Puddles I think it is funny that Pete Carroll is on board for a playoff system when his school is one of the few that stands the least to benefit from such a system. Ahh well. Otherwise I couldn't care less what Obama thinks about it and nobody else should either... don't we all have bigger issues facing us? I bet his comment was just a response to some stupid question some sports reporter tossed at him to get the "sports impact angle"... like the POTUS should actually be wasting his time and mental energy on such things. Sheesh. Give the man a break. Did y'all see his comments on stupid reporter questions? Pretty funny...
DubK - Hmmmmm. That's an interesting hypothesis on the food thing. All my cats seem fine. You wanna borrow one?
Random question - Does anyone here still have an attic fan? If so, and you live in a colder environment, what do you do in the winter to keep all your heat from escaping? I am currently deep in thought on how to achieve such a thing. I bought some plywwod (about the size of the opening in my ceiling) and two 16"W x48" batts of R-6.7 insulation. Now I'm stilll trying to figure out how to 1) keep the insulation from shifting if I place it above the plywood or 2) keep from crushing the insulation if I place it between the plywood and the attic opening. Suggestions? Ideas?
manta - looks like you posted at the same time I did. I'm interested in hearing what you find out too, as I have three feline "children" of my own and I feed them a mixture of "expensive" and "inexpensive" dry cat food.
man i figured out a college playoff during shrubs first term which still allows for all those silly bowl games to be played. in fact, your team could be in a bowl game after being eliminated from the playoffs!!! that means more ducats for your a.d. department and more drunken parties for all involved. oh to be a renaissance man.
In my case, we could just lay insulation batts across the attic fan louver in the ceiling. It doesn't open unless we turn on the fan, then in spring when we're ready to use it again we can move the batts out of the way.
Which is actually an excellent idea, melt*, I think I will do that this week! I'm planning to be a total Scrooge with the spending on heat this winter.
*blackharp called you melt, and I think it's sexier than tuna. So from now on I'll be calling tuna melt; everyone please take note of it (unless you have an objection to that idea, Ms. tunamelt, in which case your preference prevails.)
You rock LB!!! That is so much easier than what I was planning on doing. I take it you don't have a problem with it shifting, then.
As for the MELT... I like it!!! Didn't even notice blackharp had called me that. Sorry BH Mmmmmm melty good ;o) Makes for good combinations too when I meet up with Archinecters. WonderMELT, AtechnoMELT, Living in Gin-melt (I'm still working on that one) Hmmmm, a name change may be in the works.
If my cat passed away because of pet food problems, I will be seriously pissed off!!! Incidentally there were recalls on pet food around May of last year but I couldn't find anything about problems this year.
Aw, I miss my little fluffy kitty. :o( I'm going to have to go home and play with the roommate's new kitten to make myself feel better. He doesn't have a name yet but we think he looks like a Star Wars character so I have been calling him Obi-Wan:
Wow... Kittymelt/Obi-Wan has very similar markings as my own cat, Spong:
(He's much bigger now, but still just as photogenic.)
He had some urinary tract problems a few years ago, but I changed his diet and he's been fine ever since. Apparently such problems are not uncommon in male cats, and it's important to give them food that contains real meat, rather than just fillers. (The meat affects the pH level in the urine, which helps dissolve stones that can become lodged in the urinary tract.) So, I typically leave Spong a bowl of Purina One dry cat food, and twice a day I feed him a can of Fancy Feast. Neither brand was part of the recall.
In other news, my annual performance review is supposed to happen any day now. Given the economic climate and the fact that somebody from my project team was recently let go, I've been nervous as hell about this. Adding to the anxiety was the fact that my review was scheduled to take place with a project manager who I've butted heads with a couple times in the past, and I wasn't sure my review would be 100% positive.
Well, before I left work today, my other PM (the one I've been working with most frequently lately) came to my desk and requested that he be allowed to sit in on my review, because he's very pleased with the work I've been doing with him on our project, and he wanted to be sure to add his two cents to the meeting. Also, he informed me that there was more to the story regarding the other team member being let go, and that it wasn't purely market-driven. Both pieces of news are very welcome, and while I'm still nervous about my job security (who isn't?), I feel much less anxiety about my immediate job security.
I'm still going to do some number-crunching to see if it's worth applying to at least a couple of M.Arch. programs this year, though... Never hurts to have an escape plan if needed.
lady-melt, isn't there some kind of heat exchange fan unit? it's been awhile since i have had to deal with real cold-climate design but recall using something like that once...?
that is good news LIG.
at party last weekend the news was a bit grim. was talking to local starchitect who thought it might be necessary to lay off some of the staff, which is kinda sad. Times like these I am glad our overhead is still low because we are small, and that we also don't need as much turnover with work to keep ourselves afloat. being small in these times may be a boon. on other hand i am also preparing contingency plans (perhaps that phd will be useful after all). i wasn't last year.
still, i am not so worried. recession has been part of my life since i can remember, so maybe i am just used to it by now.
a technomelt just seems like something went wrong - but infact it was a great evening under the shadow of the CAC and mint dodging. I do like the new "carving" ms.Omelt
I'm having a craving popcorn, but know that I can't eat a whole bag by myself. It could be because I want to watch a movie and haven't seen one in a while. They had the international premire of the new James Bond this weekend at Goldeneye which happens to be next to James Bond beach. I was too knackered, and we had a blitz from a tropical storm (TS 34). On that note, a family friend mentioned the hurricane of 1898, and it was odd generations ago we remembered hurricanes and storms by the year - actually up the late nineties only one storm ever made 50 miles to land every 3 years, now we are seeing landfall numerous times a year.
LOL!!!! Who ever are you referring to Atechno ;o) I forgot about the mint dodging. Wow, didn't think I'd get such a response to the nome de plume as nam so eloquently put it. I'm trying this one on for size at the moment. We'll see.
jump - my attic fan is installed at one of the gables and pulls the hot air out of the attic. Great in the summer, as it aids in cooling down the entire house in the evenings, but not so great in the winter.
LB - your trick worked. I just folded both pieces in half and stuffed them up over the louvers. Voila. It feels so much warmer already, even though it's just an illusion (thermometer under in the hall upstairs is still reading a measly 67 degrees).
Speaking of popcorn. Has anyone ever had kettlecorn. It's completely and utterly addictive. My co-worker and I refer to it as kettle crack.
the diagnosis of the suessicle was a bladder infection/blocked urinary tract. some crystals in the urine and a high ph. the doc suggested that I try purina one. had been feeding him felidae 'platinum' - next time I won't buy food that I'd want to eat.
A year ago, we did have a close call with Purina MD, which got me a free bag of Science diet. he was on the organic feed for about 3 months, but I think the stress of the move/cold weather was the catalyst for this round of veterinarian care.
isn't melamine that white laminate cheap-ass cabinet material?
LiG, that is great news. Sending out positive vibes for your review.
I had a cat for 18 years, and was totally in sync with her and putting her down was crushing. These days, however, I'm not a big fan of cats. I think I prefer the devotion of dogs to the moodiness of cats.
That said, that kitten above is so. freaking. adorable.
WonderK, our family cat was actually slowly killed by what we fed him. But we never knew about the harm until it was way too late and he was in pain with a kidney stone the size of a tangerine, no joke. We had him put down on day 2 of pain. Basically it was from a combo of high protein food (we actually fed him a mixture of fancy feast and ... can't remember the hard food) but the real thing that hurt him were the POUNCE treats. It seems they are SUPER high in protein as they are meant to be eaten very very sparingly. However our cat went crazy for them and while we didn't spoil him, we also didn't see any reason not to give him the pounce treats, like mixed in with his food. It's not like there's a warning or anything... Anyway in the end apparently he slowly built up kidney stones from the super high protein and we never knew it was a problem till he was suddenly very sick. As soon as the doctor saw it he said "do you feed this cat treats?"
So, yeah. Pretty sad story. He was about 10 though so he luckily had some good years in there.
Well, I did my number-crunching comparing various schools and scenarios, and it looks like grad school simply isn't going to happen in 2009. Even my cheapest option, City College of New York, would be prohibitively expensive without any savings because of the obscene cost of living here in NYC.
One scary thing I discovered is that the allowance CCNY gives you for living expenses when they calculate your financial aid isn't much more than the allowance the University of Cincinnati gives you... And I could live like a king in Cincy for half of what it takes barely scrape by here.
Going to the University of Cincinnati (pretty much my top pick at the moment) would be a killer during the first year, compounded by the fact that I'd have to start classes in the summer. Starting in the second year, though, things would get easier as co-op earnings start kicking in and I'd presumably be paying in-state tuition. But there's no getting around the first year expenses, plus the cost of moving and buying a car.
The good news is, if I can keep my job and build up my savings, I'll be in a pretty good position to head to UC (or anywhere else) in 2010. As an added bonus, I'll have more time to finish my BA degree and put together a killer portfolio. Wish me luck.
Cincy sounds like a good bet for you Gin. Honestly I don't understand how people live in NYC on architects' salary and don't just get glum about it all day long. I would be so depressed all the time.
There's a lot of cool things about living in NYC, salaries tend to be much higher here, and you don't have to own a car. That said, you still get far less for your money in terms of housing even after you factor in the salary difference, and the general quality of life leaves a lot to be desired. For example, my apartment windows and my windows at the office all face dimly-lit light wells, and offer a view of a brick wall. My commute on the subway is entirely underground, so I see the sunlight for a total of maybe 30 minutes a day if I'm lucky.
NYC is great if you're in your 20's and want to take advantage of all the city has to offer, but I think I'm reaching the age where quality of life is becoming more important to me than being in the middle of all the action. I miss my Jeep, and I miss being able to hear crickets outside my bedroom window at night. (Hell, I miss having a real bedroom, as opposed to sleeping on a futon in a tiny studio apartment.)
Of course, Cincinnati has plenty of its own major flaws (dysfunctional city/county government, right-wing political climate, etc.), so I guess my task over the next year is to decide which city is least likely to drive me batshit crazy.
hah hah great find on that 50 things about the pres-elect. I was wondering if they were winding us up with that statement, knowing that he has great support from architects almost across the board. The pet ape and the fact he speaks Spanish I think might be the most useful traits one can hope for in a new president.
Good to hear that David Adjaye impresses on the Western side of the pond as well as he does on the old side.
A recent visit to his Bernie Grant Centre in London was a treat, and seeing him talk about the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, made me think he had crossed the ocean very successfully.
Yeah Liberty I read another article that mentioned that some of Obama's high-level staff (who are expecting White House Staff positions) jokingly complained that they had to buy "grown-up" clothes for the White House visit yesterday, because they all wore relaxed clothing on the campaign. I thought that was cute.
But this: knowing that he has great support from architects almost across the board.
...I'm not sure that's true, techno! Architects in this country tend to be conservative, I believe. Not to say they didn't support Obama, but it would be a departure from the norm.
Well, Congratulate me, I have finally coughed up the two hundred and eighty five bucks for IDP, and have my very own number. Ok, so Husband coughed it up, but in Texas, whats his is mine under the law - so there.
Nam, I pictured you much differently. I definately pictured dark brown to black hair, and more tan. Maybe its cause your name is Nam, and it makes me think of Vietnam, though I don't think I pictured you as asian. And you will have to explain that crazy Surrealism park you went to, Jantar Mantar. That place was crazy!
Yes, Melamine is crappy plastic - probably why we shouldnt eat it.
Steven, you sound very stylish today.
Theres lots of other things, but I can't organise them yet. Anybody else have that problem?
And the pics of hotel keys pretty much sums it up for me. I just stayed in a hotel where my key was a plastic magnetized card that was thrown away when I returned it to the front desk. You had metal keys on metal key fobs. That difference in material physical experience - the weight of the key, the wonder at how many hands have grasped it before you - there is a huge cultural/experiental difference there. I for one miss the shared, long-lasting objects we used to have more of in this culture.
Which reminds me: when I was in Moscow in 1991, there were "vending machines" in public parks that had a glass - a glass, made of glass - under a spout. You put in your quarter (or whatever the currency was, i can't recall) and the spout filled the glass. You drank, then put the glass back under the spout for the next person. As I recall, there was a cloth for wiping the rim of the glass before you filled it up. or maybe everyone carried a cloth handkerchief in their pocket (my dad still does this and I think it's both a lovely and pragmatic practice) to wipe it themselves. Either way, it's a mode of shared experience that I KNOW freaks most of us out today. Personally, I'm a big enough slob - and believer in a little dirt being good for us - that I have no problem with it.
if you can't go to india you may want to watch jean renoir's beautiful film "the river" also, it's pretty easy to add flair to a dark suit if you don't have to be presidential. frankly, i love wearing suits but in this day and age you fieel out of place because frankly most people don't dress too good.
interesting, LB. i felt the same about some of the wooden temples i have visited where the wood grain of the floor has been revealed from the number of people who have walked over them. the floors are so worn they are nearly ribbed, but you can slide on them in sock feet cuz they are polished too (yes i have tested this theory). amazing what a few hundred years can do. but then on other hand i don't mind at all if the key to nearby hotel is magnetic. somehow i don't have the receptors in my brain to understand nostalgia. must be my parent's fault somehow.
the vending machine is hilarious. my wife would die. japan is so 180 degrees culturally opposite from that. i would love to take her to experience something like that.
you know what, i hate to confess that i thought the prez's looked pretty good. probably i am immunised to fashion after 5 years in tokyo (its like milan here), and all the toyboy men. LB you would probably be in heaven.
congrats Sarah on starting your IDP, today is the first day of your life. On a similar note I'm supposed to be filling out my log book but haven't really looked at the documents yet.
Manatary, I agree on the conservative nature of the profession (not just in the US) but felt much of the message being sent by the big O campaign was in favour of small/medium business, green spaces, renewable energy etc - things that are paramount in any self respecting architects mind.
Atechno - could you explain that to the owners of my company? They were all up in arms after the election about how much money we are all going to lose and how ALL (you, me and the guy next door) of us are going to lose our jobs. One pretty much surmised that the world as we know it is coming to an end. In some way I hope it does, and even though I know it's going to be painful I really hope Obama and the rest of the world can staunch the bleeding before everyone runs dry. Today is the first time I've felt all out panic since last Tuesday and I have no idea why. Work is going strong for the moment. Perhaps it's b/c I can't see what's lying on the horizon for us. ACK!!!!
Thread Central
Puddles I think it is funny that Pete Carroll is on board for a playoff system when his school is one of the few that stands the least to benefit from such a system. Ahh well. Otherwise I couldn't care less what Obama thinks about it and nobody else should either... don't we all have bigger issues facing us? I bet his comment was just a response to some stupid question some sports reporter tossed at him to get the "sports impact angle"... like the POTUS should actually be wasting his time and mental energy on such things. Sheesh. Give the man a break. Did y'all see his comments on stupid reporter questions? Pretty funny...
DubK - Hmmmmm. That's an interesting hypothesis on the food thing. All my cats seem fine. You wanna borrow one?
Random question - Does anyone here still have an attic fan? If so, and you live in a colder environment, what do you do in the winter to keep all your heat from escaping? I am currently deep in thought on how to achieve such a thing. I bought some plywwod (about the size of the opening in my ceiling) and two 16"W x48" batts of R-6.7 insulation. Now I'm stilll trying to figure out how to 1) keep the insulation from shifting if I place it above the plywood or 2) keep from crushing the insulation if I place it between the plywood and the attic opening. Suggestions? Ideas?
manta - looks like you posted at the same time I did. I'm interested in hearing what you find out too, as I have three feline "children" of my own and I feed them a mixture of "expensive" and "inexpensive" dry cat food.
man i figured out a college playoff during shrubs first term which still allows for all those silly bowl games to be played. in fact, your team could be in a bowl game after being eliminated from the playoffs!!! that means more ducats for your a.d. department and more drunken parties for all involved. oh to be a renaissance man.
In my case, we could just lay insulation batts across the attic fan louver in the ceiling. It doesn't open unless we turn on the fan, then in spring when we're ready to use it again we can move the batts out of the way.
Which is actually an excellent idea, melt*, I think I will do that this week! I'm planning to be a total Scrooge with the spending on heat this winter.
*blackharp called you melt, and I think it's sexier than tuna. So from now on I'll be calling tuna melt; everyone please take note of it (unless you have an objection to that idea, Ms. tunamelt, in which case your preference prevails.)
You rock LB!!! That is so much easier than what I was planning on doing. I take it you don't have a problem with it shifting, then.
As for the MELT... I like it!!! Didn't even notice blackharp had called me that. Sorry BH Mmmmmm melty good ;o) Makes for good combinations too when I meet up with Archinecters. WonderMELT, AtechnoMELT, Living in Gin-melt (I'm still working on that one) Hmmmm, a name change may be in the works.
If my cat passed away because of pet food problems, I will be seriously pissed off!!! Incidentally there were recalls on pet food around May of last year but I couldn't find anything about problems this year.
Aw, I miss my little fluffy kitty. :o( I'm going to have to go home and play with the roommate's new kitten to make myself feel better. He doesn't have a name yet but we think he looks like a Star Wars character so I have been calling him Obi-Wan:
kitty melt.
Rule 250
Wow... Kittymelt/Obi-Wan has very similar markings as my own cat, Spong:
(He's much bigger now, but still just as photogenic.)
He had some urinary tract problems a few years ago, but I changed his diet and he's been fine ever since. Apparently such problems are not uncommon in male cats, and it's important to give them food that contains real meat, rather than just fillers. (The meat affects the pH level in the urine, which helps dissolve stones that can become lodged in the urinary tract.) So, I typically leave Spong a bowl of Purina One dry cat food, and twice a day I feed him a can of Fancy Feast. Neither brand was part of the recall.
In other news, my annual performance review is supposed to happen any day now. Given the economic climate and the fact that somebody from my project team was recently let go, I've been nervous as hell about this. Adding to the anxiety was the fact that my review was scheduled to take place with a project manager who I've butted heads with a couple times in the past, and I wasn't sure my review would be 100% positive.
Well, before I left work today, my other PM (the one I've been working with most frequently lately) came to my desk and requested that he be allowed to sit in on my review, because he's very pleased with the work I've been doing with him on our project, and he wanted to be sure to add his two cents to the meeting. Also, he informed me that there was more to the story regarding the other team member being let go, and that it wasn't purely market-driven. Both pieces of news are very welcome, and while I'm still nervous about my job security (who isn't?), I feel much less anxiety about my immediate job security.
I'm still going to do some number-crunching to see if it's worth applying to at least a couple of M.Arch. programs this year, though... Never hurts to have an escape plan if needed.
Happy Monday....
Melt,
I like the new nome de plum...
I agree with LB it's sexier sounding for sure.
Also, good news LIG!
As for jetlag it is illing me an i think like yesterday i will be in bed before 9..
lady-melt, isn't there some kind of heat exchange fan unit? it's been awhile since i have had to deal with real cold-climate design but recall using something like that once...?
that is good news LIG.
at party last weekend the news was a bit grim. was talking to local starchitect who thought it might be necessary to lay off some of the staff, which is kinda sad. Times like these I am glad our overhead is still low because we are small, and that we also don't need as much turnover with work to keep ourselves afloat. being small in these times may be a boon. on other hand i am also preparing contingency plans (perhaps that phd will be useful after all). i wasn't last year.
still, i am not so worried. recession has been part of my life since i can remember, so maybe i am just used to it by now.
a technomelt just seems like something went wrong - but infact it was a great evening under the shadow of the CAC and mint dodging. I do like the new "carving" ms.Omelt
I'm having a craving popcorn, but know that I can't eat a whole bag by myself. It could be because I want to watch a movie and haven't seen one in a while. They had the international premire of the new James Bond this weekend at Goldeneye which happens to be next to James Bond beach. I was too knackered, and we had a blitz from a tropical storm (TS 34). On that note, a family friend mentioned the hurricane of 1898, and it was odd generations ago we remembered hurricanes and storms by the year - actually up the late nineties only one storm ever made 50 miles to land every 3 years, now we are seeing landfall numerous times a year.
Can we get together and fix this please.
im havin a melt craving!!!
Vado - I'm unemployed and watchced Oprah today with my mother.
I also watched a BRILLIANT show called 'My Big Redneck Wedding' on CMT. If you have never seen it, I highly recommend it. It was amazing.
LOL!!!! Who ever are you referring to Atechno ;o) I forgot about the mint dodging. Wow, didn't think I'd get such a response to the nome de plume as nam so eloquently put it. I'm trying this one on for size at the moment. We'll see.
jump - my attic fan is installed at one of the gables and pulls the hot air out of the attic. Great in the summer, as it aids in cooling down the entire house in the evenings, but not so great in the winter.
LB - your trick worked. I just folded both pieces in half and stuffed them up over the louvers. Voila. It feels so much warmer already, even though it's just an illusion (thermometer under in the hall upstairs is still reading a measly 67 degrees).
Speaking of popcorn. Has anyone ever had kettlecorn. It's completely and utterly addictive. My co-worker and I refer to it as kettle crack.
the diagnosis of the suessicle was a bladder infection/blocked urinary tract. some crystals in the urine and a high ph. the doc suggested that I try purina one. had been feeding him felidae 'platinum' - next time I won't buy food that I'd want to eat.
Chicken meal, brown rice, white rice, cracked pearled barley, peas, millet, chicken fat (preserved with mixed tocopherols), turkey meal, lamb meal, egg product, natural flavor, flaxseed, ocean fish meal, potassium chloride, choline chloride, methionine, taurine, sun cured alfalfa meal, inulin (from chicory root), lecithin, sage extract, cranberries, beta carotene, rosemary extract, sunflower oil, yucca schidigera extract, dried enterococcus faecium, dried lactobacillus acidophilus fermentation product, dried aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, dried bacillus subtilis fermentation extract, saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation solubles, vitamin E supplement, niacin, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, zinc sulfate, manganese sulfate, copper sulfate, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin A supplement, biotin, potassium iodide, calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), vitamin B12 supplement, manganous oxide, sodium selenite, vitamin D supplement, folic acid, cobalt proteinate, organic selenium, papaya, pineapple.A year ago, we did have a close call with Purina MD, which got me a free bag of Science diet. he was on the organic feed for about 3 months, but I think the stress of the move/cold weather was the catalyst for this round of veterinarian care.
isn't melamine that white laminate cheap-ass cabinet material?
the suessicle when he was about 20lbs
LiG, that is great news. Sending out positive vibes for your review.
I had a cat for 18 years, and was totally in sync with her and putting her down was crushing. These days, however, I'm not a big fan of cats. I think I prefer the devotion of dogs to the moodiness of cats.
That said, that kitten above is so. freaking. adorable.
purina one:
Corn gluten meal, ground yellow corn, chicken, brewers rice, wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), egg product, phosphoric acid, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, animal digest, sodium caseinate, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, dried whey, defluorinated phosphate, salt, choline chloride, taurine, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, Vitamin E supplement, manganese sulfate, niacin, citric acid, Vitamin A supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, copper sulfate, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin B-12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, Vitamin D-3 supplement, calcium iodate, biotin, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), sodium selenitenow which one would taste better?
eh, my meeting was postponed until next week, we have the AIA convention all week.
speaking of cats, our male cat has had to have his anal glands purged a few times...fun times!
thanks for the good vibes. i am excited though.
i have just spent a half hour watching videos of TalkingCats!...Pearl was very curious about them.
I used to purge the puppys butt glands, it was a tricky thing to get, but when you did wow was it funny.
And vado that was a great musical selection for [strike]tuna[/strike]melt
I think many of us will find something to like here...
WonderK, our family cat was actually slowly killed by what we fed him. But we never knew about the harm until it was way too late and he was in pain with a kidney stone the size of a tangerine, no joke. We had him put down on day 2 of pain. Basically it was from a combo of high protein food (we actually fed him a mixture of fancy feast and ... can't remember the hard food) but the real thing that hurt him were the POUNCE treats. It seems they are SUPER high in protein as they are meant to be eaten very very sparingly. However our cat went crazy for them and while we didn't spoil him, we also didn't see any reason not to give him the pounce treats, like mixed in with his food. It's not like there's a warning or anything... Anyway in the end apparently he slowly built up kidney stones from the super high protein and we never knew it was a problem till he was suddenly very sick. As soon as the doctor saw it he said "do you feed this cat treats?"
So, yeah. Pretty sad story. He was about 10 though so he luckily had some good years in there.
Well, I did my number-crunching comparing various schools and scenarios, and it looks like grad school simply isn't going to happen in 2009. Even my cheapest option, City College of New York, would be prohibitively expensive without any savings because of the obscene cost of living here in NYC.
One scary thing I discovered is that the allowance CCNY gives you for living expenses when they calculate your financial aid isn't much more than the allowance the University of Cincinnati gives you... And I could live like a king in Cincy for half of what it takes barely scrape by here.
Going to the University of Cincinnati (pretty much my top pick at the moment) would be a killer during the first year, compounded by the fact that I'd have to start classes in the summer. Starting in the second year, though, things would get easier as co-op earnings start kicking in and I'd presumably be paying in-state tuition. But there's no getting around the first year expenses, plus the cost of moving and buying a car.
The good news is, if I can keep my job and build up my savings, I'll be in a pretty good position to head to UC (or anywhere else) in 2010. As an added bonus, I'll have more time to finish my BA degree and put together a killer portfolio. Wish me luck.
i went to see david adjaye lecture tonight at lacma. very great architect.
i got a feeling, he'll recieve the pritzker prize in few years. deservedly.
Cincy sounds like a good bet for you Gin. Honestly I don't understand how people live in NYC on architects' salary and don't just get glum about it all day long. I would be so depressed all the time.
manta!!!
• He would have liked to have been an architect if he were not a politician
Excellent :o)
There's a lot of cool things about living in NYC, salaries tend to be much higher here, and you don't have to own a car. That said, you still get far less for your money in terms of housing even after you factor in the salary difference, and the general quality of life leaves a lot to be desired. For example, my apartment windows and my windows at the office all face dimly-lit light wells, and offer a view of a brick wall. My commute on the subway is entirely underground, so I see the sunlight for a total of maybe 30 minutes a day if I'm lucky.
NYC is great if you're in your 20's and want to take advantage of all the city has to offer, but I think I'm reaching the age where quality of life is becoming more important to me than being in the middle of all the action. I miss my Jeep, and I miss being able to hear crickets outside my bedroom window at night. (Hell, I miss having a real bedroom, as opposed to sleeping on a futon in a tiny studio apartment.)
Of course, Cincinnati has plenty of its own major flaws (dysfunctional city/county government, right-wing political climate, etc.), so I guess my task over the next year is to decide which city is least likely to drive me batshit crazy.
hah hah great find on that 50 things about the pres-elect. I was wondering if they were winding us up with that statement, knowing that he has great support from architects almost across the board. The pet ape and the fact he speaks Spanish I think might be the most useful traits one can hope for in a new president.
Obama's new pet ape:
Good to hear that David Adjaye impresses on the Western side of the pond as well as he does on the old side.
A recent visit to his Bernie Grant Centre in London was a treat, and seeing him talk about the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver, made me think he had crossed the ocean very successfully.
Sometimes I really feel sorry for men and their fashion choices sometimes - that pic above s a great example of how little choice they actually have!
well, there are only a few men (very few) who are really expected to look 'presidential'.
i'm wearing a purple shirt with (very subtle) red and tan stripes today. not at all presidential.
Stven I'm sure your shoes are what are really keeping you from looking "presidential" - your shoes are always far too cool!
Broke out a turtleneck for the first time this season today - because I'm walking in the Naptown Veteran's Day Parade with my kid's class!
One wonders why "Stven" wasn't caught by the spell check...
Yeah Liberty I read another article that mentioned that some of Obama's high-level staff (who are expecting White House Staff positions) jokingly complained that they had to buy "grown-up" clothes for the White House visit yesterday, because they all wore relaxed clothing on the campaign. I thought that was cute.
But this:
knowing that he has great support from architects almost across the board.
...I'm not sure that's true, techno! Architects in this country tend to be conservative, I believe. Not to say they didn't support Obama, but it would be a departure from the norm.
Well, Congratulate me, I have finally coughed up the two hundred and eighty five bucks for IDP, and have my very own number. Ok, so Husband coughed it up, but in Texas, whats his is mine under the law - so there.
Nam, I pictured you much differently. I definately pictured dark brown to black hair, and more tan. Maybe its cause your name is Nam, and it makes me think of Vietnam, though I don't think I pictured you as asian. And you will have to explain that crazy Surrealism park you went to, Jantar Mantar. That place was crazy!
Yes, Melamine is crappy plastic - probably why we shouldnt eat it.
Steven, you sound very stylish today.
Theres lots of other things, but I can't organise them yet. Anybody else have that problem?
nam!
Oh my god those painted cows - I love them!
And the pics of hotel keys pretty much sums it up for me. I just stayed in a hotel where my key was a plastic magnetized card that was thrown away when I returned it to the front desk. You had metal keys on metal key fobs. That difference in material physical experience - the weight of the key, the wonder at how many hands have grasped it before you - there is a huge cultural/experiental difference there. I for one miss the shared, long-lasting objects we used to have more of in this culture.
Which reminds me: when I was in Moscow in 1991, there were "vending machines" in public parks that had a glass - a glass, made of glass - under a spout. You put in your quarter (or whatever the currency was, i can't recall) and the spout filled the glass. You drank, then put the glass back under the spout for the next person. As I recall, there was a cloth for wiping the rim of the glass before you filled it up. or maybe everyone carried a cloth handkerchief in their pocket (my dad still does this and I think it's both a lovely and pragmatic practice) to wipe it themselves. Either way, it's a mode of shared experience that I KNOW freaks most of us out today. Personally, I'm a big enough slob - and believer in a little dirt being good for us - that I have no problem with it.
if i remember right jantar mantar isn't surreal so much as astronomical. about celestial observation as a way of reading future prospects, right, nam?
if you can't go to india you may want to watch jean renoir's beautiful film "the river" also, it's pretty easy to add flair to a dark suit if you don't have to be presidential. frankly, i love wearing suits but in this day and age you fieel out of place because frankly most people don't dress too good.
thats surprisingly cheap, sarah. congrats!
interesting, LB. i felt the same about some of the wooden temples i have visited where the wood grain of the floor has been revealed from the number of people who have walked over them. the floors are so worn they are nearly ribbed, but you can slide on them in sock feet cuz they are polished too (yes i have tested this theory). amazing what a few hundred years can do. but then on other hand i don't mind at all if the key to nearby hotel is magnetic. somehow i don't have the receptors in my brain to understand nostalgia. must be my parent's fault somehow.
the vending machine is hilarious. my wife would die. japan is so 180 degrees culturally opposite from that. i would love to take her to experience something like that.
you know what, i hate to confess that i thought the prez's looked pretty good. probably i am immunised to fashion after 5 years in tokyo (its like milan here), and all the toyboy men. LB you would probably be in heaven.
kool pics nam! very jealous.
Part of me is hoping that Obama shows up at the inauguration dressed up as Flavor Flav, just to watch the racists wingnuts' heads explode.
Where do I find those painted cows?
my word of the day:
wrack
the debris left by a receding tide or waves
Cheap? Isn't it the same across the board?
congrats Sarah on starting your IDP, today is the first day of your life. On a similar note I'm supposed to be filling out my log book but haven't really looked at the documents yet.
Manatary, I agree on the conservative nature of the profession (not just in the US) but felt much of the message being sent by the big O campaign was in favour of small/medium business, green spaces, renewable energy etc - things that are paramount in any self respecting architects mind.
Atechno - could you explain that to the owners of my company? They were all up in arms after the election about how much money we are all going to lose and how ALL (you, me and the guy next door) of us are going to lose our jobs. One pretty much surmised that the world as we know it is coming to an end. In some way I hope it does, and even though I know it's going to be painful I really hope Obama and the rest of the world can staunch the bleeding before everyone runs dry. Today is the first time I've felt all out panic since last Tuesday and I have no idea why. Work is going strong for the moment. Perhaps it's b/c I can't see what's lying on the horizon for us. ACK!!!!
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