I've lost track of time since my last posting. I'm also not really sure where I am right now. There's a crispy chill in the air, and it smells like harvest. Blue Ridge!!! oh wait, our a.c. is set to 68 degrees, and the $3.99 cinnamon broom I bought at Publix is in full bloom. I'm home...miami.

Haven't seen much of the place since the semester hit the ground running. Formative studio -translation- mucho en un poco - stress the mucho.

No complaints though. My classes are still as interesting, if not more than they were billed. We handed in our final passes at a 6 inch cube (matte board, chip board, 1/8" basswood,) on Tuesday, and were promptly assigned our first attempt at a 60-30 isometric of the cube. We were also assigned an iso of a 9 inch "armature" that will hold the 6" programme-due this afternoon.

Now granted architecture is all about the process- how'd you get there, let me see, that's more interesting than your final- this first attempt was none so pretty. What was even more unsettling was the explanation of the word "armature." I don't think one person in our studio has any idea what the hell it means. Okay, something about structure, support, skeleton, habitat, home, cradle, etc., but what is it really ?!?! - besides an extremely important thing to understand for the rest of our architectural lives.

Hold the original design, follow the intended programme while adding meaning and integrity, and yet maintain some sort of individuality. analogy- no, it's not like an egg shell protecting the unborn, more like an egg in a nest. wait, if I take the egg out, it's in my left hand, while the nest is in my right. they're two separate entities. no? except the egg needs the nest to survive, while the nest needs the egg to serve a purpose. ahhhhh, got it!!!!! sort of...

As much as I love a great analogy (my highly-respected, literary father more than instilled the beauty of analogous thinking,) this one left a little unanswered.

The only thing we are all sure of right now is that the built, 9" cubic armature is due on Tuesday, along with two more isometrics of that design. I'm not s.o.l.- I luckily have a decent 6" cubic composition with potential, as well as a penchant for what's not fully in my grasp...

So with 110 hours and counting, I look forward to this weekends model building, as well as slivers of advice from wounded studio-soldiers...