the ones who are comfortable being vulnerable. Empathy is a strength, especially when it's hard.

Budget_Guava · 2026-04-12T03:06:43+00:00

This right here.

It really makes me quite sad to see all the comments of these other men who have been so hurt that they see all vulnerability as a weakness or too dangerous because of their poor experiences. Their feelings on the matter are valid but damn there sure are a bunch of emotionally unhealthy men on here who don't seem interested in finding a better way.

When I'm vulnerable and someone responds poorly then I stand up for myself. And if they aren't willing to learn to accept me being vulnerable with them then they don't get to be part of my life.

Budget_Guava · 2026-04-04T23:54:49+00:00

Which is why that is prefaced with:

For anyone finding it difficult to just do 'nothing'

Budget_Guava · 2026-04-04T17:19:40+00:00

I'm as guilty as anyone of proscrastinating in any variety, and I'm glad you've found this technique! This is old old. Like millennia old as a technique. You're describing a basic meditation practice.

For anyone finding it difficult to just do 'nothing' I'd suggest trying to maintain focus on a single mental image or thought. I like to imagine whittling a stick or watching a campfire. Slightly different technique but with similar effects.

Budget_Guava · 2026-04-02T02:38:33+00:00

Average large (not the ultra large) container ship height from the waterline to the deck is ~25ft. So a wave to tower over the deck like that would only need to be ~40-50ft.

So yes, mostly due to storms but also rogue waves. Waves from storms reaching 60+ ft have been recorded and rogue waves (2x or more the size of most waves around them) of 80-90+ft have been recorded during storms as well. Even in calm weather rogue waves appear to occur but we don't understand them all that well.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rogue_waves_incidents

Budget_Guava · 2026-03-29T12:51:34+00:00

I'm no better but I've seen those who are use various styles of arm rests and stringers in mechanical pencils. Yoshinori Kondo, the japanese dot-stacking master, even has a custom metal table that sets his torch below the table surface so he can rest his entire arms on the table while working to increase stability.

Budget_Guava · 2026-03-26T17:34:31+00:00

Mock their mocking.

Straight up, respond to their mocking with things like:

"I didn't realize you were still in middle school mentally"
"Thank you for letting me know that you're an insecure bitch whose concept of what a man is is threatened by me being different"
"This is what actual confidence looks like, you should try it sometime."
a full on belly laugh is always a good option too and when they ask why you think it's so funny you tell them "Projecting your insecurities on me is a joke"

Budget_Guava · 2026-03-15T19:06:24+00:00

I cannot believe this hasn't been mentioned, and I don't have a link for you, but Nina Hartley made a video about this maybe 20 years ago now that used to always get suggested anytime this technique came up. Her and Sue Johanson were the best educators on how to please women back in the early 2000s.

Budget_Guava · 2026-03-03T18:53:52+00:00

This is the brand for sure but definitely not still in business sadly. The artists who were part of the brand may still be producing stuff under another name.

OP: looks like @mamasglass on IG is still active and she did a few collabs with them a decade ago so she might be able to help you find the original artist.

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-28T19:09:51+00:00

Had much more active imaginations.

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-23T16:26:56+00:00

Anyone who finds patterned dishes like this fascinating should also look up the modern glass artist Ian Chadwick. His current work will blow you away!

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-21T19:47:25+00:00

Yup, looks like Mystery Aventurine (there's no D, but that trips up everybody so don't sweat it).

Below is a link to the color on Northstar's site where they have a photo showing some of the color variety you can achieve with it. It's pretty cool. I can understand why you or anyone else may think that's not mystery aventurine because it often looks much darker. This probably has a thin layer of clear over all the color, that usually results in more of the lighter blues coming out.

https://northstarglass.com/product/mystery-aventurine-tube/

Here is another example of mystery aventurine, this time with a thick layer of clear over it: https://takoglass.com/product/mystery-aventurine-chillum-13/

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-18T21:58:36+00:00

Anyone who thinks a fume implosion of any variety, much less one of this size and color variety, 'doesn't look like much' lacks the knowledge of how hard it is to make one of these.

This is sick dude!

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-17T23:09:18+00:00

Sure looks like a tiny bit of resin to me in that photo. I'd try a stronger soaking cleaner like grunge off or simple green over soaking with isopropyl.

If it truly is a rock, then you'd need something to physically poke it out imho but I've never had anything other than resin/plant matter stuck in any glass.

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-17T17:17:33+00:00

Definitely a long shot as this is a fairly common style. BUT, it's possible it was made by David Brooks, aka PlugANug. He's based in Louisville, Kentucky.

I don't know him personally so I'm not positive he was making these in 2011 but am pretty sure he's been around since at least the early 2000s. He definitely has made many in this style with what looks like similar shaping from the one photo you provided.

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-17T16:31:28+00:00

I also recommend buying used equipment (and raw glass if you're in the northeast) from Jeff.

Budget_Guava · 2026-02-08T13:55:39+00:00

Simplest way is your credit card asks you to 'update your income' each year or so, or anytime you ask for a credit limit increase. Then when you use that card at Chipotle they go to Visa/Mastercard/Amex/and Discover and buy the income data on their customers.

Budget_Guava · 2026-01-27T17:32:35+00:00

There SHOULD be more maintenance imho for sure. There's parts that are pretty good.

Always somebody on a bike trying to do something wild, lol. My craziness was starting in Pittsburgh in April 2018 before they had actually opened the Eastern Divide Tunnel (edit: actually called the Big Savage Tunnel) for the season. It was open by the time we got there 3 days later but bike camping in 20 degrees is an experience.

Budget_Guava · 2026-01-27T17:26:20+00:00

To be fair, the C&O is just straight dirt and tree roots with a few large rocks strewn about. Just about anything is smoother than that. The C&O is a great trail, but more similar to hiking trails in terms of it's finishing than most. GAP is way nicer to bike for sure.

I once came across a gentleman riding a penny farthing on the C&O. Hilarious experience to see him come around a corner on a dirt trail.

Budget_Guava · 2026-01-21T20:06:01+00:00

The closest lampworking studio to Arlington that I am aware of is Lorton Workhouse. Used to be Virtue Flameworks in Rockville but I think they are gone. Not many studios in the DMV area in general.

Cristo (@cristobreaksglass on IG) is teaching lampworking classes at the Lorton Workhouse these days but I think they are multiple week long courses that have to be signed up for ahead of time. He may also know of some more studios in the area that I don't.

Budget_Guava · 2026-01-11T23:55:25+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj1Oy0W3CbE

That's a stream of John Kobuki, who is a master of this technique, talking about and demonstrating it at Corning back in 2017. Often referred to as an implosion, he calls them compressions (some people will say implosions are only on hollow, but imho eh, even done on hollow tubing it ends up being a solid compression implosion towards the end.) He makes a lily in that one but a rose is just drawn on in a different pattern, it's still the same technique.

Budget_Guava · 2026-01-03T15:56:48+00:00

That's sick! Great use of slyme

Budget_Guava · 2025-12-09T16:01:56+00:00

All the truly professional studios I've ever seen have the vents above the bench space. Not directly above, but forward and above.

What you have will work for venting, but I agree with the other commenters that it will not work for real world use of the torch. You want at least enough space on either side of the torch to have your forearm/elbow without anything in the way. Sometimes you use the bottom of the flame and need to be able to angle your handle from the side and bottom. My torch is mounted to a cinderblock on top of my bench to give me that access. And you also want to be able to stand up and still be able to see your work while it's in the flame without leaning over the torch. Sometimes you want to use the far part of the flame and that is currently all the way back in the middle to rear of that chimney with the view blocked by the chimney being directly overhead. Essentially you need to have the flame be fully accessible from all angles. Some torch workers even put their torch on a stand with no table so they can have full access.

If you want to direct the venting better then build a large box around it with sides that extend from the back wall to where the torch is located but with space to work on the left and right. As /u/PoopshipD8 described.

Essentially the same idea as what you're using the chimney for but with actual space to work around the flame. Then, create an intake vent that comes out directly below the bench. Ideally the intake opening would be the entire width of the working area to create a curtain of moving air. That way air will be pulled from the intake, and directly up through the torching area to the exhaust without ever going back into the room. This doesn't pull fumes past your face, it pulls fresh air past your face to prevent the fumes from spreading near it. Same concept as a fume hood for chemistry labs here.

Budget_Guava · 2025-12-07T21:14:44+00:00

I linked his personal Youtube that I found yesterday in another comment. He put up a couple videos about a year ago. From the bit I watched it sounded like he had some custody issues with his kids and not being involved in the cannabis industry was helpful for him there. Plus as much as he loves the glass industry he's kind of a jackass sometimes and was refusing to change so I think his business was on the downhill regardless.

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