I was surprised by the number of genitals represented.

wow... the more i look.. the more I can't look away...

Nice!

Be safe, b3ta, but also, if you can, post pictures!

.

Hopefully the black chevy pickup.

You mean the one with the tasteful truck-nuts? Pretty obvious, no?

You see something I don't? The Miata has a lot of racing stickers, eh?

miata in Japanese (inflection of miataru) means ‘to be found’, lost. As in “one of my suitcases is missing”. 

http://m.romajidesu.com/dictionary/meaning-of-Miata.html

Donna do you take that thing to the track?

I have not yet, Archlandia. My last Miata I drove at normal speed around the Indy 500 Speedway, but not this one.

Miatas are made by Mazda, so it's most likely meant to be from the Japanese word.

the google machine says that mazda was using german, meaning "prize". Japanese companies almost never use Japanese words for products. Its not cool here. The truncated miata is a funny story though. Like shouting out I found it! after looking everywhere for your car keys.

Yes, architects can definitely be dicks. Heaven knows I have been one lately! But Miata isn't either Japanese or German, it's an acronym: Miata Is Always The Answer. This is fact.

lol. what is the question?

Donna is right, Miata Is Always The Answer.

That's weird, even for marketing.

makes my problems seem small in comparison

What the bloody d

*bloody fuk?

That’s going to leave a mark.

Oi Vey! :(

Now that, is perfection.

I've been talking to a kid who wants to be an architect but doesn't want to go to school or get licensed. Bad case of entitlement/just give it to me.

We had two people in the office for about a week each interested in architecture and/or engineering (we're an A&E firm). Both were related somehow to employees; both decided not to pursue architecture after their stint, but may still do engineering of some kind. I guess we scared them away.

I had a job shadower last week, a high school student who is interested in architecture and art. She was lovely.

My mom taught high school, and used to send kids my way now & then. There was one scary-smart girl who wasn't sure she wanted to go to college right away, who I tried to get a job (she ultimately turned down the job offer and did go straight to college - probably a better choice for her).

I let a HS student job shadow me a year or two ago. I doubt she decided to pursue a career in the field after hanging out with me for a few hours. She didn't seem all that impressed with the technical nature of the work. I even tried to impress her by taking her around the office to see a variety of different roles. I also took her on a walking tour of some nearby projects and explaining the interesting aspects of them. I think she was expecting something completely different.

I advise all prospects to avoid architect's offices like the plague, or the clap.

I have several friends who teach high school and I’ve always make myself available to their students interested in architecture. Not a single one has even used that opportunity even though I could have walked them through admission. I guess not all hope is lost... as long as high school students don’t expect 6-figure starting salaries like that new one-post pony.

Who is jealous?

Shellarchitect I have no advice but have been there. In fact still feel like I’m there a decade later. I don’t even know what kind of jobs these people hold - “business” of some kind - but they all seem to take fabulous vacations and go to spas and I don’t get it and feel jealous.

It's possible they buy their kids crap to avoid parenting and they are deeply in debt doing this and buying spa packages and month long trips to Hawaii. I know many part time rock collectors that own 7 ipads, 3 time shares and drive $65,000 suv's too. And wear Patagonia (because it's the only responsible thing to do, or I'm told). 

That is very possible. I don't know the kids in school too well, only the soccer team ones. 4 lawyers, 2 radiologists, a personal finance blogger, 2 bankers, and a couple small business owners. I feel better assuming highly leveraged. T
he moms are all the same age and the dads are generally in their 50s!

Despite growing up here in Paradise surrounded by kids with every latest gizmo from iPhones to BMWs and jetting around the world on a whim ours turned out to be a wonderful, compassionate human being. Part of this is the values you instill in them of course but I think a big part is being interested and engaged in real pursuits - something other than vapid consumption and eternal holidays. Being able to do something they can’t is not something that can be bought. Beyond that exposure to the corrosive behavior of entitlement is a lesson in itself. The measure of one’s worth is not money, it is what you can do. Your job is to facilitate their experience, and you learn far more from the difficult ones than you do from the good ones.

Agree with Miles here. My best advice for jealousy is simply to try to focus on the intangible gifts you & your family share instead of the material possessions you lack.

Congrats! Unless Canucks do taxes differently, the tax bracket would only apply to income after $95k. You seem like a reasonable and smart person so you probably understand this, but many people still are under the impression that if they hit a different tax bracket, then ALL of their income is taxed as such. Just trying to add clarity for other commenters.

Congrats!

That is correct Threeohdoor, it's 26% above that number (at least for 2019). I was generalizing and expect that topic to become more prevalent in my near future.

Thanks Bench.

Nice work! Now open an office in western Colorado. I know a good PA/PM with great design skills. Only downside is they can't make coffee worth a damn.

"Only downside is they can't make coffee worth a damn. " Pretty sure thats illegal in CO ?

I think not liking micro brews is illegal in CO. Everything else is fair game.

Congrats Non. Does that mean you'll be too busy to post here so much? ;)

Congrats! And the low taxation I'm jealous of! I'm at 40%!

Never too busy to post here... or too busy to drink coffee, or too busy for craft brews. With all that excellent action, who has time for work anyways?

Congrats Non Sequitur! I have to say I've never really thought about my tax bracket when getting a raise. Maybe I've been doing it wrong?

I love this comment, architwutm8, everything about it!

I have, although not nearly as much as I have used storefront, of course. It's worth getting a copy of NAFS (AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440) and getting familiar with the different grades (hint: the ones you'd specify for quality work ain't the same ones Home Depot carries).

Thanks for the reference! No Home Depo? Dammit. ;)

I’m 50/50 curtain and storefront. Don’t think I’ve ever done pre hung Al.

+1 on understanding the performance classes and grades in AAMA/WDMA/CSA 101/I.S.2/A440. I don't have much experience with them myself. I've never had to worry about it, but I've been warned to be careful with receptor systems for the reasons outlined in this article.

I should clarify that when I said, "I don't have much experience with them myself," I meant pre-hung aluminum windows. I do have plenty of experience with the performance classes and grades but mostly with vinyl and fiberglass windows.

​or just require a minimum number of posts before you can start a new thread ....

but the "I'm entering first year arch and will be using 3Dstudio, Revit, Rhino, and Solidworks 24/7. Will my mother's 8-year old macbook air be enough?" Are so entertaining...

I like the ones about how we're underpaid and the profession is dying. Those are so uplifting to read on a Monday morning.

Being respectful is free. Being a dick can cost you.

That's a good story!

Oie, makes my afternoon shitstorm client meeting seems like Disney world in comparison. Sending you a virtual bourbon.

bourbon is something to feel good about

I mean yeah bourbon is good unless you feel like you're using it to numb the extraordinary shit that is happening all around you every day. Example: the wildfires in California right now are freaking me out. Massive displacement of people isn't good for society!

I wrote "a bourbon".... not a whole case + funnel. Shessss. I figured Donna is a seasoned vet at this point and won't get all slooshed up after one glass.

No joke, I almost had the same type of truck incident happen to me over the weekend. In a parking lot, truck in front of me starts backing up suddenly, I lay on the horn and they stop inches from hitting me. Sorry about the Miata and the project house. Glad no one was hurt.

glad everyone is ok. take these as omens and go on vacation for the rest of this week.

There's nothing wrong with numbing all the shit now & then, as long as you don't make a habit of it. Sorry to hear about all the shit that needs numbing.

Upside: we had a really good lunch-n-learn by Ryan Fire Protection today and I was *extra* engaged and really feel like I learned a lot! (Also lunch was a baked potato bar and cookies. Score.)

Miles, I contemplated making a similar comment when I first saw it but decided not to bother. Now I'm going to bother. So many things with the "news" on this site that bothers me and this is a new one.

Well, that didn't take long. They took my comment down and blocked my ability to comment on the article as well. If you hurry you can see that it indicates 3 comments but only shows 2. Censorship time delay.

third! i had the same thought, but didn't care enough to comment. Classy! also, i think this 'dignified' version looks more like a mausoleum than the old one.

btw i like obama, voted for him twice. just to make sure my politics are read correctly.

midlander, did you post something to the news article? If not, you should. At some point whoever is removing them will get the picture, no? 

Is it Antonio Pacheco removing them himself, or is there some other accountability for this? Why do the comments need to be removed rather than hidden if archinect finds them so offensive?

My comment was not political in nature either. The headline may not even be political. I think the intent was to parrot the language that Kamin used and is quoted in the article, but it doesn't read that way in the headline. Currently it reads as a political headline, when I think the intent was a commentary on the architecture. The comment I made was to add quote marks around the word "dignified" to show that it was a quote rather than editorialized content. I also posted a screen shot of Miles' comment and asked that his comment, and ability to post comments on the article, gets restored.

no, didn't post. i'm not one to fight the man, i'll sulk and read some political philosophy instead if i need to ;)

Posting anonymous comments on the man's own website is barely considered fighting the man. I thought I was keeping the comment pretty constructive as well to see if they'd leave it up. I even separated my ask to restore Miles' comment so they could hide or take it down separately. I've probably posted worse criticisms of the "news" before that they haven't bothered with so I'm curious if it's something that only some of the editorial staff take personally and that's why it is getting taken down.

Maybe I should take that last part back. I had posted a reply to Donna's comment and Sean's reply about Howland's clarifying comments in the news article here that it was archinect journalism at its finest. That comment was up, but has since been removed. I'm not sure when. I also do not have the ability to post on the article anymore.

Yeah, I read "dignified" as quoting/paraphrasing Kamin who, BTW, is openly hostile to Trump. https://archinect.com/news/article/149974546/a-friend-in-deed-chicago-tribune-architecture-critic-blair-kamin-discusses-his-rocky-relationship-with-donald-trump-on-archinect-sessions-86

^ which is perfectly fine for Kamin to do and express, and perfectly fine for archinect to report on as newsworthy. I just happen to think that in reporting on that, the editors should be clear and objective in the content starting with the headline. Adding quotes to the existing headline would effectively do this. Rewriting the headline would probably be better.

I'm a huge fan of the following requirements: 

1.  "Flexible in the face of shifting priorities"
2. "Willing to work with large groups of people" 
3. "Able to work independently"

Sounds great. 

Anyone on here do AOR or Design Arch stuff for big chains? I met a duo from CA that does work with Darden, and boy, their pants were grumpy and sad...I would imagine a job at Bass Pro would lead to similar conclusions.

Sounds like production job within a team that has rigid hierarchy and a culture to mach.

I could be wrong though, just ask Tom Jowett, he runs the place.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-jowett-64439553/

#1 is my nightmare.

#2 & #3 contradict each other.

Applying log siding to a cmu wall contradict each other.

I produce construction documents for a very large franchise. I do all their buildings for western Canada. I only work 37.5 hours a week. I also have other clients that are not of the large franchise type.

LOL Chad if I could "like" that comment I would!

Why thank you.

To be fair Miles, #2 and #3 don't contradict so much as they negate the need to write them in the first place. 2/3 should be combined to say "Able to work."

Good luck tduds. Let us know if you need any help.

Congrats and good luck. Frequent updates will be appreciated!

Good luck. Allow yourself LOTS of time for admin tasks like projecting hours needed by your team to complete a specific task or phase, reminding people to track their hours and submitting. and writing meeting minutes and phone call logs. Lordy, that stuff takes so much time.

Thanks y'all. I might make an ongoing 'lessons learned' thread at some point.

Find out if your firm has any existing Excel templates, guidelines, checklists, etc. My first time in your position, I was totally unaware of resources that were available, and nobody thought to tell me (or maybe that was part of the test).

woot woot.

Ask as many questions as you can think of. People in your firm are probably going to be more than happy to tell you all their lessons learned (war stories/fish tales.) If you don't ask they're also probably going to be more than happy to fault you later for everything you didn't know, and should have asked.

Juicy, enjoy!

congrats on the opportunity!

Kudos, tduds. You'll do great. And Donna's mention of meeting notes and phone logs should be taken to heart. (You don't think of their importance until 3-6 months down the road, once the specifics of an innocuous conversation become crucial due to this or that intervening circumstance.)

I learned doing CA for a gov't project that you *write* **everything** *down*. This is going to test my organizational skills though.

The technical term for this is “papering the file”. Lawyers call it “billing by the pound”.

Ah, to be hourly...

I've just switched from hourly (well, salary plus OT hourly wage) to straight salary + % profit. We'll see how that goes.

What kind of beer is it?

ommegang hennepin....had liqour store order just for us

I voted for a 22-year-old for school board. Nonpartisan.

I wrote myself in for sheriff and board of supervisors. Should have a solid shot at both.

I wish I had thought of that!

I voted to not lower my property taxes. Pretty uninteresting ballot this year in Oregon.

Any crazy locals? My recent federal ballot had one eccentric independent that runs for every election. I think this time he advocated turning the main highway into a bike only lane. He got more votes than the 50-person strong christian heritage party.

No crazy locals on my ballot. Fairly uninteresting ballot as well. Mostly school board, city and county representatives up for election. Some stupid ballot measures/initiatives but nothing that I think has any chance of passing ... unless people don't know how to read ... which is always a risk.

Here it is just the usual suspects: political lifers jockeying for the next paycheck. With term limits they try to jump from one post to the next. As usual, nobody to vote for and all too many to vote against.

Right!

I choose to take it as a compliment. Often.

It’s an insult.

Does not feel like an insult. I'll take it as a compliment.

Just noticed this word is used in a concurrent thread! Total coincidence, not related to me being called one!

I had to look it up... So that means it is a ironic insult.

You mean AN ironic insult. Ha ha.

I'll have PEDANTIC shirts made later today to celebrate coming out as one... 

Aren't we paid to be pedantic?

A pedant pays too much attention to the minute details that don't matter.

What is the term for someone who knows why details matter?

Usually, when I call someone pedantic, the word asshole follows. In my use, it's an insult.

tintt, I'd suggest that term is Architect.

:)

Well, technically, it's simply a descriptive term and carries no negative or positive value connotations.

​Looks like placebeyondthesplines got their comments (and all the replies) in the same thread nuked.

Good riddance.

They both threw some unfounded, potentially libelous accusations at each other. Subsequently placebeyondthesplines got a chunk of everyone's comments nuked from one thread, and then 2 days worth of Balkins' comments were nuked from all threads. They deserve each other.

converting to imperial units . . . WTF?

*points at tolerance section referred to in specs*

We don't convert shit. metric or gtfo. (technically not true, we have 2 clients who insist on imperial garbage drawings but I don't touch those). Pete's got the right idea and we indicated a +\- tolerance on the foundation plan since we expected there to be some discrepancy given the length and awkward angle from prop line.

I mean, I think that means that the show's over right? Pack up the gearboxes and go for some coffee.

Honestly though, I'd love to hear more. A 4-5" "oops" on a foundation could royally f up a project in NYC, for instance.

4" to 5" certainly could... We had one 9-storey office building go up a few years ago that was about 150-200mm off axis because the contractor decided to scale the corner (of precast cladding) on the 1:400 scale site plan drawing. They decided this without sending an RFI and place the crane base skewed. Turned out not to be a catastrophe but I know the building's foundation went in crooked to the prop line and streetfront. 11mm (1/2") won't mean much on this project.

Shows my 'Murican roots and inexperience with them 'commie' units that I read "mm" as "cm".

Ha. You're not forgiven.

Tell the contractor to rip the foundation out and do it right. FYI 11mm = 7/16”

My contractor's pencil is not that sharp Miles.

Tell them to caulk it. That should make things fun for the rest of the construction period.

ooooh, not only will that 100% work, it'll make for a great addition to the show me your caulk thread!

Anyone familiar with the tolerances allowed for AESS Steel? You know, the stuff we specify when we want "tight" tolerances?

^is it referenced in terms of fractions of a football field?

Fathoms, actually. :)

Don't you mean 1/48 cubit?

Right. What's a cubit?

7 Palms.

2/3 of a chain

Two shakes of a lamb's tail.

In my experience, AESS is generally what everyone wants when they don't actually know what they want. In other words, they hope the contractor will carry some money in the budget for it, and they can figure out later what they want. The fact that you know there are different tolerances for AESS (one-half standard fabrication tolerances for Category AESS 2 and above) means you're ahead of the curve. 

I've also found that the same principle applies for 'architectural concrete' ... carry a little extra money in the budget and we can figure it out later. This of course usually means you'll end up with a sack and patch finish.

"my contractor's pencil is not that sharp" wow, thanks for that throw back, haven't heard that saying for a decade.

^ha. It comes up almost weekly in our office when reviewing junior staff drawings with nonsensical dimensions. "Suuuuuuure, they will set those wall c/l at 4128mm."

sneaky pete might find some info in here https://www.aisc.org/globalassets/aisc/aess/all_about_aess_reprint.pdf

Thanks, tintt. It's been years since I actually had to check the standard, good to know they've been modified. Seems I started to grow moss.

"my contractor's pencil is not that sharp" I love this. Hanging onto it for future use.

My old go-to is from a high school carpentry teacher: "We're not buildin' a piano."

I worked with a guy framing houses that would talk about how you can never expect framers to build something tighter than 1/8" tolerances because we only start with 10 fingers and that gives us two fingers we can lose before it gets too complicated to do the math. 

Another version was that most framers only had 8 fingers so the math works better. But that was usually reserved for why metric would never work in construction (he never really addressed why every other country seemed to be able to build things without issues in metric).

+1 for tintt's link. AISC has some great resources they put on their website for AESS since they updated the Code of Standard Practice in 2016 and updated the AESS section.

^ ^ God that is morbid....

I had a site meeting this morning and there were 17 fingers shared among both contractors. That story checks out.

We try frame stud walls down to a 1/2" dimension. Rarely we will go to a 1/4". Never anything smaller.

Chad, 1/4" means you've made a lot of mistakes, or your other hand is busy holding the saw. For 1/2" ... I'm afraid you've made too many mistakes. You probably can't (and shouldn't) hold the saw anymore.

Occasionally we'd overlap on a job site with the drywall guys. They would shout out measurements like "thirty-four three," "forty-two four," or "thirty-one zero". I couldn't figure it out until someone explained the second number was the eights of an inch; 34-3/8", 42-1/2", and 31".

The only time I ever dimension 1/8" is when 3-5/8" metal studs are involved, or if I'm working with tight existing clearances, trying to prove a space can be accessible. 

Even dealing with masonry, I try to pick the side of the wall for dimensioning that will give me a nominal dimension rather than ending up with an eighth. 

I should clarify, the 1/2" dimension is typically the allowed deviation from whole inches for stud wall framing. If you've got 1/2' dimensions there must be an odd occurrence somewhere you can't control. Only in extreme cases (such as custom mill work or existing buildings) do we allow 1/4" dimensions. At that point the offending dimension is given a +/-. I personally never allow any 1/8" dimensions on walls.  We've found this to work quite well when doing metal stud wall framing.  

Also to clarify, I'm not talking about dimensions on drawings to fractions of an inch. I'm talking about cutting lumber and sheathing that will be put into the building. Laying out walls and such, your framers probably don't need anything more detailed than a 1/2 inch on the plans. This particular 'lesson' was more about teaching new people like my teen-aged self at the time, that when you get up in the trusses and you're asking the guy on the ground to cut you a piece of roof sheathing to the 1/16 inch, that's too detailed and you don't need to worry about it. 1/8 inch is more than detailed enough for rough carpentry.

3-5/8" metal studs, for some reason used by many architects on new buildings when 4" metal studs are available.

SneakyPete, it’s not the size of the stud, but how you use it that matters.

sneaky...its cause you can put a 3 1/2" wood stud at door frame to avoid moving/wobbly walls when you slam the door. the 3 5/8" slides right over any 2"x4"...

If a 3-5/8" stud slides over, wouldn't a 4"?

Also, allowing door frames to drive the entire project's stud size seems a bit daft to me.

Rather big oversight from the design team.

Oversight is an understatement.

I was trying to make a pun.

Yes, over and under

it's going to be a long day

the architect said "covering the top of the grates would literally destroy the project." how do you communicate to a diva designer li ke this that their project is shit and destroying everything they've ever done would be an improvement? I've found designers don't like being told this.

Is a slap to the face an appropriate response in this case?

Hi curtkram!! I’m with you 100%!

They are simply providing a well-rounded education.

Small world - the author of that Post article is my sister in law!

I'm also taking a guess that the spacing of the bars in the grating wouldn't allow for many heels. What a terrible design.

"covering the top of the grates would literally destroy the project." This quote makes me so angry. The gall... the absolute (unearned) entitlement.

EA, it’s close...

You might be able to see an actual gall bladder or two if you stand just right, tduds

0_0

Easy. Just dictate that there are no skirts or dresses allowed in the library.

^What about Kilts?

^ or culottes?

Just imagine how much slicker the execution of this concept would be with etched glass instead of the grates. Not only does it solve the plainly obvious problem of making 50% of the human population uncomfortable, it's a (subjectively, yes) better looking design. All I can think of is the elegance of seeing other library patrons throughout the stacks as occluded shadows - ghostly projections - rather than literal human beings peering up at your crotch. All the different & constantly changing ways light and shadow might play through the "translucent" stacks would be such a wonderful, placid experience for researchers and readers alike. Ugh. What a missed opportunity.

I assume this qualifies me for tenure at Cornell. If someone so oblivious can get it...

Reminds me of some of the agricultural projects I worked on here in flyover country.

That first photo of the stacks structure in the Metropolis story is, I think, compelling and visually exciting. I can see how an inexperienced designer would come up with this and hold on tight in the face of loud criticism. 

If it just weren't for those darned people, with their annoying preferences and irksome complaints, everything would be perfect.

Never thought the oil rig aesthetic made for good design, but here we are, an oil rig with book shelves.

If only the architect were inexperienced. This is an alum legacy project.

Added, the concept is fairly simple. It’s the spatial (and decorative)
opposite of Olin Library on the other side of campus.

It's also incredibly difficult to turn a wheelchair around on this type of surface. Or use crutches. Or wear heels.

Or bare feet.

@ArchA if I recall the aisles are too narrow to turn around in. Roll in, back out

Or drop your keys.

And architects wonder why we are the laughing stock of the building industry.

LOL. I just pictured a horror flick wherein some poor young woman in a mini-skirt and heels is being chased through those stacks when she drops her keys and loses her only chance of escape. All it needs is a catchy title!

I think the only solution here is to have men get the books for women. #smh

That's essentially the ADA loop-hole for the new Queen's Public Library. There are certain areas where folks with disabilities cannot reach...must ask a librarian to fetch the book. A great example of how "building to code" can be a disaster for operations and function.

Ha! They gave hardhat tours of that library at Cornell's spring open house. The skirt issue was the first thing I thought of. Water bottle and coffee spills present an additional hazard, for library patrons and books alike

I've often surmised that good architectural ideas get better the more you analyze and challenge them. The bad ones may seem good at first glance, but crumble under scrutiny.

lol, this is ridiculous. I expect an update/renovation is in the future, where ventilation is resolved and the ground is something other than grating. It is cool to look at, but I think the challenge for any architect is to keep the concept and not have to worry about boots dripping mud onto books and people, never mind the whole upskirt thing. This HAD to be a conversation in the office at one point.

“ In response to these criticisms, architect Wolfgang Tschapeller M.Arch ’87, who designed the renovation, urged visitors to respect each other and not look up, Metropolis Magazine reported.”

“ In response to these criticisms, architect Wolfgang Tschapeller M.Arch ’87, who designed the renovation, urged visitors to respect each other and not look up, Metropolis Magazine reported.”

https://cornellsun.com/2019/11/17/form-over-function-newly-renovated-fine-arts-library-accused-of-prioritizing-design-over-people/

That is priceless, Marc. Thanks for posting. Out of touch, anyone? 

Elsewhere, pedestrians have been asked to "walk lightly" over outdated, crumbling bridges. "Tip-toeing can be fun!" gushed one pointy-headed designer.

Didn’t Ochshorn, quoted in that article, also report the Rem building at Cornell to the code officials back when it first opened?

The very same

I guess, it's good to have a hobby?

lol!

It’s not wasted time. It’s mental break time.

And Archinect time...but sometimes it just gets ridiculous.

I 'lose' about 15 minutes every morning just booting. That's when I get my coffee, chat with co-workers, etc.

You have a crappy computer if it's taking that long.

I haven't had to wait 15 minutes to boot up in the morning since Windows XP.

I never turn off my station...

You never leave your station . . .

I leave all the time. Like, for example, when I need to refill my coffee cup or purchase a replacement bottle of scotch. Shessss, so much hate.

No bathroom breaks , ewwww.

ain't got time for no pee break.

So... diapers, then?

nah, those need to be replaced. More like a hole in the floor. Melts my igloo tho, so must be careful.

go-girl.com

https://www.stadiumpal.com/product/uro-club/

My computer boots just fine, but it takes almost a full minute to open a Word file (I think it has something to do with the company's network security stuff). When most of my day consists of making small changes in a couple hundred Word files, it adds up. It also affects batch processes on Word files, but that's not to bad IF I have something else to work on that's not in Word so I can set it and forget it, but when I don't have anything else to do, I sometimes spend most of a day watching progress bars.

I've asked for a second desktop, so I have one I can keep working on while running batch processes on the other - but I guess they'd rather keep paying me to spend all day on Archinect...

NS, you're Canadian so your wee is basically maple syrup

Chad, and you know this how?

Maple showers bring bae flowers.. or something like that?

alterlier, I know this because it's Canada and EVERYTHING tastes a bit like maple syrup there.

Chad, you're not incorrect.

'eh

take off, eh!

Hey la, st’i tabarnak!

Watch your fucking mouth.

I will. Thanks for the tip.

by the way, letterkenny is the funniest show ever

Some serious time off, a sabbatical, or maybe it’s firm burn and you need to make a switch, like going solo.

Actually backing out for a bit and doing something fun without so much pressure. Either something remote with minimal input to use your spare time to dive into a deeper level of any hobbies you might have. Or something just random and kinda fun like attempting to be a captain and crew yachts. Just have some fun. Someone put it really well I forget who when they said something along the lines of I dont consider my career to be some competition or end all be all but something I do for living. If i stop liking it i do something else to earn a living

You've removed your hand from the flame, but the damage done will still take time to heal. If your bank account will allow it, taking some time off may help; moving to another firm may help; or just staying where you are but focusing on hobbies/meditation/whatever in your off time could do it.

Whatever you do will take time, though.

Thanks for the good perspectives everyone. I was thinking back to post thesis-year and remembering it took me over a year to really recover and get my groove back. I hope it doesn't take that long this time.

Damn, nothing in this profession is worth that kind of punishment. Mental health is far more important than whatever project is currently in front of you.

I could just not do 100 hour work weeks at any consistency. That's not healthy at all. Without any family/non-work obligations in my 20s we had a 4 month period where we were doing 5 16s, a 12 and an 8. I lived 2 blocks from the office and walked. Lunch and dinner were provided. That's 100 hours. The entire team got a bonus effective immediately after that project as well. Now, I can do 18s if necessary, but can only pull of an 8 after that. I can also do 3 14s, 2 10s and maybe an 8, but not work Sunday, for maybe 3 weeks in a row. Any more than that and my family life would literally fall apart.

I’m going through burnout too. I was heading up CA on a massive project that is finally starting to wind down. I think there are only two of us left from the original team. I am pa

i am planning a week off a couple months after close out. Am Going someplace exotic. Plus I’m supposed to work on something even bigger than this when I get back.

Demand the support staff you require to do the project and live like a human being. Nobody should be pulling that kind of weight on someone else’s project.

Iv

Ooops. Meant to say I've asked and asked to no avail. It's a shitty situation bc it is an amazing project to be working on but an impossible amount of work as the pa.

I definitely will not be working on such impactful or important projects if I go out on my own but I think they joy of, you know, living life might outweigh that.

Don't ask, demand. If they don't give you what you need just walk away. You've clearly got a transferable skill set.

Agree with Miles. You were taken advantage of. Demand if they don't supply the required resources and staff, then put in your 40ish hours and GTF home.

I'll back up Miles on his comment to go elsewhere if they can't support you well. I got tired at my last job of asking for the support I needed to do my job well and getting the runaround from management. After so long of hearing that they want to help, but then put forth little to no effort to do it, you just realize that they aren't getting it. Leaving and going somewhere else where I was able to make sure the support I needed would be there from the start was eye opening for me.

100 hr weeks are insane! Your capacity for hard work is far beyond mine. 

45ish for more than a few weeks and my productivity plummets. Wife and kids have no tolerance for those hours. I can't even imagine working more than 60 now.

Working that much isn't something to be proud of, but yes I had a strong work ethic instilled from a young age. Also grew up helping my father (who is a tradesman in the construction industry) on jobs every summer so I appreciate how incredibly cushy an indoor desk job is by comparison.

archanonymous - that many hours but not for yourself is crazy.

Knew an architect, similar to you, quit 5 times and each time they offered him so much money he kept coming back but finally he said whatever and took 6 months off, like nearly off the grid, and came back to architecture - one of the most laid back dudes I know....

now if you have a family that's tough. I do same hours but for myself and have had near meltdowns over the last year since my wife works for me now and I have my family and office family (salary peeps) who depend on me to chase the money down while getting yelled at by clients who think everything happens overnight. It's a little tough to look at a $100 bank account with $10k in payroll due next week and then still be inspired to go do some architecture....

so options:

1) ramble on archinect,

2) get really drunk,

3) get drunk and ramble on archinect on architecture,

4) sit on the couch and do nothing all day watching football,

5) go somewhere with you family,

6) go to a piece of architecture that reminds you why you fucking like architecture. Fortunately for me there is modern piece of architecture by a superstar, one of his last bits, I just take the kids sometimes or go by myself and sit there and have existential moments....

When the shit hits the fan - stay positive!

and do number 6, that's my new solution and I still drink like a fish but I'm a "happy fuck you" drunk now....

as you note, cushy office job, we ain't breaking our backs, we ain't poor, and we can literally doodle for $200/hr....just to put that in perspective.....

I recommend #6 right now. Take a camera with you a sketch pad, you'll fuckin' remember why!

happy, uh-oh time to start a go-fund-me campaign.

archanonymous, time to start on a new journey, you deserve it. trust your gut. jump and the net will appear.

no, I don't ask for handouts bruh, I make things happen...I

kidding bruh

bruh...i'm a working class socialist, bruh ;)

it will take you a year or so to recognize how truly terrible your situation was. i mean this in the sense that working those kind of hours on urgencies limits your potential career development. just leave the firm - anywhere that would let you hang on like that for 18 months lacks the kind of management capabilities you should be seeking to learn from. you're probably over the burnout already, and once you're removed from proximity you'll quickly feel better.

arch...was thinking of this assuming you married or something 

2:22

fail all day.

That’s not burnout as much as it is stress. Burnout wears you down, stress kills you.

I hope you can afford to take a step back too. Burnout + stress is doubly bad, and there's no rational need for architecture to be like this.

I quit my last job because the psychological stress, was creating physical pain.

Not any sort of authority on this, but I do think it's ok to say "no" on occasion, or at least not say "yes" to everything. But I'm also the guy who leaves at 4:30 because I can't stand the false emergencies that always popped up at 4:55

That’s just another way of saying ‘no’.

Those 5 o'clock emergencies are management's method of informing you that they are bad at their jobs.

You're both right!

So... Following up on this. Management still hasn't gotten my team the requested help. I have a co-PA to split the work with but we really need bodies drafting... About 3.5 months to drop dead deadline. I feel bad just up an quitting before we hit our deadline as I'm the only one who has the full project history, but I'm
really pissed. Thoughts?

Don't stay at an unhealthy job simply because they NEED you. If you can't take care of yourself, you're likely pretty bad at taking care of others.

I want to click on that but I'm at work and suspect Happy is actually evil and not an anarchist. J/K

Chad - Only 1 or 2 "bad words", probably safe for work if you keep it low, but you're right, it is actually evil.

Definitely do a business plan. The costs involved (soft and hard) might surprise you.

Is there an equivalent for the non-business side? I feel like a sociopath if I try to sit down and write an architecture manifesto.

+1 on the business plan. It doesn't have to be formal, just put in words what you want to do, how you plan to do it, how it will be funded, who your competition is, etc.. Every business owner has one, it's just often in their head instead of on paper. Without a business plan, you have a hobby, which can also be worthwhile.

Not to promote another forum, but have you looked into EntreArchitect? They have a podcast made specifically for small-firm architects, an active Facebook group, and various resources available for business support. Unless you are independently funded, you won't get far if you don't make a living.

Thanks for the tip - i'll check it out. I'm definitely not independently funded so i'll have to find some way to make money. That said, I would like the luxury of being a little selective with my projects so I'm angling for a teaching job locally and I know a few firms I can do contract work at - drawing, QA/QC, code checks and the like.

arch...i feel you on the business side...go with the flow, you will literally know when a client is thinking about you, then they email or call... chase the money when you realize money is slow...you don't need a business plan, you need you to be you, chase you, and do what you got to do. money is for pussies and conservatives.

But money buys beer. So, chase beer too.

Plans rarely survive the first minute of battle. I prefer goals. Set goals then do whatever you have to do to achieve them. Sounds like your first goal is developing an income stream. 

Also realize that doing the “business” is the larger part of architecture. Doing the work is the easy part. Don’t ask me how I know.

I am definitely feeling the itch to go out on my own again. Damn health insurance needs. As Miles says, when you are in business a whole lot of your time has to be spent *not* doing the things that you thought you went into business to do. Husband runs his own business, and frequently laments that while he pays people to make cool things, he spends his whole day chasing down new work and chasing down non-paying clients.

Miles, do you have employees? While the hours have been killing me, I've really benefited from the insight gained while working at my current office - some of their first hires were legal/ bd/ accounting so that the firm founder and principal architects could focus on design.

I feel as though the advice to not have a business plan and not chase profits will just result in another unprofitable, low wage firm and the profession does not need anymore of those. The businesses side does not have to be that overwhelming if you have a plan and either services or software in place to deal with accounting, payroll ect. The business plan let's you research the market, see where you might fit in, what projects to pursue and what expenses would be. It allows you to establish a plan of attack and set your manifesto. I.E. because your overwhelmed getting business and just accounting all those goals of being experimental and picky with clients goes out the window. It's the same thing we try and explain to clients, just because you could build your patio or garage remodel without a clear plan set doesn't mean it's a good idea or results anywhere close to what they originally wanted.

No employees. I build the necessary teams on a project-by-project basis. This allows me to focus on design and project management and minimizes overhead.

Nice. I've been talking to a few other architects (both local and around the country) about doing some sort of wu-tang style collective where the members of the collective all operate independently but it's like a prescreened pool of badass architects to help staff up projects, build out teams and show the experience and expertise to win work.

I talked to someone recently who did this but with other fields (Branding, Graphic Design, Architecture, product design, etc..) but that was more of a partnership and it didn't work out. The web designer/graphic designer was pulling way more projects than everyone else. They were hoping to collect work for the other fields through the needs of clients' contacts/word of mouth, but the graphic designer ended up going out on his own. The collective idea that you're talking about sounds like it has way more of an opportunity to work. I think most things would need to be planned for but then adapted quickly when they're not working out. The reason I bring up the failed partnership is that I'm wondering how do you anticipate a couple of things: Who brings in the projects and what do you do if they leave or stop pulling projects? What if one of the Architects is pulling work but doesn't bring it to the collective, but takes work from the collective? What do you do about the cheaper billable work if everyone is top-notch and has experience? How do you plan to work nimbly? Could you easily introduce your collective as "We are THE ______ Architects." being able to distinguish yourselves even internally or on your business plan was one of the differences that I noticed between my mentors that became "successful" and the ones that didn't. These are just things that my mentors have talked to me about when I've asked questions about where I should start when I'm ready. I am a rookie, but I've seen the things mentioned above, implemented first hand with new firms and established. I don't know, just thought I would pass on my quick though on this, hope someone can take something from it?

non-sequitur I have standards, I will work for beer, but money, meh

^I agree.

Archanonymous, do I know you offline? This sounds like what a couple of architect friends and I have been talking about, for our shared niche. I think it would be a great way to leverage marketing efforts, but it's getting complicated as we discuss logistics of sharing work or leads.

Funny thing is, my goal has been to create this exact model, an atelier of sorts; different design disciplines with independent clients, coming together when the needs are present.

I don't think I know you but it would be pretty funny if we'd all had this conversation offline before. Im heartened to hear others believe this model could work - it feels like a promising way to compete with the big firms and to develop a practice that eschews too-big egos without getting stuck doing typical "small firm work."

It would also be lovely to find a way to achieve lower costs for services through firm structure. My problem isn't that the jobs architects do are shit (though they usually are) it's that the buildings that most need to be designed by an architect are often purchased from a builder with little design at all, and the justification is usually cost for design services.

This co-op/collective idea is one I've also been carrying around and implementing with varying degrees of success. I think it's probably what ties a lot of us here on the 'nect together. Business is tough, lots of time spent doing non-billables is what I'm struggling with. Trying to keep fees in the range where average homeowners can afford them yet not upend my bank account.

@Wood Guy - no need to make it complicated. These are not partnerships, the project belongs to whoever brings it in, everyone else is a consultant on a fee or time basis. You start with this as a general understanding and flesh out the specific details on a project-by-project basis. Each project determines the structure, which dissolves upon completion. The most important things are trust within the network (competence, reliability, and integrity) and a clear chain of command / responsibility for the work.

The unending stress of economic insecurity is a rampant, debilitating plague.

BIG is like the ShamWow! guy of architecture.. they even have the same haircut

A perfect metaphor.

I tried it when the first series was released. I remember it not being particularly interesting to me. Perhaps my mind wasn't in the right place to watch it at the time. Seemed only slightly above the HGTV level of design discussion if I remember correctly. I'd be happy to be wrong on that though. Probably worth a second look for me.

To be fair I've only seen episodes they intrigue me, I know of these guys as well.

The thing that I like about Tinker is that he holds a B.Arch degree. Says great things about the way that architecture makes you think.

Miles - if Bjarke is ShamWow guy... who is Billy Mays??

Dead. Billy's dead man, dead. So, RIP Daniel.

I like this company - good quality, reasonable-ish price, lots of quick ship items. https://www.performanceinlighting.com/us/us/

Define "mid-range".

Is Bega mid range?

Exterior shell $185 sf.

Nothing from Germany is mid range. :P

Are you looking for contemporary design? https://hunzalighting.com/ has nice stuff, IMO.

Call your multi-line reps? Our local lighting reps are the greatest resource a designer could ask for - they can usually point me to a few different suitable fixtures at whatever pricepoint I need.

Not a lot of people have practiced in both to really understand the differences. I'm only vaguely aware of some differences relating to procurement ... but not enough to have an opinion. My prediction is that Balkins, who has no experience in either country, will weigh in regardless.Good luck.

Hi Everday Architect, Yes certainly a difficult topic as it does seem there is a limited amount that have experience in managing project in both countries. Fingers crossed it will provide for some interesting discussion on how to improve the UK industry! =D

A day later and Balkins has 1/4 of the posts on the thread. I need to figure out a way to monetize my predictive abilities. Archinect, are you looking for someone to custom tailor advertisements to Rick?

He's pathologically incapable of saying nothing, and chronically unaware of the obviousness of the "knowledge" he has. It's a dangerous combo.

Dunning-Kruger effect at work.

I say this with no intention of offense but it's quite clearly an autism spectrum behavior.

He emailed me to let me know "It hasn't even been 24 hours. As of right now, the number of posts I have on that thread is less than 1/4." like that's the thesis here. Forest for the trees, rick. Forest for the trees.

If you ignore him (as in use the ignore button) he will go away. A large amount of the amount of ire that is raised every time someone asks for free advice counter intuitively comes from many of the same voices that want to shout Rick down. Let him field all of the free advice requests and kill two birds with one stone.

SneakyPete, it's the "dangerous" part of the "dangerous combo" that tduds mentioned that worries me if we all ignore him. We've all seen what a mess the design advice he gives can cause. If you need a refresher ... classic Ricky. 

FWIW, when I posted the 1/4 comment above, there were 23 posts on the thread, 6 of them were Rick's. By my math that works out to be 26%. I rounded down to 1/4 for Rick's sake.

Yes, that thread is indeed an excellent example of the mess the design advice can cause. And as a thread it's much more useful than dangerous. Anybody considering hiring an inexperienced, unlicensed "building designer" would be well-served to read it, or something like it, so in that sense he provides an excellent service here, in the near-constant generation of cautionary content. That thread is also one of the highest ranking search results for "NCBDC" and "CPBD", and is probably good food for thought for anyone who finds it because they were thinking of hiring or becoming someone with those acronyms after their name.

Was originally hoping the thread would make a good platform for people to discuss the positives of the unique ways architecture is practised in either country rather than a venting platform a brain dump forum...to suggest specific methods of working that could be brought to each country...This has not gone exactly to plan.

C_UK, RickyB is not permitted to post in this particular discussion thread. This here is a sheltered space so perhaps someone with real world experience in UK/US world can chime in. I don't have such experience but do enjoy a good dumpster fire. Doctor says I need one per day or I'll loose my insanity.

I simply don't have any problem with bad advice being given out to people who refuse to hire a professional. I don't come here to flex, I don't come here to find clients, and I really don't care if someone drives up, tosses a question out as their first post, and then gets terrible results when they follow bad advice they got on the internet.

Whether they refuse to hire a professional or simply don't know the complexity of their questions ... they are hoping to come here and get some professional advice. When they get Rick's bad advice instead, it leaves a bad impression of the profession. Those people tell their friends, family, and neighbors that architects don't know squat, and then those people are less inclined to seek professional advice when they need it, let alone pay for it. 

Whether we like to admit it or not, Rick is the unofficial spokesperson for the profession when people causally come here for quick, free answers. If he could exercise some self-control instead of sucking every thread into the gravity well of his selfishness people would most likely just let him be. 

This UK vs. US thread is a prime example of his lack of control. He has no practical experience practicing architecture in either country, yet he felt compelled to take it up anyway to a degree more than any one else (arguably more qualified to comment) who participated. I mean the guy read my prediction here, made a "joke" about it there, and still couldn't help himself.

I understand your point, I simply don't agree. The portion of the public who find their way to this forum is likely very small, and the types of people who might make vast, uneducated statements about a profession based on one interaction on a website don't matter to me. At all.

That's very un-quixotic of you ... but fair enough.

How long do you think it'll take him to get into the thread about which firm to work at in Copenhagen? I say by 3PM Rick Time that gets a treatise on titles for building designers in Scandinavia.

Paw-ternity leave. I'll see myself out.

Yikes! That's one scary creature.

I'm right there with you.

I honestly think possums are adorable, but they make me nervous when I come upon them unexpected.

We didn't have them where I grew up. The first time I saw one I was terrified. It looked like part rat/part cat/part monkey/part armadillo, but with the face of actor Rene Auberjonois.

had a demonically possessed one in the cellar once, rabid f*cker...but me dog snapped the entire families necks in seconds without breaking the skin. The possums know better now.

Possums are rad

^Jla, is that not why you carry guns for?

RIP Rene Auberjonois

When I was a teenage volunteer at the local wildlife sanctuary, I raised a box of baby opossums whose mother was killed. When they're little, they'll wrap their tales around a finger and dangle there.

It also works with Safari, and with some versions of Chrome. But SilverLight is dead and DOB has some long-range plan to revamp the Inspections site before end of 2021, so perhaps a relatively short-term headache.  I'm sure there'll be one or more new headaches along to replace it.

I hate Apple and Google...so limited browser options, ha...the DOB NOW is pretty good I think.

Sorry, I've been busy.

With what, doing architecture, pfft, we all know that can be done by an intern with an AE degree.

Not the interns I see outhere... but to answer your question, I've been busy with a sick 3 foot tall little human at home. Hard to throw snark around while watching disney movies.

I come up with some of my best snark on the third or fourth showing of Frozen.

I find after my fourth viewing of Tangled I'm ready to murder . . .

Disney+ is a god send for such times.

Chad Miller is malicious, mean and scary. His sneer could curdle dairy, and violence-wise his hands are not the cleanest.

it's been the same winnie the pooh movies for us. dodothe dado dado, winner the pooh, winnie the pooh, dodothe dado do...

Ssssay, ain't you that ssssstuck up bear?

To be fair EA I'm only ready to murder the characters in the move, not any actual people. Well maybe the head of Disney now that they own all entertainment content but that's a different topic.

I don't think you've been watching too much Tangled if you didn't get the reference

That's why I haven't killed anyone . . . yet.

it's never too early to introduce children to the star wars universe. at least the music is enjoyable even on the 65th viewing.

Yes! Why does this always happen? Must be because 'we'll wrap up drawings by end of year' slides off the tongue so easily in September. 

And you know the clients aren't going to do anything with the deliverables until the second week of January ... doesn't change anything though.

EA - I always hated knowing this is the case

Here in CA, Jan. 1 is when the new Codes go into effect, so everyone wants to get into the Building Departments before then.

6 seems light.

Atelier, same here, we have a bunch of new accessibility codes coming in January and we've been kept in the dark. We just know change is coming.

6 is enough for one person.

why

Because when you get past 6 the amount brown liquor required cuts into firm profits.

Brown liquor? What are you drinking over there, Chad? I've been drinking sparkling rose over here. Got two deadlines extended... woot.

It's rosé

Whiskey. Clear liquor is for women on diets.

I guess my Mezcal makes me a woman on a diet

Must be.

Could be worse, there are people out there who drink alcoholic seltzer water

^communists?

Alcoholic sltz. . . I can't even type it let alone drink it.

Yes, rosé.

Being on the construction side now, those projects all "start" 12/26. Ha! Been fielding questions from bidders all day about uncoordinated schedules while the architect desperately tries to field design changes and resubmit. Cant we just wait 2 weeks? Nah need to have that developers Q4 analysis spreadsheet look great!

pretty sure there are no holidays this year, that's how it is looking. everyone is working right through them....at least 6 deadlines a day minimum (always miss about half of them) I lie a lot...we're a small office and average a new job every 2 days this year (little nuts around here) (ranging from reports to new buildings)..thank you beer.

Beer helps. My beer advent calendar is not as stellar as last year's, but today was a good one... and I know there is a Chimay waiting under my birthday square. (I peeked)

Non, your in the inner circle now. Why isn't management strategically turning away work or refusing work unless the schedules stretch to something humane? Theres enough work to be picky again,

^Good question and I don't have an answer to it. From my POV, we're facing heavy crunch time (we pay OT btw) mainly due to the staff pool's inexperience with completing projects. Just had a discussion with ownership and one of the company vp has to jump into cad to help out the junior techs. This should not happen but it does. I'm trying to find a way to fix this but can't start making changes mid project.

Ha ha, maybe you'll bring in the revolutionary perspective that sureeeeee you could fire that 50 year old CAD tech cuz they're 2x as expensive as a young junior designer but they do 5x the work correctly the first time.

^ We would murder puppies to get our hands on a 50 year old CAD tech.

Puppies can do more work than arch grads.

OK boomer

I was like you once. Young, stupid, and completely full of myself.

I'm 41. If that's young you must be really old! :)

That's like, ancient, man.

In a few years you'll be right there with me.

Miles, now you’re just old, stupid, and completely full of yourself? Sorry, but you left yourself wide open on that one.

I find that I get fuller of myself as I age. Don't notice as much either. Win-win!

Haw can you tell - pants getting a little tighter?

Whatever happened to Everyday Intern? Such a nice, respectful young man ...

Anyone want to step on my lawn so that I can yell at them?

Miles is becoming the new David Curtis on this website . *runs*

C'mon Miles, you should know I'm just giving you a hard time. I don't really think you're stupid. Just old and completely full of yourself.

Both of which are hard-earned.

Jesus Christ, I have 100 hours to do and I leave this Friday for my holidays.

Be honest Miles, you just took the credit for all those puppy interns working under you.

NS - only if your province doesn't have stand your ground laws.

^We don't have such laws, at least not like those south of our frosty border. We have the right of self defence, within reason... and can easily be charged after the fact if the self defence was deemed excessif. So, yelling to get off the lawn is appropriate. Swinging a bat at your head is not.

My interns are busy cleaning the G5 after Art Basel.

They're doing what to the who?

Chad, this is a G5:

edit: G550 to be precise.

Fancy.

Must be nice to have had rich parents. :P

Haw haw. Pants aren't tight cause I do lotsa salsa dancing.

NS, chimay is like illuminati level bruh....puppies do draft better than ivy league architect grads. puppies even have better ideas.

FTS.

You have more patience that I do. One of my biggest pet peeves is when architects hand hold the contractor through CA. I have no sympathy for contractors that can’t get submittals right. Reject that crap as many times as it takes.
They will paper a job with RFIs looking to build a history showing the documents were incomplete. Start papering the job with submittal rejections showing their incompetence in fulfilling their contractual obligations.

bINGO^

Heh, these guys are downright geniuses compared to the guy who resubmitted the exact same submittal we had previously rejected - twice - then sent a "notice" that the job would be delayed because we kept rejecting his submittals.

^ ^ ... But then what happens if they are convinced you're just rejecting out of hand, and you're recording that the submittal is rejected multiple times? Like, the resolution has to come at some point, no ?

You start billing them for the reviews, as they're eating up my CA budget.

They are probably scratching their heads as to why you are marking up the dimensions on their shops. Generally the shop drawings for review show materials and intent based on the drawings, this is reviewed and released to get fabrication going, and then they field verify based on whatever subcontractor their work jives with. They aren't and can't field verify a substrate that isn't built yet. Usually it's the green CA architects that do this FYI.

Exactly. Don't review shop dimensions.

Uh...should we ask what's wrong? Or just agree about music?

Bad is one thing, shit happens. But bad without reason as the normal course of events is BAD.

William Onyeabor

I believe, may be incorrect, LB is channeling

"I don’t have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad. It’s a depression. Everybody’s out of work or scared of losing their job. The dollar buys a nickel’s worth. Banks are going bust. Shopkeepers keep a gun under the counter. Punks are running wild in the street and there’s nobody anywhere who seems to know what to do, and there’s no end to it. We know the air is unfit to breathe and our food is unfit to eat, and we sit watching our TVs while some local newscaster tells us that today we had fifteen homicides and sixty-three violent crimes, as if that’s the way it’s supposed to be."

Do we need to all descend on Indianapolis to taste Bourbon/offer solidarity?

That sounds depressing as hell Happy.

Anyone else feel they need to take a shower after reading this?

Yup. Between the working 14 hours a day, the drinking, and the attempt to justify it makes me cringe. I'd eat a bullet before living such a 'life'. Sorry Happy, you may like it but to me it just sounds like a horrible existence.

Olaf’s new account.

Dare I ask who Olaf was / is?

I just go home. Some things are more important than money & right now that's my wife and puppy.

Chad, there is a rich history filled with different avatar names attached to this regular member’s account. Olaf is previous one

Thanks NS. I assumed something like that. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't something really bad . . .

Olaf, Sir Arthur, an account that practically doesn't exist and a few in between... greetings from the office? Any coke heads on ROI drug vs work. FYI - married, 2 kids, dog, but they prefer I work sometimes (nazi mode sometimes) wife works for me now anyway (barely! but she's paid, haha)....it's not the money its the independence.....but I do a need a shower, ha

You know what I've hear really helps your billable hours, meth. You should try some Happy. Make sure it's a really big amount though, you'll make more profit.

That's what Hitler gave his armies.

And himself.

will it morph my face as well?

Balancing on one foot while holding crystals in each hand helps too. Just keep at it until the symptoms go away.

Don't forget to be barefoot and scrunch up your toes while doing the above - it REALLY helps!

That brew is missing bourbon.

i just got better thinking about having to stomach that brew -- that acid & heat will clean the pipes, but not so sure it will help a cold...