So, it's been over a week and I've taken some time to reflect on this past semester...

There is really only one thing that I know for sure:
I have no idea what I'm doing. Although, the things that I think I know have increased exponentially.
I've spent a great deal of time worrying over my studio work because of it. People keep telling me that I shouldn't know what I'm doing... I plan to believe them someday.

This semester has been fantastic. I love the people that are in my year. Everyone is so fantastic. I don't think that there's a need to accept anymore people into the program, and I don't think that we need to move to the fourth floor to finish out the next two years. We would be one kick-ass graduating class. (That's one thing that I know, for sure.)


I think that the studio final presentations went really well. We had a guest panel member who brought fantastic insight to our discussions. I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate a conversation with the panel. in the case of my project, they suggested things I hadn't thought of so I didn't necessarily have a thoughtful response. I actually agreed with their comments, and so I didn't feel as if I really needed to comment other than to agree. But yet, felt disappointed because a discussion could not be garnered on my end. All in all, I was really happy with the final product and the presentation went well enough; seeing as how I'm still uncomfortable talking about my projects and have yet to fully understand how they're functioning (again, I don't know what I'm doing.)
I think everyone else had phenomenal projects and deserves to feel very proud of their work.

Here are a few renderings that I created for my presentation.
We each designed a pavilion that was located across for St. Louis at it's infamous Arch by Saarinen.
The pavilion that I worked on was a formal exploration of bifurcating surfaces that grew from the landscape. As it rises from the ground it divides to create a floor, interior circulation, and a roof.







A few things that I've learned this semester:
-Everything, at any time, can be explained with Star Wars or Star Trek.
-Tack four hours on to your estimated model building time
-Never underestimate the power of a good Americano or hot tea.
-Multiple alarms are a necessity at times.
-It's okay if you don't always take notes.
-All the cool kids use Macs. (Sorry, Mark and Ivan.)
-Dictionaries don't always have all of the words used in Theory class.
-Earphones are golden; so is chocolate.
-A personal life is a pipe dream.
-Morris is the best mascot, ever.
-iChat is a great way to actually see your friends.
-Asking questions isn't actually that scary; but nonetheless unnerving.
-Calculus is horrible and most likely unnecessary.
-Beer is zen.
-Roommates? What Roommates?