Sunday Reflection: Quarantine Week 3

April 04, 2020

On Sundays I reflect.

I didn’t drink alcohol this week.

What the hell did I do this week? Time feels like it doesn’t exist anymore and I’ve lost track of the days. I guess it’s not that much different from normal life, but it feels like I have less of a grasp on time in quarantine.

Are you going crazy yet?

This week I finished up about 20 prototypes for 3 cup designs I want to release soon. My buddy Jensen sandblasted my logo on the bottom of each cup and we’re pretty close to a finished product. This week I’ll try making another 20 to keep stacking up on inventory. It’s going to be a while before we get these photographed and listed, but if you’re interested in ordering a set to replace the mass produced stuff in your cabinet with handmade artisanal drinkware shoot us an email to preorder sets. I’ve currently got tumblers, highballs, and pints. Over time I’ll be adding shot glasses, wine glasses and other stemware along with pitchers and decanters.

Rob @logglass made a few pendants with my composition notebook prep and his linework. These are probably the first two pendants using my prep, and will probably be available on his new page @pendant_a_day

I’ve been listening to a lot of Silversun Pickups lately. I recently got into them after discovering one of their songs a year or two ago and finally digging deeper. Apparently, they are an offshoot from another band but the entire genre is unexplored by me so I don’t have much more information. Check them out if you need a little energy in your life with catchy riffs.

I had to drive to Denver to pick up raw materials from D and L. We did a no-contact curbside pickup and I turned around to go straight back to Vail. On the way up my car started to lose power as I approached the Eisenhower tunnel. I was forced to pull over and relived my experience of killing a car driving up to the mountains years ago. Fortunately the car started up again and made it home, and has been working since. My car, Red Rover, is very temperamental so I’m just hoping it’ll hang in there for me. Now that we’re stocked up on raw materials I shouldn’t have to leave the valley any time soon. I’ve been working at the studio almost daily during my shift on-call for delivery for my friend’s BBQ restaurant, this helps avoid lingering in the restaurant. It’s nice getting out of the house for essential work.

I’ve been cooking all my meals, which is the least fun part of quarantine. I’m getting better at frying eggs, and Rob has been making bread so I’m stocked up on the loaf life. Overall I’m living on breakfast sandwiches, pizza, and ramen. I was gifted a frozen meat chili that lasted me a few days and helped break up the monotony.

My brother turned 27 this week and we threw him a birthday party on Zoom. A lot of my family tuned in, and his friends from all over were there to make toasts for the birthday boy. It was silly, but nice to see so many of the people in my life in one “place”.

I remember when my brother was born and I was 3. I was very upset and asked my parents to take him back. When I went to preschool they asked what was new in my family and I said “I don’t know”. They said we heard you have a new brother what’s his name and I said “I don’t know”. I was not stoked to share my life and my parents with someone else, and it took years or maybe decades for me to adjust. As kids, my brother and I didn’t have much to connect over, but as adults we’ve become great friends. Growing up I was playing instruments and he was playing football. Despite how different we are, we share the same morals our parents embedded in us and we both enjoy each other a lot more today than we did as kids. It would have been nice to be snowboarding with my brother on his birthday or hanging in the Miami sun, but we’ll get together when things calm down and travel seems safer. We talk most days on the phone anyways.

CUPDATE

We got a pair of Wavy Water Bottles in from Stephan Peirce but one pre-sold. The other is now listed on the site. Ditch plastic water bottles for a reusable boro-bottle, and make it a piece of art while you’re at it.

We’re almost out of fumed pints and pilsners from Jason Gordon @gordons_glassware but he told me he’ll be making a fresh batch when he can. I’ve got two or three remaining on the website and a pair of his fumed mugs.

My scalloped collaborations with Rob @logglass have been selling and we started putting his sections in the bottom of my cut line tumblers. I’m really stoked with how those are coming out, and look forward to making some more.

Ed Wolfe cups finally made it to the site now that I got the photo edits back and they’ve been selling almost daily. This batch of color schemes is mesmerizing! Stay tuned for some auctions and flash sales on Instagram for those, or check out the shop to see what’s left.

I’m doing my best to stay stocked on our main cup suppliers, and I’m also trying to bring in fresh names. Recently I acquired my first solo piece from Teurfs and discussed a release with him that he wants to work on. Hopefully we see those soon.

I was able to obtain a brand new cup from Dosa @dosaglass for a client of mine, which will be photographed in our next session with Reda. I can’t wait to show you this one.

I also helped get a special Stephan Peirce boro bottle collaboration with Harold Cooney into another collector’s hands after a few weeks of confusion amidst the crisis. That one landed safely in California along with a smoothie straw the boys made for a special smoothie sipper.

So now for the big news. On Mug Monday Live at 5 PM MST tomorrow I’ll be joined by my friend Matt @thelittleglassgallery where we will show off our personal collections. Since we first met a few years ago, Matty has been my friendly competition in cup collecting. His collection is unmatched, and it’s been a privilege to assist him in putting it together. I look forward to being able to go back to California to hang with him as soon as I can do so safely, but for now join us in a digital hangout tomorrow.

Please continue practicing social distancing to keep yourself and others safe. Right now this seems like the best thing I can do for other people, but I’m actively looking for other ways I can support people less fortunate than I. A few collectors and artists who have won my online giveaways have told me I made their day, so I’m definitely going to keep sending out sticker packs weekly. I’m trying to put a special gift in every box purchased on the website as well to say thanks for your support.

We’re all in this together. Hopefully this new reality can remind us of that, and hopefully we can evolve into a better iteration of people because of it. We are long overdue for a shift in perspective and I hope this situation will help us get there together.

Thanks for tuning in.