and counting!

2 weeks and counting!

as of right now, I have to load and fire the big kiln tomorrow. After that it is just doing some finishing things on my works next week and then I think I'm ready to go!

I cannot even fathom that it's coming so fast! my BFA show is really happening!

Ok, now I have to finish editing my artist statement which is due tomorrow (it's already written, just have to tweak).

Then, a busy day tomorrow, and then the weekend!!

hooray!

and then perspective hits

yesterday was a rough one.
I spent hours in prayer, gathered with friends at my house, not knowing what to do for a while, and ended up at the hospital to try and comfort and support one of my best friends.
you always think things like this happen to other people, not your friends, not your lives.
It's going to be a rough week for the Snyder family and I know they would covet your prayers.
Losing a parent is unfathomable to me, and to see the other so helpless and in pain in the hospital, can't be easy.
So, everyone drive safely on those icy roads, and I love you all.

Some Days are Diamonds...

some days just suck.



with in the last 24 hours:

Minnesota rejected my application for their graduate school.
I got a whopper of a migraine, complete with horrible nausea.
It's still cold.
I've not gotten to sleep before 2am yet this week due to homework.
I'm out of coffee filters.

I'm scared no one will want me for gradschool. and I need sleep. and I'm getting sick.

and I want my mommy...

some things

Yesterday, while I was walking home in the early evening, it was snowing PERFECT snowflakes. I almost walked into a tree because I was watching them all fall on my black gloves. Some were tiny and perfect, but some were almost 1/4 of an inch across! They were huge and still fully intact and perfect... needless to say, it was cool.

Interim is going well and is a lot of fun... hopefully I'll get some pictures of what I've done soon, nad then you can all ooh and ahh... or insult, whatever you want.

I talked to grandma for almost a half hour yesterday... it was good to talk to her!

After multiple meetings, my fellow BFA'ers and I have decided upon a show title... but you will just have to wait to hear it.

My slides came in the mail today and they look awesome! My final 2 grad applications will be going out in the mail tomorrow!

Interim

Today is the first day of Interim and so far it's fun.
I like the pace of interim so much and am ready for it this year.

Christmas was good, but so is sleeping in my own bed.

Home

Well, I made it home.
Glad to be here.

Just a few more

Since I've now finished with most stuff for the semester,
here are a few more images of what I've been up to...

Let me know if you like!

Rose colored teabowl

White bowl

Yellow teabowl
(I had a lot of fun making
teabowls this semester)

Tenmoku Tea Set
(there are two more
bowls for this set,
but the picture was
better with just two)

working hard

so I'm alomost finished with everything I need to be.
I'm finishing editing my last images of the semester, then I have to figure out which ones I want made into slides!
I'm lighting the last kiln firing of the semester tonight.
And I'm going to clean my room and finish my laundry so I can pack and go home!

Here's a taste of my images I've taken today...


A tea set


A tea bowl

So lots of fun all around, and I'm almost there!

Finished

things I'm done with:
Japanese exam
Packet for senior seminar
Large paper for material Culture independent study
my secret santa gift for work (yes I made something)
my second to last semester at Calvin

Things to do yet:
pack
clean my room
clean my fish tanks
read some good books over Christmas
sleep
laundry
Christmas shopping... :)

I leave on Saturday and can't wait to get to Orlando!

Snow Snow Snow!

Well, it is finally winter... very good for studying and getting work accomplished indoors.



Although we (my roommate Jose and I that is) spent some time out side this evening to shovel our driveway. Second time this week already. We also did both sides of our corner house sidewalks. For those of you who live in the north and have to shovel your walk, please do. As a commuter who walks to classes each day, a shoveled sidewalk is a very nice thing to walk on. Also, its your responsibility, and if I fall on your icy sidewalk, there will be serious consequences. So far no falls, but a couple nasty almosts!

Speaking of which, this is the last week of classes, and although I'm a little nervous about finishing in time, things are looking up. I started the big kiln with my last work in it for the semester and am ready for my other classes to finish up as well.

And now, for some more winter photos...




The firestation across the street








And another car going by...

OK so the pictures aren't great, but at least they kinda show the snow...

Wednesday

Hump day, it seems comes far too quickly.
Even though the week is speeding by, I have managed to get a bit of work done already.
My long research paper for my independent study is over 16 pages, and now ready for review.
My Application materials are coming together and just need a few more revisions.
My Food sculpture project is complete and I'm already working on the next project.
And, while I haven't been sleeping much, I'm still making it to class on time.

Now, for the rest of the week:
Japanese exam tomorrow morning.
Throwing this evening.
More work on ceramics tomorrow.
Photograph work really soon and editing the images for portfolio.

All in all, hanging in there...

Oh, and P.S. happy birthday Mom!

New week

Well, this weekend was fun... lots of work accomplished, and yet still managed to get a decent amount of homework done. Let's just see if this week keeps up the trend!

A few things:
-I wish it would snow already... snow makes it easier to focus on staying inside doing homework
-I wish I could sleep more, I seem to be tired all the time...
-I wish there were more hours in the day... or night... just more time in general to do all I need to
-I wish life came with directions:
- allow 5 years to percolate... knowledge should be good and concentrated
- by November 15 all applications should be done, though only apply to ______
- _____ will accept you
- allow 6 to 8 weeks for confirmation, then turn and brown the other side

-I wish I knew what those directions were to, because they were one weird recipe...

I'm scared about the future.
I'm not sure I know what to do.
I'm second guessing what I think about everything now.

Oh boy... I need some chocolate....

On the plus side my paper (my big one for this semester) is already 12 pages!
On the down side, I'm not sure how long it's supposed to be... and I 've about a 1/3 to go!
Woo hoo for editing things down!

OK, back to work!

Grad Schools and other stuff

Well, today I called three different grad schools as a preliminary measure to applying. It was kinda nerve wracking and I'm not sure why.

Tonight I'm sending out emails to faculty members at the schools to which I'm applying. I want ot see what kind of respose i get and if they are willing to help out a nervous senior. I wrote up a basic letter that my boss (who went through this a few years ago) read over and he said it was a good start to getting my name out to the departments.

I just don't want to come across as needy or clingy.

Anyway, the kiln was fairly successful... I'm planning on photographing my work on Friday so maybe I'll have some images to share this weekend.

Stuff

Its family weekend this weekend.
yeah, just thought I'd mention that.

I sent away for my absentee ballot today.
I take my civic duty seriously.

My friend, the ganglion cyst on my left ring knuckle, seems to have dissapeared.
I hope he's ok wherever he is.
And that he dosen't come back.
He cramped my style.

I'm knitting scarves for sculpture class.
Its very tempting to forget all other class work and just do that.
I can be like 'No I'm doing my homework!'
The other profs wouldn't like that so much.
And clicking needles interrupt lectures.

I quit

everything.
I'm going to move to Orlando, live in my parent's basement and work at Barnes and Noble's.
Oh wait, they don't have a basement, nor do I have a room in their home anymore.

And I don't want to work retail for the rest of my life.

Let's just say that if it could go wrong this week it did.
And the stress piled up and I'm way over living with it.
And I have to do a glaze firing, and I'm gonna just get worse till those pots come out of the kiln...

But first, I have to go sit in a corner and get over my stress related migrane.
And get some homework done.
and eat something at some point.
and... oh you get the picture.

A Response

This is a response to Dad's post about how he's had enough.

A Caveat: I'm liberal in my views, I'm trying to live by my faith in Christ, and I try to err on the side of love and compassion.

I heard a speaker at Calvin this last week and he discussed how very few verses in the Bible are on the 'morality' issues that this administration wants to address, issues such as gay marriage. These 'morality' issues, this speaker said, are meant to divide and divert our attention from the larger ones that face us. Issues like this draw attention away from the War in Iraq, the oil crisis, global warming occurring at an alarming rate, the issue of Darfur... (shall I go on?)

There are hundreds of verses calling Christians to help the needy, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, be good stewards of God's earth, and yet the current leaders focus on going to war and issues that will maintain their own gains instead of what we are called to be taking care of.

Now, regardless of what you personally believe, and this post is not intended to really go into that, God loves everyone, and I have to too. For me, I have to balance the things I am called to do, help those who need it, take care of God's world, love those who need it. As a Christian I cannot be a one issue voter, be it gay marriage, abortion, education, foreign policy... So often Christians are lumped into a single right leaning voting block, but what about caring for the environment? What about issues of stewardship? What about compassion on those around the world with so much less than us dying every day?

And it's not just the politicians!

A short anecdote since I'm in Michigan and familiar with its issues right now: Michigan is a rust belt state. Full of manufacturing jobs leftover from the heyday of the auto industry. About ten years ago, the big auto companies (Ford... GM... and who am I missing?) decided that instead of developing this new technology on the horizon of hybrid cars, they would make bigger and bigger SUV's looking at the short term profits that they saw. They made big bucks and made a lot of gas guzzling cars. Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda and some other car companies, saw the long term effects of massive oil use and made hybrid cars. Now, that their moronic greed based business decisions are biting them in the butt, the MI companies are going bankrupt. So in trying to play catch up, they finally begin to do stuff with hybrid vehicles. But what do they do? Instead of hybrid car they put out a hybrid SUV. MORONS THAT DOSEN'T HELP ANYTHING!! So now, they get gov't help and tax breaks to try and stay afloat. Meanwhile, Toyota can now legitimately say they are made in the USA! Their business is going so well, they opened plants in the US.

It comes down to greed, whether in politics or in business. Politicians want to keep their jobs and business men want more money.

We have been told we live in a world where evil people are around every corner, where other countries want our jobs, where the world is dying. This culture of fear has been created in Washington for the purpose of diving us from the rest of the world and even ourselves. It is our own politicians who use war to solve problems, creating more enemies. It is our own politicians who give tax breaks for companies that send their jobs overseas and don't control the massive corporations that do so much harm. It is our own government that refuses to enact pollution controls that actually mean anything because they don't want to lose the funding from the big business' who bankroll them.

When will there be people who finally stand up and do the right thing? When will there actually be people who say 'Forget party lines, I'm doing what's right'. When will the government stop using fear as a divisive way of manipulating people?

I was told once that "As a Christian, you can never vote for a Democrat, because they support abortion. All Christians have to vote Republican." (no joke, an actual quote)
Hmm... blind one issue voting like that leads to horrible misrepresentation of what I believe and a heinous system of government where other issues are relegated to unimportance.

Makes one weep and cry out in frustration at times.

I believe it was Screwtape writing to Woormwood who said "The goal is to have them all running around with fire extinguishers when there is a flood".

God help us all.

I'm told I tend to be antisocial...

I'm not sure if I'm really antisocial, or that I just don't like some people.

Is it bad that I'd rather spend time in the art basement, by myself, doing my work?

And when I'm working, its not that I don't like you, but don't talk to me, I'm concentrating.

Ok, maybe I am antisocial... but I have work to do.

Deal.

Monday

First of all, lists are easy; I don't have to be all witty and creative in my prose.

Things I accomplished:
- aced another Japanese quiz, this time on 46 hiragana (one of the 4 written languages used by the Japanese)
- pugged around 100lbs of clay (that's basically reconstituting it so it can be worked with again)
- participated in a critique and had my work critiqued (both were pretty good)
- ate lunch
- worked for two hours in the gallery
- attended Japanese drills (pratice sessions with a native speaker, lots of fun!)
- threw from 3:30pm to 10:30pm, with only a half hour break for dinner at Johnny's
- threw 6 teapot bodies (we'll see which ones really work out though), 4 large bowls, 3 tall vases, a rounded jar that was too small to be considered a teapot body, and a plate... it was supposed to be a platter, but there were issues... my issues... with throwing.
- talked to my roommates for a while, and went to bed

Things to accomplish tomorrow:
- throw at least 6 spouts for the teapots
- pull 6 handles for the teapots
- trim the feet of all the things I threw today
- attend sculpture and Senior Seminar classes
- hopefully glaze some works I bisque fired last Thursday

But it's only the beginning of the week and already super busy!
But also really fun.

Cough, Cough, Sneeze, Sneeze...

A List of things I've learned this week:

The cold season has hit.

Earl Grey Tea is great for sore throats.

Days spent in pajamas, while seen by some as unproductive, can do wonders for your attitude and mental health.

The afghan I knit is really warm and keeps me comfy on the couch.

Original Chap-Stick three packs are a good buy.

Coughing is a great ab workout... although it isn't my choice of workout.

Despite being ill, my work in the studio went really well this week, including experimenting with underglazes, and firing some work already.

Saturdays are great for sleeping in.

Why Tuesday evenings are my favorite... or what I did tonight.

On Tuesdays I have a 9-10:00am class, a 1-4:00pm class and a 4-5:00pm class. It makes for a long day, and when fixing the pugmill is thrown in, along with some unsuccessful researching, it makes one heck of a day. Furthermore, my throat is starting to do that thing it does right before you get a cold, and I'm hoping and praying (and drinking my fluids to) the possibility that it might not be a doozy... but there's been one doozy spreading around campus.

So, this evening, because I have no classes on Wednesday, and because I spent a couple hours in the library between classes doing homework, I got home at 6:00pm, changed into my pajamas, and ordered pizza with my roommate, after which I proceeded to fall asleep to CSI, and woke up to another CSI (you have to love the 3 hours of CSI on channel 59 in the evenings!). After I woke from my comatose state, I flicked through the channels, and decided it was time for an 'early' bedtime. Early for me anyway.

So, goodnight, and tomorrow's another day to do stuff... and maybe get a little more accomplished in the evening!