i agree with slart

drinking at airports especially during layovers is a great way to get some "local" color or at least taste local beers.

I had a layover in Las Vegas before they had the flashy airport....must have been back in the 80's. Actually I was in Kansas, with my lady at the time for Christmas. We were flying back to Phoenix and they over booked our flight so they said they would give travel vouchers for those who were willing to make a stop over in Las Vegas. So we looked at one another, and said why not.
We landed in Vegas and they had the slot machines in the terminal so my lady fried starts dropping quarters...and damn if she didn't pay for our plane tickets while sitting on the ground in Vegas. We board the plane land in Phoenix and our original flight had been grounded for some reason or another. It was our lucky day!

puddles, that comment really made me laugh. It makes one wonder who creates all these rules for plane safety. Why is the last hour so critical....wouldn't one just blow the fricking plane up when ever they wanted to. There is basicly no way any one will survive anyhow....I guess there thinking of ground damage...it might inflict such as the World Trade Tower...Then again I don't think the last guys were that smart anyhow.

i cant figure out how to post these photos, but here's the link to the site John Nastasi a former prof and friend of mine. the work is amazing. they fabricate their own work too.

Hey snook this post over at jargon etc made me think of our conversation. You don't write for them do you??? :0

Like snook said, if you have to have a layover, Vegas is the place to do it - slot machines at the gates!

Ahhhh Stair porn. My favorite.

WWTCD -
I have the best neighbor ever. For the past three years that I have lived at my house, my neighbor has done numerous nice things for me including helping me rescue my vagrant cat from someone's roof (long story) cut my lawn, watched over my house when I was gone, etc. He's in his mid to upper 60's and is pretty much retired. Today I come home and to discover he has not only shoveled my and my other neighbor's walkway, but had shoveled part of my driveway too, as he knows that I am still healing from my car accident back in December. I feel like I should get him something or do something for him but I have no clue? Baked goods? Money? Any suggestions?

Baked goods. If you know he drinks, booze.

I might be singing a different tune if they had card games at the gates...

I don't think they eased off of security. They did a thorough search on me. Pretty much one notch down from a strip search. I realize its their job, but it was pretty embarassing because I'm extremely ticklish.

Anywho, I'm off to walk about. That Jeanne Gang thread is getting weird btw.

baked goods or booze. those were my first thoughts too. Everyone appreciates warm, gooey, home-baked cookies in the winter. especially if they are your secret recipe!

as for layovers -- funny, i specifically organize my flights in order to AVOID layovers in vegas -- that airport is an ARMPIT! snook, i wasn't aware they had redesigned since the 80s -- everything looks precisely the same to me. slartibartfast can confirm this, but there is horrid old carpeting everywhere, low dingy ceilings, gross slots throughout with even grosser people glued to them, and awful, horrible "food" choices. ugh. I have literally gone out of my way and added flight time to my trip in order to avoid that airport. I can't stand it. It gives me the same feeling that dumpy old motels off of rural routes do -- the kind where you can tell they only recently banned smoking in the rooms (or in half of them) and the walls are still covered in a yellow chemical film. ugh.

weird i haven't noticed any difference in security yet. puddles, they never instituted that one-hour-before-landing thing -- they backed off right away when it was pointed out how ludicrous the idea was.

that jeanne gang thread started weird.

nam...they don't let me write for them. sigh!

Actually a real cool thing happened to my neice in Rio...She is kicking 19 and works and goes to school. Anyhow one thing leads to another, she was ask by her boss to accompany him to Beyonce's Hotel yesterday because she if fluent in English. The store she works for was gifting some jewelry to Beyonce....and she was there voice. So she got to meet Beyonce Mom yesterday, and they loved the jewerly so she went back today with more jewelry, hoping to meet Beyonce. So this evening she was off to a Beyonce Concert with free Tickets... Damn it is exciting to be a 19 year old.

manta, you are absolutely right about the vibe at the Vegas airport - it's gross! And wonderful!

You know how people over the years have started threads about how Archinect has this clique of high-level posters who allegedly shut down anyone's opinion they (we) don't agree with? I think it's funny that right now we have a few new people that are using nastiness and anger to shut down the opinions of anyone - new or old - who dares cross their path.

The world is in an odd, angry place right now, maybe no more so than in the world of architecture. That said, I met this morning with a potential new contractor who is, like me, just hanging in there, working hard, trying to stay positive. Archinect is what it is. Paul could pull the plug on the whole thing tomorrow, and we'd all get along.

Which reminds me, vado and I met and hung out with Archinect editor Bryan Finoki last weekend. He's super duper cool - if he'd been a professor of mine in school he would have blown my mind completely.

Thanks for the suggestions manta and LB. I think I may go with booze... perhaps a nice beer? I know he drinks Miller Lite.

And that thread IS weird and flaming going on out there of late is just ridiculous. Hence, the reason why I spend most of my time here. I'm just a lurker elsewhere. Anyhoo - off to bed to read more. Manta - if you haven't read it already I recommend Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. I'm only like 50 pages into it but I can't seem to put it down.

Nite all

I think manta just called you two "grosser".

Paul please don't pull the plug!

Definatly baked goods or soup. Food is always a goodgift for old men. He may just adopt you.

I saw baked goods.

LB, You and Vado met up with Bryan huh? I think it is so cool how he went from blogger extraordinaire, then longer form writer and now studio professor. It was always apparent that he was really passionate about the spatial and justice issues and it warms my heart to see someone be able to make that transition. And inspires me.. Although my blogging is more just reposting cultural ephemera.

Anywho, tonight I have been and will continue to read my first Saul Bellows book "Henderson the Rain King". So far so good.
A friend gifted it to me. Thought the name in the title was ironic considering...

say

nam I can attest it is a great book!

Morning, all.

Snook. Yeah I really am digging it.

i think the idea with the no-movement-ban-in-the-last-hour-of-flight was to minimize the ability of a potential terrorist to target a destination city. it's good to hear they change the rule...but i was kind of waiting for the inevitable media bonanza the first time a grown-up couldn't hold it and an entire plane had to sit there pinching their noses because of mr. stinky pants.

and yeah, the world is an odd, angry place...but at least we have valentine's day threads.

saul bellow is one of those authors that you enjoy as much/more for the prose as the story itself. i get totally absorbed and enter the quirky characters' world. hope you enjoy, nam.

still not 100% better. new diagnosis a little different from the one last week. apparently i have a couple of weeks left before i'm completely in the clear. i'm not used to this; i'm a 'well' person...

ha, every time someone mentions a book on archinect (favorably) i immediately go and throw it on my amazon wish list... grrr.... I've got 6 or 7 in my que at home and 128 on my wish list...

anyone else a compulsive book buyer / wish list adder?

and any thoughts on doin' the 'nect book club? (though it would seem impossible with the state of the 'nect these days. *melt hit it on the head with "out there")

earthquake hit chicago?

I've got about 100 or so books on my amazon wishlist... I don't have much time to read books these days - mostly articles on the train.

yup, quite a bit northwest though. i didn't feel a thing.

postal,
yeah i do the same thing.

And Steven totally agree the prose and character are quite good. There was one specific passage about the main characters aesthetic sense wherein all these various aesthetic feelings about things are described that really jumped out at me. Talks about the feel of velvet, the color of the sky etc....

so my dad is ignoring everything I taught him and is thinking about moving to Florida. What is worse is that -gasp- he is checking out The Villages. And I thought I gave his some urban sophistication.

(sorry nam & all the other floridians who like that place)

hey don't put me in that group. I think the village sis weird. Mainly because (and this is not a lie) it was reported a couple of years ago that they have/had one of the highest rates of STDs in the country (per zip code).

Something about coming from a generation that didn't have much openness when it comes to sex and being of an age where they don't have to worry about pregnancy.

abra, thanks for pointing that out.

the jeanne gang thread is embarrassing. i just finished reading and now want to shower. ick.

Sarah this will be my first year of sending valentines "from" tater tot to his school friends. There was a not-so subtle hint on the door: a list of items to provide for the party on Monday, and several copies with the names of his classmates to take home. Very thoughtful actually b/c I have no idea what all their little names are b/c my son is TOO YOUNG TO TELL ME. So yes, he's 2. last year I side-stepped it but this year I feel like we need to participate. I too think the candy is excessive...I save suckers for times of severe need - like when we are boarding an airplane. I think tater tot's classmates will get stickers in their valentines...whew rant over thanks.

I have been entertained by the mass freak-out over the east coast storms. I hope everyone can stay home and out of harm's way. there is no telling the damage that can be done by a person with a 4-wheel drive that isn't familiar with driving on snow and ice.

smallpotatoes and Sarah: We're taping "fruit scabs" aka organic fruit-only individually packaged snack leathers (from Target and Trader Joes) to the valentines he gives his classmates. And we too got the list of names from the teacher - I'm fine with it, it is helpful to have all the names.

Snowverkill. Heard it on NPR this morning and have been saying it all day. The nicest thing about major snowfall in a big city is it shuts up all the noise of cars driving by.

If only the East Coast could send the snow to Vancouver where the Olympic venues need it.

Snowverkill. Love it. This past weekend on NPR I heard another made-up word: Subris.

Subris: su bris, noun. excessive confidence in manuvering ability in inclement weather while driving an all-wheel drive car.

Since my community is overrun by subaru outbacks (it's the perfect car really for this place), i can relate.

Wow, we definitely didn't "give" valentine's at that young age. Would it be horrible not to participate? I feel bad for all the unemployed parents out there. I can't imagine being asked to spend extra money on something so foolish right now. Why not just have a craft with the kids that day where they assemble their own valentines, together in class, out of pre-cut little items, and they get to "shake" some red glitter onto glue via a teacher's guiding hand? That way it becomes an activity with some motor skills involved, plus glitter, which every kid seems to naturally love. But I am not a mom so what do I know. I'm just crotchety, and grew up with a handicrafty family. I am a crotchety crafter.

Sometimes I wonder whether my opinion on all the kid-related things I privately rant about in my brain will completely be over-turned when/if I ever actually do have kids.

This has to be the slowest moving Winter Storm in History. They had us pegged with 10-14 inches of snow and all we have so far is wet roads. I guess the Big Apple is having an effect on Climate Change!

yeah manta, when I was little the whole fun of it was making the valentines during class, and peeking at who was making valentines for whom... giving them to everybody, pre-made, just sounds boring :(

I'm going on a second date this weekend... I specifically requested saturday so that the poor dude feels no valentine-related pressure, because what could be more awkward than going on one of those super-early, still-getting-to-know-the-person dates and being surrounded by lovey-dovey super romantic couples?

(p.s. please tell me y'all have figured out who I am)

I *think* I know who you are, but then again, I've met you, right??? So maybe it's easier for me!

Yeah -- a valentine's day date sounds super awkward. Do people really do that? I've been invited on one by my S.O. that sounds intriguing. S.O. likes to put together secret restaurant reservations. I don't get to know where it is until we get to the door. This is fun in summer but in winter -- aka valentine's day -- it can be rough as I don't know what to wear : how many layers? How long will I be outside on the way to this place? Can I risk wearing the boots that hurt my feet after 8 blocks? --which is v. important, as the ladiez will tell you, because the shoes are pretty much the determinator for the whole outfit. Sometimes it's hard, to be a woman...

Last we went to dinner in the next town over. The train ride was over an hour. I had dressed up (which means not enough warmth) for the occasion and froze my tookas off. S.O. totally didn't get it. The dinner was amazing though.

copper-top love the name and yes I can confidently say I know who you are. But by asking that don't you open yourself to the same clusterf*ck of anonymity?? Or maybe it's just a tc - "in the know" kind of thing?

6 hours of continuous teaching today. I was given a compliment from one of the students, they said "I was a really great teacher" - almost made this brown boy blush.

*m I think the booze is a good idea, but if he's really been as kind as you say maybe be as kind with the drink selection. A bottle of wine perhaps.

SW check your mail.

techno, this profile is less anonymous in some ways (blog, links, etc.) but moreso in the more personal ways, i.e. the comments I've left under this name in the past. It's my new start at respectability :)

I know you, copper top. Good luck on the date!

manta, you speak the truth: for many women (me included) the entire outfit is determined by the shoes. I've been wearing my rubber wader boots lately, in the snow - man I love that ridiculous fishing footwear!

techno, I got your call and knew that Steven was the more appropriate person to help you, and I thought you said you were going to call me back, so I didn't respond. Steven has the poop.

no valentines for kids here. strictly for high school age kind of thing and the deal is the ladies give chocolate to the guys, not other way around. for that, the chocolatiers invented "white day", so they get to hit the consumer button twice in a year.

christmas is more the valentine's vibe here, oddly celebrated by young couples going to KFC for chicken.

Japan is an odd country but in interesting ways.

apologies on not returning the call Liberty, I got attacked by students the problem when you stay in one spot too long.

copper top, point taken... but you've always been respectable our eyes

hey jump.

I think it is just a "TC in the know" thing archi.

i think im cooking dinner to valentines. the first anniversary of my lady's mother's passing is this Sat. Should be interesting..

I need to do some writing tomorrow.

Thanks for the comment on my blog techno.

Copper top, ive never met you, and if you are who I think you are I pictured you differently. Maybe I'm wrong on both accounts.

Lucky for me I didn't have to fill in the "to" part of the vday cards. I did let Abram sign hisown name though.

Wow, I can tell there's a snow storm in the east because I can barely keep up with you guys after just a day! Is anybody taking pictures of this and posting them on Facebook or Flickr? I'd love to see the melee that all of this snow is causing.

melty, I would suggest baked goods. Alcohol is nice but nothing says "thank you" like warm chocolate chip cookies.

Speaking of things that aren't on my diet, I signed up today for 3 sessions with a trainer at my gym. They had a special and I'm pretty serious about trying to push myself this year to get into shape, so I'm willing to shell out a little bit of dough right now to do that. Of course today I seemed to have come down with a wee cold, so the trainer went easy on me but it wasn't one of my paid sessions yet, so that's good.

abra, nice catch on the 200k mark! Impressive.

smallpotatoes, where are you again? I'm surrounded by Suburus too so you might be near me, LOL.

copper top, am I having brunch with you on Sunday?!

What do you all think of this Google Buzz business?

I have to go find this Jeanne Gang thread you guys were talking about...

....Hmmm. I'm less alarmed by the thread and more alarmed by the prevalence of one twisted individual on the thread. Perhaps I watch too many shows about mentally unstable characters but that guy acts like a stalker. An Archinect stalker. Big Green Floating Head take note.

it is a bizarre thread. i did enjoy the fun song link though.

200k and a day from being a 4 yo thread... impressive.

hey, i started a blog too. although i dunno if i'm ready to out myself yet... and it kinda sucks.

is it a day from the TC anniversary, holz?

Also what is the BDA you want to join that you mention in your profile.

Is it the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association (BDA)?

Or maybe the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände?