Tomorrow I show off a bunch of jewelry. My instructor has insisted that I also bring along the little CNC cannon I made in CNC class. I'm bringing some goddamn guilloche while I'm at it. The past three months in a nutshell: "precious objects" three different ways. The day after that I get on a plane and leave for four months.

I find myself researching obnoxious things like 7-axis Swiss machining centers... while also researching engraving. I'm rapidly pushing myself in truly strange directions. I can only hope they're lucrative.

I'm trying very, very hard to feel sorry for myself but the reality of the situation is I come home every ten days, I own the mother of all laptops for teaching myself CAM, and I'm paid an exhorbitant rate to watch TV for four months so that the other eight or so are absolutely unfettered by responsibility. This whole "teach yourself to be Cartier" bullshit is no one's fault but mine and I do obnoxious things like buy hexacore Xeon laptops because I can, goddamn it.

Remember that, kids: if you keep playing the game of life as if you intend to win it, you will eventually. But then you'll find yourself glum over having to make a dozen first-class flights over the next six months while sitting in your air-conditioned Porsche listening to audiobooks about other peoples' hardships.

What has two thumbs and fuckin' $80 allen wrenches? this guy.