How To Look Good Naked… and Bronze Clay

BRONZE CLAY

Alright, I concede. I'm going to take my few latest pieces and try to sell them "as is"… meaning with the colorful patinas on them. I'm sure my listings will be filled to the brim with caveats, though. Ha ha ha!

Sent out a mailer today letting some of my previous customers know about the latest creations I put on the site. Within minutes the items were already leaving the shelves. That's "yay" for me especially because then I don't have to bother listing these things on eBay, Etsy or Artfire. I really would love to be able to just list on my own site and not spend so much time doing the other stuff.


HOCKEY

Yep, the Penguins are making it a seven-game final series. How exciting! I am not going anywhere Friday night… will be riveted to the tv.



URBAN LEGENDS

I get at least one email each week from a well-intentioned friend trying to warn me or update me to the lastest "thing"… a warning, interesting fact, etc.

Invariably all I do is respond with the http://snopes.com URL pointing out the non-reality of the email.

Here is one, however, that I'd like to share that is NOT a hoax. This really happened. I'm only sharing it because, not only is it odd, but it had a happy ending.



Read more.



GABE'S ADVENTURE

So I get this text today from Gabe, "OMG, I missed my bus stop and I'm going to Alameda!"

Well, I guess that's what happens when you're the last stop before the tunnel under the estuary. He ended up getting off the bus at it's first stop once on the island, but had no money for a transfer or another ticket (OMG I am ALWAYS telling my kids to keep emergency money on them!!!).

The walk home (through the tunnel) took him about 45 minutes. Not too bad. I'm mostly impressed he could find his way home. This is a child who can look in the fridge and not see the gallon of milk in front of his face.


HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED

My eyes were opened to a new television show today… one that I've never seen and will now try to find. It's a British show called "How to Look Good Naked" hosted by Gok Wan.

It's no secret that being overweight is harder on your internal organs than not being overweight, but that doesn't equate with "hate your fat self". Maybe it'd even be easier to lose weight if you loved yourself, body and soul, unconditionally.

I was reading an article that mentions the "speed and drama" weight loss of the hit American show "The Biggest Loser". And the "torture tactics involving crash diets, liposuction, dental implants and hair extensions" of Extreme Makeover.

Shows like this seem almost violent when compared with Wan's "non-judgmental, sympathetic" approach. Apparently he teaches women, not only to love themselves but also how to buy and wear clothes that flatter rather than fatten them… and all without surgery or a teeth-whitening freebie.

One review calls it: "A really positive show that promotes happiness as opposed to making women strive for a media created look."

I'm definitely looking for this show. I love anti-drama.

BTW, there are plans for an America version of the show, but with a different host. Um… just saying'…

All that aside, however, I still want to be a healthier weight. But I'd like to think of these two things separately. Love myself unconditionally… and get healthy.

I have an idea about another project. Another project?! Are you nuts!!!

Gay Animals, New Bracelet Listings, Lovely Colors out of the Kiln

METAL CLAY ADVENTURES

When I go home today, I will have Christmas. Well, it FEELS like Christmas. I open my kiln and sift out the "treasures" from the charcoal.

What did I put in there and what changes/experiments am I up to?

I've got six copper in bronze charms. Although I'm getting closer in my progress to perfecting this skill, I still have much work ahead of me. I did make the bronze parts thicker. But a new problem has shown itself. I thought my molds (stamps?) were deep enough, but I think I prefer to find even deeper ones. The grooves left for my copper inlays are still so shallows. Maybe I'll play with forms rather than stamps next time.

I also have one larger inlay pendant and then my five re-fires (from like a month ago). They were the hollow forms that didn't sinter properly.

The good news is that I used my new tin (do I say "tin" if it's made out of stainless steel?) for this firing. It's a flan pan, actually… and I'll try to get some photos of it tonight so you can see. It's larger in diameter than the table pan I was using previously. It's more shallow and it has a flat lid. All the things I was looking for.

Well, I didn’t take a picture of the new container, but I am home now and I got a picture of my pieces straight from the kiln.




After seeing these colors, I wish I’d put that one pendant in. Well, maybe I can still pull some good colors with my next firing.

Again, very little (if any) ash. I’ll run some experiments and report to Hadar when she returns from her teaching trip. I think her kilns are very different from mine so we may have a new learning curve here.


NEW JEWELRY

Got some new pieces listed! All bracelets…



BTW, made my first bronze clay sale… thanks!!!


And Tango Makes Three

Today in LE, someone posted a recent article that mentioned a book I'd read once. It's the story of Roy and Silo, a gay couple, living in New York's Central Park Zoo—they are penguins—who adopt a fertilized egg and raise the chick as their own.

You may be surprised to find out how often this type of thing happens in the animal kingdom.

The book (And Tango Makes Three) is banned in many places. Why? Because of "the book’s homosexual undertones". I find the use of the word "undertones" funny. Not sure why… or if I can explain myself well, but my first thought was: "Why do they have to be undertones? Why can't someone just write a children's book about same sex relationships?" Well, I'm sure they do, but I guess "undertones" makes it easier to … well, you know.

And, I don't think the point of the book was to try to get children to be gay. Ha ha ha! I think the point was to tell the true story of an awesome, loving happening in New York's Central Park Zoo.

As quoted from National Geographic: " Roy and Silo, two male chinstrap penguins at New York's Central Park Zoo have been inseparable for six years now. They display classic pair-bonding behavior—entwining of necks, mutual preening, flipper flapping, and the rest. They also have sex, while ignoring potential female mates."

Another interesting paragraph from that article: "The bonobo, an African ape closely related to humans, has an even bigger sexual appetite. Studies suggest 75 percent of bonobo sex is nonreproductive and that nearly all bonobos are bisexual. Frans de Waal, author of Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, calls the species a "make love, not war" primate."

What if children's books on hetero-sexual relationships were banned? They could be because they are promoting the idea that only male-female relationships are appropriate. Why not either have nothing out there or have it all out there and let children decide for themselves as they get older and figure themselves out? Why make them feel disgusting and perverted if it turns out they prefer same-sex relationships?

Did they used to try to make left-handed people into right-handed people, thinking being left-handed was a choice and they were choosing wrongly and we must "fix" them?

So… all these arguments about homosexuality being a "learned" response… doesn't the fact that there is homosexuality in nature kind of negate that theory?

Playing devil's advocate, however, you don't want to go with the argument of, "Well, if it's good enough for the animals, it's good enough for me." There are many things that go on in the animal kingdom that are very NOT appropriate for our current society (and most likely never will be).

But I think the fact that there are homosexual animals (and bugs) does make one think it's more of a nature thing than a nurture thing. I don't think people can learn to be gay. I think they either are or they aren't… or they're both (bisexual).

Whether it's part of the natural "master plan" or some difference in the formation of the human/animal brain, this planet has homo- as well as hetero-sexual beings on it. Always had, and I would think always will.

Anyway, this was the latest article.

In 2006, a museum display "Against Nature?" opened in Norway. The display presented 51 species of animals exhibiting homosexuality. "The argument that a homosexual way of living cannot be accepted because it is against the 'laws of nature'" can now be rejected scientifically," said Geir Soli, project leader for the exhibition. "A main target for this project was to get museums involved in current debate; to show that museums are more than just a gallery for the past."

Did you know that: "Almost a quarter of black swan families are parented by homosexual couples."

Not everyone is hard-wired to procreate… and only procreate.


NOT EVERYTHING THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU IS GOOD

Ew… had (or tried to) something really nasty today. It looked good. But it smelled dreadful and didn't taste much better. It was Khichari (mung beans and rice with vegetables, spices and ghee). I'll stick with my Kung Pao Tofu salad instead.


GETTING READY FOR DARTMOUTH

Started looking at the cost of flights (and hotel and rental car) for our trip back east. Eek! Sigh…

Does My Purpose Have To Be Annoying People?

METAL CLAY CLASS TONIGHT

Yeah, it's Friday… and for now that means I go to Hadar's for metal clay class. As usual, I want to weenie out and say, "I can't go to Hadar's tonight! I haven't done anything this week to warrant taking another class. I ran the kiln once since I was last there. The last batch of things I made was a disaster." Etc.

But also as usual, I'll go. I just hope I don't sit there and wonder what to do next. I know I'm behind everyone else in technique, but I am (again and still) going to try copper in bronze until I get it right. Hopefully tonight's the night.

Then if I have time I can fix up my few silver things and fire them tomorrow… or whenever I see the apartment again. Don't see how I'll even be home at all this weekend.

Here's the schedule:

After work today, I go to Hadar's class (6:30-9:30pm)
From there I go to pick up Gabe from Engineering class (10pm)

Take Gabe to SAT testing Saturday morning at 7:30am
Then Monica has to be in San Jose at 9:45am for a Bantam scrimmage
Then she has 30 mins to rest before she does SJ Girls 16U tryouts
Then she and I will go to the bead show
Then back to San Jose for SJ Girls 19U tryouts until 8pm
Go home, get Gabe, and take him to Dublin for 10pm pick up
Get home about 1am

Mon and I leave for SJ Girls 19U tryouts at 6:30am
Gabe goes to work in SF at 7am on Sunday
Mon has SJ Girls 16U tryouts at 9:15am
We should be home around noon

Holy cow! Do we actually have half of Sunday free?!?!?! Yeeha!

I'm really anxious to do two things: 1) Run the kiln a couple of times and 2) Photograph my new bracelets.


BEAD SHOW

Mon and I will go between tryouts on Saturday. I have to pick up some Swarovski for a custom order. And… Mon and I have a couple hours to kill anyway.

Now I have to wrack my brain to think of any of those things I have stored in the back of my mind (never a good idea) that I could "pick up at the next bead show I go to".



DOES MY PURPOSE HAVE TO BE ANNOYING PEOPLE?

Sometimes I wonder if it's my lot in life (or if I *think* it's my lot in life) to try to show people the other side of things. Is there such a thing as a natural born devil's advocate?

I do it with myself… constantly… arguing many sides of issues that cross my path.

But lately I find myself being more vocal… and going out in public (well, on the internet) to explain some of these "alternative" ways of looking at things.

Some people think if you can see many sides to an argument, you are wishy-washy… a fence-sitter. Others think it's an admirable quality. (I see more of the former and not much of the latter.)

Today I voiced off a couple of my opinions on LE. I don't care what people think of what I think, but if I can feel that by all of us sharing opinions, some of us (and I do a LOT) can begin to see from different perspectives, then I think we're onto a good thing.

How many times have I read a post in LE and thought, "Wow, I never thought of it like that."

Of course, most of the time the reaction I feel when I post an unpopular opinion in LE is that (at best) I'm banging my head against a brick wall. And by that, I merely mean… anyone who understands my opinion doesn't gain anything by hearing it and anyone who can't share my paradigm doesn't gain anything by hearing it.

My sincerest hope is there may be one or two people who lurk (read posts, but don't respond) who read all the opinions and maybe say, "Wow, I never considered so many ways of looking at this, but yes, it is more complex and not so easily to pigeon-hole as I previously thought."… or… "I never really considered THAT point of view; I'm glad I heard it because it feels more acceptable to me than the previous way I was thinking."

Shrug.

It's not my place to try to jump in and convince people I have any kind of a better idea for them, but if I can share an opinion that opens someone's mind, then I do feel I'm being useful. And for me, that's better than most of what I do in a day.

And just to show you it's a two-way street (oh trust me, it's VERY much a two-way street), here's something cool I learned from someone on LE. Apparently this is a well-known analogy, but (typical me) I didn't know of it before.

We were discussing how it's actually a GOOD thing to not enable others… as in, if you just bail them out when they're in trouble, they don't learn what they needed to get through that situation.

Now, I'm not saying it's NEVER okay to help someone in need, but I do think it needs to be looked at from the perspective of: "Am I really helping them merely get out of a one-time jam because there's no other alternatives… or am I just putting a band-aid on the problem and within a few days (weeks, months) they will be in the same situation?"

Anyway, as quoted by the brilliant mind in LE, here's the analogy: There's a little boy who sees a butterfly struggling to get out of its cocoon. So, he helps it by removing the cocoon for it. Much to his surprise, though, the butterfly is swollen and cannot fly. It turns out that the struggle through the small hole was necessary for the butterfly to rid itself of the fluid in its body and to strengthen it.

Neat, huh? Remember this one, folks, so you can tell your young adult children why you're not going to lend them this month's rent money.

Dream Interpretation, New Jewelry, And Beads And Jewelry

EDITED TO ADD: BTW, forgot to mention… that thing you see in the lower right corner of the photo cube in the first pic of my last blog post… it's a make-up brush… an unused one. I used it to dust the lint off my plastic before taking a picture (the plastic backgrounds that I shoot on).


BEADS AND JEWELRY

So, as I'm putting things away the other day, I realize that I still have a HUGE stash of beads. Mostly lampwork and gemstones. What to do with them? I don't think I have much interest in just listing them on eBay for sale. How boring is that? So... for awhile anyway, I'm going to go back to just making simple beaded jewelry. It's lovely if not uninspiring to the beader.

In the meantime, I can work on my skills with metal clay.

But really... I'm looking through these beads, just oohing and ahing... and I hate to see them stuck in boxes never to see the light of day. They should be out there, running around on the arms and necks of socialites! Or something like that.

Last night as Mon and I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ... and waited for Gabe to be done with Engineering... I made a couple bracelets. Maybe I'll even photograph them tonight. I have to decide between that, doing some clay, or making more pieces.

Um... in light of the fact that I'm going to Hadar's on Friday, I think I'll make some clay tonight... or run the kiln... or both.


NEW JEWELRY

BTW, I put some new stuff on my website. I'll show you some little pictures here... you can click on them to go to the item if you like. Oh, and my summer prices (as always) are real steals!




There's also this one-penny listing (I think it's up to $10.50 now though) on eBay. It's my miniature Tourmaline briolettes necklace.



If I get a few more things up on the website, I'll probably send an email out to my friends letting them know that there are some new items, my old items are on sale, and I am letting the people who shop at my store have first and best "dibs" on my jewelry as I won't list it on eBay until it's been on the site for a week or two.


SCHOOL
A week from today is the kids' last day of school. Yay! They get to relax and have fun for a couple months and I get to have a smidge of freedom from getting us out the door in the morning.

Also, Mon is going to do most of the cooking for us. I will have Gabe do two hours a day on his driver's education until he is done (before June ends would be nice)… but he only has a week off before he leaves for Los Angeles for a fortnight.


DREAM INTERPRETATION

As one of those people who does not LIKE to dream yet remembers her dreams on a nightly basis, I decided to take the last few night's worth and see what the dream dictionaries say about what's going on in my subconscious lately.

So, taken in order, here's what I got:

In the first dream, the symbols mean I wanted to destroy the pestering and annoying people in my life. At first, however, I had them imprisoned, but then I realized that along with them was a new talent or hobby that will prove profitable for me. I did manage to let the latter out of confinement while keeping the former still locked up. Further symbolism denotes that I can overcome my obstacles.

In the next dream, I was involved in a situation that was complicated or troublesome. The passage of time was released upon me (in groups that signify an increase in my personal power and/or prestige) and I was trying to destroy it (or keep it at bay). My determination and drive in pursing my goals was tested repeatedly but I will accomplish my tasks with great success so long as I am careful not to be too forceful.

In the third dream, the symbols say I am starting to shed my shell or lose my inhibitions. I have a desire to fully express my emotions. There are aspects of myself that are dirty and negative and which I believe to be undesirable and repulsive. I need to acknowledge and express these feelings, even though it may be shameful. I need to release the negativity in my life. I am unwilling to let go of my emotions. And… I have anxiety over money matters and financial security.

The symbol in the final (last night's) dream represents contentment and peace of mind.

Quite the mixed bag.

And why do so many people have the same recurring dreams… or recurring themes in dreams? And is it cultural? Do people in other countries or other socio-economic situations have different recurring dreams than the ones I usually hear/read about?

The recurring dreams I've had since childhoold (recurring at different times in my life, I mean) include:

Losing teeth (was very young… maybe early teen years): Feeling similar emotions in your waking life to those you felt as a child. When you have this dream, ask yourself where, in your waking life, you are not expressing yourself, or where you are holding back from speaking out, or where you are not being heard or where someone is belittling you and treating you like a child, not respecting your views. One of these is likely to be the case.

Levitating/flying (as a slightly older teen): (I got bored of looking up dream interpretations)

Naked in public (sporadically throughout my adult life): If uncomfortable, indicates feelings of vulnerability about being exposed. Your naked dream may be telling you that you are trying to be something that you really are not. Often times, when you realize that you are naked in your dream, no one else seems to notice. Everyone else in the dream is going about their business without giving a second look at your nakedness. If this happens in your dream, then it implies that your fears are unfounded; no one will notice except you. You may be magnifying the situation and making an issue of nothing. Where in life am I feeling unconfident, embarrassed, unskilled? This type of dream is usually pointing out, by the fact that the other characters in the dream don’t really notice, that we are the only one viewing ourself this way, and usually mistakenly so.

Tornadoes coming (as a young adult): Tornadoes or any type of storm can be symbolic of one of two things: either your emotional state or a force with which you must contend.

Car with bad brakes (sporadically throughout my adult years): Is life too hectic, out of control? How could I slow down, act more peacefully and "enjoy the ride"? Is there an important choice (i.e. turn) coming soon in my life where I need to be slow in order to turn safely in the best direction (ideal outcome: driving well & within speed limits, walking peacefully, taking more quiet time to clearly contemplate important upcoming choices so that we don't go off track or crash)?

Back in school (sporadically throughout my adult years): Dreams about school indicate that the dreamer is reflecting on current events in real life and learning more 'lessons in life'. To dream of attending school, indicates distinction in lessons and work. If you dream you are young and back at school indicates a longing to go back to the time when you were happiest.

Crazy elevators (sporadically throughout my 30's): Usually, when people dream of being in an elevator, something goes wrong. You may press the up button and the elevator either drops or flies through the roof. The elevator can represent your progress in life or a certain situation.

Can't complete 911 call (sporadically throughout my adult years): (I got bored of looking up dream interpretations)

Watching airplanes crash (last year): Planes and helicopters generally mean that you want something to happen quickly.

One of the coolest things I remember reading about dreams went something like this: Dreams don't tell you what you should be thinking; they tell you what you HAVE been thinking.



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The New Photo Cube, SRAJD, Copper Clay in Bronze Clay

THE NEW PHOTO CUBE

And as promised (even using a dog for size reference), here is my new photo cube.



Now, if you look at what I purchased (see next paragraph), you will note that I set my cube up sideways. I will correct that during my next shoot. :-P

Anyway, this is what I ordered (including the person I purchased it from… tell 'em Laura Bracken sent ya!).

Things I like about this set up over my previous set up…



The new lights are fluorescent, not incandescent, so I can get them right up onto the sides of the photo cube. With the old ones, they were so freakin' hot I could only leave them on for about 30 seconds at a time and don’t even THINK about getting near the photocube (what you see in the above photo was arranged just to get everything into one shot… normally, the lights would be about 12 inches from the cube… and there wouldn't be a cat sitting in the middle of the cube).

Now, although I didn't realize I was ordering a monstrously huge photo cube, it turns out (as things often do) to be precisely what works for me. When I tried to shoot on shiny black background previously (and no, this isn't a random and unaltered shot… this was the best shot I could get and it IS edited in Photoshop to the best of my ability)…



... not only does the piece of jewelry get washed out, but you can clearly see the outline of the photo cube reflected in the black surface.

Here's the same layout, but shot with the new cube…



... better photo even WITH my photo cube being sideways. Ha! Not a stellar photo, but definitely better than the old set-up.

See how some of the beads are still washed out? I bet I could just adjust something on the camera to fix that some. I (ashamedly) don't do anything special with my camera controls. I say ashamedly because I actually USED to be a photographer. Won awards even. This was back in the day before digital cameras. We were all into SLRs and controlling everything about the exposure.

Ah well… for now, I'm happy with the new set-up. I still haven't tried out my macro light thing. Need to get on that. It'd be way cool if it works the way I imagine it to.

Also, on backorder, I have the riser that Amber Ballard and Shari Sislonski (and others) use… but I hear it scratches really easily (not a good thing with me).

Update: just got an email saying my backorder was shipped today. Yay!



COPPER CLAY IN BRONZE CLAY

Didn't realize I hadn't yet shown you the bronze rocks…





Thanks for all the nice comments (in FaceBook) about the patina on these pieces. Yeah, I know… I have to decide:
A) Keep the rocks "as is" and wait to see how long until the patina fades (which also means not putting it up for sale).
B) Polish them up and use them as bronze rocks in a necklace that I put up for sale

Oh, there is one other thing… doesn't help the current dilemma, but would help future ones… I can do some testing. Wow, now there's a concept.

BTW, my fingernails are disgusting! They are all black under the nail… and my nails are SHORT! Ick… I have to find something to fix this. It's from the patinas and stuff. So that's next on my list of things to hunt for… a system to keep my nails from being black. I did, however, pick up two things this weekend that I'd been wanting. One was a mug warmer (the key was to look for a "candle warmer", not a "mug warmer"… same darn thing but thanks to the Friday Night Ladies I knew where to go this time), the other was a tiny vacuum for cleaning out the ash after a firing. Hadar said hers is meant for picking up seed beads. And sure enough, that's where I found it at Michael's… in the seed bead section. Yay! No more terrifying the dog every time I have to clean out the kiln ash.

Oh, but it gets better (although I feel I already mentioned this)… I just happened across a stainless steel pan that is larger than my current one AND has a flat lid. Yeah, I'm definitely sure I mentioned that.

Now, back to patinas… Barbara Fernald mentions trying to regain some patina via a torch after polishing the bronze. It'll be fun keeping up with her clay experiments. BTW, she also uses Hadar's powders.


SRAJD

I do my data cleaning for the SRAJD organization on Mondays generally. I don't like out-dated info posted on the site so I make sure emails and websites are still working… when I can.

Anyway, I find it sad, in a way, when I have to cross another one off the list. No, they are not removed from the group, but I will remove hyperlinks that don't work. Ew… irks me to go to a website and have too many links not work.

I wonder about each and every one of these people. Did they just change their email address and forget to give me the new one? Do they have a new store and forgot to update that info with me? Did they move? Did they stop making jewelry? And if so, why?


MISC

Kindle sounded kind of cool until I saw the price. The neatest feature (as far as I'm concerned) is being read to… but I can have my MP3 player and my car do that for me.

The latest thing I love and can't get enough of? Ice water. That’s unusual for me. I spent many years liking only room temperature water. Must be the hot flashes. Heh

What a cutie patottie! And is that a black circle right in the middle of his tummy?


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