Ballot

I casted my vote for Japanese upper house election last week. I believe this was my first voting experience at age 49. A couple years ago, I registered to the overseas voter registration list as suggested by the Japanese consulate. I didn't know that opportunity until then. I prefer to nationalize in order to vote here, but my parents would love to hear that. I am considering, though.

The other day, the mailman delivered the express mail from Japan. We thought it was from my parents. There were over $100 worth of stamps on it. Then, I realized it is from Minato-ku, Secretariat of the Election. Hundred dollars to cast a ballot. My vote sounded very heavy. (If I live in big city where Japanese consulate locates, I can vote there.) I read the Japanese newspaper on the net everyday, but have no idea even who are candidates and what their stances. I spent good hours in front of the computer reading about the candidates. There were much of information available last week, but I needed too mail it to be delivered by July 11. Election was announced on June 24 as the voting date on July 11, a window of 18 days.

I fired on Saturday. It was very hot. We are in middle of the heat wave, setting 94F degrees everyday. The kiln looked very good. I am ready for the Corn Hill Art Festival this weekend.

Graduation

I attended my first graduation in US, not mine,  my daughter's.  I was amazed many people other than parents were there. I realized how important thing and key milestone on her life, like the initiation rite.  Japanese cerebrates him/her on 20th birth year. I think most high school kids here are definitely more matured than we were in the high school. Now, our daughter has two months before departing to Abu Dhabi for the collage.



My mug is featured in the blog, http://dancingdolphinpottery.blogspot.com/

Earthquake

I was loading the kiln yesterday.  Around 1:30pm, I felt the building moving. We are facing the CSX yard, and they produce lots of ground movement, but nothing was in action. Then I realized this was earthquake. It was long one, about 30 seconds. In my experience in Japan, if it continued more than 15 seconds, it tends to become a large one. But this earthquake was just long steady horizontal shake. Ware on the shelves are all ok. Epic center of the earthquake was in Ottawa, Canada, 180 miles away, magnitude 5. We probably had Japanese scale of 2 to 3, once month or more if you are in Tokyo.

I really hate the earthquake. You have no control over the earthquake, but stay put or hide under the table. I don't remember when, but I hid under the table in the student full of the class room, but nobody else.  I was very embarrassed, of course.

Ready to fire tomorrow.

Clay

Where does  the clay come from?  I don't dig my own clay in our backyard.  I wish.  I purchase from the Laguna Clay Company, and come in a box pre-mixed #510.  They keep the content (receipe) secret, so I really do not know.

I used to mix the clay, which was back breaking operation.  Yes, mixed. I purchased 50lb bag of dry materials; Hawthorne Bond Clay (Missouri) , OM-4 ball clay (Kentucky),  EPK(Florida), Custer Feldspar (South Dakot) and Flint. It is not mine in single location.

In Japan, pottery clay is mined locally, and glazed with local materials (ashes) to make their product unique (one of kind), and people appreciate it. It makes the pottery more expensive .  Bizen pottery was known to purchase a lot of the rice field for their clay, by digging the rice field and removing the clay means no more rice production there as well as you do not know what kind of clay you can get until mine. It is very expensive transaction.

Is it possible to do the same in US?  Yes, I think some do, however  I think people do not see much difference in the final product, or its value.  I sometimes wonder how many people see the difference between the high fire and low fire.  I think mining and making clay too much time-consuming and challenging practice , meaning finding, testing and processing clay as well as fitting the glaze, not mention storing these unprocessed clay, to justify the cost.  I do not mind using the clay in the box as long as I can make my own pottery. Painter uses the paint in tube.  I do not think people ever asking the painter, where the paint or canvas comes from.

Skype and..

My sister set up the computer for my parents in Tokyo, and started using the Skype since January. We managed to teach her to use the Skype, but that all, and since my sister has gone home.

I was amazed how technology has progressed. I tried the video conference with them 10-15 years ago, when Apple clone was in the market. It worked, but really the video was  like thumbnail pictures with underwater sounds.  So, we gave up the idea.  Now it is actually the color  video both ways. Amazing. I have not seen my mother close to five years.

Now, we are pleased with the Skype, but my parents do not understand the computer at all.  Message from the google desktop just freaks her up and makes her think it's broken.  I googled "remote access", and found software called "Teamviewer".  It is free for personal use. It took us 2 hours to install the program over the Skype.  It was very difficult to explain where to scroll, and which to click.....  Good thing is we managed to install the Teamviewer and I can maintain her computer in Tokyo from NY.  I can see her computer screen on my monitor, and actually control hers like my computer.  I reinstalled the Google Desktop, and made some changes.

Missed oppotunity

Building’s radiator was on yesterday, so I left it on overnight to dry greenwares quickly. Studio was 90°F this morning. My neck stiffened quickly while trimming pottery in the heat.  I opened the windows, but stayed 80’s.  The greenwares were ready for the bisque, so I turned the bisque on.

So, I pick up another McDonald’s ice tea for my neck-ache.  I noticed a small sticker.  Yes, the Monopoly.



This brings back to the memory.  When Kodak Japan was sent me to the Rochester for 9 months assignment, I had no idea of the life in the US.  Within a month, I got a parking ticket for $150, for parking on the handicap.  I did not know the handicap sign even existed. I do not think there is a handicap parking ticket in Japan now.  I was amazed leaving (parking) car in the middle of the intersection was cheaper…  Anyway, the Monopoly game.  I was eating the launch at the McDonald’s and saw the guy next me got the park place, while I had the board walk. You know, 1 million.  I talked about it to the friend (my wife now) later, and she told me why didn’t you talked with the guy, that did not occurred me, and thought illegal. Missed oppotunity.....