Well hello again NCWW members, it's been a long time since I last posted and I've sorely missed the community here. I've kept in touch with a few of you along the way but let's get everybody caught up, shall we?
Quick history..... a prolific NCWW poster for 6 or 7 years disappears, what happened?
Well, life tends to throw us a few curve balls as we grow older. About a year ago I was faced with one of life's BIG decisions: continue on the path I'd been living for the last 17 years, or take the leap and pursue my dreams. I was helped along in my decision by the loss of a job, always an eye opener. The company I worked for shut down operations in my area and left me with a decision. Continue with pharmacy (my career up to that point) or take the leap to woodworking full time. After 17 years I was tired of retail but not quite yet ready to take the leap, but I was close, so me and the wife set the wheels in motion.
I took another pharmacy job and started planning......
1st up.... sell the house! This involved all the normal difficulties plus the added task of what to do with my shop? So, in true NCWW spirit I contacted some friends and found some storage options for most of my equipment, a loan it, store it, use it while I'm gone and treat it like your own arrangement was reached and some VERY VERY kind NCWW's now have the use of some pretty nice machines.
Then I converted my workshop into a living room! What you ask? that's crazy, and it was but that's another post........anyway the house sold last Oct.
Now it was time to apply to North Bennet St. and start saving. Applied in Oct. 2014 and found out 3 days before Christmas I was accepted. Now that was one of the best Christmas presents yet.
We downsized to a 1 bedroom apt. in Charlotte to transition and cull our crap to get ready for Boston city living! 1800sq/ft + shop to 900 sq/ft and no shop, now that was fun (a garage sale and major lumber sale were involved)
Next step, employment for the wife. She started looking in Jan 2015 and in perfect last minute fashion was offered her dream job about a week before our lease in Charlotte ended.
A week later and one hair raising Uhaul adventure behind us, we had relocated to Boston. So now you're all caught up...... but wait you say that's only June of 2015, school doesn't start till Sept 2015, what happened over the next three months?
Well........check out my Blog http://shamrockwoodstudio.com/blog (spoiler alert-some pretty cool internships are detailed in the posts)
I'll provide some special NCWW content along the way, but this will get you up to my North Bennet St. School start day
And...... The added benefit of the blog is that you too will get to follow the trials and tribulations of the 2 year North Bennet St. School of Cabinetry and Furniture Making program from one of your own. So join me on this wild ride.... I've already posted weeks 1 and 2.
A preview of week 3 ... A student "plane-off", Oh boy!
Quick history..... a prolific NCWW poster for 6 or 7 years disappears, what happened?
Well, life tends to throw us a few curve balls as we grow older. About a year ago I was faced with one of life's BIG decisions: continue on the path I'd been living for the last 17 years, or take the leap and pursue my dreams. I was helped along in my decision by the loss of a job, always an eye opener. The company I worked for shut down operations in my area and left me with a decision. Continue with pharmacy (my career up to that point) or take the leap to woodworking full time. After 17 years I was tired of retail but not quite yet ready to take the leap, but I was close, so me and the wife set the wheels in motion.
I took another pharmacy job and started planning......
1st up.... sell the house! This involved all the normal difficulties plus the added task of what to do with my shop? So, in true NCWW spirit I contacted some friends and found some storage options for most of my equipment, a loan it, store it, use it while I'm gone and treat it like your own arrangement was reached and some VERY VERY kind NCWW's now have the use of some pretty nice machines.
Then I converted my workshop into a living room! What you ask? that's crazy, and it was but that's another post........anyway the house sold last Oct.
Now it was time to apply to North Bennet St. and start saving. Applied in Oct. 2014 and found out 3 days before Christmas I was accepted. Now that was one of the best Christmas presents yet.
We downsized to a 1 bedroom apt. in Charlotte to transition and cull our crap to get ready for Boston city living! 1800sq/ft + shop to 900 sq/ft and no shop, now that was fun (a garage sale and major lumber sale were involved)
Next step, employment for the wife. She started looking in Jan 2015 and in perfect last minute fashion was offered her dream job about a week before our lease in Charlotte ended.
A week later and one hair raising Uhaul adventure behind us, we had relocated to Boston. So now you're all caught up...... but wait you say that's only June of 2015, school doesn't start till Sept 2015, what happened over the next three months?
Well........check out my Blog http://shamrockwoodstudio.com/blog (spoiler alert-some pretty cool internships are detailed in the posts)
I'll provide some special NCWW content along the way, but this will get you up to my North Bennet St. School start day
And...... The added benefit of the blog is that you too will get to follow the trials and tribulations of the 2 year North Bennet St. School of Cabinetry and Furniture Making program from one of your own. So join me on this wild ride.... I've already posted weeks 1 and 2.
A preview of week 3 ... A student "plane-off", Oh boy!