Food Follow-up and "Encouraging News" and Other Stuff

So first-up: The Recipe Follow-ups.

• Cranberry Nut Bread: Dee-lish! Yes, it is a bit "dense" (I'm finding that to be the case whenever I use whole-wheat flour - it's just the nature of the beast). It makes a mighty tasty (and filling) toast in the morning!

• Yummy Friggin' Chicken Salad: Even better after it's been refrigerated for a day or two (and particularly 'nummy on Cranberry Nut Bread as a sammich!)

• Scrump-dilly-icious Potato Leek Soup: Likewise, did seem to get a bit better on day #2 - after the flavors had an opportunity to "meld" in the fridge overnight. Only downside was, I had dumped the excess bacon bits *into* the soup before I fridgimated it, so it was a *tad* on the salty side. Recommendation: Keep the bacon bits separate and dump 'em in only after you've re-heated the soup.

"Encouraging News:" I think I alluded to some Potentially-Bad-Financial/Legal/Tax Stuff related to mom's estate, and my fear that I might get left "holding the bag" for the final bill (resulting in me going to my "Dark Place"). Well, sis did finally respond to my email and gave me a recommendation for an attorney. So I will start my Quixotic Battle over that whole mound o' Stinky Stuff. Not sure if we'll "win" (Gawd knows, I hope we do!). But at least I have been "acknowledged" and sis (whether she likes it or not) will *also* share the financial burden...

So, while I don't like the idea of "owing money" on this whole thing - at least I don't have to fork the FULL amount over (and I am officially "on-record" that: "Worst Case, if we DO have to pay-up, I'll make the first payment, and send the bill for the balance to you!"). Hence, I have moved-away from my Really-Dark-Place...

Annnnd.... In Happier News: I invited Cool Neighbor E to bring her two kids over this afternoon (one is a 2-year old boy, and the other is - maybe 5-6??? - a girl). I had made a few "extra" Christmas Ornaments, and bisque-fired 'em. I called Cool Neighbor this morning and asked if she and her children would like to help "paint" them. "After they're painted, I'll coat them with shiny clear glaze and fire them - and you can have some home-made Christmas Ornaments!"

She seemed most appreciative. It got them out of the house (her husband is in the middle of remodeling their ONLY bathroom - Oh GAWD do I feel their pain!!!). Gave the kids something to do; and they'll have Keepsakes that - maybe - they'll treasure forever!

Actually, I'm pretty-sure that they will. I actually still have a Christmas Ornament that *I* made when I was in pre-school. It's a small styrofoam ball with pinned-in sequins for eyes, a pinned-in bead for a nose, a pinned-in crescent of red construction-paper for a mouth, a red construction-paper cone hat, with a little wadded cotton-ball glued on top (I think there was also a wad of cotton for a beard - but it has long-since disappeared!). It really is a hideous little thing - but I swear I smile, every year, when I re-discover it in my Christmas Box!

No, I don't hang it on the tree. Honestly, I think it would self-destruct! But I really AM glad that I still have it!

(Hell, I wished I'd thought to snap a picture of my li'l monstrosity! But now my Christmas Box is back-up in the garage rafters. Maybe I'll take a pic, later, and post it........................)

So anyway, Cool Neighbor and Kids came over this afternoon. I did ask that they give me appx 30 mins lead-time so I could "get things ready." I basically pulled out a couple little plastic paint pallettes and filled each of the wells with different Liquid Underglaze Colors. Dragged out my "cheap" brushes, and filled a couple of cups with a small qty of water.

My "Child-Tending Skills" are minimal (at best) or (more realistically) non-existent! But I do know enough to realize that a two-year-old-boy is capable of UNTOLD amounts of destruction! I removed all "Potentially-Breakable" items and put 'em well out of reach! (Yet I still underestimated him!!!) (No damage, but anything within-reach got grabbed/removed from the shelves! LOL).

Anyway, they spent about an hour out in the Tiki Shack o' Perpetual Summer and painted just-over half-a-dozen ornaments. The mess wasn't *too* terrible (Thank Gawd for newspapers!).

I'll clear-glaze them tomorrow morning, then fire up the kiln...

Annnnd... In Other News: Yes, on Sunday, I did go to Bay Area Glass Institute and I blew my very own ornament!

I got there early and was one of the FIRST people up! Consequently, I didn't have an opportunity to "chat-up" other folks there and ask 'em to take my picture while I was "Doing the Deed!" So - Sorry! No pictures!

But it was Super-Cool and Super-Fun! I really do like BAGI because of their "Hands-On" approach to sharing glasswork! I know, in the past, I've been to places where you can "watch" glass-blowing demonstrations and it seemed like it was right-up-there with Voodoo and Alchemy. "Not for Common Folks!" But BAGI is very-much "Hands-On" - even if it *is* their glassworkers doing *most* of the work. It's very gratifying to feel like you've at least "kinda" contributed toward the effort of creating something Artistic! I came away feeling like I did *enough* of it to claim that *I* made it!

Heh! I say that now - but I haven't yet seen the Final Product!!!

Anyway, I'll post pics of my ornament - after I pick it up tomorrow...

That's about it for now - other than some "Sad News" about losing a Good Friend. But I'm still "processing" that. I suspect there will be a post about that in the next day or so (since "typing sh*t out" actually does help with the whole "processing" thing). This is the first time I have "lost" a contemporary - and it's hitting me pretty hard right now (Ahhhh.... Yet another part of the "Maturing" process, I'm sure) (F**K THAT! Thankyouverymuch!!!)...

Nahhh... Let's leave this post on a high-note: Yummy Recipes, Christmas Keepsakes for the Neighbors' Kids and My Very Own, Hand-Blown Christmas Ornament for myself... Yes - "Happy Happy!"

(In the meantime, if you have someone you love/respect in your life - PLEASE TELL THEM SO. RIGHT NOW!!!)

XOXOX

-QT

No Self-Immolation... And Bread Recipes!

Okay... On the off-chance that anybody is actually *reading* this blog, I figured I'd better post a quick ("Yeah, right!") update and let ya'all know I'm still alive!

I successfully baked a loaf of bread *and* completed a bisque-firing. And I didn't burn the house down! (Yay me!).

The Electrician came out on Thursday to check on the Lights/Fan Situation (Yay!).

He wandered out back to the Shack while I ran out to the car to pull-out my new light fixture. I headed out to the Studio and yammered to him about what-happened, what-I-did, and yada-yada.

"I was out here yesterday afternoon and everything was working just fine. Went back in the house, came out 20 minutes later, flipped the switch and the light fixture just died! No warning at all" blah-blah-blah "I figured it was a bum fixture, so I bought this new one - and was gonna have my neighbor install or cannibalize it." yada-yada "But when I noticed the fan wasn't working, and since they're both on the same switch, I figured it was something worse. I flipped all the breakers and they still don't work..."

"Oh, and, by the way - Hubbie-the-Engineer - really wants to know the reason for the failure because, well, he's an Engineer..."

Electrician then points out that the fan is just fine.

"Huh?!!"

He flipped the switch and the fan came on - Just Like That!

"No way!!! I *swear* it wasn't working last night!!!"

"Well, was it below 50*?"

"Ohhhhhh sh*t!"

Turns out, the fan (which is an attic ventilation fan) has an integrated thermostat and it won't kick on in cold weather.

So now I feel like a complete dumb-ass!

He offered to re-wire it to bypass the thermostat and hard-wire it to the switch (which really is better. Although - to be honest - by the time the kiln gets hot enough to burn off any toxic gasses, the room is probably gonna be well over 50* - nevertheless....)

Anyway - My first hypothesis (Bum Light Fixture) turned out to be true and he replaced it for me. The Bad News was: Since I provided the fixture, it really wasn't covered under *his* warranty, so it cost me $95.00 for a Service Call.

Fair 'nuff. It really wasn't his fault the light fixture failed. Besides, it's a small price to pay for Peace of Mind, I think......

Annnnd.... On the Plus Side: While the Electrician was working out in the Shack, our maid was cleaning INSIDE the house, so I took that opportunity to *finally* rip out my 'Mater Plants (filled the ENTIRE green-bin!). I felt bad - especially since I *did* manage to find appx 3 'maters that were desperately trying to ripen (Yes, I brought 'em into the house to let 'em "finish!"). But - since temps are consistently dipping into the 30's at night now - it is definitely "time" to say farewell to the Summer Garden and think about planting my cool-season seedlings (that are *definitely* ready to be planted!)...

* * * * *

The Bisque-firing went well. Only one fatality. Lesson Learned: Don't "stack" LUG bisqueware. LUG = Liquid Underglaze. When it heats up, it can "impart" it's color onto other plain-white pieces and/or it can stick together (when LUG is stacked on top of LUG). So I did lose one Christmas Ornament (really, no big deal)...

Since then, I've done a whole lot of glazing and I'm now doing a Cone 5 firing. I'll do another one immediately after that (since you can't "stack" glaze-ware - at all!). I am totally digging my "Remote Thermometer" Skype Action (Kiln is up to 1735* - even as I type!). Firing should complete in the early evening and, hopefully, I can unload it tomorrow...

And tomorrow, I am going to Bay Area Glass Institute to blow-glass and make a Christmas Ornament. That should be Super-Duper Cool, I hope!

Heck, maybe I'll even post some pictures!

* * * * *

Lastly, I promised you some bread recipes (unfortunately, no pictures).

I don't think I can rightfully claim these as my own. Sometimes, when I make stuff, I email the recipe to myself and kinda forget to indicate *where* I found the recipe. Obviously, if I know WHO to credit, I post the link here. In this case, these are OLD recipes and I don't know who to credit. Nevertheless, they're good enough to share, so here goes:

Honey Oat & Sunflower Bread

• 1 C + 2 TBS Water (appx 70-80*)
• 1/4 C Honey
• 2 TBS melted butter
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 C Quick-Cook Oats (just plain ol' Quaker Oats work just fine - just not the "Instant Oatmeal")
• 2-1/2 C Bread Flour
• 1/2 C Wheat Flour
• 2 TBS Nonfat Dry Milk
• 2-1/4 tsp Yeast (make sure it's not expired!!!)
  
• 1/2 C Roasted, Salted Sunflower Seeds

Dump the ingredients, in that order, into your Bread Machine. Set it for a "Standard" Loaf, and let 'er rip!

Makes a 1-1/2 lb loaf of "pretty dense" but hearty and tasty bread...

If dense, chewy bread isn't your thing (and - since I was having such lousy luck with the previous recipe - what-with the bread-machine attempting suicide and all...), I offer up a lighter (but still very tasty) alternative:

Potato Bread

• 3/4 C Milk (I just used 2%)
• 1/2 C Lukewarm Water (I went a tad warmer than 70-80* because the milk was cold)
• 2 TBS Melted Butter
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 3 C Bread Flour
  
• 1/2 C Potato Buds (I used some kinda "Yukon Gold Buttery Flavor" krep - but pretty-much any kinda dried "instant" potato oughtta work. Heck, I might try "Garlic Mashed" at some point, and maybe add some whole garlic cloves to the loaf - just to get all CRAZY)
• 1 TBS Granulated Sugar
• 2-1/4 tsp Yeast

Again, dump everything in the bread machine, in that order, and hit the button (I love my bread-machine!!!). This made a very nice, light(er), soft-ish bread that was good for making sandwiches.

This is another 1-1/2 lb loaf...

Oh Gawd - I made a FANTASTIC Chicken Salad that makes a fan-freaking-tastic sandwich. Think that one's worthy of a separate post...

Okay, still on the subject of bread, I decided to Create My Own Recipe today - and it's in the machine now. I kinda "started" with the Honey-Oat-Sunflower recipe, but modified the hell out of it so I can call it My Own!

QT's Cranberry Nut Bread:

• 1-1/4 C Water
• 1/4 C Agave Nectar
• 2 TBS Melted Butter
• 1-1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 C Quick-Cook (but not "Instant") Oats
• 2-1/2 C Bread Flour
• 1/2 C Wheat Flour
• 2 TBS Nonfat Dry Milk
• 2-1/4 tsp Yeast
• 1/2 C Chopped Walnuts
• 1/2 C Craisins
• Zest from one Orange
  

Dump everything in, as described above. Although - I think it might be better to hold-off on adding the Walnuts, Craisins and Orange Zest until your machine gives you the "Add-Extra-Ingredients-Now" Beep. My machine actually does have that feature - but I didn't avail myself of it. Seems like the machine had a very tough time incorporating ALL of the ingredients during the initial knead (in fact, I had to pull the plug on it, do a little hand-kneading, then re-start it).

I suspect this is gonna end up being more like a 2# loaf (and my measurements of Walnuts and Craisin quantities are probably lower than "actual").

It's on it's second "rise" right now. I'll have to report back on the final outcome. But I suspect it's gonna be pretty tasty! (at least it smells DAMN good!)

Okay, I lied. Here is ONE picture - of the loaf as it finished in the Bread Machine!

And I can Officially Confirm that it is "Delicious!" Yes, it is dense, but it definitely is GOOD! Not too sweet. I wouldn't classify it as a "Dessert Bread" - but it's definitely sweeter than sandwich bread. I'll be very interested to try it, as toast, with my fresh (and Super-Tart) Cranberry-Orange Marmalade tomorrow.

Cleverness versus Cursedness

So... For the most part, I've managed to hold my annual Winter Blues at bay by participating in a fair number of "Nesting/Cooking" type of activities: Lights are up. Tree is up. Most of the Christmas Gifts have arrived and are wrapped.

...And we had the First Annual Gathering of the South Bay Canning Club at my house, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and had a fun "Hen-Fest" kinda day (sans testosterone - DH took refuge on the boat that day!!!). I scored a boatload of yummy jams and chutneys and whatnot - in addition to pawning off some of my Excess. I call that a "Win-Win!"

Last week, Cool Neighbor E left a bag of home-grown blood-oranges on my doorstep (Yay Neighbor!), and I still had a couple of bags of fresh cranberries in the fridge - so I made Orange-Cranberry Marmalade (more on that in a separate post).

And - with all of this fresh, home-made jam - well, I *had* to drag out the Bread Machine (Sorry, I'm not so overcome with "Domestic-Nesty-ness" that I am willing to knead and bake my own bread!)...

But, mostly, I attribute my staving-off of Seasonal Affective Disorder to the fact that I've been spending sooooo much time in my Studio (aka the "Tiki Shack o' Perpetual Summer"). It is damn-near impossible to be depressed in my bright and "sunny" (okay overly-bright-fluorescent-lit) beach-side shack!

Every afternoon, after work, I've gone out there to squish clay, or sand-down my works-in-progress, or (::::gasp:::) glaze stuff. It truly is my own private li'l sanctuary. That's why I built it (err - "had it built!") and it's TOTALLY "Doing it's job!"

OTOH - there've definitely been some "Things" happening that are trying to STEAL MY HAPPINESS - dammit! One thing, in particular, has actually been semi-successful in putting me into a funk. I don't want to go into the details here - but it has to do with some "lingering financial/tax/legal issues" related to mom's estate and the sale of her house. And, unfortunately, it looks like I might be left "holding the bag" (to the tune of several thousand dollars) on that one. Sadly, that particular development has put me into a Very Dark Place...

Annnnd... It's been my experience that Negativity begets even more Negativity (not to get all Ooky-Spooky New-Agey on yer @ss or anything).

I'm certainly no Pollyanna. In fact, I'm generally pretty "cynical" in my view of the world (but - I like to think - in a humorous kinda way). For the most part, I *try* to be a "Glass is Half-Full" kinda gal and, overall, I think I can safely plagiarize Joe Walsh and claim that "Liiiiife's been gooood to me so faaaarrrr..."

But this particular speed-bump has been difficult for me to get over. And I'm working through a pretty good-sized chunk of anger over some - shall we say - "inequities" that have occurred in the recent past ("Justifiable anger" - I should note). This latest development has kind of turned into the proverbial straw...

Anyway, since I can't simply "blow it off" - I've been letting myself go to that Dark Place because the only way to deal with it is to, well, acknowledge it and "Deal with it!"

So, for the past week, I've been kind of letting it simmer (steam?) just under the surface (Warning everyone around me that "I'm dealing with sh*t" in the hopes that they'll, mostly, back-the-hell-off!).

So that's a whole lot of words that expressed Almost Nothing! Heh! But it's kind of the backdrop to my Story Du Jour!

So anyway... Night before last, I had dragged out the Bread Machine and decided to bake a fresh, tasty loaf of Honey-Oat-Sunflower-Wheat bread (again, recipe in a separate post). Evidently, it's been awhile since I baked bread because the "freshest" yeast packet I could find had expired back in September. Nevertheless, I sallied forth, and dragged out my bread flour, wheat flour, yeast, yada-yada, yada-yada, and dumped everything into the Bread Machine to let it work it's magic.

Wellllll, I ended up with a rather - shall-we-say - "compact" loaf of bread that could have easily shattered a window. Or broken a toe if you dropped it. And *something* (I don't know if it was the flour or the oatmeal or sunflower seeds) had obviously gone bad because it smelled funny and tasted even worse! (How do you f**k-up bread???) It made a rather loud (and none-too-satisfying) "thunk" when I dumped it into the garbage can. :::sigh:::

So the next day, I dumped the old flour, oatmeal, and remaining sunflower seeds into the trash and ventured out to Snob Hill. They've got a fairly comprehensive selection of organic "bulk" stuff. So I procured replacements to the aforementioned ingredients.

Forgot the honey though, dammit! (but I did have *just barely* enough for one more loaf!!)

When I got home, I decided I'd try it again. Set-up the Bread Machine on the bar between the kitchen and living room and let 'er rip.

Later that afternoon, I was on a mind-numbing conference call. One that, fortunately, I didn't have to be an "Active Participant" in. So I was able to multi-task!

I got the Most Brilliant Idea of using my Netbook (which has a built-in camera *and* spends most of it's life out in the studio) as a kind of "Remote Thermometer" (actually, more like a "Baby Monitor") so I could supervise the kiln's firing progress without having to run out to the backyard every hour...

(Okay, in case you forgot the blog-post title, we are now - FINALLY! - approaching the "Cleverness" part of my post!)

So I dragged my Netbook into the house and futzed around with the webcam-software to figure out how to capture images. It took a fair amount of futzing, but I got it to work (Yay Me!). Then the more "challenging" part was "How do I get my Laptop to ACCESS my Netbook's webcam software remotely?" I tried using Windows "Remote Desktop" but I couldn't get it to work (one machine is running XP and the other is running Windows7 and I have NO clue how Hubs has the Home Network set-up!). Not sure exactly what the problem was - but I just couldn't get it to work. And besides, I think someone needs to be *at* the Remote Machine to allow access. And - with the remote machine being in the Studio - well, that would kinda defeat the purpose, right?

It's a good thing that my mind-numbing conference call was a LONG one!

Then I did some Googling... (and yes, the conference call continued!)...

Long Story Short ("Too Late!"). I ended up setting up a dummy Skype account on my Netbook. Actually, it's a "real" account (to Skype) but only *I* know the account name - and the "dummy" account will ONLY accept calls from my "real" Skype Acct. I was able to tweak the settings so that it will automatically answer, and display video, when my "real" Skype Acct calls it.

End result: I can Skype my Netbook and look at the display of my kiln-controller (which shows current temperature) at any time. Yayyy Meeee!!!

So, after the conference call ended ("FINALLY!!!"), I set-up the Netbook in front of the kiln and aimed the camera. Trouble there was: The Netbook needed to be set appx 10" from the kiln in order to be able to read the display. The kiln can throw-off a whole lot of heat (it gets up to over 2000*!). I do have a cheap Logitech USB web-cam so I installed *that* software. I can tape the El Cheapo webcam to a stool next to the kiln. End result is the same: I can view the temperature in real-time, but I probably won't mind so much if I accidentally melt a $30.00 web-cam! (I doubt it would happen, but why risk it?)

"Success!!!"

(This snapshot was taken with my laptop - in the house - from the webcam - in my studio!)

So Big-Time "Yay Meee!" In fact, I was soooo tickled with myself I posted it to Facebook *and* emailed DH (who was in So-Cal on business). DH, as I'm sure I've mentioned, is an Electronics Engineer/Geek Extraordinaire - and our In-House IT Guru. And, it is assumed that I, being the wife, am utterly and completely devoid of any kind of "Technical Skills" (nevermind that I am a Business Systems Analyst/Software Designer, by day). Hell, even *he* was impressed that I figured that out - "All By Myself" (okay, maybe with a little help from Google!)...

Well, I think I used up what little "Good Karma" I had left because - let me tell you - it was all downhill from there!!!

So, I've got a fresh loaf of Honey-Oat-Wheat-Sunflower Bread kneading and rising in the bread-machine on the bar (must'n't forget about that!), and I've been running back-and-forth to the Studio. I'm contemplating doing a bisque-firing so I can crank-out some more Christmas Gifts: I still have a few ornaments to fire; a couple of "Christmas Craft Projects" for the neighbor's kids; Some bowls and Snack-Trays that might make nice gifts; and a handful of "Leftover Clay Critters" that I'd squished out of, well, Leftover Clay Blobs...

So I wander back to the Studio to start loading the kiln, and DH calls me to check-in from SoCal. I walk through the door and flip the light switch. "Sh*t!" One of the ceiling light fixtures is dead. "Well THAT sucks!!!" No warning, either. Just 20 minutes ago, it was working fine. Now it's completely DEAD.

Bear in mind, I'm teetering on the precipice of my "Dark Place" and it really doesn't take much to push me over the edge, so that really got me kind of irked. Hubbie's wanting to tell me alllll about his rental car (Mustang V6 convertible) and all the minutiae of his day, and all I can do is think about how peeved I am that "I'm sitting in the dark in - what's SUPPOSED TO BE - My Sanctuary!"

So I'm looking up at the non-functional light fixture, and Hubbie's yammering-on about how the seats and dashboard of the Mustang compare to his Camaro (and I'm registering, roughly, 70% of what he's saying). Then I notice that the plastic diffuser/cover thingie is coming off of the other overhead light fixture, so I grab a broom and use the handle to try to squish the cover back into place "Uh huh... Really? Yeah, they *are* kind of Retro, aren't they?"

Then: CRASH!!!

The diffuser/cover falls to the floor and SHATTERS!!!

At THAT point, I wanted to cry.

(Okay, just so you're up-to-speed, we are in the "Cursedness" part of the post..!)

(But wait! There's more!!!)

So DH wisely infers that, maybe, it would be best to cut the conversation short (after he said he was sorry I was having a bad day - which I *did* appreciate!) (He also suggested an Electrician).

Okay... So then I go in search of a replacement Diffuser/Cover online. No luck.

Then I hop in the car and drive over to Home Depot to procure new light-bulbs (even though I don't think that's the problem) and see if I can find a new Diffuser/Cover. Light bulbs, I found. Diffuser? No such luck.

So I bought a brand new light fixture - figuring we could cannibalize it for parts...

When I returned home, I encountered a rather strange plastic-melting smell. WTF???

Welllllll... While I was at Home Depot (a whopping 15 minutes!), the bread-machine decided to commit suicide. See, when it's in it's "knead" mode, it kind of vibrates (not unlike the washing machine during it's Spin Cycle). Well, somewhere between "kneading" and "baking" the damned thing *walked* off the edge of the counter and fell to the floor - spilling a partially-baked (but very well-risen) loaf of bread onto the floor. Then to add insult-to-injury, it CONTINUED TO BAKE. The plastic-melting smell came from the plastic-hinges where the lid attaches to the machine.

Fortunately, I discovered it while the plastic hinges were still malleable-enough for me to put it back together (and yes, it still works). More fortunate still: I discovered it before it had a chance to trigger our smoke detector (which would contact ADT, who, in turn, would contact the Fire Department), or worse...

At that point, I pretty-much decided that running the kiln would be a Very Bad Idea. In fact, all I really wanted to do was go to bed (and try to avoid injury!!!).

"Tomorrow is another day!"

Soooo... This morning, after a fitful night's sleep, I awoke and tackled work email. I had one lengthy conference call that I would be leading, so I figured I'd print out my documentation ahead of time.

We have a Fancy Schmantzy Wireless Network printer. I figured I'd try to save paper and print "duplex" to the Fancy Printer... Couldn't get the work machine to communicate with the wireless printer :::sigh::: so I emailed the documents to my personal email. Kind of a pain, buttt.... Bring up the documents on my personal machine and send 'em to the printer.

Printer-F*cking-Jam!!!!

So, I wander into the bedroom to attempt to "gently" un-jam the printer - only to leave a small corner behind. Rebooting the printer resulted in, yes, ANOTHER printer jam!

There's some fancy on-board video-tutorial on how to un-jam the printer, but when you follow-it, it kicks out even MORE warning messages ("Yada-Yada Cover is Open!") and, pretty-much, every message: Be it "Printer Jam" or "YaYa Door is Open" or whatEVER results in a Notification-Email to DH...

JeeeeeZUSSS!!! It was only two 3-page documents ferchrissake!!!! Turned into a nearly hour-long ordeal as I dismantled the machine and extricated torn-up confetti!!!

(In the end, I printed them on my crap-tastic local printer. Screw the trees!!!)

By this time, I was pretty-much fit-to-be-tied (and "Oh, yes" - I got an email from Hubbie inquiring about what was going on with the printer).

"Kill me now!!!"

Well, by the time the afternoon rolled around, I decided to TOTALLY tempt fate and started ANOTHER loaf of bread. THEN!!! I went out to the studio - again!

I decided to throw caution to the wind and fired-up the kiln... Went to hit the wall switch to turn on the exhaust fan - only to discover that it, too, was dead. This means it's NOT the light-fixture, but something electrical. I flipped all of the circuit-breakers (including the Main Panel), and re-set the GFI. Still, the light and fan are not working. I've called the original electrician and he will be out, tomorrow, to fix it.

I'm still moving forward with running the kiln (since those circuits are independent of everything else) and monitoring it closely on Skype!

Annnnnd... I *did* manage to successfully bake a loaf of bread without burning the house down.

So maybe, just maybe, my Karma is turning back around again!!!

If I never, ever post again - it means I probably self immolated! It's been nice knowin' ya!!!

Renovation Ramblings - Chapter III: Flummoxed over Fixtures...

Wow! It's been a busy couple of days!

First up: Big Studio Update!

I believe I'd already mentioned that my heat-shields were installed ("Shields-Up, Cap'n!"). Well, last night I did my Very First Firing - Yaaayyyyy!!!

It was just a "burn-in" to season the heating elements and burn off any manufacturing residue (or whatever), but I am here to tell you - My Kiln Works!!

First firing was a "Fast Glaze" to Cone 04 (1945* F). Took just over 4 hours...

99* to go!

It got all glowy-orange inside!

Looked kind of spooky in the dark!

(This was after the kiln had shut itself off, and I was heading off to bed)

Side-Story on the kiln: Right after I'd turned it on, I'd fired-up my Netbook and started making a spreadsheet to track my firings. I am primarily interested in keeping track of firing times/temps and the types of ware (/types of glazes) I am firing. Of course, I'll also be tracking stuff like start-time/stop-time/temperatures and total firing time, right?

Well, DH - ever worried about the PG&E Bill - had poked his head into the studio; Seen that the kiln was on; and IMMEDIATELY said "You need to keep a log of how long and how often you run the kiln!!!" I slid my chair aside and gestured to my computer: "Already started, dear!"

Well, a lengthy discussion ensued, about amperage/voltage/KWh costs/and yada-yada, so I ended up adding a couple of columns to my spreadsheet where I can calculate the total # of hours, % of total power (i.e. "Fast" Firing Profiles will run @ 100% of capacity, "Slower" profiles are slightly less); a column to convert that to Kilowatt Hours; and a calculation to determine HOW MUCH that particular firing cost (Last night's firing @ 4:08 @ 100% of 28amps x 120v, ended up costing a whopping $4.17!).

I wonder if that will show-up on my e-Bill? ;-)~~

Next up: Garden Update!

My cool-season veggies are sprouting!

I only planted 'em on Sunday, but I'm seeing "activity" on all of 'em!

Awww, look at the babies!!!

And last - but *certainly* not least! Bathroom Update:

Di came over today and "blessed" my Tile Selections (Yayyyy!). She agreed that the Goldilocks floor tile was too dark and waaaaay too expensive. So she (wisely!) told me to leave the non-contenders at home. "Don't EVEN tempt yourself!" So we took the "Final" tiles to the bath showroom today and selected the grout colors. #365 "Canvas" for the tub surround (pale beige that is a dead-on match for the tub tiles, and will complement the mosaics nicely), and #50 "Nutmeg" - which really is the color of nutmeg - for the floor tiles (which will be laid on the diagonal). It will make the tiles "pop" very nicely. Grout Selection went AMAZINGLY well!

Faucets/Fixtures have been selected (Yayyyyy!!!):

Delta "Dryden" Line - Sink Faucet

And matching Tub/Shower trim.

I had a $550.00 allowance for faucet/shower/bath stuff - and that would have been the "Lahara" Line from Delta. I probably could have done brushed nickel with minimal impact $ to the budget, but Lahara really didn't speak-to-me like the Dryden line did. Actually, had I just left-off with this, the budget probably would have been fine. But, I wanted a separate hand-shower, as well. The Dryden hand-shower didn't have a lot of "features" to it, so I ended up adding this baby:

Grohe "Euphoria" Euro-Style hand-shower

It has three different spray patterns. And mounts to the wall with a Euro-Style sliding bar assembly. And it has a built-in soap-dish. (Although we are having a niche built into the bathtub wall, as well).

I really, really like it. Even though it threw me ~$100.00 over budget (Ooooops!)

Shower door :::sigh:::: is still "TBD. This is one that I found at OSH (Orchard Supply Hardware which, I think, is just a California chain. *Not* a Big Box Store).

The glass pattern is called "Radiance"

I like the "squares" and the fact that it's semi-obscure glass.

It comes in two styles. This one, and one that's more "Euro-Style" (with a more "rounded" handle). Both of them are "frame-less" - which makes for a much cleaner look. I checked with AKB today and it looks like I've got a $240.00 allowance for the shower door. The one they offer is also frameless - with totally clear glass, or with a couple of choices of patterned/obscure glass (none of which thrill me as much as this glass pattern does). I need to go back to OSH, tomorrow, to see how much this shower door is gonna cost...

And Lastly (Eeeeeeek!!!) I just learned TODAY that I need to make my paint selection *earlier* rather than later. Seems that they like to complete the painting BEFORE the tiles go up (Makes sense, less "cutwork" to do). But I was rather hoping that could wait 'til after the tiles and new light fixtures were in (and I could see the general "tone" of the room).

No such luck!!!

Aaaaaack!!!! Too many choices!!!!

The good news is: I have a million colors to choose from - with the mosaic tiles.

The bad news is: I have a million colors to choose from!!!

Guess who's gonna be hitting Kelly Moore this weekend to pick-up itty-bitty paint samples???

Job Starts Monday (Oh My GAWD!!!)

Running Out of Excuses....

So, Good-Neighbor-Bri stopped by this evening...

See, I'd asked him, several weeks ago, if he would be willing to install the "heat-shields" on the Kiln-Korner Walls of my Studio - and he graciously agreed to assist...

Of course, he's got a full-time job of workin'-for-a-livin', and raising-a-family, and havin'-a-life, so he wasn't able to get to My Project right away... No worries!!!

So... Late this afternoon there was a light tap-tap-tapping at my door.... It was Good-Neighbor-Bri, asking if now was a good time to tackle my project.

Hell yeah!!!

So we wandered out back...

Well, Bri was unaware of our "Close the Garden Gate IMMEDIATELY" rule and, well, Tazz-The-Spazz (aka "Food-Hoe") managed to make her way back into the garden - AGAIN! And NOTHING (Not even the threat of Nuclear Holocaust) (aka "Momma's Wrath") would lure her out...

:::sigh:::

Fatty McTazz - Round II!

On the Plus Side: I *did* get my Heat-Shields installed! And Bri *even* moved the kiln out - from the living room (no more toe-stubbing!!!), to The Studio!!!

And - partial-payment - was a jar of my Most-Coveted Sweet-Corn-Apple-Relish (I *really* do have to make a second batch of that sh*t! It is WAAAAAYYYYY too good - and I *don't* want to run-out!!!)

Kiln and Heat-Shields, installed!

Sooooo... Other than re-arranging the cement blocks, under the kiln (which are uneven and the kiln kinda "rocks" a bit - oops!), I have officially run-out of excuses for NOT using my studio!!!

I'll still have bisque-firing (which takes 17 hrs!) done at "The Studio." But now I can do my own "final" mid-fire (or even high-fire) firings @ home!!!

Yayyyyy!!!! The Tiki-Shack / Studio is - officially - "Complete!!!"

Life! Is Good!!!

More Randomness...

"Stuff"

So, just for sh*ts and grins, I've been watching old episodes of the A&E TV Series "Hoarders." I find the show positively fascinating. In part, because I'm driven by that same morbid curiosity that makes you slow down and gawk at car-wrecks, but [mostly] because certain members of my family could be featured on that show!

I'm not going to "air dirty laundry" however (I'd need a totally separate / completely anonymous blog for that!). I will say that it's definitely not as bad as *the worst* of the Hoarders episodes (no vermin or bug infestations), but when mom's house was put on the market, we filled TWO 15x25 foot storage lockers (We're talking to-the-ceiling-without-an-inch-to-spare) (I *wish* I was exaggerating!) with "stuff."

And that's all I'm gonna say about THAT!

Anyway, I find the show fascinating. Especially all the different "stories" about how people got to that state. And I can definitely relate to the "resistance" that some of the folks exhibit when it's time to "Let Go" of their stuff (Oops - I said I wasn't gonna share Family Dramas!)

Actually, I sometimes find myself with "too much stuff" as well. I'm definitely not a compulsive shopper (I practically hyperventilate at the thought of setting foot in a shopping mall!). I do a fair amount of online shopping, however...

I do have my Tacky Tiki Fetish (although nearly all Tikis are proudly displayed outside during the summer months!). And, in preparation for my studio, I have accumulated a veritable buttload of "stuff" that will go into the studio. Much of it has set-up temporary housekeeping in the living room - much to hubbie's dismay! And - truth be told - ALL of the stuff that I accumulate *is* put to use (Not stashed in the garage/closet in it's original packaging with price-tags still attached!).

Although - in the interest of full-disclosure - I do rent a small (9x10) storage locker for a lot of "Personal Crap" that I have had for years. If you've been to my Home-Page and read about my Liveaboard Daze (back in the 90's when I moved to a boat), you'll see "how" I ended up with a storage locker (Made perfect sense - at the time!). Over the years, I have purged a lot of stuff and my current locker is significantly smaller than what I started-out with. And there definitely *is* room to walk-around in there! But I would like to continue with Reviewing and Tossing a lot of the stuff. Some of it is valuable (I suspect my extensive model-horse collection from the 60's-70's would fetch a fair price from collectors); Some has no monetary-value but is irreplaceable (to me! Ask me about my "Sock-Parrot!"); But much of it is just old "crap" and needs to go (I just need to set my mind to it and find the time to deal with it)! So, yeah, I guess there's a *teeny* bit of "Hoarder" in me, too! (But, to be fair, we *have* used my storage locker for "Seasonal" storage as well - so it's not a *complete* waste!)

Annnnywaaaayyyy: The fact of the matter is: Our house is just too small (appx 1200 SF 2BR 1BA). And, having been built in the 70's, closet space is minimal - at best. And - believe it or not - we use the garage to store *vehicles!* So, yeah, things tend to get a bit cluttered around here. But I definitely don't have a problem with getting rid of stuff - other than being too lazy to haul it over to Goodwill!

Anyway, the upside to watching "Hoarders" is that, invariably, I get a sudden and overwhelming "Urge to Purge!" This week, the Trash Bin had a bit more crap, than usual. Ditto the Recycling Bin! And I've started a new Goodwill Box, as well (Now if I could just get off my lazy duff and deliver it *to* Goodwill!!!)...

Part of the impetus for all of this is that my college buddy, D, is coming to visit next week and I do want the house to look presentable - not that she cares! But it's funny how having house-guests kinda forces you to re-evaluate! Our place most-definitely isn't *dirty* (we have a maid to take care of the yukko-scrubbing) (June Cleaver, I ain't!), it's just cluttered and somewhat disorganized. And yes, it's almost entirely my doing! (And it drives hubbie nuts, I'm sure! Yet he puts up with it - bless his Super-Organized/Uber-Methodical/Engineer heart!)

So that's the latest, there.

I have been moving more of my Ceramic Supplies out to the Tiki Shack/Studio (Yay!). I have a horizontal storage bin (like what you'd use to hide trash cans, lawnmower kinda stuff) out at the side of the house - the "original" home of all my Ceramic Supplies. I was gonna move it to the back-garden - next to the Studio. But I found the logistics somewhat daunting. First I've got to empty it. Then I've got to move it. Then I've got to figure out how to get it *into* the back garden (it's too big to fit through the pergola and too heavy/unwieldy to lift over the fence, and too much of a pain-in-the-@$$ to disassemble, etc.).

I ended up buying a duplicate horizontal bin and assembling it back there! And that's actually better. I can relocate my Ceramic Supplies in a more organized fashion (and at my leisure!). And, once the old bin is empty - we can use it to store "yard stuff" (especially the lounge-chairs - over winter).

Okay, enough rambling about disorganization!

Studio Update:

The Tiki Shack is coming along. No, I *still* haven't painted the kiln corner and it looks like the giant toe-stubber (kiln) will *still* be in the living room when D visits (Oh, well!). I did receive my baby-wheel, and I purchased a Kiddie Table @ IKEA, along with a stool. Luckily, the wheel-table *does* fit under my slab roller. And all the stuff that has gone into The Shack is still visible, neat and organized (Yay!!!). I have a few more pieces, in the works, and hope to do a bona-fide "Artsy" update one of these days!

Garden Update:

Garden is growing like mad - now that the days are *finally* warming up! The tomato plants are threatening to take over! Pics coming...

Recipe:

And lastly, I was feeling "Domestic" this afternoon. One of the last Farm-Share deliveries included RHUBARB. Yummmmmm!!! I *love* Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (and you just can't buy it ANYWHERE around here) (And I'd be in trouble if I could because I really can't tolerate all that sugar :::sigh:::).

One of the (many) cool things about living here in Silicon Valley is that we're really close to a lot of the farming areas. Watsonville cranks out about a zillion pounds of cherries and strawberries every year and it's not at all unusual to find migrant farm-workers standing out on the street-corners - here in Suburbia - selling flats of whatever is in season. Guess what?! Strawberries are in season! So it was really quite easy to acquire all the necessary ingredients for Strawberry Rhubarb jam!

*More* than enough for 2 batches of jam *and* shortcakes!

(That's my Mom's Big-@$$ Mixing Bowl)

Last year, I tried one of the (many) recipes I found, online, for making Sugar-Free Rhubarb Jam, using Sugar-Free Strawberry Jello. It was waaaaaay too sweet for my tastes.

Today, I Googled again and just couldn't find anything satisfactory so I figured I'd "adapt" a sugary recipe and smush in some fresh strawberries and, basically, make up my own damned recipe! So here it is:

"QT's [mostly] Sugar-Free Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam"

2 lbs fresh rhubarb. Cut into 1/2" pieces

4 cups strawberries, sliced and smushed

2 packages No-Cook, Freezer-Jam Pectin

3 cups granulated Splenda (+/-)

1 Tbs Lemon Juice (optional)

sprinkling of sugar (I'd say no more than 1/4 cup).

I made the jam in two batches.

2 lbs of rhubarb will yield just-shy of 4 cups of fruit - after it's cooked down. So batch #1 was probably 50/50 rhubarb and strawberries. Batch #2 was definitely more strawberries and much sweeter (hence the addition of Lemon Juice).

Slice up the rhubarb and put it in a bowl. Sprinkle a tiny dusting of real sugar on top and toss it together (the real sugar seems to help start the rhubarb "sweating"). Then sprinkle 1 cup of Splenda on top and toss it all together again. Let it "set" for about an hour so the rhubarb starts releasing it's juice. One of the recipes I'd read suggested leaving it overnight (and that might improve the overall tartness - but I wasn't that patient!).

Glistening Rhubarb (after sprinkling sugar and Splenda on it)

While the rhubarb is juicifying (I'd rather just call it "sweating!"), clean and top the strawberries. Slice them up in a bowl until you have appx 4 cups. Then sprinkle a little "real" sugar on top to get them juicifying as well. The strawberries don't have to sweat for that long, though.

Once the rhubarb started sweating, I went back and stirred it around a few more times. Then I dumped it all into a large saucepan and heated it up on low. I think low and slow is best - to facilitate releasing the juice. Eventually, the juice started to exceed the rhubarb chunks and began to boil. I kept the heat very low and stirred frequently. It all turned into a lumpy mash after about 20 minutes or so. I taste-tested it and determined that the sweetness-to-tartness quotient was just about perfect! The texture was mostly mushy with a few small (soft) chunks of rhubarb.

Yep! Perfect!
(This is the texture when it's time to take it off the stove)

Remove from the stove and let it start to cool. While the rhubarb was cooling, I started mashing the strawberries to get 'em softer. I did not add a significant amt of sugar, nor did I add Splenda to the strawberries.

Once the rhubarb mash was warm (meaning it wouldn't burn if I stuck my finger in it), I dumped the strawberries into the pot and stirred everything together.

In a separate clean bowl, I mixed 1 pkg Pectin and 1 cup of granulated Splenda. Then I added 4 cups of the Strawberry-Rhubarb mixture into the Pectin/Splenda mixture. Stirred it thoroughly for 3 minutes. Then poured the jam into 8 oz plastic freezer-jam jars, using a canning funnel. Make sure you leave appx 1/4" of space on the top because the jam will expand when it freezes.

Then I went to make the 2nd batch and quickly realized that I didn't have 4 cups of fruit left in the pot! So I quickly sliced and mashed more strawberries, and mixed 'em in with the rest of the fruit until I had 4 cups. Unfortunately, I don't have exact measurements - "Oh well!"

Anyway, I did the same thing with batch #2 (mixing Pectin/Splenda, adding fruit, mixing, etc.). I did determine that batch #2 was sweeter than I wanted, so I added a tablespoon of lemon juice to 'tarten' it up a bit!

End Result: I got 10 x 8oz jars of Freezer Jam, I did mark the jars with the different batch #'s so I can taste-test 'em later.

Yum! 1st taste test (after an hour in the fridge). Batch #1 is Perfecto-mundo!

Texture, tartness and sweetness are *just* right!

Now I wish we had some warm sourdough to serve it on!

Okay, I'll *try* to catch-up a bit!

Ceramics Stuff:

Okay, I don't think I'm gonna find time to download and sort through (and comment on!) the gazillion pictures I took during the sessions at Potter's Council, so I'll just summarize the "Demos" we went to while we were there.

First, we got to try Aluminum Foil Saggar-firing with James Watkins. I couldn't find a specific website for him, but found lots of references!

I had created a bunch of plain ol' coasters - hoping to get them into the Saggar - but I was a day late on getting them up to the studio (actually, they loaded the bisque a day early!) so I ended up buying a lovely urn and I saggar'd it instead. I learned some cool techniques about applying ferric chloride (nasty stuff!), copper sulfate, salt, spanish moss and gauze soaked in copper sulfate prior to wrapping the piece in aluminum foil and low-firing in a raku kiln.

I think my urn came out quite nicely (although I wish it had been a piece that *I* created).

Then we attended a session with Sharon Smith. She shared lots of ideas about surface textures - which was cool. And "re-purposing found items" which - at times - seemed a little "Out There." But I truly enjoyed her presentation and "Think Outside The Box" methods. Her stuff is mostly made with paper-clay and is low-fired, so I didn't come away with a whole lot of stuff that I would use (I tend more toward mid-fire or high-fire - and more "functional ware").

Margaret Bohls does extremely "detailed" work with slabs rolled onto gridded plaster molds. Her stuff is amazing and she's definitely got the "Engineer Mindset" kickin'! I don't think I could hold my attention-span "still" long enough to crank out the kind of stuff that she makes, but it is amazing and I did come away with ideas for creating textured plaster molds.

Jake Allee is extremely "high-energy" and I really enjoyed watching his demo. He starts his pieces by throwing on the wheel, then de-constructing and re-constructing thrown forms. While I'm not a huge fan of the wheel, he did "inspire" me to buy a small wheel because - let's face it - there's some stuff you just can't achieve using slabs alone (and I think I can handle throwing a cylinder or two!).

I think, by far, my favorite presenter was Claudia Reese. She does simply amazing things with colored slip on wet slabs - with a bit of "finish work" on the wheel. The colors on her pieces are absolutely breathtaking! Almost 3-dimensional! Her work is mostly mid-fire (which I can handle). Some of her pieces are almost too "busy" for my tastes (lots and lots of patterns!), but I came home and immediately started working on a set of 4 plates that were inspired by her "style."

Currently, I'm working on a set of 4 square, footed plates - using paper-shredder poopies as sort of a "reverse stencil." I don't have colored slips mixed up yet, so I'm working with under-glazes. Here are some pictures of the first plate (the other three will utilize the same colors - but in different configurations). Unfortunately, I've only gotten 3 plates done, so far - and I've run out of underglaze (Oooops!). I have to wait until my order arrives before I can work on the last plate. Then I *hope* to get them all fired at the same time (and, maybe even in the same part of the kiln!) so they'll mostly match!

Studio Update:

Nope. Still not done :-( I started painting the kiln corner with a bunch of random greenery. Haven't finished it yet, but I will - SOON!!!

Garden Update:

Oh my Goodness - is my garden looking HAPPY! I am stunned and amazed - given the utterly crap-tastic weather we've been having (low 60's fergawdssake!). One good thing about cool-ish weather is that it's not too terribly challenging to complete my garden chores! I did manage to plant my herbs into last years' upside-down planters on the patio.

I left one of the tomato plants, hanging upside-down, in the planter. Bear in mind that last season was an utterly suck-tastic year for tomatoes and I don't think I got squat. But, so far, this year it's looking surprisingly promising!

My Birds of Paradise and Cannas are also looking quite spectacular! In fact, I think I need to dig and divide the BOPS because they are outgrowing their planter!

Wandering back to the Garden-Garden... Fruit trees are looking *quite* happy!

Early-Bearing White Peaches (Early-July, maybe??)

Santa Rosa Plums (No Satsumas this year, unfortunately)

Yellow-Peaches - should be ready around August

As are the raised beds....

Brandy-New Raised Bed #1

Bed #2 - lookin' good!

Ooh! Green Beans ready to harvest already!!

And even the Straw-Bale Bed is kind of surprising me. I did lose all but two of the lettuce plants (too hot across the front bale). And all of the sunflowers are gone (not sure why). Ditto the Straw-Bale Beans. But two tomato plants and two squashes (not sure which kind) are still hangin' in there!

I still have a 6-pack of corn to plant - and no place to plant 'em, so I think they'll end up in the Straw-bale bed. No clue how/if they'll work - but I've *yet* to harvest any corn - despite my repeated attempts at growing it!

Anyway, I think the Straw-Bale Bed is not going to be a complete failure. So that's encouraging!

Hopefully we'll start to get some halfway decent weather in the weeks to come. Hell, we haven't even been able to open the pool yet! (I want my money back!!!!)

Oops. Falling behind again!!!

Damned Real-Life keeps getting in the way of blogging!

The last blog post was actually me screwing around with a "Review" page on CSN Stores (it worked, obviously! But I don't think I'll be doing it again). And, of course, the "Cheater-Post" of sharing the Viral Video of "Ultimate Dog Tease" (which I *still* find hysterical!).

Last weekend, I was at a Potter's Council Conference in Temple, TX (Yee-Haw). I think it was called "Inspired Surfaces" or something like that - and I learned some stuff and got TONS of inspiration (and laughed my @$$ off - since I was traveling with P). Annnnnd, I bought myself a prezzie! I bought myself a little baby potter's wheel - not because I want to throw pots (I don't like throwing on the wheel), but because I learned some cool "other" applications for a potter's wheel. And it was Super-Cheap @ the show (like, appx $300.00). It should arrive sometime next week :-)

I'll have to download my pictures from my Droid and post some notes about the conference...

I've also *mostly* finished the studio and have also converted it to my "Home Office." Again, pics will be forthcoming. (But no - I still haven't finished the "Kiln Korner" and my kiln *still* isn't out there! Hopefully, this weekend....)

The cool part about having my office out there is: if I'm on a Conference Call where I *don't* have to talk - I can, umm, "multi-task" and work on some of my stuff (Shhhhh! Don't tell my boss, k?!). In fact, there was a Team Meeting this week (for the Development Team - not MY Team - and it was just "informational" anyway!), and I managed to squish out two new plates and a bowl during that call. I would *never* do that on a Client Call, but for "blah-blah-blah" informational meetings, I don't see a huge problem with it (especially considering that - previously - during those types of calls, I'd be playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook!) (Again, Shhhhh!!!).

The other cool thing about working out there is: It's just so damned PLEASANT! I can open the windows, get some fresh air, listen to the birds chirping, look out and watch my garden grow (Damn - is my garden HAPPY!) (Yes, need to take pics of that, too!). Annnnd... Don't get me wrong! I *do* work out there, too! I've got a desk, laptop, printer, land-line, and basically everything I need to perform my job functions. Annnnd I am "Ergonomically Correct" dammit.

All of the California "Home-Shored Associates" had to have "Ergonomic Assessments" from an outside contractor (probably because some dipsh*t sued somebody because of their own stupidity - but I digress!) - and I passed with [mostly] flying colors. The only humunha-humunha suggestion the Ergo-Dude had was to rig-up a docking station and full-sized monitor on my midget-desk. I *insisted* that the company did give me a docking station + monitor, but that I preferred to leave them at the office. I do have a keyboard/mouse set-up on an ergonomic pull-out tray with wrist-rest. I use my laptop as my monitor (at eye-level thankyouverymuch). "I don't *want* any more equipment out here because this is - first-and-foremost - my Art Studio!" "At the end of the day, I shut-down my laptop and bring it into the house - along with any paperwork that requires shredding." Any and all horizontal surfaces in the shed are used for my artistic "Works In Progress." Any monitor, left out there, would take up space and would - most likely - get destroyed b/c I generate a LOT of clay-dust. He blah-blah'ed about the laptop monitor not being big enough, and I pointed out that I could see/read it *just fine* and - if I wanted to, I could move the entire laptop CLOSER to me. So he made whatever notes he deemed appropriate, took a few measurements, snapped a picture of my desk, and proclaimed that my work-station seemed to be -ergonomically - fine. Then he went on his way (Yay!).

(I found the entire experience to be pretty annoying - to tell you the truth!)

Anyhoooo... I thought I had time to post a "real" blog-post but My Beloved has come home from work now, so I'll have to finish up later (maybe while I'm out in my Studio/Office!).

THREE-DAY-WEEKEND coming up (Yay!!!) - With Crap-Tastic Weather forecast (Boo!!!)

Moving in!!!

Finally!!!

OMG - It's starting to look like a Studio!!!

Disclaimer: I'm on the Netbook - in the studio - so I assume no responsibility for fat-finger spelling errors!

So the Big Studio Project "officially" started on January 15, right? That's when I went to "look" at sheds and started clearing the building site...

May 8 - The Studio is "mostly done!" Jeez - I had *no* idea it would take this long!!!

It's not "completely" done yet b/c I haven't finished painting Artsy Fartsy Sh*t on the Kiln Korner wall, nor attached the heat-shields to the walls, nor dragged the kiln in - yet. But I have got Studio Furniture (including the Slab-Roller) set-up, so The Studio is "functional!"

Good thing, too, because production has come to a screeching halt. And I've got to have some bisque-ware ready for the Potter's Council Workshop in less than 2 weeks!

So, I dragged my slab-roller in, and excavated a set of shelves from our Storage Shed and set 'em up in the Backyard Studio today (Yay!). I'm glad I took/posted all those pictures *during* construction because I have officially *lost* beach-access now!!!

I knew the shed was gonna end up shrinking! *sigh*

Anyway... The whole idea behind The Studio and my Ceramic Arts Krep is that it's *supposed* to be all Stress-Free and Relaxing, right?! So why am I freaking out about getting the studio *completed* and cranking out new projects?! Well, I paid a handsome sum of cash for the Potter's Council Weekend in Temple, Texas. And I need to have some bisque-ware ready for a "demo" of Saggar Firing (something I've already done!). Nevertheless, I do want to "get my money's worth" out of it, so I *did* want to bring some suitable bisque-ware.

P felt I should squish-out a vase for the Saggar Demo. And I agree, vases are far more desirable for Saggar-ware. But I just didn't have the patience (or energy!) to squish out a vase today (and whatever-I-make has to be ready for bisque-firing no later than Tuesday - if I want to have it ready for Potter's Council!), so screw it! - I made 9 Drink Coasters today! They're small, ridiculously easy, lightweight, and should travel-well in my "weekender" bag! (Hopefully, no breakage - but that's why I made 9!).

Yep. My first "official" creation in The New Studio was a set of 9 cheesy, no-brainer drink coasters!!!

Drink Coasters: *Yawn!*

But, I made 'em with my newly-set-up slab-roller; Tunes blaring on the Monster-Boom-Box (with Mega-bass that makes the floorboards rattle!); and a fresh, sugar-free Margarita at my side. So I'd have to say that, yes, "Life... Is Good!"

*That's* what it's all about!!!

Garden Update:

Sorry - no pics!

Raised beds are doing great. All plants appear to be fat 'n happy - Yay!

Straw-Bale Bed: I've lost all, but two of the lettucesesesezzzz. I should've kept them planted on the left-hand bales (shady side of the bed). Oh, well! I also lost one (possibly 2) of the sunflowers. And my pumpkin (or one of the squashes - can't tell!) is floundering miserably. The Straw-Bales just don't seem to hold water, so they require a lot of supplemental watering - even though I've had Rog bump-up the watering schedule to 5 mins/twice a day. Fortunately, I seem to generate a lot of water from the shed (A/C unit dumps water into a bucket) so I've been keeping it on "Life Support" for the time-being. We'll have to see how this pans out...

Boating Update:

We hired "Jack the Rigger" to rig up some Lazy-Jacks for Das Boot.

Lazy-jacks, for you non-boatie types, are a series of lines rigged-up to the boom and mast of the boat that help "guide" the mainsail down in a somewhat neat-and-orderly fashion. Typically, when we want to drop the sails, the wind is howling at 25+ knots, and it's kind of difficult to handle a jillion yards of fabric, dropping down on the cabin-top in high winds (and the risk of knocking the skipper overboard in such conditions is rather high!).

See, I remain at the helm, "pointing" the boat "into" the wind (to minimize the blowing of said jillion yards of fabric off to one side). Skipper Rog is on the cabin-top trying to "contain" the sails using bungee cords. All told, it's a messy affair! Lazy-Jacks oughtta minimize the drama!

Dropping the mast

So Jack-the-Rigger showed up and started rigging-up the Lazyjacks while I was down below, attempting to glue the teak-and-holly flooring panels to the floor.

Lazy Jacks, deployed...

Lazy Jacks, stowed

We brought 6 x 2.5 gallon jugs of water to "weigh-down" the floor while the adhesive set.

I can't remember whether I'd blogged about this previously (I probably did!), but I was kinda hoping that the T&H floorboards would "adjust" to their new home after a week aboard. They didn't and they were still somewhat "warped" compared to the fiberglass flooring in the boat.

So I decided to tackle it one floorboard-section at a time. I started with the "forward" floorboard (figuring that one would see less "traffic" overall, since you have to hunch-down like a gnome to walk on it!). I glopped it with a generous amount of adhesive and piled all 6 jugs (120#+) on top of it, hoping the adhesive would "set-up" and the floorboards would conform to the shape of the fiberglass flooring beneath it.

Not sure, yet, if it worked. But I am hopeful.

Anywaaaaaayyyy... All told, it was ANOTHER friggin' busy weekend!

Oooh! Fishnet!

Okay - Post-Post Update.

Had to do it in a separate post 'cuz damned if I can figure out how to tag a new photo at the *end* of a post!

Here is the "front wall" triangle up over the palm matting, and the ceiling with my Fishnet Treatment. I *think* I like it (I'll probably like it better with more Tchotchkes!)

WooHoo Bamboo!!!

Studio Update (again!):

Today I am trying yet a *different* methodology. I am blogging from my Netbook which has a teeny little keyboard (which is maddening for my Fat Fingers!). I may blog here, then go back and edit on my laptop! Any spelling errors *will* be attributed to fat-fingering!!!

Soooo... Good Neighbor, Brian, originally re-did my texturing on the walls of the shed. And he did a FANTASTIC job! I paid him for it - of course - and he insisted that I had overpaid him (for doing Double-Work? Scraping off someone else's crap and starting from scratch?!), so he told me he'd put up my door-frame - Gratis - whenever I was ready.

In the meantime, I'd gotten all Artsy Fartsy on the walls. Then - Oh Irony! - I ended up covering up 80% of his "Professional" texture job with woven palm mats and reed fencing! Gotta love it!

Anyway, he caught me in the front yard last week and reminded me that he was willing to put-up my door frame and I did the "Ummm... Errrr... There's been a change in plans" routine. I told him that I decided to skip the "proper" door-frame and wanted to go with bamboo instead. "And, actually, I've made a lot of changes to the walls and I really could use some ideas and your professional opinion/suggestions on what to do next! Wanna come see?"

"Sure!"

And we trudged over to my backyard. He walked in and immediately yelled "Holy Sh*t!!"

My knee-jerk reaction was "Oh NO! What's wrong?!" (or else "He's pissed that I covered up his texture job" or whatevers!).

"Nothing's WRONG" he replied "This is f*ckin' AWESOME!!!"

And I smiled.

"Seriously! It's like you're in the f*ckin' Caribbean or somethin'! Did YOU do this?!"

And I smiled even bigger.

So I showed him the bamboo slats and told him I wanted to use them for the door-frame and chair-rails and baseboards. Then I showed him the windowsills where I had "wrapped" the palm mat around the edges, but - in spots - I had cut it too short, and - in the corners - the mat didn't cover fully. "Is there some way we can disguise the raw edges using bamboo?"

So - long story short - Brian said he was up for the task. He came over (with his power-tools YAY!) the last 2 nights, after work, and did a fan-freaking-tastic job of "finishing" the shed with the bamboo slats.

At first, he was freaking out because the slats were thinner/thicker in spots (Hell-OH? It's Bamboo?!) and things weren't matching up perfectly. I kept reminding him "It's a Tiki Shack!"

And, as Tiki Shacks go, this one is pretty damned cool!!!

Chair rail -getting installed near the back (beach) wall.

Bamboo chair rails - getting installed.

And you can see how the "raw edges" of the palm mat in the windowsill are kinda "problematic."

Brian's Most Brilliant Idea for covering up the raw edges of the Palm Matting!

Freaking awesome!!!

Kiln corner and A/C unit (I need to get a longer hose for the A/C) -

and I need to decide what kinda Artsy-Fartsy sh*t I'm gonna do on the wall

(since I don't want to tack "combustibles" on this particular wall!)

Finished corner

Same corner, showing baseboards and flooring

Okay! So things are nearing completion! Next: I've decided to stick with the "open-air beach-side bar" theme. I'm going to paint the sky on the front wall on the "triangle" above the palm matting.

For the ceiling: I originally thought I was gonna put reed-fencing up there, or else a faux-bamboo paint treatment, but I decided that might "darken" things too much in there. Instead, I am gonna stick with the plain white ceiling and, instead, staple some cheesy fake fishnet (with seashells and assorted Tropical Tchotchkes woven throughout) to the ceiling. Everywhere *except* directly above the kiln (kiln+combustibles, ya know?!).

For the kiln wall: I think I'm gonna stick with some sorta Artsy-Fartsy paint treatment. Maybe continue the beach and the sky, and add some Tropical Plants and/or small Tikis painted on the wall... I need to hit HD again for some Green "Oops" paint (or else have some Custom Colors mixed up)...

"Almost There!" (she says for the jillionth time!!!)