Weird dreams....

Well I've been having crazy dreams. Chris was in one. We were at his mom's house, she was there too. There were so many pineapples and the three of us were standing around an islan in the kitchen that doesn't actually exist. I was helping cut the fruit up, but I didn't want to eat any because they were so expensive. Kim explained that they came from Chris' aunt's pineapple farm in Florida--she had sent the small ones she cant' sell because Chris loves them so much. I dont' think he actually likes pineapple. But since they were free I was going to eat some of them. Later I was going to throw some garbage away in the kitchen, and I realized the garbage can was upside down and all the garbage was seperated into small ziplock bags. I was going to put what I had in a ziplock too, when Kim came in to do it for me. She was afraid I woudln't do it, or do it correctly. Mo had apparently figured out how to get into the garbage--she was in a kennel. I remember being sad seeing her locked up. Also there was something to do with guinea pigs and college.

Then last night I had a dream that I was one of the witches on Charmed. We were fighting a vampire. (The actor actually played a lunatic vampire on Buffy, and then a lunatic ghost on Charmed.) The details are very fuzzy--there was a white room, like a doctor's office with shelves along the far wall. It was only half a room though, open on the right like those faux kitchens they have at Ikea. We were trying to...make a potion maybe, to kill him. We had to sneak through the house, which turned out to be ours, trying to avoid him before we were ready. Eventually he caught me, but I said my name was different than it was so he would think I was a different one of the sisters and they could then catch him by surpise. I remember being very scared but I didn't wake up scared.

Pretty crazy huh?

I feel its pain as if it were my own...

Our last ceramics project was an installation using text and paying special attention to space. This was definately out of my safe zone! I decided to express the growing nature of ideas. I casted a leaf from one of my larger houseplants (wasn't that an experience!) and three tries and two press molds later ended up with a nice slip cast mold. I made several, but I had about half break on me in transit. I then threw three large flower pots, trying to imitate store bought. I didn't have any extra terra cotta floating around, so I threw them with stoneware and sieved out nice, smooth terra cotta slip to brush on. They're not all exactly the same, but I'm proud of how close and light I got them. Then, for the stem of the tree, I took cardboard tubes and glued on pieces of yarn. I love the mishmosh of different textures, colors, thicknesses, feeeeeeeels of yarn and fabrics, so this was a great justification for my ginormous stash. I began with one layer of plain brown, and then started adding different size pieces of the color accents. Then there are some great ways to print onto paper to transfer to bisque, so one they're all done I'll begin experimenting! I wanted to have the leaves on each tree express a single idea, while all being related to the main idea of each plant. One for love/positive emotions, one for hate/negative and one for apathy. Marina suggested that they be hung from those plant hangers for ivy, and I love it.

My wheel is kicking! My poor baby, Brian couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. He did change some cords and....other things? I have *no* idea about electrical...anything, but I got a quick little lesson while he had my wheel apart. Then today I got a lesson about different kinds of kiln shelves and different slip ingredients and their outcomes. I originally went in just to clean off the kiln shelves (day off) but ended up staying until almost three.

St Patty's dinner Sunday night!!! Woot!

Trashcan Pottery Giveaway!

Hey, check out the giveaways at rainbowswirlz--this week it's me!
http://rainbowswirlz.blogspot.com/

Curse my generous nature!

Oh what an eventful past few days! Of course at the top of the list is my aquisition of two more rabbits. When I turned on my headlights on Thrusday night what should I spy but two large, beautiful, black and white lop eared bunnies. My friend lent me a dog crate for them, and got me into contact with a rescuer. She's going to call around, though she did mention the possibilty of fostering them for a while. I hope not--I feel myself getting attached already! Mom too. Bunny hated them at first, but is making progress--yesterday she just layed by their crate. They do still antagonize her while it's their turn out, she's very territorial. Most rabbits are, I think. *She* has to get to know them. On the whole they're much more docile than Bunny. Suze loves to sit cuddled up against my leg getting scratched for hours, and it's been very easy to gain Herb's trust as well. I just hope someone who can give them a better home than I can finds them soon!

Friday night we took Mom to see Great Big Sea for her birthday. She found out early, despite our attempts to keep it on the low down. She had a fabulous time. They played alot of older stuff. (I went to Mom's blog just now to get the list only to find she hadn't posted one!) The show was fantastic, the crowd was awesome and they absolutely played to that. Two encores and six songs! Plus the first verse of Rant and Roar. It was set up fantastically--a dance song, then a song I didn't like or coudln't dance to. Nice.

Have some pottery pics! My main shelf (devoid of work for once!), my clay shelf and my bisque.

Back to blogging!

Hey look! I'm in the paper! Just one of the many things delaying me from updating recently...

In Marina's class it's been about pitchers. We had to make three sets of opposite/contrasting pitchers. I did a set of nesting pitchers, a set that took at look at angular and curved, and a set that nestles into each other, the larger sheltering the smaller. The last looks a bit like a fountain, it's definitely my favorite!

I started a new class a few Mondays ago, all about surface design. The work load is crazy! 50 test tiles! 5o! A quarter of them were used to display different slip decoration techniques (slip is colored, liquid clay.) I couldn't bare to keep making squares, so I threw a bunch of six inch bowls. Then we had to make a set of eight tumblers to decorate--each with a different technique, but all following the same design scheme. Then four more pieces. For people who don't throw much I'm sure it's brutal.

In both Sarah and Marina's class we've been making slips. It's kind of neat to control *exactly* what color you'd like it to be, but I can tell already I'm definitely going to buy my supplies prepared! ;) I did, however, make some colored clays-blue, purple and green. I let them sit over the weekend to throw tomorrow or Tuesday.

Marina and Brian have been giving kiln-firing lessons. Marina showed us how to fire the electric kiln. Since it's fired with a computer, that's mostly about learning how fast to fire it, and how to input that instruction. The gas kiln with Brian is much cooler! It's about watching the flame, the temperature, the air intake, the temperature at different parts in the kiln, the cones....just craziness! By the time I get to niu I'd like to be able to fire a gas kiln either on my own or with someone just watching to make sure everything is done correctly.

Also, on a super-awesome note, I was in the school paper! The reporter ambushed me at the wedging table and thrust a list of questions at me. Talk about deer in the headlights. Then he lost the picture he took! That ended up working in my vanity's favor though, he came back and got a show of me throwing. Much more impressive than wedging. But, much to my embarrassment, he quoted me wrong! It says something like " 'throwing' or spinning pottery" I'm a joke to my peers! But you can check out the story http://www.cod.edu/courier/arts.html until Friday.

I finished Farscape months ago, and I've been too busy to really get into anything else. But I watched the three Charmeds Dad got for me a couple weeks ago last night. It struck me, yet again, the curve between how hard bizarre revelations hit characters and the show's budget. Whoops--we're witches. ...alright then.