Tuesday, April 24, 2007

 

Does Anyone Read Kanji?

A pottery update!

I really enjoyed my handbuilding class. Looooovvvvved it! Then I took a beginning "pottery on the wheel" class and "frustration" became my watchword. So much was going on at work, and rehearsing/performing a show and etc., etc. ... well, I was having problems. And then, every night on pottery class night SOMETHING would come up!

Just this "one thing" that I can't get out of, or the two days I was so sick I considered going to the emergency room, and then the girl threatening me at work who got herself fired and really shook me up .... yep, not making any of those up either. What started as a simple scheduling mishap (hers) actually turned into a shouting match between her and our boss, with me trying to stay out of it all, but then she started pressing in on me, walking into my "space" three times with me backing up (no, I don't "do" fights - especially at work). This caused my supervisor to go to get her boss and this girl jumped in front of the supervisor trying to block the door, it almost looked like a basketball player who was trying to draw a foul. And I think that's what she wanted, if I'd pushed her away from me, or even made contact, if my supervisor had done that as well, things might have turned out differently. Neither of us touched the girl (and there were witnesses) and the BIG boss called us all into his office and listened to all sides and then told the girl that she'd been written up too often and etc., etc., and this was not only the final write-up but cause for termination. Ouch. I hadn't caused it, I hadn't caused it to rise to a shouting or shoving match, but in the end - I was shaking and it was a rotten day.

I actually liked this girl for the most part, and she has a child she's raising as a single adult. I had not thought she would be capable of acting as she did, but none of it was professional and I had felt personally threatened in a small way. So ... I didn't go to pottery class. In fact, I went out and had a nice BIG margarita with a nice BIG cheeseburger and horrible-for-me fries.

Anyway, for the next session, I switched to Monday nights for pottery and I really miss my good friends in the Wednesday class ... however, I am starting to throw things I might actually keep. Pictures will follow if they survive the bisque firing.

In the meantime, I do have a few pictures to share. First of all is a wall hanging that is my name written in the Japanese Kanji. I hope. I really don't know if this is right at all. It's supposed to be "Victory", which is the translation of the meaning of my name ... Nicole (fem. form of Nicholas which is "victory of the people").

If ANYONE can read this, can you tell me if it's right? I'd hate to hang it up and tell everyone it's my name if it's actually means "idiot" or something.


And here is another handbuilt piece where I was playing with negative space and ended up with a Dr. Seuss tree:


And lastly is a piece inspired by the comic strip "Calvin and Hobbes". It's a present for my brother since he IS Calvin in our family. That is if I can bear to part from it! Notice the snowman is yelling out.


Later y'all,
Lola

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

 

Tears and Cheers for Virginia Tech

I can't say much on this subject, it goes too deep for mere words. My heart and my prayers go out to all those of Virginia Tech.

I really can't blog about this yet, it still makes me cry. But I will say that I am deeply saddened by the losses and deeply touched by the heroes such as Professor Librescu and RA "Stack" as well as several others.

I can not recall the name right now, but there was a teacher slain of international reknown who had been one of those on the leading edge of studying the engineering of how CP (cerebral palsey) muscles/structures/responses worked. Having had a dear, dear Uncle with CP and having friends with children with this condition, this hits very hard at my heart. Those foundations working to cure CP has been my grandmother's favorite charity for ... forever (close since she turns 97 next month) because of her sister's child - my Uncle Gene who played basketball from a wheelchair with my brothers and myself.

It hurts to think of that much potential simply ... gone. Destroyed in a mindless act. Then expand that loss to include all 33 victims (yes, I know that includes the shooter), and the sheer POTENTIAL of all those creative, bright, PEOPLE being lost ...

No. It's better to think of those who rose to the occasion, those known and not known, who in small and big ways are exceeding their potential.

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