Get Your Own

Papa's got a brand new bag!

2008-09-03T21:18:00.008-04:00

Come here mama....and dig this crazy scene
He's not too fancy....but his line is pretty clean
He ain't no drag.
Papa's got a brand new bag

(of course that's the kid in it not the papa)

He got mad at me when I called it "a mid-life crisis". (Trust me, do not refer to it as such.)

He got it because he works hard and he wanted something. He does work hard. I agree. He most definitely deserves it.

I wonder what I will get for my mid-life crisis?

A swimming pool?

Right now all I have is a brand new hairdo that I guess I better get used to.

Keeping up

2008-09-02T11:25:00.013-04:00

I'm just too busy to keep up with blogging right now. Johnny started back to school today. Lisa is doing fine in NYC. John is bidding his time until he can get some free time to go see her. I'm too busy to think. Tomorrow I will start my class and I just got a job to do a waterfall and most likely plenty more.

John and I spent about 3 weeks painting our very small living room brown so I could move in my new couch. John was doing it after work. I start and then he wants to do it his way and takes over. My house was torn apart for almost a month. I finally couldn't take it and we both just dug in and got it done. I am going to put a really colorful mosaic right behind that couch. I have it in my head.

This past weekned John's family was here for a birthday/lobster feast.

There were clams too...

and adorable little girls.

Oh yea and some champagne grapes. These 2 never miss an opportunity to pose.

In fact the other day after the shot of me on the couch I asked Johnny would he take a picture of his father and I together.
Exhibit A:

"Boring" he says. "What do you suggests?" says I. His friend Zack is always around somewhere so they demonstrated.
Exhibit B:

Maybe next time boys.

Home!

2008-08-22T13:17:00.002-04:00

I am back from moving my daughter to college. That was really, really, exhausting and hard. John and I totally over-compensating with making sure she has everything. Turns out its hard to leave your kid in NYC. Not for her. For us. She has most definitely got everything she needs thanks to several hundred shopping trips every time we thought she didn't have something she MIGHT need.

John gave and endless narrative of supposedly helpful tips. Last minute parental guidance. 2 1/2 days of it until Lisa and I thought we might just run away screaming and pulling our hair out! He went over and over and over the grid which is NYC. In our final moment with Lisa he was staring at floor and said "I was just noticing the grid of the tiles. If you get me some tape I can teach all you girls the grid of NYC." Lisa and I shared our final (doubtful) look of utter frustration with this man. I KNEW she would be fine. He couldn't wait to get home just so he would have an excuse to call her and say "I'm home." I guess he'd imagined her sitting in her dorm room doing nothing. Not the case. She was on the ferry back from the Statue of Liberty. She had taken the subway (alone), met some friends and went sight seeing. Sweet. I knew she would be fine. What would you be doing at 18 in NYC? And who didn't know it all at that age. We figured things out. She will too. Poor John. Lisa even mentioned the word "stalker" to him. I am pretty sure he will be a very frequent visitor to NYC. Maybe I should say POOR LISA.

On the home front...before we left I asked my 15 year old to make a list of anything special he might want from the grocery store while we were away. He was going to be staying home with his 24 year old sister. Here is the list the smart ass gave me:

Lots of nutritional value there among other things. Besides the fact that there isn't one square of toilet paper anywhere in this house everything seems to be intact. No evidence of a party. Which is really, all I ask.

Here's your full shot Hayden...

2008-08-22T09:52:00.005-04:00

Not exactly a fish Hayden. I wanted to get the feel of leaves floating in a stream. I love this bathroom when its clean and tidy AND the tp is on the holder.

Things I Have Failed to Teach My Children

2008-08-20T22:03:00.004-04:00

File this under failures. Complete and utter. Wow. No matter how many times I have said it, pointed it out, begged, pleaded and yes, screamed, yelled and stomped my feet, I HAVE NOT been capable of teaching my children to put the new roll of toilet paper ON the holder. ON IT.

She's Ready

2008-08-18T21:15:00.011-04:00

This past weekend we drove up to NYC. Lisa MOVES there next weekend but John wanted to go up and walk her around her new neighborhood and show her where things were etc. She has a friend who moved up a month ago and she was with us. Her friend has already figured out the subway and is doing fine. I am so happy that Lisa has someone there though I am sure she will make many other friends.

Saturday was beautiful and as we walked around Lisa had it all figured out very quickly. We wandered through Grammercy Park, the Village, SOHO etc and just enjoyed the day. So much to look at and do. We had a celebrity sighting. I was right next to Dianne Weist
as she went into a store. I waited until we were down the street a little and then told the girls because I was wracking my brain for her name. All I could think of was the lady who was in the Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters and if you can believe this- they weren't even born yet. Of course she's been in PLENTY of other films, plays and TV show and is a talented actress. She won best supporting actress in fact in 2 Woody Allen films. Anyway when I told them they wanted to go back and look at her. I said please just don't embarrass me. They were very cool when she came out of the store just as we got there and then walked right behind us down the street. We stopped at a vendor and she did too. So they got a good look and knew exactly who she was. They were very excited to have had a celebrity sighting.

We enjoyed a great lunch at a sidewalk cafe.

John and I listened to Lisa and her friend plan their new life in the big city. They are going to do it all. It's really going to be a great time in their life. They really are going to be fine. Lucky girls.

As much as I love the city I have NO sense of direction. It takes me forever to understand the lay of the land. Years. I really depend on John when I'm there. I get turned around very easily. When it was time to leave the city Lisa volunteered to drive! Talk about white knuckles. She got us right out of there though. Did fine. I really have no worries.

How the US news media fails us

2008-08-12T08:40:00.002-04:00

It's not like most of you reading this didn't know this but it is really good to see someone speaking out. It needs LOTS of attention. Take the 9 minutes sometime today and watch this.
Thank you to my friend Susun for sending this to me.

Shine a Light

2008-08-11T10:55:00.002-04:00

This is definitely the most fun I have ever had watching a video. I can't recommend Shine A Light more highly.

and this number just blew me away. Buddy Guy...I have no words.

Just remember, I WARNED you!

2008-08-09T16:50:00.003-04:00

If you are, say feeling a little sorry for yourself, or perhaps you feel you deserve a reward,maybe you ran 5 miles,...DON'T, I repeat, DON'T try this ice cream (especially w/fresh raspberries on it). It will render you UNABLE to put a spoon down and quit while you are ahead. DON'T DO IT!

A+ weekend

2008-08-04T12:44:00.010-04:00

My youngest sibling is turning 40. Wonder how that makes a mother feel? I'm not going to ask mine.
Carla and her HUSBAND Scott came for a visit. My brother lives in Dewey Beach and I'm a short distance away. I got to hang on the beach with them for a little while on Saturday and then we went out for a birthday dinner. I mentioned how un-photogenic I am to my brother-in-law so he took pictures of me all night just to prove my point. Carla, always the show girl, poses next to or behind me and looks great in every single shot. Especially the one where she's ACTING like she has cleavage. Oscar winning performance. Meanwhile I am weary of looking like an old hag. But that's what you get for hanging out on the beach for 20 years. I can't imagine a life with no beach.

There are hundreds more but you get the point. She's always cute. Here she is with Scott and my brother Joe.

Here is the photo that made me laugh out loud the second I saw it. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Someone has bad-ass manners. Did he really think he had a chance when I wasn't looking and went for it? I know he didn't think he was in the picture frame. So busted.

We went back to Joe's for cake after dinner. It was a great time and I wish Carla and Scott would visit us more often.

Then came Sunday. What a perfect specimen of a day. John tries to spend Sunday with me and go to the beach. I usually get a half day out of him but this Sunday he spent the whole day with me on the beach. The water was great, the sun was shining....

Turtle Power

2008-08-01T10:18:00.007-04:00

I like turtles. I think they are cool. This story in WAPO today caught my eye. I felt sorry for the turtle with the radio transmitter on his back. But wait. It gets worse. Be sure to read the comments. They are the best part.

For those of you who are time challenged basically the article is about a turtle who was unfortunate enough to have a "scientist" strap a radio to his/her shell to track the goings ons of a turtle through Rock Creek Park which you know is VERY IMPORTANT information to have. Every once in a while the "scientist" goes to visit the turtle which was the case on this particular day. Wouldn't you know the turtle is hanging in a patch of 10 marijuana plants. The 46 year old scientist has "seen" marijuana plant pictures so he calls the cops. The cops monitor the plants and who do they catch but some 19 year old. Duh. They then arrest him for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. They said the 1 1/2lb. of weed had a street value of $6500.

The comments are great but my favorite is:

This is ridiculous. Did you actually look at those crappy little plants? Pound and a half indeed! Those plants might have produced an ounce and a half if the deer (or turtles) didn't eat them first. Intent to distribute? Let's consider economies of scale. If someone were looking to distribute, they'd be planting a lot more than 10 plants, and certainly not out in the open for all to see. BTW, are they all female? Only fems produce buds anyway. Hope this kid gets a lawyer that knows a little somethin' somethin' about this stuff. These charges are complete and total B.S.

This is a sad, SAD story that they're going after a kid for trying to grow some schwaggy weed he's trying to grow with low-grade seeds found in the bottom of a bag of Brown Frown Brick Weed - the same crap that grows in ditches in the midwest.

Priorities people - priorities. The only other thing I can say is that it's good the kid wasn't a black rapper, and not an aspriring "alt rocker" otherwise they'd be getting him with conspiracy and asking for the names of all his gang members.

Utterly absurd. What a waste. With all the gang-related shootings in the Gaithersburg area lately, THIS is where MC Police decides to spend their time...

As a taxpayer and law-abiding citizen caught in the crossfire of the shootings mentioned above, I'm outraged that MC Cops are more focused on going after this kid than preventing murder. So stupid.
8/1/2008 10:03:23 AM

Followed by this one:

Hurray! The Federal Government found marijuana. Too bad they can't find Osama though.

They can with Turtle No.72 on the case. Hero in a half-shell...TURTLE POWER!

This is the kind of stuff that happens even when I'm not on Vicodin.

2008-07-30T10:30:00.003-04:00

Got my stitches out yesterday but he said I'm still not healed and need to continue with the soft food.
Everyday I feel much better but I really can't eat regular food if I wanted and I do so I've tried and it don't work.
Yesterday before my appointment I walked out back to the garden and started weeding like a mad woman. I wasn't supposed to have been exerting myself after the surgery and in that short time the garden was out of control. I couldn't help myself. I figured I was getting the stitches out today so its okay to weed. I had been watching the tube before that and my glasses were on my head and kept falling off. I kept picking them up and putting them back on top of my head but I guess one time I just didn't notice.

So I go to appointment come home. I had made a few stops on the way home and gathered everything up but as I was getting out of the car I dropped my cell phone. I will come back and get that I said to myself.

I put things away and start picking up after others etc. and decide I need to sit down a minute and relax after the traumatic stitch removal experience but I need my glasses to see the images on the TV. Can't find them anywhere.

And where is my phone? I call my phone on the house phone and I don't hear it ringing. Maybe I left it in the car. I walk to the car and search the damn thing. No phone. I go back in and sit and think. Did I go to the laundry room? I walk out there and check. I do all this probably 3 times until FINALLY! I remember that I dropped it getting out of the car and I go outside and retrieve it. DUH.

Back to the glasses. I sit I think. Last time....da, da, da, da,...oh yeah! Garden! Go to the garden. Walk around and around and finally see them laying in the grass. Whew! Put them in my pocket with my cell phone.

Then I notice the huge mess of weeds I left flung everywhere and decide I must put them all in one tidy pile. I collect them all in a few minutes and head inside. I'm gonna fold some laundry now and watch a little TV. I deserve it.

Laundry basket. Check. Cell phone. Check. Glasses....Where the hell are my glasses? I know I put them in the pocket w/the phone. I have the phone. Where are the glasses? I trudge back out to the garden. They must have fell out of my pocket while collecting weeds. Shit. I go through the weed pile. Twice. I call my son out. He goes through the weed pile. We walk around and around. Back and forth from the garden to the house and see nothing. Son gives up. I retrace my steps over and over. Go back in the house and go through the laundry basket. You never know. I go through the weed pile AGAIN. Ahhhhhhhhh! Just when I'm figuring on spending the following day buying new glasses and having them permanently attached to my head or at the very least getting one of those straps my brother had as a kid to keep his glasses on....I spot them. Jeeeeezus, Mary and Josephhhhhh! Icannottakeitanymore!!!!!!!

I swear to you I only take the vicodin at night so either there is just too much floating around in my system or I need some damn solid food or both. The bottom line is you shouldn't keep the stuff around because after an episode like that all you can think is....I need a vicodin.

Hey! Hey!

2008-07-26T09:17:00.002-04:00

Haven't had much time for blogging this summer. Trying real hard to stay focused and keep myself on task this summer. That means no getting lost in cyberspace! Today however I find myself w/a little time on my hands. I went in on Thursday to have a 2 year old root canal checked out that was bothering me and next thing you know I'm having my gum sliced open, bone drilled into and infection cleaned out. I'm not supposed to exert myself. I'm on a liquid diet, not supposed to talk and worst of all I had to cold turkey give up coffee. Actually giving up coffee isn't so hard the first couple days given the benefit of Vicodin. Here's my advice: Go in as soon as the tooth is bothering you. Don't wait, oh say....a YEAR! On the upside I've lost a couple LB's already! On the downside...well let's face it, all this is a bummer but on Wednesday I'm supposed to go see Willie Nelson so I'm just trying to follow doctors orders for a change and get there.

Hope you all are enjoying your summer.

In their boots

2008-07-03T16:03:00.004-04:00

www.intheirboots.com

I surface...

2008-06-27T11:38:00.010-04:00

So my last class of that FAST and INTENSE session was yesterday. I loved the class and learned so much. I struggled through writing my first paper since-I-don't-know-when but I received an A+ thankyouverymuch! I am hooked! I will continue in the fall part time for now. Meanwhile I will look forward to enjoying the too brief summer. I also have to get Lisa ready for her send off to NYC. Everything has backed up on me around here. I haven't been in my garden for a month!!!!

Here is some of the work I did in class.

I love the glaze on this bowl and box.

None of these pieces were made with the benefit of a wheel.

This is my first attempt at horsehair reduction.

Disappointing glaze. I will re-glaze and refire this one.

Raku mask.

Forgiveness and Mark Twain

2008-06-16T10:13:00.004-04:00

"Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it."
-- Mark Twain

I love this quote. I love Mark Twain. What an interesting man. Doesn't something by Mark Twain sound like an excellent summer read. Which one should I choose? What is your favorite?

Two more weeks of class and then I can enjoy the beach and a good book while it's still summer. My favorite things.

2nd week

2008-06-12T20:37:00.012-04:00

I'm tired man. Good tired. I-am-having-so-much-fun. Yesterday we did a Raku firing. Yes, I took pictures. I'm gonna try and post them but I am telling you I am tired so if I pass out in the middle of doing this...well then I'll get back to you. If I didn't have Johnny still in school I would become a full time student. I am contemplating part-time.

So like I said I'm tired. So HERE is an explanation of what Raku is if'n you don't know.
Basically you take your piece of pottery out of a super hot kiln (somewhere around 1800 degrees) and put it in a trash can full of newspaper or sawdust which ignites when the pottery hits it and this reduction process cause all kinds of unpredictable surprises. Big fun.

Hot kiln opened...

Pottery placed in newspaper filled can...

Fire, lid...

Wait about ten minutes and fish pot out of ashes. Dunk in water...

Results...

Here is that same leaf bowl when the kiln is opened before it goes in the flaming can.

For me it was exciting to see each and every piece come out. They were all so different.

That is just PART of one of my days in the last 2 weeks!

That Grad Party

2008-06-12T19:05:00.002-04:00

Here are the pics from the party. The yard was beautiful but we shortly hit by some torrential rain and that sucked but we managed to have a good time.

Food...

Family and friends...

My seesters...

"Hey what's that in the sky?! Is that a funnel?"

Shelter...
(notice how dark it is outside that door)

Thanks to all my friends and family for coming and sharing the "LOVE".

T-G-I-freaking-F!

2008-06-06T07:54:00.003-04:00

I have not felt SO thankful for a Friday in a long time. I LOVE my class. I am learning so much. It is quite the hectic schedule though. My family has caught on and are making the dinner now 2 days in a row. I am SO ready for a little 2 day break.

School

2008-06-03T09:04:00.002-04:00

I managed to get a parking pass AND find my class yesterday! My class is 2:30 to 7 M-F so I will have no time for blogging. I am so busy trying to cram my life in the rest of the free time. The first class was part mind-numbing and part exciting. I definitely learned a few things, felt a little overwhelmed, but I think I am really going to love it. One bad thing. I will be required to write a paper. Oh shit. I haven't written a paper since 1981. I have no clue. Luckily I have a fresh from college graduate in my home whose talents I will be tapping into.

Over the weekend we had a great grad party for Lisa. I will post pictures....um, someday when I have time. Luckily there was a little leftover food because that's what my family will be eating for the next month. Ha!

See ya! Gotta get my assigned reading done.

Houston...we have a GRADUATE!

2008-05-29T08:00:00.006-04:00

One of my friends who also had a child graduating said "I have never seen Lisa so animated. She is ready for New York City." It was such a true statement. She is usually so hard to read. Then again who among us was not overjoyed to be out of High School.

Summertime....

2008-05-27T08:25:00.007-04:00

I don't know why I don't live somewhere were the weather is warm all year. I feel so energized.

I do a little gardening everyday. My flowerpots are all filled.

John's rose garden is AT it!

My garden in the back field is filled with new plants and we planted some new trees back there. It's a great view from the studio.

Speaking of the studio Lisa and I are working on a mailbox. I am really liking how it's turning out.

Here's how the other side will go.

Success

2008-05-22T09:05:00.005-04:00

I made tiles for a clients pool room back splash. She already had hand rolled field tiles in white so I was to make hand rolled accent tiles w/bathing suits on them. I made extra as you never know quite what to expect when you open a kiln. Also when you are using under glazes and glazes the color you see isn't the color it will be so you are sort of painting blind. At least color blind. She ended up taking them all. She loved them. Made my day.

Last night we attended scholarship awards where Lisa received a local Fine Arts Scholarship. We are VERY thankful for that. Somewhere around $600,000 in scholarships were awarded during the evening with at least half of that going to one student. A handful of students were called up again and again. So what I learned during the course of the evening is to get scholarship money you need to be a super extraordinary athlete and/or do LOTS of community service as well as be strong academically. Oh right, and you MUST apply! One lady said she didn't have enough applicants to give away all the scholarships she wanted to. Children, children, children....apply,apply,apply!!!! Give your poor parents a break.

I have one left to go to college after Lisa.

Yes it's a meme...

2008-05-20T18:42:00.006-04:00

and I don't like to participate but my blogging is SO weak lately so here we go. I was tagged by Betmo

One: What was I doing ten years ago?

I would have been in the thick of raising my family. Two teens, 12 and 13, and 8 year old and a 5 year old. Volunteering my ass off and on the verge of change OR a nervous breakdown. Thank goodness it was change that was just around the corner. Although come to think of it there were probably a couple mini breakdowns.

Two: Five things on today's to-do list.

Workout. (Done)

Shower and wash hair for awards night. (Done. Only realized later the awards are tomorrow so I didn't actually have to wash my hair today. dammit.)

Deliver tiles. (Done. She loved them!)

Pick up a few more plants. (Done)

Find someone to pick up pizza for dinner. (Still looking)

Three: Things I'd do if I were a Billionaire.

Pay for all the kids to go to school.

Move my house by the water and add a huge screened porch.

Buy a place in the city.

(Can I please have one more?)
Take Carla on a bad-ass dream vacation for her 40th!

Four: Three bad habits?

Curse like a sailor. (Not proud. Trying to quit but it's harder than quitting smoking.)

Sugar. (also trying to quit this)

Sun worshipper. Not trying to quit.

Five places I have lived

This is embarrassing...
Denver for like a minute 'cause I was born there.
Bowie Maryland
Gaithersburg Maryland
Ocean City Maryland
Bishopville Maryland
Ugh! That is so boring!!!!!

Five Jobs

Gift Wrapper
Waitress
Store Manager
Potters Asst.
Office Manager
Stellar list, I know.

I am tagging (oh yes I am)
Antonio
WT
Chewy
Just Me
Hayden

NO Warp-age!

2008-05-15T09:48:00.005-04:00

Can I just say my first attempt at making hand rolled tiles on my own came out perfectly. Barely a trace of warp-age! I'm pretty proud. AND I have signed up for the summer class of ceramics 101. I want to know what I don't know as I have never been formally trained. Scary. M-F for 4 weeks! It's been a loooong time since I've been committed outside the home M-F. My family is being very supportive EXCEPT for young Johnny who is worried he won't be able to catch a ride to the beach to surf which is the main capacity I hold for him during the summer. When I told him I would drop him off before class and pick him up after or someone else would he quit whining. He doesn't seem convinced. Due to the cost of the class I am kind of 2nd guessing myself too. My supporters keep pushing me forward. They're great.

Here is Johnny and Lisa showing the love at the awards dinner the other night. Rare.