I think next week I'm halfway through the first quarter. It's weird: in the morning, I'm in a CNC shop with a giant Kinder Morgan banner in the corner. In the afternoon I'm at a bizarre community college art school where every week brings a new hectoring public awareness campaign informing me that I'm a rapist and a murderer because I'm a straight white male.

I get it: if you're a GBLT teen chances are you've been harassed at some point in your life. But get this: there are few more welcoming places than an art school community college in North Seattle and when you get out into the world, those Kinder Morgan guys haven't seen your awareness campaign. And those of us in the middle are weary of being told we're the problem by both sides.

I'm doing what I can to bridge the gap. My first jewelry project was an IATSE symbol rendered in nickel silver. My second is a broach comprised of an engine-turned pen, a Starrett 795-XFL2 digital caliper and an ETA2824 (it's supposed to be a "self-portrait"). Our silver solder exercise was supposed to be a tube to a plate, a pin back, and a brazed wire to a plate. I got carried away and made a KH-11.

My project watch has now been apart and together four times. It's been through three mainsprings. I got it back together and ticking last night and the sound and silence washed over me like a warm, purifying rain. It does not yet tell time accurately. But it will. That was in doubt last week.

Tuesdays are hard. I start at 7am then drive 15 miles at noon and work until 4pm. Then I pick up the kid make dinner and leave at 6 to work on watches until 9:30. Minus two hours for meals and driving I'm going solid from 6am until 9:30pm.

But they're not as hard as Mondays and Wednesdays because I hate my art teacher SO MUCH. I realized Monday that I have an easier time listening to her if I imagine the Hypnotoad blasting in the background.

Unfortunately nobody sells hypnotoad patches. I would put this on my bag so quick.