Kiln Unloaded

I unloaded the kiln, and am now feel comfortable to get the similar result at each firing. All except the bottom near the chimney get good reduction. What is have changed so far is;  I changed the body reduction from cone 07 to 012, and the setting of the flap more closed. I found it is all right to fire with very light reduction after 1200C degree, and closed the flaps to fire  at heavier reduction during the soaking. (I want to test the light reduction all way through the end of firing as the heavier reduction tends stall the kiln.) I also changed the setting of the oxyprobe from .60 to .63-65 range throughout the firing.



My daughter finally started feel better yesterday.  I saw her smile first time in 10 days.  In fact, she went to the Barnes and Noble for coffee with her friends tonight.  She is still living with the pain pills, though.

Kiln is loaded and the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts

I glazed and loaded the kiln in one day! Now I have a bit of back pain.  Today was not as hot as last 7 days, and was the perfect to glaze. I start to  fire tomorrow early morning, so I will be ready for the Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts on 29 and 30, and  stay home during the day with my daughter this week.

My friend sent me this newspaper clipping. My teapot is in the ads..

Scoliosis

Last Thursday, our daughter went the spinal fusion operation to correct her scoliosis. We have been dealing with the scoliosis since she was 10, and visited the doctor to check her curvature every 4 months to 6 months ever since. It started out a very small curve, went through the painful three years of her wearing the brace 24/7 when it progressed to 30 degrees. It had been stable for last three years around 50 degrees. It was supposed to be the last visit to the doctor in July, it progressed to 59 degrees. We were very surprised and felt sick to the stomach. It was considered that once the body became mature and the curvature will stay the same except the small percent of people. This new progress was the indication of the future progress. She said why I wore the brace if...

The operation took 7.5 hours, and installed two stainless steel rods with more than dozen screws to the spine, and attached the bone graft to fuse it. She came out the operation very well (she can move all arms and legs, and can see), and gained a couple inches in height, and her back was very flat. She was able to stand up and sit on the chair next day and walk the following day, and discharged on Tuesday. The car ride home was very horrifying experience as she got so much pain with the movement of the car.

She still has lots of pains, mostly in neck and shoulder; imagine how much of the body is shifted physically by the operation. We see the activity level increase every day, and think the time will heal her well, and she can attend the first day of her senior year. It has been very painful to see her suffer with lots of pains, but she has been very patient and has great will to get better.

Philadelphia and New York

We went the east coast campus tour last week. Architectures of these universities are, like walking into the medieval.  Surrounded by the well maintained gardens. I never thought about it before, but they are great placed to visit to just walk around. Each school has its history going back to the civil war, and that these history itself became the foundation, philosophy of each universities today.

I went the university in Japan, where you have to declare the major before the entrance exam, and seldom change the major thereafter. I had no idea of the difference in law, economics, etc as the major. Turned out the my major, economics, Markism was taught rather than the micro and macro economics. I finished all credits required to graduate in three years, and stayed home studying these economics at home at night while spending majority of time with the pottery club. Yes, that where I was addicted to the clay. Looking back, and experiencing the campus tour process, it makes more scene togo the campus tour. I am not sure it is still true, but we used to talk about that Japaneses collage system is very hard to get in, but easy to graduate. It is rather a place to enjoy and play rather than study before entering the Japanese company (Kaisha) system, and the Japanese company did not value what we learned at the collage, because of the same reason. On the other hand, US system was considered easy to get in, but harder to graduate.

Back to clay this week.

Park Avenue Festival

Opening the canopy this morning, and found two shelves knocked down, and some bungee cords are unhooked.  Fortunately just one mugs is broken.  The shelves just missed two large vases. The plastic shelves have concrete weight in it, so it is very stable unless someone pushed from the outside. I was saved as I pack everything loosely in the boxes. I started packing the pottery when the strong thunderstorm went through overnight, and most booths on my street was blown to other side more than ten years ago.  I was told my friend the day before to tie up the canopy to the parking meter or anything very stable due to winds through the surrounding buildings.  Anyway, at this show, so many people got drunk. Police prohibited people drinking alcohols on the street, but they cannot control someone's backyard. I saw backyard party one after another with piles of beers when picking up the car.

My friend artist who parked his trailer on the street got vandalized overnight as well.

It is unfortunate, that I had sour taste in my mouth even there were so many customers in the street, and the business was not bad.