In the morning Rich went to visit the podiatrist and I played with iMovie. In the afternoon I went to pottery class.
I made one plate that I really like, but it still has to go to 'leather' stage and then 'bone' stage before it gets bisqued fired...then it's glazed and then fired again. Rich asked me if I did anything today, because I didn't bring anything home.
I don't want to keep doing bowls and plates and mugs which are thick walled. I want to spend time practicing and practicing to get thin walls especially when I'm using porcelain. Today I had 'deferred success' with two bowls. I read on my friend's FB page a clipping he posted from a London newspaper where teachers want to remove the word 'fail' from student reports, and use 'deferred success' instead. I kinda like that. So today my collapsed pieces were not failures...they were 'deferred successes'. Yes, that'll work.
I was not happy to hear Lindsay say they would be relocating to NC in the spring. I'm not giving it too much credence because they've talked about moving to other places, and they are still in VB. Down deep I think this plan might actually come to fruition. Lindsay will introduce me to a local potter here where I might possibly buy clay, and use this new person's kiln and even her wheel. Nothing is definite, but it's good to know I can still do pottery. I doubt I will take another class unless I want to learn some new technique. Lindsay has taught me so much and I have much to practice. Maybe one day I'll get my own wheel..I don't know. I could set up the upstairs loft as my studio. I told Lindsay she and Kim could stay with us when they come back to visit VB. I could pick her brain when she's here.
Lissa invited me/us to join them on the 19th at the Resort Hotel...which is down the street from here.....I could walk. They'll be joining her friend Sharon and Sharon's family for 'Christmas Breakfast with Santa'. I might go, but it's at 9AM, and if I'm not sleeping well I may not be able to get up that early. I told her if I have a good week...I will join them.
Got an email from a neighbor who is organizing gift giving for a needy family somewhere here in VB. I plan to donate money ..the family has many medical bills and the mom is the sole survivor. There's a 10 yr. old girl and an 11 year old boy. Not knowing what to get them or what they'd like I decided money might be the best thing.
Got this family picture in a Christmas card today from Brother Jim's son Peter and his wife Kate and their darling son who celebrated his first birthday December 7th.
They are doing well and having a great time as first time parents.
Tom Miller just called and Helen's biopsies were OK, but they still don't know the cause of the problem so more testing there.
He mentioned one of our high school classmates (Ben Brenner) retired 5 years ago as the Fire Chief for the Atlantic City Fire Dept. In addition to his $107,000 annual retirement pay he got $500,000 in unused sick time. His brother John retired a few years earlier as Deputy Chief making a huge retirement pay as well. I'd read this in the AC press and at first thought it was awful that they could get unused sick time up to that amount. It's perfectly within the law for the Police and Fire Departments to do this, but the state is investigating the practice. Half a million dollars blew my mind, but then I thought heck, celebrities make $20 million or more in one year as salary. At least Ben ran a dept. that saved lives over and over, and he did it for more than 40 years. He still is good looking too. I saw him at our last high school reunion and he still looks like Clark Gable.
