Easily Distracted by Shiny Things

I mean one of these days to post a follow-up on the forgiveness post; there's a lot more to say. For one thing, i don't know how clearly it comes across that forgiveness doesn't necessarily mean letting something back in your life that hurt you. And that forgive and forget, when it comes to big things (Or ongoing pervasive small ones), is, or can be, noxious; where memory of the thing forgiven may be essential.

But, You know?

Last wet clay day is Sunday (Except for chili bowls for the final exhibition. We can throw those afterward. But they aren't classwork). Between now and then, I have nine plates I've thrown (All but one trimmed) which all need extensive and complex decoration. Parts of which I don't yet know exactly what they'll look like.

And going through a bout of viral laryngitis that pretty much took me out for a week and has now lingered another week and several days (I'm still coughing - I figure that it getting to me just after I got over a cold had some influence on how long it's lasted), has NOT helped. Okay, I went to the university anyhow after the first two truly awful days -- on the reasoning that the work I intended to do on several of those days - mixing a new batch of clay, several glazes, and a bunch of majolica and stains - involved being in a separate room with a dustmask and ventilators going as often as not.

Thus, I've been hardly reading anything online, and skimming a lot (Which means I don't actually know why Fez sucked so much, Bighairyviking and backpacker_feet; I noted the post in which Keith said it scratched his glasses as a last insult.)

And haven't been at home much. I made darn sure last night was some us-time, even though we were both dead tired, as I don't think I'll see Colin again until Saturday (When I INSIST on getting some home-time AND archery in before I run off to the university to pot).

This term has been... odd. Being thrown by the change in professors was only part of it. One of my classmates broke her arm over Reading Week and thus hasn't been in, and has less been working or able to work. Another broke up with her boyfriend of long standing, has been alternating living with her mother and her siblings, and generally fighting with frustration and depression. One has been even more absent than usual (Absent in her case doesn't necessarily mean not working; she has a studio in the city), and her hours outside of class and mine virtually never coincide, as she works nights, and so comes in mornings, not afternoons and evenings.

In short... well, we're a class of five.

It's felt like there's been less class time, less work time, and less time in general than there really has. I've felt like nothing but teapots even got done until last week, and those were finished a while ago. The group dynamic is no longer as cohesive, which means we can't feed off each other as much.

Plus, the university keeps making odd decisions.

Case in point: The Open House, where all the students show off their work for the year, is usually the Sunday after classes are done (Giving us a week to clean up and set up).

This year, that's Easter Weekend.

They decided to have it that same day anyhow, not to move it a week as we anticipated.

The good news - The Majors Ceramics class have a special extra show in the Gallery (GOSA) in University Centre that same week. (Coincidental but convenient timing - which would also ahve been true of the week after.)

The Bad News - University Centre is usually locked on Easter, and GOSA is locked every weekend.

Anyhow: Easter Sunday, if you so desire, you can stop by the Ceramics building, look at cool art, and buy chili and a bowl to eat it in. I'm "Meh" on the timing, but I always like the day.

For those curious, my final project is a series of nine plates, illustrating this particular bit of grimness:

[Unknown site tag]

My mother she did beg of me,
"Be virtuous as you may be
Your groom is stern, and oft grows cold
To maids who have been overbold."

I stood upon my wedding day
In raiment pure and flowers gay
But Woe! I stood upon the morn
In chains as sharp as nettle thorn

He took me from our wedding bower
And bound me in the highest tower
And though I vowed myself a maid
He swore 'twas I who had betrayed.

And all the night, in dream so foul,
Two wolves into the chamber prowl
Two wolves they snarl and creep and claw
With glowing eyes and hungry maw.

And there I woke at midnight hour
To find a wolf of aspect dour
But never tooth or claw I felt
She lay to warm me with her pelt.

My groom he came, my groom did rage
And locked the wolf in shrunken cage
He struck me as she howled full sore
Then cast me to the tow'r once more.

And soon I found upon the morn
The wolf still howled, but not alone
A second wolf made forlorn cry
Within the tow'r where I did lie.

The groom he came, the groom did rage,
But e'er he summoned guard or page
The wolf who peaceful by me stood
She sprang to seek his own heart's blood.

Through forest grim and mountain steep
Two wolves and one lost maiden creep
To father's hall I found my way
Though wolfen eyes bid me to stay.

My father cried "Thou art not true,
A vision false as mirror's view.
Three daughters had I, fair as day
Three daughters who lie in cold clay.

The biers were built upon their doom
Three maidens lie in final tomb
Their faces still, their hearts gone cold
Three maids who once were overbold."

From father's hall I turned away
And no voice rose to bid me stay
Through forest grim and mountain steep
Three wolfen sisters e'er shall creep.

Reasons why -10* weather is sometimes better than 0 degree* weather, even if the latter means you don't have to wear your gloves so much:

Last night, we had freezing rain. This morning, we had rain. The result? Depending where one is walking, one is either walking fairly normally on the packed crunch snow that still offers some traction, walking tentatively on the packed snow that ha been sprayed and sometimes offers traction, pickign your way over varied terrain with many pauses to inspect the options, walking with exquisite attempts at balance on ice with some pits in it from rain or thaw to steady your boots on (and your hand out to the nearest fence/tree, etc), skatewalking on slick ice, where any micro-dip in the sidewalk means you begin to drift in that direction (Many sidewalks are slanted towards the street. With a boulevard between, often, so granted, not that dangerous, but very disocncerting to try and skate forwards and end up going sideways. Worst, or course, are the placed the sidewalk dips down to cross alleys and streets), or standing utterly still, because you have just attempted to ascend a not-too-horrible looking bit of sidewalk up from the street you just crossed, and discovered that any weight shift at all will cause you to start sliding back onto the street -- if you aren't already gliding backwards, and standing still mostly to not fall as you do so. Oh, and wobbling. lots and lots of wobbling.

Fun! I walked up to Osborne this AM, and promptly turned to get to river and catch the bus that takes me partway. Getting off the bus did result in one of those lovely "Step forward and slide gently right back to where you started" moments. But I was lucky and the sidewalk by the park was mostly good. Also, I was lucky and have reasonably good balance, so while I wobbled lots, I never fell.

It was better going home (Much better; there were whole stretches of sidewalk that allowed for normal walking in the middle! albeit, some of them involved three-inch puddles, not so appealing if you don't have good boots, but I do.), but still a bit too much of an adventure. And of course, the temperature will drop overnight and it will be identical tomorrow. Except that the city might have sanded a few more streets and sidewalks.

But seriously; this weather meant no mailmen. The highways are CLOSED. Driving in the suburbs is also considered a terrifying experience. Downtown has enough traffic, plus the thawing effects of friction heat (This is not a joke.) I could walk Osborne. Stradbrook, a not-unbusy side street? Yipe.

______________________

You know, I think that since I started prodding at Bird of Dusk again, I have officially advanced about three to four scenes on where I put it down last time? And yet, I make scary progress. To be specific, I've gone through and changed *so much*, and added scenes on the way, and stripped scenes on the way, and re-altered the exact course of events, and rewrote so that was logical, then did it again.... (and snuck in a Shadow Unit reference; not exact words but more then recognizable.)

And at this point, i am much happier with things up to about chapter sixteen as I have it broken up now (I've complained before that chapter breaks are unnatural to my thought process).

Howeve, there's a precise point past which I keep needing to fight with the order of events. Short version: I introduce a character who is utterly essential to the story arc, climax, and everything else, at either the halfway and 2/3-way point. Which is a seriously broken writing rule. And even so; when I say at either point, i mean that literally. I can order events to make him show up earlier, but stretch reader credulity further than I like, or set it (And the consequences) up *much better* and have him arrive even later than late.

Clearly I am opting, right now, for the "Break any of these rules rather than do something barbaric" solution. But it feels wrong to introduce someone without whom the story could not stand at all so very late, (And with only one prior scene foreshadowing his arrival.)

So I'm simultaneously trying to forge ahead on the actual immediate battle scene (in which said newcomer is an essential component), and pull straight the tangled yarn leading to it. Some parts of which require me to *know* whether a given other event happens before or after said battle.

Rargh.

______________________

I've spent the last while of pottery making chili bowls for the chili bowl sale we have as part of the final open house. And teaching a friend at least the bare basics of throwing and trimming her own bowls. Which is fun. I do hope they survive; she had a near-disaster with one. On the other hand, she produced recognizeable, if lopsided, bowls on her first day, where I took months of wrassling with the wheel and almost failed first term, way back in 1998. I still remember that when the skill/persistence thing comes up. I've mentioned it to first years this year, too.

(There's a first year class after mine on Wednesdays. Wednesday, there is also dance practice in the evening, which is on University grounds, so I have no reason to leave the university grounds.)

My proposal for my second project this term was accepted (With requests to tweak a few handfuls of grammar), though, so the next thing... well actually, the very next thing, likely, is going to be sitting down with my original sketches (made at Keycon while listening to Jane Yolen's G-o-H speech.) and coming out with feasible basic images. I don't do drawings ahead of time for most projects, but this one seems to be the exception. (I don't outline ahead of time for most stories, either. Except when I do. And I don't write filks. Except when I do.)

__________________________

*Celcius. Where 0 means exactly the temperature where ice and water comingle. Which strikes me as vastly superior, when it comes to discerning the meaning of weather, to whatever basis Faranheit has.

And in most parts of my life.

In the school: This term's professor will NOT be continuing into next year. We've known for a while that they were looking for a candidate for next term to take over THREE classes (Majors, Advanced, and the first year class for a professor heading to East Asia - I can't recall it it's Cambodia again, or Beijing.), but his name was in and we were hopeful. It also looks like it will be the woman whose class I almost took first term, whom I believe to be a perfectly good teacher (So long as I get to throw more.) I was told at one point she wasn't even standing as a candidate, but I've heard several other unreliable speculations as time goes on.

Our current prof has another class, and will be staying on in the building, but it sounds like they gave him that ahead of time, partly because they didn't expect, or intend, him to get the full-time spot.

What annoys a lot of people is that a reasonably popular prof who's been teaching first-year ceramics for a while also didn't even get interviewed. I'm not sure what i think, as I wasn't in on the discussions. I think I'd be happy with any of the above, and likely many of the outsiders they have also interviewed; ceramics has been batting pretty high on good and accessible teachers.

BUt it is going to require a bit of a change in gears.

____________________

Our current Baron and Baroness are stepping down for personal reasons. They don't want to discuss what the personal reasons are -- We have reliable information that they and their families are physically healthy. I have probably reliable information on the details, but will respect their wishes in not elaborating.

I will also, since frisky_turtle sometimes reads this, say I wish them both well, and send my love.

The short version, though, is that we will likely have a Vicar for Twelfth Night (Probably our current Seneschal, Berengaria, who is stepping down then anyhow), and be having a new Baron and Baroness step up in June. Nominations are open until the week before Twelfth Night. So far, I know for a fact of one couple and one singleton nominated.

Colin asked me if we wanted to let our names stand. (Later, someone else asked him the same).

In spite of my fascination with the process (I asked the most questions at the Folkmoot, albeit partly because I suspected our crop of new people might not know enough to know what to ask.) I was uncertain about this. True, it would kick in *after* the currently insane business of my life is done. True that the demands aren't actually *That* high. (We'd have to travel more -- but not necessarily much further, or at great expense. The oaths of fealty aren't problematic in themselves, although they force some of the travel. I already do quarterly reports.)

Also true that there are other plans in our lives which could make our lives even busier sometime in the unknown future. And other complications. And a lot of the things that fall to the Baron and Baroness that are unspoken would add to the muddle: I'd want to hold myself to a higher standard of garb. I'd probably want to get myself a name and personal device I can actually register, which likely means having to change my whole name. It would also mean finessing a number of politics - supporting activities in the Barony is relatively easy, but that's far from the end of it. I'm reasonably good at politics, and inclined to forge straight into them, not hide from them, but that doesn't mean I enjoy them.

(ETA: Of course, I am fully aware that Colin and I have a pretty low chance of being voted in even if we stand - there's a pretty obvious set considered Most Likely to get it if they stand - but if we do, I won't do it just so there's some appearance of competition, I want to think through all potential consequences, and put earnest thought into it. it's a long-term position, after all.)

_____________________

And as for actual politics in the real world? I just hope the budget fails when it comes up again (Unless so much of it is changed that it is no longer the same budget), and the coalition can keep its ass together long enough to kick Harper out.

The finished plates and goblets made it into the kiln on time to be ready for critique tomorrow. I have only the mammoths and some not-schoolwork pieces to finish up over the holiday. (I also need to have some miraculous idea how to evoke an Italian villa's garden with a minimum of cash outlay, but as I won't have that for tomorrow, I'm resigned.)

The first mammoth is virtually entirely done. The second, the one that actually fits with the project (The first one is too large) needs all its detail work still.

But the short version is, school's out as of tomorrow. The fact that the next two weeks involve full time work every day of the week is good, as I could use the money, although it does nothing for the spare time issue.

I've also decided for various reasons to forego Richard Thompson this time through. Issues of both money and spare time have come up. For one thing, I have a sewing project, albeit a quite simple one, I need for Saturday night. (It's basically an over-skirt).

Our house is in serious need of cleaning.

Some reading:

Various - Alternity: a Harry Potter AU

It's broken my heart about fifteen ways already, and it's just December (Actually, i've only read up to November 29th, I think). Oh, my GOD it's good. I'm not wholly surprised (There's at least one published author involved), by it being pretty good, but I'm amazed HOW good, and how hard it is to stop reading, even when I'm DAYS behind and don't have the time to catch up.

Trust me, if you liked Rowling, this take is a vivid re-view of the same world with a much darker lense. If you didn't like Rowling - this probably is still for you, as it looks at several of her flaws face-on, and easily surpasses them.

( is boot an important thing, even if small? )

Galen Beckett - The Magicians and Mrs. Quent

Very good, slightly odd. ( Read more... )

Steven Gould - Jumper

( Read more... )

By a miracle, I've read some books lately.


( Patrice Sarath: Gordath Wood )
________________

( artistic endeavour updates )

( Copious Spare time )

I had a long talk with Jeff tonight; a lot of details about what it's like under a hurricane, and about the aftermath. At one point I was listening so avidly he had to ask if I was there; and we're known for interrupting one another constantly (In both positive and negative fashions). Good all around, but he's running low on minutes. Fortunately, weekends are free minutes, so people can still reach him.

Tonight, I finished two of the three bowls still sitting at home from over the summer. The driving instructor (Lawrie) called to say he's sick with the flu, so I did not, alas, get to have the first lesson of the truly nerve-wracking kind. (It's been four years since I last had a driving lesson or got on the road, and this will be in Colin's standard.) Sunday instead. So I get to be terrified for two more days before I end up behind the wheel and discover (Or at least, I did last time) that it's not *that* bad.

It's been days since I wrote fiction; I think this is the visual arts aspect of the brain leaping to the fore, and they'll balance out again a bit later in the term.

The first project at school is going to be so intensive I'm not sure how to accomplish it in time; the deadline in this case is not just the usual professor imposed and more-flexible-than-it-first-looks type, but we're going to do this whole project as a display in the student gallery. I have an idea for the main project (a dinnerware set of highly impractical prettiness, based on peacock feathers), but not so much for the installation (which seems to be wanting to somehow reference Italian gardens, archaic architecture, and Pompeii). Note to self - look at Italy pictures (Cristina's and own) again in detail.

I've been on the Wii Fit a lot, and definitely working out more than I did over the summer... but even accounting for the average rather than the daily weighings, I'm either holding steady or rising slightly. If the latter, I suspect increased muscle, this once. Not that it helps; more muscle or more general fitness I'll take, but losing a few pounds is getting near "must" territory rather than "want" territory.

I keep feeling I ought to have done or to do book/reading reviews - King's Shield should not have passed without comment, ditto the alternity game on lj, and I know there were more books between my last review and Gaudy Night, my present reading - but my brain is not into it.

I've been e-mailing back and forth with Jeff, as my attempt to phone him was less than successful. I've asked his permission to post quotes here. Once I get it, I will, but in the meantime, he's basically okay, as is his apartment.

If you have his phone number, do call him, or try to (Mom got through fine several times, and what happened to me may have been a freak thing for that one night.) Or e-mail him. He wants to hear from people, or so I was told. (If you have neither, e-mail me.)
___________________

Schoolwork proceeds apace. My first project, yay, looks like it will involve as much or more of the finicky little detail I seem to put myself in for. Bunches of peacock feathers! Plus throwing plates etc. Plus, I suspect, an outdoor staircase in miniature.

And the professor this year wants us to put the first project up as a show in University Centre in the GOSA. In late October.

Two reasons to hesitate to go to Regina, now:

One: I'm not sure how work will like me asking yet one more day off.

Two: See above re project full of finicky details. Feathers! And no, this time, real ones won't do, even if you could find me them.

The friend formerly known as abacchus, when he had an lj, took me on the first phase of mandolin shopping today, pointing out the pros and cons of: an actual mandolin, a straight guitar, a "guitar-shaped bouzouki" (Aka, take a guitar, do weird things to it, play it like an octave mandolin), and discussions of other variations outside either my price range or my current interest (Octave mandolin, Tenor guitar, tenor banjo, actual bouzouki, turning a twelve string into a guitar-shaped bouzouki). The theory helped: I could follow most of it (I have some background, if not enough, and while Abacchus gets technical, he does it right; uses clear language, defines special terms, and explains without making one feel dumb.)

I also signed myself up for driving lessons Friday and Sunday evenings. Eek....

Hurricane Ike had an additional bad effect: I also just gave in and set myself a Facebook profile. With the sole intent of being better able to keep track of my friends and relations. Now, does anyone know how I opt out of as many of the horrifically invasive, or nuisancical applications and nonsense as possible?

Off to do a bit of Wii Fit, then sleep.

So, I have a standing agreement with Abacchus that he'd give me mandolin lessons.

I'm also contemplating, again, taking a course on the Alexander Technique.

I suspect that, what with ostensible driving lessons and definite pottery, both time and money wise, I can afford one of the above. (Abacchus and I have not talked about compensation, since we never even got to the point of talking about days/times because my summer exploded, but I have assumed I would try to pay him something for it.)

The first would be a *completely* new skill; I have never played a stringed instrument. I'm afraid of the sheer number of ways to screw such a thing up (including not following through), and enthused because I've wanted to learn a stringed-instrument-or-other-accompaniment-instrument-(but-not-guitar)* for some years.

The Alexander technique would likely have benefits to several skill-sets already in use, and also to general health. And would be easier to be sure of some follow through, as it's emphasized that it can be practiced during most other skills, rather than adding a specific practice time outside classes.

I'm just debating which, and there won't be a lot of time to apply the few places that do the latter in the city.


* Don't ask why not guitar. I like listening to reasonably decent guitarists, or those who don't just strum chords. This is all talking about strictly around-the-campfire and in person; where even with the pros present, nobody is likely to be Mark Knopfler. But I always felt it overrepresented. I also wasn't kidding when, after hearing a lute performance, I thought, "That would be so perfect." I also still consider flat drums - bodhran or certain types of native American.