Jenny's taggy fun

Here are my answers to Mama Jenny's blog tag thingy.

I am - for some reason afraid that I will share too much on my blog.
I want - to live in the moment.
I have - trouble making little decisions lately and think that's why I don't enjoy organizing things.
I wish - I wasn't so tired in the mornings and that I had more energy.
I hate - seeing people pick their nose or not washing their hands after going to the restroom.
I fear - germs for some weird reason, not getting sick, but the germs themselves...and also boogers.
I hear - voices in my head with different ideas pinging around like pinballs and wish I could make them stop sometimes.
I search - for God and meaning in the "daily grind" of life.
I wonder - if God has nipples and other things "normal people" don't wonder.
I always - feel like I'm the weirdest one in the room.
I usually - exercise and then eat more calories so that I never lose weight.
I am not - a night owl, but if i arise early I want a nap.
I dance - when I'm alone or with my husband and dog.
I sing - songs to my dog when no one's around.
I never - pick my nose!!!
I rarely - feel sexy.
I cry - only at real-life stories and usually not when watching movies.
I am not always - this insecure about myself.
I lose - things in my purse.
I'm confused - when it comes to space and the "bigness" of it.
I need - more sleep than other people, but then I also need to stop comparing myself to others.
I should - quit comparing myself to others.
I dream - of traveling and making a difference in the world (for the better, of course).

The solution is...

See more Natalie Portman videos at Funny or Die

Tumblers and jar

I like the shapes of these tumblers, but they don't stack very well. I was thinking of water glasses when I made them. The great thing about them is that I threw them and trimmed them in one sitting. Because they were so small, I could dry them with a fan and then trim the bottoms.

Usually one has to wait until next class to trim, then wait until they are bone-dry and smooth the rough edges (depends on the humidity but sometimes takes a few days), then wait until they come out of the bisque fire, then glaze them, then wait for them to come out of the kiln...And that's it!




Am not excited about this jar and I think I know why...While I was trimming the lid it flew off the wheel and onto the floor (the clay keys weren't on good enough or something). That's why the handle isn't parallel. Remember, there are over 300 ways to ruin a pot, and that's one of them. Sometimes they turn into happy new techniques but not this time!

Praying mantis on the porch

Was pleasantly surprised to find this guy yesterday while taking the dog out yesterday. According to Isabella Rossellini , if this is a male he hasn't mated yet because his head is still intact.

p.s. This was taken with my old camera, as I don't have a macro lens for my DSLR yet.

Out of the kiln

Here's the saki/Red Bull set I made this summer. I have never drank saki, so I teased when I made it that it probably could be used for Red Bull, but I have never drink/drank/drunken that, either.

For those who know the lingo, I threw the cups "off the hump" out of one piece of centered clay. It was kind of hard to know where to cut the bottoms off. I also used the checkering tool from my dad's stuff (used to texture gun stalks I think?) to texture them. (Thanks, Sheri, for thinking of me when you saw it.)
This is a cruet or whatever you want to call it...I know the flaws and showed the good side.

Multicolored sgraffito bowl

If you received a homemade card from me within the last few years, the chances are very good that it was distressed. That was my favorite technique when rubber-stamping. What is this distressing technique? It's either rubbing off the edges or adding ink to make it look old or worn...antique-like. Well, I kind of combined my favorite technique from pottery (sgraffito) and my favorite technique from paper arts (distressing) on this bowl. Even though it has shiny glaze, I rubbed off the black slip on the edges to give it some more character.

What I'm listening to...

Still enjoying those mums...

Thanks again, Pearly Girl!

Note to self: Please remember to not buy one of those cheapy coiling garden hose/sprayer combination thingies next spring because they don't even last the whole garden season before the sprayer breaks and it's totally useless because another want can't be screwed on and the whole thing has to be thrown away as one unit which is a waste of money and waste of environmental resources, etc, and then you will have to either get the old garden hose out or fill the water jug in order to water all the patio plants and herbs. Thank you "self" in advance for remembering this next spring.

Three handles again

Here's a pot I forgot to post from this summer. The glaze ran on the bottom, so was disappointed at first (but what pot is perfect?). Still have a saki set from this summer on my shelf waiting to be glazed and am working on lots of things now. Stay tuned for bowls (one I can't post because it's a gift (Oh, I hope it turns out!)) and tumblers that have yet to be bisque-fired.

Am comtemplating the struggle between wanting to throw perfectly but still wanting it to look like it was made by human hands. As Naomi the "Queen of Glaze Combinations" stated, the potters' wheel is a machine, so that's another thing to ponder. Blah, blah, blah. Those are my deep personal thoughts and thanks for letting me share. Goodbye for now.

Am still alive...

...just need some time away from the computer and blogging right now. Thanks for looking!

State fair experience

Here are a few pictures from the state fair on Sunday. Thanks to Aunt Jan and Uncle Bob for showing us around your stomping grounds and to my Kansas Mom for a pleasurable day. If you plan on going, I would suggest getting the apple dumpling ala mode. It's delicious!

Have been a little busy and/or needing a break from the computer, so that's why I haven't been posting as frequently.

Camera talk

Why I want a telephoto lens...After cropping down the pictures, this is as good as they get. That's a coyote and two deer.



I did have some that turned out last week.

Am figuring out that after squinting one eye for about 20 minutes to look through the viewfinder, the eye that I squint gets a little blurry. Am going to have to get used to that. Does this happen to anyone else with a DSLR?

Also finally realized that when shooting outside I should take off my polarized sunglasses or I'll be disappointed when I upload the pictures. I did buy a neutral-density filter and polarizing filter--hence the vignetting in the last picture. I have at least three filters on the lens.

Road-tripping

Since my husband had to be in the area last Friday, I suggested that we go to the KSU Gardens and Insect Zoo. The insect zoo was interesting and well worth the $2 admission fee.

We also stopped at Council Grove to see the Council Oak. It's a coincidence that I've been trying to finish Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee this month. Did you realize that when the Fifteenth Amendment was passed that Native Americans still couldn't vote? At least, that's what the book says.

Summer session pieces

This last piece is called "Vertigo!" and is in the display case on third floor.

Still have a saki set and another piece that will be glazed over the break. There are more pictures on my flckr account if you're interested in looking.

Greta's art exhibit

Finally took some time to post this...













Click right here to be transported to my flickr account for close-ups. The exhibit is up until August 28th if you'd like to see it in person. Be sure to read her artist statement towards the end!

Butterfly rescue mission update

Yesterday morning the first butterfly emerged and have had three more since then. There are more pictures on my flickr account (link on the right) of them.

Hope to get around to posting some pictures of my finished pottery and Greta's awesome art exhibit soon, so stay tuned.

Caterpillars/My science project

On July 22nd, I found these little caterpillars on my parsley and fennel and put them in jars so the wasps wouldn't eat them. Thought they would be good photo fodder.

Here's a picture of one yesterday---

And here's one of them pupating today.

How many people do you know my age that get excited about caterpillars? Told you I was weird. Let's see if I can get a better picture than last year (link) of the butterflies.

Cloud Rorshcach test

What do you see?







This?

Or this?

I will so graciously analyze your answer for a $50 fee, but you may not analyze my drawings...okay, I might do it for free if the answer is funny enough.

Sky for Saturday

Does anyone remember when I did Photo Friday (link)and took a picture based on their subject? Yes, it was a long time ago. I'm toying with the idea of "Sky for Saturday" or "Sepia Sunday" as picture subjects for blog posts to get me posting more. I love taking pictures of clouds and the sky, so guess I'll try it for awhile. Do you see anything in the clouds here? Maybe meringue or caterpillars?

The Welcome Prayer

Here's a prayer that Goteeman (link) shared on his blog this week:

The Welcome Prayer, by Father Thomas Keating:

Welcome, welcome, welcome.
I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment
because I know it is for my healing.

I welcome all thoughts, feelings,
emotions, persons,
situations and conclusions.

I let go of my desire for security.

I let go of my desire for approval.

I let go of my desire for control.

I let go of my desire to change any situation,
condition, person or myself.

I open to the love and presence of God
and to the healing action and grace within.

AMEN

I can speak the words, but not mean it yet...Too many things happening with two important people in my life to welcome any other relationship to be changed. I do know this should make me closer to God and trust he can use the situations for good...just not ready to welcome anything else right now. Am not looking for sympathy, just telling the truth.