Greetings!
It's your ol' fuzzy-headed pal Marko with another open thread diary for any and all to romp in.
I'm calling this one "Miscellaneous" because it's going to be just a collection of random glerpf from my week. Mostly just fluff, but there might be a thing or two worth your consideration-- might, doubtfully, perhaps not.
The weather has been so dry around here that the rain we had last night still didn't manage to brighten up the grass. I did see four slugs all crossing the same section of sidewalk, all going in the same direction. Enough rain to wake up the slugs. The grass still sleeps.
We bought a little, portable electric cooler for the car. Sort of an ice chest without the ice. This time next week I'll be in Poland for my brother-in-law's wedding. We're going to be taking some Czech Koláčky, little mini ones which are a traditional treat at Czech weddings. We'll be adding a lovely bit of Poland to the family. My family is becoming more and more international. I love that. We represent the USA, Japan, Algeria, France, the Czech Republic... and in a few days, Poland. And if we delve into ancestry it gets really complicated...
I've applied for a full time illustration / animation position. It has been a few years since I had a regular job with a proper employer and all. It was interesting to try to scrape together and update my curriculum vitae after so many years. I hadn't needed a CV since I graduated from college oh, so many years ago. Even if I don't get the job at least I've got my CV up to date and ready to send out.
It grates on my nerves to have to write stuff like that and accompanying letters that supposedly explain why I would be the perfect person for the job. And if I'm lucky I'll get to go in for a personal interview and pretend to have some idea how much money I think I should be earning. Ugh, it all seems so unnecessary-- like some bizarre mating ritual.
I had the last of the follow up visits to my dentist for a popcorn hull induced hole in my mouth. And before I saw the dentist I had my first professional cleaning from a dental hygienist in over 25 years. It took about 45 minutes and it was the first time I'd ever had my teeth cleaned with the help of ultrasonics. The dental hygienist had me demonstrate my brushing technique. A bit of praise and a pointer on how I could improve my method of reaching the inner surfaces of my front teeth. She gave me a very soft and very simple toothbrush with a compact head of rounded bristles; nothing fancy, no oddly colored sets of bristles going off at odd angles. But then the fancy products came out-- I took home a set of three different sized-- um, probes? picks? tiny wire brushes that I'm to poke between my teeth. So all's well again in Marko's mouth, but there are going to be some new toys to play with.
In other news, #1 Son and #2 Son had their last day of school today. Each brought flowers for their teachers and brought home their report cards. #1 Son says he's recovered from the shock of his rather intensive new school. We don't make a big deal about grades around here, but we're pretty proud of the way our lads handle themselves in general.
Finally got out for a beer or two (okay, two, just two-- honest!) with an old friend this week. We went out to see a beautiful exhibit of the drawings and paintings of Miroslav Šašek. His style seemed so familiar, although I know my family in the US never owned any of his books. Style of an era I suppose. Lovely anyway.
The beer was lovely too. And the cabbage soup was tasty. The goulash could have been better, but then, I'm spoiled for great goulashes in this family.
I spent some time last weekend making a new door for my kiln. I kept the old iron door and I'm adding a steel box on the inside of it that I've packed with 2" of ceramic fiber insulation. Sometime next week, before we head off to Poland I should be bolting it all together and lining the inside of the kiln with an inch of the same insulation. I'm hoping on using any leftovers to make a little raku kiln and fire a couple of bowls for extra wedding gifts.
I wonder what I'll manage to put together for a Friday diary next week...