Working in the sweat box

Normally I am one to curse the cold rainy weather, but this week i am rejoicing it. With the heat of the oven pouring out from the glory hole(where you place your glass to reheat it) and the sun beating down from above, the art of glassblowing has also turned into a sauna. I stand by the glory hole turning my piece to heat it up to about 1800 so that i can shape it while i can feel the sweat dripping down my forehead. On thursday i messed up 2 pieces because i was just getting too over heated and wanted to give up, but i perserviered, only to then have my once beautiful, symetrical vase crumble upon itself. On friday one of the guys, chris, who I'm pretty sure hasn't showered in months set up a fan to cool us off while working. The fan was great except for when Chris walked by and i got a big whiff of Chris, needless to say my eyes basically started watering. A few things I have learned this week: First, glassbowing is also a mental art, at least in the heat. You cant constantly focus on how hot you are, you have to focus on how hot your piece is. Also, making a plan before you make something is not necessary because when I do this, I am normally just dissapointed because nothing ever goes as planned and i end up making something completely different. Going with the flow of the piece and making it up as you go along usually works best, which is perfect for me because thats how I do most things.