Today was my third class at Mudflat in Lisa Knebel’s Intro to Wheelthrowing I class. Lisa is a wonderful teacher and shares great tips with us as she teaches the fundamentals.

Today, we learned trimming and pulling handles. According to Lisa, some people like trimming and others don’t. Some potters throw in such a way so that they never have to trim.

So far, I like the fact that there is trimming; I look at it as insurance. In addition to cleaning up errors, thickness or rough spots, you can also use it to further shape the pot and adjust the design.

I think trimming might be like working in the darkroom for some photographers. Some love it, some don’t.

During trimming, which is only done on leather-hard clay, you have to center the pot on the wheel upside-down (a different centering process than when you are first throwing) and then you wedge it in place with pieces of wet clay. You get to spin the wheel at high speed and then when you apply the trimming tool, you get lots of these curly ribbons of shaved off clay which fly into the guard-pan really fast and pile up like a shag rug. Very visually satisfying.

During the next part of the demo Lisa politely mentioned that the act of “pulling handles” could be interpreted as slightly obscene. (I will let you look for a YouTube video on your own.) Doing this technique in front of others did take a little getting used to, but before long, we were pulling like pros. Sort of. Whatever that means. Oh, brother.

Scratch it and attach it.

Pottery is full of comical nicknames and mnemonics. One of the techniques for doing your first pull on the wheel is called, “The Claw.” The one that stuck with me today was, “Scratch it and attach it.”

After you have pulled the handle, (Stop it.) you have to take your needle tool and scratch hashmarks on the leather-hard (Zip it!) mug where you plan to attach the top of the handle.

Before you attach it, you wet the hashmarks with some slip (very wet clay) which acts like glue. Then you press in the top of the handle, making sure that the attachment is far enough from the lip so that you could turn the piece over and the handle wouldn’t touch the table.

Next, you sort of play with the handle shape to see how it works with the shape of the mug. When you are happy, you just scratch the mug again, apply the slip and then attach the bottom of the handle. I know that the two pieces pictured here don’t match — I am mostly just amused that I have been able to make anything so far.

Lisa is a great teacher and has made it easy to make progress.

"The Arm" Sundance Short

Winner of the Jury Prize for comedic storytelling at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, “The Arm” is a black comedy that brings you back to high school “relationships” and shows what they look like today, by text.

Worth a view. Also, I am not sure that the concept is limited to teen dating these days. Just sayin’. If you think differently, I would love to hear more.

The film short was directed and written by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis.

Image courtesy IMDB

Last night I finally saw Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg’s “The Kids Are All Right,” (2010) a funny, well-told  and adeptly acted story about family and marriage and social issues that tend to arise in modern day America, specifically, in places like California. (I don’t think these issues are playing out much in ‘the middle’ of the U.S.)

The central issue of the film is that two married women, Nic, a Type-A OB/GYN, and Jules, a trained architect who dabbles in entrepreneurial projects, have two children through artificial insemination.

Joni, Nic’s birth-daughter, is intelligent and disciplined. Laser, Jules’ birth-son, is easily influenced by his peers. While “the moms” have long told the children about their conceptions, there is no desire on the moms’ part to revisit this part of their family’s history (or ‘herstory’ as it were).

As the film opens, the kids are at the age where they are rebelling and getting sick of the smother of two (loving) mothers. Laser and his friend Clay spend their downtime snorting uppers, wrestling, jumping skateboards off of garages and basically acting like jerks.

Laser thinks Clay is cool, the moms, particularly Nic, hate him. However, they also wonder, dare I say fear, that the relationship between Laser and Clay is sexual. They can’t think of any other explanation as to why Laser would spend so much time with this waste of space. It is mildly surprising that the moms are worried that Laser might be gay since they are grounded in their own sexuality. The speech they give him is pretty much the same speech any liberal straight couple would give their own son or daughter whom they thought might be gay, and then they exhibit relief when he tells them that he is not. (Perhaps the relief is related to the fact that Clay is so unsuitable as a love interest for any human?)

Joni, named for and who resembles a young Joni Mitchell, is not a rebel, but she is starting to feel the tension of wanting to make her own decisions and the reality that she will be doing so in a month occurs to her faster than to her moms, chiefly, to Nic, her birth-mom.

Nic, who is the bread-winner, and who Jules thinks likes to be in control, is the more overbearing (and responsible) of the two parents. Jules is a bit younger, prettier and softer and has assumed the role of mid-century American WASP wife: an educated but stay-at-home mom who brings up babies and is there for the spouse with the power job. Nic’s drinking, while not violent, is wedging a space between her and Jules, who wants to start a new business and do something for herself with her talents and skills. Nic pecks at the members of the family to remember to do things like write thank you notes and birthday cards to grandpa; the more she harps the less they want to be around her. Jules is needing some TLC from her partner, and is not getting much warmth, just criticism and nagging. When Nic does dote on her, it gets interrupted by work and Jules feels left in the cold.

Making the Call

When Joni turns 18, Laser begs her to ‘make the call’ to the cryobank as she is legally of age to initiate contact with the donor. She is uninterested, and particularly worried about upsetting the moms, but realizing that she will soon leave Laser on his own, and that he seems to be at an age where he really needs contact with a father-type, relents.

At their first meeting, Joni and Laser don’t have too much to say to Paul, their biological father. However, he is excited and grateful that they have reached out to him and asks them about themselves and wants to stay in touch.

Laser seems unphased by the meeting; Joni surprises him by admitting that she would like to see Paul again when the two kids admit to their moms that the meeting occurred. Laser seems dispassionate and didn’t feel like a connection was there. And while Joni  may be reacting to her father’s obvious charisma, she is definitely reacting to his freedom of choice, his unplanned life — something she hasn’t experienced for herself but now knows may be in her blood, too.

A self-proclaimed, “do-er,” who quit college, learned on the job and who is nearing 50 with a good life but no one significant in it, Paul finds the whole enterprise amusing and something to think about. Eventually he breaks it off with the uber-sexy restaurant hostess who works for him, telling her that he wants to settle down with someone and have a family; this is one of the most poignant and telling moments in the movie. He writes her off without ever even asking her if she wants to date him seriously. She realizes that their relationship to date, while playful, has just been about sex and is incredibly insulted, despite her participation in the flirtation for fun’s sake. This moment lends insight into Paul’s true character as an opportunist. Nic will later call him something else (which I won’t spoil) that more accurately describes his behavior and role in their lives.

Over time, Joni and Paul form a connection and he is genuinely interested in her well-being and in having her in his life. Paul and Laser also spend time together, Paul wishing that it was just the two of them when Laser invites the cro magnon Clay along. Paul later tells Laser that he thinks that Clay is no good, echoing the moms’ sentiment, and Laser continues to defend his friend until a fateful moment when the parents’ collective advice sinks in and Laser realizes that Clay is not good for him. This is one of the only real growth moments for Laser in the film. As a viewer, I wanted more from his character — the story sort of keeps him at bay when as the lone male in the family, his growth might be most affected by the influence of Paul.

To Joni’s surprise, Paul, the  sex-on-wheels bachelor who owns a hip restaurant and organic co-op close-by, is a welcome addition to her life. Paul rides a motorcycle, and in classic movie storytelling parlance, the moms strictly forbid the riding of motorcycles. The image of the still virginal Joni riding on the back of this macho machine with this hot guy is the type of scene usually reserved for imminent loss of innocence. Because this scene involves a father and a daughter, the symbolism could be construed as Oedipal. However, I think that the more interesting reading is that Joni is recognizing through Paul that she could have a passionate, spirited life, too. Unlike her friend, who does think Paul is hot, Joni is grossed out, appropriately, by that thought and instead turns her sexual energy toward a good male friend of hers whom she has had a crush on for a while, but who hasn’t made a move. That episode doesn’t really turn out successfully, however, it was a first step for her of a sort, to have made the first move.

Here Comes Trouble (Not quite a spoiler!)

The climax of the film lies in a relationship that emerges between Jules and Paul and how this situation reflects what is going on in Jules and Nic’s relationship, in Paul’s own life and for the kids. Everyone’s lives get turned upside down, and despite the title of the film, the issues seem to affect the adults in the story more than the kids.

Joni is really hurt and disappointed by what happens. Laser seems concerned but more so for the future of his moms’ marriage than by the conflict at hand. The film ends without letting on whether or not the kids are really all right, whether they will continue their relationship with Paul outside of the family circle, and what impact this turn of events has made on them as individuals. I guess the title is telling us that they turn out ok, but I would have liked a few more hints as to what the future holds.

*

“The Kids Are All Right,” (2010) was released in the U.S. on July 30 and stars Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson.

This past weekend, I took a camping trip to Western Massachusetts with my boyfriend. We car-camped the first night at a site near Tanglewood in Lee, MA. The concert was good, the weather perfect, the campsite sort of bright, near a powerstation and not particularly rustic. The next day we moved our camp to a hike-in campsite on Mt. Greylock. This site was much more lovely, lush and authentic. Real camping.

The hike from the parking lot to the campsite was only about 1.3 miles (some signs said 1 mile, others, 1.3 and still others 1.4). Not a tough hike, although I did find myself needing to stop here and there to catch my breath, especially when we had the packs on carrying all of our gear. It felt good to do that kind of physical work.

After setting up camp for night #2, we hiked back to the car and headed to Tanglewood for a second performance, stopping to gather some snacks and beverages for the evening.

Evening concerts begin at 8:30pm — it is dark when the concerts starts, darker when it ends.

The whole day I was psyching myself up to get ready for the pitch-black, head-lamp lit hike back to the campsite. I hadn’t hiked at night before, but there had to be a first time for everything. I realize that this is not a big deal to many, but it felt like one to me.

There have certainly been times in my life when I have been unnecessarily afraid to do certain things. For instance, when I was in third grade, I went for a sail on the Clearwater Sloop, a floating school started by Pete Seeger designed to teach school children about keeping the Hudson River clean and about ecology in general. Boy did I soak that trip up. It was cold and rainy, I remember, but I really dug the hippie teachers and was interested in the whole enterprise. That is, until they started passing sea creatures around; I was not comfortable with touching the animals at all. Ridiculous, I know.

You might think that it is interesting that I remembered that detail of something that happened in 1983 (I know know several people who were not even born in the early 80′s, so this makes me feel very old, of course), however I didn’t have to remember all of the details as a reporter from the local paper was on the trip with us, followed me around all day and wrote an op-ed the next day from the perspective of one of the kids on the sloop — me. In particular, he ran a large photo of me, outfitted in my raspberry colored, zip-off sleeved ski jacket and hand knit hat, and the caption read, “Shannon McDonough not touching a seastar.”

This guy, who I thought was my friend for the day, picked the one moment that I chose NOT to participate and immortalized it! Smart reporter, nice hook. However, it has stuck with me as a silly example of my being afraid to do something that was new to me.

I have spent much of my life doing things that make me feel uncomfortable, that are new, that are daring within the framework of my family and some of my friendships. I think that this journalist did me a favor — he made a micro-spectacle of my hesitation, and as an unintended result, forced me to put many decisions I make under a microscope, teasing out the possible outcomes and trying very hard to make the right decision, even if it is one that means taking the harder route. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But, it is very rare that I would say that I didn’t try something, even if I don’t succeed.

So, cut to this past weekend, we drive from Tanglewood back to the campground parking lot on Mt. Greylock, we get out of the car, I am feeling pretty anxious, but I know that lots of my friends are experienced campers who have encountered bears and other wild animals in the woods and have lived to tell the tales. I put on my headlamp (yes, I own one) pulled out my small flashlight and switched on a mini-flashing light attached to my fleece zipper. Yes, I realize how ridiculous all of this makes me look, but I was determined to let any living thing on that wooded path know that I was coming.

And then I heard it.

Not over the hill, not 300 yards away, but probably 75 feet away, but hidden. Not so much a howl but a loud, yelpy bark — a wild dog? A wolf? I had no idea what it was but it sounded at least as big as I was. My resolve to forge ahead with this uncomfortable task evaporated completely, on the spot.

There was no way that I was going to walk 1, 1.3 or 1.4 miles back to that campsite, no matter if I had a neon sign around me and the bells of St. Mary’s ringing my arrival. No way, no how. Get me to a motel room. Stat.

And that is what I did. I felt that I was letting down my boyfriend and generally being a wimp. But, every part of me just screamed, “this is not a good idea!”

Happily, my boyfriend was more interested in making sure that I was having fun on the trip than making it back to that campsite. We got a room, got some sleep and hiked back up in the morning. No harm, no foul.

This whole thing has got me thinking about how fears, no matter how small, can be immobilizing and debilitating. At other times, I am learning, I need to do what feels right for me in a given situation.

At any rate, I do try to push myself to find a little bit of value in the effort I put in, even if I don’t wind up where I thought I would be. It would be nice to have things come easily, but then, I don’t know what I would do with myself if they did! Maybe one day I will get my name in the paper for something I did do correctly instead of something I didn’t do at all. All I can do is try.

The quilt top!

Ok! So here’s the quilt top pieced. I still have to add the borders, create the quilt sandwich, pin the thing, and then quilt it, and bind it, but progress is being made.

Don’t look too closely — this is not a showpiece, it is training wheels!

Summer in a bowl. C 2010 S McDonough

This month’s Food & Wine magazine contains several recipes for entrees featuring vegetables. This recipe for a Cherry Tomato Tart with Basil caught my eye, and during my trip to Trader Joe’s yesterday I found some beautiful heirloom cherry and mini pearl grape tomatoes.

I also found some frozen pie crusts. (These are flat rounds of dough, you can separate them if you only want to defrost and use one layer.) I would like to make the crust from scratch, but with studying, ‘homekeeping’ and a concert to go to this afternoon, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I also don’t have a tart pan with a removable bottom, so I am going to make this as a pie instead. (I wonder, could I try to use my cheesecake pan for this and get a rustic edging?)

When the dough is ready, basically you just dump the tomatoes in the shell and then bake for 1 hr, 40 minutes. When the baking is complete, you season with salt and fresh basil.

I think that I will try to pre-bake the crust a little bit so that the base for the pie won’t be soggy. I may also drizzle a little good olive oil on the tomatoes before putting them in the shell.

Read about it on the Moop blog.

Enough said!