finding [signs]

i enjoy "chains of events". those little cause and effect links that give our crazy lives some structure. one of those links happened last week.

as mentioned in the previous post, i took a trip to kansas city, what was not mentioned was the fact that while i was driving, i, somehow, won a radio contest. the question the dj posed was "what lyrics are next in this neil young song, "...that keep me searching for a heart of gold, and i'm............what?" well, knowing the answer, and being bored, i called. sure enough i was the tenth caller, and had the correct answer, leaving me the new owner a two cd set of "boston's greatest hits, i know.................it was like christmas.

last week i would have assumed this is where the story ends, however..........

i had to go claim my prize at the radio station. after "google mapping" the directions, i found that not only would i have to head down a road i had never been on before, but it was for a longer distance then i thought two boston cd's were worth. i however decided to go. i ended my friday early, and ventured down this new road. while taking note of all the new buildings, i couldn't help noticing the signs in front of them. before i knew it i was driving down a road with a "plethora" of vintage signs. i was now more focused on the signs then i was on my "prize." i did eventually make it to the station. as i claimed my disks at the reception desk, i rummaged through my "man purse" to check to see if i had brought my camera. finding out i had, i got in my truck, and headed back home, taking pictures of every sign i could find. to bring this experience full circle, i opened one of the cd's and blasted "more then a feeling" over my speakers.

the disk was on it's last track by the time i snapped my final shot. the journey left me with some great pictures and a friendly conversation delivery guy from "kim huongs oriental restaurant". needless to say, i feel my real prize was discovering a few more roadside gems in the greater wichita area, and not so much the boston.

you got any [three's]?

this weekend i made a spontaneous trip to kansas city. this decision was made after hearing that it would be fish's [aaron's] last weekend in town before heading west to fulfill his own manifest destiny. i threw a few nice things to wear into a bag, packed my toothbrush and toothpaste and headed northeast.

the weekend was spent like any other weekend with adam and aaron. my kansas city friends introduced me to some of the local cuisine such as [waldo pizza] and [gates bbq]. gates wasn't exactly what i imagined. i would have never guessed that i would have had my order taken by being yelled at in the parking lot, "hi, how may i help you?" i also learned that the sampler platter, as tasty as it sounds, may have not been the best thing to order, due to the fact that it could have fed a family of four.
during the course of the extremely hot weekend, we were able to check out the nelson-atkins museum, and the kemper museum. as much as we wanted to stroll the grounds around the new steven holl addition, the 108 degree temperature limited us to looking into one window before finding the car and the relief of it's air conditioning.most of my friends are now scattered from england to california. no longer can we round everyone up after studio and head to bellies, but that's just life. we're all grown up. we've left our little nest of seaton, and one by one we're taking that leap off the limb to see how we fly in the real world. as far as we may travel though i do feel there is a bond between all of us. maybe it's the countless hours we've spent in studio, maybe it's because we didn't have time to make any other friends but either way it's there, and only time will tell how strong it is. i hope to never lose touch with this great group of people i call my friends.........even with all this "growing up", i still always seem to forget my toothpaste where ever i stay, as i found out late sunday night.

a permanent address [temporarily]

well, i finally got moved in, but not un-packed. a slight problem arose. the friday of the weekend i was going to move, i was enjoying lunch when my leasing agent, deb, called and asked "just how important is it that you move in this month?" after thoughts of paying 30 dollars at the pump every week danced through my head, i said, " well...........very important." she then informed me of the issue at hand. it seems that the individual in the apartment that i signed a lease for, has refused to move. i'm not sure exactly how this happens, but i guess it does, and it it's a major issue. anyway, his belongings are still in the apartment, hence, i can't move my belongings in. however, being the nice lady that deb is, she offered to put me in a much larger apartment for one month. i agreed.

upon moving in, it was noticeably nicer then the apartment i could afford, making me believe this is some sort of "realtor" trick. they let you live in a much nicer, larger place for one month, just long enough to fall in love with it, and then they remind you of the cubicle you actually signed for.the views in this apartment are amazing and amount of space is overwhelming. much more then my table, chairs, and air mattress can fill. as i try not to get use to my own temporary apartment, i am loving the building itself. the people are friendly and i'm already loving the benefits of living so close to work. so for now, i'll enjoy this pleasant predicament and hope the guy on the second floor refuses to vacate next month as well.

[working] for the [weekend]

the weekends never felt so sweet.........

i feel kind of pointless making this observation, as most of my "blog buddies" have been working for over a year now, but it's something that i'm just now experiencing. after two weeks my body is still adjusting to this new schedule that it must follow, which is about a six hours shift closer to the morning then i'm use too. i have learned, however that sleeping in just one extra hour on saturdays is about the best feeling in the world.

i've finished two weeks at my office, and so far so good. i'm slowly learning how everything works and more importantly what printer to send what too. this office works fast. i'm not sure if that's the norm or not, but the speed is a noticeable shift higher then what i was use to in san diego. after two weeks i've already amassed a list of four projects that i've spent a great deal of time on, including a "few hours" of over-time.

the project i enjoy working on the most is the dentist office. i was handed the floor plans and the old elevations, and told to make it "cooler" and "cheaper". which i'm learning is a constant theme in the office. after a few different drawings, i found an elevation that i liked and thought was a vast improvement. we met with the client, l and he loved the changes made.
i'm finding that the time i spend in the office during the week, has made me even more anxious to go out and discover a city i thought i knew. i try to venture to different places for lunch, and explore even more on the weekends with friends and co-workers. i already have a different opinion of wichita then a i did a month ago. working downtown, i feel more apart of the city. i hope this trend of discovery continues as i move into my apartment this weekend.