Fire

Phoenix Kiln firebox, EKU Campus

     Okay, I'm misrepresenting a bit. This picture is of the Phoenix kiln at EKU. The wood firing I'll be participating in will be in Waco at a friend's place but I don't have big fiery pictures of his kiln. Yet. Bill's kiln is a Bourry box design. Low-key firing that allows for less stoking, more beer and wine coolers. I have about a dozen pitchers, teapots, cups, mugs, soap dishes and pendants (yes, trying once again!) for this firing. I had tried to play with some pendant designs in porcelain but I thought they came out like shit in the last electric fire. So I've changed direction a little bit. We'll see what happens. I think I'm not cut out for the small fiddly bit stuff. Should the shelves collapse during this firing or some other catastrophic thing occur, I've been told that there will be another wood firing at this same location some weeks from now. As such, I am still making pots. Must take advantage of space in wood firings when you can so that means I'll have many warm, earthy-toned pots for the holiday season. I hope to do some more electric kiln work. We'll see how well I can get my shit together. Oh, and did I mention that I'm still working on sculptures????
   
     I have such a headache. It makes me cranky. I think it's this menopause thing. That plus the incessant inanity of the political landscape. I am consistently amazed at the inherent narcissism of people of a certain faith that they can see their "end times" just around the corner. In their lifetime. Because all of humanity has waited until they were alive to experience it. Just for them. And not for all those other generations before them that were dead certain that the end times were happening to them... and only them. Or... or... this could just be another election and next decade, we'll have to pay our bills again. Chop wood, carry water, people. It wouldn't be so bad except the media has a hard-on for the craziness because it gets ratings. If people can't tell the difference between a presidential debate and American Idol, maybe one network can siphon off some viewers from the other in all the confusion. When does Rick Perry join Dancing With The Stars?

     Latest music offerings have been mostly 70's soul and R&B until this afternoon when I popped on the classical again. Sometimes, I listen to a station that's supposed to be a kind of yoga-type, meditative, new-agey music channel. It plays unobtrusive music in the background that isn't strictly classical and I can get into the flow of working. Helps with the focus. Most of the time, that is, but sometimes it just slides right into muzak and it takes me a few minutes to realize what I'm listening to. Usually the overwhelming thoughts of wanting to kill something alert me to this and I change the station. BAN THE PAN FLUTE. And please, enough with the sounds of waterfalls. Makes me want to pee all the time.
   
     Current thoughts have been gravitating towards parasites, validation and meditation. Not sure what to make of this but I have been working on a small model of my inner eye model of my meditative state. Hrm. I'll leave it there.