it's all about your [line]

in dance, it's all about your line, once you loose your line, you never get it back. well...at least that's what cate blanchett's character says in "the curious case of benjamin button". luckily for me that's not really the case in sketching.

last friday i headed to the fisch haus, where the exhibit was their annual "living statues" show. dancers from ballet wichita, were set up on a stage in the gallery and struck 3-5 minute poses, allowing anyone in the audience a chance to sketch, draw, paint and photograph them.

now, i'll be the last one to tout my sketching ability, one look at my friends' sketch books, lets me know exactly where i stand, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying it, and always trying to find ways to improve. the opportunity to switch from the static objects my profession is based on, to the dynamacy of the human form, was a great change of pace.

my big fat [cajun tuesday]

catfish etouffe, gumbo, and hurricanes provided by hero's.
zydeco music provided by the mudbugs.
photographic opportunities provided by friends.

no country for old [hipsters]

i can't lie. i was raised on country music. growing up in a small rural town, it was just the thing to listen to. randy travis, alan jackson, and george straight could be heard everywhere. then sometime around the early 90's, i discovered the dial on the radio could actually turn and soon was listening to nirvana and pearl jam. by the time i had my own car, i had no country stations on preset and the majority of high school was spent waiting for the next wallflowers song to play.

with the aid of high speed internet and napster, college was an audible buffet with a whole mix of music playing over my computer speakers. however, right about the time i switched into architecture school, and like every other "somewhat-creative-majoring" college student through out history does, i discovered indie music. you know, music not oppressed by a major label. as cliche as it was, i really enjoyed this music. working on projects late at night, you could always take a break and listen to the latest song from the latest album of some band that was going to be the next big thing, someone had just bought. maybe i fell into some sort of stereotype or clique, but music was a huge connecting factor in my group of friends. a group that starting out discussing music and politics, became the group that could give a creative second eye to your project, a group that would help you cram for the next test, a group that would lend an ear, and listen to any and all relationship troubles. without a doubt, a group that helped me get through college.

then there's my sister, who's currently hard at work pursing her post-graduate work. for christmas this year, she received two tickets to see brad paisley in concert. being a huge fan, she was ecstatic. it also happened to be the inaugural event of wichita's new downtown arena. she quickly made plans for all her friends to join in. being so close to new venue, i offered up my apartment, allowing her to host a little pre-concert party, saving her friends the trouble of finding a parking space.

when the concert date came, my sister's boyfriend was unable to make it. since i was helping her throw the party, she graciously gave the extra ticket to me. being slightly hesitant, i was still excited to see some live music, so i got as country-uped as my wardrobe would allow complete with construction boots and an old thrift store cowboy shirt. later that night my sister showed up with her friends and their husbands, soon my tiny apartment was filled with a sea of wrangler jeans, cowboy boots, camo jackets, and skoal. after all the food was eaten, and the beers drank, we headed to the concert. they all LOVED it! not only were they singing along to every song, but there was whistling and hollering involved as well. they looked like me at a decemberists concert! as out of place as i felt at first, i slowly sunk in and got back to my country roots, and may have even starting singing along to the one brad paisley song i knew.

as much as i enjoyed the concert, what i enjoyed more was hanging out with my sister. somewhere between a song about drinking and a song about fishing, it hit me; my sister had found her own niche. she had found a group of friends she could share ideas with, discuss life and politics with, and go to country concerts with. she had found her group of friends that would help her purse her dreams and make sure she graduates with great memories, and that was what was really wonderful to see.

yee-haw

...and we're back[ar34]

after a brief hiatus, something like a year and a half, we've released a new edition of ar34, featuring the aia kansas, 2009 design award winners.

click on the photo to open a pdf

christine [a material girl?]

well, the time finally came to get rid of my truck, it was a hard thing to do. the fact that it was hard to do, upsets me a bit.

you see...i do my best to not be a materialistic person. i really believe money and the possessions it can buy, will never bring you happiness, and those who think it can, have their priorities out of wack. although i'm very thankful for everything i've ever been given or earned, i'd like to think it could all be taken away tomorrow, and i'd still be happy with the love of my family and friends. why then, did i have such a hard time letting go of my truck? mechanically, it was time. for the past year, it would sputter at stop lights, the radio had quit working, and the blinkers on the drivers side no longer worked. any left turn would require me to roll down the window and signal with my arm, which i'm not sure is entirely legal.

however, with all its flaws, i still loved it. getting behind the wheel, i was proud. i had bought it with years of mowing lawns, baby sitting, trimming trees, painting, and cleaning windows. in high school, not only did it brave the mud when my buddies and i went camping, but it also ushered me to my first date. it was the car that drove me away from my childhood home and towards a whole new era in my life, college. there, it earned me many free pizza's and beers from friends who needed items moved. it also did what any college car should, take road trips. long trips, filled with great conversations and ridiculous roadside attractions. following graduation, it slowly became less reliable. with each piece that fell off or stopped working, it's travel radius shrunk, but not before returning me to my high school reunion.

i ran across a quote once that stated,

"anything you cannot relinquish when it has outlived its usefulness possesses you, and in this materialistic age a great many of us are possessed by our possessions."

without a doubt, my truck had more than served it's usefulness; it was time for it to go. i took it for one last country drive and snapped a few final pictures. walking around, focusing it's faded frame in my view finder, i realized, i wasn't going to miss my truck because of what it was, rather, i was going to miss it because of the all the memories it had created for me...and i still have those...

...with that, i say, "goodbye christine, thanks for the memories"