well, trying not to has worked for women everywhere, so it's worth a shot, right?

Does that mean that I should be trying to, if it works in reverse like that?

i always thought, until recently, that you got a girl pregnant by kissing her on the lips. gawsh, i feel like a dork.

Good Morning TC-

I had a dream last night that I ate lunch with Steven, vado and LB at LB's house. Time to get workin.

didja wake up in a cold sweat?

I'd say Straw really is baking then.

I dig Shovels

g'morning Thread Central. What a morning - sigh. Anyway I'm here sitting in my home office (what really is my father's library). I have no projects working on but that doesn't mean the practice of architecture cannot exist. I think I may take on an urban project, a series of interventions for the city, aiming towards the middle ground of gentrification and slums.

Orhan, I'm in agreement. with everything you wrote about Glen Smalls. The movie certainly makes it seem he was screwed by Sci-Arc, and I wonder if they are kicking themselves now for not having an early rebellious leader in eco design still on faculty? They should be!

I do feel like the movie reminded me how little of the "architect's personality" I have. I'm happy, though. Glen seems very sad, and I'm glad the movie was able to help him renew his relationship with at least one of his kids.

He seems, like many architects and sadly like many highly successful people in other businesses, to have an inability to see other people as equal human beings at the center of their own worlds. He seems to view people - definitely women - as players in his world who re either cooperative with him or not. I'm very, very curious what his relationship with his only son is.

It's impossible to tell if someone's non-functional relationships with family and lack of business success cause their depression or vice versa. There are no clear answers at all. So maybe that's very appropriate for an architect, since architecture never has a "right" answer either!

LB - just out of curiosity, was there a specific reason you didn't watch "My Architect"?

No, slart. I just never got around to it. When it came out I lived in Philly and there was a huge local AIA buzz around it, with viewing parties and whatnot, but I just never got around to it! I will one of these days. Wait, you're in Philly too, right? Were you there back then?

you all are just players in my world...aren't you?!

I was in Philly then, LB. Strange. I went to the theatre and saw it with my school. Everybody looked at me when the Radio anouncer said the Kimbel looked like feed barns, and couldn't see what the big deal was. I cringed.

Yup, I was (and still) in Philly. I don't remember how, but I did get tickets for the premiere at Prince Music Theatre. Nathaniel Kahn was there at the premiere, but I didn't introduce myself in person for obvious reasons.

I have the DVD, not necessarily because I liked the movie or because I am a huge fan of Kahn's private life. I got it because I like the music, the refreshingly real awkward moments, using buildings as characters, Edmund Bacon's visible anger and frustration. I heard Venturi's interview was great but was cut in the film for length. I was looking for it on the DVD but I couldn't find it anywhere.

Aw hell I just remember I have a DVD copy of Frank Gehry Sketches that I haven't watched yet - my mother in law gave it to me for Christmas LAST year!

I'm just lazy, is my only excuse. Steven, can I be a player in your world if I'm just basically lazy?

uhmm Slartibartfast - I'm sorry but I have no idea what the obvious reason for not introducing yourself to Nathaniel Kahn. Come on spill the beans. All this mention about architectural films is making me think to get some new architecture films. Anyone remember the name of that thread with the full listing of architectural films (ie. featuring architects or with architecture as the central theme and/or setting)??

Well, basically there were a lot of people there and I'm simply spineless. I did talk to Cameron a couple times in person although I think the meetings took place 6-7 years apart and I doubt he remembers it.

Slart, I took a gulp of wine, put on a big smile, and walked right up to Aaron Betsky to introduce myself recently. He was in that everything's-set-up-already killing time pre-lecture state of mind, and he seemed happy to have someone to talk to. I was nervous, but glad I did it. He's totally amazing, BTW.

whats the biggy...its not like these people are famous or notorious even.

Not as significantly as you are, anyway, vado!

I must say I was more nervous meeting Liberty, Steven and Vado than I was Bjarke. You guys are archinect idols!!

Meeting you was a huge deal, techno, and a wonderful one. I'm so happy how that whole afternoon went down (except for Steven not being abel to drink with us).

thanks for rubbing in again, lb. dammit.

I'm all set and ready for a repeat performance (less the dodgy greyhound ride). And I hear that there will be an OPEN Architecture component as well, think we can rope Cameron into the mix?

Man it has been dead.
What is everyone doing working?

Were over in the grilled-cheese thread hording sammiches and committing acts of culinary barbarism.

I drove my partner's partner to the airport today in his new BMW. I goosed it a few times on the freeway back home just to see what it could do.

Nice car, very luxurious ride, LOTS of power, but...boring. For one thing, it's standard transmission - I don't understand standard, there's nothing to do while you drive! And it's a luxury vehicle, not a sports car: you don't feel the road, there's no real driving experience. It's also a convertible but has zero road noise with the top up (it's 14 degrees here today, so no top down driving - though i did have my car's top down a few days ago when it was 42) - which I guess makes it easier to have a conversation but denies you of the sensation of being close to the sky.

Lucky for my checkbook I honestly prefer my 15 year old Miata. It's just damn fun to drive!

LB, you can shift the automatic trans in a BMW, and you have to put it in sport mode to really have fun with it.

And you guys will never guess what I did today...

I made Dal, or a variation of it. I didnt have any whole wheat flour, so I used what I had, All Purpose. It turned out perfect. Something in between a flour tortia and naan. I'm quite pleased.

Darling Lib(elle) its not about what that car does, its about how it looks and what that makes others do.

I'm Lib Bell...was turning heads...and she doesn't need a bmw to do that.

*spoken like some preachers from my past*

GrillllllleDUH...CHEES-UH SAAAAAAMMMMWWWWWIICHESSS-uh.

lb when your miata finally runs out of gas maybe you could get a Caterham Brian and Angus can build it for ya.

lol @ perioddotbritches!!!

Sarah H I love Dal (daal) - but I hope you mean this one. Mrs.Dr.Girlfriend (monarch reference) made some for me whilst we were chillaxing on the coast. I was most impressed

LB am I figuring you correctly about the standard BMW being that there was nothing to do but drive? Versus playing with the radio, blackberry'ing (as I do in traffic! Sure I'm going to get a few tickets for that), fixing your hair, making telephone calls, applying makeup and the all important repremand children in the back seat <- a person favourite to watch!!

first day of class semester 2 complete

Oh man, LB, I have that realization pretty much EVERY DAY. I totally, totally sympathize!

awesome mrs. dr. girlfriend reference, techno! my favorite show.

Well, apparently, its chipati/chapati - I dont know. But it made for some very tasty beef gyros!

cheers @ mantaray

LB I was reading this and you came to mind as well as those now relocating to their homes (much more appropriate than saying laid-off)

im the one without the architect personality. or hell anykind of personality!

Hi gang. I just went with my stepsister and her manfriend to the new Lucky Strike lanes at LA Live. They have a dress code; it's like a club. I mean, it wasn't a problem for me but a bowling alley? With a dress code? Good luck with that attitude in this economy, folks....

thanks for the run down on the movie lb! he never really talks about the son. i think he is pretty much mother's son.
for all the women in his life he has been pretty difficult to handle. he is either too obsessive or aloof. i just saw his ex girlfriend (she is in the movie) who is also my old friend the other day and she was telling how difficult their final days were.
he is feeling better in nicaragua and already designing a house for one of the most important person in that country.
i am glad he went. he was pretty cornered here.
sci arc would never hire glen back because he is very outspoken and they don't like that stuff there anymore.
i really think sci arc jumped the shark. too bad because for a long time it inspired a lot of people. current management is in fact very boring and favors self centered advancement over substance. students are naive and easily fooled. totally outmoded one man rule. maybe they just don't know any better to topple this guy. because eom scares all of them with his arrogance and demeaning tone.
they need a new direction and fire about 90% of the faculty, change the building and re-start small again.

< hidden message?

vado: you are a ghost in a machine

SH,
Next time you should try dhaal and chapati's together. Nothing like some freshly buttered and hot chapati (or even rothi) with a steaming bowl of spicy mung bean soup....
Ah now i am nostalgic for India.

Anywho. Good morning all.

i used to be an awesome bowler. last game i bowled while totally drunk was a 240. but i got elbow probs. my brother was an awesome bowler as well as was his exbrother in law. wtf. i am from indiana. i abide. anywaze we are havin what passes in indianapolis as a snowstorm ie two inches of snow.

not a ghost in the machine. a cog in the wheel perhaps.

sand in the vaseline.

there are guys in my office that bowl seriously. like, they don't even drink while bowling. i simply don't understand it. to me, bowling is a drinking activity. without beer....???

beer increases one's ability to bowl. anyway bowling balls and lanes are very differnt these days. so asterisks should appear next to all the records. the balls are synthetic the lanes are synthetic etc. bowling alley funeral home good thesis project.

Either beer or the drink of the Dude (as in White Russian)..

Orhan they played that scene at the panel discussion where he was categorizing all the participants as if that one event was the reason SciArc let him go and he's been shunned ever since. I thought it was funny and not at all nasty - did those guys (Gehry included) really not have a sense of humor about themselves? What babies.

Also I was frustrated at the lack of buildings in the movie. Only exterior shots (and not good ones) of so many of his houses. But that's what happens when a nonarchitect makes a movie about a person - and as she said in her narration, all of Glen's home movies were long shots of buildings and beaches and the world, not people!

Glad Nicaragua is going well for him Sounds ideal to me right now in this 9 degree weather.

I was thinking just yesterday, that I'm ready for spring. Dont get me wrong, I like jackets and sweaters, but I've worn them all already, so its time to move on. Global warming isn't coming fast enough.

I found some gift cards with 75 bucks on them, and can finally get some jeans that fit. I wont have saggy-bottom anymore.

wow, that movie might be hard for me to watch. i can't sit through tv shows or movies where the character is self-destructive. a real person would be worse. comes from growing up in community where self-destruction was the norm rather than the exception, i guess. makes me cringe. but am glad there is a happy epilogue to be added t the tale.

dress code for bowling? like no shoes no shirt no service sort of thing? i remember when i was like 5 and mcdonalds started insisting we stop going in with just shorts on in the summer. totally made the experience so inconvenient.

LB, what will you do when all cars are lectric? those things are quiet too, i hear.

interesting you feel that way about sci-arc orhan. when i was doing undergrad in 90's everyone wanted to go there. maybe is related to apparent trend in recent crop of young folk who take life more serious than their parents and seem to crave rules and regulations as well...? are we heading to rebirth of organisation-man-in-a-baggy-gray-suit america?

I just recieved the mail: one item of interest, "This Old House" wants me back so bad they are giving me a Senior Discount. Eleven issues for $10.00. How can I go wrong that is less expensive than a twelve pack of beer, or sending less expensive than sending 32 first class letters. You think they might be in financial trouble and need to up there subscription base....or do you think it might be a big ponze scheme following in the footsteps of Bernie Madoff?

Snook,
I have actually been thinking along similar lines.
Now that i am a bit more financially secure than a year or two ago (directly post-grad school graduation)
I have been thinking about getting some magazine and newspaper subscriptions. They are usually so ridiculously cheap. At leats a syou said when compared to a bottle of boze or a night out.

And although i read most everything i read online. I do love the analog(ness) of print media.