Hello 2010

This year, I decided to skip all of my traditional new years' superstitious activities. I usually keep a few bucks in my pocket overnight, among other things. I almost always have a few resolutions, such as put out a record or ride 2000 miles on my bike. This last year has been a tough one, though and I decided to "wing it" in 2010. No resolutions, no mystical meals, not a single plan.

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So far so good! I woke up feeling less sick than yesterday, and spent 6 hours working on the bathroom. I've been sick for what seems like months, so it was tough to spend that long working, but I accomplished a lot. This project, the bathroom, has changed drastically from the time we started to now. Initially, I was just going to shim the shower so that it drained properly. Upon pulling up a bit of the floor to formulate a game plan, I discovered that the floor was completely rotten. I proceeded to pull the linoleum up, strip out the second layer of linoleum that had been glued to a "subfloor" that was sitting on top of a layer of vinyl tile, probably from 1963. Newsflash! - when you trap a piece of wood between two layers of plastic and introduce warm water, bad things happen. So I pulled the entire floor out, layed down a new subfloor, cut the bottom 6 inches of the wall out and replaced it with mold resistant drywall. I layed down a moisture barrier as well as a layer of hardi backer. Tiff painted the walls and now we're ready to tile. We're doing a subway tile with gray grout. We picked up some new stuff, a new sink and cabinet from Ikea. We're pretty excited to have received some christmas cash which is making the project a lot more fun than it could have been. We flirted with the idea of constructing a tile shower, but we decided that it wasn't realistic since classes start again in a few days. Spring break, we'll start work on that.

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2009 was a rough year, but it was good too. My Mom got cancer AGAIN. She also received a bone marrow transplant and kicked cancer to the curb. Tiffani and I bought a house. Clearly the best thing about 2009 was the addition of Gus to our family. Who knew we could love a dog so much? My school work took a dive, I spent most of the fall with the flu and rode my bike less than I hope to. My youngest sister lived with us for a few months which turned out to be something of a disaster. Now she's 18 yrs old and on her own. Best of luck to her.

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Gotta run to the hardware store for a few supplies. Farewell 2009.

The bad news and the new year

I am taking a ceramics class at PCC this term. I had to sign up for the beginner class, since it fit my schedule, which means no credit, but really I just want access to the kilns. I'm not sure what my focus will be this term. I was thinking about soda firing if the kiln is up and running. There were some problems with getting to temperature last winter. I feel like I should try to incorporate more of my sculptural ideas into my clay work, which is generally more functional in nature. It can be difficult to get out there in a beginning class setting. Experimental firings are hard to come by when you have to conform to certain rules set in place to facilitate safety and consistency. I've been inspired lately by the work of Brian Harper and Adam Welch. both of whom have a very rustic and aggressive style. The quality of their surfaces makes me weak in the knees.

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After a couple days of really feeling bad, I'm preparing to leave for the first day of winter term. I visited Boise for about a week and while it should have been a fun trip, it was a little lackluster. Tiffani contracted stomach flu and was throwing up every 45 minutes for about two whole days. When we got back, it was still cold in Portland. Rang in the New Year at the Gardiner's house which was nice. This weekend I had the good fortune to play music with my old friend Dan McClure and a Valiant Arms practice to boot. We were given a bed frame and treated to an art opening by none other than Diane Rios. Also showing at that same art opening was Noelle McClure. The show is a collection of old and new prints by two very talented printmakers. Following the opening we had dinner with friends and Tiffani drank a lot of wine.

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Unfortunately, while all of these wonderful things have been happening, I've been worrying about my Mother. She has cancer again. The doctors are trying to send her to Seattle for treatment, since it is essentially the place to go to beat cancer.

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I have a 17 year old sister who would be mostly alone if my Mom leaves town, so it's looking like we'll be inviting her into our home. We've been sorting out details and planning for getting her registered at the closest high school, finding bedroom furniture and preparing mentally for the addition of some major responsibility. I'm excited to have her here and think it's the best idea. Nobody should be forced to address having a sick mother without the support of siblings.

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The residue of my mother's recovery remains in the days before the new year while the ugly head of it's relapse stares into 2009. As a family we stare back at it with a violent disgust or a quiet resignation to win again. My mother's rage is evident in her voice as she tells me about absentminded doctors and the lack of a healthcare system that could save her life without crippling her financially. I'm not even sure what to say.