Tonight I attended our RS book club. We read Wild Swans, a book I had recommended. To be honest, I was afraid the other ladies in the group wouldn't like it or wouldn't care about the subject matter. Boy was I wrong!! They all loved it. Although it was too long for most of the readers to finish in just one month, everyone had such great light bulb moments reading it. Most of the feedback from the ladies revolved around how little they knew about the Cultural Revolution or about Chinese History. So it was an eye-opening, learning experience for many. I wish there were more books out there that describe the experiences of those who lived through the Cultural Revolution. If you know of any, please let me know. (I've read "The Red Azalea" and didn't care for it too much.)
Next month we are going to read The Red Tent, which I am very much looking forward to.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Big One
I finally got my big piece back from the kiln. It didn't turn out how I expected...at all. I glazed it on the same day and in the same way I glazed the donut piece I posted a picture of a couple weeks ago. It should have been black with white crawl on top. Instead, this is what I got:
Not only is the glaze less exciting than I had hoped, but it's also a lot smaller too. I put it next to my other big piece so you can see the scale of it. Before I put it into the kiln, it was about 21". Now it's about 16". Oh well.
Not only is the glaze less exciting than I had hoped, but it's also a lot smaller too. I put it next to my other big piece so you can see the scale of it. Before I put it into the kiln, it was about 21". Now it's about 16". Oh well.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Mr. Director
This guy --->
...got a promotion at work!!! Can you believe it? Here's the email that was sent out at work...
Andy Pearson has been promoted to Director of Internal Audit for TranS1, effective March 18. Andy’s extensive background in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance programs implementation has proven beneficial to the Company, as we just recently received our compliance certificate. In his expanded role, Andy will be responsible for leading the effort to maintain our compliant position and develop supporting programs designed to ensure the regulatory integrity of TranS1 operations as they relate to financial management.
Please join me in congratulating Andy for the well-deserved promotion.
Congratulations, Andy! I'm proud of you.
...got a promotion at work!!! Can you believe it? Here's the email that was sent out at work...
Andy Pearson has been promoted to Director of Internal Audit for TranS1, effective March 18. Andy’s extensive background in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance programs implementation has proven beneficial to the Company, as we just recently received our compliance certificate. In his expanded role, Andy will be responsible for leading the effort to maintain our compliant position and develop supporting programs designed to ensure the regulatory integrity of TranS1 operations as they relate to financial management.
Please join me in congratulating Andy for the well-deserved promotion.
Congratulations, Andy! I'm proud of you.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I've turned a corner...
So I've been feeling that my ceramics work has gotten a lot better over the last couple of months and tonight, I have proof. Of course, most of the quality and allure of a piece comes down to the glaze--which is a huge gamble. Glazes rarely turn out the way you anticipate. The good thing is that sometimes, the glaze goddess smiles upon your work and you end up with something totally unintended--yet absolutely beautiful. The piece I got back from the kiln tonight is proof of that. It was supposed to have a black base coat with white "crawl" glaze on top--which means the white should bubble up on the surface. This is what I got back:
Sorry folks, but this piece doesn't have permission to leave my house!!!
Sorry folks, but this piece doesn't have permission to leave my house!!!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Book Giveaway
I have joined our Relief Society's book club. So far, I have not been too thrilled with the book selections. But I can't complain because the book we're reading for March is a book I recommended, "Wild Swans" by Jung Chang. I can't wait to discuss it with everyone.
One of the books we recently read was Marley and Me. It has been made into a movie. The author is a journalist by trade, so his writing was really good. However, I'm not an animal person (that's putting it lightly), so I didn't really care for the book. So I am more than happy to give this book to anyone who wants to read it. If you're interested, make a comment and I will mail it to you!!
One of the books we recently read was Marley and Me. It has been made into a movie. The author is a journalist by trade, so his writing was really good. However, I'm not an animal person (that's putting it lightly), so I didn't really care for the book. So I am more than happy to give this book to anyone who wants to read it. If you're interested, make a comment and I will mail it to you!!
Big Piece
I got one of my big pieces back last night. I'm really surprised by the way the glaze turned out (but what else is new?!?). I painted it "Bailey's Red" and then I put "Nutmeg" around the base and the neck of the pot. Wherever I put Nutmeg, it should have been more yellow. However, it somehow had the opposite effect. the middle portion is slightly more yellow and the base and neck are a deeper red-ish brown. Glazing is such a mystery to me. That's why I like Autumn Haze. Anyway, here it is...
You can see how much larger this piece is compared to the stuff I usually do. I put the big one next to a piece I completed a week or so ago. Learning how to combine multiple pieces together in order to get one large piece has really been fun and challenging for me.
I glazed another piece last night. That one is now at about 19". I can't wait for it to be fired!
You can see how much larger this piece is compared to the stuff I usually do. I put the big one next to a piece I completed a week or so ago. Learning how to combine multiple pieces together in order to get one large piece has really been fun and challenging for me.
I glazed another piece last night. That one is now at about 19". I can't wait for it to be fired!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
So Sweet...#2
Just about every morning, when Andy goes to work, I tell him to "Go where the numbers take you." Well, this week, the numbers took him to Massachusetts. He needed to go evaluate the financial records of a company there. He gets back in a few hours.
On Tuesday night, while Andy was gone, the doorbell rang and I was a little hesitant to answer the door. We live in a safe, quiet neighborhood, but...you never know. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I had been doorbell ditched and that there was a plate of cookies, brownies and banana nut bread on the mat!!
I suspect one of my Activity Days girls is responsible, but I'm not sure which one.
In other news, I have been making progress in ceramics class. I have learned how to make really tall pots by combining cylinders together. I've made two pretty tall pots recently and I'm excited for them to be completely done. The tallest pot I've made so far was 20.5" before it was fired. It will shrink quite a bit once the water evaporates, but it's a lot of fun to make big pots. I'll get one back on Monday and the other should be done later next week. I'm pretty excited. In the mean time, here are a couple pictures of some pots I have made recently.
On Tuesday night, while Andy was gone, the doorbell rang and I was a little hesitant to answer the door. We live in a safe, quiet neighborhood, but...you never know. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I had been doorbell ditched and that there was a plate of cookies, brownies and banana nut bread on the mat!!
I suspect one of my Activity Days girls is responsible, but I'm not sure which one.
In other news, I have been making progress in ceramics class. I have learned how to make really tall pots by combining cylinders together. I've made two pretty tall pots recently and I'm excited for them to be completely done. The tallest pot I've made so far was 20.5" before it was fired. It will shrink quite a bit once the water evaporates, but it's a lot of fun to make big pots. I'll get one back on Monday and the other should be done later next week. I'm pretty excited. In the mean time, here are a couple pictures of some pots I have made recently.
Friday, February 20, 2009
An Open Letter...
An open letter to the guy I sat next to last week in ceramics class...
Dear Guy,
I find you to be astoundingly unimpressive. The other day, you jabbered on for several hours about how much you love smoking marijuana, drinking, public intoxication and a host of other immoral behaviors. I was not impressed by your story about how you approached a young, blond-haired girl with dreadlocks at a Lowe's hardware store. You described the encounter by mentioning that the girl was obviously "on her guard", and you found yourself suddenly surrounded by her male coworkers who had gallantly come to her defense. I felt great sadness for the girl who had been approached by you simply because she had dreadlocks and you assumed that she was a toker and you wanted to know if she liked "The Grateful Dead". You were awfully proud that you had become "that guy". The guy who is suddenly old, shameless and is known to hit on younger girls. Although you claim to not have been hitting on the girl, your "friendliness" in assuming she would be eager to talk to a strange old man about her assumed drug habits may not have been as well received as you thought.
I also feel it necessary to wonder how old you think you are. Although you appear to be in your late 40s, your demeanor would suggest that you are much closer to 13. I am unimpressed by your tales of bar hoping, throwing up in the drawer of your nightstand and attending wild parties in order to pick up on "chicks". Am I supposed to be happy for a man who is in denial about his age and responsibilities to his wife and children? Am I supposed to respect a father who sets such a poor example for his 10-year-old daughter? I think not!
I am especially disgusted by your candor in sharing about how, when you were in your early twenties, you "hooked up" with a woman at a party who was in her 40s, married and who had a daughter your age. Not exactly something to brag about, sir. You're sick. You are what's wrong with our society.
Although it may be too late, I sincerely hope that you will try a little harder to be a better father for your children. At the very least, please do not share any of your "Pearls of Wisdom" with them.
Best of luck to you,
Jamie
P.S. Please don't ask to borrow any of my tools. You're gross.
Dear Guy,
I find you to be astoundingly unimpressive. The other day, you jabbered on for several hours about how much you love smoking marijuana, drinking, public intoxication and a host of other immoral behaviors. I was not impressed by your story about how you approached a young, blond-haired girl with dreadlocks at a Lowe's hardware store. You described the encounter by mentioning that the girl was obviously "on her guard", and you found yourself suddenly surrounded by her male coworkers who had gallantly come to her defense. I felt great sadness for the girl who had been approached by you simply because she had dreadlocks and you assumed that she was a toker and you wanted to know if she liked "The Grateful Dead". You were awfully proud that you had become "that guy". The guy who is suddenly old, shameless and is known to hit on younger girls. Although you claim to not have been hitting on the girl, your "friendliness" in assuming she would be eager to talk to a strange old man about her assumed drug habits may not have been as well received as you thought.
I also feel it necessary to wonder how old you think you are. Although you appear to be in your late 40s, your demeanor would suggest that you are much closer to 13. I am unimpressed by your tales of bar hoping, throwing up in the drawer of your nightstand and attending wild parties in order to pick up on "chicks". Am I supposed to be happy for a man who is in denial about his age and responsibilities to his wife and children? Am I supposed to respect a father who sets such a poor example for his 10-year-old daughter? I think not!
I am especially disgusted by your candor in sharing about how, when you were in your early twenties, you "hooked up" with a woman at a party who was in her 40s, married and who had a daughter your age. Not exactly something to brag about, sir. You're sick. You are what's wrong with our society.
Although it may be too late, I sincerely hope that you will try a little harder to be a better father for your children. At the very least, please do not share any of your "Pearls of Wisdom" with them.
Best of luck to you,
Jamie
P.S. Please don't ask to borrow any of my tools. You're gross.
Monday, February 16, 2009
So Sweet!
So even though my birthday was hampered by the flu, I've had a lot of people call and wish me happy birthday. I was particularly humbled when I got a phone call from one of my Activity Days girls. She called and said that she knew it was my birthday and wanted to wish me a happy birthday. I told her that I had a stomach virus and had been throwing up and hadn't even had any birthday cake. Well, very much to my surprise, when I got home from ceramics class tonight, that same girl had brought over a cake and birthday card for me!! How nice is that!?!?! She's only 11 years old and is so thoughtful to have brought me a birthday cake--and with funfetti frosting too!
Fortunately, I am feeling much better today. I'm glad there are no lingering effects from my bout with a stomach virus. I was feeling so well that I met up with Andy for lunch (he had to work today and I didn't) and I planted three fruit trees. So hopefully we will be able to enjoy some apples, peaches and pears soon.
Fortunately, I am feeling much better today. I'm glad there are no lingering effects from my bout with a stomach virus. I was feeling so well that I met up with Andy for lunch (he had to work today and I didn't) and I planted three fruit trees. So hopefully we will be able to enjoy some apples, peaches and pears soon.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
It's your birthday...you've got the gombu!!
I was really looking forward to this weekend. For a couple of weeks, Andy and I had planned on taking advantage of the Valentine/birthday weekend by getting away. Andy always does a great job at planning surprises for me and I was excited for what he had in store. He had arranged for us to go up to Raleigh. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant and spent the night at a Bed and Breakfast that was located next to a beautiful lake. It was really nice. On Saturday, we had planned on going to the temple--what better way to spend a Valentine's Day? After going to the temple, the plan was to head home so Andy could make me dinner. I was particularly excited about that because...what's not to love about Andy cooking dinner?!? And I had specifically requested that he not make Tater Tot Casserole. He also was planning on making breakfast for me Sunday morning for my birthday!
However, I started feeling a little weird Saturday morning and am still amazed that I didn't hork during the session or while we did sealings. As we started driving home, I really didn't feel well. About ten minutes into our two-hour drive home, I threw up. The flu has been going around and I caught it! As my mom would say, "You've got the gombu". So for the last 24 hours, I haven't had anything to eat for fear that I would be seeing it again. I'm achy all over and I'm either burning up or freezing cold. Last night I tried drinking some Gatorade and some Ginger Ale. So far, so good. I'm thinking that in a couple hours, I just might try eating some Jell-o or possibly some oatmeal. How's that for a Birthday Feast?!? Of course Andy's not completely off the hook, he will be making me dinner and breakfast in bed...as soon as I can handle it. You better believe that the glass of Ginger Ale he brought me last night does not count as the dinner he promised to make me.
In the mean time, I'm sitting here at home while Andy is at church (he agreed to teach my class for me). So Happy Birthday to me. Yay!
However, I started feeling a little weird Saturday morning and am still amazed that I didn't hork during the session or while we did sealings. As we started driving home, I really didn't feel well. About ten minutes into our two-hour drive home, I threw up. The flu has been going around and I caught it! As my mom would say, "You've got the gombu". So for the last 24 hours, I haven't had anything to eat for fear that I would be seeing it again. I'm achy all over and I'm either burning up or freezing cold. Last night I tried drinking some Gatorade and some Ginger Ale. So far, so good. I'm thinking that in a couple hours, I just might try eating some Jell-o or possibly some oatmeal. How's that for a Birthday Feast?!? Of course Andy's not completely off the hook, he will be making me dinner and breakfast in bed...as soon as I can handle it. You better believe that the glass of Ginger Ale he brought me last night does not count as the dinner he promised to make me.
In the mean time, I'm sitting here at home while Andy is at church (he agreed to teach my class for me). So Happy Birthday to me. Yay!
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