So lately, I've just been feeling kind of BLEH, you know -- the lovely midwinter blahs, especially with the delightful weather we've been having this season, where below freezing and wet were the norm. Speaking of which, we are due for -- yes, you guessed it -- another winter storm this week. (The above photo is from our LAST storm. I couldn't take any photos this morning because my screens had frozen solid against my window frame. Whoops. So I could open the windows, but not remove the mesh, and shooting through a fine grid is really not conducive to a sharp photo, eh?)
I don't know if the whole lack of coordination, concentration, and motivation is just the usual winter woes, or I am just learning to readjust to my post-chemo, post-amoxycillin, tamoxifen-for-5-years world.
My attention span these days has definitely suffered, since I barely read anything longer than a magazine article, blog post, or the free newspaper. Apparently, this is not so unusual, according to one of my books, Your Brain after Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus, which was co-written by an oncologist and a health science writer who, ironically, became a breast cancer survivor.
(Speaking of which, I discovered Monday that a former coworker has passed away this weekend. She had been a breast cancer survivor for several years. After a life-threatening battle with advanced beast cancer before I knew her, she and her husband had drastically changed their priorities and appreciated the truly important things in life (e.g., seizing any travel opportunity they could, not letting the turkeys get them down, etc.). Her attitude at work was always helpful in reminding me how to balance dedication with perspective. I had not know her cancer had recurred, andnow I'm sorry that I can never tell her how valuable her sense of perspective was to me when I worked with her. I will just have to tell her husband instead, via a card -- all that I can do now...)
So yeah, I know that I have many things to be grateful for, and I regularly remind myself that if losing my last 10 pounds of chemo/treatment weight is my worst problem, life ain't bad.
Having said all that, I will now return to my whining. ;-P
For example, although getting out of my nice cozy bed is usually a half hour process every morning (at least), this morning I woke up at 4:55 AM (that is just SO wrong) and realized I had turned on one of my bedside lights in a bizarre autopilot mode. While pondering that oddity, I had an excruciating cramp in my left calf. So much for rolling over and going back to sleep. (Ironically, I had made the decision to NOT stay up late watching ladies figure skating on the Olympics... so I wouldn't be tired!)
On the bright side, that means I had time to make myself some McCann's oatmeal (with currants and honey) from scratch this morning, not usually a feasible task on a workday, considering it takes over 30 minutes. (Yes, even when mopey, I can be perky -- are you getting mental whiplash yet? [heh]) Oh, and to watch BBC World News while ensconced on the Green Monster in my robe, while eating said oatmeal, which gives me a pleasantly nostalgic feeling for my trips to Asia (the watching, NOT the oatmeal!) now that it's been a few years.
In any case, not even my beloved ceramics classes were giving me joy.
I thought that meant that I was just being droopy, as with everything else, but then I took a slip decoration workshop at my friend and former teacher Sara's new studio on the Upper East Side, Earthworks. (The studio and shop has been there for many years, but she is now the [new] owner.)
What a revelation!
As you can see, I really dug learning about different slip decoration techniques (just a bit) which gave me a whole new appreciation for the multifaceted uses of infant nasal aspirators! (That would be baby snot remover bulbs to us childfree folks. Ladies -- you too can recycle 'em for craft projects! Hee!)
My favorite technique was the feathering / feather combing, as evidenced by the predominance of my attempts. (That link was to the definition, while THIS link shows a truly crisp example.) The designs remind me of Florentine marbled paper, but there are so many other feathering / marbling techniques to try too!
Just remember when looking at these photos of the unfired tiles that the grey blobs will actually turn blue after partying with the kiln fire. Then, after its bisque firing, it's time for choosing the flaze colors, which will have a significant impact on the tints of the final results. These disk-shaped sample tiles below, for example, are all exactly the same slip colors, but underneath different glaze colors.
Okay, time to get dressed and trudge off to work through the multiple inches of snow.
I don't know if the whole lack of coordination, concentration, and motivation is just the usual winter woes, or I am just learning to readjust to my post-chemo, post-amoxycillin, tamoxifen-for-5-years world.My attention span these days has definitely suffered, since I barely read anything longer than a magazine article, blog post, or the free newspaper. Apparently, this is not so unusual, according to one of my books, Your Brain after Chemo: A Practical Guide to Lifting the Fog and Getting Back Your Focus, which was co-written by an oncologist and a health science writer who, ironically, became a breast cancer survivor.
(Speaking of which, I discovered Monday that a former coworker has passed away this weekend. She had been a breast cancer survivor for several years. After a life-threatening battle with advanced beast cancer before I knew her, she and her husband had drastically changed their priorities and appreciated the truly important things in life (e.g., seizing any travel opportunity they could, not letting the turkeys get them down, etc.). Her attitude at work was always helpful in reminding me how to balance dedication with perspective. I had not know her cancer had recurred, andnow I'm sorry that I can never tell her how valuable her sense of perspective was to me when I worked with her. I will just have to tell her husband instead, via a card -- all that I can do now...)
So yeah, I know that I have many things to be grateful for, and I regularly remind myself that if losing my last 10 pounds of chemo/treatment weight is my worst problem, life ain't bad.
Having said all that, I will now return to my whining. ;-P
For example, although getting out of my nice cozy bed is usually a half hour process every morning (at least), this morning I woke up at 4:55 AM (that is just SO wrong) and realized I had turned on one of my bedside lights in a bizarre autopilot mode. While pondering that oddity, I had an excruciating cramp in my left calf. So much for rolling over and going back to sleep. (Ironically, I had made the decision to NOT stay up late watching ladies figure skating on the Olympics... so I wouldn't be tired!)
On the bright side, that means I had time to make myself some McCann's oatmeal (with currants and honey) from scratch this morning, not usually a feasible task on a workday, considering it takes over 30 minutes. (Yes, even when mopey, I can be perky -- are you getting mental whiplash yet? [heh]) Oh, and to watch BBC World News while ensconced on the Green Monster in my robe, while eating said oatmeal, which gives me a pleasantly nostalgic feeling for my trips to Asia (the watching, NOT the oatmeal!) now that it's been a few years.In any case, not even my beloved ceramics classes were giving me joy.
I thought that meant that I was just being droopy, as with everything else, but then I took a slip decoration workshop at my friend and former teacher Sara's new studio on the Upper East Side, Earthworks. (The studio and shop has been there for many years, but she is now the [new] owner.)What a revelation!
As you can see, I really dug learning about different slip decoration techniques (just a bit) which gave me a whole new appreciation for the multifaceted uses of infant nasal aspirators! (That would be baby snot remover bulbs to us childfree folks. Ladies -- you too can recycle 'em for craft projects! Hee!)
My favorite technique was the feathering / feather combing, as evidenced by the predominance of my attempts. (That link was to the definition, while THIS link shows a truly crisp example.) The designs remind me of Florentine marbled paper, but there are so many other feathering / marbling techniques to try too!Just remember when looking at these photos of the unfired tiles that the grey blobs will actually turn blue after partying with the kiln fire. Then, after its bisque firing, it's time for choosing the flaze colors, which will have a significant impact on the tints of the final results. These disk-shaped sample tiles below, for example, are all exactly the same slip colors, but underneath different glaze colors.
Okay, time to get dressed and trudge off to work through the multiple inches of snow.
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