Reflections on the past week and weekend plans
I'm starting a new series of "reports" to help me decompress from each week, process all the goings on through writing, and prepare for the weekend. Sometimes I can't help but live for the weekend, and maybe this series won't be every single week, but drafting this post on my evening commute today helped me to take a moment and reflect on all of the things I accomplished and experienced in the past five days.
On Monday evening, we watched Ali Wong’s and Randall Park’s new Netflix movie Always Be My Maybe, which I thought was adorable. Ali Wong is hilarious and it was cool to see a movie starring Asians where their race wasn’t the focus of the whole damn thing. I also loved that it was a story about Asian-Americans who were just living their lives, as we do.
On Tuesday, I found out that Cranberry, a dog that Kevin and I met over Memorial Day weekend at the Manhattan Animal Care and Control Center had been put on the At Risk list for being put down, after deteriorating over her several week stay to the point that she became too excited and was lunging at a familiar handler. Suddenly the plight of shelter dogs became so present and so so real. I couldn't understand how such a youngster (1 yr 7 mo) who was adoptable just a week ago was all of a sudden going to be put down after acting out once. I felt panic that was only heightened by my knowledge that I couldn't save her myself - our building has a max 2 dog policy and does not allow dogs over 30 pounds.
Kevin and I messaged several local rescue organizations pledging transportation and financial support if they could pull her out, but it still didn't feel like enough. I became obsessed with checking the ACC's Facebook page several times a day for updates.
Fortunately, she's been re-listed as of yesterday, giving her more time to find a foster. One of Kevin's contacts told us that there is someone very interested in fostering her, and is working with a rescue organization to do so. (Many pets on the At Risk list cannot be directly released to a foster or adopter unless it goes through a rescue org, I'm not sure why.) I also saw that one other pup, a boy who I'd never met but whose expressive eyebrows remind me of my Huxley and whose fearful behavior remind me of my Fitz, had thankfully been pulled and saved. I'm still tracking Cranberry's story and want so much for hers to have a hopeful next turn as well.
Update: Cranberry has been pulled and placed! ❤️
In happier news, I sold out of all of my Arch Vases (!) last week and I finished making a new one late Wednesday night.
Thursday evening found me sitting on my living room floor, the new Arch Vase on a brick of foam, shaving off excess clay with my metal rib as Friends from College played on Netflix in the background. I was at it for the better part of an hour (you can really get in the zone doing this) and now have a Tupperware full of clay shavings to bring back to the studio for recycling.
Going back to Friends from College, we’ve been making our way through the first of two seasons of this now canceled show. I find some of the characters VERY funny, especially Fred Savage’s Max with his excessive nervous energy and upbeat delivery of blunt truths.
Earlier in the day on Thursday, I went to my first ball game of the season at Citifield as part of a work outing. I’m a Yankees fan but it was all good because I really like the new Citifield. I like it even more so, unfortunately, than the new Yankee Stadium. I say new but neither of these stadiums are new, really, not anymore. However I think if you grew up with the "old" stadiums, you'll refer to these as "new" until they get torn down and replaced.
The sun was shining on an 80 degree afternoon and the Mets won over the Giants. Cool. I got a Goose Island wheat beer and a hot sausage with the works and bit of a sunburn, to which I’m having quite a dramatic reaction. I mean, HOW COULD I HAVE ALLOWED THIS TO HAPPEN! My shoulders have now aged by two years probably!
Today, I stopped by the studio to pick up clay for the weekend and saw that one of my glazed pitchers is currently in the kiln for its last firing along with a serving bowl and several smaller pieces. I can’t wait to see the final results; fingers crossed all goes well!
After I logged off from work today I got to catch up with a friend on the phone for over an hour, talking about life, which to me is never not necessary.
This weekend, we have a reservation to return to Aska in Brooklyn for dinner to celebrate our recent 2nd wedding anniversary. I have a custom slow feeder pet bowl to make as part of an order, and we’re going to make some ice cream.
Happy weekend!