Quiet weekend

It's cold and wintery here this weekend. Actually cold and Springy. We get NO snow in the Winter but this weekend it is wet out. This means I don't wanna do any work outside. This is the downside of working outside for my day job. :) Something about getting cold and wet during the week that means I don't want to do it for my play time. I wanted to get to the dump but about the time I was getting ready the wind came up, there is no dumping in a high wind (they close up). So I'm laying around the house, playing on the internet and bugging Laura. She spent all day at school yesterday. It's odd for me to have a lay around the house by myself day. I think I liked it.

Now next week I'll HAVE to get to the dump on Monday. Anybody wanna help?

There and back again

I'm home. Left last Tuesday. Got back today (Sunday). Our trip started out oddly. Marian and I were headed to the airport wieh we discovered that we had mistaken the landing time for the departure time. So we had about 30 minutes to make it to the airport.This was a somewhat difficult way to begin. :) We managed and took off for Denver where we had to run like hell from one concourse to another. made that too.

Then we landed and had a lovely fun time. I met a few folks and heard good talks and stuff about wood kilns and wonder of wonders the conference was opened with words from one of my herosl

David Suzuki.

There was a book signing and I put my vehement dislike of crowds aside long enough to move my way to the book table and get a signature. The book? Good News for a Change, but David Suzuki et al. It's quite worth a read, give it a try.

I had a good time. It was the usual thing. :) I had bouts of argument and contention with my traveling companions. That's cause I don't choose wimps for friends. I rather like strong personalities and find that it's much more fun to be around people that have opininos and act on them

There was a Starbucks or some other coffee place on nearly EVERY corner. It was a bit odd. Drank a lot of coffee. Ate a lot of food. Did a lot of walking. The public transportation system there is simply amazing. The trip back was fine if one ignores the incident where in I was tempted to KILL the woman who kept touching me. One of those people who is constantly brushing an arm or flipping a hand or leaning a shoulder and doesn't even notice that they're doing it. Makes my skin crawl. With my "history" as a kid and the fact that I have to be acutely aware of my body and it's location or die from electrocution I'm really really sensitive to being touched. I certainly don't mind it when it's welcome and intentional. This was neither and I couldn't get away from that person fast enough. UG.

And I got to meet Tiff who is lovely. Pleasant and nice and a bit driven if you ask me. :) I think most folks would have bagged coming the rest of the way if they had a carload of kids and a flat tire, but not this one. :) Showed up and sat and visited over coffee and Zachery like nothing bad had ever happened that day. Kind and gracious and nice, just like she presents herself here.

Nice to have met you Tiff.

Back home now. Prizes handed out. Stuff put away. Movie watched and dinner eaten. Back to work tomorrow and then on to working on my studio. I've come back with a desire to make "Pots for Peace" and some work for the "Empty Bowls Project". Let's hope I keep energized and get some stuff going!

Packing

My big yearly trip to NCECA happens on Tuesday. Today is a bit more of the getting ready to go. Turning on the water under the house and to the back yard so that Laura can make paper and water the yard while I'm off to Portland. A bit of cooking and cleaning and all that jazz. Got to do some dishes and some laundry to get my limited amount of clothing together for a bag. I most often travel with the barest of things in my kit. My extravagance this time will be a goodly number of clean socks. Portland weather during my trip promises to be "highs in the 40's and 50's and rain or showers every day but one". So I'm thinking that clean dry socks will be invaluable. As will a change of shoes.

There are three of we friends going to the clay conference. Myself and Marian and Sharon. Oddly enough we're having Sharon take the single room, she is a beastly room mate, snores and has insomnia. Not the nice quiet kind of insomnia either, but the type that requires her to bang about the room and raise a ruckus ensuring that no one else sleeps either. We'll have a great time! Running thru the vendor booths, collecting cheap souviners, finding the cool yet funky shopping district, eating out and giving each other shit all the live long day. Should be a good time, as long as those two don't go all mental on me.

I'll get back on Sunday. We got lucky and found a travel deal that lets us fly out of the local airport rather than take a 3 to 5 hour drive to the nearest large one.

Now I just have to decide what to take. Certainly all the fun electronic gadgets that earned me a similar nickname for it. My sweet LoLo calls me "gadget guy" and I end up having to admit that it fits. In as much as a caveman can master the internet and fix computers with a hammer I suppose I'm the gadget guy. Then the usuals, a couple/three changes of clothing and a spare daypack with hydropack. :) Gotta be prepared you know.

Oh, and definately a raincoat!

Some days are just fun!

The last couple days at work have been really fun. Running around, driving all over the place, jumping on wires, pulling and throwing things, touching the live wires.

Fun. No other way to put it. Some days just make you glad to be a lineman. Yesterday I was reminded of just how good I am at what I do. It feels nice.

Waitin on Laura and Poly to get home from class. Did the grocery shopping today. I love doing the grocery shopping. And cleaning. I love cleaning too. Washed my pickup and unearthed the pantry floor. :) And they said it couldn't be done! Got new light bulbs, took the trash out.

Life is good.

Now if only I were rich.

Oh wait.

I am.