Is this week over yet? Seems like every evening this week I've gone home with a splitting headache and in a pissy mood. And if I haven't developed full-blown carpal tunnel by the time I go home today, it will be a miracle.
Place is shutting down early for an end of project happy hour. I'm beginning to panic as I haven't heard anything in weeks about the up and coming project I'm supposed to be working on. Hope like hell I still have a job in a month.
Today sucks. Well, I suck. While in theory the strawberry icing sounded good, and it tastes deliscious (like ice cream) it just doesnt hold up. My cakes over flowed their pans, then they fell, I'm not sure ones cooked all the way, and the strawberry icing wont set, it just drips off the dome that is the cattipillar's head. So, I cant put on the eyes or the antenae. It blows. Big Donley Balls, thats what it blows.
Glad everyone else is glad its friday. Hope things get better for those of you who are having crappy days. Happy Hour would be nice; that'd make things much much better.
I just came in from the cold. I have been picking up a few measurements for an up and coming project I will be starting on.
I field measured what is known as "The Doll House" some four years
ago but then there was a change of heart and we did a green house instood. The property sold a couple weeks ago and I just happens the new owners are also my clients and now they want to do revamp the doll house with and additon. So I have to jump into it asap inorder to have the project complete by August. So I will most likely be here this weekend.
Sarah, put the icing in the freezer for awhile. It may just need to be colder. If it's really too wet, it should firm up with a little more confectioner's sugar, no?
yeah, i tried all of that. none of it worked. The water from the strawberries in not getting along with the butter in the buttercream, and so it looks like a curdled mess, or maybe one of those snowballs? Oh well.
ahh, it's buttercream... hmm. you may have wanted to go with a simple sugar icing on this one. yes adding veggies or fresh fruits to anything will enormously change your wet ingredients ratio b/c they basically ooze water slowly like a sponge. even drying them on towels doesn't always work... in cooking you can salt veggies (like eggplants) to draw the water out ahead of time but doesn't work with fruits.
hmm... can't think of a fix to this one. sorry sarah!
manta, Border Collies and Australian Shepherds are similar in look, shape and size but they are not the same. I originally wanted to get a border collie but heard so many stories like the one you told, and then I read about it - what you said is true, they really just want to work. And they are VERY smart. I think Australian Shepherds are a bit more relaxed; they are gaining in popularity as a family dog, and I think if I got a really slow one, like our Huey was last year, then I would be OK. :o)
sarah - next time you could try to reduce the strawberries in a little sugar over heat, then strain and cool and add to the buttercream - which might solve the liquid problem...
personally, if it has sugar and butter, it doesn't matter what it looks like. You can't go wrong with sugar and butter.
wait Liberty were you at my critique? Hmmm Anyway I was doing what you were doing, but it was my class and invited young breed of jury members in. They had fun and some of the students bought us a beer when we were finished. Yah! I love my job.
Oh and mid way through the crit PricewaterhouseCooper called, I have another interview on Monday. TK maybe you need to move further south
I think it is time Techno....call for a work Party for his house. Us northerners could all use a break from the weather. I'm going to go to a museum today just to get out of the house. Actually it is a small museum but has very high quality art. All the art is by American Artist.
I actually did go to a happy hour yesterday and it helped set my mind at ease. Happy hour was a misnomer as some of us ended up staying until close to 10pm. One had too much to drink so we all stayed until she sobered up. I really do heart my co-workers, even the crazy ones have endearing qualities. Our principles are working hard to get projects in(opening into new areas they've never looked at before), but just as soon as something looks promising, the rugs seem to pulled out from under us. It's always the same thing.... we're going to do it, but just not until the economy is back on the right track again. ARGH!!!!!
Snook - that project sounds kinda cool.
Anyway, lots to do today and I already have had a late start.
Here's hoping everything works out, melt. We don't need any more unemployed TC regulars.
How bad is it in other Cincinnati firms? I imagine things are shitty all over, but maybe especially bad in Cincy and other mid-size Midwestern cities. Lately I've been itching to move back there, and UC is probably my top choice for grad school, but I can't help but be worried about local job prospects, both for co-op and for permanent work after graduation.
LIG - Why do you suspect Cincinnati is doing SO much worse than the larger cities? That's a rather arrogant "big city" point of view you have. Most of the larger firms in Cincy (including my own firm) work on national accounts and design stuff all over the country and beyond. Hell, my firm just opened up an office in Abu Dhabi. Most everything that is falling through the cracks is the national/international stuff, the local stuff though few and far between seems slightly more stable. It's bad all over in our industry, doesn't matter the size of the city.
I didn't mean to sound like I was dissing Cincy... I love the city a lot and hope to eventually move back there. But according to a lot of the news I've been reading, the upper Midwest in general and Ohio in particular have been lagging economically even before this crisis got underway, and are now poised to be especially hurt by this recession.
Maybe Cincy is the exception, as they're fortunate to be home to a lot of major companies like P&G and Kroger, and I think the city is poised to attract a lot of creative talent if the local political leadership is able to get its act together... Hopefully the city will be able to weather this storm better than some of the other cities in the region. Cincinnati has traditionally fared better than a lot of other places in past recessions, but the nature of the economy has changed a lot in recent years and this recession is shaping up to be a particularly bad one.
I'm curious about how bad the job market is for architects in Cincinnati right now, compared to other places. Have the big firms like KZF and Glaserworks been having the same sort of mass layoffs that firms in NYC and Chicago have been having?
1. Las Vegas / Paradise, NV
2. Detroit / Warren / Livonia, MI
3. Atlanta / Sandy Springs / Marietta, GA
4. Greensboro / High Point, NC
5. Dayton, OH
6. Phoenix / Mesa / Scottsdale, AZ
7. Orlando, FL
8. Kansas City, MO / Kansas City, KS
9-10. Jacksonville, FL and Indianapolis, IN (tie)
11. Miami / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami Beach, FL
12. Chicago / Naperville / Joliet, IL
13. Tampa / St. Petersburg / Clearwater, FL
14. Bakersfield, CA
15. Cincinnati, OH / Middletown, KY and Charlotte / Gastonia / Concord, NC (tie)
Maybe NYC could ship a couple million people to these places... It would lower rents here (and make commuting less of a nightmare), and boost the numbers of the cities that need it most.
I'm living thru another slush storm. It started raining this morning about 10:00 and has turned to wet snow. The snow is falling straight out of the sky, it is a bit like the old time movies where snow always fell straight out of the sky.
I took the dogs out for a walk because they just don't give a damn if it is snowing...cause they like to make yellow snow ....along with rolling in the snow.
They have this little senerio where Frito moves in under my desk , then trys to climb up in my lap. Matisse usually at this point in time is laying on the couch in the living room and upon hearing the noise comes running and gives me a complete body block. There is no way of escaping this team of dogs desiring a trip outside. Somehow they know when it is weekend and they escalate this behavior.
snook, I think it's time you posted more pictures of your dogs. I love dogs.
****melt, how is MountainMelt? You haven't mentioned him lately?....I am just wondering because I remembered his lovely dog too, LOL.
Is it overly gooey of me to send thank you notes to firms just for looking at my resume and then telling me that they've done so? I usually send thank you notes after interviews but I feel like I can't take anything for granted in this economy...
snook - isn't frito a non-lap dog? In other words he's a bigger dog, right? I'm having a hard time viualizing Matisse body blocking you. It's funny how animals seem to know the schedules of their owners. My cats won't let me sleep much later then my alarm clock goes off during the week but won't think to bother me for an extra hour on the weekends. You definitely need to post more photos of the "kids".
WK - Funny you should mention mountain-melt. Things seem to be progressing slowly but surely with him of late. Much subtle flirtation of late... at least by me. But he WAS the only one noticed I got new glasses (they are very similar to my old ones), and along with a few other things I like to believe that there may some interest there on his part... but only time will tell. I lent him my copy of Cradle to Cradle so hopefully one day soon we can have a thorough discussion of it.
vado - HA!!!! Is this a challenge. We'll see who wins the title of "Master Napper".
melt, you just need to keep being subtle and totally awesome. I think he is the slow and steady type. Tell him to bring in his dog so you can play with it while you talk about Cradle to Cradle....also it scares me how blond your children would be, LOL.
Hi all. i spent the day at the memorial service for my gfs mother.
I hope people say that many nice things about me when i pass on.
SH and others. Buttercream is my favorite topping for cake. But definelty need to reduce (etc) berries before adding) to get juice out. maybe even dry them and then grind into powder??
Also, archi, do you have an interview with, Pricewaterhouse Cooper?? If so doing what?
Here is a comment from Charles Mudede on Slog about the top two entrants on the "Emptiest Cities" list:
What makes this piece of information significant? It can be found in the fact that Detroit is the capital of industrial America, and Las Vegas is the capital of postindustrial Ameirca. And in the way that the decline of Detroit marked the decline of the industrial base (Fordist production) and its related superstructure (disciplinary society), the decline of Las Vegas marks the decline of the postindustrial base (service economy) and its related superstructure (control society). We can now stop learning from Las Vegas, which has its terminal point in Dubai.
Personally, I hesitate to put any significance at all in a list that finds Chicago to be an "empty" city in the same vein as Detroit. "Empty" has a lot of resonance that available real estate does not signify.
Living in Gin, do you read The Urbanophile? Lots of midwest transit and urban goodness there, seems right up your alley.
nam: I didn't rally realize you had a gf. That's nice to hear. I was thinking, when I read that, that we've seen some significant life events like babies and relocations and buying a house and whatnot here on TC, when will we see a wedding?! I don't think we've had one yet.
Agreed, LB... And I was surprised that St. Louis didn't appear on that list. I've never been there, but everything I've heard about St. Louis indicates that it's in far worse condition than Chicago, Cincinnati, or Indianapolis. Stuff like that makes me question the methodology of such rankings. It's interesting to note, though, that I've lived in three of the cities on that list, and have visited most of the others at some point.
Thanks for the link to the Urbanophile blog... I've seen it mentioned here and there, and it certainly looks informative. Guess I'll have to add it to my reading list.
Maybe it's just another round of normal homesickness combined with a particularly crappy week here in NYC during which I feel like I'm trapped on a small island with 8 million other people who annoy the living shit out of me, but Cincinnati is looking better and better to me lately. In comparing the cost of living, even if I were to take a 50% salary cut in moving from NYC to Cincinnati, I'd still be able to afford a generously-sized one-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood, compared to the cramped studio in the marginal neighborhood I'm living in now.
But earlier this evening I came across the 2005 AIA Salary Survey while looking for something else on my computer. If the AIA numbers are to be believed, in reality I'd only be taking about a 20% salary cut for a comparable position, which makes Cincy that much more appealing. I'd be able to afford a much nicer apartment, and I'd be able to save up and buy a house or condo much sooner than I would ever hope to do here in NYC.
Then, of course, there are the other factors:
1) Having my family and some old friends nearby. They're not getting any younger.
2) Being able to own a car and not be totally dependent on public transit. (Not terribly "green" for me to say that, but I really miss driving.)
3) Having grass and trees outside my windows, instead of a brick wall and somebody else's apartment window.
4) Being able to see sunlight for more than 10 minutes a day.
5) Being able to open my windows and hear crickets at night, instead of car alarms and loud stereos.
Who knows how those AIA salary numbers will change once we get out of this recession, though. I half-expect us to be back to trading animal pelts when all is said and done.
I still love NYC and have no regrets about moving here in 2007, 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 guess the biggest challenges will be: A) sticking it out here in NYC for the next year or so until I'm ready to make a move, B) getting accepted into UC's M.Arch. program, and C) ultimately finding a job in Cincy doing good design work on projects I find interesting, hopefully in an office that's well-managed and financially stable.
Just got back from a lovely evening with the brothers, their wives and their kids. My youngest niece keeps getting more gorgeous everyday. She is going to be a hear t stopper. My brother is going to have to beat the boys off with a stick. Thank God he has a few more years to perfect his aim.
HA DubK!!! Considering how shy he is, I agree. I'm half tempted though to tell the matchmaker of the office, perhaps she can put a bug in his ear. I would seriously love to hear her opinion on the whole thing, b/c we know MM was totally down with the match. After all, we are both "of the Earth" as she so used to delicately put it.
And yes, our kids would be uber blonds, wouldn't they? My only hope is that they would wind up with his eyes. Hmmmm, I might have to ask him why he never brings in the "pup". Perhaps if I work on it, he'll do it. I'm still trying to convince the "Janitor" to do the same.
Penelope Cruz looks absolutely beautiful tonight as does Merryll Streep. Classic beauty never gets old.
LiG- Have you joined wK & tK as being the green ambassadors to archinect? Welcome! never thought of you as being on the green side of things - but that twinge of guilt about owning a car showed another side I hadn't seen before.
So what is tK doing on his computer, stubbing the academy? (at one point I used to be part of the best art direction nomination process). But I don't really care who's wearing what or who's jewels those are... Never saw Benjamin Button - and it just won best art direction...
tonight I'm creating a business plan for the inevitable launch of my own consulting firm. One way or another I'll be an entrepreneur - either next month or in 5 years.
Perhaps I should vado. He'd be fun to spoon with ;o)
TK - that's so awesome. I really commend any one with the entrepreneural spirit. Everyone in my immediate family pretty owns/runs their own business, and while a part of me loves the idea of running the show, that kind of gamble scares the bejesus out of me. I'm not sure I'll ever go out on a limb by myself, although I think I'd be more likely for a partnership sort of thing.
I'd give up my car in heartbeat if I lived in a city that had great mass transit. I totally got used to not having a car the two summers I lived in DC and Germany. Didn't miss it at all. Actually ended up loving it, as it was so much nicer to have others do the driving for me. So much more relaxing. Not contributing to the carbon emmisions was just an added bonus.
Off to bed to read. Much more interesting than the Oscars. I'm hoping though that Milk wins for Best Picture (tough I doubt it will happen). 'Night all.
I'm not sure I'd consider myself a "green ambassador", although I certainly support green design. More broadly, I support good design, and I think being green is a crucial part of being good.
My main passions seem to revolve around socially and environmentally responsible design in terms of urban policy and transportation planning, and broader issues about how older cities can be made into attractive places for living and working... I'd love to spend my career helping turn Cincinnati into a Midwestern version of Portland, Oregon. This blog makes some interesting comparisons between the two cities, as it relates to Cincinnati's efforts to build a streetcar system linking downtown and the UC campus.
Not quite the same focus as green roofs, solar panels, and wastewater reclamation systems, but they're all much-needed components of responsible design in general.
hi friends. just checking in and saying hello. overcast and warm day (now night) in los angeles. we went to the museum to see Dan Graham show which i am reviewing. dan graham show was great. i will post the link when the review gets published. he is a great artist i know since 1980.
on the way we passed by hordes of traffic going to holy (wood) oscars and paparazzi staking out around beverly hills hotels... this is the time los angeles becomes all hollywood and everybody knows somebody in the audience, either from the gym or they went to aa meetings with, etc... personally, i have not seen any of the films, but our neighbor was the steady cameraman for batman.
lights, camera, schmooze... that's la.
In fact, I only have 3 goals for this year, and #1 is to buy a car. I mean, I love taking the train to work -- wouldn't give it up unless I absolutely had to -- but I am so tired of not having any choice at all in my transit options. I suppose it's the same way people who have to use their cars feel about wanting mass transit. We humans just like not to feel trapped...
On the weekend I feel like I have to get away from people, and the thought of having to take the same damn train I take to work everyday -- and take it right past my work building -- makes me sick. So instead I just hang around my neighborhood or take the bus. And waiting on a bus stop in winter is not fun.
So anyways, for everything from doing laundry to getting out of town to just being able to run out for fresh milk for your morning coffee, i feel you, LiG.
I've not watched the Oscars, just flipped to it on occasion to see what's going on.
Al I have to say is good lord Brad Pitt only gets better-looking as he ages. I could watch him with the sound off and be entranced for hours. Days. Eternity.
Well I missed the first half of the Oscars but the half I saw was a bit disappointing. I love Kate Winslet and Sean Penn though, good for them. And I liked the "tribute" thing that they did for each actor trophy, very cool.
Re: greener pastures, I find the whole "grass is always greener" phenomenon to be completely fascinating. I like LA, to a point, and I like my apartment quite a bit, but I've come to the conclusion that as a public transportation lover, it's probably not for me in the long run. Still if the opportunity arises I am sure I can make it work. I am trying to understand what makes people, including myself, constantly want to pack up and move around. I'll probably blog about it. After I write this chapter I am supposed to write....
amazingly LIG, i get much of the items on your list here in tokyo, and i'm literally only 30 minutes from the center (well, one of the centers - 45 minutes to shinjuku, 30 to tokyo proper; and there are at least a dozen more scattered round). auto readiness is perhpas the only big difference. i dread the thought of ever needing a car again. Subway in tokyo just beats the shit out of car travel. but for the rest....we wake to bird song, sleep to sound of crickets, trees are rather abundant and everything is within walking distance, apart from employment and opera.
it is so odd to realise that a city of 33 million can be more comfortable to live in than a small city of 600,000 like the one i used to live in back in canada. not that i think for a minute that tokyo is useful as a model for anywhere but tokyo.
Thread Central
kinda cute that it wanted to work so badly, though.
Is this week over yet? Seems like every evening this week I've gone home with a splitting headache and in a pissy mood. And if I haven't developed full-blown carpal tunnel by the time I go home today, it will be a miracle.
/rant
We're almost there LIG. TGIF!!!!
Place is shutting down early for an end of project happy hour. I'm beginning to panic as I haven't heard anything in weeks about the up and coming project I'm supposed to be working on. Hope like hell I still have a job in a month.
Today sucks. Well, I suck. While in theory the strawberry icing sounded good, and it tastes deliscious (like ice cream) it just doesnt hold up. My cakes over flowed their pans, then they fell, I'm not sure ones cooked all the way, and the strawberry icing wont set, it just drips off the dome that is the cattipillar's head. So, I cant put on the eyes or the antenae. It blows. Big Donley Balls, thats what it blows.
Glad everyone else is glad its friday. Hope things get better for those of you who are having crappy days. Happy Hour would be nice; that'd make things much much better.
I just came in from the cold. I have been picking up a few measurements for an up and coming project I will be starting on.
I field measured what is known as "The Doll House" some four years
ago but then there was a change of heart and we did a green house instood. The property sold a couple weeks ago and I just happens the new owners are also my clients and now they want to do revamp the doll house with and additon. So I have to jump into it asap inorder to have the project complete by August. So I will most likely be here this weekend.
Sarah, put the icing in the freezer for awhile. It may just need to be colder. If it's really too wet, it should firm up with a little more confectioner's sugar, no?
yeah, i tried all of that. none of it worked. The water from the strawberries in not getting along with the butter in the buttercream, and so it looks like a curdled mess, or maybe one of those snowballs? Oh well.
ahh, it's buttercream... hmm. you may have wanted to go with a simple sugar icing on this one. yes adding veggies or fresh fruits to anything will enormously change your wet ingredients ratio b/c they basically ooze water slowly like a sponge. even drying them on towels doesn't always work... in cooking you can salt veggies (like eggplants) to draw the water out ahead of time but doesn't work with fruits.
hmm... can't think of a fix to this one. sorry sarah!
just tell everyone your kid made the cake. they'll think its fabuloso!
manta, Border Collies and Australian Shepherds are similar in look, shape and size but they are not the same. I originally wanted to get a border collie but heard so many stories like the one you told, and then I read about it - what you said is true, they really just want to work. And they are VERY smart. I think Australian Shepherds are a bit more relaxed; they are gaining in popularity as a family dog, and I think if I got a really slow one, like our Huey was last year, then I would be OK. :o)
OMG he's so cute why didn't I keep him
sarah - next time you could try to reduce the strawberries in a little sugar over heat, then strain and cool and add to the buttercream - which might solve the liquid problem...
personally, if it has sugar and butter, it doesn't matter what it looks like. You can't go wrong with sugar and butter.
mmmm... ok - now I want cake.
I tend to agree with toasteroven on the sugar/butter thing...
Spent the day critiquing thesis students and saw some really, really good work. Kids these days are smart!
wait Liberty were you at my critique? Hmmm Anyway I was doing what you were doing, but it was my class and invited young breed of jury members in. They had fun and some of the students bought us a beer when we were finished. Yah! I love my job.
Oh and mid way through the crit PricewaterhouseCooper called, I have another interview on Monday. TK maybe you need to move further south
speaking of which liberty i am hoping to see if you might be in my neck of the woods sometime around the first week of may...
a-techno, I could go for some Caribbean breezes right about now (just not florida!). Send me some landscape leads!
that is the cutest puppy ever!
I think it is time Techno....call for a work Party for his house. Us northerners could all use a break from the weather. I'm going to go to a museum today just to get out of the house. Actually it is a small museum but has very high quality art. All the art is by American Artist.
holy crap that puppy is INSANELY CUTE
oh my gosh.
CUTE PUPPY!!!!
I actually did go to a happy hour yesterday and it helped set my mind at ease. Happy hour was a misnomer as some of us ended up staying until close to 10pm. One had too much to drink so we all stayed until she sobered up. I really do heart my co-workers, even the crazy ones have endearing qualities. Our principles are working hard to get projects in(opening into new areas they've never looked at before), but just as soon as something looks promising, the rugs seem to pulled out from under us. It's always the same thing.... we're going to do it, but just not until the economy is back on the right track again. ARGH!!!!!
Snook - that project sounds kinda cool.
Anyway, lots to do today and I already have had a late start.
My internet has been spotty for the last 36 hours so forgive me if I'm not around and know that if I'm not here I'm glaring at my modem swearing!
melt that is sooo familiar i could cry. arrgh is actually a word we can use in the office now. like:
Me: "so how did the meeting go with happy client A yesterday?"
Partner: "arghh", delivered dispassionately.
Me: "ah, right. Pity"
it's a whole new world.
Here's hoping everything works out, melt. We don't need any more unemployed TC regulars.
How bad is it in other Cincinnati firms? I imagine things are shitty all over, but maybe especially bad in Cincy and other mid-size Midwestern cities. Lately I've been itching to move back there, and UC is probably my top choice for grad school, but I can't help but be worried about local job prospects, both for co-op and for permanent work after graduation.
LIG - Why do you suspect Cincinnati is doing SO much worse than the larger cities? That's a rather arrogant "big city" point of view you have. Most of the larger firms in Cincy (including my own firm) work on national accounts and design stuff all over the country and beyond. Hell, my firm just opened up an office in Abu Dhabi. Most everything that is falling through the cracks is the national/international stuff, the local stuff though few and far between seems slightly more stable. It's bad all over in our industry, doesn't matter the size of the city.
I didn't mean to sound like I was dissing Cincy... I love the city a lot and hope to eventually move back there. But according to a lot of the news I've been reading, the upper Midwest in general and Ohio in particular have been lagging economically even before this crisis got underway, and are now poised to be especially hurt by this recession.
Maybe Cincy is the exception, as they're fortunate to be home to a lot of major companies like P&G and Kroger, and I think the city is poised to attract a lot of creative talent if the local political leadership is able to get its act together... Hopefully the city will be able to weather this storm better than some of the other cities in the region. Cincinnati has traditionally fared better than a lot of other places in past recessions, but the nature of the economy has changed a lot in recent years and this recession is shaping up to be a particularly bad one.
I'm curious about how bad the job market is for architects in Cincinnati right now, compared to other places. Have the big firms like KZF and Glaserworks been having the same sort of mass layoffs that firms in NYC and Chicago have been having?
1. Las Vegas / Paradise, NV
2. Detroit / Warren / Livonia, MI
3. Atlanta / Sandy Springs / Marietta, GA
4. Greensboro / High Point, NC
5. Dayton, OH
6. Phoenix / Mesa / Scottsdale, AZ
7. Orlando, FL
8. Kansas City, MO / Kansas City, KS
9-10. Jacksonville, FL and Indianapolis, IN (tie)
11. Miami / Ft. Lauderdale / Miami Beach, FL
12. Chicago / Naperville / Joliet, IL
13. Tampa / St. Petersburg / Clearwater, FL
14. Bakersfield, CA
15. Cincinnati, OH / Middletown, KY and Charlotte / Gastonia / Concord, NC (tie)
Maybe NYC could ship a couple million people to these places... It would lower rents here (and make commuting less of a nightmare), and boost the numbers of the cities that need it most.
tuna i am napping right now in empty naptown(indiaNAPolis)!!!
oscar drinking game. take a drink everytime an awardee mentions barack obama...you are going to be wasted...
I'm living thru another slush storm. It started raining this morning about 10:00 and has turned to wet snow. The snow is falling straight out of the sky, it is a bit like the old time movies where snow always fell straight out of the sky.
I took the dogs out for a walk because they just don't give a damn if it is snowing...cause they like to make yellow snow ....along with rolling in the snow.
They have this little senerio where Frito moves in under my desk , then trys to climb up in my lap. Matisse usually at this point in time is laying on the couch in the living room and upon hearing the noise comes running and gives me a complete body block. There is no way of escaping this team of dogs desiring a trip outside. Somehow they know when it is weekend and they escalate this behavior.
snook, I think it's time you posted more pictures of your dogs. I love dogs.
****melt, how is MountainMelt? You haven't mentioned him lately?....I am just wondering because I remembered his lovely dog too, LOL.
Is it overly gooey of me to send thank you notes to firms just for looking at my resume and then telling me that they've done so? I usually send thank you notes after interviews but I feel like I can't take anything for granted in this economy...
snook - isn't frito a non-lap dog? In other words he's a bigger dog, right? I'm having a hard time viualizing Matisse body blocking you. It's funny how animals seem to know the schedules of their owners. My cats won't let me sleep much later then my alarm clock goes off during the week but won't think to bother me for an extra hour on the weekends. You definitely need to post more photos of the "kids".
WK - Funny you should mention mountain-melt. Things seem to be progressing slowly but surely with him of late. Much subtle flirtation of late... at least by me. But he WAS the only one noticed I got new glasses (they are very similar to my old ones), and along with a few other things I like to believe that there may some interest there on his part... but only time will tell. I lent him my copy of Cradle to Cradle so hopefully one day soon we can have a thorough discussion of it.
vado - HA!!!! Is this a challenge. We'll see who wins the title of "Master Napper".
melt, you just need to keep being subtle and totally awesome. I think he is the slow and steady type. Tell him to bring in his dog so you can play with it while you talk about Cradle to Cradle....also it scares me how blond your children would be, LOL.
Hi all. i spent the day at the memorial service for my gfs mother.
I hope people say that many nice things about me when i pass on.
SH and others. Buttercream is my favorite topping for cake. But definelty need to reduce (etc) berries before adding) to get juice out. maybe even dry them and then grind into powder??
Also, archi, do you have an interview with, Pricewaterhouse Cooper?? If so doing what?
Here is a comment from Charles Mudede on Slog about the top two entrants on the "Emptiest Cities" list:
What makes this piece of information significant? It can be found in the fact that Detroit is the capital of industrial America, and Las Vegas is the capital of postindustrial Ameirca. And in the way that the decline of Detroit marked the decline of the industrial base (Fordist production) and its related superstructure (disciplinary society), the decline of Las Vegas marks the decline of the postindustrial base (service economy) and its related superstructure (control society). We can now stop learning from Las Vegas, which has its terminal point in Dubai.
Personally, I hesitate to put any significance at all in a list that finds Chicago to be an "empty" city in the same vein as Detroit. "Empty" has a lot of resonance that available real estate does not signify.
Living in Gin, do you read The Urbanophile? Lots of midwest transit and urban goodness there, seems right up your alley.
nam: I didn't rally realize you had a gf. That's nice to hear. I was thinking, when I read that, that we've seen some significant life events like babies and relocations and buying a house and whatnot here on TC, when will we see a wedding?! I don't think we've had one yet.
and the oscar goes to liberty bell...
Agreed, LB... And I was surprised that St. Louis didn't appear on that list. I've never been there, but everything I've heard about St. Louis indicates that it's in far worse condition than Chicago, Cincinnati, or Indianapolis. Stuff like that makes me question the methodology of such rankings. It's interesting to note, though, that I've lived in three of the cities on that list, and have visited most of the others at some point.
Thanks for the link to the Urbanophile blog... I've seen it mentioned here and there, and it certainly looks informative. Guess I'll have to add it to my reading list.
Maybe it's just another round of normal homesickness combined with a particularly crappy week here in NYC during which I feel like I'm trapped on a small island with 8 million other people who annoy the living shit out of me, but Cincinnati is looking better and better to me lately. In comparing the cost of living, even if I were to take a 50% salary cut in moving from NYC to Cincinnati, I'd still be able to afford a generously-sized one-bedroom apartment in a nice neighborhood, compared to the cramped studio in the marginal neighborhood I'm living in now.
But earlier this evening I came across the 2005 AIA Salary Survey while looking for something else on my computer. If the AIA numbers are to be believed, in reality I'd only be taking about a 20% salary cut for a comparable position, which makes Cincy that much more appealing. I'd be able to afford a much nicer apartment, and I'd be able to save up and buy a house or condo much sooner than I would ever hope to do here in NYC.
Then, of course, there are the other factors:
1) Having my family and some old friends nearby. They're not getting any younger.
2) Being able to own a car and not be totally dependent on public transit. (Not terribly "green" for me to say that, but I really miss driving.)
3) Having grass and trees outside my windows, instead of a brick wall and somebody else's apartment window.
4) Being able to see sunlight for more than 10 minutes a day.
5) Being able to open my windows and hear crickets at night, instead of car alarms and loud stereos.
Who knows how those AIA salary numbers will change once we get out of this recession, though. I half-expect us to be back to trading animal pelts when all is said and done.
I still love NYC and have no regrets about moving here in 2007, 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 guess the biggest challenges will be: A) sticking it out here in NYC for the next year or so until I'm ready to make a move, B) getting accepted into UC's M.Arch. program, and C) ultimately finding a job in Cincy doing good design work on projects I find interesting, hopefully in an office that's well-managed and financially stable.
Just got back from a lovely evening with the brothers, their wives and their kids. My youngest niece keeps getting more gorgeous everyday. She is going to be a hear t stopper. My brother is going to have to beat the boys off with a stick. Thank God he has a few more years to perfect his aim.
HA DubK!!! Considering how shy he is, I agree. I'm half tempted though to tell the matchmaker of the office, perhaps she can put a bug in his ear. I would seriously love to hear her opinion on the whole thing, b/c we know MM was totally down with the match. After all, we are both "of the Earth" as she so used to delicately put it.
And yes, our kids would be uber blonds, wouldn't they? My only hope is that they would wind up with his eyes. Hmmmm, I might have to ask him why he never brings in the "pup". Perhaps if I work on it, he'll do it. I'm still trying to convince the "Janitor" to do the same.
Penelope Cruz looks absolutely beautiful tonight as does Merryll Streep. Classic beauty never gets old.
LiG- Have you joined wK & tK as being the green ambassadors to archinect? Welcome! never thought of you as being on the green side of things - but that twinge of guilt about owning a car showed another side I hadn't seen before.
So what is tK doing on his computer, stubbing the academy? (at one point I used to be part of the best art direction nomination process). But I don't really care who's wearing what or who's jewels those are... Never saw Benjamin Button - and it just won best art direction...
tonight I'm creating a business plan for the inevitable launch of my own consulting firm. One way or another I'll be an entrepreneur - either next month or in 5 years.
tuna you could challenge him to a nap! where is sally hawkins in the oscars she's gorgeious and was great in Happy go Lucky and Cassandra's Dream.
Perhaps I should vado. He'd be fun to spoon with ;o)
TK - that's so awesome. I really commend any one with the entrepreneural spirit. Everyone in my immediate family pretty owns/runs their own business, and while a part of me loves the idea of running the show, that kind of gamble scares the bejesus out of me. I'm not sure I'll ever go out on a limb by myself, although I think I'd be more likely for a partnership sort of thing.
I'd give up my car in heartbeat if I lived in a city that had great mass transit. I totally got used to not having a car the two summers I lived in DC and Germany. Didn't miss it at all. Actually ended up loving it, as it was so much nicer to have others do the driving for me. So much more relaxing. Not contributing to the carbon emmisions was just an added bonus.
Off to bed to read. Much more interesting than the Oscars. I'm hoping though that Milk wins for Best Picture (tough I doubt it will happen). 'Night all.
I'm not sure I'd consider myself a "green ambassador", although I certainly support green design. More broadly, I support good design, and I think being green is a crucial part of being good.
My main passions seem to revolve around socially and environmentally responsible design in terms of urban policy and transportation planning, and broader issues about how older cities can be made into attractive places for living and working... I'd love to spend my career helping turn Cincinnati into a Midwestern version of Portland, Oregon. This blog makes some interesting comparisons between the two cities, as it relates to Cincinnati's efforts to build a streetcar system linking downtown and the UC campus.
Not quite the same focus as green roofs, solar panels, and wastewater reclamation systems, but they're all much-needed components of responsible design in general.
hi friends. just checking in and saying hello. overcast and warm day (now night) in los angeles. we went to the museum to see Dan Graham show which i am reviewing. dan graham show was great. i will post the link when the review gets published. he is a great artist i know since 1980.
on the way we passed by hordes of traffic going to holy (wood) oscars and paparazzi staking out around beverly hills hotels... this is the time los angeles becomes all hollywood and everybody knows somebody in the audience, either from the gym or they went to aa meetings with, etc... personally, i have not seen any of the films, but our neighbor was the steady cameraman for batman.
lights, camera, schmooze... that's la.
LiG, your list reads so much like mine...
In fact, I only have 3 goals for this year, and #1 is to buy a car. I mean, I love taking the train to work -- wouldn't give it up unless I absolutely had to -- but I am so tired of not having any choice at all in my transit options. I suppose it's the same way people who have to use their cars feel about wanting mass transit. We humans just like not to feel trapped...
On the weekend I feel like I have to get away from people, and the thought of having to take the same damn train I take to work everyday -- and take it right past my work building -- makes me sick. So instead I just hang around my neighborhood or take the bus. And waiting on a bus stop in winter is not fun.
So anyways, for everything from doing laundry to getting out of town to just being able to run out for fresh milk for your morning coffee, i feel you, LiG.
I've not watched the Oscars, just flipped to it on occasion to see what's going on.
Al I have to say is good lord Brad Pitt only gets better-looking as he ages. I could watch him with the sound off and be entranced for hours. Days. Eternity.
no surprises except mickey rourke not winning. jai ho!
Well I missed the first half of the Oscars but the half I saw was a bit disappointing. I love Kate Winslet and Sean Penn though, good for them. And I liked the "tribute" thing that they did for each actor trophy, very cool.
Re: greener pastures, I find the whole "grass is always greener" phenomenon to be completely fascinating. I like LA, to a point, and I like my apartment quite a bit, but I've come to the conclusion that as a public transportation lover, it's probably not for me in the long run. Still if the opportunity arises I am sure I can make it work. I am trying to understand what makes people, including myself, constantly want to pack up and move around. I'll probably blog about it. After I write this chapter I am supposed to write....
Let's grab mdler, all move back to Cincy, and take the town by storm. They won't know what hit them.
amazingly LIG, i get much of the items on your list here in tokyo, and i'm literally only 30 minutes from the center (well, one of the centers - 45 minutes to shinjuku, 30 to tokyo proper; and there are at least a dozen more scattered round). auto readiness is perhpas the only big difference. i dread the thought of ever needing a car again. Subway in tokyo just beats the shit out of car travel. but for the rest....we wake to bird song, sleep to sound of crickets, trees are rather abundant and everything is within walking distance, apart from employment and opera.
it is so odd to realise that a city of 33 million can be more comfortable to live in than a small city of 600,000 like the one i used to live in back in canada. not that i think for a minute that tokyo is useful as a model for anywhere but tokyo.
I need to get laid.
Goodnight!
Oh n_, I hear you!
In the meantime...
OMG I WANT THIS ... WANT WANT WANT
Can we all chip in and buy this? Make a project? Start a secret society? Wear some spandex and perhaps bullet-proof chest plates? Please!?!
OMG DUBK!!!! That's awesome!!! ME TOO! ME TOO! I'd chip in a few bucks.
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