It looks like we will be getting that house in Santa Clarita. We have decided on a model in a new development and started the paperwork. These houses are not built yet so we have options on the counter-tops, floors, and more. It is going to be an exciting process. I am sad to be so far from the rest of my LA and OC friends but the opportunity was too good to pass up.
Showing posts with label new. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new. Show all posts
Thursday, July 17, 2014
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
First kiln firing
I have finally fired my kiln!On Saturday I fired my first bisque and on Monday my first glaze. Neither firing went perfectly but the results were better than I dared hope.
The bisque firing was supposed to be cone 06 but I ran out of time (I was going to see One Night in Miami by Kemp Powers for the fourth time) and had to turn the kiln off early. I am not sure how close it got to the right temperature. My 05 and 06 witness cones survived unscathed but the ware was within the bisque range so it must have been close enough. I had a teapot, 4 cups and 7 bowls. I did loose one bowl to cracking but I believe it had been weakened by handling before the firing.
For the glaze firing I gave myself all day to get it done. I was aiming for cone 5 so I set the kiln for normal speed, 2150°f, and put the time at 12 hours, which is the longest it will go. After 8 or so hours I started using my shade 10 welding goggles when looking in the peephole to check the cones. After 11 hours the #4 come had bent over completely. By 12 hours the #5 cone had bent to 90° (pointing at 180° for those of you who love polar coordinates) so when the timer went off (sounding like a kitchen egg timer) I shut everything off, and went to bed. I unloaded the next night.
For the glaze firing I gave myself all day to get it done. I was aiming for cone 5 so I set the kiln for normal speed, 2150°f, and put the time at 12 hours, which is the longest it will go. After 8 or so hours I started using my shade 10 welding goggles when looking in the peephole to check the cones. After 11 hours the #4 come had bent over completely. By 12 hours the #5 cone had bent to 90° (pointing at 180° for those of you who love polar coordinates) so when the timer went off (sounding like a kitchen egg timer) I shut everything off, and went to bed. I unloaded the next night.
I fired the teapot, the 4 cups, and one bowl all with the same Laguna Clay forest green (ms-4) glaze. The glaze all melted nicely and the kiln wash on the shelves saved me from the sleight drips I had on one of the cups. The application was a little spotty because I did not have enough glaze to dip the pieces and had to apply it with a brush. There was a fair amount of flow of the glaze and the lips of the cups came out a bit thin but nothing to worry about. I got a little pinhole-ing of the glaze and clay sagging on a bowl that was on the bottom shelf so I may need to be careful what I put down there.The teapot and two of the cups are a donation to an auction held by a charity called More Than Me that a co-worker of mine works with. I am proud of the way they came out and I hope that it can bring in a good donation.
All in all a success!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
New Job
I got a new job on Monday. I was called in for an interview for a desktop support position in an IT department that a friend of mine manages. I spoke to my friend, and he had me come in for an informal interview with the person who would become my boss. It went well and he was able to offer me the position. It wasn't a total hookup; my friend was given my resume by HR after I applied for a different position at the same company, and he ran it by my supervisor to get the OK from him. I have a 90 day freelance period to prove that I can handle this job, and I am determined not to let myself, my girlfriend and my friend down.
My first day was Tuesday and I have tried to soak up as much knowledge as I can. The IT team knows that I don't have all the knowledge to do the job, and they are prepared to train me up on how things are done. I am eager to learn whatever I can and to prove myself. I am excited and nervous at the opportunity and the challenge. On one hand I know that I can learn this but on the other hand, I know that my success in this position hangs on a thread. If I don't perform, or if the company decides that they don't need me or if my boss doesn't like me, then I am out.
So far it has been a wonderful experience. The company is a very good one and the people are very kind and welcoming. My team is very smart and capable, and they are all willing to take time to teach me the things that I need to know. I really want to keep this job and will have to work hard to do it. I need to step up my game and learn more about computers than I ever thought I would need to know, but I am up to the task.
My first day was Tuesday and I have tried to soak up as much knowledge as I can. The IT team knows that I don't have all the knowledge to do the job, and they are prepared to train me up on how things are done. I am eager to learn whatever I can and to prove myself. I am excited and nervous at the opportunity and the challenge. On one hand I know that I can learn this but on the other hand, I know that my success in this position hangs on a thread. If I don't perform, or if the company decides that they don't need me or if my boss doesn't like me, then I am out.
So far it has been a wonderful experience. The company is a very good one and the people are very kind and welcoming. My team is very smart and capable, and they are all willing to take time to teach me the things that I need to know. I really want to keep this job and will have to work hard to do it. I need to step up my game and learn more about computers than I ever thought I would need to know, but I am up to the task.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Victoria
My girlfriend and I just got back from Victoria, BC. She went to the University of Victoria, and we went there so that I could meet her friends and be shown around it was also my first trip to Canada. It is a beautiful place, sort of like a mix between San Diego, CA and Olympia, WA. The weather was clear and sunny almost the entire time but colder than I am used to. The city was an interesting mix of old and new buildings with that "college town" feel of tons of pubs and hip stores.
Meeting my girlfriend's friends was awesome. We all hit it off immediately and had fun chatting and taking pics around downtown.Vic. It makes me wish that I could live everywhere at once. I thought it was a drag having friends in the OC but that commute is nothing to the double flight required to get from LA to Vic. It also made me realize how much better I have gotten at connecting to people. I was able to enter conversations with people who were almost complete strangers and be laughing it up and carrying on in minutes. I will definitely have to make it back on a semi-regular basis. There are so many places in the world that I want to go and want to return to. One thing is certain, however, I want to go there with my girlfriend.
Meeting my girlfriend's friends was awesome. We all hit it off immediately and had fun chatting and taking pics around downtown.Vic. It makes me wish that I could live everywhere at once. I thought it was a drag having friends in the OC but that commute is nothing to the double flight required to get from LA to Vic. It also made me realize how much better I have gotten at connecting to people. I was able to enter conversations with people who were almost complete strangers and be laughing it up and carrying on in minutes. I will definitely have to make it back on a semi-regular basis. There are so many places in the world that I want to go and want to return to. One thing is certain, however, I want to go there with my girlfriend.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Cohabitation
Starting on the first I have moved in with my girlfriend. It has been an exciting process of arranging and moving our things in together. We have both enjoyed the process of deciding where everything goes and making room for each other. It is nice to be moving into a new place together and not into one or the others existing space so that we are able to start fresh.
So far things have been wonderful. The closeness is constantly great, we haven't yet gotten in each others way. We are sharing bills and time very well. I feel like it is some sort of vacation that I will have to give up. It seems so good that I keep waiting to wake up.
So far things have been wonderful. The closeness is constantly great, we haven't yet gotten in each others way. We are sharing bills and time very well. I feel like it is some sort of vacation that I will have to give up. It seems so good that I keep waiting to wake up.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Dancing at 2:00am
I am going to go back and describe last night's dance lesson again because in re-reading what I wrote about my day, there is no poetry or beauty in the description. Hopefully this is better.
It was 1:30am and we had left the bar behind. Karaoke was accomplished and it was getting late. My girlfriend's friends were ready to go and so we left. Out on the street we hugged our goodbyes and I told all these strangers, these new friends how nice it had been to see them and that I would see them "next time."
Now came the hard part of the night. Since she and I live almost an hours drive away from each other we always come and leave again in separate cars to separate directions. We were faced with the unavoidable goodbye. I was parked closer so we walked to my car and then we drove to hers.
At this time of night, the streets are empty of people and cars. The noise of the city has died down and even the sounds of the nearby freeway are hushed. She was parked in the lot of a nearby office building and so I drove over to her car and parked in the next spot over. We had the entire parking lot to ourselves. It was one large empty space with white lines and a wash of orange light, and us.
There we sat in my car with the radio serenading us with the sounds of a vaguely Latin band that I had heard of though a friend's wife. The moment to say goodbye had come and neither of us was ready or willing to say it. We sat and talked a little, we kissed a little, and we were silent a little. There was talk about what we each had planned for the next day, we mused about the karaoke songs that we had sung or heard at the bar, and there was talk about when she would teach me to dance.
I sat there looking at her smile, at her eyes and knowing that the affection that was clear on her face was also clear on mine. I asked her when we would make time for her to teach me how to dance and as always, we just shrugged it away as "sometime."
"Why not now" I asked her.
She smiled and said "sure"
"I don't know if you are serious" I said tilting my head to the side and smiling."Lets do it!" I turned up the radio and got out of the car.
"Are we really going to do this?" she said getting out of the car as well with a big smile.
So there in the lights of the parking lot and with the privacy of 2:00am she pushed and pulled and spun and danced me. I stepped and danced and stumbled and spun and turned and all the time I touched her and held her and we were together and alone.
Finally after about an hour spent in the parking lot dancing and kissing and dancing some more, we could no longer put off what was inevitable. I had to go east and she west. We held each other for another long moment and parted.
It was 1:30am and we had left the bar behind. Karaoke was accomplished and it was getting late. My girlfriend's friends were ready to go and so we left. Out on the street we hugged our goodbyes and I told all these strangers, these new friends how nice it had been to see them and that I would see them "next time."
Now came the hard part of the night. Since she and I live almost an hours drive away from each other we always come and leave again in separate cars to separate directions. We were faced with the unavoidable goodbye. I was parked closer so we walked to my car and then we drove to hers.
At this time of night, the streets are empty of people and cars. The noise of the city has died down and even the sounds of the nearby freeway are hushed. She was parked in the lot of a nearby office building and so I drove over to her car and parked in the next spot over. We had the entire parking lot to ourselves. It was one large empty space with white lines and a wash of orange light, and us.
There we sat in my car with the radio serenading us with the sounds of a vaguely Latin band that I had heard of though a friend's wife. The moment to say goodbye had come and neither of us was ready or willing to say it. We sat and talked a little, we kissed a little, and we were silent a little. There was talk about what we each had planned for the next day, we mused about the karaoke songs that we had sung or heard at the bar, and there was talk about when she would teach me to dance.
I sat there looking at her smile, at her eyes and knowing that the affection that was clear on her face was also clear on mine. I asked her when we would make time for her to teach me how to dance and as always, we just shrugged it away as "sometime."
"Why not now" I asked her.
She smiled and said "sure"
"I don't know if you are serious" I said tilting my head to the side and smiling."Lets do it!" I turned up the radio and got out of the car.
"Are we really going to do this?" she said getting out of the car as well with a big smile.
So there in the lights of the parking lot and with the privacy of 2:00am she pushed and pulled and spun and danced me. I stepped and danced and stumbled and spun and turned and all the time I touched her and held her and we were together and alone.
Finally after about an hour spent in the parking lot dancing and kissing and dancing some more, we could no longer put off what was inevitable. I had to go east and she west. We held each other for another long moment and parted.
Why Not?
Today was quite a bunch of fun.
I went to the presentation of a house to one of my girlfriend's co-workers. She had fallen on some serious hard times and Habitat for Humanity built her ,and ten other families, new houses in Glendale. It was amazing to see what people can do for each other if we all pull together. The task of building eleven houses is monumental but with the hundreds of volunteers and donations from companies it became a reality. I really need to volunteer with them some day,
After the presentation, Girlfriend and I headed back to my place because a couple of my friends that she hadn't met yet were going to come over and play a game of Warmachine against me. She met them , we had lunch and then she left to hit the driving range. The game of Warmachine was intense. It was a 3-way battle that came very close by the end but I prevailed. The game lasted longer than we expected because of the close end and by the time it was all done, I got a call from Girlfriend again asking if I wanted to go out to the karaoke bar she was headed to.
I bid my friends farewell (it was 11:30pm anyway) and hit the road to what happened to be a gay bar with karaoke. We sang "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean and then after hanging out for about an hour we were done with the place.
I drove Girlfriend to her car because it was across the street and down the block in the parking lot of an office building and when we got there we lingered not wanting to say goodnight. Well, one thing lead to another and we wound up kicking on my radio with some Cat Empire CD's and at 2:00 in the morning I got a dance lesson in an empty parking lot with only the sounds of my car radio and the freeway for company. She showed me the basic steps for merengue and cha-cha, and some other bits and pieces here and there. It is a different mode of movement than I am used to but I have fun dancing with her. I look forward to when I will be good enough that we can go out dancing.
Today has been an exercise in doing things that are fun and not holding back. I almost backed out of the Warmachine game because after my recent move I couldn't find all my pieces, I could have backed out of going to the gay karaoke bar for any number of reasons, I could have not turned up the radio and gotten out of the car for the dance lesson (she didn't think I was serious about the lesson). I am getting better at not holding back, at not being afraid to do something new and unusual.
Life is good.
I went to the presentation of a house to one of my girlfriend's co-workers. She had fallen on some serious hard times and Habitat for Humanity built her ,and ten other families, new houses in Glendale. It was amazing to see what people can do for each other if we all pull together. The task of building eleven houses is monumental but with the hundreds of volunteers and donations from companies it became a reality. I really need to volunteer with them some day,
After the presentation, Girlfriend and I headed back to my place because a couple of my friends that she hadn't met yet were going to come over and play a game of Warmachine against me. She met them , we had lunch and then she left to hit the driving range. The game of Warmachine was intense. It was a 3-way battle that came very close by the end but I prevailed. The game lasted longer than we expected because of the close end and by the time it was all done, I got a call from Girlfriend again asking if I wanted to go out to the karaoke bar she was headed to.
I bid my friends farewell (it was 11:30pm anyway) and hit the road to what happened to be a gay bar with karaoke. We sang "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean and then after hanging out for about an hour we were done with the place.
I drove Girlfriend to her car because it was across the street and down the block in the parking lot of an office building and when we got there we lingered not wanting to say goodnight. Well, one thing lead to another and we wound up kicking on my radio with some Cat Empire CD's and at 2:00 in the morning I got a dance lesson in an empty parking lot with only the sounds of my car radio and the freeway for company. She showed me the basic steps for merengue and cha-cha, and some other bits and pieces here and there. It is a different mode of movement than I am used to but I have fun dancing with her. I look forward to when I will be good enough that we can go out dancing.
Today has been an exercise in doing things that are fun and not holding back. I almost backed out of the Warmachine game because after my recent move I couldn't find all my pieces, I could have backed out of going to the gay karaoke bar for any number of reasons, I could have not turned up the radio and gotten out of the car for the dance lesson (she didn't think I was serious about the lesson). I am getting better at not holding back, at not being afraid to do something new and unusual.
Life is good.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Good Olde Fun
Life has been quite interesting lately. I have moved and my life is all jumbled around. I am trying to keep the full speed awesome-train going, but it is getting tight with the slowness at work and the move. I had a blast at the Renaissance Faire and met someone intriguing.
Tomorrow is karaoke night. I am looking forward to it.
but now I must sleep
Tomorrow is karaoke night. I am looking forward to it.
but now I must sleep
Friday, April 9, 2010
Far Far Away
The whole "making new friends" plan seems to be going better now. I reached out to a friend of a friend who lives far away and have started a dialogue. It seems like we can be penpals. I had a pen-pal (oder Brieffreund. Sie wohnt auf Deutschland) once before and I really failed at it because I couldn't write in German and even though her English was better than my German, I didn't have anything to say. I am now less boring and less shy, and we can converse in our common native English so I have high hopes.
It is kind of amazing how such a small thing as exchanging emails with someone new can buoy my spirits. I was feeling down and isolated and now with someone new to get to know and to explain myself to, I feel like there is more out there, more fun people to meet.
Of course now that I have mentioned this, the whole thing is jinxed and doomed to failure.
It is kind of amazing how such a small thing as exchanging emails with someone new can buoy my spirits. I was feeling down and isolated and now with someone new to get to know and to explain myself to, I feel like there is more out there, more fun people to meet.
Of course now that I have mentioned this, the whole thing is jinxed and doomed to failure.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Movement
I am going to be moving. I am very happy living alone, but there are some advantages possible by leveraging two or three peoples rent money. I have been looking into three bedroom houses with my brother and a friend of ours. We have been looking primarily in Pasadena, and are ready to submit applications.
I am a little anxious to be living with people again. I have been living alone for more than two years now and I appreciate the privacy. I know that living with my brother will be fine, but our friend is another matter. I met her years ago and am now starting to actually get to know her. So far we get along well but we shall see.
I am a little anxious to be living with people again. I have been living alone for more than two years now and I appreciate the privacy. I know that living with my brother will be fine, but our friend is another matter. I met her years ago and am now starting to actually get to know her. So far we get along well but we shall see.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wing Chung
Tonight I had my first lesson in Wing Chung. Normally I study HapKiDo which is a Korean art, but after class I was able to get in a Wing Chung lesson with the visiting instructor. He is learning how to run a school from us, and while he is here he is teaching some of us his art.
The primary differences so far are that Hapkido is a soft style that emphasizes throwing and twisting, while Wing Chung is a hard style with lots of striking. In addition to the style differences the teaching is much different. Master Connard is a 7th degree black belt, who owns the HapKiDo studio, and Sifu Lopez is, I believe, a fifth degree black belt in Wing Chung. Master Connard has been forced to streamline the techniques for broader appeal and student safety. If I were to throw someone wrong or if they were to fall wrong they would be seriously injured. So far the blocks that I am learning from Sifu Lopez are harder on the wrists and arms but the "dumps" as he calls the throws are not as brutal. This is may be because of my limited knowledge. It should be an experience to learn a new style that is so different from the one I know.
The primary differences so far are that Hapkido is a soft style that emphasizes throwing and twisting, while Wing Chung is a hard style with lots of striking. In addition to the style differences the teaching is much different. Master Connard is a 7th degree black belt, who owns the HapKiDo studio, and Sifu Lopez is, I believe, a fifth degree black belt in Wing Chung. Master Connard has been forced to streamline the techniques for broader appeal and student safety. If I were to throw someone wrong or if they were to fall wrong they would be seriously injured. So far the blocks that I am learning from Sifu Lopez are harder on the wrists and arms but the "dumps" as he calls the throws are not as brutal. This is may be because of my limited knowledge. It should be an experience to learn a new style that is so different from the one I know.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Writing
I have a story that I think I am going to write. The problem is that I don't know how to write. Well clearly I can write in blog or essay form but I'm talking dialogue here. I have only ever written three short stories and one of them was stream-of-consciousness type cheating. I am going to have to start small. Some very short prose probably posted here to warm me up. Lets see how I do.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Wanderlust
Lately I have been thinking of other places. I have always lived in Los Angeles, and given my chosen careerpath in the entertainment industry, I would have trouble selling my skills in other places. I am also deeply rooted with my friends so leaving them would be very difficult for me. Nonetheless I keep thinking of other places that I have or have not been. I think of my friends or family in Olympia Washington, Las Vegas Nevada, Bacolod Philppine Islands, Portland Oregon, Morriston Florida, London England, and somewhere in Italy. Its nights like this that I wonder if it would be a mistake to live only here where I am most comfortable. The longest I have ever been away from California is about 6 weeks on vacation to the Philippines. Friends and family of mine have moved away and sometimes back, lived away and seen and gotten to know places that I will not know.
In German there are two verbs for "to know," wissen is to know facts and kennen is to get to know someone in a personal sense I have never had the time to get to know another place in that personal sense, to know how things are done and what is special in that place. I could probably do much more exploring without leaving Los Angeles but there are farther places with different things to offer. I wonder if I am losing out on something. I wonder if I should move on.
The problem is one of work. If I were to uproot myself and move on I would have to find new work and a new place to live in a down economy and with limited marketability. I think that I am too practical and not adventurous enough to just light off for the territories.
But am I missing out on something?
In German there are two verbs for "to know," wissen is to know facts and kennen is to get to know someone in a personal sense I have never had the time to get to know another place in that personal sense, to know how things are done and what is special in that place. I could probably do much more exploring without leaving Los Angeles but there are farther places with different things to offer. I wonder if I am losing out on something. I wonder if I should move on.
The problem is one of work. If I were to uproot myself and move on I would have to find new work and a new place to live in a down economy and with limited marketability. I think that I am too practical and not adventurous enough to just light off for the territories.
But am I missing out on something?
Monday, October 26, 2009
A New Chapter
This past weekend I threw a birthday party for myself and my brother. It was a smash hit and it seems that everyone had a great time.
After the party, the next day, I sat down with Sarah for a much needed talk. I have been brooding on this out for a while and finally had no more reasons to wait. I told her that its not working between us. We went over the facts and the situation. I did most of the talking, but the long and the short of it is that Sarah and I are no longer a couple. Whether we are friends after the dust settles remains to be seen.
For my part, I am not angry or tortured. I have just come to the conclusion that Sarah and I are not compatible for a long term romantic relationship. Our interests do not overlap, our goals in life are not the same, and we do not connect in a very important intellectual level. This makes me sound cold, and maybe I am, but I believe that we are better suited for other people, and that this is best for both of us.
I really have that 'new chapter' feeling. My life has changed. I dated Sarah for 7 years and 7 months and now I have to figure out who I am without her.
After the party, the next day, I sat down with Sarah for a much needed talk. I have been brooding on this out for a while and finally had no more reasons to wait. I told her that its not working between us. We went over the facts and the situation. I did most of the talking, but the long and the short of it is that Sarah and I are no longer a couple. Whether we are friends after the dust settles remains to be seen.
For my part, I am not angry or tortured. I have just come to the conclusion that Sarah and I are not compatible for a long term romantic relationship. Our interests do not overlap, our goals in life are not the same, and we do not connect in a very important intellectual level. This makes me sound cold, and maybe I am, but I believe that we are better suited for other people, and that this is best for both of us.
I really have that 'new chapter' feeling. My life has changed. I dated Sarah for 7 years and 7 months and now I have to figure out who I am without her.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
A beating
Yesterday I went out to my local martial arts supply and picked up some sparring gear. Today was sparring at my dojo, and since my Wednesday running partner rescheduled for tomorrow, I found myself fresh out of excuses. I went in and did a little fighting.
For my first match as an adult I was opposite Jujitsu black-belt. He had clear control of the fight with superior aim and timing despite the fact that he was old enough to be my father. He landed one punch squarely (if not very hard) on my nose giving me a double nose bleed. I retired to the restroom to sort it out. After I stopped the bleeding I had to reconsider my enthusiasm in the sport. I had been fighting less than 5 minutes in a light contact easy manner and already I had my own blood on my gi. I pulled myself together eventually and went out with a green belt (I am what is called a red-stripe-1) and managed to get some good even light sparring. He did at one point kick me square in the balls, bit it was a light hit and I was already a little pumped up so it barely hurt. Last I faced a Hapkido black-belt and we traded punches and kicks in a more easy rhythm. Overall I learned quite a bit. I will be going back but I am not sure when, as I do go running on Wednesdays.
For my first match as an adult I was opposite Jujitsu black-belt. He had clear control of the fight with superior aim and timing despite the fact that he was old enough to be my father. He landed one punch squarely (if not very hard) on my nose giving me a double nose bleed. I retired to the restroom to sort it out. After I stopped the bleeding I had to reconsider my enthusiasm in the sport. I had been fighting less than 5 minutes in a light contact easy manner and already I had my own blood on my gi. I pulled myself together eventually and went out with a green belt (I am what is called a red-stripe-1) and managed to get some good even light sparring. He did at one point kick me square in the balls, bit it was a light hit and I was already a little pumped up so it barely hurt. Last I faced a Hapkido black-belt and we traded punches and kicks in a more easy rhythm. Overall I learned quite a bit. I will be going back but I am not sure when, as I do go running on Wednesdays.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Yes I am now on the facebook. I finally gave in when I couldn't see pics from the cool-tastic party I thew last weekend. I find it cumbersome and narrow.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Website UP!!!!!!!
I finally got the website I wrote up and running I am quite happy with it. I learned a lot about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript while I was writing it. I used jEdit to do it all text-editor style. Why do it if you are just going to go through the motions.
Anyway check it out at www.skylitemedia.com
Anyway check it out at www.skylitemedia.com
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Premise
I had the idea the other day when running with my girlfriend that I would like to do a photo blog. We were running alongside a wash and it was so green that I took a picture with my phone it really doesn't look like we are in the middle of the city. The pictures will be good quality when i have my good camera and bad when i just have my phone. I will try to keep the words to a minimum and let the pictures speak for themselves.
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