Getting started

Today I officially began Firebird Pottery, with the creation of this blog and buying the web domain.
I also started throwing again today, really for the first time since I graduated from college in 2005. I bought a Shimpo VL Whisper the day before Thanksgiving, along with 100 lbs. of clay, but it wasn't until today that I finally got around to christening the wheel.
The first attempt was a flop. Literally. The second piece worked out well and is currently upside-down drying. I will trim it up in preparation for firing.
I am using a red earthenware body, which is a little bit different than the stoneware that I imagined from college. Hopefully it will work out fine. If not, I will experiment with the box of raku I also bought. Maybe I will need to find some good stoneware. We will see.
Unfortunately, I sliced my hand up a bit from a piece of grit in the clay body. But that won't stop me for long. I am just itching to get my hands dirty again.