I’ve always thought I might enjoy pottery, so when a space opened up at Hinckley Pottery – a few blocks from my house – I decided to give it a go. I’ve now had three classes, and have thrown six bowls, trimmed four and am about to fire my fire few so I can glaze them.
Everyone assumes it’s therapeutic, but I think you have to get good at it before that’s the case. (People say that about yoga too, and I’d give the same response.) Actually – now that I think about it, perhaps it IS therapeutic and I’m just too competitive to achieve that zen-like state. (Same for yoga.)
Let’s just say, when it comes to a pedal (be it on a car, a sewing machine or a potter’s wheel), I know only one speed: FLOORED.
Whenever the teacher walks by me, she’s like, “Alison, I think you might want to slow your wheel down a bit.”
And I turn it down until she’s past me – then floor it again. Because at that pace, I can make twice as many bowls as my classmates in two hours.
I enjoy eavesdropping on the conversations of my classmates while I’m working. Last night’s conversation went something like this:
Maria: Hey Susan, do you ever hire interns? Susan: Sometimes, I guess. But we don’t pay them. Maria: My roommate just graduated and needs a job. If she can’t find one, do you think she could intern with you? Susan: Maybe. What did she study. Maria: She speaks Spanish fluently. Susan: That’s key. Maria: And she’s very sweet. Susan: Oh, that’s good. I like working with sweet people.And this is the point at which I just about slapped my bowl off the wheel. “Really?” I wanted to ask. “You like working with sweet people? How about that. And here I’ve always sought out the assholes.”
Fortunately, right about this time, the teacher walked by. “Alison,” she said. “Slow down.”
I did as I was told, started to roll my eyes, then realized: Maybe I am the asshole.
pithypants 
Dude. Tell me those aren’t your hands!
Weet: not unless someone ran over my hands and left me with two club thumbs I was unaware of! (BUT – perhaps that’s a helpful feature when throwing pottery? Kind of like a paddle?)
Just sayin’ you might want to make sure it’s clear that you grabbed that photo elsewhere, lest folks think you suffer from ManHands.