i have been fortunate enough to receive what, i think, might be the best advice abracadabra, faia, has ever offered. then again, that's probably just me.
Abes school director just moved his whole class up to the three's, but didn't move Abe because his birthday isn't until February. She says he has to wait until may! His class is now full of kids that just turned two. His best friend is gone, and he's bored, not to mention sad. He asked me just this morning if James would be there, and I had to tell him no, James was moved up. He was so sad!
I've talked to the director, and his teachers have talked to her, but she isn't budging. Any advice? I hate being pushy, but I'm not seeing a choice. Help.
Sarah you pay for this school, yes? Threaten to yank him out and send him to a school that has a better understanding of the importance of children engaging with their developmental peers.
Seriously, if he's around a bunch of kids still in diapers what motivation does he have to advance? (Is he still in diapers? I can't remember when Angus finished - god you'd think a milestone/relief like that would be imprinted on my brain forever but I just can't remember.)
Also, I love the term "so mad I could spit." And I think I need to start saying "great balls of fire!" a la Scarlett O'Hara instead of just saying dammit like usual.
OK, tropical psychedelia is something I can't NOT have in my collection - do you have a website, Purpurina?
oh my god, I just read the worst thing ever online. I can't get it out of my head, but I'm not going to link because a) I don't want to navigate back to the page to copy the address, and b) I don't want to infect y'all's heads too. All I can say is that people are sick and twisted and I'm sorry but some people just need to die because nobody on the planet should have to be subjected to the things they do. I've gone back and forth over my life on whether I believe that the death penalty is just, but now I know that even if it's been too liberally applied, for some people it is the only option.
now that that little rant's out of the way, Happy New Year everyone!
Sarah, that's ridiculous. Once a kid's allowed to start with a certain class they should continue with that class unless/until they show that they aren't mentally or emotionally mature enough to.
no babysitters here sarah. and no, no time away from kids unless the grandparents live nearby. since no one living in tokyo is actually from here, that is not so common ;-)
it just isn't part of the culture to have babysitters. usually not a problem, but sometimes a pain.
that deal with the class moving up and away from your son sounds bollocks to me. is it really a random act of pettiness? or is it something about when he hits kindergarten and everyone will start school but he won't because of the cut-off...or something else mildly plausible? if it isn't then you should be pushy. why not?
Where did you get that image, toasteroven? I'd love to show that to my friend who is an art teacher. She is teaching them about urban knitting onto lamppost, stop signs, etc. Do you know where the project is located?
Sarah, your child is a victim of a very illogical approach to cutoff age as used by almost all school boards. You would think that the cutoff age would be somewhere in the middle of summer when school's out and there is a 4 month buffer between school years. But no. It has to be Jan. 1st.
I'm an early Jan. baby and was the oldest in my class in elementary school, but then was the youngest one in High School after I skipped a grade. In each scenario some of my classmates were almost a year younger/older than me. The transition from being the oldest to youngest was awkward because almost overnight I went from having prepubescent friends to being surrounded by horny, pimply teens. My academics suffered a bit, but I found the challenge of taking 'advanced' classes to be of great benefit in the long run.
If you feel passionate about this, then you need to make sure Abe sticks with his peers. A mother scorned, etc...
Just learned that my shrub will be moved up at the end of February. Now we need to figure out if he is ready or not and to step up the toilet training.
since knitting was invoked:
(not that trees get cold or need sweaters...)
barry, help! Ikea is halting all sales of incandescent bulbs - I get it, really but how the hell am I supposed to provide flattering warm lighting in the homes of my clients if my only options are LED and fluorescent?!
Ugh. This is just one environmental train I'm NOT ready to get on. And, I just heard Lynda Barry make an argument I've never heard before - that large scale wind turbines actually use as much or more electricity - usually coal-fired - than they produce, and that only small-scale wind generation (like a personal turbine for your own home) results in a net production of power. Ever heard this?
Oh not yet Donna, we will put one together soon. I'm still editing some of the practice ones for demos at this stage.
You might be able to have some in your collection, we are instrumental only so far with no "bad tropical psychedelia words", what makes it safe for entire family.;)
Sarah, you got good advices from experienced moms and dads.
Just an update. I bit the bullet and talked to the Director again. Let me first tell you just how much I hate confrontation. So much that my first thought was to just start taking Abram to the 3s class, and my second thought was to tell Abe to start biting kids - apparently its a sign that the kid needs to move up. But I knew none of those were really good options, so I went in to her office, and said,
"I think Abram needs to move up." To which she said, "O.K." I then explained why he needed to be moved up, and she then told me that the class was full, but as soon as there was a drop, she'd move him. I then went back to his classroom, and talked to his teachers. I asked if they would work extra with him so he wouldn't be behind/regress any. Even THEY think this is wrong.
Yesterday I heard one of the most beautiful languages ever while waiting. Four family members were talking among themselves, I told them how beautiful it sounded and they said it was a dialect of Zapotec.
that makes me wonder whether the numbers aren't the real reason he got left back in the first place? Like they saw that the number was more than they'd like and tried to see if there was an excuse to leave anybody back or something.
I have my yearly review tomorrow! Eek! I turned in my paperwork for it yesterday and don't think my boss read it yet because he's still being very friendly and not tense. I brought up some pretty big issues (like, I need sleep! on a regular basis! so you need to organize your department better and not make all your problems my problems!). I'm a bit nervous about his reaction once he does.
small wind might consume more energy then it produces. without getting into the math, the energy potential is the cube of the area swept by a turbine. so large turbines produce exponentially more energy then one half its size. The Dubai world trade center is rumored to spin the turbines via electric motor - perhaps that is what is being referenced.
A fact that big coal doesn't want you to know is that if you covered the same land area as the mine in wind turbines, you'd get the SAME amount of energy in one year, but then you'd keep on getting wind power... The folks living next to wind turbines don't live next to coal mines, but the reaction is similar of NIMBY. 1000' is too close for a turbine to be near a house. A 5 mile buffer is much, much better. a 1 mile is the minimum that should be the law.
The wind power 'scam' is the old story of large corporations exploiting small land owners and 'powerless' citizens as covered in windfall. Replace wind turbines with any other energy source and the story is sadly the same....
oh, ask *m or another of the interior 'necteurs about incandescent bulb alternatives - I don't do lighting (but will do daylighting).
donna - we've used LED lights on a few projects now and they're not too bad... plus they're dimmable. right about the nice warm tone of incandescents, though... putting fluorescents behind yellow tinted glass can make the room look dirty. LED is a little better, but still not quite the same.
maybe you can just suggest your clients walk around like this:
have you ever become so involved with something, that made you feel so alive, so fulfilled, that you are just giddy with delight? how about, when everyone you are working with, listens to you, believes that you are the right person to be the Chair, and is not only willing to charge the hill with you, but will help you carry the flag?
for the first time, in a long time, i am actually proud of me [no, not ME, but the me i've been waiting to see for a long time.]...i know this doesn't make sense, but lets just say, my brain caught up with my heart, and somehow; they feel like old friends recently reunited.
just ran some estimates my time commitments for the spring semester. looks like 50+ hours/week till June.
1 lecture @ 200 hours (plus 195 hours from my TA), 1 studio @ 180 hours, enrolled in a bi-weekly symposium, anticipate providing ~8 hours advising/jury time for each of my six capstone student, likely will have 3 or 4 directed studies students (another 8 hour commitment each), and have a 10 hours/week for research. There will be random committee meetings, invites for juries, & faculty meetings every other week too.
on top of all that, I'm also developing a 3 week intensive course for may, and hope to keep up with my blog, be a dad, say hi to TC, and sleep. then I need to add a contingency for any unplanned for travel and reading.
Barry you're semester sounds like my husband's - three full-time jobs right now. The work schedule is going to pretty much suck until 8 September in our household!
barry sounds like my upcoming spring as well.
the real challenge for me, i am discovering is going to be that as we get closer and closer to go live (on this big software project) the demands of training and my regular job are going to require a real flexibility in scheduling and time management.
luckily i am good at that, but i also crave regularity especially of schedule when it comes to time at work, etc.
Donna are you all still going to Venice? In fall i guess?
anywho, night all, all the best
Good for you, Beta. That makes me giddy. I love being giddy. Teaching does that for me, well, teaching architecture, that is. Hope no one ever sees me walking to class; I practically skip. Skipping is a giddy activity.
The director told me today that Abe should mover up either on the 10 or 17. Here's what I think is happening...
I approached her on Monday about Abe moving up, just out of curiosity. I knew kids would be moving soon, but didn't know when. So it was my idea first, and she said no. Then Tuesday, the teachers talked to her, and she said no. Wednesday, I talked to her, and she said no in the morning, and then maybe in the evening. Today, she said yes, but it'd be a few days. So it seems to me it was just a power issue with her. I hate that. It's silly, petty, and a waste of time.
one of my clients came in to pick up some things. her daughter was with her. i said hmmm she's kinda good lookin. turns out she was runner up to MissLouisianastan last year.
indeed - I'm very curious vado. Are you an architectural consultant to former beauty queens? That could be a valuable niche market especially when you expand to present beauty queens.
So the missus has a few random spots on her shoulder and back. Went to another doctor who suspects it's chicken pox. It's not confirmed... we are getting a second opinion in the morning. Interesting since her grams got shingles 2 weeks ago. Ack! No worry for atp - I think I'm immune
My parents tried their best to give me the pox when I was a kid, but it never happened. I had to get the vaccine when I left for college. Don't they have vaccines down your way, techno?
Sarah, she was vaccinated about 3 weeks ago. And one of the reasons we are seeking to test the diagnosis. In any case we are keeping her away from small children and pregnant women until we sort that out.
Also I've been playing with her iPad for the last couple of weeks and I must say this could be a game changer for the profession or at least how we present to clients. It's small and light enough to carry just about anywhere, and if software for viewing 3ds are created specifically for it the potential and possibilities are exciting. I'm totally geeked out by it. Sad that she and the iPad leave this weekend
archi - it already exists... plus the next ipad is going to have a camera (rumored, but very likely) so you can take pics in the field, mark them up, and send back to the office.
I have also already seen several presentations where people have used an ipad and a mobile projector.
postal, I can't keep track of the architecture mag scene - we're now getting Architect as the official AIA mag, not Record, is that right?
Not that I'm AIA anymore, for the time being anyway. I sent in a subscription for at least one of those magazines thinking I wouldn't be getting it any longer - kinda figure a $40 subscription is cheaper than a $500 membership - though both are deductible.
And I'm wearing fleece - thermals and fleece and slippers. My home office is freezing.
Thread Central
i have been fortunate enough to receive what, i think, might be the best advice abracadabra, faia, has ever offered. then again, that's probably just me.
purpina, what kind of band? Or more accurately what sort of music do you all play?
Hi Nam... We play some type of tropical psychelia. We have already over 10 hours of recording. What's is excellent to sort out things for practice.
lol Donna, that's a good way to put it.
^ psychedelia what I mean ^
Oooh I'm so mad i could spit!
Abes school director just moved his whole class up to the three's, but didn't move Abe because his birthday isn't until February. She says he has to wait until may! His class is now full of kids that just turned two. His best friend is gone, and he's bored, not to mention sad. He asked me just this morning if James would be there, and I had to tell him no, James was moved up. He was so sad!
I've talked to the director, and his teachers have talked to her, but she isn't budging. Any advice? I hate being pushy, but I'm not seeing a choice. Help.
Sarah you pay for this school, yes? Threaten to yank him out and send him to a school that has a better understanding of the importance of children engaging with their developmental peers.
Seriously, if he's around a bunch of kids still in diapers what motivation does he have to advance? (Is he still in diapers? I can't remember when Angus finished - god you'd think a milestone/relief like that would be imprinted on my brain forever but I just can't remember.)
Also, I love the term "so mad I could spit." And I think I need to start saying "great balls of fire!" a la Scarlett O'Hara instead of just saying dammit like usual.
OK, tropical psychedelia is something I can't NOT have in my collection - do you have a website, Purpurina?
oh my god, I just read the worst thing ever online. I can't get it out of my head, but I'm not going to link because a) I don't want to navigate back to the page to copy the address, and b) I don't want to infect y'all's heads too. All I can say is that people are sick and twisted and I'm sorry but some people just need to die because nobody on the planet should have to be subjected to the things they do. I've gone back and forth over my life on whether I believe that the death penalty is just, but now I know that even if it's been too liberally applied, for some people it is the only option.
now that that little rant's out of the way, Happy New Year everyone!
Sarah, that's ridiculous. Once a kid's allowed to start with a certain class they should continue with that class unless/until they show that they aren't mentally or emotionally mature enough to.
no babysitters here sarah. and no, no time away from kids unless the grandparents live nearby. since no one living in tokyo is actually from here, that is not so common ;-)
it just isn't part of the culture to have babysitters. usually not a problem, but sometimes a pain.
that deal with the class moving up and away from your son sounds bollocks to me. is it really a random act of pettiness? or is it something about when he hits kindergarten and everyone will start school but he won't because of the cut-off...or something else mildly plausible? if it isn't then you should be pushy. why not?
squeaky wheel gets the worm and all that...
thinking of taking up crocheting and/or knitting...
hi coppertop!
Purpina, that sounds right up my alley. and sarah Donna, so mad I could spit
sounds like a phrase from True Grit. Granted I haven't seen it yet though.
night all
Where did you get that image, toasteroven? I'd love to show that to my friend who is an art teacher. She is teaching them about urban knitting onto lamppost, stop signs, etc. Do you know where the project is located?
n_:
artist is the international fiber collective - more here
beta - around here it's called yarn bombing - pretty popular for a while a few years back...
A-ha! Thanks for the information, oh wise ones.
Sarah, your child is a victim of a very illogical approach to cutoff age as used by almost all school boards. You would think that the cutoff age would be somewhere in the middle of summer when school's out and there is a 4 month buffer between school years. But no. It has to be Jan. 1st.
I'm an early Jan. baby and was the oldest in my class in elementary school, but then was the youngest one in High School after I skipped a grade. In each scenario some of my classmates were almost a year younger/older than me. The transition from being the oldest to youngest was awkward because almost overnight I went from having prepubescent friends to being surrounded by horny, pimply teens. My academics suffered a bit, but I found the challenge of taking 'advanced' classes to be of great benefit in the long run.
If you feel passionate about this, then you need to make sure Abe sticks with his peers. A mother scorned, etc...
Just learned that my shrub will be moved up at the end of February. Now we need to figure out if he is ready or not and to step up the toilet training.
since knitting was invoked:
(not that trees get cold or need sweaters...)
barry, help! Ikea is halting all sales of incandescent bulbs - I get it, really but how the hell am I supposed to provide flattering warm lighting in the homes of my clients if my only options are LED and fluorescent?!
Ugh. This is just one environmental train I'm NOT ready to get on. And, I just heard Lynda Barry make an argument I've never heard before - that large scale wind turbines actually use as much or more electricity - usually coal-fired - than they produce, and that only small-scale wind generation (like a personal turbine for your own home) results in a net production of power. Ever heard this?
Oh not yet Donna, we will put one together soon. I'm still editing some of the practice ones for demos at this stage.
You might be able to have some in your collection, we are instrumental only so far with no "bad tropical psychedelia words", what makes it safe for entire family.;)
Sarah, you got good advices from experienced moms and dads.
Toast, the tricot/ crochet are awesome!
If this is correct, big wind turbines are another green scam!
Just an update. I bit the bullet and talked to the Director again. Let me first tell you just how much I hate confrontation. So much that my first thought was to just start taking Abram to the 3s class, and my second thought was to tell Abe to start biting kids - apparently its a sign that the kid needs to move up. But I knew none of those were really good options, so I went in to her office, and said,
"I think Abram needs to move up." To which she said, "O.K." I then explained why he needed to be moved up, and she then told me that the class was full, but as soon as there was a drop, she'd move him. I then went back to his classroom, and talked to his teachers. I asked if they would work extra with him so he wouldn't be behind/regress any. Even THEY think this is wrong.
I hate this.
morning all
morning Nam
Yesterday I heard one of the most beautiful languages ever while waiting. Four family members were talking among themselves, I told them how beautiful it sounded and they said it was a dialect of Zapotec.
The good book says that he eventually did. Way to go all biblical on their asses.
I've heard that Twin City Grill has the best salt and vinegar fries, and a pretty good burger. Is that True?
that is still shitty sarah. hope he gets to be reunited with his peers sooner than later. damn bureaucrats.
i hadn't hear that donna, about the wind power. what is the issue with wind that makes it not make sense? embodied energy? something else?
cant you use light fluorescents? we use them here and they seem nice. maybe i have just been brainwashed.
that makes me wonder whether the numbers aren't the real reason he got left back in the first place? Like they saw that the number was more than they'd like and tried to see if there was an excuse to leave anybody back or something.
I have my yearly review tomorrow! Eek! I turned in my paperwork for it yesterday and don't think my boss read it yet because he's still being very friendly and not tense. I brought up some pretty big issues (like, I need sleep! on a regular basis! so you need to organize your department better and not make all your problems my problems!). I'm a bit nervous about his reaction once he does.
Donna,
small wind might consume more energy then it produces. without getting into the math, the energy potential is the cube of the area swept by a turbine. so large turbines produce exponentially more energy then one half its size. The Dubai world trade center is rumored to spin the turbines via electric motor - perhaps that is what is being referenced.
A fact that big coal doesn't want you to know is that if you covered the same land area as the mine in wind turbines, you'd get the SAME amount of energy in one year, but then you'd keep on getting wind power... The folks living next to wind turbines don't live next to coal mines, but the reaction is similar of NIMBY. 1000' is too close for a turbine to be near a house. A 5 mile buffer is much, much better. a 1 mile is the minimum that should be the law.
The wind power 'scam' is the old story of large corporations exploiting small land owners and 'powerless' citizens as covered in windfall. Replace wind turbines with any other energy source and the story is sadly the same....
oh, ask *m or another of the interior 'necteurs about incandescent bulb alternatives - I don't do lighting (but will do daylighting).
sarah - that totally sucks - IMO keep fighting.
donna - we've used LED lights on a few projects now and they're not too bad... plus they're dimmable. right about the nice warm tone of incandescents, though... putting fluorescents behind yellow tinted glass can make the room look dirty. LED is a little better, but still not quite the same.
maybe you can just suggest your clients walk around like this:
The director asked that I stop by her office tomorrow morning. Maybe it's a power thing with her. I'll let you know. Thanks for the backup.
have you ever become so involved with something, that made you feel so alive, so fulfilled, that you are just giddy with delight? how about, when everyone you are working with, listens to you, believes that you are the right person to be the Chair, and is not only willing to charge the hill with you, but will help you carry the flag?
for the first time, in a long time, i am actually proud of me [no, not ME, but the me i've been waiting to see for a long time.]...i know this doesn't make sense, but lets just say, my brain caught up with my heart, and somehow; they feel like old friends recently reunited.
!!!
just ran some estimates my time commitments for the spring semester. looks like 50+ hours/week till June.
1 lecture @ 200 hours (plus 195 hours from my TA), 1 studio @ 180 hours, enrolled in a bi-weekly symposium, anticipate providing ~8 hours advising/jury time for each of my six capstone student, likely will have 3 or 4 directed studies students (another 8 hour commitment each), and have a 10 hours/week for research. There will be random committee meetings, invites for juries, & faculty meetings every other week too.
on top of all that, I'm also developing a 3 week intensive course for may, and hope to keep up with my blog, be a dad, say hi to TC, and sleep. then I need to add a contingency for any unplanned for travel and reading.
yay beta!
Barry you're semester sounds like my husband's - three full-time jobs right now. The work schedule is going to pretty much suck until 8 September in our household!
Oh my god I HATE it when I do that your not you're! Gaaahh!!
barry sounds like my upcoming spring as well.
the real challenge for me, i am discovering is going to be that as we get closer and closer to go live (on this big software project) the demands of training and my regular job are going to require a real flexibility in scheduling and time management.
luckily i am good at that, but i also crave regularity especially of schedule when it comes to time at work, etc.
Donna are you all still going to Venice? In fall i guess?
anywho, night all, all the best
sounds like a good day beta... congrats...
busy semester barry... could be fun though... i always work best when i'm really busy...
Wow, guys. You are busy!
Good for you, Beta. That makes me giddy. I love being giddy. Teaching does that for me, well, teaching architecture, that is. Hope no one ever sees me walking to class; I practically skip. Skipping is a giddy activity.
The director told me today that Abe should mover up either on the 10 or 17. Here's what I think is happening...
I approached her on Monday about Abe moving up, just out of curiosity. I knew kids would be moving soon, but didn't know when. So it was my idea first, and she said no. Then Tuesday, the teachers talked to her, and she said no. Wednesday, I talked to her, and she said no in the morning, and then maybe in the evening. Today, she said yes, but it'd be a few days. So it seems to me it was just a power issue with her. I hate that. It's silly, petty, and a waste of time.
Morning!
Wow! I just got 10% off my Gap order simply because I called and asked. Sweet. How cool is that.
one of my clients came in to pick up some things. her daughter was with her. i said hmmm she's kinda good lookin. turns out she was runner up to MissLouisianastan last year.
your clients for what vado? what are you doing now in LA? Archi work? for some reason i thought you were unemployed?
maybe i just didn't catch that particular post...
why am i always surprised that people don't follow my every move?
we do! you are just really slippery vado ;-)
indeed - I'm very curious vado. Are you an architectural consultant to former beauty queens? That could be a valuable niche market especially when you expand to present beauty queens.
So the missus has a few random spots on her shoulder and back. Went to another doctor who suspects it's chicken pox. It's not confirmed... we are getting a second opinion in the morning. Interesting since her grams got shingles 2 weeks ago. Ack! No worry for atp - I think I'm immune
Oh lordy techno - I hope all's OK with both you and Ms. I've heard chicken pox as an adult really sucks.
My parents tried their best to give me the pox when I was a kid, but it never happened. I had to get the vaccine when I left for college. Don't they have vaccines down your way, techno?
Feel better.
Sarah, she was vaccinated about 3 weeks ago. And one of the reasons we are seeking to test the diagnosis. In any case we are keeping her away from small children and pregnant women until we sort that out.
Also I've been playing with her iPad for the last couple of weeks and I must say this could be a game changer for the profession or at least how we present to clients. It's small and light enough to carry just about anywhere, and if software for viewing 3ds are created specifically for it the potential and possibilities are exciting. I'm totally geeked out by it. Sad that she and the iPad leave this weekend
archi - it already exists... plus the next ipad is going to have a camera (rumored, but very likely) so you can take pics in the field, mark them up, and send back to the office.
I have also already seen several presentations where people have used an ipad and a mobile projector.
so, got my last +1 issued of arch record today (poor mag is probably screwed now)...
anyway, thought i'd poll TC, are you guys all wearing white suits and bow-ties these days?
postal, I can't keep track of the architecture mag scene - we're now getting Architect as the official AIA mag, not Record, is that right?
Not that I'm AIA anymore, for the time being anyway. I sent in a subscription for at least one of those magazines thinking I wouldn't be getting it any longer - kinda figure a $40 subscription is cheaper than a $500 membership - though both are deductible.
And I'm wearing fleece - thermals and fleece and slippers. My home office is freezing.
This mobile projector is pretty useful and little... I would love to have one, just a bit pricey.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.