A tiring transition.

It has been a long two weeks.

I feel a bit like this chimp at Goodwill.

The halogen lamps glow above me and the dryer whirs in the background. I have finished my first week of watchmaking school and have finally moved into my shared house. I've hardly had any free moments and exhausted doesn't really do whatever state I'm in justice.

Watchmaking school isn't the stressful part; despite the long hours and the repetition of filing for almost 10 hours a day, it's a lot of fun. The people are all different and interesting, yet we're all bound by a similar and rare thread. There's an anxious giddiness about all the first year students, and it's a refreshing new atmosphere for all of us-I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

It's everything that's outside of class that's stressful. Moving is stressful, it's expensive, and damn, those car dealerships are like purgatory. There aren't enough hours in the day to accomplish what I need to accomplish-and that's running on little sleep. 

I'm more than thrilled to be living the dream, though I suppose this period will serve as the humble beginning. 

Alena, a classmate snapped this shot of me putting in my 1,543th hour filing the first project. She also sells cool enamel pins worth checking out. <--click

Oh yeah, seeing you all post shots of your Orion's on Instagram totally makes my day. Almost all of the orders have been sent out, your support means the world  to me.