L. P. Skeen on tue 6 jan 04
Gayle,
You forgot one thing on that list.........
Download Calendar Show Application from http://www.living-tree.net
Lisa (who also has orders hanging over her head but too sick to make 'em.
Started on the organizing/entering expenses for taxes; the numbers are
scary.)
----- Original Message -----
From: "claybair"
> things I have to do:
> mail late gifts
> organize and enter expenses
> same for taxes
> clean up the studio
> clean up office
> tear down and box my work display in dining room
> Decide what shows to do this year
> fill out applications
> take slides
> take digitals
> update my web site
> make new work
> upgrade venting on kiln
> deal with the leaded glaze issue
>
claybair on tue 6 jan 04
things I have to do:
mail late gifts
organize and enter expenses
same for taxes
clean up the studio
clean up office
tear down and box my work display in dining room
Decide what shows to do this year
fill out applications
take slides
take digitals
update my web site
make new work
upgrade venting on kiln
deal with the leaded glaze issue
and I am not doing any of it.......
must get act together.......
think I'll go watch a movie......
At least I put suet out for the birds.
Anyone else got the things to do blues???
I thought because I had identified this shut down
last year I would handle it better this year....
Wrong!
Now what movie shall I watch...
Warning......OT haters stop here......
BTW we have about 7 inches of snow outside
Very close to everything and I do mean everything
has been shut down.
Hilarious TV reporting this morning.... a TV crew were
in their truck/SUV reporting on the road conditions in
Seattle. They had camera mounted on the dashboard.
As the reporter was talking about the icy condition of the roads
one sedan slid into another and it was caught live on TV.
The reporter took the opportunity to instruct the public
on keeping a safe distance. The TV vehicle skid slightly
but came to rest against the curb about 25 ft from the
2 cars.
She went on to praise her driver/cameraman for his
excellent driving skills. After a brief pause the TV
driver backed up in an attempt to go around the
2 cars and continue down the hill.
He promptly slid into the rear bumper of the
car that originally slid into the other car.
When he backed up there was a nice
dent in the car's bumper....... All this too was caught by
the camera mounted on the dashboard.... Live....
I got a sinister chuckle..... thinking
about the 'splainin' to the TV station's insurance agent.
Gayle Bair - Almost live from
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
David Hendley on wed 7 jan 04
Like most of the country, we have been pretty chilly in Texas
the last few days - quite a shock after last week's balmy 80
degree weather. Usually, even on cold days we get some nice
sunshine, but today the sun never really came out and it never
warmed up.
I couldn't even think about firing up the wood stove in the
pottery studio and working.
Reading Tony's musings about Saskatchewan made me shudder.
I really don't see how you northerners do it; I have cabin fever
after 2 days.
Remembering the old adage that firewood warms you twice,
I decided today would be a good day to split and stack firewood.
I was still cold, but tolerably comfortable.
Splitting firewood is great aerobic exercise, Kelly. It makes a
lot more sense than walking on a treadmill to nowhere.
I can't help but enjoy a smug silent chuckle when I see some of
my neighbors using their gasoline-powered hydraulic log splitters,
knowing that they will leave early in the morning for exercise at
the gym before work.
BTW, there were plans in the good ole 'Mother Earth News'
a few years ago on to hook up your exercise bicycle to an electric
generator that would, indeed, power your computer.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't do pottery 12
months a year anyway. After knocking myself out for the
Christmas/holiday hyper-buying season, I need a pretty long
break before I can return to the wheel - a week or two won't
do it. Thank goodness I have an understanding boss.
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> I am increasingly convinced that solstice celebrations, Christmas,
> hannukah, divali, new years, etc. are all in mid winter to keep us
> distracted from the drive to hibernate, and the primal midwinter angst.
> We all evolved (in my view anyway) from folks to whom midwinter meant
> some of the tribe wouldn't live to see spring.
Marta Matray Gloviczki on wed 7 jan 04
thank you kelly, for such a wonderful post!
and i feel so much better now,
learning from you that its "normal" to feel
this superslowmo...
yeah, i am in minnesota!
it was below zero for few days here,
and it is really hard to start going...
its so good to know that i am not alone!
stay warm,
marta
=====
marta matray gloviczki
rochester,mn
http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/marta/
http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/Marta.htm
http://www.silverhawk.com/crafts/gloviczki/welcome.html
r horning on wed 7 jan 04
"Anyone else got the things to do blues???
I thought because I had identified this shut down
last year I would handle it better this year....
Wrong!"
Gail, I experience the same thing, Every winter. For me, it has to do
with the cold. I want to hibernate. I thought I would overcome
it this year by building a breezeway to the studio. But after exploring
that option, I decided not to put out that much money.
Maybe next year I will build a hoop breezeway based on kelly's
model.
So I signed up for a ceramics class at the community college
to help me with my malaise. I thought my first class was last
night. I braved the 7 degree cold and was quite proud of myself.
Until I discovered I was the only one there. It starts next week.
I am also requiring of myself that I work out each day.
I have a pilates CD, a yoga CD and an elliptical machine. I do at
least one of these a day. It makes me feel productive even
when I don't go out to the studio. I am actually at the point of
looking forward to the workout.
If this doesnt work, I am moving to a warm climate.
warm regards, rebecca
oh yes, i do still get in to work at 6 each morning. they don't
seem to understand my need to hibernate.
---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes
Jennifer Boyer on wed 7 jan 04
Be patient Gail!
This has been happening to me every year since I started my production
studio in 1976!
It's typical post-busy season doldrums and it just means you can't be
in overdrive 24/7/365.
You need some time to rev up....
This slow period is particularly hard for workaholic types like me....
The inefficiency of lingering over my tea in the morning is horrifying!
But every part of me rebels against overdrive this time of year and
there's nothing I can do until my energy reserves declare themselves
full again....
I just wait patiently and it always works out....
Jennifer, ALL caught up with my Clayart folder, all out of tea....
PS In another profession we might be writing memos to all our employess
to delegate our to-do list ..... ha!
On Tuesday, January 6, 2004, at 10:18 PM, claybair wrote:
> things I have to do:
> mail late gifts
> organize and enter expenses
> same for taxes
> clean up the studio
> clean up office
> tear down and box my work display in dining room
> Decide what shows to do this year
> fill out applications
> take slides
> take digitals
> update my web site
> make new work
> upgrade venting on kiln
> deal with the leaded glaze issue
>
> and I am not doing any of it.......
> must get act together.......
>
>
> I thought because I had identified this shut down
> last year I would handle it better this year....
> Wrong!
>
>
> Gayle Bair - Almost live from
> Bainbridge Island, WA
> http://claybair.com
***********************************************
never pass on virus warnings or emails without checking them at:
http://snopes.com
Jennifer Boyer - Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT 05602
http://thistlehillpottery.com
***********************************************
wayneinkeywest on wed 7 jan 04
Sorry Rebecca...moving to a warm climate is not going to help.
Even here in the tropical US, I get those "winter hibernation" instincts.
I could sleep 20 hours a day, if I let myself....aqnd I have, on occasion.
What to do? Get as much sun as you can (Seasonal Affective
Disorder is a BIG factor in winter doldrums/ suicides I understand)
Try varying your schedule to get up later, if possible, and go to bed
earlier
(a nod to our circadian rythyms). Even a slight shift can help.
Make a big pot of beef stew or chicken soup, or whatever you consider
comfort food for the winter.
Put all your "to-dos" in one list. Tackle the first thing on the list, and
take
great pride in crossing it off.
Go to the next item. Visual reinforcement is important for us clay junkies.
My other trick is to keep a lump of clay in the office. I "reward"
myself when I accomplish one of the tasks on my list(s) by "allowing"
myself the time to make a small pinch pot.
Keeps my hand in clay all day, makes me want to finish that list all the
faster, to give me more time to play with clay :>) My accountant and
clients
are getting used to CDs with clay fingerprints on them
Hope that helps,
Wayne Seidl
> "Anyone else got the things to do blues???
>
> I thought because I had identified this shut down
> last year I would handle it better this year....
> Wrong!"
>
> Gail, I experience the same thing, Every winter. For me, it has to do
> with the cold. I want to hibernate. I thought I would overcome
> it this year by building a breezeway to the studio. But after exploring
> that option, I decided not to put out that much money.
> Maybe next year I will build a hoop breezeway based on kelly's
> model.
> If this doesnt work, I am moving to a warm climate.
>
> warm regards, rebecca
>
> oh yes, i do still get in to work at 6 each morning. they don't
> seem to understand my need to hibernate.
Cheryl Weickert on wed 7 jan 04
It's nice to find others in the same frame of mind. Happens every year the
winter blahs... only thing that helps me is to go out daily in the snow,
and cold to do the chores... take the time to brush the llamas and give
everything treats, a pet here a scratch there. Most people don't notice
that it is staying lighter longer but I do... more time to pot before
putting on enough clothes to stay warm and making myself go out and do
chores and coming in revived... the return of the sun... soon it will be
too busy to think and I'll be wishing for the lazy days of winter.
Hang in there spring will come again.
Pinky, in cold MN
primalmommy on wed 7 jan 04
I am increasingly convinced that solstice celebrations, christmas,
hannukah, divali, new years, etc. are all in mid winter to keep us
distracted from the drive to hibernate, and the primal midwinter angst.
We all evolved (in my view anyway) from folks to whom midwinter meant
some of the tribe wouldn't live to see spring.
I am convinced that it's still in our deepest instinct -- rhythms
overrun by alarm clocks and artificial lighting, bananas in snowy
weather and furnace heat.. but it's there, down deep. I always get a
flurry of industriousness in the fall, and a focus on food -- root
veggies, pumpkin pies, whole grain bread and other comforts. Is it a
coincidence that most of the wildlife in my state has the same burst of
industriousness, the same focus on storing away the harvest? Squirrels
bury nuts, I can applesauce, my mom goes power-shopping. All the same
drive, maybe. Fires feel comforting even with no wolves at the door - a
deep memory.
I get about a call a day after the holidays from homeschooling moms who
are on the edge -- ready to call the bus. At music lessons, scout
meetings, any gathering of kids where moms sit and wait, I am hearing
tales of woe -- can't wait for school vacation to be over -- overwhelmed
by mess, noise, laundry, lists of things to do, frustrating jobs,
uncooperative spouses, squabbling kids. We all forget we went through
this last year, the blues, the arguments, the who-takes-who-for-granted.
And next summer will erase this one.
We have no sun. Some days it forgets to get light out.. just turns a
leaden grey and back to dark before dinnertime. All the work that makes
me happy and bone-tired by nightfall -- gardening, hauling, stacking
wood, digging up flowerbeds -- is a distant memory, as unreal as the
comic-colored veggies in the seed catalogs that have already begun to
arrive.
I wake about 4 in the morning these days, too cold to get up, and lie in
the dark listening to the quiet house, snow blowing off the roof, the
prowling cats... I plan pieces for this or that Call for Entries.. but
in the morning it's back to the work of the day, my plans forgotten
until the deadline has passed. We got a treadmill for christmas and
everyone in the family takes a turn on it, to keep us from going into
pure hibernation mode.. but the absurdity of it always makes me sigh.. a
big hamster wheel for humans who are meant for (as Marge Piercy says)
"work that is real". I spend a mile a day looking out the window at the
bird feeder, wishing the treadmill could at least power the computer, or
a ball mill, or something.. it seems like wasted energy, "walking in
place" like one of those frustrating dreams. But I do it, every day.
Twice on a bad day. Like the mars rover scientist said on pbs about
stress: you can eat too much, drink too much.. or you can walk it off on
the treadmill every day.
Even hunched at the computer or clenched over the wheel, work though it
be, can't satisfy the need.
The caveman programming that got us through the first couple
ten-thousand-years still sees stress and thinks "fight or flee".. sends
a nice rush of adrenaline.. but you can't haul off and deck your mother
in law, you can't physically run from the IRS or a crazy schedule or
general winter willies.. so the best we can do with all that adrenaline
is pull on a warm hat, or head for the gym, and "flee" to our heart's
content.
For christmas we got a new bed. The decades-old, asthma-inducing one we
brought our babies home to was hauled off in the delivery truck, and our
new, impossibly soft, snow white bed is in place. Jeff admits to
thinking about it while he's at work. I have a hard time getting out of
it in the morning, even after three wiggly kids in footie pajamas have
crawled in.
In winter, keeping positive, being cheerful, not getting jittery is a
full time job. A lot of it, for me, has to do with an intentional effort
to choose my focus.
My mother loves the story about the man who told his grandson: "Inside
of my head there are two wolves, fighting. One is negative, angry,
selfish, self-pitying, greedy and discontent. The other is positive,
loving, confident, caring, generous and satisfied." When the child asked
which one would win the fight, the man said, "The one I feed."
So here's how I survive winter -- (when it works... sometimes it's like
wile e. coyote running off the cliff, you do OK until you look down..)
Count blessings. Frost ferns on the windows. Snow days when you don't
have to go anywhere. Tea in a cup that warms cold hands. The one thing
you DID accomplish from the list, not the 14 undone.
Extend the garden season. It dropped into the teens last night but the
collards, kale, mache and scallions are still hanging in there under the
cold frames, which are under the hoop house, which is under the blanket
of snow. I could buy a bag of spinach at the store for cheap, but I need
to smell dirt, pull a weed or two, breathe plant breath. I will get out
my shop-lights to plant seeds under, in the monochrome,
dead-grass-and-thawing-dog-poop season of march.
Slowmo can mean taking time to look into the eyes of the people you
usually rush past.. time to just sit in a rocker with a kid in your lap
and accomplish nothing. I posted once long ago about the ebb and flow of
creative energy, "breathe in" (producing nothing, recharging your soul)
-- "breathe out" (making beautiful things, completing tasks.) For
potters who produce for a living, there are maybe shorter breaths ;0)
load kiln, unload..
I think winter was supposed to be one long "breathe in" -- (down time).
Unlike a professional resume, my creative spirit and technical skill
NEVER go downhill when I take time out. On the contrary, I come back to
the studio better, stronger, with a clearer, more critical eye for where
I was when I left. Those ideas that come up in the wee hours of the dark
come unsummoned, sui generis, and they are good ones.. somewhere down
the road they will find a way to be born, however long the gestation may
be.
Days tick by slowly but they tick by. My dad is nearing the end of his
six week recovery from open heart surgery, and is going to be fine (if
my mother doesn't kill him.. yesterday after making him a low-salt,
low-sugar, low-fat meal she caught him frying ham and eggs in butter.)
By next weekend he'll be in florida where he belongs, to spend the
winter fishing, juicing grapefruit, making ceviche, and fishing some
more.
My kids are older every day, and more independent.. molly put on her
boots, snowsuit and mittens by herself today.. an end of the era where
it took longer to bundle up kids than they actually spent in the snow..
and one day spring will be back and "tiny house, big yard" will again
seem like a GOOD idea. blessings to count.
Sorry about the long ramble. I have been a bit crabby lately myself, and
'when mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". The way I shove my kids out
into the snow every day, my wise husband has shoved me out the door to
have a "play date" with women friends tonight..
hang in, fellow travelers; the days are getting infinitesmally longer
every day.. my hens have started laying the occasion egg, which freezes
and cracks like a pot in an unheated studio (btdt).. the back of winter
is broken.. small solace when we're looking at months of ice and snow,
around here.. and this is the TROPICS next to minnesota or canada..
keep feeding the right wolf, all..
yours,
kelly in ohio, off for hot-soup soup and a tsing-gao beer with a couple
of hilarious women..
claybair on thu 8 jan 04
Found the cure........
Hawaii!!!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
claybair on thu 8 jan 04
Ahhh, David thanks..
you hit the nail on the head!
It's just my nature to have difficulty doing
what equates to nothing in my reality.
I take after my dad in that respect ... he worked
long hours left home at 6am and returned 6pm.
After dinner he would go down to his shop where he
always had something to work on whether it be his
amateur photography, woodworking or fixing anything
we had broken or anything he had found that was broken.
My grandmother said he had "Goldena Hent" ....
translation in Yiddish" Golden Hands" and he did.... a lofty
goal for me!
So since my original posting I started packing up those late gifts,
found a local lab that tests ceramics, made gov't contacts
re: the "safe" low fire lead glaze issue, mailed the bowl to be tested,
ordered a new Axner wheel,
put the jigger arm attachment on hold for the moment,
gone to the dentist, watched several good movies,
picked up a skill I haven't used in 20+ years......
knitting a scarf (like riding a bike!!!!), decided to take
a 25th anniversary vacation to Hawaii, started cleaning
off my desk & organizing my office.
I still have a load of other crap to confront but like the days
which are staying light longer ever so incrementally
so am I.
Clayart has been the one constant for which I am ever so grateful....
You are my rock and on more than one occasion my lifeline!
The exponential learning curve via Clayart in my brief career
as a potter has been better for me than the equivalent
years in college.
Thanks to you....my 3000+ claybuds!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: David Hendley
I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't do pottery 12
months a year anyway. After knocking myself out for the
Christmas/holiday hyper-buying season, I need a pretty long
break before I can return to the wheel - a week or two won't
do it. Thank goodness I have an understanding boss.
David Hendley
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> I am increasingly convinced that solstice celebrations, Christmas,
> hannukah, divali, new years, etc. are all in mid winter to keep us
> distracted from the drive to hibernate, and the primal midwinter angst.
> We all evolved (in my view anyway) from folks to whom midwinter meant
> some of the tribe wouldn't live to see spring.
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Jennifer Boyer on thu 8 jan 04
Jeez, guess I gotta explain my love affair with winter... It's my
favorite time of year! The secret is find ways to play outside. You get
acclimatised to the cold really fast. Having snow helps: I x-country
ski or snowshoe every day if it's above 5 F. Today it's 0 F so I stay
in but it's GORGEOUS outside: the coldest weather is always sunny. A
lot of the happiest Vermonters are outdoorsy types.. Liking snow sports
works well with having a crafts business. You can play more in winter
when your business is slow. I used to sled a lot when the kids were
little: Tim was a sledding freak too and we used to go X-country
sledding, exploring the neighborhood for the best hills... He's 19 now
and I've been banned from watching his kamakazi sledding style due to
possibility of heart attack.... At least he learned a lot about the
wonders of steering under my tutelage: none 'o this sloppy sledding
during my watch! I'll just be sledding solo til I'm presented with some
grandkids.......
And David is right about chores outside. You need to generate your own
heat...
Take Care
Jennifer, owner of ice skates, classical skiis, skating skiis, back
country skiis, snow shoes, 3 kinds of sleds and a BIG garage.....
On Wednesday, January 7, 2004, at 10:15 PM, David Hendley wrote:
> Like most of the country, we have been pretty chilly in Texas
> the last few days - quite a shock after last week's balmy 80
> degree weather. Usually, even on cold days we get some nice
> sunshine, but today the sun never really came out and it never
> warmed up.
> I couldn't even think about firing up the wood stove in the
> pottery studio and working.
> Reading Tony's musings about Saskatchewan made me shudder.
> I really don't see how you northerners do it; I have cabin fever
> after 2 days.
>
>
***********************************************
never pass on virus warnings or emails without checking them at:
http://snopes.com
Jennifer Boyer - Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT 05602
http://thistlehillpottery.com
***********************************************
Lois Ruben Aronow on thu 8 jan 04
The chill has certainly set in here in NY, and I am also slogging my
way out of "slo-mo" mode. 2 much-needed weeks off has got my mind
reeling to organize. Orders to fill......which is GOOD news. Cleaned
the studio to a shine (well, almost) and have started throwing again.
Gotta get the orders out of the way so I can start to work on new
stuff.
I should always have these problems, but gotta get out of the feeling
like I'm treading water.....
************
Lois Ruben Aronow
www.loisaronow.com
Modern Porcelain and Tableware
| |
|
