E. Normous Bowls

I may have mentioned that I signed up for a second Semester of Ceramics. I have made a LOT of stuff so far this semester, some of which I am really pleased with. This actually makes me a little self-conscious about glazing them because I still want them to look nice when I am done.

This week, we got back some bisque fired pieces (terra cotta like, now it is ready to glaze), and I got to look at some other things then came out of the kiln. Someone had made these REALLY huge bowls. It got me thinking, when I started, I thought if I wanted make just one giant bowl, but that turned out to be an unrealistic goal. Now, however, enough of my pieces are coming out how I want them now, and we are going to be hard pressed to find enough places for all the vases I made, why not spend some time on something that might be a complete failure- nothing wasted, right?

So I asked Joe, the teacher, how to go about it. He said, just start with a lot of clay, and be patient. I pulled out a 20 lb lump of clay and tried it. It was hard to work with, and the scale of it means it is very thick, but I made what will be a very serviceable centerpiece.

And then I made another.

I made two E. Norm. Ous Bowls that I am very proud of (we'll see if this holds up next week when I see them again). It feels like I've really conquered something- I went form being completely clay-tarded to making something very functional and potentially attractive, without ever getting so frustrated I hate it. It's been a good exercise in learning how to learn with grace.

NYorker in Juneau

I don't imagine you've all seen the New Yorker article about how John McCain picked Gov. Palin, but it has a fair amount of Juneau atmosphere that you all might remember, including mention of Douglas High's moment in the Supreme Court sun.

Have fun, and yeah, the Peace Corps would be an interesting place to start life-after-college . . . Jane and I flirt with the idea of starting life-in-retirement that way, but that requires defining "retirement" a bit more carefully than I've managed so far. That and a 401(k) not in need of emergency resuscitation.

Peace Corps?

So I've decided I have no idea what I'm doing with my life....and I've been trying to figure that out. I'm going to be graduating eventually here, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for the workforce, or if I even know what workforce I want to enter.

I like traveling, I like exploring, I like helping people, so maybe I should join the peace corps? It's not definite, obviously, but i figured you might care that I'm thinking of it as an option.

Aaaand here's a random picture of me and the fresh tattoo. I love it, and I think it turned out pretty very well.

Boogerface in the Kitchen

After having a couple of full weekends this month, I am grateful to have a few days with nothing planned to recoup. Especially since I've got some kind of a bug- nothing horrible, just a congested head and an affinity to sweatpants.

Being homebound helped me make two breakthroughs in the kitchen. First was a pork roast to use up apple butter- I want to believe a pork roast can be as good as a beef roast. With enough rosemary and garlic, even the potatoes were a savory delight. Topped with apple butter mixed with evaporated milk, I felt like some kind of executive chef. Second, was to conquer Black Bean Soup. This turned out to be an incredibly yummy way to clear out the veggie drawer, and it tastes right too! The trick was Trader Joe's black beans and taco seasoning- Matt hopes I can do it again. The fridge is now stocked for a week of hearty eating, which sounds like a productive weekend.

Our Wedding, Part 7

The final piece! The ultimate movie! The last thingy I'm going to make with iMovie this weekend. The transformation of this website from 'Preecs Place' to 'Noel's Movie Heaven' is complete, and I still haven't caught up to Sandlin's post count!



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Our Wedding, Part 6

Okay, just a few more. There was so much dancing and other celebratory acts that I had to make it into two more. The last one is actually finished, though, so I'll post it in just a second, giving you the complete set!



-N

Our Wedding, Part 5

This video is just the toasts from our wedding. We really liked them, so we just posted the whole darn thing. Enjoy!



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