A few years ago I wrote an article for USGlass in which I told about my parents' house. Years ago when they bought it I never really thought about glass--all its windows and doors. There are tall casement and fixed windows all around the house, and a glass back door that opens from the kitchen to the porch. When I was a kid I convinced myself it was "bullet-proof glass." After all, I told myself, we'd need it in case anyone ever tried to break in or rob us at gun point. (I guess you could say I had an over-active imagination.)

Of course, the glass is not "bullet-proof" nor is it "bullet-resistant." It's IG.

My folks also have two tables with glass tops and every time I see them I think about two things:

1) There's no standard out there for such glass; and
2) Whether or not the glass came from China.

I've examined the glass and have seen no markings to tell me anything about from where it came. So who knows. For me it's interesting how all the things that have always just been there--like those tables--now make me think about my work.

As far as the windows, they make me think about work, too. A few years ago the IG in a few of the windows fell victim to edge-seal failure (and I do know the manufacturer of that glass but won't say who). Some have been re-glazed, but there's still a few yet to be done.

If you're like me you just can't go anywhere without thinking about the glass. We know what the others don't--there's just so much more to it than just glass.