Last day of school

Sorry kids. It's been almost a month since I last posted. Though I promised myself I wouldn't take on any sewing projects while out west (focus, Jen. Farming!), I accidentally made 50 pairs of slippers, changed the name of my business, took part in a 3-day craft fair and opened an etsy shop to sell my stuff online.

All the while I was going to school - 3 days a week at Camosun. Last week the course came to an end and on Friday we had our 'graduation': a three course lunch at the culinary school. At the end we got little certificates of achievement; not bad for a free 11-week program. Here is a review of what I learned, including highlights:

Carpentry: made a giant toolbox. learned to elbow the real carpentry boys out of the way to maintain my spot in line for the table saw.
Plumbing: learned that it's not just about shit and toilets. (this was emphasized heavily). Honed my soldering skills by making a candelabra.
Electrical: wired a light switch + light, 3-way switch. developed an appreciation for those who actually understand how electricity works.
Sheet Metal: made a second toolbox (do the teachers not talk to each other about what project they are going to do with us?). learned that sheet metal is very similar to pattern-making for clothes. I went a little nuts with excitement in the drafting room. the teacher did not match my enthusiasm.
Welding: no special project in this unit, but our teacher was a hobby farmer who thought it was really important that I learn to weld and buy a $50 welding machine for my future farm.
Fine Furniture: I nearly got sidetracked from my life plan and sucked into taking this program it was so good.
Drywalling/painting: built walls out of 2x4s, drywalled them and painted them pink. learned that there is so much to learn about painting that you can spend an entire afternoon in a classroom talking about it.
Fall protection: learned to climb a ladder (for real), wear a harness and identify risky situations at heights of over 3m. I will be receiving a certificate for this.
Forklift: This was the highlight of all highlights. In hopes that it would get me more comfortable with using heavy machinery (ie. a tractor, someday), I chose to take my forklift training (the other choice was traffic control - where you hold stop/slow signs at construction sites). I now have a forklift license that I will be keeping in my wallet, just in case the opportunity to use it arises.