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I gave up caffeine about a week ago when I got back from vacation, with the exception of an occasional Excedrin to stave off the killer headaches I've been having. I really thought I'd be over the withdrawal headaches by now and maybe I am; my wife has suggested that perhaps I suffer from migraines and have been self-medicating with caffeine, since caffeine dilates the capillaries and can prevent or reduce the severity of a migraine. Frankly, I'm in denial over that possibility, although I must admit I'm tempted to use it as an excuse to go back on caffeine. It certainly would be cheaper than having to go to the emergency room if they get too bad like someone I know has to do, especially since I don't have health insurance.

One of the side-effects of this getting-off-caffeine experience is that the headaches, combined with the huge workload that built up while I was on vacation, has made it very hard for me to sculpt. I typically find time to sculpt in the evenings, after I'm done work, have gotten the kids to bed, etc. Unfortunately, that's also when the headaches seem to be the worst.

I did experiment the night before last with wet-sanding a piece I had baked, and also with practicing some "dry" techniques on it: basically carving and filing baked sculpey to get crisper details and a smoother finish. I must admit that I'm becoming more impressed with Super Sculpey; it's really cool what you can do with the stuff after it's been baked. Most of my sculpting experience has been with materials where carving, sanding, and filing simply aren't options.

I'l post some pictures of the results of my dry work over the weekend. Wish me luck with staying off of caffeine.