packrat44
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
My New Year's resolution is to make no resolutions.
Found this New Year's Resolution for 2004. Perhaps that poster would like to update us on how it went?
I'm going to try things I've always wanted to do .I'm starting with pottery ... and yoga. ...
Not to lose money. Low expectations I know.
It didn't take long to break my New Year's resolution.
What happened?
Well if you own any stocks, you have lost money. Mine was not to lose money. Oh well, mine should have been to lose 5lbs. That would have been more realistic.
Uh oh, pottery and yoga were on my "try out" list for '07. Neither one ended well.
I decided to take a pottery class to prove to myself that my disasterous previous try (in college some 30+ years ago) was due to youth (me) and poor training (the teacher). This time, I signed up with a noted local potter (first mistake...her definition of "some past experience" was waaayy different than mine.) I quickly discovered that having the beginning signs of osteoarthritis in my fingers, especially my thumb, is not particularly compatible with working with cold, wet clay.
OK, remind self to take Tylenol Arthritis Formula before class.
Next, that pottery wheel was a lot more glamorous when Demi Moore was forming pots in Ghost. No matter how careful I was, I couldn't get the clay centered on the wheel and I ended up wearing a lot more of the clay than anyone else in the class...and let me tell you, cold water washing doesn't do such a good job getting clay out. Note: tan/khaki pants and shirts are about the same color as clay...if you don't mind looking like a municipal meter reader who fell in the mud, you're all set.
Finally got the #$%? clay centered on the stupid wheel...my aching fingers tried to form the clay into a simple pot. Here's the hard part: you gotta keep the wheel turning, the clay centered and wet and now you have to move your fingers evenly up the sides to form the walls of the pot. FWIW, don't stare at the wheel...you can get really dizzy watching this lump of crap go round and round. Lost my concentration...the wall of the pot separated from the base, flew off the wheel and landed at the feet of the noted local potter who subsequently suggested that perhaps I would be better suited for slab work. For the record, I wasn't.
Next stop, yoga. This worked out better, but the aforementioned arthritis is also in the back and hips. The instructor was very kind in helping me with "alternate" poses and movements, but I think my main mistake was in taking the class right after dinner. Yoga plus acid reflux? Well, it's just not a pretty picture.
'08 resolutions? Find other creative outlets more suitable for a middle age woman with arthritis and GURD.
Dawg, remember that being in the market is just like riding a roller coaster. Most of the fun happens on the way down!