Transplantation and a Fit of Insanity

So off I went to the plant place, Koolau Farmers which is where I got the midget cactus from.
I've been reading up a little on transplanting these things and drainage is important. I figured I'd need some potting soil and some kind of sand or filler to mix up.
Lo and behold! cactus potting soil comes pre-mixed!



Great!
I also wanted to put something on the top of the soil, you know to make it look nice.
I thought about some sand, there was black sand available, but the nice dude at the plant place said to go out and grab some black cinder.
He was going to give me some for free, but I ended up buying a broken bag for half price.
Okay, got the goods now what?
Well, first you gotta get the cactus out of the old pots:



Thank you welding gloves!
Them cacti are well, prickly little things.
Put some rocks in the pot, stick the plants in, fill with soil, top off with cinders:



I'm not liking the black cinders so much so I think I'll go and find the red kind. Sort of add more color to the whole thing.
I only did two because besides the large planters, that's the only two small ones I had ready.
I got more on the way:



So I'm all stoked I got my cactus thing going.
I decided to work on this vase I was going to do some foo-foo to.
I carve the thing up figuring I'm going to try the Cafe Wall Illusion.
Well, I'm looking at the thing and decide, okay it wasn't a decision, more like an impulse, to cut the top:



As soon as I did it I was one sorry, well you get the picture.
I was thinking that if I cut an angle on the top, it would help the illusion.
Now, I'm not so sure.
Anyways, it's too late to really do anything about it.
I think I also cut out the squares wrong; you can see the difference in the link above.
Oh well, I guess it's just a test pot now.
Sometimes these things happen in the creative process.
I thought it was a great idea.
I guess it was just a fit of madness.