#924 Glass

Neil Pasricha

Grab a handful of sand, heat it up to a few thousand degrees and suddenly, presto change-o, whaddaya got? That’s right, friend: a handful of glass and one severely burned paw.

Now, how incredible is the fact that glass is made from sand? I mean, think about it: there aren’t many things you can’t see through that turn into things you can see though. It just doesn’t happen. Water isn’t made from mud, radio waves aren’t evaporated rainbows, and Crystal Pepsi isn’t just a pot of regular Pepsi stirred really fast.

Right now there's no tomorrow

I mean, can you imagine the first time somebody made glass? For a while there’s just an old cauldron hanging over the fire with some sand sizzling in the bottom, and then suddenly it’s clink, clink, clink and there are marbles rolling around in there. Now I wasn’t there, but I imagine whoever was had a great bar story for a few weeks.

Glass is so solid, stoic, and sophisticated, too — unlike that annoyingly pliable and chemical-leaching heathen, plastic. I mean, apparently the empty plastic cottage cheese container you reheat your leftovers in can fill your meal with a pile of hormones and chemicals that could mess you up. Yeah, seriously. But that’s not so with glass, because glass is a solid fighter and ain’t going to fall apart at the sight of a few measly microwaves.

So, have you ever looked through a window or watched TV? Do you wear glasses, do you take pictures, do you pour steaming fluorescent liquids into beakers in chemistry labs? If so, have you peeked into a telescope or microscope when you were in there? If not, have you ever admired the stained glass on the side of a church, or enjoyed a cold brewski in a beer bottle or some bubbly in a champagne flute? Is your house insulated with fiberglass? Does your fish swim in an aquarium? I ask you, friend: are you sitting under a light bulb … right … now?

And if so, if any of these things, then I say smile, flash a thumbs up, and give some serious props to glass — that durable, industrious, dishwasher-safe friend who’s always there when we need it most.

AWESOME!

Photos from: here, here, and here

12 thoughts to “#924 Glass”

  2. “I ask you, friend: are you sitting under a light bulb … right … now?”

    For some reason, this made me think of a campfire horror story.

    “Oh my God… Neil’s already INSIDE THE HOUSE.”

  4. I love the way light filters through coloured glass. Glass is an amazing awesome, for sure! Someone should write a song about glass! Not walking on broken glass, but whole, all in one piece glass :)

    Happy Thanksgiving, fellow Canadians!

  5. I have these awesome glass pendant necklaces and I marvel at how they can twist strands of coloured glass into these incredible shapes.

  6. Glass always fascinated me when I was a kid. “Clear like water, yet hard like rock? How can this be…”. It blew my mind even more when I found out that it was made from sand. I never looked at a beach the same way again. Speaking of blowing minds, that Mr. T stained glass is just beautiful.

  7. Ok, I read this one in on Facebook yesterday and for some reason I kept thinking today that it was mirros instead of glass… basically the same thing. Without glass/mirrors, I couldn’t tell how bad I looked all day.
    Also, ever since we bought our house, I will not drink out of a plastic cup at during dinner. I treat myself to a glass. I feel more…. adult that way.

  8. Glass is one of those amazing things we take for granted. Thanks for reminding to appreciate the small stuff, including glass!

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