The Empty Bowls Project is a nationwide effort by potters to end hunger. Lillstreet Art Center
is proud to host this 6th annual event to benefit First Slice, a local hunger-fighting
organization. Just a quick FYI… First Slice is also a great place to get a snack, a sandwich
or a piece of pie… or two! And they’re conveniently located in the Lillstreet Gallery...
a little too convenient to my studio if you know what I mean!

Join the festivities and share a modest meal of soup and bread, served in a handmade bowl
donated by a ceramic artist that you may take home as a reminder of all the other bowls
you will have helped to fill. So not only to you get dinner – you get a bowl!!! And you feel
great doing a good deed at the same time!

Bowls are $25 each, and there is no limit to the number of bowls you may purchase.
Sales begin at 5:00pm on a first-come, first-served basis. FYI – several of the donated
bowls will be mine! There will also be a silent auction of artist-crafted items…
and I’ll have a donated piece in the Silent Auction as well. Anything for a good cause!

The Empty Bowls Project – at Lillstreet Art Center
4401 North Ravenswood (at Montrose), Chicago, Illinois 60640
Just a few steps east of the Montrose stop on the Brown Line.

And by the way… did I mention that the stack of bowls that have become the
“poster child” for Lillstreet’s Empty Bowls Project are actually mine as well?! Go figure…

I made the bowls several years ago when we were still at the old Lill Street location.
Emily Murphy and I went to a workshop with Australian soda-firing guru Gail Nichols
at the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis. I was kind of “new” to the soda process and
still learning a lot. She showed off some of her bowls that she threw and fired on their sides.
I was intrigued enough that when I got back to the studio, I made my own version of the
inspirational “Gail Nichols Bowls.”  All bowls are similar, but each have a different soda
flashing effect. Some more subtle. Some more dramatic. Some blasted with soda.
And not a single stamp to bee seen anywhere… like I said, it was several years ago!

And if you stop by my place, or come to my Holiday Home Show,
you can see this full stack of bowls still on top of my kitchen cabinets!

If the Mayans are correct, tomorrow may be the big day.
But if the Oreo’s are right, tonight’s going to be a yummy “double-stuffed” evening!!!

But then again, what if Michael Stipe was right all along?!
Or maybe he was just the very last Mayan?… he doesn’t look much like a Mayan?

Click here for the video – REM : It’s The End Of The World (As We Know It).
A fun, illustrated rendition complete with lyrics… for those of us STILL determined
to memorize all of the words to this classic, very fast-paced song!

I guess I’ve only got about 9 hours to do it….
since the world’s gonna end at 5:32am tomorrow morning?!

And if the world does end today as “it’s supposed to”,
it’s a good thing I hit my biking mileage goal this morning!
One more thing off the list before everything ends later today?!

Be sure to notice the decimal point… I’m not THAT crazy!!!

Today’s a special day on the calendar. We won’t see this happen again
for another thousand years. And if you’re around for that one, Congratulations!!!

Hard to believe that the holidays are quickly bearing down on us…
but they are. And I’ve been working hard getting ready. Because just ONE MONTH
from today is the kick-off of my annual Holiday Home Show!!! So if you’re in the
Chicago area, or even looking for a quick road-trip, I’d love to have you stop by!

Mark your calendars…
“My Home For The Holidays” Home Show 2012
Saturday, November 17th & Sunday, November 18th.
10:00am-6:00pm both days. At my home, not the studio! For specific address
information, please send me an e-mail – gary@firewhenreadypottery.com.

Pottery in every room of my condo, food & drink in the kitchen. Plus the
ever-popular “Tired Of Shlepping Sale” on the back porch. It’s the perfect time
to kick-off your holiday shopping. I’m sure there’s something for everyone on your list…
including yourself!!! So mark your calendars and bring your friends!!!

Today is October 11, 2012… which numerically turns into 10 – 11 – 12.

And if you wait until 1:14 (and 15 seconds) it would be 10 – 11 – 12 – 13 – 14 – 15.
But that’s going too far, right???

A very special day for remembrance & reflection. I remember watching it all unfold
live on national television. Amazed by the day’s events playing out right in front of us.
Events that have changed our lives forever.

Eleven years ago today…

So the sunrise was a little anti-climactic again this morning. Dark & gloomy. But…
there was a bright spot on the morning ride… The Redbull Flugtag has come back to Chicago!
And this morning they were setting up just south of North Avenue Beach.

So here’s the deal with the Flugtag… it’s a whimsical competition for human-powered
flying machines. And by “flying”, I really mean running off the edge of the large scaffold
structure and plummeting into the water below. Each “flying machine” is handmade
and had some sort of theme to it. The “crew” does a thematic performance on the deck
before attempting their flight. It’s a day of wonderful nonsense & merriment…
and a bit of cluttered wreckage in the lake for the Redbull folks to clean up!

The fun begins tomorrow! You can tour the “airplane” hangars starting at 11:00am
followed by the official shove-off. For more information, click here… Redbull Flugtag.

After months of training & preparing, it was finally Triathlon day in Chicago!
The day starts early as the bike transition are opens at 4:45am and closes at 5:45am.
So thousands of racers all need to get their bikes & gear in place before it closes.
Once closed, it’s time to wait for your assigned Wave time. Mine was 8:54am…
so we had to wait about three hours to get started!!! Luckily, my friend Pammy was
coincidentally in the same wave, and Chris just before ours. So we could all hang out
watch everyone else, and wait together!

The sunrise was beautiful as it came up over the lake. Beautiful shades of pinks & reds.
Although we all know that famous slogan, “Red skies in morning, sailors take warning.”
So the red sky was just a warning of things to come… and they did.

So serene. So beautiful. Even with that one lone lifeguard boat preparing for the fun.

And then the first Wave went off… as there were more lifeguard boats at the ready and
the first swimmers started passing by. And once it starts, the anxiety level increases
as it’s now “real” and you know that your Wave is coming soon. No stopping it now.

As our Wave got closer, it was finally time to squeeze into our wetsuits and don our pink
swim caps. Each Wave of the Triathlon is assigned a different group color…
last year purple, this year pink. Pammy and I were ready… excited to get started…

Okay, and maybe just a little scared too…

As the clock continues to tick down, we’re just two minutes from starting.

So you finally get into the water and tread water until the air horn signals the start.

And we’re off…

The swim starts in Monroe Harbor across from Buckingham Fountain. You swim
south to the Field Museum, turn around at the orange pyramid cone, and then
all the way back north to the swim exit a mile later!

Once I finally made it out of the water, there’s a HUGE sigh of relief. That is
definitely my worst leg of the race. Not a big swimmer. In fact, I did the entire
thing once again doing the side stroke!! Crazy, I know… but it works for me.

Then it’s on to the bike transition where you change clothes, put on your bike shoes
and head out on your bike. It’s two laps along Lake Shore Drive totaling 25 miles.
The first lap was pretty nice. But when I turned around to start my second lap, you
could definitely see the storm rolling in. The wind was picking up an there were large
gray clouds to the west. On my last stretch south, the rain started with a light drizzle.
I was happy that I had completed the bike portion before the rain really kicked in…
and that my average speed on the bike was over 20 miles per hour!

Sorry for the lack of pictures here… but my Dad was also the photographer, and he
was back by the swim & run section. So I don’t have any photos from the bike or run.
You’ll have to take my word on it… tee-hee.

Then it’s back to the bike transition one more time to ditch your bike, change clothes
& shoes as needed, and then it’s off for a 6.5 mile run through Grant Park. You head
south along the lake past the Museum Campus and Soldier Field, then turn around
down my the 31st Street Beach. The whole time it was raining. At first, it was a
refreshing drizzle. But at times it picked up a bit – but by that time I was already wet
from the rain & sweat, so I didn’t care much.

By the time I made it to the Finish Line, it was really coming down.
And there stood my parents in the pouring rain cheering me on! Yeah me…
to have such a great cheering section! So excited to come across that line.
Excited to have finished my second Triathlon! Relieved that all of the hard work
& practice paid off. Endorphins, Adrenaline. Sweat. Gotta love the combination!

Soaked through & through… but still celebrating with my friends Pammy & Chris.
And enjoying the fact that I shaved 13 minutes & 40 seconds off last year’s time!!!

Back home, it felt great to take a shower, wash off the grime and eventually be dry again!
Some stiff muscles, but nothing too sore. And a nice new Triathlon medal to show for it.

And the big reward at the end?… a celebratory dinner at my favorite Rose Angeli’s
with my parents, Pammy and her husband. A wonderful end to our wonderful day!