Hello TC crowd... Sorry I haven't checked in for a while. Amazing how that happens when I'm actually doing work at the office, rather than surfing the web (doesn't help that my PM for this project sits behind me and is constantly looking over my shoulder).
Unlike most of my previous projects, this one is with a quasi-governmental agency that insists on doing everything By The Book™. With the corporate projects I'm used to, some guy usually says "build it", and that's what we do. With this governmental stuff, there's about a million hoops to jump through before we can even talk about building stuff, and loads of paperwork for each hoop.
With my right arm mostly out of commission, AutoCAD work is very slow and cumbersome for me, but I can manage non-mouse-intensive stuff like MS-Word and Excel. As such, I find myself doing a lot of clerical/administrative stuff like meeting minutes, emails, spreadsheets, transmittals, and such. Good news is, I'm directing a couple people doing the CAD stuff, so I'm sort of like a Project Manager Lite, which is good experience and I'm learning a lot. That said, I'd much rather be designing shit and getting it built, so all this administrative crap has me a little down.
Speaking of my right arm, I officially have one more week in the sling, and then I begin a few months of physical therapy. (I say "officially" because I've been going without my sling on weekends... I'm so damn sick of wearing that thing. I do okay as long as I don't try anything weird with my right arm.) My arm's range of motion has improved substantially since the surgery, but still has a long ways to go... I saw the doc last week, and he said I'm right about where I should be at this point. It will be a long time before I have all my strength and mobility back, though.
The pain has gone down a lot, but I still get occasional flare-ups. Nights are the worst, as there's not really any position I can sleep in that doesn't eventually cause my shoulder to start hurting. I haven't been sleeping very well at all lately, and I think that's been impacting my performance at work. Sometimes I wish I still had a steady supply of Vicodin, but the over-the-counter Ibuprofin usually does the trick, and without any weird side effects.
My next big task is to get myself into a better housing situation. I figure it will take me about 7 months to save up enough money to get my own apartment (first month's rent + security deposit + broker fee), so I've opened a savings account and have begun putting away money. In the meantime, I've begun keeping an eye out for other roommate/share situations that would get me into a better neighborhood and possibly even save me some money. Although my current housing situation usually isn't too bad, I'm dealing with a crappy commute from a shitty neighborhood, lots of noise issues, and I feel like I'm paying way too much for what I'm actually getting. Wish me luck.
Finally... Maybe because of the admin/clerical crap I've been doing so much of at the office lately, I've been thinking more about grad school and how to get there. I don't have much left to do on my undergrad degree and I have plenty of time to do it, but it still needs to get done. Hopefully I'll be able to kick that effort into high gear this summer and fall, and not have much left to do by the time I turn in my grad school applications next winter.
This afternoon I took a walk up around City College, which at this point I would probably consider my "safety" choice. It's local, it's cheap as hell for in-state residents, it has good faculty and a good reputation in town, and I'm on a first-name basis with the interim director of the M.Arch. program, who was my studio critic at Columbia last summer. As a bonus, CCNY's architecture program is moving into a brand-new Raphael Vinoly-designed facility next year. Not bad at all.
That said, I'll probably still apply to a few of the "A-list" schools, especially Yale and Cornell. I've come to admire Yale's eclectic approach to architectural education, and briefly visiting New Haven a few months ago helped me visualize the place a lot better. But Cornell in particular really got under my skin, as the whole vibe at Cornell felt great when I visited last year... I just wish Ithaca was about 3 hours closer to NYC, and that going there wouldn't put me up to my eyeballs in student loan debt for the rest of my life. Ah well, I still have some time to sort all that shit out....
Gin, glad you're able to take the glass-half-full (of gin?) view of doing management-type work right now! It really will be good experience for you, and it seems fortunate that you've found a firm that will keep you employed while you recover, even though you can't be a cadmonkey for them - that speaks highly of their belief in your abilities.
Your plate is so full, with getting the degree done, and getting your health back to normal, AND saving for an apartment, AND planning grad strategies for next year! Good luck with it all. It seems NYC has worked out overall pretty well for you and that is good to hear.
-----completely unrelated divergence-----
I stayed in a hotel the last two nights that proudly advertises that each room has a Temperpedic mattress, those foam-ey ones that are supposed to be superior to regular mattresses. I strongly disliked this mattress. I felt like I was sleeping in a body-shaped hole, and had two sweaty, restless nights. Ugh. If I ever have to give up my regular mega-firm mattress on boxsprings I'll go back to a futon, which I've always liked. If anyone disagrees, please tell me your experience, as I am basing mine on a total of 12 hours in one of these beds.
yeah, those tempur mattresses always seemed like a money pit. i even slept on a sleep number, and those suck too. i think right now i'd prefer to sleep on top of a bunch a grad students; they seem to be the softest things in the world right about now - and plenty cheap to boot!
LiG: after all the commiserating on the grad thread last year, i am glad to hear you are still doing well... and you're still going to apply to grad school! i am quite sure that your time in NYC will pay off.
as for the living situation- i can understand... and take heed- be very very careful of where you live when you go to grad school.
i live- quite literally- next door to a fraternity. friday night was toga-party night with a live band playing in the front lawn until 2am.
i used to think DC could be loud... oh boy was i wrong. and somehow i have learned to sleep through a toga parties, live bands, and even 2story beer bongs.
now i can't wait to get back to the city where it is much, much quieter!
ha!
in the meantime i am planning my post-grad vacation... somewhere sunny, with a beach, and i don't want to see a single building. *gasp* that's right... this could be anti-archinect, but i want an architecture-free holiday. :o)
Liberty - I love foam mattresses! I slept on one for about 9 months in college. Mine wasn't too soft so I never felt like I was in a body-formed sinking hole. I don't remember what brand my former foam mattress was. I bet they could be a total hit or miss.
liberty, I'm a futon person as well. The very firm foam ones are ok, though. Springy mattresses are just too.... well, springy. As in, I can feel every spring poking me in the back when I lay on them.
I like futons but I also like the foam mattresses. They are dreamy. The best bed I've ever slept in was some "Dream Bed" thing in a DoubleTree or Hilton a few years ago. I think it had a feather top to it and then a down comforter. Jesus I slept great that night.
LIG, glad to hear that you are doing better, and I think starting a savings account was a great move.
architechno I am worried about you! Your tyre came flying off!?!? That's not good!!! Did you wreck the car or what? That's so scary.
beta I love this line: i think right now i'd prefer to sleep on top of a bunch a grad students LOL.
Long story but this Hawaii wedding was productive in more ways than one. I seem to have found a man. I think I might be crazy about him actually. Not sure, will have to go back to LA and decompress, and since he lives here I'll have some time to think about it. Not bad for 72 hours in the tropics!
Uhhh ... here's a bit of non-architectural, non-school related, and personal news: I lost 30 lbs. on the South Beach Diet. I quit smoking 2.5 years ago, and lost the weight I gained and then some.
dubK, usually when peeple find peeple at weedings it uzually leads to, you know....you were the best women right? did you hook up with maid of honor?
i love grad students they are fun. oh, and if i ever decide to apply, i promise not to post endless questions, promise i suwear. now let me aks you, MFA or March?
Way to go Smokety! I'm down 45 lbs. and counting since halloween. I'm shooting for 60 by the end of August. We'll see. Now if I could only kick my tobacco habbit for more than 6 months at a time we'd be golden.
you guys aren't loosing weight, you're loosing like... small children equivalent. or maybe a pet. i wonder how much my cat weights. anyways, wow. congrats.
liberty i agree with you -- slept on a swedish foam thingy once and HATED it. ugh. I can't even stand the pillows. I'm a mush-it-up pillow kinda person... with a super-firm box spring mattress. mmm!
went to ikea this weekend and bought myself my super special lovely rug!
I love you, rug. You are my new Special Friend. Eye <3 Rug.
mm, i'm up in weight for the first time in years--the last time i worked out was december, that's the longest i've gone without hitting the gym since... wow, i can't even remember, honestly. i'm working 2 jobs at the moment so for awhile longer it will be veritably impossible to stay healthy. :( i'm trying my darndest.
i almost can fit into clothes from high school still. 20 years ago pants are only a few inches too small. there was a time when they were several inches too small, but am getting there. i am on 10 year plan cuz i can't work up the energy to go on a diet. i am slowly removing bad food from my diet - slowly so i won't go into shock...so far so far.
happy for you WK. hope it works out for you.
glad you are recovering lig! and that you have employer who is willing to use you in new ways to deal with healing arm. that is very cool.
oh, and DubK, I think your situation may require further explanation.... I was thinking the other day that it had been way too long since we'd really spoken, anyways. Drop a line when you're settled back in at home.
tk, I'm so serious about coming down for BBQ some time. If you're ever in this neck of the woods...
I'm excited because the first BBQ competition of the year is coming up in 3 short weeks. And baseball is finally back. This is gonna be a good spring. I can feel it.
LB: Yeah, NYC is working out very well for me, despite housing woes and other issues. This week will be my 9-month anniversary of moving back here, and my only regret is that I didn't do it much sooner.
A couple days ago I was pondering what I'd do if I got some sort of job offer back in Chicago, and what it would take to get me to move back there. I honestly couldn't think of a salary high enough to make it worth the effort.
P.S. I should note that I lived in NYC for about 9 months in 2004 before I had a nervous breakdown and moved to Oregon. As of this week, I'll be breaking my previous record for living in NYC without going crazy.
+i: I'm hoping to get myself an apartment up in the so-called Hudson Heights area of Manhattan, which is sort of a sub-neighborhood of Washington Heights. It's a pretty quiet, well-kept residential enclave along a high ridge overlooking the Hudson River, with some beautiful old art deco apartment buildings and a small smattering of shops and restaurants, surrounded by parks and forests on three sides... Nary a frat house within miles. It will be within reasonable commuting distance if I end up at either CCNY or Columbia, but a very long commute from Pratt.
If I end up at Cornell, I remember seeing a small apartment complex that seemed relatively well-kept that's maybe about a 10-minute walk from Rand Hall. There's some frat houses nearby, but thankfully not too close.
If I somehow end up at Yale, I have no idea where I'd live, but I'll cross that bridge if/when I get to it. At least I can get up to New Haven fairly easily on Metro North to check things out if I need to.
by the time i wake up tomorrow morning the decision for who is going to host world expo 2015 would be decided. as few people here know, my birthplace izmir and milan are the contenders. it would make a huge difference for izmir, if they should win. izmir would be a great city to host such an event for many reasons one of which being the first mostly muslim city to host it (from expo web site.) izmir has always been the forerunner of multi racial/religious commerce city with its well known place in levantine culture which i am proud to born into.
152 international votes will be cast in paris tomorrow and if izmir gets to host the expo, it will be a very positive development for the region and help ease tensions between different religions.
good luck to both cities, but my heart is with smyrna...
leave it to fuckin' turkish tabloids, one of them headlines;.)
'mozzarella vs. kebab in paris'
you have to love mediterraneans either way...
twould be great if izmir got it. milan's had it's time to shine.
anyone planning on hitting up zaragoza for 2008?
hannover was really interesting, unfortunately i was just starting to study architecture at the time and missed out on some great pavilions (zumthor's swiss box. ouch)
frankly, i'm confused as to why there is no US representation for the 2008 fair @ zaragoza, with the exception being because they're a bunch of quitters and pulled out of iraq, and we want nothing to do with the theme "water and sustainable development"
Orhan, I had no idea you were from Izmir. My former Turkish professor was from Izmir. We would have Izmir days in class when he would discuss all things Izmir. It looks like a beautiful port city.
In other news, Thread Central will be celebration page 200 very soon. Wow.
aml/jump/lb - I am alive and so is the truck. No one is quite sure what happened but in the end I had to change the studs (stuff the lug nuts attach to) which was a task in itself. And yes the tyre, rolled past and overtook me.
Tiring weekend. I packed over 15 boxes, as I'm moving (temporarily) out of my rental. Next move will be in my (fingers crossed) newly renovated house. I'll call the bank to see if my loan for the renovation has been approved.
Hey! Houston, really?! Like Houston Texas?! Thats only 4 hours away, less if you average a speed of 110 down I-45! I could actually go to that, and drag Husband along. I would consider it payback for all those silly car shows and such events he takes me to. And Abram will be 12, I could take him too without worrying about strolers, diaper bags, diapers ect. At least I hope.
A sad way to start the week with the passing of Ralph Rapson. I had the privilege to meet him a few months back. Seems that Archinect got the scoop on this since nothing was in the local press or NYTimes...
Atechno - Glad to hear you and the truck are alright, I was worried.
I too had a tiring weekend of playing catch up. Most of my laundry is done, the fridge is once again stocked (it was getting quite pitiful toward the end, the cats didn't even have any food), the house is vacuumed and tidy and my exterior sensor light has a new bulb in it. The latter is probably the most important achievement, as my neighbor told me there was a guy trying every car door on our street for an unlocked one, while I was in LA. Either the guy was a complete idiot or didn't care b/c he continued checking the cars in the condo parking lot next to us, despite the fact my neighbor was sitting on his porch watching the whole episode. And yes the cops were called.
Hmmm, guess living on a cul-de-sac does NOT ensure a safe neighborhood. Glad it didn't make the news, otherwise I'd be getting an earful from my pops; who keeps urging me to take one of his handguns despite my continued protests. Yeah, no!
expo went to milan...
for first five minutes, turkish news services and newspapers announced it was izmir and i was enjoying the news but appearently italians contested the first round and it was re voted to izmir's loss.
i am a little depressed for sudden change of events.
i still think it would be a good choice had izmir won the votes and host the expo 2015 as a first eastern mediterrannean city, with a nice theme of 'world health for everybody.'
so, has anyone here ever been an organ donor? i sent my paperwork in to become a non-directed donor - kidney, and i am now waiting to hear if they want semi decent organ for use.
if anyone has any info or experiences they'd like to share, i am, as they say, all ears...
i made one caveat, because i can choose, no architecture grad students....j/k
Beta
since i lived in the uk for over 5 years
i cant give blood.
thats about as donorish as its gets for me.
whats does it mean to be a non-directed donor?
just eating beef in london back in '94 was enough to give me the coodies from the red cross's perspective. used to give blood all the time before that trip.
according to Red Cross I can't give blood either. They say its because I've been out of my country of birth for over 5 years. Silly but I can still give to the hospital - not that I'm all gung ho over giving blood like I used to be. Having a siezure and having to give roughtly a pint + every other day can put a damper on being stabbed willingly by needles.
couple things to make this week interesting
1. last night we heard a funny sound in the kitchen. It was a cat, on the counter eating the remnants of dinner. It was startled by our presence, and went running through the front doors and got tangled in the velcro'd screens. It was funny! But this morning it made me think of dolphins in tuna nets.
2. work is instuting a more business attire. Sucks to be me. No ties necessary, but no dress down Fridays and no khakis either. Now having always worn the latter I am a little confused. Can the men of TC (see mental image of TC calendar)
No khakis?!? In your climate?!? That's ricockulous.
Good to see you vado and glad the house tour was a hit since I wasn't much of a conversationalist today - next time we'll have a more lively conversation (neither vado nor I got much sleep last night - for different reasons; I for one was up working, but vado on the other hand....;-)
yeah im really draggin right now... i'm wearin a tie today techno. it black with light blue/olive wine and gold stripes with a blue shirt and a brown jacket. looks pretty good to me!
today was the grad open house here at UVa... unfortunately it was rainy + cold. i remember last year when i came- and it was beautiful, sunny, and 70 degrees! anyways... free lunch + lots of eager faces.
i'm in the thesis studio... where everyone is kinda doin their own thang. apparently these newly accepted grad students don't really know what a thesis is... not too shocking, as many graduating students don't know what a thesis is either. i wish the desire to conduct research was more prevalent amongst the newly admitted... oh well. no M.Arch II students were admitted this year. not too unusual... although i would have liked to talk to someone who is entering the program i am already in.
*sigh*
thesis presentation in two days...
Thread Central
Rfuller - you missed me, so I added you. ;o)
Hello TC crowd... Sorry I haven't checked in for a while. Amazing how that happens when I'm actually doing work at the office, rather than surfing the web (doesn't help that my PM for this project sits behind me and is constantly looking over my shoulder).
Unlike most of my previous projects, this one is with a quasi-governmental agency that insists on doing everything By The Book™. With the corporate projects I'm used to, some guy usually says "build it", and that's what we do. With this governmental stuff, there's about a million hoops to jump through before we can even talk about building stuff, and loads of paperwork for each hoop.
With my right arm mostly out of commission, AutoCAD work is very slow and cumbersome for me, but I can manage non-mouse-intensive stuff like MS-Word and Excel. As such, I find myself doing a lot of clerical/administrative stuff like meeting minutes, emails, spreadsheets, transmittals, and such. Good news is, I'm directing a couple people doing the CAD stuff, so I'm sort of like a Project Manager Lite, which is good experience and I'm learning a lot. That said, I'd much rather be designing shit and getting it built, so all this administrative crap has me a little down.
Speaking of my right arm, I officially have one more week in the sling, and then I begin a few months of physical therapy. (I say "officially" because I've been going without my sling on weekends... I'm so damn sick of wearing that thing. I do okay as long as I don't try anything weird with my right arm.) My arm's range of motion has improved substantially since the surgery, but still has a long ways to go... I saw the doc last week, and he said I'm right about where I should be at this point. It will be a long time before I have all my strength and mobility back, though.
The pain has gone down a lot, but I still get occasional flare-ups. Nights are the worst, as there's not really any position I can sleep in that doesn't eventually cause my shoulder to start hurting. I haven't been sleeping very well at all lately, and I think that's been impacting my performance at work. Sometimes I wish I still had a steady supply of Vicodin, but the over-the-counter Ibuprofin usually does the trick, and without any weird side effects.
My next big task is to get myself into a better housing situation. I figure it will take me about 7 months to save up enough money to get my own apartment (first month's rent + security deposit + broker fee), so I've opened a savings account and have begun putting away money. In the meantime, I've begun keeping an eye out for other roommate/share situations that would get me into a better neighborhood and possibly even save me some money. Although my current housing situation usually isn't too bad, I'm dealing with a crappy commute from a shitty neighborhood, lots of noise issues, and I feel like I'm paying way too much for what I'm actually getting. Wish me luck.
Finally... Maybe because of the admin/clerical crap I've been doing so much of at the office lately, I've been thinking more about grad school and how to get there. I don't have much left to do on my undergrad degree and I have plenty of time to do it, but it still needs to get done. Hopefully I'll be able to kick that effort into high gear this summer and fall, and not have much left to do by the time I turn in my grad school applications next winter.
This afternoon I took a walk up around City College, which at this point I would probably consider my "safety" choice. It's local, it's cheap as hell for in-state residents, it has good faculty and a good reputation in town, and I'm on a first-name basis with the interim director of the M.Arch. program, who was my studio critic at Columbia last summer. As a bonus, CCNY's architecture program is moving into a brand-new Raphael Vinoly-designed facility next year. Not bad at all.
That said, I'll probably still apply to a few of the "A-list" schools, especially Yale and Cornell. I've come to admire Yale's eclectic approach to architectural education, and briefly visiting New Haven a few months ago helped me visualize the place a lot better. But Cornell in particular really got under my skin, as the whole vibe at Cornell felt great when I visited last year... I just wish Ithaca was about 3 hours closer to NYC, and that going there wouldn't put me up to my eyeballs in student loan debt for the rest of my life. Ah well, I still have some time to sort all that shit out....
That's all for now...
Gin, glad you're able to take the glass-half-full (of gin?) view of doing management-type work right now! It really will be good experience for you, and it seems fortunate that you've found a firm that will keep you employed while you recover, even though you can't be a cadmonkey for them - that speaks highly of their belief in your abilities.
Your plate is so full, with getting the degree done, and getting your health back to normal, AND saving for an apartment, AND planning grad strategies for next year! Good luck with it all. It seems NYC has worked out overall pretty well for you and that is good to hear.
-----completely unrelated divergence-----
I stayed in a hotel the last two nights that proudly advertises that each room has a Temperpedic mattress, those foam-ey ones that are supposed to be superior to regular mattresses. I strongly disliked this mattress. I felt like I was sleeping in a body-shaped hole, and had two sweaty, restless nights. Ugh. If I ever have to give up my regular mega-firm mattress on boxsprings I'll go back to a futon, which I've always liked. If anyone disagrees, please tell me your experience, as I am basing mine on a total of 12 hours in one of these beds.
yeah, those tempur mattresses always seemed like a money pit. i even slept on a sleep number, and those suck too. i think right now i'd prefer to sleep on top of a bunch a grad students; they seem to be the softest things in the world right about now - and plenty cheap to boot!
i heart the march thread they remind me of these kinds of guys
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cuckold
Merry Sunday!
All..
I managed to get up somewhat early this morning. I watched McGlaughlin Group and did yoga. Not at the same time.
LIG, it is good to hear you're beginning to heal. It will definetly take some time. At least that will allow you to figure out all your other plans.
Sarah and Tree i have always used the two terms interchangeably myself.
Also, LIG love the graphic for this page. Looks like a wanted add.(?)
LiG: after all the commiserating on the grad thread last year, i am glad to hear you are still doing well... and you're still going to apply to grad school! i am quite sure that your time in NYC will pay off.
as for the living situation- i can understand... and take heed- be very very careful of where you live when you go to grad school.
i live- quite literally- next door to a fraternity. friday night was toga-party night with a live band playing in the front lawn until 2am.
i used to think DC could be loud... oh boy was i wrong. and somehow i have learned to sleep through a toga parties, live bands, and even 2story beer bongs.
now i can't wait to get back to the city where it is much, much quieter!
ha!
in the meantime i am planning my post-grad vacation... somewhere sunny, with a beach, and i don't want to see a single building. *gasp* that's right... this could be anti-archinect, but i want an architecture-free holiday. :o)
ah yes, and preferably with top-shelf margaritas.
Liberty - I love foam mattresses! I slept on one for about 9 months in college. Mine wasn't too soft so I never felt like I was in a body-formed sinking hole. I don't remember what brand my former foam mattress was. I bet they could be a total hit or miss.
liberty, I'm a futon person as well. The very firm foam ones are ok, though. Springy mattresses are just too.... well, springy. As in, I can feel every spring poking me in the back when I lay on them.
Hi TC!
I like futons but I also like the foam mattresses. They are dreamy. The best bed I've ever slept in was some "Dream Bed" thing in a DoubleTree or Hilton a few years ago. I think it had a feather top to it and then a down comforter. Jesus I slept great that night.
LIG, glad to hear that you are doing better, and I think starting a savings account was a great move.
architechno I am worried about you! Your tyre came flying off!?!? That's not good!!! Did you wreck the car or what? That's so scary.
beta I love this line: i think right now i'd prefer to sleep on top of a bunch a grad students LOL.
Long story but this Hawaii wedding was productive in more ways than one. I seem to have found a man. I think I might be crazy about him actually. Not sure, will have to go back to LA and decompress, and since he lives here I'll have some time to think about it. Not bad for 72 hours in the tropics!
Uhhh ... here's a bit of non-architectural, non-school related, and personal news: I lost 30 lbs. on the South Beach Diet. I quit smoking 2.5 years ago, and lost the weight I gained and then some.
yeay for the Wonder Kay!
Beta- grad students can be rather crunchy from not enough sleep - so choose your major wisely ;-)
dubK, usually when peeple find peeple at weedings it uzually leads to, you know....you were the best women right? did you hook up with maid of honor?
i love grad students they are fun. oh, and if i ever decide to apply, i promise not to post endless questions, promise i suwear. now let me aks you, MFA or March?
MFA, all the way!
wish I could find some grad students to sleep on.... ;)
Way to go Smokety! I'm down 45 lbs. and counting since halloween. I'm shooting for 60 by the end of August. We'll see. Now if I could only kick my tobacco habbit for more than 6 months at a time we'd be golden.
you guys aren't loosing weight, you're loosing like... small children equivalent. or maybe a pet. i wonder how much my cat weights. anyways, wow. congrats.
liberty i agree with you -- slept on a swedish foam thingy once and HATED it. ugh. I can't even stand the pillows. I'm a mush-it-up pillow kinda person... with a super-firm box spring mattress. mmm!
went to ikea this weekend and bought myself my super special lovely rug!
I love you, rug. You are my new Special Friend. Eye <3 Rug.
mm, i'm up in weight for the first time in years--the last time i worked out was december, that's the longest i've gone without hitting the gym since... wow, i can't even remember, honestly. i'm working 2 jobs at the moment so for awhile longer it will be veritably impossible to stay healthy. :( i'm trying my darndest.
oh, and wonderk, i need your address, can you email it to me?
i almost can fit into clothes from high school still. 20 years ago pants are only a few inches too small. there was a time when they were several inches too small, but am getting there. i am on 10 year plan cuz i can't work up the energy to go on a diet. i am slowly removing bad food from my diet - slowly so i won't go into shock...so far so far.
happy for you WK. hope it works out for you.
glad you are recovering lig! and that you have employer who is willing to use you in new ways to deal with healing arm. that is very cool.
oh, and DubK, I think your situation may require further explanation.... I was thinking the other day that it had been way too long since we'd really spoken, anyways. Drop a line when you're settled back in at home.
beta- I could see you happily at cranbrook, cal-arts or maybe MIT. Just have to ditch the mortgage and get out of dodge for a worthwhile eduction...
tk, I'm so serious about coming down for BBQ some time. If you're ever in this neck of the woods...
I'm excited because the first BBQ competition of the year is coming up in 3 short weeks. And baseball is finally back. This is gonna be a good spring. I can feel it.
LB: Yeah, NYC is working out very well for me, despite housing woes and other issues. This week will be my 9-month anniversary of moving back here, and my only regret is that I didn't do it much sooner.
A couple days ago I was pondering what I'd do if I got some sort of job offer back in Chicago, and what it would take to get me to move back there. I honestly couldn't think of a salary high enough to make it worth the effort.
P.S. I should note that I lived in NYC for about 9 months in 2004 before I had a nervous breakdown and moved to Oregon. As of this week, I'll be breaking my previous record for living in NYC without going crazy.
+i: I'm hoping to get myself an apartment up in the so-called Hudson Heights area of Manhattan, which is sort of a sub-neighborhood of Washington Heights. It's a pretty quiet, well-kept residential enclave along a high ridge overlooking the Hudson River, with some beautiful old art deco apartment buildings and a small smattering of shops and restaurants, surrounded by parks and forests on three sides... Nary a frat house within miles. It will be within reasonable commuting distance if I end up at either CCNY or Columbia, but a very long commute from Pratt.
If I end up at Cornell, I remember seeing a small apartment complex that seemed relatively well-kept that's maybe about a 10-minute walk from Rand Hall. There's some frat houses nearby, but thankfully not too close.
If I somehow end up at Yale, I have no idea where I'd live, but I'll cross that bridge if/when I get to it. At least I can get up to New Haven fairly easily on Metro North to check things out if I need to.
by the time i wake up tomorrow morning the decision for who is going to host world expo 2015 would be decided. as few people here know, my birthplace izmir and milan are the contenders. it would make a huge difference for izmir, if they should win. izmir would be a great city to host such an event for many reasons one of which being the first mostly muslim city to host it (from expo web site.) izmir has always been the forerunner of multi racial/religious commerce city with its well known place in levantine culture which i am proud to born into.
152 international votes will be cast in paris tomorrow and if izmir gets to host the expo, it will be a very positive development for the region and help ease tensions between different religions.
good luck to both cities, but my heart is with smyrna...
leave it to fuckin' turkish tabloids, one of them headlines;.)
'mozzarella vs. kebab in paris'
you have to love mediterraneans either way...
thanks for reading about my anxiety.
twould be great if izmir got it. milan's had it's time to shine.
anyone planning on hitting up zaragoza for 2008?
hannover was really interesting, unfortunately i was just starting to study architecture at the time and missed out on some great pavilions (zumthor's swiss box. ouch)
frankly, i'm confused as to why there is no US representation for the 2008 fair @ zaragoza, with the exception being because they're a bunch of quitters and pulled out of iraq, and we want nothing to do with the theme "water and sustainable development"
also, ironically, houston is gunning for 2020 w/ the theme of Energy and Exploration: A Vision for the Future
houston is irony run wild, by definition.
fingers crossed for you, orhan.
Orhan, I had no idea you were from Izmir. My former Turkish professor was from Izmir. We would have Izmir days in class when he would discuss all things Izmir. It looks like a beautiful port city.
In other news, Thread Central will be celebration page 200 very soon. Wow.
First of all, i am in a new location within my department. Nothing like reorg. ....
As for your pending move LIG. I was born and raised in roughly the Washington Heights neighborhood.
Also, N_... and all other TCers that made it possible.
200 I agree Wow...!
aml/jump/lb - I am alive and so is the truck. No one is quite sure what happened but in the end I had to change the studs (stuff the lug nuts attach to) which was a task in itself. And yes the tyre, rolled past and overtook me.
Tiring weekend. I packed over 15 boxes, as I'm moving (temporarily) out of my rental. Next move will be in my (fingers crossed) newly renovated house. I'll call the bank to see if my loan for the renovation has been approved.
Hey! Houston, really?! Like Houston Texas?! Thats only 4 hours away, less if you average a speed of 110 down I-45! I could actually go to that, and drag Husband along. I would consider it payback for all those silly car shows and such events he takes me to. And Abram will be 12, I could take him too without worrying about strolers, diaper bags, diapers ect. At least I hope.
A sad way to start the week with the passing of Ralph Rapson. I had the privilege to meet him a few months back. Seems that Archinect got the scoop on this since nothing was in the local press or NYTimes...
Gin, you wouldn't want to go to Pratt anyways. Just remember, Pratt is wack!
Atechno - Glad to hear you and the truck are alright, I was worried.
I too had a tiring weekend of playing catch up. Most of my laundry is done, the fridge is once again stocked (it was getting quite pitiful toward the end, the cats didn't even have any food), the house is vacuumed and tidy and my exterior sensor light has a new bulb in it. The latter is probably the most important achievement, as my neighbor told me there was a guy trying every car door on our street for an unlocked one, while I was in LA. Either the guy was a complete idiot or didn't care b/c he continued checking the cars in the condo parking lot next to us, despite the fact my neighbor was sitting on his porch watching the whole episode. And yes the cops were called.
Hmmm, guess living on a cul-de-sac does NOT ensure a safe neighborhood. Glad it didn't make the news, otherwise I'd be getting an earful from my pops; who keeps urging me to take one of his handguns despite my continued protests. Yeah, no!
expo went to milan...
for first five minutes, turkish news services and newspapers announced it was izmir and i was enjoying the news but appearently italians contested the first round and it was re voted to izmir's loss.
i am a little depressed for sudden change of events.
i still think it would be a good choice had izmir won the votes and host the expo 2015 as a first eastern mediterrannean city, with a nice theme of 'world health for everybody.'
so, has anyone here ever been an organ donor? i sent my paperwork in to become a non-directed donor - kidney, and i am now waiting to hear if they want semi decent organ for use.
if anyone has any info or experiences they'd like to share, i am, as they say, all ears...
i made one caveat, because i can choose, no architecture grad students....j/k
Aww Orhan I'm sorry to hear Izmir's loss. It would have been so cool.
Beta
since i lived in the uk for over 5 years
i cant give blood.
thats about as donorish as its gets for me.
whats does it mean to be a non-directed donor?
just eating beef in london back in '94 was enough to give me the coodies from the red cross's perspective. used to give blood all the time before that trip.
just saw my dear friend liberty bell!!! got a tour of her splendid house in my hood. see you in two months lb!
according to Red Cross I can't give blood either. They say its because I've been out of my country of birth for over 5 years. Silly but I can still give to the hospital - not that I'm all gung ho over giving blood like I used to be. Having a siezure and having to give roughtly a pint + every other day can put a damper on being stabbed willingly by needles.
couple things to make this week interesting
1. last night we heard a funny sound in the kitchen. It was a cat, on the counter eating the remnants of dinner. It was startled by our presence, and went running through the front doors and got tangled in the velcro'd screens. It was funny! But this morning it made me think of dolphins in tuna nets.
2. work is instuting a more business attire. Sucks to be me. No ties necessary, but no dress down Fridays and no khakis either. Now having always worn the latter I am a little confused. Can the men of TC (see mental image of TC calendar)
No khakis?!? In your climate?!? That's ricockulous.
Good to see you vado and glad the house tour was a hit since I wasn't much of a conversationalist today - next time we'll have a more lively conversation (neither vado nor I got much sleep last night - for different reasons; I for one was up working, but vado on the other hand....;-)
I know right...sucks!
Atechno, you didnt say no linen pants, or did they say that, and you just left it out? Its hot there, right, so I would go with breezy materials.
yeah im really draggin right now... i'm wearin a tie today techno. it black with light blue/olive wine and gold stripes with a blue shirt and a brown jacket. looks pretty good to me!
oh and the hilight of the tour definitely was NOT getting to hear Foreigner's HeadGames or Heartache Tonight by the Eagles.
today was the grad open house here at UVa... unfortunately it was rainy + cold. i remember last year when i came- and it was beautiful, sunny, and 70 degrees! anyways... free lunch + lots of eager faces.
i'm in the thesis studio... where everyone is kinda doin their own thang. apparently these newly accepted grad students don't really know what a thesis is... not too shocking, as many graduating students don't know what a thesis is either. i wish the desire to conduct research was more prevalent amongst the newly admitted... oh well. no M.Arch II students were admitted this year. not too unusual... although i would have liked to talk to someone who is entering the program i am already in.
*sigh*
thesis presentation in two days...
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