I think we have about 4 or 5 weeks in the country. Places we plan to see: Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi, Punjab (near Pakistan border), Rajasthan area, Mumbai, Southern Indian (beaches, beaches, Kerala backwaters, Cochin, Goa, Bandipur National Park, elephant refugees, Lakshadweep Islands). We don't have a definite schedule so all of these are places are solely places of interest. I'm sure we'll see other places and remove some places from our list as we get there and begin to experience the country. I'm most excited for India. I heard the place will either make or break a traveler.
N_ that is basically the whole subcontinent but then again i guess you will be there about twice as long as I.
I will mostly be in the north central districts..
Jaipur, Hrishikesha (foothills of the Himalayas) and Delhi/Mathura...
I would love to go south, but just won't have enough time in country.
TK, congrats on the firms possible success. I thought you had previously poste dthat your firm got beat out by SOM (or some other big corporate firm) or is this a different supertall project?
I imiagine of this goes through it might change your moving plans a bit, correct?
tuna, a few comments about the proposed light fixture substitution.
(I will preface this by saying that substitution requests irritate me.)
As others stated above, you did not make a mistake, and the contract documents should be followed.
Look at all of the work and coordination you did to select the appropriate fixture. No doubt you coordinated dimensions, finishes of adjacent materials, and countless other things. Your hard work shouldn't be wasted to save some money.
And speaking of saving money, the contractor needs to be very clear on WHO is saving the money. Is he giving a credit to the owner? How substantial is that credit? If the credit is a very small amount or nothing at all, he better have a damn good reason why he wants to make the substitution.
And lead times are not a good excuse, either. He should have ordered the fixture when he was awarded the contract (assuming that it's a longer-duration project, which it appears to be.)
You need to PROTECT yourself if the substitution is accepted. Check Division 1 of your specifications. With any luck, it will clearly spell out the procedure for substitutions. The CONTRACTOR should take the liability for ensuring that the substituted fixture is equal (in quality, performance, appearance, safety, etc.) to the specified fixture. Unless the owner is paying you an additional service to research the substituted fixture, you should not spend a single minute trying to research the substitution. The contractor should give you a comparision between the fixtures, with all of the information you need to make the decision. You should also request a mock-up, or at minimum finish samples, of the proposed substitution. Don't trust the contractor to select a color that he thinks matches. The contractor needs to guarantee that he will do all of the tasks that you originally did for the initial fixture (coordinating dimensions, finishes of adjacent materials, and countless other things).
Back to protecting yourself... What happens if the substituted fixture is actually a European model and requires a different voltage? (I know, this would be a very stupid mistake, but hear me out.) And what if the fixture causes a short or even worse a fire? The contractor and/or owner might turn to you and say, "Well, YOU approved the fixture, you should have known better; it's YOUR fault." This liability could be prevented (or lessened) if the contractor guarantees that the fixture is equal in every way.
Also keep in mind that many light fixtures are patented, so there is no legal way for the substituted fixtures to be EXACTLY the same.
And another thing about product reps. If push comes to shove and the substitution is accepted, keep in mind that you do not have a contractual obligation with the lighting rep. It absolutely sucks when you need to use another vendor after they have contributed so much already. As hard as it may be to accept - it's nothing personal, it's just business. But I think we all hope it will not come to that. Good luck.
So, its raining, and I'm driving to work. Thinking about TC, and that Plant thread, and asking about trees. Thinking about how interesting it is that I'm going to at work so early, and if I should count it on my timesheet - No, cause I'm going to spend the first thirty minutes on Archinect anyway. I'm coasting down the hill, no cars in front of me, and at the bottom of the hill, I begin to accelerate, look ahead through the intersection, see an 01 Blazer begin to turn left, across the lane in front of me. I let off the gas, and step firmly on the brakes, but just before they lock up, I let off, and press them again. Its obvious that I'm not going to stop, the brakes begin to lock, and I think 'Ok, maybe you can swerve around him,' and I let off the brakes, and begin to stear. Its quickly apparent that this isn't going to work, I let go of the stearing wheel, put my fore arms infront of my face, and WHAM!
. . . . . . . .
I open my eyes, see the airbag has deployed, wonder about the smoke, then realizing that its the Airbag, and that is smells like sulfur. I look around, think that we're kind of in an inconvenient place, and feel sorry for the other cars. I open my door, look on the floorboard for my cell phone (I keep it between my legs when driving in case I get a call) and find my ring in the carpet. I put the ring on my hand, and Promplty call Husband. All I say is "I need you." And he comes to get me.
At the moment, I am ok. My arms are a little pink, and theres a nice pink swipe across my chest, but that is all. My car is totalled. Poor Car. Husband says I can't go to work today, and I say "But I have to! What about my Haircut!?" Yeah, my car is smashed, I'm stuck driving the base-ist ford ranger ever, and I'm worried I'll miss my haircut appointment. Its crazy. I feel like everytime the insurance company calls I'm being tested. I hope I passed.
Modern cars are amazing, aren't they? Thank goodness you were able to walk away from that accident. Have you considered seeing a doctor? The effects of your accident might not be noticeable for quite some time; it would be good to have a medical document of your condition today, in case you feel pain later?
Oh Sarah! I'm glad you're OK. I hate cars. Not really but I hate wrecks....I've been in a few myself. All fender benders really but there's nothing quite so sickening as that feeling of metal crunching metal and that WHAM feeling.
What about the idiot that pulled out in front of you? Is he/she OK? It's the idiots that make driving cars troublesome for me.
PS. I'm playing hookey today. Don't tell anybody. Frankly it's a non-issue, I don't have work to do anyway and I could get a lot done here, like groceries! But, I'm just saying.
have i mentioned how wonderful my life is lately? it's almost too much for even me to handle without feeling just a little bit guilty for all the poor souls out there. something like 2 billion people on this planet live on less than 1 USD per day...and i'm definitely not one of them
When the insurance guy asked how I was, I told him I had some marks on my arms, but nothing had been diagnosed yet. Husband said that was a good answer.
The other guy, Chris, was even better off than me. His blazer has minor damage, since, according to Husband, I hit the strongest part of his car. Wish I'd had my camera.
Wow,
glad to hear you're okay for now at least.
Having been in mor ethan a few such accidents myself, sounds like you were incredibly lucky.
Especially considering you were hit by a Blazer.
My crazy right-winger cousin left some neo-con propaganda on my Facebook page! I'm all about free speech so I'm leaving it up, check it out if you'd like a chuckle or feel like starting trouble....
so I'm about to meet with a former lecturer/now HoS - he's always been a great mentor and I can always count on him to tell like it is. Should be fun.
Oops forgot to hit submit
Well I met with my mentor, had a chat about many many things including books. He's an avid reader like myself (and hope he wills those books to me/school in passing). Anyway he's writing my recommendation/reference
hi all. Sarah sorry about your car and the dinger, but I'm really glad that you and the other person were able to walk away from it. I would get a chest x-ray to be on the safe side and better make sure the insurance company pays for it. Wonder K going to check your facebook now. Btw? Are you alright? I trust the wonderments of life are better for you now
Liberty Bell, I posted something for you on the Sculpted Architects page. I honestly thought it was a thread about muscular architects, not statues of architects, and was curious just how many architects out there were 'sculpted.' I certainly don't know any.
And I am beginning to feel a bit bruised in places, but don't see anything.
Sarah, they were due on tuesday - but the deadline has been extended once before so I am submitting them...well just because. Puddles do you have any space in that job? I could do with a little more than a $1 a day (especially if it doesn't involve selling my soul)
Hello TC! I'm pretty sure its been like 6 months since I was on archinect. I dropped out of grad school and have become a general contractor. I love it. I also have been designing outdoor living spaces, spec houses, and remodel jobs. It may not be the most interesting work, and it will never make the archinect news page, but I love it. So how is everyone else doing?
rFuller...damn I've been wondering if Texas ate you alive. How've you been? I'm not sure why you dropped out of grad school though, it seems like you'd been able to do it all...but great to have you back
Well, unfortunately I am only back for a very short time. My job requires me to work 60+ hours a week either in the field or on the road. Then on the weekends I go down to the lake where we are building 3 homes right now. I do a lot of my design work on the road between home and the lake. Its a 4 hour drive and so it gives me a chance to really hammer down completely uninterrupted.
I dropped out of grad school because I had gotten to the point where school was more about getting ready to work for an office. And office work just isn't what I'm interested in.
Anyway, I'm going to go try to find new ways to expand my carbon foot print. Hope all is well.
uhmm I'm lost about the design whilst driving. I really hope someone else is actually doing the driving. You seem well though, and I can understand about the "working for someone, else" phenomena - but I suspect that may have been a quick judgement.
Still alive... And packing up for my move to Manhattan
NYC is under a Tornado Warning at the moment, and although it's perfectly sunny here in Brooklyn, the Manhattan skyline just disappeared behind a wall of black clouds.
This type of weather is nothing unusual back in the Midwest, but it's pretty unusual here on the East Coast. But for most of this summer so far, hardly a week has gone by without some sort of severe weather warning. Weird stuff...
so dorothy is visiting manhattan- good luck with your move LiG
Strange day in the office, we got hint of huge new project yesterday, yet they laid off two of the jr designers. good thing i'm swamped on my projects and nobody else has the skills to fill my role on the other projects. still, it's been a while since I've had to say bye to folks, when it wasn't tk being shown the door.
So the Dr & I are starting packing this weekend to move next door. We still need to confirm the move-out date with our neighbor, then our moving date with the current landlord - but this will be sometime in early october. If we had to relocate further then this, we'd be outta here!
I'm very glad to hear you are okay. Please do get yourself checked out, as it Just Why says, it may take a whole for things to show up.
Just Why, LB and manta - thanks for your posts. They really helped put my mind at ease. Have yet to get a cut sheet from him, but we all were on-site the entire morning coordinating random loose ends today. Hopefully I'll see it Monday. I believe the reason why he wants to use a "comparable" fixture is b/c he underbid the project. Some things have come up since his bid, so I think he's concerned the price is going to cut into his profit. After talking to him in a few instances before this, he just seems smarmy.
HI RFULLER!!! Glad to see you haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I was beginning to wonder ;o)
Ha, tuna. Keep this in mind : at my last firm, the electrician's assistant (NOT the main electrician) on a couple of my projects once learned that I took the train / walked to work everyday, and expressed absolute and total shock that I did not own a car. I told him the truth : I would like to, but I can't afford it at this point in my life. He then told me about his 2 cars and his big house up in the mountains and was completely dumbfounded that I could not afford these things. I think he truly thought I was lying. He was, by the way, YOUNGER THAN I AM.
Fast forward to another recent job : electrician doing the work (and also doing most of the screw-ups, but then again, it's OFTEN the electricians who are sloppy... well along with the plumbers), again incredulous that I don't own a car, tells me all about his new 5-series BMW and how he pays money to race it on a track outside of town on the weekends.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR JERKWAD ELECTRICIAN'S PROFIT MARGIN. Trust me, those guys make BOATLOADS. Screw 'em!!!!
Gotta agree with manta: we recently had an electrical contractor I like well enough bid a remodel job: $18,000. We felt that was a bit high, and went to another firm we like: $5,000.
Someone's got themselves a lot of overhead there.
<rant>
I'm trying to help my husband deal with a sculpture structural issue right now. The proposed project is in a public space and requires anchors to ensure it won't blow away/fall on someone. I've spent the entire evening trying to help him figure out a way to make it work but:
1. I know the engineer has totally overstructured this thing and...
2. the client will only accept it with stamped engineer's drawings and...
3. the client's required contractor's bid to install the anchors alone is more than the cost the client has allocated for the entire project and yet...
4. the client still expects the artist to "work it out".
Good art is expensive. If you don't want to pay for it, you can't have it. Fuck off, Client I Know Has Deep Pockets But Thinks Artists Should Be Slavishly Grateful For Every Bit Of So-Called "Exposure" They Can Get.
LB can you get another engineer? if there is way to do it maybe that is all that is necessary?
artists get screwed all the time. it is more difficult profession than architecture...hope you can get it sorted so your hubby gets to earn a bit of money from the job.
good luck techno!
great to hear from you rfuller! sounds wonderful job.
very glad to hear you are ok sarah. hope there are no lasting effects.
last days of holidays tomorrow. i actually had a day or two off this week!
Well, my fucking direct deposit didn't go through last night like I was expecting, which means I can't move this weekend. My firm's payroll department is never consistent about when direct deposits get posted, especially if the payday falls on or near a weekend, but the last time the 15th fell on a Friday (back in February), the money was available the next day.
So I've had to call the landlord and re-schedule the lease signing until Monday (need to have a certified check for the security deposit), and I've re-scheduled my truck rental for next weekend. I could move on Monday, but that would mean having to take a day off from work and probably having nobody to help me.
In the meantime, I'm flat-broke and have no groceries, so it looks like I'll be eating ramen noodles today and tomorrow... And this means I'll have to put up with my roommate for another week.
I don't know if I should be blaming my firm's finance people, their payroll service, their bank, or my own bank, but whoever's fault this is, I'm pretty fucking pissed.
That's frustrating LIG. Sorry to hear you're plans got delayed. Try not to let it destroy your weekend though.
Happy Saturday All - Hope your weekend is more productive than mine so far. I just started the weekly chores. Olympics are keeping me entranced. Funny, they haven't done this to me since I was a kid. At least the laundry has been started though. Off for an afternoon siesta.
Gin that is a bummer...least Dorthy didn't visit you in the middle of the night. I'm hanging this afternoon while Mrs B is out shopping with a friend from Canada. He needs a wardrobe update, cause he
is headed ot Brazil in October to visit my wifes family. I hate shopping so I stayed home and figured I could get one of those pain in the ass projects done. We have a resubmittal to the planning and zoning commission because we needed to adjust the overall height of the building due to the structural design. I was hoping it would be an administrative sign off.....but NO! Then I recieved a call one of my clients is returning from outside of the Country Tonight and would like to meet with me to see how their project is coming along. So I guess I will have a drive in the country tomorrow to go visit with a client. I hope the weather isn't crappy.
Gin when we purchased our house back in late 2001 it came with a tentant with a lease which was up in October. Well October came and went and she wasn't about to move cause she couldn't find a rental. So we waited and told her she had to be out by December 15. So we have everything packed and ready to go for our move and she calls and says she can't move again. So instood of getting all crazy on her, because she was testing the system. We went on the internet and found a cheap botique hotel in NYC and (prices were very good because of 911). and headed into the City for a long weekend. We waited till the New Year and Told her she had to move by January 15, 2002. I rented a uhaul and hired some young bucks and we moved her and ourselves on the same weekend. It was the only way to get her to move. Looking back upon it she was paying
dirt cheap rent and there was no motivation to move.
LIG, take it from someone with experience in this area; find another job as quickly as you can, i cannot stress it enough, QUICKLY. excuses for payroll mishaps should not be tolerated, people know the how to read a calendar and know what happens every year. a situation like this, left unchecked, is just begging for worse things to happen, and escalating excuses.
I agree with betadin... delayed salary was the reason I stepped away from the private sector for so long. Its hard to live on architect's salary worse when its not paid on time.
yeah Usain - 9.69sec, manta he really did seem not bothered by the race. Barely challenged. The commentator calmly said that he could run less than 9.5. This from a guy who trains on a grass field in a laid back sunny Caribbean island...fantastic.
architechnophilia....Lighting Bolt did it with such ease....I love the last ten meters where he checked to see if anyone was in his neighborhood....and then patted himself on the chest. Congragulations on having the fastest man in the world cruising your
neighborhood. I should say the two fastest men in the world cruising your neighborhood. It is the only event that I have seen where there really seems to be an audience outside of the opening ceremony.
Well, I'm not sure if this is really a payroll "mishap", or just the way things are done. Our pay period ends on the 15th of each month and on the last day of each month, and my direct deposit usually shows up in my checking account like clockwork on the day after. Problem is when the pay period ends on or near a weekend, the direct deposit never seems to be consistent as to whether it shows up in checking on the next calendar day (i.e., Saturday in this case), or the next business day (Monday).
Other than the annoyance with their payroll system, my current firm is a pretty tight ship, the partners are honest businesspeople, and as far as I know we're in pretty good shape financially... In that regard, they have a bit of credibility with me, and I don't think this is deliberate. (Compare to my last firm in Chicago, which was a small mom-and-pop operation run by a couple of incompetent, amoral narcissists, which always seemed to be on the verge of running out of money. If my direct deposit at that firm had been even five minutes late, I would have jumped ship in a heartbeat.)
In other news, I've actually been a little homesick for Cincinnati lately... Probably time for another visit back home before too long. I love NYC, but this place will make your head explode if you don't escape to somewhere else for a few days once in a while. I'd kill for a big heaping three-way at Skyline right now....
LIG - Funny you should mention Skyline. I had a three way for lunch on Friday. I actually rarely eat it (every three or four months). It was nice and tasty. ;o)
SW - the only way I can really eat the stuff is with lots and lots of Franks Hot Sauce. When it comes down to it I'm actually more partial to texas chili (sorry Queen City natives), although it does definitely hit the spot at times.
Sarah - What has become known as Cincinnati style chili is actually Greek. I only recently learned this myself.
Well, I guess I could buy some of the cannd or frozen stuff just to see what its all about. I personally prefer my chili with pintos, tomatos, corn, zucchini, whatever else you can throw into it. According to Tuna's article, thats California style. Shhh, don't tell anyone. My mom already calls it sacrilidge that I put pintos in it.
Thread Central
nam_ I forgot to respond to your India question.
I think we have about 4 or 5 weeks in the country. Places we plan to see: Agra, Jaipur, New Delhi, Punjab (near Pakistan border), Rajasthan area, Mumbai, Southern Indian (beaches, beaches, Kerala backwaters, Cochin, Goa, Bandipur National Park, elephant refugees, Lakshadweep Islands). We don't have a definite schedule so all of these are places are solely places of interest. I'm sure we'll see other places and remove some places from our list as we get there and begin to experience the country. I'm most excited for India. I heard the place will either make or break a traveler.
Good morning all,
N_ that is basically the whole subcontinent but then again i guess you will be there about twice as long as I.
I will mostly be in the north central districts..
Jaipur, Hrishikesha (foothills of the Himalayas) and Delhi/Mathura...
I would love to go south, but just won't have enough time in country.
TK, congrats on the firms possible success. I thought you had previously poste dthat your firm got beat out by SOM (or some other big corporate firm) or is this a different supertall project?
I imiagine of this goes through it might change your moving plans a bit, correct?
n______________ keep those postcards coming.
your amigo,
rob thomas.
'nother project - same city, dare I say same competitors. hmm, gotta keep the details under wrap a bit longer.
tuna, a few comments about the proposed light fixture substitution.
(I will preface this by saying that substitution requests irritate me.)
As others stated above, you did not make a mistake, and the contract documents should be followed.
Look at all of the work and coordination you did to select the appropriate fixture. No doubt you coordinated dimensions, finishes of adjacent materials, and countless other things. Your hard work shouldn't be wasted to save some money.
And speaking of saving money, the contractor needs to be very clear on WHO is saving the money. Is he giving a credit to the owner? How substantial is that credit? If the credit is a very small amount or nothing at all, he better have a damn good reason why he wants to make the substitution.
And lead times are not a good excuse, either. He should have ordered the fixture when he was awarded the contract (assuming that it's a longer-duration project, which it appears to be.)
You need to PROTECT yourself if the substitution is accepted. Check Division 1 of your specifications. With any luck, it will clearly spell out the procedure for substitutions. The CONTRACTOR should take the liability for ensuring that the substituted fixture is equal (in quality, performance, appearance, safety, etc.) to the specified fixture. Unless the owner is paying you an additional service to research the substituted fixture, you should not spend a single minute trying to research the substitution. The contractor should give you a comparision between the fixtures, with all of the information you need to make the decision. You should also request a mock-up, or at minimum finish samples, of the proposed substitution. Don't trust the contractor to select a color that he thinks matches. The contractor needs to guarantee that he will do all of the tasks that you originally did for the initial fixture (coordinating dimensions, finishes of adjacent materials, and countless other things).
Back to protecting yourself... What happens if the substituted fixture is actually a European model and requires a different voltage? (I know, this would be a very stupid mistake, but hear me out.) And what if the fixture causes a short or even worse a fire? The contractor and/or owner might turn to you and say, "Well, YOU approved the fixture, you should have known better; it's YOUR fault." This liability could be prevented (or lessened) if the contractor guarantees that the fixture is equal in every way.
Also keep in mind that many light fixtures are patented, so there is no legal way for the substituted fixtures to be EXACTLY the same.
And another thing about product reps. If push comes to shove and the substitution is accepted, keep in mind that you do not have a contractual obligation with the lighting rep. It absolutely sucks when you need to use another vendor after they have contributed so much already. As hard as it may be to accept - it's nothing personal, it's just business. But I think we all hope it will not come to that. Good luck.
Now who's ready for lunch?
me...
Wow, what a morning. Want to hear about it?
So, its raining, and I'm driving to work. Thinking about TC, and that Plant thread, and asking about trees. Thinking about how interesting it is that I'm going to at work so early, and if I should count it on my timesheet - No, cause I'm going to spend the first thirty minutes on Archinect anyway. I'm coasting down the hill, no cars in front of me, and at the bottom of the hill, I begin to accelerate, look ahead through the intersection, see an 01 Blazer begin to turn left, across the lane in front of me. I let off the gas, and step firmly on the brakes, but just before they lock up, I let off, and press them again. Its obvious that I'm not going to stop, the brakes begin to lock, and I think 'Ok, maybe you can swerve around him,' and I let off the brakes, and begin to stear. Its quickly apparent that this isn't going to work, I let go of the stearing wheel, put my fore arms infront of my face, and WHAM!
. . . . . . . .
I open my eyes, see the airbag has deployed, wonder about the smoke, then realizing that its the Airbag, and that is smells like sulfur. I look around, think that we're kind of in an inconvenient place, and feel sorry for the other cars. I open my door, look on the floorboard for my cell phone (I keep it between my legs when driving in case I get a call) and find my ring in the carpet. I put the ring on my hand, and Promplty call Husband. All I say is "I need you." And he comes to get me.
At the moment, I am ok. My arms are a little pink, and theres a nice pink swipe across my chest, but that is all. My car is totalled. Poor Car. Husband says I can't go to work today, and I say "But I have to! What about my Haircut!?" Yeah, my car is smashed, I'm stuck driving the base-ist ford ranger ever, and I'm worried I'll miss my haircut appointment. Its crazy. I feel like everytime the insurance company calls I'm being tested. I hope I passed.
Modern cars are amazing, aren't they? Thank goodness you were able to walk away from that accident. Have you considered seeing a doctor? The effects of your accident might not be noticeable for quite some time; it would be good to have a medical document of your condition today, in case you feel pain later?
Oh Sarah! I'm glad you're OK. I hate cars. Not really but I hate wrecks....I've been in a few myself. All fender benders really but there's nothing quite so sickening as that feeling of metal crunching metal and that WHAM feeling.
What about the idiot that pulled out in front of you? Is he/she OK? It's the idiots that make driving cars troublesome for me.
PS. I'm playing hookey today. Don't tell anybody. Frankly it's a non-issue, I don't have work to do anyway and I could get a lot done here, like groceries! But, I'm just saying.
i'm still alive
have i mentioned how wonderful my life is lately? it's almost too much for even me to handle without feeling just a little bit guilty for all the poor souls out there. something like 2 billion people on this planet live on less than 1 USD per day...and i'm definitely not one of them
When the insurance guy asked how I was, I told him I had some marks on my arms, but nothing had been diagnosed yet. Husband said that was a good answer.
The other guy, Chris, was even better off than me. His blazer has minor damage, since, according to Husband, I hit the strongest part of his car. Wish I'd had my camera.
SH.
Wow,
glad to hear you're okay for now at least.
Having been in mor ethan a few such accidents myself, sounds like you were incredibly lucky.
Especially considering you were hit by a Blazer.
My crazy right-winger cousin left some neo-con propaganda on my Facebook page! I'm all about free speech so I'm leaving it up, check it out if you'd like a chuckle or feel like starting trouble....
so I'm about to meet with a former lecturer/now HoS - he's always been a great mentor and I can always count on him to tell like it is. Should be fun.
Oops forgot to hit submit
Well I met with my mentor, had a chat about many many things including books. He's an avid reader like myself (and hope he wills those books to me/school in passing). Anyway he's writing my recommendation/reference
Techno, weren't those things due like a week ago?
glad you're safe, sarah.
i'm hanging out at home this afternoon. my roofing contractor has told his crew that they can't leave today until i'm satisfied. long story....
hi all. Sarah sorry about your car and the dinger, but I'm really glad that you and the other person were able to walk away from it. I would get a chest x-ray to be on the safe side and better make sure the insurance company pays for it. Wonder K going to check your facebook now. Btw? Are you alright? I trust the wonderments of life are better for you now
Liberty Bell, I posted something for you on the Sculpted Architects page. I honestly thought it was a thread about muscular architects, not statues of architects, and was curious just how many architects out there were 'sculpted.' I certainly don't know any.
And I am beginning to feel a bit bruised in places, but don't see anything.
Sarahm thank you for that....and glad you're OK. More later, I hafta go get Angus at the bus stop. Then milk and cookies.
Steven, your roof work is still ongoing? Sheesh.
Sarah, they were due on tuesday - but the deadline has been extended once before so I am submitting them...well just because. Puddles do you have any space in that job? I could do with a little more than a $1 a day (especially if it doesn't involve selling my soul)
Hello TC! I'm pretty sure its been like 6 months since I was on archinect. I dropped out of grad school and have become a general contractor. I love it. I also have been designing outdoor living spaces, spec houses, and remodel jobs. It may not be the most interesting work, and it will never make the archinect news page, but I love it. So how is everyone else doing?
BTW, does anyone here even remember me?
rFuller...damn I've been wondering if Texas ate you alive. How've you been? I'm not sure why you dropped out of grad school though, it seems like you'd been able to do it all...but great to have you back
Well, unfortunately I am only back for a very short time. My job requires me to work 60+ hours a week either in the field or on the road. Then on the weekends I go down to the lake where we are building 3 homes right now. I do a lot of my design work on the road between home and the lake. Its a 4 hour drive and so it gives me a chance to really hammer down completely uninterrupted.
I dropped out of grad school because I had gotten to the point where school was more about getting ready to work for an office. And office work just isn't what I'm interested in.
Anyway, I'm going to go try to find new ways to expand my carbon foot print. Hope all is well.
uhmm I'm lost about the design whilst driving. I really hope someone else is actually doing the driving. You seem well though, and I can understand about the "working for someone, else" phenomena - but I suspect that may have been a quick judgement.
Still alive... And packing up for my move to Manhattan
NYC is under a Tornado Warning at the moment, and although it's perfectly sunny here in Brooklyn, the Manhattan skyline just disappeared behind a wall of black clouds.
This type of weather is nothing unusual back in the Midwest, but it's pretty unusual here on the East Coast. But for most of this summer so far, hardly a week has gone by without some sort of severe weather warning. Weird stuff...
texas in da' house!!! sarah, glad you're okay. rfuller, welcome back.
so dorothy is visiting manhattan- good luck with your move LiG
Strange day in the office, we got hint of huge new project yesterday, yet they laid off two of the jr designers. good thing i'm swamped on my projects and nobody else has the skills to fill my role on the other projects. still, it's been a while since I've had to say bye to folks, when it wasn't tk being shown the door.
So the Dr & I are starting packing this weekend to move next door. We still need to confirm the move-out date with our neighbor, then our moving date with the current landlord - but this will be sometime in early october. If we had to relocate further then this, we'd be outta here!
I'm very glad to hear you are okay. Please do get yourself checked out, as it Just Why says, it may take a whole for things to show up.
Just Why, LB and manta - thanks for your posts. They really helped put my mind at ease. Have yet to get a cut sheet from him, but we all were on-site the entire morning coordinating random loose ends today. Hopefully I'll see it Monday. I believe the reason why he wants to use a "comparable" fixture is b/c he underbid the project. Some things have come up since his bid, so I think he's concerned the price is going to cut into his profit. After talking to him in a few instances before this, he just seems smarmy.
HI RFULLER!!! Glad to see you haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I was beginning to wonder ;o)
Ha, tuna. Keep this in mind : at my last firm, the electrician's assistant (NOT the main electrician) on a couple of my projects once learned that I took the train / walked to work everyday, and expressed absolute and total shock that I did not own a car. I told him the truth : I would like to, but I can't afford it at this point in my life. He then told me about his 2 cars and his big house up in the mountains and was completely dumbfounded that I could not afford these things. I think he truly thought I was lying. He was, by the way, YOUNGER THAN I AM.
Fast forward to another recent job : electrician doing the work (and also doing most of the screw-ups, but then again, it's OFTEN the electricians who are sloppy... well along with the plumbers), again incredulous that I don't own a car, tells me all about his new 5-series BMW and how he pays money to race it on a track outside of town on the weekends.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR JERKWAD ELECTRICIAN'S PROFIT MARGIN. Trust me, those guys make BOATLOADS. Screw 'em!!!!
Of course, they don't make near as much as the union elevator operators do... on overtime, $160/hour.
techno I'm watching the jamaican run!
holy shit techno he didn't even look like he was TRYING
Gotta agree with manta: we recently had an electrical contractor I like well enough bid a remodel job: $18,000. We felt that was a bit high, and went to another firm we like: $5,000.
Someone's got themselves a lot of overhead there.
<rant>
I'm trying to help my husband deal with a sculpture structural issue right now. The proposed project is in a public space and requires anchors to ensure it won't blow away/fall on someone. I've spent the entire evening trying to help him figure out a way to make it work but:
1. I know the engineer has totally overstructured this thing and...
2. the client will only accept it with stamped engineer's drawings and...
3. the client's required contractor's bid to install the anchors alone is more than the cost the client has allocated for the entire project and yet...
4. the client still expects the artist to "work it out".
Good art is expensive. If you don't want to pay for it, you can't have it. Fuck off, Client I Know Has Deep Pockets But Thinks Artists Should Be Slavishly Grateful For Every Bit Of So-Called "Exposure" They Can Get.
<end rant>
LB can you get another engineer? if there is way to do it maybe that is all that is necessary?
artists get screwed all the time. it is more difficult profession than architecture...hope you can get it sorted so your hubby gets to earn a bit of money from the job.
good luck techno!
great to hear from you rfuller! sounds wonderful job.
very glad to hear you are ok sarah. hope there are no lasting effects.
last days of holidays tomorrow. i actually had a day or two off this week!
Well, my fucking direct deposit didn't go through last night like I was expecting, which means I can't move this weekend. My firm's payroll department is never consistent about when direct deposits get posted, especially if the payday falls on or near a weekend, but the last time the 15th fell on a Friday (back in February), the money was available the next day.
So I've had to call the landlord and re-schedule the lease signing until Monday (need to have a certified check for the security deposit), and I've re-scheduled my truck rental for next weekend. I could move on Monday, but that would mean having to take a day off from work and probably having nobody to help me.
In the meantime, I'm flat-broke and have no groceries, so it looks like I'll be eating ramen noodles today and tomorrow... And this means I'll have to put up with my roommate for another week.
I don't know if I should be blaming my firm's finance people, their payroll service, their bank, or my own bank, but whoever's fault this is, I'm pretty fucking pissed.
That's frustrating LIG. Sorry to hear you're plans got delayed. Try not to let it destroy your weekend though.
Happy Saturday All - Hope your weekend is more productive than mine so far. I just started the weekly chores. Olympics are keeping me entranced. Funny, they haven't done this to me since I was a kid. At least the laundry has been started though. Off for an afternoon siesta.
Gin that is a bummer...least Dorthy didn't visit you in the middle of the night. I'm hanging this afternoon while Mrs B is out shopping with a friend from Canada. He needs a wardrobe update, cause he
is headed ot Brazil in October to visit my wifes family. I hate shopping so I stayed home and figured I could get one of those pain in the ass projects done. We have a resubmittal to the planning and zoning commission because we needed to adjust the overall height of the building due to the structural design. I was hoping it would be an administrative sign off.....but NO! Then I recieved a call one of my clients is returning from outside of the Country Tonight and would like to meet with me to see how their project is coming along. So I guess I will have a drive in the country tomorrow to go visit with a client. I hope the weather isn't crappy.
Gin when we purchased our house back in late 2001 it came with a tentant with a lease which was up in October. Well October came and went and she wasn't about to move cause she couldn't find a rental. So we waited and told her she had to be out by December 15. So we have everything packed and ready to go for our move and she calls and says she can't move again. So instood of getting all crazy on her, because she was testing the system. We went on the internet and found a cheap botique hotel in NYC and (prices were very good because of 911). and headed into the City for a long weekend. We waited till the New Year and Told her she had to move by January 15, 2002. I rented a uhaul and hired some young bucks and we moved her and ourselves on the same weekend. It was the only way to get her to move. Looking back upon it she was paying
dirt cheap rent and there was no motivation to move.
LIG, take it from someone with experience in this area; find another job as quickly as you can, i cannot stress it enough, QUICKLY. excuses for payroll mishaps should not be tolerated, people know the how to read a calendar and know what happens every year. a situation like this, left unchecked, is just begging for worse things to happen, and escalating excuses.
I agree with betadin... delayed salary was the reason I stepped away from the private sector for so long. Its hard to live on architect's salary worse when its not paid on time.
yeah Usain - 9.69sec, manta he really did seem not bothered by the race. Barely challenged. The commentator calmly said that he could run less than 9.5. This from a guy who trains on a grass field in a laid back sunny Caribbean island...fantastic.
architechnophilia....Lighting Bolt did it with such ease....I love the last ten meters where he checked to see if anyone was in his neighborhood....and then patted himself on the chest. Congragulations on having the fastest man in the world cruising your
neighborhood. I should say the two fastest men in the world cruising your neighborhood. It is the only event that I have seen where there really seems to be an audience outside of the opening ceremony.
Off to a sunday morning meeting with a client.....wonder if he will bring something to eat?
well today is a repeat...women's 100m as well 1,2,3 WOW!! They are going to call a Public holiday I'm sure
Well, I'm not sure if this is really a payroll "mishap", or just the way things are done. Our pay period ends on the 15th of each month and on the last day of each month, and my direct deposit usually shows up in my checking account like clockwork on the day after. Problem is when the pay period ends on or near a weekend, the direct deposit never seems to be consistent as to whether it shows up in checking on the next calendar day (i.e., Saturday in this case), or the next business day (Monday).
Other than the annoyance with their payroll system, my current firm is a pretty tight ship, the partners are honest businesspeople, and as far as I know we're in pretty good shape financially... In that regard, they have a bit of credibility with me, and I don't think this is deliberate. (Compare to my last firm in Chicago, which was a small mom-and-pop operation run by a couple of incompetent, amoral narcissists, which always seemed to be on the verge of running out of money. If my direct deposit at that firm had been even five minutes late, I would have jumped ship in a heartbeat.)
In other news, I've actually been a little homesick for Cincinnati lately... Probably time for another visit back home before too long. I love NYC, but this place will make your head explode if you don't escape to somewhere else for a few days once in a while. I'd kill for a big heaping three-way at Skyline right now....
LIG - Funny you should mention Skyline. I had a three way for lunch on Friday. I actually rarely eat it (every three or four months). It was nice and tasty. ;o)
i've finally gotten over SPAGHETTI noodles in chili, i just can't deal with cinnamon. not a fan.
I've got one word.....
Yankees
mornin folks
SW - the only way I can really eat the stuff is with lots and lots of Franks Hot Sauce. When it comes down to it I'm actually more partial to texas chili (sorry Queen City natives), although it does definitely hit the spot at times.
Sarah - What has become known as Cincinnati style chili is actually Greek. I only recently learned this myself.
Well, I guess I could buy some of the cannd or frozen stuff just to see what its all about. I personally prefer my chili with pintos, tomatos, corn, zucchini, whatever else you can throw into it. According to Tuna's article, thats California style. Shhh, don't tell anyone. My mom already calls it sacrilidge that I put pintos in it.
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