weekly retro #57: the usual amount of clay, blood and lasagna
this week was a week of starting new routines to make up for lost ones and keep me mentally and physically well. did i do a good job? well, i was in an active, mild allergic reaction to an edible for 2 days before i realized my throat wasn't swollen because the air is dry lol. that doesn't matter though, i am here now, breathing well, and reflecting on the week.
next monday pumagreg gets his echocardiogram to see if he can be put under for surgery on the growth on his leg. he feels no pain and doesn't really have any idea of what's going on, and i'm trying to match that energy and appreciate this time right now where he's not in pain. baby's first gabapentin prescription is in the fridge waiting!
i started my new semester of ceramics, wheel throwing 2, and it was really great. this instructor gave us a challenge to take 1.5 pounds and throw a 4x4" cylinder, then make it into a bud vase. in this process, she pointed out to me that i've been throwing left-handed but on a right-hand spinning wheel. i'm glad i learned this...6 weeks into this journey lol. this is why taking multiple classes with multiple instructors is so important for artisan crafts!
after a very early morning bloodwork appointment a couple of days later, i decided to go to the studio to practice more instead of rot on the couch refreshing my labcorp profile for results. we're going to be making olive oil bottles, and i think i've figured out my new, correct, form and got a hand of collaring a cylinder. one thing i need to remember is to remove water from inside the vessel before i narrow its top. i'm pretty sure one my favorite of the bottles i threw is too wet inside, so i'm going to go practice tomorrow and see how it looks.
at home, i'd been working with air dry clay to make magnets of my candles while livestreaming. i finished them, but i want to share the final photo of them on my livestream before i write about it here. they came out very cute, but the magnets i got are quite weak so i'm going to have to find a new set before i make more magnets of big things in tiny form.
i started a new weight lifting routine late last week and fortunately my back was only fucked up for a day. my thighs were killing me for 4 solid days but walking on the treadmill and taking rest days really helped. i love pretending to care what's on the gym television between sets, maybe i'll absorb something from it but probably not. i also love this fake spring we've had this week, making my commutes to various locations of fitness and crafting a lot safer than the last few very icy weeks.
my therapist was out this week so i went to a new (to me) aerial yoga class in the city. i'd been to this studio before - it's near the nyc fastly office and i've dragged a few then-coworkers there - but i'd never been there at noon and or with this instructor. it was a great class, my upper abs are currently screaming at me. my one issue with this studio is that the hammocks are quite close to each other, and many of the students are their for their first time and tend to swing around, so i had to limit my own movement to accommodate that. i guess i just need to avoid open level classes if i want to advance my practice and not get kicked in the head during shavasana again
things i enjoyed this week
- we enjoyed this gluten-free lasagna corn pasta. i used this cheese lasagna recipe for inspiration.
- we played creature kitchen in one sitting. it's a cozy game, but the spookiest one i've experienced. it's like arctic eggs (which i also loved) but with animals and real food and it takes place in a house isntead of what looks like a lot in bushwick.
- buddy guy's npr tiny desk was so good, what a blessing to still have legends among us.
- new york was ziwe's most iconic guest. i once posted jokingly that covid happened after vh1 stopped making shows with tiffany pollard in it and someone took me very seriously and was very upset that i "thought" covid was caused by that.
- the mountain, the moon cave and the sad god by gorillaz has beautiful old-school animation. i loved the snake part. i tried to watch them perform on snl but they don't do it behind a screen anymore and it's...not for me.
- "your company's new 'ai agent workflow'"
both daylight saving time and my period started today, which is one of life's more rude coincidences. this coming week i hope to try another aerial yoga class, practice more ceramics and be told by my endocrinologist how beautiful my blood is.
xoxo jenn