I got in to the studio a few minutes before 8 am. I now have a better rhythm in starting the day. I changed to my work clothes, put an electric kettle on for tea, checked on the drying pieces, got a bucket of hot water from the sink in the hallway, put music on, and mopped the floor. Another big nectarine-color hibiscus flower has bloomed over night. I said hello to it. It's nice to have living things around.

I trimmed the round vessels I threw yesterday. I still end up with a thick wall when I throw a vessel with a small neck and need to trim a lot more than I want. I want to avoid trimming too much. I feel it will make the piece look and feel like the trimming tool rather than my hand if I trim too much after throwing. I don't like a thick wall either for the pieces I am making now as it will make the piece look stiff and rather lifeless. Also thick pieces weigh more making harder for me to move them around in the studio and also cost more to ship. Most of all they require a longer time to dry. I don't want to make them too thin either where it starts to look fragile or delicate. I want them to look alive, self supporting, and healthy. Then I put together round forms and cylindrical forms I threw yesterday. When assembled they look like a round head on a cylindrical neck.

After a lunch break around 2:30pm an exhaustion hit me. I sat in the hammock under the loft and started massaging my hands. Then I fell asleep again just like last night. It could be the hand massage that puts me to sleep. I woke up around 3:30, feeling tired, started trimming a few more pieces but I was not doing it well so I covered untrimmed pieces loosely under a sheet of plastic, cleaned up and left to home early. A rest seems like the best use of my time right now. Isn't it great that I have tomorrow. When I got out from a shower it started raining hard sounding like one of those relaxation/sleep-aid podcasts. I wish my room was facing the park so I could watch the rain.