baby it's [cold] outside.......even in california

last week i took my first vacation since starting this "daily grind" world. the wedding of a friend in san diego, was the perfect excuse to escape the frozen tundra known as the midwest in favor of the sun filled cliffs of so-cal.

i left friday afternoon, and braved the unbearable 67 degree weather all the way to kansas city. after stopping and picking up a friend, parking in the "economy" lot, and catching the bus to the terminal, we made it to the airport with not a moment to spare. we passed through the jet way and were off to celebrate the union of two people in the sun and surf.

after arriving friday night, and spending the evening getting reacquainted with friends, i woke up the next morning to an all to common scene this time of year. a cold, grey, overcast sky with hints of sprinkles. what! it's not suppose to do this! it never rains in southern california! that albert hammond song is filled with lies!

the wedding took place on a beautiful cliff side overlooking the sea, which just happens to be adjacent to the salk institute...architects. the site chosen was possibly, the windiest and coldest point along the coast that day. the guests took their seats, zipped up their coats, and watched the bride in a very elegant, sleeveless, dress walk down the hillside and through the impromptu aisle.

with the weather blowing against our backs reminding us that anything is possible, the ceremony proceeded in a beautiful fashion. a song, sung by the father of the bride to his newly wed daughter, didn't leave a dry eye on the cliff side. looking through scarfs and hats, it wasn't hard to notice that the warmest people that day were the newly declared husband and wife, being filled with that eternal warmth one receives after finding the love of your life.

after the wedding, the next few days were filled with good friends and great conversation. board games, christmas shopping and holiday movies filled the hours as the weather eventually warmed back up. there was even a brief cameo from some friends that traveled afar from l.a.


california will always represent a magical, and mystical place for me. it might be because i know disneyland is there. but it seems throughout history california, has been a place for the promise of a better future, and opportunity, which is only fitting for a wedding. spending a few days in california, celebrating this marriage, got me in the holiday mood. that mood where you enjoy being with friends and family, and together are anxious for the promise that a new year holds.


or it could have just been that decorated evergreen which, oddly enough looked perfectly placed on the beach.

winter [work]land

well, yet another sign that i need to apply for my aarp membership and start watching the antiques road show on a more regular basis.

last week we had our first snow of the season, and as much as i wanted to run home at lunch and bundle up like ralphie's little brother in "a christmas story" and partake in this freshly fallen treat, i couldn't. instead, i had to sit in front of my desk, in my khakis, staring out the window, watching perfectly good snowball material go to waste on my window sill.

from the time i could walk, up until last year, a snowfall was an excuse. a reason to forget any responsibility and enjoy a little blessing brought on by mother nature herself. a gift to us all saying, "who needs school, go play." but now with this job, comes responsibilities, and deadlines. obstacles between me and the snow.

spending just a few months in this profession, i've quickly realized that i only get paid if i can bill my time to someone with money. therefore, i have to work the majority of the day. however with the snow gently falling outside, and sugar plums dancing in my head, i was pondering ways architects could enjoy the season, while still accumulating somewhat billable hours. here's a few ideas.


- building to-scale snow mock ups of projects in the parking lot.
- louie kahn snowman lookalike contests.
- design competitions will be decided by snowball fights. using your own firm as "base".
- clients must sit on our laps and tell us what they'd like for their buildings.
- year-end bonus will be determined by "freeze-out" competitions.
- all elevations will include christmas lights with corresponding lighting plans to be coordinated with the electrical engineer.
- instead of coffee, we offer clients egg-nog in moose head shaped glasses.
- i dare my co-worker chad to put his tongue on the lamp post outside.

just a few suggestions i'll bring up at the next office meeting. i hope everyone can enjoy the season in their own way.

[thankful]

well thanksgiving has come and gone. having a few days to reflect, and digest, it occurs to me, that my thanksgiving this year, was very similar to the original thanksgiving held by the pilgrims.

try to follow my ramblings for one moment if you will.

now, i don't want to go into a great amount of detail the story of the pilgrims. for one, the vast amount of my recent history classes, were on architecture. if we want to discuss the architectural stylings of the early americans we can, but that's not what this is about. secondly we all know the basic story. the pilgrims gathered to give thanks for the harvest, and for surviving in a new and strange land. they were thankful for their friends and family, their faith, and their new neighbors, the native american's.

this mirrors my situation. i've entered a new and strange land; the working world. rules and habits that applied in college, no longer apply in this territory. apparently most of the working world gets up before noon, and instead being docked a letter grade for turning a project in late, the threat now is being fired. also, i'm living in a unfamiliar and dangerous place...downtown wichita....i grew up in the suburbs, o.k. and like the pilgrims, i've become acquainted with the foreign cultures and personalities of my neighbors, manly my floral designing neighbor greg. for the past few months, i've had to rely on the knowledge of my co-workers to gain experience to help me survive this new world.

as you can see, the similarities are near identical.

truly though, it can be very humbling to take a look back at your life over the course of a year, and be truly thankful for it. i hope everyone out there can.

now i just need to get some of those great buckle shoes the pilgrims had...i hear they're coming back in fashion.

[can]struction

a week ago, my firm participated in the wichita food bank [canstruction] project at the city arts building. after tossing out the idea to build frank lloyd wrights guggenheim, or the pyramids we eventually decided on a rocket. over the next month we collectively spend about 43 minutes designing it, which meant we drew the cans in cad. we ordered a very rough estimate of the amount of cans we'd need, and showed up to build. any ideas or plans on how to build it were quickly abandoned as the build began. through some creative use of chip board and a lot of sticks of hot glue, or sculpture was finished.

as pleased as we were about the shape we had somehow manage to create or guilt ran high. we were under the impression that the cans we used went directly to the kansas food bank. being that our rocket consisted of lesuer peas, sardines in mustard sauce, and hormel chili, we felt that we weren't making the best contribution to those in need. but we soon learned that dillons had an agreement with the food bank to take back the cans used in the contest, and contribute a healthier variety.

[outside] work

this past weekend, i was able to volunteer with "habitat for humanity". not only did i feel this would be a great project to volunteer with, but it would also give me the chance to step away from the multitude of colored lines on the computer screen and see actual construction. this was the third of four weekends help was needed. arriving at the house, i was amazed at the level of completion. i quickly wondered what could be left to do. upon entering, i soon realized we would be "mudding" the drywall. now i don't know much about house construction, but i do know one area of construction you should have professionally done is the mudding. as i was handed my trowel and pan, i asked if they were sure they wanted me doing this, but seeing that none of the other volunteers had any experience, i was equally qualified. i climbed the ladder, and started "mudding" the ceiling. looking at my progress my only thoughts were for the unlucky volunteers that would be sanding my efforts in a few days. i finished with my half of the ceiling and stepped of the ladder ten pounds heavier, due to the plaster i had covered myself in. i started on the walls. they were easier, but in no way did that mean i did them any better. corners........don't want to even talk about them. finally i found my ninch, nail holes, so that's what i stuck with for the remainder of the day. i have a whole new respect for that 5/8 line i draw on cad.also this weekend, i set up my new drafting table, a recent purchase at an auction. i had been looking for a drafting table for a while. if khakis kill creativity, there's something about that tilted surface that fuels it, and i wanted one. i heard of an auction that had advertised a drafting table so i went to check it out. i strolled through the various items, and finally found the table next to the shotgun shells. i stood my ground and waited for the auctioneer to make his way over. when he finally came, he quickly grouped it in with a work bench, and two saw horses. wanting the drafting table i realized i'd ave to prepare myself to receive all the items. the bidding started. i bid, not hearing any other shouts, i thought that table was surely mine. then from the back in the shadows, another hand raised. the crowds drew silent and parted. it was just me and the "other guy". it was time for a showdown. just like"high noon" only instead of guns we had our auction numbers. it was time to see who wanted this table more. a tumble weed blew past us. it was on. i bid, he bid, the price went up, i bid, he bid, the price went up. i wanted this table. i bid, he bid, the price went higher. i bid, he bid, the price went higher, i bid, he stopped. the auctioneer shouted sold, the smoked cleared, and i was left standing with the drafting table, work bench, and two saw horses, for the final price of 16 dollars. as my adrenalin slowed from this high stakes game of chicken i soon realized that i was the owner of more then i wanted. however i was quickly offered two dollars for the saw horses, and sold the work bench for six. the events of the last couple of weekends however made me start to wonder about my profession. here i am, on the weekends, not needing to work, but finding myself mudding drywall, and bidding on drafting tables. why? why don't i leave that at the office? is architecture one of those professions that doesn't stop at five on friday? are other jobs like that? i have many friends in this profession fixing up and redesigning their houses? while others build furniture, or design greeting cards. is this just part of the job? it just made me wonder...

did i enter architecture because i was like this, or am i like this, because i entered architecture?