an odd day

Talk about an odd day. Driving to work early this morning, it was raining; not a lot, but a definite drizzle. By my lunch break it was snowing just a little between the sunbeams. When I left for the day, it was sunny and warm. When I pulled into the gas station to fill up, it was snowing again, this time hard... I mean lots of big flakes, and blowing all over the place.

When I got home, this was the view from the front porch.

And taken two seconds later, the view from the back stoop.

Can you guess which way I'm hoping the weather system moves?!

[LATER] And tonight, driving home from the pet store (I was running low on fish food) there was fog. Heavy fog. And lots of it... reminded me of MI days...

Some days

Some days, I'm just really tired.

And next week, with two 4am's and a couple of 6am's will probably be just as tiring.

But that's the way it is, and I better just get used to it for a while!

Oh, and good news, in a week, after our crazy shipments are over, I'm meeting with my manager to discuss 'the next step' in his words, which means possible promotion and/or pay increase! Woo!

Enjoy what's left of your weekend... I know I will, because 4am Monday morning will come around too soon!

a list

things that made me laugh in the past few days:
- the 'ladies' at Potter's Guild on Tuesday night telling me not many men last working with them in the evenings. this after a 30 minute discussion of menopause and the temperature of the room.
- the dog last night, upon receiving new toys and a new kennel pillow. hopefully she will not destroy the pillow in a day or two.
- finding Mighty Morphing Power Ranger valentines to give to my coworkers for only $1.99. at least they were better than 'Bratz' valentines.
- the way in which the weather can be sunny and 60 degrees in the afternoon, and cool down and snow later that evening.
- Hal the cat chasing shadows.
- emailing my friends and catching up on how things are.
- attempting to explain what I'm doing with my ceramics to other people at the art center. 'But that's a lot of work for a vase' or 'How many hours did you spend on that?'

images from a walk

took the dog for a walk, but the wind was so bitter it didn't last long. It was sunny and kind of warm, but I think a front went through... it was not pleasant.

Snow melt on the dirt road

Pigeons trying to fly against the wind. They were hovering because it was so windy

Pretty cool looking decaying hay bales

Studio in progress

So I've been spending a decent amount of time at the ceramics studio, and have been having some fun.

Since my works from my BFA show were mainly large scale sculptures, I needed a new direction to go in, mainly because of the feasibility of producing these large things (or rather numerous small things) but also because of the use and functionality of these works. Instead, I've chosen to focus on the component aspect of the works in a different way, going to the organic natural world for inspiration, and using the vessel forms I can throw on the wheel as a surface upon which I can play. I sill am fascinated by the multiplicity aspect that can turn a single, slightly boring and innocuous object, into a part of a whole that really only makes sense with in the context of the group.

So I've looked at all sorts of natural things, like mushrooms, limpets, barnacles, nests, hive structures, prairie dog mounds, rocky beaches, fields of grain, roots... all things that are most often seen in concert with others of its kind. And when they are seen together, the impact is much more interesting and exciting.

So here are a couple first experiments, which are not necessarily finished ideas yet, but definitely going somewhere.

Barnacles... or something

And Bracket fungi... like the kind that grow on trees

Needless to say, still works in progress, and I have a lot more work to do with them, but they are a lot of fun to work on. Hours of tiny handbuilding can be not only calming for me but very relaxing... I know, sounds odd, but its true. And attempting to duplicate nature is also challenging...

experiments

some fun with Graphite, watercolor, and ink... not necessarily great, but...

Super Tuesday

Today will be a first for me. Later I will participate in a caucus. I have no idea what to expect, and really am more interested in the process... though I do care about who gets nominated. Should be interesting at least!

Hal is in a very cuddly mood today. Beth said he was like that when she got home this morning, and indeed he's been on my lap, attempting to interfere with my typing and surfing for the last 20 minutes. But it's an alright interference; the purring is relaxing and like a mini-massage. And it's better than the playful biting that sometimes comes out (not often, but man he has sharp nippers!)

Work was just that, busy (not with customers, but with shipment) and difficult. The downer was dropping a heavy (read VERY HEAVY) MDF shelf on my left foot. The corner hit my second toe right at the cuticle, and it's still hurting. I guess the nail bed is uber sensitive or something, but man it smarts....
I'm in for a later shift tomorrow, so I'll be able to sleep in, but that means I need to do my laundry and empty the dishwasher this afternoon. Perhaps I'll even sneak in a nap.

It snowed again today, or maybe it was just leftovers from yesterday, but needless to say, it was pretty. And pretty horrendous driving again at 3:45 this morning before the plows got going. But the sun's out now, and it's starting to melt away even as I speak.I love the blue sky, and open space behind our house... hard to believe on the other side of the house is a metropolis of over 3 million people...

And this angle is just to show the crazy trails the dog makes running around playing. She likes to eat the snow in addition to just going insane in it.

studio time

I have to say that I love being back in the studio. And a flexible schedule (of course by that I mean a schedule where my managers schedule me whenever they want) that allows me some hours in the day to go to the studio is wonderful. Things are in process, and maybe soon I'll take a photo or two of works in progress...

but now, bed- for tomorrow is another very early morning.

Oh, it snowed again today, and while I hate other drivers in the snow, I do like it when it's coming down. Makes me feel like a little kid again for some reason.

and just because i miss firing the kiln...

No excuses

Ok, so no excuses for not posting. We're all busy, we all work, and I'm just not great with the whole communication thing. Apologies...

So driving home on Friday night after closing at work was THE WORST driving I have ever done.
Normally my commute takes me about 20 minutes. On Friday night, at 10 pm it usually takes about 15-18 minutes. This past Friday, with blowing snow, intense blizzard conditions, and lightning an thunder, it took me 45 minutes to get home safely. I don't think I went above 25 the whole way home... Needless to say it started snowing at around 8:30 or 9:00pm, and when I got home at 10:45 there were 3 inches on the ground. Thankfully it didn't last all night, but it was an experience.

In other news, I joined the Aurora Potter's Guild! While they hold two sale shows a year, one in November and one in May, the biggest draw for me is that they have a city run studio that if you pay dues (only $28 a month, which is paltry for the great facilities they have!) you get to use the studio during any open studio hours. They also give classes, all levels and types from throwing to handbuilding to glazing, so there are a lot of options for more learning too. And they have a dedicated night of open studio for the Guild members! You do have to buy clay from them, as they've had ruined shelves in the past because people don't know that low fire clay doesn't go in the high fire kiln, but they sell it at cost, and clay is pretty inexpensive anyway. They also have firings of the big kiln fairly often, and all you do is pay for your work by the square inch, and again it's relatively cheap, at least cheaper than me buying my own kiln! So I've already spent a couple chucks of time there and I'm looking forward to going in during any of my free time!

Lets see, I've also decided to make a trip to Grand Rapids during the end of April, as I have a bunch of PTO saved up already, and that is the weekend of the BFA show. I know all the juniors who are in it, and feel like that would be a great time to go back for a couple days and see all my friends. It should be a nice trip and a good time off with friends.

Ok, so a couple quick pictures. Hal, sleeping on my bed, where he usually is, whether it's day or night. I have to say, he is an exceptionally good foot warmer!



And the giant flocks of Canadian Geese that graced the fields behind our house with their presence seemed to have finally made it past Colorado. They were pretty impressive while they were here though...

Again, sorry I'm not good about posting... I'll try to keep up. Maybe new pictures of new work will help me keep in touch.