nyc building code...one of the worst code documents i've ever had the displeasure of trying to figure out... so many gaping holes and so much room for 'interpretation'... so many times i've called my code consultant and have had them respond..well it's not in there, but that's just the way it is...or 'it's in there..but nobody does it that way'...
the new code seems like a breeze in comparison so far with my minimal perusal of it...it actually seems organized and more thorough
Yeah, I'm counting down the days until this project is done and we can use the new code. The new code is based on the IBC format, which I already have a lot of experience using, so it should be like a welcome breath of fresh air.
I'm not sure which is worse: the old NYC building code, or the Chicago building code. The old NYC code is impossible to follow, and you have to look through twelve different sub-sections and reference standards just to find an answer to a simple question. The Chicago code is marginally easier to follow, but most of its provisions exist purely as make-work programs for union plumbers and electricians.
Codes ARE KILLING THE PROFESSION! I was just stuck putting in two
handicap accessible bathrooms in a 3,700 SF Liqour Store. When I ran the numbers we were at 51 occupants thus two seperate bathrooms. The truth of the matter is that the parking lot has a total
of 15 spaces and the store is in an isolated area. The likely hood of there ever being 50 people is so remote that the only way it would happen is if he started giving booze away for free. We did petition the State for a modification and they responded they did not see a hardship. Everyone was frustrated the owner the builder and myself. It seemed like a logical walk in the park. We could have petitioned the State, but that takes 30 days and the local building inspector insisted he would not provide a temporary CO....and well the owner
had Christmas Season Sales in a crappy economy just around the corner so we bit the bullet. The Contractor wanted to finish up the project so he could move on because everyday he spends pissing around means he could be making money somewhere else. I't totally frustrated...because I realize someone somewhere is just
doing their job and covering there ass without thinking about the reality of life. Sometimes I think these people in government positions live in a flat world.
Sarah, I would say that two years out of school, both real world and school work are important. Your real world work shows technical proficiency, but your school work is recent enough that is shows the sort of things you would design if you had the opportunity.
snook put a closet in there big enough to reduce the square footage to bring you occ. load under 50 and then you'll be cool. of course you could leave the doors off the closet and put booze in there.
haha, i think vado an i worked in the same office.
those workarounds for slightly silly situations were pretty much standard operating procedure for us as well. japan's building codes are performance based rather than prescriptive so it is easier here, but the ol changing of room names is so common now that it is probably enshrined.
yeh i saw that nam. max e-mailed me before he came to tokyo so we met after he arrived and he started helping out in office while getting into schoolwork. all via archinect, which is totally amazing if you stop to think about it.
his studio is i think quite awesome and his prof interestingy connected to the world. i don't agree with a lot of what tsukamoto is up to as a researcher but enjoy his architecture and the way he mixes research with practice. my own prof from the more conservative university of tokyo was replacement for Fuihiko Maki and we shared a studio space with Tadao Ando's group, which is all cool...but as you can imagine the work naturally was more about being a master architect than about dealing with society...so i am even a bit envious of the young folk who get to start their careers in such a mind-opening environment. it was not remotely like that in my day...all those years learning to compose facades and shit like a good little gropius...argh.
Were going to do the two bathrooms....I'm sure one will be filled with expensive wine and single malt whiskey with a dead bolt lock so no one has access except the owner.
BTW, if any of you guys work with really awesome wayfinding or exhibit consultants, please post their names/websites here to help me in the job search... starting research over break is much more attractive than my other projects at the moment.
SW
Dr. So & So PhD
is the proper formal salutation per Dr. TK PhD - my authority on anything to do with more graduate school beyond the masters. #2 is also acceptable.
Steven,
I would say 1 or 3. At least that is how i always addressed my professors or in my current job any doctors (of either the medical or Phd variety)
I'd think doctors who aren't MDs would be happy to be called simply "Dr. Firstname Lastname", socially certainly it makes sense. Mostly I think it depends on context: if you're addressing a holiday card, it's Dr. Firstname Lastname. if you're writing about a matter that relates to their field of study, then add the PhD.
Sarah, I agree that just one or two examples of the work you've done with your old firm plus a piece or two from school is enough. No need to go overboard and get all "designey" with a "portfolio". The people who will want to hire you will be able to read your experience level through what you show them, not how it's formatted. that said, make sure you get nice clear prints, make everything one size (like 8.5x11), although the exception to that is I think it's a good idea per tk to bring a roll of drawings if you have one - and the brochure is a good idea too. Don't panic about it, just bring stuff that is legible and dress nicely and smile/be polite.
for Liberty Bell I made a post over on the bicycle thread for all the two wheelers
Snook $1000 of grab rails, is better than a $1,000 worth of grab ass
I would enter this argument about Building Codes, as I've had an interesting turn with them, including being first reviewer of drawings whilst in Montserrat. I do believe performance based is the way of the future, especially when in the hands of professionals (architects namely). But the last time I entered this argument on archinect, about it killing the professional I was politely told off by some old fogies.
Steven ideally the letter shouldn't have a formal salutation if you are using their academic qualifications behind it. Failing such, and it is English bastardisation Dr. John Smith, Ph.d would suffice.
I got my computer back this morning. This means that it was received, repaired, and sent back out on Monday. For the record, I cannot say enough good things about Apple and their service. I heart my Mac!
So I misunderstood your issue Steven: are you addressing an envelope, or are you talking about the salutation at the beginning of a letter?
I just spent half an hour reading through Miss Manners columns, in part because I was looking for an answer to your question. but now I'm not sure I understand it. I think if it's a salutation at the top of the letter, you should leave off the PhD.
i always write to the phd people in my school like this
Dear Dr. last name.
(almost all archi-profs in uni in japan have phd and license so it comes up a lot)
no one has ever corrected me so i guess it is ok.
In my phd dissertation i included an acknowledgment to 2 friends who helped me out quite a bit. one is architect, the other phd. i neglected to prefix second friend with "Dr." and he totally noticed when he looked at the copy of book i gave him. Was terribly embarrassing. so people do notice if you forget, but don't seem to mind if you don't include all the extra goo-gahs.
sarah, you should take more than your company's brochure if you can. otherwise they will not know what you are capable of. roll of CDs would be great if the job will involve same. nothing at all might not give a very good impression.
hm, now you bring it up it is maybe time fro me to be updating my portfolio too...
Oh how I love Miss Manners. Interesting conundrum, SW.
I have to say -- the topics in play on Thread Central today have been very interesting!
LiG -- as I was reading your comments on the NYC code, I was thinking "damn that sounds just as bad if not worse than the Chicago code!" In response to this comment of yours:
The Chicago code is marginally easier to follow, but most of its provisions exist purely as make-work programs for union plumbers and electricians.
I would add that most of its provisions are also either a) redacted entirely (so as to allow the biggest possible gaping hole for the reviewer to fill with his own personal vendetta requirements or b) simply not at all followed to the letter in the real world. So far in every single project I have put through permitting in Chicago, some huge problem has come up that's held up the permitting process that simply wasn't in the code at ALL. So frustrating.
I love IBC, I wish all codes were based on it.
That said: snook -- you only need to chop 30sf off your total, then? Why not just --ahem-- double-check your square footage calculations? Are you sure one of those walls isn't 6" over from where you thought it was.........? Or..... that built-in cabinet isn't just a few feet deeper than you had thought.......? ahem.
LiG, I agree. Sounds like you've got yourself a great treadmill storage space there buddy.
SH : you should definitely bring schoolwork to show, especially since (I'm guessing) your work at your last firm probably wasn't super indicative of your design skills. One thing I've learned in this biz : if you ever want to design in the professional world, you have to show them you can design. That starts day one (interview) and continues through spending overtime to make drawings / renderings if your own alternate visions for your work projects, "accidentally" leaving your competition designs out on your desk, etc...
So, if I were you I wouldn't waste one minute on designing any kind of portfolio, since you won't have time, especially with Abram, etc -- I would simply take your best pre-existing images of your school work (assuming it's scanned or photographed already) and just print off full-page images of 2-3 of your best projects. Bring these, the brochure, a set of your best CDs from your old firm, and a couple images of work you've worked on at your firm, and be ready to talk about all. And be upfront about the portfolio thing -- people understand what it's like. Better to casually mention it than have them think "is that her idea of a portfolio?!"
oh, SW, letter to potential client? Better to err on the cautious side of formal, just in case.
"Dear Dr. So and So,
Please give me this job. I'm the best there is.
Kudos to you in advance for selecting me,
Steven the Great."
there. done!
p.s. every day for the last 2 months I have come home to a sweltering apartment, will all radiators running full blast even though I have them ALL TURNED TIGHTLY OFF, and have had to keep my windows open and battle bad sleeping and bad headaches as the temps swung wildly.
TODAY, it is most assuredly COLD outside -- frigid, in fact --and ALL MY RADIATORS ARE SIMILARLY COLD! Even though I have now opened them all up!!! What gives, my toes are freezing!
SH - that's wonderful news about the interview. I agree with everyone here, just a few samples will suffice, both from school and work. A roll of CDs is a valueable thing to have. Knock 'em dead, as I know you will... That also goes to everyone else here who has been interviewing or is set to interview.
SW - I think Dr. So & So, PhD is the way to go in salutation form. On a side note, my mother has her EdD, but whenever anyone tries to call her Dr. ****melt, she says "No, that would be my husband, just call me (first name)"
AHHHH!!!! Building departments and their codes. I'll never forget the time we were denied permit b/c the text in our entire set was the wrong text height. It was 1/16" too small.
Aw, manta, I remember us talking about this exactly a year ago - I DREAM of coming home to a hot radiator-heated apartment instead of my 62 d. house! I'd wear an undershirt and shorts, put humidifiers all around and live in a tropical-like environment all winter long if I could.
Manta - looks like our posts crossed paths. Hope your apt wamrs up soon. If all else fails, throw some rice in a sock, heat it up in the microwave (don't forget to put a cup o' water in with it) and throw it in the bottom of your bed. You'll warm up in no time.
Well, it looks like IBC is coming to my rescue. In the new NYC code, there's language that A) makes a distinction between athletic/sports facilities with spectator seating and those without, and B) stipulates that any ancillary assembly space with an occupancy of less than 75 people shall be classified as the same occupancy as the predominant occupancy of the building (business occupancy in our case).... And I was able to find all this information in about 30 seconds in the new code. We're going to use this language to argue for a reconsideration of our occupancy numbers.
Yesterday, i had the ABSOLUTELY WORST AIRLINE EXPERIENCE EVER
Background: lots of sleet and snow on the East Coast.
My flight, CO460, was supposed to leave EWR at 7:41pm EST and arrive at SAT at 11:23pm EST
Due to various delays (de-icing, weather, etc, etc), I SAT INSIDE THE AIRPLANE FROM 7:20pm until 12:10am. We did not move. It wasn't until we were on the tarmac for almost 4 hours that the pilots busted out the "Passenger Bill of Rights" rule and returned to the gate.
We got to the gate, and we were not let into the terminal for another hour.
At 1:30 am, the Continental customer representative informed me that I would not get a hotel voucher. She was actually encouraging people to spend the night in the terminal (mind you, nothing was open, and people had been on the plane for such a long time with no food ... and no water, the fucking flight attendant only passed water once during our imprisonment on the airplane ... and that was after we had been sitting on the ground for 2 hours).
Continental would not give me a hotel voucher because the flight was "delayed". However, the flight had to be cancelled b/c the crew had been working for 15 hours. They were legally required to cancel the flight. I explained to the customer representative, and she explained that the flight was still considered as "weather delayed".
I also had to wait for almost an hour for the shuttle to get me to the hotel.
I'm pretty sure that I was the only guest in the Newark Airport Howard Johnson's who was not a meth-head. That was one sketchy-ass hotel.
Continental Airlines is SO on my shitlist this holiday season. I'm marshaling my nastygram-writing skills. Continental Airlines ... be prepared. I am your worst nightmare.
Aw, hell, Smokety. I have a buttcrack-of-dawn flight for the holidays that I've been dreading for months, and your story makes me dread it all the more.
Especially since I'm flying with a 5 year old. Better fill my bag with snacks.
Hope you made it safely to your destination. Continental does suck - I'm on USAir to PDX, I think.
''A myth exists that one of the pleasures of private life is the ability to drop manners,'' she writes, correctly pointing out that ''being oneself'' is generally a euphemism for being repulsive (actually written by Julia Reed, quoting Miss Manners).
To a man who despairs that his fiancee wants ''one of those several-tiered monstrosities'' for a wedding cake, she shoots back, ''Who are you, the Mies van der Rohe of the pastry shop?''
I am going to PHX at a buttcrack flight on USAir. wouldn't it be crazy if it was the same one? hmmm.... i can dream, right?
so y'all should see me right now... there are approx. 6 blankets piled on top of me -- i marshalled all the spares PLUS the throws from the sofa -- and I've even pulled the old blanket-on-top-of-the-down-comforter routine to create an extra-insulating layer... and I'm STILL TOO COLD TO SLEEP due to the fact that my face has to remain exposed in order to breathe!
How on earth did the frontierspeople and middle-ages types do it, I wonder?
me too, we could have a TC update your portfolio week. I'm thinking of downloading scribus (I'm all about the open source software, versus the pirated stuff). Anyone else uses it? Is it a complete waste?
I've never even heard of it... but if it has good type editing and saves in a multi-page pdf format, life is probably good.
I'm going to be working on my portfolio this break as well. I also want to get a website up, and am thinking of using IndExhibit code or similar. I figure web is not my thing and there's no need to pretend that it is. So yeah, we could do some portfolio review rounds, I'd be up for that.
Morning all,
Man you all were busy after i went home.
Smokety...F+++K em... My recent international flight to India wasn't bad (even then i had a 6 hour delay which pushed back my connection to the next morning, loosing me a day of my vacation and had to stay at a hotel in Jersey) but in general domestic alway sucks... I wish i was rich and could fly in one of those first class pods all the time..
Also, does this ever happen to anyone?
I went to bed an hour earlier than normal and therefore woke up an hour before my alarm and layed there thinking ahhh, maybe i should get up and try and start my day early read a book, do yoga or something. Instead i forced myself to go back to sleep.
my day in the office starts with having to send the following to a recalcitrant client (one year late on payment):
Client-
[firm name] is facing a challenging situation due to the lack of payment for our services for [project name]. Our inability to pay for the traffic study you authorized, is now precipitating legal action to collect those fees.
It is in the project's best interest if we can resolve this situation before significant legal fees are accrued by all parties involved. Please let us know immediately what the status of your payment to us is and how you plan on preventing further negative impacts to the project.
to show you how air travel has changed. back in the winter of 80 i was living in boston mass. i was travellin home to indianastan via chicago and there was an overbooked flight. they asked passengers if any one was willing to take two hundred bucks to give up a seat and take a later flight. i said sure since i like the money. so, i waited and grabbed that other flight. well i was supposed to grab a connector but by the time we got to chicago due to some bad weather,the last connector to south bend was gone. the airline put me up at the hilton and gave me some more money i think it was fifty bucks and i caught the early flight out.(which was about a half hour flight by the way, all in all a profitable holiday season.
Techno, I can't figure scribus out. Seems like it was made for the not so design oriented types, but maybe I just didnt take the time to figure how to work it. Since its free, download it, and if you can figure it out, let me know. I might ask you for lessons.
Ok, so I contacted someone at the old firm, and asked for a half set of cds. Lets hope they can come through.
Now, I'm off to try my hand at this candy making. Yes, I know I need to get on that portfolio, but I have to give the candy away on sunday, and so that deadline is more pressing. Wish me luck!
melt, thanks for asking, let's just say the Sate of Indiana must have some arrangement where they get a kickback every time they throw something at my credit rating, even when I already have a letter from them saying I don't owe them and the mistake was on their part.
We're trying to refi our house, which is how this all started. What a stressful process. vado, that stuff I was saying about credit ratings the other day: ignore it. Protect your credit rating at all costs.
Smokety> go visit The Consumerist, they have many, MANY stories about airlines screwing people over. Also they have a strategy of sending an "Executive Email Carpet Bomb" (EECB) and all the proper channels for doing so. Sadly your story is not the first, and probably won't be the last.
manta, I have commandeered my mother's large robe that she never wears and am using it as a house coat. It's got pockets for my phone and my tissues, since I still have a cold :o(
I'm catching up on all my movies. I'll let you know how cheesy Mamma Mia is....
A gallon of gas weighs about 6.3 pounds and produces roughly 35 kilowatt hours of energy. That’s enough to burn a 100-watt light bulb continuously for more than two weeks. A lead-acid battery could do the same thing without needing a recharge—if it were the size of a desk and weighed a ton
Thread Central
nyc building code...one of the worst code documents i've ever had the displeasure of trying to figure out... so many gaping holes and so much room for 'interpretation'... so many times i've called my code consultant and have had them respond..well it's not in there, but that's just the way it is...or 'it's in there..but nobody does it that way'...
the new code seems like a breeze in comparison so far with my minimal perusal of it...it actually seems organized and more thorough
vado's right on both counts, although calling the NYC code has to be about as thrilling as getting anally probed by an alien.
don't knock til you probed it.
Yeah, I'm counting down the days until this project is done and we can use the new code. The new code is based on the IBC format, which I already have a lot of experience using, so it should be like a welcome breath of fresh air.
I'm not sure which is worse: the old NYC building code, or the Chicago building code. The old NYC code is impossible to follow, and you have to look through twelve different sub-sections and reference standards just to find an answer to a simple question. The Chicago code is marginally easier to follow, but most of its provisions exist purely as make-work programs for union plumbers and electricians.
Codes ARE KILLING THE PROFESSION! I was just stuck putting in two
handicap accessible bathrooms in a 3,700 SF Liqour Store. When I ran the numbers we were at 51 occupants thus two seperate bathrooms. The truth of the matter is that the parking lot has a total
of 15 spaces and the store is in an isolated area. The likely hood of there ever being 50 people is so remote that the only way it would happen is if he started giving booze away for free. We did petition the State for a modification and they responded they did not see a hardship. Everyone was frustrated the owner the builder and myself. It seemed like a logical walk in the park. We could have petitioned the State, but that takes 30 days and the local building inspector insisted he would not provide a temporary CO....and well the owner
had Christmas Season Sales in a crappy economy just around the corner so we bit the bullet. The Contractor wanted to finish up the project so he could move on because everyday he spends pissing around means he could be making money somewhere else. I't totally frustrated...because I realize someone somewhere is just
doing their job and covering there ass without thinking about the reality of life. Sometimes I think these people in government positions live in a flat world.
LIG best of luck!
Sarah, I would say that two years out of school, both real world and school work are important. Your real world work shows technical proficiency, but your school work is recent enough that is shows the sort of things you would design if you had the opportunity.
snook put a closet in there big enough to reduce the square footage to bring you occ. load under 50 and then you'll be cool. of course you could leave the doors off the closet and put booze in there.
ok i've looked a bunch of places and keep finding inconsistent answers. if i'm addressing a letter to a phd is it:
1. dr john smith, phd
2. dr john smith
or
3. mr john smith, phd
4. either 2 or 3, but not 1?
haha, i think vado an i worked in the same office.
those workarounds for slightly silly situations were pretty much standard operating procedure for us as well. japan's building codes are performance based rather than prescriptive so it is easier here, but the ol changing of room names is so common now that it is probably enshrined.
yeh i saw that nam. max e-mailed me before he came to tokyo so we met after he arrived and he started helping out in office while getting into schoolwork. all via archinect, which is totally amazing if you stop to think about it.
his studio is i think quite awesome and his prof interestingy connected to the world. i don't agree with a lot of what tsukamoto is up to as a researcher but enjoy his architecture and the way he mixes research with practice. my own prof from the more conservative university of tokyo was replacement for Fuihiko Maki and we shared a studio space with Tadao Ando's group, which is all cool...but as you can imagine the work naturally was more about being a master architect than about dealing with society...so i am even a bit envious of the young folk who get to start their careers in such a mind-opening environment. it was not remotely like that in my day...all those years learning to compose facades and shit like a good little gropius...argh.
what could the logo of max's university look like??? hmmmm...i'm thinking about it now...
mercantile occupancy 1 per 30 sf feet gross
storage 1 per 300 sf.
I would be building one hell of a big closet!
Were going to do the two bathrooms....I'm sure one will be filled with expensive wine and single malt whiskey with a dead bolt lock so no one has access except the owner.
It is the $1,000.00 worth of grab bars which chap my ass.
SW, my instinct is answer #4
BTW, if any of you guys work with really awesome wayfinding or exhibit consultants, please post their names/websites here to help me in the job search... starting research over break is much more attractive than my other projects at the moment.
SW
Dr. So & So PhD
is the proper formal salutation per Dr. TK PhD - my authority on anything to do with more graduate school beyond the masters. #2 is also acceptable.
I lean towards #4, as #1 seems redundant. I'd probably just go with #2 if I were in your shoes.
make one a combination humidor/accessible bathroom.
Steven,
I would say 1 or 3. At least that is how i always addressed my professors or in my current job any doctors (of either the medical or Phd variety)
I'd think doctors who aren't MDs would be happy to be called simply "Dr. Firstname Lastname", socially certainly it makes sense. Mostly I think it depends on context: if you're addressing a holiday card, it's Dr. Firstname Lastname. if you're writing about a matter that relates to their field of study, then add the PhD.
Sarah, I agree that just one or two examples of the work you've done with your old firm plus a piece or two from school is enough. No need to go overboard and get all "designey" with a "portfolio". The people who will want to hire you will be able to read your experience level through what you show them, not how it's formatted. that said, make sure you get nice clear prints, make everything one size (like 8.5x11), although the exception to that is I think it's a good idea per tk to bring a roll of drawings if you have one - and the brochure is a good idea too. Don't panic about it, just bring stuff that is legible and dress nicely and smile/be polite.
for Liberty Bell I made a post over on the bicycle thread for all the two wheelers
Snook $1000 of grab rails, is better than a $1,000 worth of grab ass
I would enter this argument about Building Codes, as I've had an interesting turn with them, including being first reviewer of drawings whilst in Montserrat. I do believe performance based is the way of the future, especially when in the hands of professionals (architects namely). But the last time I entered this argument on archinect, about it killing the professional I was politely told off by some old fogies.
Steven ideally the letter shouldn't have a formal salutation if you are using their academic qualifications behind it. Failing such, and it is English bastardisation Dr. John Smith, Ph.d would suffice.
Steven, wouldn't it be "Dear Dr. Smith"?
I got my computer back this morning. This means that it was received, repaired, and sent back out on Monday. For the record, I cannot say enough good things about Apple and their service. I heart my Mac!
Nice one, techno, thank you!
So I misunderstood your issue Steven: are you addressing an envelope, or are you talking about the salutation at the beginning of a letter?
I just spent half an hour reading through Miss Manners columns, in part because I was looking for an answer to your question. but now I'm not sure I understand it. I think if it's a salutation at the top of the letter, you should leave off the PhD.
so if i had given 6 choices, would different ones of you have made sure that all of those were represented?!
kidding. it's fine.
it's for a letter to a potential client and i'm just not sure. if there is so much disagreement, that means there's no universal standard, right?
i always write to the phd people in my school like this
Dear Dr. last name.
(almost all archi-profs in uni in japan have phd and license so it comes up a lot)
no one has ever corrected me so i guess it is ok.
In my phd dissertation i included an acknowledgment to 2 friends who helped me out quite a bit. one is architect, the other phd. i neglected to prefix second friend with "Dr." and he totally noticed when he looked at the copy of book i gave him. Was terribly embarrassing. so people do notice if you forget, but don't seem to mind if you don't include all the extra goo-gahs.
sarah, you should take more than your company's brochure if you can. otherwise they will not know what you are capable of. roll of CDs would be great if the job will involve same. nothing at all might not give a very good impression.
hm, now you bring it up it is maybe time fro me to be updating my portfolio too...
Oh how I love Miss Manners. Interesting conundrum, SW.
I have to say -- the topics in play on Thread Central today have been very interesting!
LiG -- as I was reading your comments on the NYC code, I was thinking "damn that sounds just as bad if not worse than the Chicago code!" In response to this comment of yours:
The Chicago code is marginally easier to follow, but most of its provisions exist purely as make-work programs for union plumbers and electricians.
I would add that most of its provisions are also either a) redacted entirely (so as to allow the biggest possible gaping hole for the reviewer to fill with his own personal vendetta requirements or b) simply not at all followed to the letter in the real world. So far in every single project I have put through permitting in Chicago, some huge problem has come up that's held up the permitting process that simply wasn't in the code at ALL. So frustrating.
I love IBC, I wish all codes were based on it.
That said: snook -- you only need to chop 30sf off your total, then? Why not just --ahem-- double-check your square footage calculations? Are you sure one of those walls isn't 6" over from where you thought it was.........? Or..... that built-in cabinet isn't just a few feet deeper than you had thought.......? ahem.
LiG, I agree. Sounds like you've got yourself a great treadmill storage space there buddy.
SH : you should definitely bring schoolwork to show, especially since (I'm guessing) your work at your last firm probably wasn't super indicative of your design skills. One thing I've learned in this biz : if you ever want to design in the professional world, you have to show them you can design. That starts day one (interview) and continues through spending overtime to make drawings / renderings if your own alternate visions for your work projects, "accidentally" leaving your competition designs out on your desk, etc...
So, if I were you I wouldn't waste one minute on designing any kind of portfolio, since you won't have time, especially with Abram, etc -- I would simply take your best pre-existing images of your school work (assuming it's scanned or photographed already) and just print off full-page images of 2-3 of your best projects. Bring these, the brochure, a set of your best CDs from your old firm, and a couple images of work you've worked on at your firm, and be ready to talk about all. And be upfront about the portfolio thing -- people understand what it's like. Better to casually mention it than have them think "is that her idea of a portfolio?!"
oh, SW, letter to potential client? Better to err on the cautious side of formal, just in case.
"Dear Dr. So and So,
Please give me this job. I'm the best there is.
Kudos to you in advance for selecting me,
Steven the Great."
there. done!
p.s. every day for the last 2 months I have come home to a sweltering apartment, will all radiators running full blast even though I have them ALL TURNED TIGHTLY OFF, and have had to keep my windows open and battle bad sleeping and bad headaches as the temps swung wildly.
TODAY, it is most assuredly COLD outside -- frigid, in fact --and ALL MY RADIATORS ARE SIMILARLY COLD! Even though I have now opened them all up!!! What gives, my toes are freezing!
SH - that's wonderful news about the interview. I agree with everyone here, just a few samples will suffice, both from school and work. A roll of CDs is a valueable thing to have. Knock 'em dead, as I know you will... That also goes to everyone else here who has been interviewing or is set to interview.
SW - I think Dr. So & So, PhD is the way to go in salutation form. On a side note, my mother has her EdD, but whenever anyone tries to call her Dr. ****melt, she says "No, that would be my husband, just call me (first name)"
AHHHH!!!! Building departments and their codes. I'll never forget the time we were denied permit b/c the text in our entire set was the wrong text height. It was 1/16" too small.
Aw, manta, I remember us talking about this exactly a year ago - I DREAM of coming home to a hot radiator-heated apartment instead of my 62 d. house! I'd wear an undershirt and shorts, put humidifiers all around and live in a tropical-like environment all winter long if I could.
Sorry to hear it's cold tonight though!
Manta - looks like our posts crossed paths. Hope your apt wamrs up soon. If all else fails, throw some rice in a sock, heat it up in the microwave (don't forget to put a cup o' water in with it) and throw it in the bottom of your bed. You'll warm up in no time.
Well, it looks like IBC is coming to my rescue. In the new NYC code, there's language that A) makes a distinction between athletic/sports facilities with spectator seating and those without, and B) stipulates that any ancillary assembly space with an occupancy of less than 75 people shall be classified as the same occupancy as the predominant occupancy of the building (business occupancy in our case).... And I was able to find all this information in about 30 seconds in the new code. We're going to use this language to argue for a reconsideration of our occupancy numbers.
Okay, I'm going to vent. You have been warned.
Yesterday, i had the ABSOLUTELY WORST AIRLINE EXPERIENCE EVER
Background: lots of sleet and snow on the East Coast.
My flight, CO460, was supposed to leave EWR at 7:41pm EST and arrive at SAT at 11:23pm EST
Due to various delays (de-icing, weather, etc, etc), I SAT INSIDE THE AIRPLANE FROM 7:20pm until 12:10am. We did not move. It wasn't until we were on the tarmac for almost 4 hours that the pilots busted out the "Passenger Bill of Rights" rule and returned to the gate.
We got to the gate, and we were not let into the terminal for another hour.
At 1:30 am, the Continental customer representative informed me that I would not get a hotel voucher. She was actually encouraging people to spend the night in the terminal (mind you, nothing was open, and people had been on the plane for such a long time with no food ... and no water, the fucking flight attendant only passed water once during our imprisonment on the airplane ... and that was after we had been sitting on the ground for 2 hours).
Continental would not give me a hotel voucher because the flight was "delayed". However, the flight had to be cancelled b/c the crew had been working for 15 hours. They were legally required to cancel the flight. I explained to the customer representative, and she explained that the flight was still considered as "weather delayed".
I also had to wait for almost an hour for the shuttle to get me to the hotel.
I'm pretty sure that I was the only guest in the Newark Airport Howard Johnson's who was not a meth-head. That was one sketchy-ass hotel.
Continental Airlines is SO on my shitlist this holiday season. I'm marshaling my nastygram-writing skills. Continental Airlines ... be prepared. I am your worst nightmare.
Aw, hell, Smokety. I have a buttcrack-of-dawn flight for the holidays that I've been dreading for months, and your story makes me dread it all the more.
Especially since I'm flying with a 5 year old. Better fill my bag with snacks.
Hope you made it safely to your destination. Continental does suck - I'm on USAir to PDX, I think.
Two quick Miss Manners quotes bwfore bed:
''A myth exists that one of the pleasures of private life is the ability to drop manners,'' she writes, correctly pointing out that ''being oneself'' is generally a euphemism for being repulsive (actually written by Julia Reed, quoting Miss Manners).
To a man who despairs that his fiancee wants ''one of those several-tiered monstrosities'' for a wedding cake, she shoots back, ''Who are you, the Mies van der Rohe of the pastry shop?''
liberty -- are you going to PDX, or PHX???
I am going to PHX at a buttcrack flight on USAir. wouldn't it be crazy if it was the same one? hmmm.... i can dream, right?
so y'all should see me right now... there are approx. 6 blankets piled on top of me -- i marshalled all the spares PLUS the throws from the sofa -- and I've even pulled the old blanket-on-top-of-the-down-comforter routine to create an extra-insulating layer... and I'm STILL TOO COLD TO SLEEP due to the fact that my face has to remain exposed in order to breathe!
How on earth did the frontierspeople and middle-ages types do it, I wonder?
me too, we could have a TC update your portfolio week. I'm thinking of downloading scribus (I'm all about the open source software, versus the pirated stuff). Anyone else uses it? Is it a complete waste?
I've never even heard of it... but if it has good type editing and saves in a multi-page pdf format, life is probably good.
I'm going to be working on my portfolio this break as well. I also want to get a website up, and am thinking of using IndExhibit code or similar. I figure web is not my thing and there's no need to pretend that it is. So yeah, we could do some portfolio review rounds, I'd be up for that.
Awww Smokety that sucks. GIve them hell. There is absolutely no reason for ANYONE to be treated like that, especially when you pay that kind of money.
As for the portolio thing, I'd be up for it to especially with my first real design project coming to an end.
Morning all,
Man you all were busy after i went home.
Smokety...F+++K em... My recent international flight to India wasn't bad (even then i had a 6 hour delay which pushed back my connection to the next morning, loosing me a day of my vacation and had to stay at a hotel in Jersey) but in general domestic alway sucks... I wish i was rich and could fly in one of those first class pods all the time..
Also, does this ever happen to anyone?
I went to bed an hour earlier than normal and therefore woke up an hour before my alarm and layed there thinking ahhh, maybe i should get up and try and start my day early read a book, do yoga or something. Instead i forced myself to go back to sleep.
my day in the office starts with having to send the following to a recalcitrant client (one year late on payment):
Client-
[firm name] is facing a challenging situation due to the lack of payment for our services for [project name]. Our inability to pay for the traffic study you authorized, is now precipitating legal action to collect those fees.
It is in the project's best interest if we can resolve this situation before significant legal fees are accrued by all parties involved. Please let us know immediately what the status of your payment to us is and how you plan on preventing further negative impacts to the project.
Sincerely,
TK
project manager
to show you how air travel has changed. back in the winter of 80 i was living in boston mass. i was travellin home to indianastan via chicago and there was an overbooked flight. they asked passengers if any one was willing to take two hundred bucks to give up a seat and take a later flight. i said sure since i like the money. so, i waited and grabbed that other flight. well i was supposed to grab a connector but by the time we got to chicago due to some bad weather,the last connector to south bend was gone. the airline put me up at the hilton and gave me some more money i think it was fifty bucks and i caught the early flight out.(which was about a half hour flight by the way, all in all a profitable holiday season.
Techno, I can't figure scribus out. Seems like it was made for the not so design oriented types, but maybe I just didnt take the time to figure how to work it. Since its free, download it, and if you can figure it out, let me know. I might ask you for lessons.
Ok, so I contacted someone at the old firm, and asked for a half set of cds. Lets hope they can come through.
Now, I'm off to try my hand at this candy making. Yes, I know I need to get on that portfolio, but I have to give the candy away on sunday, and so that deadline is more pressing. Wish me luck!
Oh for f*ck's sake just managing your credit rating is a full-time job. I need a wife.
Awww LB what happened? Hope everything is okay.
melt, thanks for asking, let's just say the Sate of Indiana must have some arrangement where they get a kickback every time they throw something at my credit rating, even when I already have a letter from them saying I don't owe them and the mistake was on their part.
We're trying to refi our house, which is how this all started. What a stressful process. vado, that stuff I was saying about credit ratings the other day: ignore it. Protect your credit rating at all costs.
Smokety> go visit The Consumerist, they have many, MANY stories about airlines screwing people over. Also they have a strategy of sending an "Executive Email Carpet Bomb" (EECB) and all the proper channels for doing so. Sadly your story is not the first, and probably won't be the last.
manta, I have commandeered my mother's large robe that she never wears and am using it as a house coat. It's got pockets for my phone and my tissues, since I still have a cold :o(
I'm catching up on all my movies. I'll let you know how cheesy Mamma Mia is....
Thanks for the suggestion, WonderK!
oh no! that's a scary thing to read on tc when checking from an airport lounge. hello guys. here until my batteries run out.
A gallon of gas weighs about 6.3 pounds and produces roughly 35 kilowatt hours of energy. That’s enough to burn a 100-watt light bulb continuously for more than two weeks. A lead-acid battery could do the same thing without needing a recharge—if it were the size of a desk and weighed a ton
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