That first green bowl is probably my favorite piece ever. You can’t see it on the picture, but the bowl is pretty thin and the thin-ness is very even. The glaze colors also contrast one another very well. The last part - the white crackle - happened accidentally, but I love the texture that it adds.

These bottles were pretty difficult to make. I created 6 different slabs first and let them dry for a while. Then I used slick to add one piece together at a time. I cut out the opening before I added the final slab on the top and then created a neck. My biggest struggle after that was to ensure that the walls remained straight and didn’t fall inward. Unlike my first piece on this blog, these two pieces are pretty heavy.

I get mixed reviews about the following piece. I’m not sure I’m all that fond of this piece, but others seem to appreciate it a bit more. This was done by hand, not on the wheel.

I’m really proud of the next piece. I threw this piece on the wheel. The handle was attached once the cup portion turned leather dry. If you’ve done pottery before, you know handles are a challenge. So, kudos to me for making the handle stick. I love how the shiny the glaze turned out. Again, that wasn’t intended - with glaze you just never know. I’m all for shiny pieces.

http:www.zazzle.com/sgazeri4444. You can purchase any of the following and more…

ID-10-T (”IDIOT”)

The following is best suited for the computer scientists of the world, who like to send hidden messages to the consultants, marketing folks, and possibly even to one another.

Dancer’s Keychain

This keychain is suited for all those who spend the majority of their time at a dance studio.

Things You Can’t Have at Work

Beer. Nuf said.

See it here.

Check it out and send us your feedback! We have a lot of plans about future updates to the site, so check back in soon for updates.

And I hope you dance!

- Sepi

Microsoft Withdraws Yahoo Offer
After Attempt to Bridge Gap in Price

By KEVIN J. DELANEY, MATTHEW KARNITSCHNIG and ROBERT A. GUTH
May 4, 2008 6:02 p.m.

Microsoft Corp. said it abandoned its offer for Yahoo Inc., as the two companies failed to bridge a gap between them on price.

Microsoft Saturday released a letter from Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang saying that Microsoft had said it was willing to raise its offer to $33 a share for Yahoo, but Yahoo demanded at least $4 per share more.

“Despite our best efforts, including raising our bid by roughly $5 billion, Yahoo has not moved toward accepting our offer,” Mr. Ballmer said in a Microsoft press release. “After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo do not make sense for us, and it is in the best interests of Microsoft stockholders, employees and other stakeholders to withdraw our proposal,” he added.

Read more: Wall Street Journal Article

You can buy a 25-lb bag of clay when you’re there for approx $7.50. Day long passes to use the open studio are approx $9. If you buy 10 a ten-day pass, it comes out a bit cheaper.

If Ceramics isn’t your thing, you may be interested in the other studios and classes offered at the Irvine Fine Arts Center - including:

• Photography
• Jewelry and Glass
• Drawing and Painting
• Culinary Arts, and a lot more…

Here’s a link to their website and schedules. http://www.cityofirvine.org/depts/cs/finearts/

It’s a little scary, I know I know.

I’m currently taking classes with Lilla and Serena. Both of them have been dancing all their life and have been trained in belly dancing for over a decade. They are great teachers and offer a lot of performance opportunities at the advanced stage. (Performances are never required.)

About Lilla’s Classes:

Lilla’s classes: http://www.lilladance.com

Lilla’s classes are typically 6 week sessions. If you have never belly danced before, I recommend taking Lilla’s beginner class at least 3 times before you start at the intermediate stage. At the intermediate stage, she includes props in the class… so you’ll be working with Finger Symbols, Veils, and Canes.

About Serena’s Classes:

Serena’s classes: http://www.prodancecenter.com

Serena’s classes are 8 week sessions. The classes are not as big as Lilla’s, so she has more opportunity to help you get to the next stage (if you express interest). Serena does not introduce props until the advanced stage. Performances are organized by the dance studio.

Classes for UCI Students

Campus Rec Classes: http://www.campusrec.uci.edu/classes

If you’re a UCI student, I recommend taking classes with Miriam Moghaddam. I stated out with her a couple years ago. She adds a touch of hip hop to belly dancing. Her classes can be found under ‘Urban Shimmies’. Classes at UCI tend to be larger, but more affordeable. Miriam is a great teacher, so if you sign up with her class, get there early to make sure you get a good spot in front of the mirror and close to her.

Other Classes

There are MANY, MANY opportunities in Orange County (and LA) to get started with belly dancing. These are the ones I have been involved with. Let me know if you have other recommendations.

Can I skip the gym?

Belly Dancing can be a great workout, if you take classes at least three times a week. It helps to tone your arms and obliques. It’s a lot more fun than sitting on a bike at the gym and staring at a wall.

Weekend Workshops

If you’d like to get an introduction to Belly Dancing, you may be interested in a weekend workshop May 17 - 18. See http://www.raqsla.com. The Belly Dance superstars will be performing (and auditioning) that weekend. That said, I expect the workshops to be more for dancers at the intermediate and advanced stage.

Belly Dance Superstars:

Watch the Belly Dance Superstars on YouTube: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-_bBiKOi9ak

Happy Dancing!
- Sepi

She’ll be updating her site during her summer break… but check her out in the process: http://www.beautyvaccine.com.

I love you $adaf, but don’t let the fame get to your head.

- Sepi