I've always wanted to participate at the Bowl-A-Thon, but never remember when it takes place or buy a bowl in time. So participating in the Throw-A-Thon, where we make the bowls, is as close to helping as I ever get. Last year I took �ngel and Chiquis, and they had a blast designing their own bowls by hand. This time around, the Dud was all excited to go but then forgot and made other plans, so no kiddos this morning. I only took my mom instead 'cause she wanted to go. Since we didn't have the kids along, we were both able to use the pottery wheels for the first time. It was so messy and so much fun and also so much quicker with that thing! I had loads of fun. We were there for three hours or so and I made eleven bowls. My inner peeps were a bit disappointed because we wanted to go for the even dozen (one bowl per Closetarian! Yes, I totally just made that word up) but the university students were wrapping up and we had to clean up and go. I swear, I could've made bowls forever. *happy sigh*

Now for the part that's been bugging the shit outta me all day. There was a man, one of the UTPA students there helping out us amateurs, that I immediately took a liking to. I first saw him helping Roberta's little girl, who was having a lot of trouble with her clay. Now, by saying I liked him right away, I don't mean I found him attractive. I didn't. He's tall, 'bout a head taller than me, and I'm 5'7". Big broad dude, a bit of a gut, some gray on his untidy facial hair. But he was really nice and gentle with Bertie's girl and his hands worked that clay so fast! All of us able to see him work oohed and ahhed appreciatively. He came over to where I was and gave me some pointers on how to work my bowl, then he took me outside to put my finished bowl to dry. We chatted a bit while he showed me the huge ovens they use to bake the stuff and also showed me some of the various projects the university students have been working on. The entire time I was a bit stunned at how well we were hitting it off. You have to understand: I'm very antisocial. But with this man (whose name I don't even know for sure), he made me feel completely at ease. I was friendly. By all rights, how bizarre. I almost felt like I was talking to either Nacho or Art, my two closest work buddies, except I've known them for years, and I knew this guy less than half an hour. It really was a bit surreal, and more than a bit unnerving. Later on, as he was leaving (his shift ended, he claimed), we stopped by the exit and chatted it up a bit more. I got the impression that he wanted to ask me something, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe he couldn't figure out how we got along so well immediately either. He told me I should take a ceramics course and mentioned that I already had the basic skills, just needed confidence. He suggested I take night courses, and seemed a bit disappointed when I told him I work the night shift. He's gonna be a grad student come this fall, and had told me some professors let the grad students pretty much run some of the beginner courses. Maybe he was scheduled to take over a nightly course? Or maybe I'm just looking into it way too much.

Either way, I can't help it. This has never happened to me before, that I can remember. Most times, when I meet new people, I see them as blank sheets. I'll be polite and civil and helpful too, if the situation calls for it, but it's as I get to know them that I begin to formulate an opinion of them. There have been some instances where I'll meet someone new and instantly dislike them for no reason, like I'll get some bad juju from them, and it'll take me a good long while to get past it (if I get past it at all). Never, however, has the opposite happened, like today. It's freaked the hell outta me. Quite frankly, I don't know how to deal with it, though chances are I'm never going to meet this guy again. Like I mentioned, I don't even know his name. I think it might be Ramiro, because after he'd gone someone mentioned a student named Ramiro, but for all I know, they were referring to someone else.