Morning Coffee and Isolation

I'm having some morning coffee is my favorite local place, Webster's Cafe. Using their Wi-Fi to read my morning news. My news isn't like other peoples. I check the Yahoo Headlines and Featured links, but then I quickly head to my favorite Google Application "Reader" which monitors all my favorite peoples blogs from all the different blog sites on the internet. I have everyone from multiply, a bunch from Live Journal, a bunch from Blogger, and by far the most I have belong to other potters, probably about 60 at this point and from all over the world. So every morning I get my coffee and see what's happening in my world. This morning there are quite a few entries, a potters rant about how badly we need healthcare reform, a nice posting about a new restaurant that came to town, a summarization of someones week at a clay oriented workshop. All kinds of fun stuff! These blogs are keeping me professionally connected. It's like a daily dose of Ceramics Monthly (pottery trade journal that potters crave like crack)

I realized last week why I was having so much trouble staying focused on the work. First..it's not desperate...I have a lot of stock out there, but my goal is to stay ahead. So what gives?

I'm lonely! Isolated.

I used to work in The Creative Oasis all day between customers, but then I moved my studio home and I had Ro in and out all day. Now Ro is spending a lot of time at The Oasis and I am alone most of the day..

I also used to go to a lot of events to sell and I would see my fellow vendor friends and meet customers who often become friends. I don't go out nearly as often. *sigh*

People on Facebook have been asking how I get any work done because I post stuff all day...I do it in between things, often with one finger that I have wiped clean.. it's been my link to people. I like people. I rarely see people now..unless I come to Webster's, or on Wednesdays to teach my class. Now for some people that would be fine...but not for me..wow. I want, I crave that contact.

The internet has me connected to the outside world, fortunately to people I know...this isn't some sordid anonymous chat room pick up :) This is real people..who are also trapped in an office, or at home.

Is that sad? or is it a fantastic solution for a little social contact while working alone?

The End

It's the End of Days. School Days. I forgot. My kid pulled into the driveway at noon today with a girl and I thought he was trying to pull a fast one on me...but no..school let out at 10:30, it was the final day. Hopefully when the grades come in we'll find he is a senior :)

It was a busy day, Wednesdays usually are. Somehow I really get it together to throw on Wednesdays..and then I have to ditch throwing to go teach at The Creative Oasis, then I come home determined to finish my work and sometimes I do..but sometimes I just slack off till morning. I at least have to check on pieces tonight and probably trim some of them. There's supposed to be a salt firing this weekend and I am not sure I'll really have anything for it, which kind of makes me sad but that's the way it goes.

Tomorrow should be a very busy day for me, I have a lot of pieces to finish and more to start. It never ends..luckily :)

Nice day, work hard, play hard.

Our dear friend Mari was here visiting all week. We've been running around and working hard the whole time she was here, so today we decided to take a break and do something fun. I took us all out into the Rothrock State Forest to see the Mountain Laurel bloom. Now I didn't get pictures of the Mountain Laurel( I did STEAL this one from Ro's camera), but I did get pictures of us stopping at Doan's Bones, a BBQ place right beside Whipple's Dam State Park..

When we came back from our adventures, I went back to work and decided that I wanted to do a Raku firing tonight, so I went out and heated up the kiln and when it was dark, we did the firing..it's so dramatic that way. Ro took some pictures of the actual firing (here's a few)
I also unloaded a glaze kiln today. It turned out very well. There are a few shots of those two..I think the pitcher..the blue pitcher..turned out well.

Tomorrow Rowan leaves for a week away camping. Mari heads back home and I am on my own for about a week (excluding the horrible teenagers)

Monday I'll be driving my pots down to Harrisburg to meet Jessa so she can take them off to a festival for the week. We'll also be displaying at the KY Renaissance fair at the same time. I am hoping between the two festivals this upcoming weekend and the two the following weekend we can get our finances in order. Things haven't been the same since we had all 3 vehicles in the shop at the same time in April. ARGH.