Rainy Thursday

Funny thing to have a rainy day! No sun to wake me up this morning so I slept in a bit. I did not go for a run. I had coffee on my patio in a cup from one of the lab techs from Tahoe, and it is a awesome cup! My bkfst was in a bowl from Takemi another of the lab techs (a Cone 10) from Tahoe. (Cone 10 is an inside joke that the gals in the studio and I came up with that rates a person, not necessarily physically, but in quality) Cone 10 is at the top of the scale as that is what we fire to in the big kiln. I think of that trip to Tahoe everyday. I have pots around me now that remind me of the experience. I wish that the computer had not broken so I could have finished blogging about that. I feel too far away from it now to give it a fresh perspective. I still may return to writing my memories of it, or not.

Today I get my hair done for the wedding.. I know it is a week off, but I wanted to give it a chance to settle so that it is not just fresh cut and out of order. I also have a "date" tonite, with an old friend (I have known him approx 15 years) to go to the casino to see a "Disco" band. I wonder if I should wear my white polyester pants and get ready to shoot my #1 finger up in the air as we rock out? It will be fun in any event.

Today I am quite concerned about my enrollment for the fall classes. Last check there was probably 25 spaces filled out of a potential 84 spaces in 7 classes. I would like 60 students. I can't decide if I should hold the classes with-out students and hope and pray they show up or if I should cancel until they do show up. (I am eternally hopeful to a fault that this will all work out) Some of you may know that I get paid by the head not by the hour. For my summer teaching, because of low enrollment I think I made about $8 an hour, before taxes.. this is quite scary. Lately I have been reading about the economy and some predictions say that we are in a depression that could last 10 years or more.. if this is the case I must find a way to make clay a necessity, 'lest I lose my livelyhood. I know it is a necessity to me!!!

I am thankful to my daughter for letting me use her computer so I can write again. I so want my own computer back so that I can get my business matters taken care of.

More laters..
Love,
Love,
Love,
Jada

Missin' Blogging

I sure am missing writing. I am borrowing my daughter's computer but am very afraid to do much on the computer. What if that virus comes back? I don't want to push any buttons at all to look at anything.

Work is slow. I am very frustrated with my employer for not producing the catalog for classes in a timely manner. It is a week and a half until classes start and still no hard copy of the catalog. You can see it on line though. I am on the cover!! That is fun.. not an especially attractive photo, but it's me doing what I do!

My daughters wedding is coming up! I am so excited. Family and friends will be here. I have my dress and shoes. I tried it all on last nite and it looks GREAT! I will post photos after the wedding. James is coming in on the first and I will go pick him and his fiance' up at the airport.

I glaze fired some of my pieces from the Tahoe workshop. They look awesome. I will post here when I can figure out how this computer works. I plan to have my computer up and running in about 2 weeks. I still need to financially recover from the last month before I can ok a new motherboard.

I have been dating.. it is fine. I think I am just afraid of being close to someone and getting hurt. I hope this feeling fades in time. I started reading Eat, Pray, Love.. the first 6 chapters are ever so familiar to me. Some things in those first chapters totally parallel my life. She talks about how her world is turned upside down during her divorce and how she wanted to die sometimes. I think the boyfriend after the marriage is my KC.. she describes him as an addiction. KC and I use to say that about each other. I use to say I needed to go to KC Anonymous.. maybe I still do...

Today is a "BRAND NEW DAY" I will treat it with the respect and wonder it deserves and keep my mind open..

More as soon as I can..

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,
Jada

YIKES

Had an awesome time in Tahoe. Am now making up for having such a great time.. my computer got a virus and is a total loss, as are all my documents, photos, music and book.. Wilma(my dog) went thru a plate glass window during the storm, but will be ok with the help of valium. Can't get worse, right?

I want so much to write more.. no computer for now though. I will work on getting another one, but isn't gonna happen right away. I will see if I can start writing again on other peoples computers and save it on a flash drive.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,

Jada

Change is inevitable..

I am home, trying to get back into the routine. It was very nice to be back at teaching yesterday. I had so much to share about what happened last week. Most of the time I really don't know where to start and where to end when telling people about what happened. I have work to show to talk about and that has been a great hit. I want to start glazing but will wait till next week.

There isn't enough time in my days to write. I do have tomorrow off, and will do some catch up on last week then.

Some interesting things are starting to develop not only in my thinking, but in my life. I know I am a bit stagnate where I am at. I am not growing. I am staying the same. I know I need to restart my studio here at home. I need a private place to work and to concentrate with-out teaching. There are too many limits where I work in regards to what I "think" I want to do. I also had an interesting converstation with my boss about a possible job change. I think about this and the health problems I have had in the past year and how this might help. I just don't think I can sit at a desk, or be without clay. Something is going to change, I feel it. I just don't know what it is.

More tomorrow...
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,
Jada

Photos

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76655&id=1478181391&l=f377b73873

BVG DAY 2

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76754&id=1478181391&l=686f6b4841

BVG DAY 3

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76967&id=1478181391&l=699f95c20a

BVG Day 4 and 5

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76973&id=1478181391&l=e09761f7af

Kayaking LAKE TAHOE

BVG Day 2

Day 2 BVG
Wake up… Run?.. yikes…high altitude! I feel like I am a smoker.. Bkfst.. outside after my run.. mm.. yogurt with granola and peaches and a nice cup ‘o Joe.
Class starts with whiteboard work.. a plan for the day.. Cups to test glazes on. I already brought some stuff for glaze testing. I still opt in on the cups. I want to try the different techniques. Rib altering, darts, dimpled.. etc.. I try several. Unfortunately, I feel the urge to move some of my stuff along that could go into bisque. The mugs wait till afternoon. I finish the pitchers , the casseroles and the three tumblers.
Lunch once again is delish! I get to set with some very nice artists and beginners.. we all converse about clay . I love this.
The lab techs are taking great care of everyone. It is fun to watch them work. I like the comraderie and I miss this kind of educational setting. MFA for me someday?
The cups become my nemesis. I handle them, I rip off the handles, I wrap them up.
I finsh up for the day at 5.. take a HOT shower.. and get dressed for the art talk and slide show with BVG. What a great nite. The work in the gallery is very good. Bill has great things to say about as do the lab techs and others from the class. The discussion is lively and educational. Tony (Antonio Evansito Cuellar), one of the lab techs has two pieces in the show. He apparently is one of Paul Soldners most recent (last) students. His work is Raku and fumed with ferric chloride. I love this look, but don’t like the chemical risk. I think it needs to be saved for very special pieces, which these are. Takimi also has a piece. It is called “Meat”, I think. I am not really sure what it is about. It is not at all like the work he was working on in the studio last nite. Last nites work seems to have a lusty Asian influence. I wanted to touch and feel the work, but alas it had fresh glaze all over it. Tonites piece is that of pieces of raw meet. I think it is kind of like that fake food that you see in Asian restaurant windows. Usually you don’t see raw meat. Might be an interesting conversation with him, if I had to courage to start it. Other great pieces in the show were by great clay artists including, Linda Christianson, Frank Masseralla, Don Ellis, Randy Broadnax and John Britt. (there are more than this) The work is luscious. There is also a piece by the lady who runs the place, Sherri, a wall of all kinds of ½ Teapots. (see my photos)
Several people go out to dinner afterwards.. I go too! ½ price burgers. It is fun.
Afterwards several of us head back to the studio. The high fire kiln is almost at temp. I get to look inside. Nice, it is a long ways to the cones because this is a super insulated Geil. I guess they don’t need to worry that much about this kiln, it is equipped with all the bells and whistles. It is very nice.
There is one kid who takes up lots of space. And I mean this in a lofty sense. He is quite a presence in this studio, but doesn’t get much done. I have chatted with him a few times telling him to put his butt in the chair. There are a couple of other very nice peoples working away.
I get to throw tonite. There are very few people in the studio. I decide to do those tea bowls. Trevor demonstrated them in the afternoon at my wheel. It was very nice to get the lesson. I threw a very controlled version, but very loose for me. I also did two super tall tumblers and a very controlled bottle.
The environment in the studio is dedicated and hard working for those who are there. The music is good and things are occasionally interrupted with conversation but all in fun and learning. The company is good. I especially enjoy getting to know Takimi!
I:30am rolls around and I have had a great run with my pieces! It is time to hit the sack. I am having a blast.. I get in bed.. and my head is racing. The conversation and the work are so good I want to keep it going. Sleep doesn’t come for quite awhile.

Love, Love, Love,

Jada

BVG Day One Part 2

There is an awesome lunch served in the cafeteria. Hard not to pig out everytime I go down there. My afternoon is spent trying out the little pitchers,

This entry needs to be rewritten.. sorry, I lost it.. ;(

BVG Day One Part ONE

Today.. mmm.. nice wake up before the alarm.. not too noisy for a dorm. I am thinking of the first day of school.. how I want to be prepared with just the right tools, the right attitude, the right jeans.. etc..
The food here is GREAT! Lots of healthy choices.. could get unhealthy though, if consumed in mass quantities. Bkst was a green chili-egg-cheese burrito, mandarin orange slices, and a stiff cup o’ Joe with a bit of cream. Mmm.. Next stop The Short Bus for tools.
As I approach the vehicle I see that someone I know from Tucson is at their car right next to mine. Nice to see a familiar face from the Tucson clay world. She seemed in a big hurry out of here and didn’t have time to chat. ;(
I take my load into the studio. I had walked through this perfectly empty studio late last nite. It was open and airy and full of emptiness that I knew would reveal some amazing work very soon. This is not the scary place I walked into this morning. There were SOOOOOO many people, I almost thought there would be no air. The organized chaos evolves into a quietly attentive amazingly diverse group of people. They seem to come from all over, and I think there are 30 of them. Plus 3 darling lab techs. There is an amazing woman, Sheri Leigh O'Conner, at the helm here and she seems to have this place under her thumb. Bill vanGilder tops out the bunch.. Talk about Darling!
I land on what I think is the very last open wheel. I have no idea if it works or what is up. NOTE TO SELF: Next time you walk into a throwing class the nite before it starts.. CLAIM YOUR WHEEL!!! I just so happened to land on a tight little Brent, she rocks. I have to think of a name for her.
As I look at the way this class is run, it is power teaching at its’ finest. The lab techs are teaching along side BVG. I get the pleasure of Carolyn to my left and Heather to my right. Heather has never centered clay before. She gets it by the end of the day. She is amazing. Makes me think of Leila(one of my students I call my prodigy). Carolyn, also from Tucson, has taken classes with one of my former students who is studying at Pima College. Both are Beginners. Across from me is Dori.. she figured out the rim of the platter, which I have crashed every single time (3) that I have tried it. Rule for the week, is that everything gets 3 tries, then it is time to move on. Further down to my left is Beth?. (some names I am not so good with yet) There are so many people.. I will be surprised if I get to know anyone very well. It is hard not to teach, and I remind myself that I am a student in this class. The gals next to me are getting so much help that I am learning from the lab techs also, there are so many ways to throw. I think of what Galen always told me.. “PUT YOUR BUTT IN THE CHAIR”. There is no way to even figure it out if you don’t try.
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OK… time out from this writing for a sec.. I don’t know how to write, I just dump words strung together out of my brain. I don’t claim to be a writer, but I do claim to want to document my world. I am not sure what this really means over all?!?! I feel like our memories are all we have, my memories are ONLY MY OWN. Yikes.. how sad.. I want everyone to see what it is like to live this awesome life I Iive. I want other people to live just as awesome of a life. Today is ALL we have… so I want to share my day.. be star of my own movie if I may?
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I finally get to greet Bill with a nice hello and a hug. He is very sweet. I do like the way he teaches and his philosophy. I do differ on a few things, but I want to try these new things I have seen him do. I want to give my students more options. I do wonder of I am spreading myself thin by trying to have too many tools in my bag.
He demos a cute little pitcher, a platter with a spring cut design on it's rim, and a squared up casserole …..
More Laters..
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,
Jada

Dorm

8/1 SUNDAY

Oo.. dorm living. Two sets of bunk beds in a room the size of one of my kids bedrooms. I do wonder how 4 people live in here with-out killing each other. I guess when you are younger you are more physically and mentally flexible that you are when you are 47. I unpacked everything.. hung up some clothes.. and put my pictures of my family out. I miss them! I miss home. I miss clay. From being sick I was out of the clay a bit longer that I expected. I will make up for that this week.
I went for a run and totally got lost. I did make it down to the lake. That lake is very very blue. Makes me want to go snorkeling. I read that at times you can see 75 feet down. The lake is about 1600 feet deep and is 39 degrees at the bottom and heats up to 68 degrees at the surface during the summer. It also has 72 miles of shoreline.
Once I made it back to my dorm, I had a little yogurt for dinner. Then I went to explore where the closest bar is. Apparently if you want an expensive drink you go to the Hyatt.. and if you want a “Blue Collar” drink you go to the Paddlewheel. I went and had a “blue collar”drink. I sat at the bar, which I never do, and talked to a couple of golf pros. They were nice and gave me some advice about where to go running and where to go kayaking.
I walked back up to my room, thankful for the flashlight I found in my car. They have these little black top pathways alongside of the roads for foot and bike traffic. It is very pedestrian friendly here.
I am still surprised at the density of people. Peoples personal space is much closer than I like here.

Bakersfeild to Yosemite

Bakersfield.. I came out of my room at about 8:30 and the parking lot was close to empty.. I guess I slept through all of those people leaving. I figured everyone had eaten the free waffle bkfst, but I went down and checked anyway. Wowie.. I got to make my own scrumptious waffle.. I got some coffee and a donut too!! I got packed up and got out of there by 9:15.

The road from Bakersfield to Fresno is flat and goes through the heartland of where we get a lot of our food. There were corn fields, tomatoes and COWS. When I say armpit, that is what I mean. I kept checking my breath and my pits.. but it wasn’t me. Those poor cows.. they all clump together and have to eat through these metal bars. I can’t imagine eating while standing in my own poop! There many are billboards all along the freeway in SPANISH reminding people to drink water?!?!?! I am not sure what that is all about, but the images on the boards looked to be of Hispanic immigrant workers. (I will probably have more to say about this laters)

I stopped at a place called Traver, that makes cheese. The cheese was good, but not good enough to buy since I already have my fave cheese in my ice chest. (Triple cows milk cheese from Costco)(I bet those cows I saw helped make that cheese) I did buy some jalepeno stuffed olives, wasabi almonds, Turkish dried apricots and blueberries! I got some ice for the ice chest and was on my way again to Yosemite.

The road to Yosemite is one lane in each direction. People are good about pulling out if they go too slow. I went through this really long tunnel and emerged to the most awesome view. It was breath taking and brought back memories of my History of Photography class that I took my first semester at the UofA. Funny thing is that I pretty much slept through that class in the darkened auditorium after lunch, and it is the ONLY class I failed at the U. I must have seen some of the images through my eyelids because I frequently see them now and remember about them. Unfortunately, Saturdays in Yosemite leaves little room to park.. ;( I hung my camera out the window and took a photo and kept going.

Second problem for me… I can’t parallel park. So, finding a place to park was horrible. I finally found a place that I nosed into then backed up. I wanted to go on the rafts, but you have to have two adult people at least per boat. Plenty of people in line wanted to give me their kids to take, but no adults. SO, I took my blanket and sat on the side of the stream ate a peach and enjoyed the sun for a bit. I went in the water, but snow melt run off is freakin’ cold, I went all the way in only once.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=76328&id=1478181391&l=57b759eece

Cooper, my cousins’ son, recommended Vernal Falls. I went and had an ice cream and got on the free shuttle to the trail head. I had my running shoes on and started the trek up. UP UP UP UP UP UP UP… This is a vertical climb up. Sometimes it felt I was bent so far forward I could touch the ground. I could definitely touch the steps in front of me as I got closer to the falls. There is a point where you go across a bridge and you can see the falls. I thought that I would just stop there.. I didn’t have the right shoes or the right clothes to go, but once I saw the falls and it said that it was .3 miles to the top I had to go for it. That is the LONGEST and HARDEST .3 miles I have ever hiked. (I should have trained at Wasson Peak at home for this) They were also the most beautiful and breathtaking.. tears and mist were falling from my face as I gazed over the falls. This is where I really can see what an awesome earth it is that we have. This is why people fall in love with this place. The falls spray all over you it is beautiful green and there are rainbows everywhere. The trek is treacherous, I have to stop crying and focus. The steps are slippery and narrow.. there are tons of people coming at me, because I have started this trek very late in the day. Not too many are going up. I pause several times to let people pass and to rest. I really need to be in better shape, but I look at some of these people and I am totally surprised they are still standing!! There are lots of kids too.. and I think of bringing Blaze here.. The sound of the falls is thunderous.. there is so much water and so much of a drop. I get to the top and it is breathtaking to look back.. mostly all I can see is mist. The sun is setting and it seems to reflect off of all the water droplets to create this great cloud. I look around at the top and see the trail goes to a wooden bridge over a smaller fall.. I can see the next falls and Half Dome. People are hiking up there and there are backpackers going up there to camp. (Later in the evening looking up I see lights there, a man asks me what it is and I say campers and he argues with me, and I ask him, “Why ask me then??”, he saw the error of his ways an shuts up) Not to worry, I am not going any farther, at this point in time I am not sure how I am going to go down. My legs are shaking. I sit for a bit, and realize I should head down before it gets dark. Step, step, step, down, down, down… I come to the bridge.. I take my shoes and socks off.. I empty the sand from my running shoes… I think sheesh.. I surely broke them in. I am a bit sad because until now I had saved these shoes ONLY for running. I cool my feet. I turn and see the falls with the light of the sunset. They look so different now. Almost warm and friendly as opposed to cold and treacherous. (dang I love spell check).. I am reminded again of how light changes what you look at … There is still more down, down, down, and more leg shaking. The forest is becoming darker.. it is about 7pm and I wonder if I can still see things in the twilight. Important things like BEARS. I get down to the end of the trail… YIPEE!! I made it and I jump on to the free tour bus. It takes me through several spots I didn’t get a chance to see.. like Yosemite Falls… I do see it from the bus window.. it is awesome.. water dropping that far over a sheer rock wall. I see all the other touristy stuff .. like group camp grounds.. all they way from tents to tent cabins, to motorhomes.. luxury and not so luxury..and some of those 1-800 RV’s. Fancy resort hotels.. and a few info places about the park. THERE ARE SOOOO MANY PEOPLE!! I guess I keep myself very isolated. I cannot believe the density of people everywhere I have been during this trip. AND I am not so sure that Yosemite is as pretty as where my Mom took us camping as kids.. arrgg.. did I say that out loud? The view is more amazing at Yosemite. But I don’t think I would want to camp around that many peoples. Plus there is something about the density of the forest that is very different here.

I ride the bus till dark. I get off at the stop closest to my car. This is where the man questions me about the lights up on Half Dome. It is quite dark and I am very thankful for the miniflashlight my father gave me for xmas.. because this is a mini “Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY” walk. It is about ½ mile to my car. The stars are just starting to twinkle and I can tell that the nite sky will be awesome as soon as the sun crosses to the other side.

I jump in my vehicle and realize I have no phone service or GPS. Hmmm.. 8:30pm.. I think I will get out of the park and head toward my destination. I go through hill and dale.. I am thankful I cannot see because I bet there were sheer cliffs off to the right side of me. I see some amazing things in the dark. A lake with the moon rising above it, the reflection across the lake is to die for. I climb to 9000 feet or so a few times.. one time I pulled off to go to the bathroom, and it was so cold I stayed in and shut the door and kept going until I was at a lower elevation. It was freaking cold.. so, as I travel along, I am getting tired. I pass motel after motel with NO VACANCY. I am tired.. I am hungry.. I want to sleep. NO VACANCY!!! Finally.. 200 miles and almost 5 hours later… I find a hotel on the Nevada state line. I walk in.. it is 1:30am. I ask the gal.. how much for the nite? $90 she says.. she askes me.. just you?.. no pets? .. no smoking? Yes.. I say.. I am figuring in my head that I will be paying like $10/hr to stay in this hotel. YIKES!?!? I must have looked tired or something.. and she says.. $55. Yeah!!!! I GET TO SLEEP!! I sleep till 7… I get up and take a long hot tub bath.. I must get the lactic acid out of my legs so I can sit at the wheel on Monday. I get my act together and hit the road at 11. On my way to the college I stop and get some stuff I seemed to be missing.. like dental floss and the like. I was actually only about 50 miles from the college when I stopped for the nite.

I didn’t work this into my story… I was quite lost after leaving Yosemite. My GPS was not working.. no phone service.. no XM Radio.. NO map reading skills.. I got out my print out from Google Maps and it said what road to look for, I found it. I wish that when you looked up roads in google, it told you what kind of road and what kind of speed to expect to be going. I think that I assumed that every 60 miles took 60 minutes.. but it really doesn’t on a treacherous mtn. highway that closes every winter?!?!?!. Driving that in the DARK took some big balls on my part. I didn’t want to burn up my brakes coming down out of 9000 feet so I only went 35 t 45 most of the way.. I got hungry part of the way through and stopped to have cheese, tomatoes, prosciutto at about 9000 feet. I realized at that time that I could not sleep with just the blanket and pillow I brought, at that elevation. The drive was hard on my back.. I took the donut pillow (I use for my boney butt) and put it at my lower back. I kept hoping along the way that I knew where I was going. It seemed to take forever. Once again my Big Girl Pants had to be cinched up around my waist and I had to deal with my circumstances on my own. I was just starting the slapping of my face and the wild dancing to the music when I crossed the border from CA to NV.. talk about a cross to the dark side.. NV has smoking in their bars!!! They are up ALL NITE.. it was nothing to the hotel clerk that I was there. I was happy to find a place to rest!!! I still had no phone but was able to briefly connect to the internet. I was still lost in the am.. but followed my clipboard instructions and headed in the right direction.

I tooled around, went to a bkfst at about 12. This is my hardy blfst, 3 eggs OM, Hashbrowns sliced potatotes with a bit of onon, hand formed hamburger patty medium rare, two nice hunks of sourghdough toast, with whipped butter and marmalade on one . SEEDLESS boysenberry jelly on the other. Coffe to my fill with French vanilla and plain cream. This is my ideal bkfst!!! It hit the spot!!

AND I had phone service. The Bitch in the Box guided me in. As I got closer I pulled over to get my paperwork on the event I was about to attend.

12 NOON.. Onward through the fog!! I cannot find my paperwork!!! Sheesh.. I call MOM and Brenna.. Brenna is close to my house.. she goes by and looks for my handy dandy clip board.. (I have many depending on what it is pertinent to) She CANNOT find it!! Yikes.. everytime I put Sierra Nevada College into my GPS it takes me somewhere new… OK.. Calm Down.. Hmm.. there on the rt. Is a sign.. mm.. this is looking promising. Sierra Nevada College… I have found it… I start checking Dorms to see which one I am in.. I find a desk and VIOLA’ there is my name and a card for a DORM room!!

More Laters...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE,

Jada