Hell-ish weeks!

It's been a rough couple of weeks. With all that's been on my plate at work I've reminded myself numerous times of how incredibly grateful I am that I'm not planning a wedding THIS year. I actually have no idea how I did it last year but figure that I must have been a REALLY bad teacher and I've blocked the memory for the sake of my pride.

Everything came to a head over the last two weeks. Somehow the grading, which is normally a moderately over-flowing pile on my desk avalanched into a tidal wave of potter's logs (dumb dumb idea!) and Design projects that buried my desk and my computer. For a few days there I thought I was going to have to simply pass everyone and mentally check out to save my sanity. So what I did instead is took off to McCall and spent an entire weekend in my bathrobe playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on the original Nintendo (yes, that's PRE-Super Nintendo). I returned Sunday and felt that sinking dread that reminded me of the piles and piles of work that I procrastinated while in the mind-numbing coma induced by an antiquated gaming system. I spent Wednesday night at work feverishly pumping out 100 clay medallions for a senior awards night next week. I'm not really sure how I got volunteered for the task but I've since taken a memo to me: NEVER AGAIN! Ten and a half grueling hours of smashing clay into plaster molds left me miserable and grumpy when I drove home at 9:45 that night. The next day Adrian and I conveniently slept through the alarm and woke up with an expletive at 6:20. It requires a full hour and a half for me to become a fully functioning human being so I normally rise at 5:00. Needless to say my grumps followed me to work where I bitterly resented having spent so many hours on a project that I was neither paid to do or helped with (besides Adrian who graciously came to my aid to speed the painful process.) I think what bothered me most was that it kept me from even attempting to catch up on all the other work I couldn't do while making mold after mold. I'm over it now... mostly. And once they're out of the kiln on Monday I wash my hands of the whole deal. I will not be painting or stringing those silly things, nor do I care who does. The awards ceremony (Olympic theme, thus the medals) is Tuesday and I've nominated a student who has been outstanding in my program for 2 years now. Unfortunately the cost of nominating someone is that I have to actually present it in front of hundreds of parents. The last time I did that I fumbled my speech (hearkening back to that humiliating experience at my Homecoming Queen pageant... don't ask.) So I'm not exactly excited about the opportunity but will relish when it is over and the whole messy business is behind me. Meanwhile I've managed to slowly chip away at the piles and have now whittled it down to something mildly manageable. But the late work seems to keep showing up in my basket and my work is never finished.

So with all the overtime I've spent I have done ZERO art and regret it. Once summer comes I am banished from my room until mid-July. It seems horrible now but really, come June 5th I'll want nothing more to do with the place for at least a month and a half anyway. But it's all the more reason to be pumping out the work now as all progress halts in another month (not that there has really been any progress in the last ohhhhh 3 months.) It is my goal to have some actual photos of pottery up here by June... Actual finished stuff. You're excited, I can tell. I'll keep you posted. Til then, enjoy a couple of oldies...