Post 296

Well, next week I should be writing my 300th post. And I think that I'm finally going to do what I had threatened to do for the 100th post (and then again for the 200th). If I don't come up with something better, I think that I will write something to homewrecking sluts.

I keep saying that I'm going to post this thing, but then I don't do it. I'm just going to go ahead and post something. That way there won't be this draft that I keep thinking I should work on. I don't think that it's perfect, but I think I will feel better if I set myself a time limit and get it over with.

I should think about more pleasant things, like ceramic class. I'm pretty sure that this will be my last class for a while, unless I win the lottery or something. I'm trying to put some thought into my projects, because these might be the last I get to do. What do I really want to make? What items do I really want that I wouldn't be just as happy making later of non-ceramic materials?

Mostly what I've come up with are dishes for the Halloween party. I'll make those for the third or maybe the fourth assignment. The first assignment is 18 inches tall and will start with stiff slab construction. Which means that I will have to wait a while for the slabs to be at that stage where they are not quite dry but not soft either. I keep changing my mind on the second project. I should get started on my third or fourth project, except that they require rolling out more slabs, and I really don't have any place to put them. The fifth project is a relief sculpture in two or three pieces, and I haven't given that any thought yet, and again there's no point since again it would require rolling out another slab. The sixth project is a fool the eye sculpture, and I haven't given that much thought yet either. In the past two semesters I have copied a big seashell and a pumpkin. I can't think of much else that I would want to copy right now.

There is a seventh project group project that the professor likes to do when he has enough students, and there are eight of us and I'm afraid that's more than enough. I'd rather not participate. And what's to be done with the group project after we're finished? I mean, who gets to take it home? And the group project is usually big, so even if you wanted to take it home and the other students don't mind, where do you put it?

There's another returning student who is just taking the class for fun. And she can throw pots. I am quite jealous. She just walked unnoticed to a wheel and came back a bit later with about a 10 inch by 10 inch cylinder. She didn't quite like it for some reason, but I was impressed. I wish I could do that. And I think that whatever it is that she doesn't like can be fixed in the trimming stage.

I had all but forgotten about my second attempt at the glass sculpture. It turned out really nice. Not perfect, but I'm really happy with it. Unfortunately, I'm not going to have it fired a second time to give it a glossy finish. Two other students tried that, and their sculptures broke in half. I don't think that I'll risk it.

Today I spent a long time doing dumb stuff like smoothing out my slabs and making about a quart of slurry. Slurry or slip is water mixed with clay that is used to sort of glue pieces of leather hard clay. We have these big bins of water and clay scraps, and we usually get stuff for slurry out of these bins. Only the bins dried up over the break, and they'll take a while to soften up again. Anyway, it's a big mess, and I spent the morning playing with mud.

Yesterday my husband had to go out of town again. He spent last week at this place. And I thought that he would have been better off just staying there a bit longer rather than drive all the way here and then pretty much have to drive back where he was a day and a half later. But he wanted to come home. You'd think, isn't that sweet. But I think it has to do more with him not liking that motel and missing the computer. This week he's staying at a different motel with an Internet connection, so I'm sure he'll be much happier with that.

There's a guy on the news saying it's not to late to get a flu shot. I didn't get one this year. Not a conscious decision on my part, I just forgot to get one. I'm thinking at this late date I'll probably skip it.

Today is cold. Maybe not so cold as last Thursday, but still cold. Somehow, it didn't seem that cold when I left this morning, but it was cold at school, and it is still plenty cold now. Probably not the best day to play with mud. But there are more craps of clay here too, so I will probably spend some time trying recycle some of it. The clay at the school bookstore is cheaper than at Trinity, but free is still better. But what I would really like to do is skip that and skip all the errands and such, and just get a blanket and go back to bed. I could maybe watch last night's Sarah Connor over again, but that's not a productive way to spend the day. I have the house to myself again, and I should spend my time doing something constructive.

But I have to go run at least one errand before I get back into bed. We somehow forgot to make the December car payment. If we miss this one too, it could get ugly. So I'm off to the bank.