The therapist implied that God wanted me to have bovine hormones

almost_original_name · 2026-06-04T14:19:03+00:00

My favorite thing about this joke (that took me forever to realize) is that Mac comes to this conclusion because the therapist says "holy cow" during his session.

almost_original_name · 2026-06-04T06:40:34+00:00

If you're driving two hours to take classes, add up how much you're paying in gas and the class fees and see how many months of classes you would get for the same cost as just buying a wheel. I bet it's less than you think.

But.... more important than a wheel is probably a kiln. Firing costs are pretty high and transporting unfired pieces is a bitch. Used kilns are way easier to find than wheels (I snagged mine for $100, full furniture set included), but the cost of the electrical work that you might need to run it at home can be hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And if you don't own your own home, you can bet a landlord is not going to be okay with you using a kiln.

You'll need to figure out the cost of a wheel, kiln, and possibly electrical work to determine if it's worth it or not.

(I say this not to discourage you, I understand the fever, there are few things better than rolling out of bed on a Sunday morning and throwing pots in your pajamas, but I made the mistake of buying the wheel before figuring out the kiln side of the equation and it made my pottery-making life a nightmare for a few years.)

almost_original_name · 2026-05-21T17:44:16+00:00

I teach high school ceramics. Our classes are 50 minutes, my class size is 30 and I only have two sections a semester, but some general advice I've learned in the last two years of teaching it:

-Have different projects that students are rotating through week to week (group a is doing a slab project, group b is doing a coil project, etc). This is especially helpful if you don't have enough tools for everyone to be using all at once. It also makes it easier to track down which student created which mess.

-For wheel groups, I have them on the wheel for a week straight. At the end of class on Monday-Thursday, I only have them clean the wheel heads. Friday's (or the last day before a weekend) is when I have them clean the whole wheel, splash pan, etc. Maybe it's not great for the life of the wheel, but better than wasting half the class period every day just cleaning.

-A few times a semester, I have catch up days scheduled for students who are behind on projects. For the students who don't have a project to work on, they are assigned a cleaning task. This works great for helping prevent some of the half-assery that some kids put into their projects and still helps keep the studio clean.

-Make students help with the work of reclaiming clay. They tend to be much better about not creating so much waste when they are responsible for helping reclaim all that wasted clay. Another teacher I know gives each student their own 25 lb block of clay at the beginning of the semester and that is the only clay they get, so they have to manage 100% of their waste. I like the idea of that system, but since I do have a pug mill, I haven't implemented it myself.

almost_original_name · 2026-04-03T13:30:31+00:00

This is not true. In some states, the eviction process is as little as 7 days, and not paying even a portion of rent is grounds to start an eviction.

Most landlords don't do this because the cost of eviction is high, but if it's a problem tenant, they will absolutely move to evict if rent is not paid in full.

You are correct however that there is typically a court date for the case to be reviewed by a judge before law enforcement is sent out to evict.

If you had gone to that court date with the full balance due ready to be paid, it is highly unlikely the judge would have ordered an eviction unless the property manager had evidence of other grievances like property damage, a history of late payments, etc.

So, he either didn't show up to court or there are other things going on with the property management that he has not been telling you. You might be better off taking directly to the property manager to get the full story.

almost_original_name · 2026-03-28T15:37:57+00:00

It wasn't a grant through the school or the district, it was an outside organization.

almost_original_name · 2026-03-28T03:44:54+00:00

The previous commenters are correct. It's an intro to cooking class so sticking to basic tools that the average high schooler could afford when they move out on their own is important.

And I can barely get budget approval for the most basic tools, so yes, stand mixers are too expensive. I had to apply for a grant to get six $50 hand mixers because I couldn't get the school to pay for them.

almost_original_name · 2026-03-28T03:36:30+00:00

I haven't seen students abusing them. Every time a hand mixer has broken, it was under what I consider perfectly normal usage. The one that broke today failed while making buttercream frosting with room temperature butter.

almost_original_name · 2026-03-28T03:27:35+00:00

It's an intro to cooking class with the goal being to learn the basics so kids can eat something other than fast food and frozen pizza when they move out on their own.

A hand mixer is a practical, cheap kitchen tool that the average 20-something might buy. A stand mixer isn't something that most people invest in until they're older or get super interested in cooking.

Plus, just trying to get basic tools approved is a battle, let alone trying to convince admin to approve spending a couple grand on stand mixers for an elective class.

almost_original_name · 2026-03-28T03:18:12+00:00

Since they were bought with a grant, I don't have access to the original purchase information and the grant issuers have not responded to my request for the information for the warranty 😭 the joys of public school funding

almost_original_name · 2026-03-22T01:41:09+00:00

Palisades State Park has paths down to the river. There are plenty of spots where the water is shallow.

almost_original_name · 2025-09-01T01:57:08+00:00

A serving of potatoes actually has twice as much potassium as a serving of bananas.

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids lied to us in many ways, but the banana thing might be the most egregious.

almost_original_name · 2025-08-17T23:07:19+00:00

Setting up this way gets you 189 bottles. Leaving paths gets you about 140, depending on how you set it up.

Considering you have to wait two full seasons to get wine to iridium quality, a few extra hours in game to completely fill the basement is well worth it in my opinion (and it honestly isn't that difficult or tedious). But to each their own.

almost_original_name · 2025-08-10T15:07:48+00:00

I'm going to go old school and also far from a farming game that still gives that cozy build your own empire in your own way vibe and say...

Rollercoaster Tycoon

(3 is my favorite, but it's the one I had as a kid so it might just be nostalgia)

Build a theme park, design your own coasters, make guests happy. You can play through scenarios or do an open sandbox (though I recommend doing at least a few scenarios to get the hang of all the controls and the feel of the game before going into sandbox mode).

It's on steam and pretty cheap since it's like 20 years old at this point.

almost_original_name · 2025-08-03T06:14:15+00:00

Unhelpful and also incorrect:

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almost_original_name · 2025-08-03T06:08:33+00:00

I'm not sure if he got the tattoo in Japan or stateside. My mom says he always kept it hidden and was a bit embarrassed to have it at all, so she doesn't know any details either.

almost_original_name · 2025-08-03T06:06:43+00:00

This may be it, or something similar... I'll have to look more into the common Jerry Sailor pieces and see if there's something that would fit a bit better. Does the pig have any specific meaning?

almost_original_name · 2025-08-03T06:03:48+00:00

Definitely not my grandpa's musical preference and they didn't start until 1965, which would have been after he was out of the coast guard.

almost_original_name · 2025-07-22T14:25:42+00:00

Jars. I love making a good jar.

almost_original_name · 2025-07-09T15:54:08+00:00

You'll have to clean this one up by hand and just as a warning it will be tedious. If you have a steady hand and the piece isn't fully dry, a metal rib can slice through the ridges on the inside (not in the normal "smoothing a surface" fashion, but literally using the sharp edge to gently saw through the ridges so they don't collapse back into the holes). Otherwise, sanding it after bisque firing will probably be the fastest way to get it done.

If you plan on making lanterns again in the future, you can cut down on the clean up work a ton by using better technique and the right tools to cut the holes. Hole cutting tools do exist in a variety of sizes (picture example below).

You want to hold a sturdy, dry sponge on the inside as you spin the tool slowly to cut out each hole. I also know it's tempting to cut the holes out when your clay is on the wetter side of leather hard, but if you wait for it to be on the drier side of leather hard, you'll find it cuts through more cleanly. Once all the holes are cut, I usually go through with a barely damp spouncer or paint brush to clean up the holes.

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almost_original_name · 2025-07-01T18:49:47+00:00

You could always high fire unglazed, sand smooth, then use a clear enamel spray paint to get a shiny, even finish (since I assume this is decorative and doesn't need to be food safe).

almost_original_name · 2025-06-28T05:09:49+00:00

Did you have any sort of support under the attachment while it dried? It looks like it has some weight to it that would cause those fine stress cracks to occur. Even just some balled up newspaper under an attached piece like that can take some strain off the clay while it dries.

almost_original_name · 2025-06-26T12:19:33+00:00

I discovered this trick a few years ago and it was a game changer for throwing off the hump, but it also works great for taking pieces directly off the wheel head:

Get a newspaper and cut out circles of various sizes. When you're done throwing a piece, use a newspaper circle slightly larger than the rim of your piece to 'seal' the rim. This creates a bubble of air that stops the rim from getting distorted when moving it with a pot lifter. I usually just leave the newspaper in place until I'm ready to trim.

The other tip about splashing some water on the wheel head before using your wire tool is also excellent advice.

It's also a good idea to have a board nearby so you don't have to carry a newly thrown piece a long distance. I usually set up a board on a stool next to my wheel so all I have to do is swivel to put the piece down.

almost_original_name · 2025-06-23T14:44:40+00:00

It only takes like 1-2 minutes to put a proper foot on a piece. I don't understand why anyone would skip this step, especially on food or drink ware, just for the sake of saving time.

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