Tuesday, February 7th

This was one of those “well, it didn’t work the way I hoped, but I never would have known if I’d never tried” kind of firings. I really had high hopes for a series of bowls with lace, but it may not turn out the way I wanted. It may not turn out! We’ll see after I glaze and fire the one that did turn out – that’ll be the ultimate test. Even though I did immediately break a chunk off of the lace after picking it up. Guess I’m keeping that one. Sigh. I’m not sure what to do with the other two bowls (or, if I decide this plan isn’t going to work, the other dozen bowls I have). They’re an awfully adorable shape, though. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

Edited to add: isn’t it funny that there’s about two dozen pieces there but I consider the firing to be a failure because three things didn’t turn out the way I wanted?! 

Yesterday really was a day in “well, everything is going to just not quite come out right.” Not horrifically disastrous, but just borked enough to be annoying. I also had an idea for a series of travel mugs, but I’m finding that there’s a larger learning curve than I thought with the gel paint I bought to use for writing. I’ve tried writing with a paint brush before and am just not happy with the lines; they’re never even. But the gel bottles have a tendency to spooch out a fat wad of paint in the worst places, so I don’t know that I’m 100% happy with these, either. Also I have to write larger than I’d wanted, so I can’t say what I wanted to on some of the mugs. So that’s… back to the drawing board, I guess. Sigh.

I was just about to knock off early yesterday, and watch Red Dawn and get some knitting in, rather than continue to work and maybe make something worse… when the glasses place called. My new glasses were in! I figured I had just enough time to drive way the fuck out to The Maul and get them before meeting friends for knitting… and it’s not like work was so productive yesterday that I wanted to keep doing it. Besides, I really want to be able to see. So, new glasses it was! These are both Transitionals (sunglasses outside, regular glasses inside) and Progressives (fancy shmancy bifocals). So I am old and hip at the same time….? I wore them yesterday even though chicky at the glasses place said that, when I tried them on and had trouble focusing with the left eye, that I should keep wearing my old glasses for the rest of the day and put these on first thing in the morning. So of course as soon as I was out of her sight, I put these on. New! Shiny! And I wanted to try the Transition thing. It was very subtle; I didn’t even notice it happening, and had a moment of “I was robbed! These are supposed to change!” when I looked out over the top of them and was blinded by the sun. So very subtle, but very effective. They lightened up a bit when I was in the car, and then darkened again when I was walking from the car to the cafe. When I first got in the cafe I thought “man, it’s dark in here” (having already forgotten the new glasses, der) but no more dark then when you walk into a dark room from being in the sun and have to blink a few times to adjust. By the time I had thought that out, the glasses had changed again. So, again; subtle when it’s happening, but very effective. This morning far-0ff things are still a little blurry, but not much. She said it may take up to a week to get adjusted, and to come back if it didn’t get better within two weeks, or if I start having headaches.

Today: dyeing yarn, glazing bisque, meeting a friend for lunch, trying to figure out swag for February sock club. And of course, plotting and planning. My brain never stops!