It is amazing what people fall for when they are desperate. Anyone who has looked at all of the scams on the Internet offering guaranteed success in business for just a small investment probably knows exactly what I’m talking about. People get crazy about money, and they do stupid things when they should know better. As insane as people get over money, however, they get even crazier over romance. People get dating advice from anyone. People get dating tips from psychics, from friends who have had little relationship success, and from so-called experts with no professional credentials. From Dr. Phil to the palm reader down at the county fair, the world of dating advice is filled with quacks. Although sometimes these people give good advice on dating, you are always taking a risk when you listen to them. Is it worth the risk? I used to get relationship advice from a good friend of mine. He presented himself as a real ladies man, but the reality was much different. He got a lot of dates with a lot of different girls it was true, but part of the reason was because none of them wanted to stay with him for more than a date or two. We thought he was such a stud at the time that we listened to his dating advice, but it was always terrible. All of his relationship tips inevitably failed. Sure, his dating advice could help us to find a date. He would help us get our relationship profile in order for online dating services, or practice that perfect pickup line.
He would not, however, help us make our relationships last. When you get dating advice from someone, it is important that you first know a little bit about their personal life. I am not saying that someone who doesn’t have a good relationship history can’t give good dating advice, but I am saying that it should make you wonder. There are some people who can tell you the right thing to do but can’t do it themselves, but for every one of them there are at least five who tell it just exactly like they do it. The bottom line is that you should not trust someone for dating advice just because of their so-called expertise. Instead, find a friend who has had at least one very stable relationship and has very good powers of self perception. Get your dating advice from him or her.
When I was growing up, hurricane lamps were not for decoration. We lived a little bit off the grid, and electricity was sporadic. There were bad storms, and the hurricane lamp was about the only thing that you could depend on. I was pretty amazed by the design at the time, and I still am. Hurricane glass lamps may look simple, but they are an extremely elegant solution. They can keep a fire lit in gale force winds – no small task. For countless lighthouse keepers, fishermen, and all manner of other nautical folks, a hurricane lamp could mean the difference between life and death.
Growing up thinking of hurricane lamps as a pretty rugged type of tool, You can bet that I was surprised seeing hurricane candle holders. I never really associated the design with beauty before. It seemed somehow noble, austere, powerful, but not cute or decorous. Nonetheless, looking at it a second time, I can see that it is. My grandmother loves hurricane candle holders. She loves anything that is made out of glass in organic shapes. She has a pretty drafty house too, so for her hurricane glass candles really do serve a purpose. Normal candles Tend to flicker and smoke in our house, but they don’t when behind a protective cover.
I have actually thought about making my own hurricane lamps. I have been taking some glassblowing classes, and have had a chance to experiment with them. A hurricane lamp is actually a deceptively difficult thing to make. The glass is pretty refined. It has to be completely even or else it will not fit into the base of the lamp. It also has to be very thin or else the light will not penetrate undiluted. I’m not saying that it is the most difficult glassmaking project – far from it – but it does require more experience than I have. Nonetheless, I have been working on it.
The best place to get hurricane lamps is in a fishing town. Nowadays, few people actually use kerosene lamps for anything. They have been completely supplanted except as a means of decoration. Nonetheless, the craft is still alive and well in fishing towns all up and down the East Coast. People keep them in their houses, sometimes for generations. What was once a workhorse tool of the nautical trades is now a rare and valued collector’s piece. I guess that, as handmade things give way to machine-assembled crafts, people get nostalgic for the old days.