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The Kiln Hunt

So I decided that the only way I'd be completely satisfied with my PMC endeavors was to wait a few months and just outright buy a kiln. I liked the idea of the Hot Pot (might get one), but I'm not going to use that long term like I know other people do. Another motivation is the fact that it's cold out. I'd most likely be using the Hot Pot outdoors because of the ventilation needs and the fact that it's not safe around children. I don't want to have to stand outside during the winter to try to get my things once they've cooled. I need to be able to do my work completely indoors. I also don't want to limit my work to miniature things and I've been thinking about if I want to fire more than 2 items at a time. So the Hot Pot is great for short term, but if you really want to get the ball rolling, it goes without saying that you need a good kiln.

A concern I had with the kilns I've noticed is that not all kilns come with temperature control. That would concern me. Since I'd be a beginner, I wouldn't feel comfortable 'monitoring' my work during the firing process. I just want to set it and come back when I feel it's done...like baking in my stove. I've heard great things about the Paragon SC2 and it's not just for doing silver clay and gold clay but it's great for a number of other art forms depending on if you're interested in any glasswork or enamels. So there's also the opportunity to work with other mediums if you just get the full blown kiln. It would probably pay for itself considering all the creativity you'd be able to dabble in. So I'm still hunting. Hopefully I'll know what will work best for me soon.

Kiss that Toad

I like to live by the mantra 'time will tell' in regards to relationships. I truly believe that if things aren't meant to be, they fall apart. However, I came across an article that talked a lot about people settling in relationships versus waiting it out for their 'perfect' soul mate. I mean the term 'perfect' is filled with pressure and the term 'soul mate' doesn't do anymore good.

Say you're with that wonderful guy and there aren't any major problems. You love each other, so does that give you the right to think:

"What if there's someone else out there for me that can make me happier?"
"Is this as good as it gets?"

We all have fantasies about what marriage should be like or what we really hoped ours would be like, when in reality who we wind up with usually isn't what we pictured. So does that mean we settled? Are our expectations too high?

Fairy tales had us dreaming about prince charmings and knights in shining armour, and no matter how much your dating history tries to snap you back into reality, you hold on to those daydreams believing that after the toads you'll find that prince. But what if that frog really is your prince and you're passing him by for some superficial reason?

He may not be as sensitive as you thought your perfect spouse would be. He may not be in as good a shape as you pictured he'd be. He may look nothing close to Denzel Washington.... Does that mean you'd have a terrible marriage?

I think in terms of the heart, you also have to be realistic. We like to get caught up in our 'list of demands', thinking that if everything's not checked off then we won't be happy long term. Sometimes if we're with someone that doesn't 'measure up' to who we think will make us happy, then we start to think something's wrong with us. In this day and age, people put so much emphasis on the wrong (usually superficial) things and don't pay attention to the big smaller details, like how broad you smile when you see him or the factthat he's never late. Sometimes you have to be negotiable, not settling, just negotiable. As long as you're with someone that's flexible as well, you can find happiness without 'sticking to the list'.

I think it's hard to make a list of requirements for someone you haven't met yet and, in most cases, aren't meeting. It amazed me how I would hear women complain about being single when you asked them what they want in a partner and they'd have a long, almost endless list of what the man should be like from the size of his bank account to his living arrangements. It makes you wonder why they are just alone, even though they value a relationship. It's not because they're bad people and don't deserve happiness, they're just not flexible. I don't think we ever find someone that matches what we tell ourselves we want, but instead usually can find someone with most of what we want. It just takes some open-mindedness and soul searching.

The Best Time of Year

We're getting our first of hopefully not many snow showers today. Last night, we solidified our Thanksgiving menu at D-Man's house. So I'm in the holiday spirit. Thanksgiving will be a nice joint effort, of D-Man's mom, my mom, and myself cooking. D-Man may help out. I just love the holidays. It brings everyone together. I've also been thinking about my Christmas shopping. I usually wind up waiting until the last minute but with Bianca around, I'm going to have to just get some things out of the way. So here's to the holidays. It may be cold outside, but our hearts are warmed in many ways.

Blah, Blah, Blah

I've had a lot of things going through my mind over the past few days. The problem with being a blogger is that sometimes you have so many things to say that you wind up saying nothing at all. I've been contemplative about relationships, work, eating better (I hate the term dieting), finances, and just about everything else you can imagine. I'm talking deep thoughts too. Not those fleeting thoughts that I usually get over. I have no idea why I've been feeling so intense about things that I've 'gotten over' and things that weren't even important to me last week, but I'm there for some reason. I came here to Blogger and couldn't put into words how I was feeling or if it was even appropriate to put it here. Hopefully, I'll get back in the flow soon, but right now it's just blah, blah, blah.