Raku

I'm not gonna lie and say I don't like Raku.  The process is fun; I mean come on you get to play with fire!  And it serves well for people who have no patience.  After you bisque fire a piece you are ready to glaze and Raku.  Instead of waiting a week for your piece to go through the final firing, you wait... maybe tops: an hour.  But I really don't like that it is not functional.  Or rather not as functional as I would want something to be.  Heat, oxygen and sun can cause your Raku fired pieces to fade, so a candle holder or outdoor potted plant is out.  And I had to treat everything I made with shellac to help keep further oxidation from occurring. It's also not water tight, so no vases that hold real flowers.  AND here is the big one, not food safe.  So it's basically something pretty to look at which to me=clutter.  However art is in the eye of the beerholder and I made use of my pieces (well, most of them).

Pottery Wheel - Semester 2

During my second semester I ended up gifting most of my items.  I hate clutter and I missed the student sale because I went on a cruise to Mexico.  I have always heard handmade gifts are always nice to receive, maybe... maybe not.   I won't be gifting things for xmas again.  I have a few more things to make for people who have requested something and then I may open up shop.  I've been asked a few times if I sell my pieces or have a business card: no on both counts.  Why not?  I really don't feel my stuff is worth it but if people are asking, there has gotta be a market right?  So with a few exceptions, I am going to start selling my goodies.  At least that's what I am saying now.  It depends on my motivation and I don't want to have a supply/demand type situation.  I think it would take the fun and therapy out of it for me.  I may just produce as I have been and then post things up to etsy or a similar type site.  Anyone have thoughts on this?

I also took Raku during my 2nd semester and the pieces are very cool looking but they lack functionality.  I hate things that don't serve a purpose... and to me, art for the sake of art and just looking at it, it's not good enough.  I will be posting my Raku projects in my next post.  All of the pieces below are microwave, dishwasher and oven safe which means they are also food safe; very useful!

***Spoiler Alert:  For hardkoretom, if you don't care for surprises, read on.  If you care, maybe wait a week or so before reading on.  I gotta get myself down to the post office next week.***

Pottery Wheel - Semester 1

I have been lagging at this post.  And frankly with as much as I have improved I have been hesitant to post it.  But hardkoretom has been waiting to see my work for well over a year.  So this is for you and anyone else that wants to see my early work.  I won't say I am not proud, I am just not too thrilled with my first pieces.

Beware, there are a lot of images.  Not as many as my next post will have.  But one thing I start doing next semester which is really stupid is just giving my crap away.... without photographing it first.  And it's hard to photograph ceramics, I could use some pointers.  Natural light works really well but it's hard to work with the sun, it just does what it wants!

How The Grinch Stole Christmas

Literally, I am kinda grinchy and I really did steal Christmas.  Due to my profession, I have not worked a Christmas in, well, geez.... I never have worked a Christmas, ever.  I grew up in a JW household; now, now, no need to feel sorry for me.  I am really not too big on Christmas like those folks who want to keep Christ in Christmas.  I am also not big on the feeling of obligation that come with a commercialized Christmas.  I don't want to have to get a gift for someone because it is expected.  If I gift it's because I feel like it.  Also, when I ask not to be gifted, I end up gifted.  Which is so lame cause half the time it's oddball stuff that I would never use.  Point being is I would rather have Christmas to do as I wish with my paid time off... not attend obligatory events.

Tag, I'm it!

I've been tagged and it's been ages since I played any variation of a tag game. This one should prove to be easy as it involves typing and not chasing. Kathryn has tagged me in a friendly game of:

Reddit Gift Exchange: Secret Santa

A dear friend of mine encouraged me this year to join redditgifts.  Since I have the wonderful habit of taking up what he suggests because it ends up becoming fun (like blogging and the mcchris message board) I did it.  This will be my first time being a part of a gift exchange through redditgifts.  I have been a part of other Secret Santa exchanges and after I got burned once I have had a sour attitude about it.  This was from a gal I had known for a long time on the mcchris message board.  She even promised to make it up to me and never did.  Yeah I am still a little sore about it, so what?!

Why is Susie lagging at blog posts? - Part 4

I couldn't wait to get on the road again... because the life I love is sleeping in my bed.  Oh I couldn't wait to be on the road again.

I woke up sicker than a dog Monday morning.  The plan was to stay one more night in Garden Grove and stay with one of Joey's family members.  But the heat from the previous day and my flu (the beer probably didn't help) had other plans.  Not to mention the A/C dried out my throat and sinuses so bad, I just wanted to die!  So we decided to meet up with Joey's dad for a quick lunch before hitting the road again. I was weary about lunch because breakfast didn't go so well.  Anyone remember Lard-ass?

Susie Appreciation Day?

The stars must be in my favor today or something.  I came to work to a yummy bacon and egg breakfast burrito from the Migrant Ed administrative assistant.  It was delicious!  Sure beat the heck out of my attempt at being healthy.   

Breakfast burrito > Rice Chex

A few minutes later the receptionist brought by the two little wind-up toys pictured above.  It's no secret I like to have wind-up toy wars.

 

I appreciate the little thank yous I get doing my job.  I am very confident that I do a great job at work.  But it gives me warm and fuzzies when people remember to say thank you.  And I get super warm and fuzzy when the thank yous are in the form of food and toys. 

So since I am feeling super warm and super fuzzy today, I feel like adding to my blog roll.  I need more reading material, more often.  So if you feel like being added to my blogroll shoot me a message.  What's the worst that can happen?  More traffic to your site?  OH NO!

Any who, I hope everyone is having a great Wednesday.  I will be sharing my Sacramento adventures with you fine people shortly.

My other wind-up warriors.

 Thanks Karen and Maribel for making my day!

Happy Birthiversary to us!!!

For those that don't know the mister and I married on our birthday.  June 19th, yes we share a birthday and now an anniversary too!

 One married year down.  

500 hundred more to go!

Birthday number thirty-two and 500 more to go?  

Oh god I hope not, could you imagine?!

Me at 500?  Oh I hope not!

I needed a gift bag.

Tomorrow is my niece Audra's birthday.  I found these neat little toys called Zoobles and I figured they would be perfect for a five year old.  I kinda wanted to buy some for myself.  Technically I could have and then gifted them to myself later this month for my birthday.  Alas I decided to skip getting more because I would end up just playing with them instead of wrapping Audra's gift.  Or worse I may have been tempted to open hers and play with them too!  

Once I got home I realized I had no gift bag or even a box to put these critters in.  There is no way I was going to just wrap these individually.  The packaging would make for a sloppy looking wrap job.  So I decided I would make a gift bag.  Yep, I figured I had stuff around the house to make a bag.  Never done it before and I am so proud of myself I am sharing my results.

Buying Local Buy Fresh

In an effort to support my community, eat more produce and eat organic; I decided to stop buying produce at the chain grocery stores in my area.  A friend of mine mentioned last year that she was getting a box/bag full of organic, local grown, produce on a weekly basis from the Blosser Urban Garden.  There were a few times when she got some items that were not going to be used in her house and I took that opportunity to have organic at home (Thanks Amy!).  I really liked the produce and figured, heck I will give it a try myself.

So this year I signed up.  I am only getting the produce bimonthly.  There is no possible way my husband and I could eat all of the produce in time if we got the goods weekly!  Here is what I got just this last week:

 

 This is almost all of it.  I also got radishes, oranges, organic coffee and a bag of spring mix for salads.  I think my favorite part is that the produce I get is a surprise!  I never know what I will be getting.  That may be daunting for some but I am up to the cooking challenge to make something wonderful with what I have.  I should be on Iron Chef: Lazy Video Gamer Edition

Happy Valentine's Day!

I was very excited to get to work today because my mister's Valentine's gift was being delivered to my office. I needed it to come to my office so I can surprise him when I get home, it's no fun if I don't get to see the look of excitement on his face when he gets it.

A bit ago his power supply died, I told him it was the PSU but he said it wasn't. I was right, but that is neither here nor there. So I figured he would probably need a new PSU if he wants to use his main computer. Lately he has been playing a low graphics game on his laptop, so it's not like he doesn't have a computer to use. Mister Mopey would be very happy and pleased if his computer was up and running again. I hopped online to Newegg and ordered this 750w PSU (crappy pic, sorry):

Coolmax 750w PSU!

I prepared for Valentine's Day but I failed to prepare for the gift!!! Yet again I had to rig up some wrapping paper at work like I did one Christmas. The sad part is unlike Christmas I don't have any glossy PC Mags to use for his wrap job. All I have is today's newspaper and some not so pretty pieces of origami paper. So I decided to take the funny's and the Valentine's Day shout outs and tape the two pages together. I wrapped the PSU in the newspaper (my hands are now black!) and decided the box was too plain. I need a bow or something, I had 3 sheets of shit brown origami paper and orange. I did the best I could to rig up a little bow type device for the present. It all looked fine except the bow's center was showing this glob of tape I used to assemble the bow. I went out back to the cage to look for a broken computer part to use. I thought a power button would be a cute idea since it's a hint to what is in the box, but alas I settled on a CR2025 3v battery. I think it looks awesome:

It's not the best wrap job and I made do with what I had but it's the thought that counts right? It's what's inside that really matters since most wrapping paper gets tossed moments after the present is unwrapped (unless you are those freakish paper wrap hoarders). I think maybe since I put so much effort into the wrapping and I saved the planet by reusing today's paper, I am winning at the present game. In the future I should just have some wrapping supplies at the office since I can't be sneaky and wrap his presents at home.

What did you do for Valentine's day?

Robot Surprise!

My uncle got me a sweet little wind up robot! He lives on my desk at work now, I love it.

New Stationery!!!

I need a decent sized shoe box for all of this stuff! Is it me or does Rilakkuma remind you of Pedobear?

Happy stuff from Japan

Kayoko totally brightened my day with all of this, the yummy snacks I don't know the name of were the best. :3

A gift from my sister!

New Clock

My new clock is better than yours!

Thanks Nina, I love it.

I pride myself in doing things right.

It feels nice to be appreciated.

Coworker thanking me with Hello Kitty goodies for a job well done.

Thanks Karen!!! <3

My sister got me underoos!

I just wanted to say thanks to my sister. She brought me gifties: Gir underwear, yeah cause we're cool like that. And she got me some Sanrio toe socks that go up to my knees! Thanks Billian, all fits perfect and I loved my goodies.

Lunch time love notes are awesome!

The note says: I love you. Have a good day. Sorry I made your sammich all backwards and stupid.

What does that even mean?! It looked normal to me and tasted yummy.