I made some more casts this past week and fired a bisque kiln.  I unloaded it yesterday.  A few of my pieces were in the kiln broken.  I was told when Dan opened the kiln they were like that.  I am a little confused how it may have happened.  I know the pieces were dry when I loaded it, not to mention I put on a pre-heat and vented the kiln for a few hours.  I wonder why they broke.  Two are shattered as if something was dropped on them, and two chipped as if bumped together.  Weird.  I was disappointed, but I can always make more.  It just sucks.  At least it was casts that were broken and not my hand built piece that was in there. 

I glazed these owls and got them in the cone 10.  I really like the way they turned out.  I think I am going to cone 10 more of my pieces than I planned on.  I am still going to do most of my animal trees in the cone 7 with the stain colors, but the cone 10 owl has a really nice look.  I think I like this look better for the single pieces (as compared to the tall owl form the last entry).

I spent a lot of time at St. James this weekend talking to potters.  I asked all of the ones I like about their process and colors.  I bought a great tumbler that is fired to cone 01! I adore the colors.  Perhaps I should do some research on this.  I also bought a mug with crystalline glazes.  Very fancy.  They seem finicky and complicated, but a man I spoke with said there are some nice cone 6 crystalline glazes.  This might be something I would enjoy in the future.  I don't know if it necessarily fits with what I am doing now, but it might be nice on a chamber pot?  They are pretty.

I took an oral test today for art of Japan, which I have been studying hard for.  I did very well, but this class is really sucking all the fun out of this semester for me.  It is seriously soooo much work, and no matter how hard I work, nothing is good enough.  I am busting my ass in this class, when I want (and need) to be working in the studio and thinking more about senior seminar.  This is a tough semester.  I wish all I had was ceramics and senior sem.  Japan is killing it for me.  I know I have to do it, but there are so many awesome things happening this semester and I just can't enjoy them as much as I should.

I have been making some time to knit my scarf.  It is going pretty well now.  Knitting is a lot harder that I expected.  I really have to think a lot... about every stitch.

Senior seminar was interesting today (although I was very preoccupied with my nerves for my Jap test).  I got some pretty good ideas for my artist statement.  Brian's talk about artist statements was very eye opening.  It is nice to think of it as an extension of my work... which made me think about stories, and the stories I want to tell... and the stories I want to hear.

Every night I play with kittens on my porch.  It makes me happy to give them companionship and feed them, but at the same time I am completely torn up about what to do with them.  I love them and want to keep them, but that is not very practical with my Ambrose (who hates other cats).  Do I take them to the shelter, where they might get put to sleep?  It is going to get cold soon, and I am afraid they might freeze.  Lord!!!! I wish Ambrose liked other cats so I could keep Lil baby Tunechi (yes, I named them) and perhaps catch the others and find homes for them?? Their mother is just going to stay around here because I feed them, and keep having kittens.  I wish I could catch her and have her spayed.  Gees.  I love cats too much.