I really love the pictures of the hippie-mod Alleyway House, currently in the image gallery with a sad lack of information about the architect (Formwerkz, as it turns out.).

you get a book from the review TK?

hope you let us know after you has written the review. would def want to read it. we are actually working on project where green roof is going to be used, so would be timely for me, personally.

welcome steve. not sure why, but will happily take credit for things i didn't do as long as no one is hurt in the process ;-)

How is it that I never noticed the image gallery before. Those are great images LB. I really enjoyed the one of the birdcage. l love how it almost resembles a circular staircase.

Shoot. Forgot. TK - I'm interested to read your review too.

I get loads of free books writing reviews but they are usually academic of the 100 word variety. Speaking of which I have 3 outstanding to finish before the middle of the month - time to get cracking

any tips atechno? i wanna get in on this...

jump, looked like to me you opened a tab - good karma for everyone, on your account. that's all.

tonight i saw three local bands, two of which were very good and restored my faith that good new music is out there. plus i got a bourbon call (i.e., my pick, not theirs) for $3.50! and the $5 cover got me two new cds!

and i was out! at a bar! no kids!

Sorry I'm late to the party, I've been going computer-lite the past couple of days, enjoying the sunshine here in Seattle.



I think if I didn't have fun glasses and a martini I'd look like a high school principal.

snook, yours is by far my favorite of the whole clan!!!

sounds awesome steven. the tab thing finally clicked for me too. you know i have been using computer too long cuz i thought you were taking about tab on firefox. is that sick or what?

That's where I was Thursday night, too. Crazy how the little things seem precious and inaccessible these days, huh, Steven? BTW, are you going to Madmen yourself? or do you want me to do it for you? ;-)

beta I'll tell the truth: I visit lolcats every day. Usually with my son.

I just planted 22 impatiens.

Still alive... Barely. I've got way too much on my plate these days, but not nearly enough time to do it all. Lately I've been going through a creative spurt on my thesis project, the ideas are flowing, and I like the direction it's headed... Problem is, I just don't have the time to get everything down on paper and give the project the attention it deserves. So frustrating.

I'm also getting paperwork lined up so I can start calculus and physics in the fall... I can't believe it's August already. Where did the spring and summer go?

Sister and nephew are doing well... I'm hoping to take a trip out there in the late fall to pay them a visit. It's been too long since the last time I was in the Pacific Northwest, anyway. I'm hoping to spend a full week out there, maybe using Portland as my base of operations, with a side trip up to Seattle and Vancouver BC.

And since everybody else did it, I feel obligated to do so:

this promises to be the new southpark

Hey Lig!!!

I plastic sleeved a bunch of just and previously purchased LPs (from my collection of hundreds) last night. The lady and some friends were with me and we drank martinis and listened to the records as i sleeved them.

Also, check this photo, isn't it awesome? A greater contrast and re-purposing (form of urbanism) i haven't been inspired by in awhile.



via here, some other great ones o Detroit can be found

banana republic is having a contest where you can win an appearance on madmen. yes, i went to the mall today...

Gin great job on the Marge Schott account!

i have confession i've never seen madmen, only read about it. but they seem to dress well if the cartoons are anything to go by.


we are currently going crazy trying to design an impossible house based on a list of opposing desires by client. this is maybe very interesting or recipe for doom. not sure which one yet. archinect and archdaily offer quick relief...now back to grind...

Good luck jump! I've never seen Madmen either, just heard all the buzz - oops, didn't realize you had to watch to play ;-)

also haven't seen madmen, don't have cable, don't understand the fuss. last time i did one of the 'make me...' games, when the simpsons movie came out, it was pretty unsatisfying.

but, because of peer pressure (lb...), and because lb overcame one of her pet peeves and used a noun as a verb in asking me to 'madmen' myself, i tried it last night.

as expected: it's totally and remakably uninteresting. i look like any old noob. and now i can't post it because i left it on the harddrive of my computer at home.

speaking of time-wasters, i found a good one:
guess-the-google.

time to hit it.

*M - Thanks for reminding me to get a new alarm clock. Preferably one that slowly raises the volume or one where I can play a CD (or MP3s?). I have one of those dual alarms and radio clocks but I'm tired of waking up every morning in a panic because of the obnoxious alarm. The problem with a dual alarm with me is that I've learned that the first one can be ignored, and then on days when I only set one alarm...

Good Karma for everyone! That same day, I also helped out a neighbor move into her apartment. She had this huge bed to take up a small flight of stairs. If you think about it in a different way, I guess I was good karma for my neighbor, that writer/con-man, and the waitress. It was a weird day, because I had another stranger come up to me and we chatted about my bike for a while.

Mad Men is more visually stimulating than anything. I enjoy the design eye candy and the hindsight view of the 50-60's.

The book review business sounds interesting, I'd like to get into that as well.

I think I got slight salary bump post ARE's, but I'm not sure. No one talked to me about it, which I think I'm ok with.

It's lunchtime social hour at work today, I'm excited...

<getting it off my chest>

I just received word that my little bus stop project is being approved for commission, I'll have a contract next week. I'm excited, but nervous - this is my first true design-build project. Coordination with the City's project contractors is very likely to be a HUGE pain in the ass. If things go wrong, I'm on the hook for the project anyway: $150K worth. My husband did a similar project recently, and basically took a huge bath on a $10K sculpture that he plans to scrap as soon as its installation term is up. Please, please, 3Form, Bega, and my trusted stainless fabricator, please come through for me! Breathe, breathe, breathe....

<done>

As a vocal proponent here of baptism by fire, I guess I'm officially walking my talk now. Yikes!

alright LB!

Madmen is a decent show. i think it probably although maybe doesn't exploit the cliche's of the era. i have to think though that from my recent reading(S) of Revolutionary Road which was published in 1961 that much of what Madmen is about holds some water. Of course, that era didn't have a monopoly on disillusionment, cynicism and hopelessness. its just you could smoke in the office.

i think office cocktails should make a comeback. my work may not get any better - or any worse, for that matter - but it may take the edge off...

Congrats LB on the bus stop project. I have every belief that you will do an amazing job. Deep breaths, deep breaths. You'll do awesome.

Slart - I hear ya. I finally bought an alarm clock that you can either wake up to soundscapes, your very own tunes on your MP3 or the radio for like $30. Today I tried out one of the soundscapes, and thank God I did it on a day that I didn't have to work. Woke up an hour after the alarm went off. Guess I won't be using the "forest" selection anymore. Will revert back to the radio, although this weekend I'll try the "ocean" or "windchimes"

i don't know if Mad Men is accurate either, but if workplace cocktails make a come back, then maybe, just maybe, spanking a woman on the ass will too? j/k btw.

Thats great news LB! Are you going to brave the shark-infested waters and eventually post it here for us to see? :-)

I too have never seen Madmen - Shark Week (which started yesterday!) is one of the few things I find interesting enough to remember to watch regularly.

After seeing the back of my head in Quilian's recent school blog post, I'm debating what the future of my hair might be.

pixel, that's hilarious. i must admit i noticed when i first saw the pic, but only because i recall seeing pictures of you (on flickr?) with a very full head of hair. i noticed some thinning of my own hair in a recent pic (from earlier this summer) and that cemented by decision to grow it out longer. i'm not quite ready to embrace the norman foster look. i'm only 28! oh, and q shared some good news with me that you are at least partially to thank for. very cool that the boston area archinect community is paying dividends!

lb - that's great news and i'm sure it will work out well in the end. i recall seeing schematic images of the project at some point, and i'm definitely looking forward to seeing process pics as it moves forward. you're a class act so i'm sure you'll glide gracefully through the whole thing!

meredith and i watched the first 2 seasons of madmen via netflix. it was a pretty enjoyable series, and although i wouldn't know, the portrayal seemed legit enough.


yesterday at the pool...leaving mom's later today so this is a farewell shot...

I'm not a fan of Madmen, but my wife is. I do lappreciate the visual style and production quality.

lb- $150k for a bus shelter???? are you fabricating it out of structural glass or some unubtainium with fuel cells and a warp drive? I always thought you could make a urban jungle proof bus shelter for less then $50k. sounds like documenting the process would be a good feature for Architenect. Good luck!!!!

I tend to refuse to watch shows that I hear people go on endlessly about, mostly out of crotchety perversity. (Here's looking at you, House!) Well, I held out on Mad Men for 2 years ("What's the big deal? So you could smoke in an office in the 60s. Big Whoop!") and finally a friend made me go home with the 1st season dvd set a few weeks ago. Well, there went a week of my life -- sucked into watching this ridiculously addictive and fascinating show. I love it! Truthfully, I haven't seen such subtle and multi-faceted portrayals of characters in a long long time (or ever?). The character development is phenomenal, and it's really what gets you hooked on the show. You can't wait to see more scenes with these people, and find out what they might do. The acting is superb. Highly recommended!

I'd love to mad men myself, but apparently I don't have the proper version of flash. Oh well.

AP:
The only reason I continued to grow out my hair for the past year was to eventually donate it charity - a close friend of mine is going through her 3rd bout of cancer and I felt that it was the right thing to do. About a month ago I went in and had it all cut off as it was long enough to give to Wigs for Kids, but didn't have much left over to work with.

And its was beyond easy to help Q out with things seeing how it was a perfect match. I'm pretty happy with out things turned out.

LB - Sounds like an interesting project. I for some reason thought of Hector Guimard's metro entrances (not the art nouveau, but the scale of the project).

*M - I think this is a big deal how you start the day, everyday. I can't believe I've been waking up to mind-numbing, panic-inducing buzzing alarms for so many years of my life. This has got to change! Where'd you look for the alarms?

Pixel - How long does your hair need to be before it can be donated? I was growing it out for no reason other than the fact I've never done it before, and I was going to get it cut today. It turns out the place is closed for the day. If I have a better reason to grow it out, I just might keep it.

Pixel, that's awesome! I donated my hair to Locks of Love when I was in undergrad at UF. Slart - I think they need 10" or more...that's what I recall at least.

and Pixel, I'm sorry to hear about your friend. Very cool that you supported her that way.

This phrase is my new favorite thing. I plan to use it often this week. BTW, manta, did you see my shoes?



Mohop Shoes are the absolute bestest shoes out there. I may start a thread about them. I switched out the ribbons and rings today - turquoise stripe and maple rings. I haven't had time to really experiment with them yet, but I think I want to make a toe-covering piece for winter.

Thanks for all the support on the bus stop, guys. I had a soothing lunch with one of my mentors and I am sure I will, if not glide, at least muddle on, through it all. treekiller, it's $150k for three, so you're right on: $50k/per.

beta, I'm fine with ass-slapping coming back in style along with office cocktails - but since we live in a gender-liberated world now, be prepared for the women to be grabbing your ass, too! Not to mention doing the slow up-down approving glance with wolf-whistle, as well.

Congratulations, LB! I'm sure it's going to be an awesome project. Is it the same design as the sketches you posted a while back or have there been some changes?

I too avoid shows and movies that people rave on and on about. Mad Men was one of my own discoveries and usually post episode I get that weird feeling of, "wow, that was deep." That's how I felt after first listening to Eminem's Mockingbird song.

And speaking of movies, Pixelwhore's shark week post just reminded of another really annoying movie I watched this weekend...Stepbrothers. I wanted to punch both of them in the face.

I was told it was a 10" braid for Wigs for Kids and a 12" braid for Locks of Love. Since I was donating I got a free haircut out of it also!

office cocktails and ass-slapping never went out of style in my office...i feel sorry for you guys. no wonder so many of you are always complaining about work.

Well they were never prohibited in MY workplace either - but when you drink alone and touch your own butt, you're headed down a slightly scary path.

Hmmmm.... LB I think I like your idea. There's an ass I've been wanting to grab since I started ;o)

Crap - Slart... I actually found the alarm clock at Meijers. I hear you about the buzzing thing. I haven't been able to deal with that for years, wake up to the radio instead.

"...when you drink alone and touch your own butt, you're headed down a slightly scary path."

AWESOME

That is indeed an awesome quote. Speaking of awesome quotes, I watched "Life as a House" recently and there is a part where the main character says:

"You're a great architect and a miserable human being"

and the architect responds with

"You're a miserable human being... and you're not even a f*cking architect!"

and the main character says

"You're right. You win"

I really, really hope that my next office contains some butts worth slapping.

ahhh, now I'm picturing LB dancing around her house, wine glass in hand and while clutching a cheek. Good times!

Early in it's a great read, wondering about architects as I read this; wonder if there are lessons in this story.

i was going to ask if anyone else had crazy problems getting onto Archinect today.
Guess not must have been something local at work???

Also, cool that Tschumi responded to the recent op-ed re: Parthenon musuem, huh... Guess we really do have a wider audience than realized.

Also, i wish i worked in puddles office. I could have used an ass grab etc for a mood uplift today, esp since Archinect wasn't working.

rationalist, I don't even need an office to find rear ends worth slapping. I just saw one here in Starbucks 5 minutes ago. In fact, why am I so worked up since breaking up with exWonderMan? I wasn't nearly this excitable when we were together/3000 miles apart.

OK, liberty bell wins my award for Most Awesome Project News / Most Awesome One-Liner of the Day. Congrats lb on the bus stops, that's so exciting!!! Since it's design-build, do you need someone to build? I've got a tool belt? Oh and can you post another link to the sketches, so we can see it again? I can't for the life of me remember where the link/photo was at this point....


PS. I love those shoes. I hope I get a job soon so I can have a little bit of retail therapy. This unemployment-empty bank account business sucks.