the title actually covers quite a bit of ground. talk amongst yourselves...

accidental potter #1: monkeydad and monkeybaby and i were at generic crapland today buying some hair product for monkeydad. they had the latest, or lastest, installment on sale for 40% off, so we've now completed the set. we say it's "for monkeybaby one day". monkeydad's hair products were far cheaper than restocking my bumble and bumble. it's been the same since college - i may not have money for much, but i will have good soap/shampoo and good coffee. my clothes shopping today consisted of $24.99 at the thrift store for 2 pairs of jeans and 4 shirts. (last time i scored a lucky brand jeans skirt, a long one, for $7. supersweet.)

accidental potter #2: there is actually some hugely (HUGELY) cool video on you tube of stuff like shoji hamada - clay god for the uninitiated. last weekend we were on a walk and passed by a man going into a ceramics studio at seward park and he was friendly, and just that little glimpse made me yearn for my hands in clay. they have classes of all sorts, but the reality is, i can't find time at home (unless it's about now) let alone find time to trundle off to an expensive clay class. but i can dream. i can stalk heath ceramics on ebay, i can admire beatifully formed dirt all day long. i can pet my heath mug several times a day. obsession is free.

accidental potter #3: speaking of hamada, this book by bernard leach looks interesting. lately aesthetic living has taken up residence in my brain. there's something very desirable about having a rather zakka / wabi-sabi kind of thing going. i think it's my emotional reaction to the turbulence and lack of control having a child brings. none the less, that peaceful zen thing is sooooooooo appealing. thinking about that and looking at the vignettes in the sneak peeks on design sponge pretty much get me there. i prolly need to get out more. or go to burningman, or something. i think it's great to appreciate what is not perfect (although as for the wabi-sabi thing, the 'appreciating the not perfect' really translates to buying very expensive one of a kind imperfect things which are aesthetically just-so ) but if you get too caught up in the design of it all (and believe me, I'm first in line for that kind of thing) I think you can get serious stick-up-the-butt-itis.

i think the previous version of the aesthetic thing was my favorite purple book. Originally $3.33, and moved up in appropriate monetary increments over the years: Be Here Now. I think being here now is really where it's at. whatever your gig is. floppy japanese tea cups or chinet. just BE.