More Of The Story

Now that the news is out, I feel like I can go back and share some of the hurdles from the past month. 

1. First of all there was the question of will the landlord want to continue renting to a potter or do they have different ideas about what they would like to do with their property?  I have to say that everyone at Hoyle Rentals has been great.  They sounded genuinely glad to rent to me and shared in my sadness that a change was necessary.  First hurdle cleared.
2. The kiln needs to be replaced.  Yay.  Found a used one that was in better shape than what we had and Jeff and Demetrius (have you met my son Demetrius?) helped me get it in the building.  Thanks to Vicki Halloran for the picture.  She happened by the Saturday that we were moving it in and volunteered for picture duty.  There were a lot of pictures of our butts that I am not sharing but am still giggling about.  This one was good of all 3 of us.  Step one of replace kiln (get new kiln in building) is complete. 
   
3. Next up - Utilities.  To change the utilities to my name, I had to complete a Change of Tenant form in the city zoning office. Then that form, plus a picture ID, plus my social security card, plus a deposit were required in the Utilities office.  I got the paper work done in the zoning office, made an appointment with the Fire Marshall and Building Inspector for the next day, and headed over to the Utilities department.  Both of these offices are within sight of the studio, so going from one office to the other wasn't a problem.  Got everything taken care of there - let's do bank draft to avoid the $800 deposit, please add recycling to the services.  I'm back at work and get a phone call.  There's a permit fee that needs to be paid before the inspections can be done.  Back to the zoning office...

   

   That's a pricey piece of cardboard right there.

4. Step two of replace kiln (have Kiln Doctor move control box from old kiln to new kiln) commenced the next day.   We worked for a couple of hours getting things set up.  I say we.  I held things when David needed an extra pair of hands.  He explained everything he did and I learned a lot, but do not ask me any questions.  My understanding of how the kiln works is only a tiny bit more involved than "plug in, press buttons."  I can now add, "there are wires." By the end of the afternoon, we had the "new" kiln in place and put together and the control box moved.  At this point, it became clear that new elements are also needed before we'll be up and running again.  Hopefully I can update you soon on the completion of this project.  The green ware is piling up. 

   

   Normally I would do a bisque fire when one set of shelves is filled up.  Currently there are 2 sets of shelves full of pieces waiting.

   

   Kiln parts everywhere!

   

   Oh lookie!  Wires.

   
   
5. In between holding things for David and nodding and smiling like I understood the finer points of wiring, I met the Fire Marshall and Building Inspector.  That went just fine.  The only thing that I was asked to address was to change out the inside lock on the door.  When the door was replaced a few years ago, it came with a lock that required the key to turn on the inside as well as the outside.  I needed to replace the inside with a thumb turn.  I was assured that JB Ellis kept them in stock and that it was easy to change out.  Honestly I was happy to learn that I could change this.  I never did like having to use a key to lock or unlock the door from the inside.
6. JB Ellis Locksmith did, in fact, have the part that I needed.  I asked again about how hard it was to change and was assured again that it was as simple as unscrewing the old one and screwing in the new one.  LIES!  This was not easy to do.  Everyone failed to mention the removal of the face plate and loosening of the set screw.  These are vital steps and should not be overlooked let me just tell you.  Some swearing, a little bit of crying, several panicked texts to Jeff, and one YouTube video later, I managed to get the door fixed. Maybe if I have to do it again it will seem easy, but this was not easy.  Not. At. All. 

This is where I am now.  I am waiting to hear that new elements are ready for installation.  I can lock and unlock my door with my bare hands when inside the studio.  Rent and utilities are paid up. I am wrapping up the spring semester at work.  Once summer begins for real, maybe all of this will settle down and I'll feel better.  It would be nice to sleep through a whole night again without waking up to worry about studio issues.  The next hurdle involves a glaze and clay order.  Not sure why this is stressing me out so, but it is.