More pottery today, and we got to start up the Raku kiln. Gas fired, and then when everything is at the right temperature, it gets opened and the pieces - still incredibly hot - get tossed into a trashcan or something filled with combustibles which acts as a secondary reduction chamber. Hence, coming home smelling like I was around a campfire, especially since we were using leaves, paper, and sawdust...
What's even cooler is that from the time that the piece is in the kiln to the time you can take it home? About an hour. Sadly, one of my pieces didn't work quite right - the glaze is too thick - but I'm trying a layer of transparent glaze and refiring it next time. I may also see if I can try Japanese-style Raku, where instead of a reduction chamber, it's allowed to cool either in open air or by plunging into a bucket of water.
Nutrition midterm grades were posted. 90%, I'm happy. (I'm also shocked that my professor remembered my grade, out of nearly 60 or so students!)
In the meantime, I'm going shopping. I need clothes, and dry-erase paint. It's also fall break, so no classes tomorrow or Friday, although I've still got plenty of work, such as grading math and doing some homework.
Oh, and my wedding. But that's the easy part.
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