mail delivered [memories]

last week i got to relive a bit of 2003

to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their album "give up" the postal service" went on tour, and stopped in kansas city. not wanting to miss this opportunity i, along with a few friends, went to the concert.

the album isn't one of my all time favorites, but the sentimental value it holds is priceless. ten years ago, i made the decision to switch majors and enter into architecture school.  a decision that meant a huge shift in my life.  not only was about to toss the last three years of college down the drain and start over, i was entering a very hard field. one that meant many extra hours of work, including all-nighters in order to finish projects.

one of the ways to get through the the late nights was to listen to music on itunes, a new feature for the at the time.  not only did i make several new friends that year, but they introduced me to several new bands, one of which was "the postal service."  hearing their songs instantly takes me back to 3am in studio, cutting bass wood, and drawing on velum rushing to get everything done before the critique. as stressful as those night were, i wouldn't trade the experience for anything, mainly because those nights house so many great memories.  one of the bands providing the soundtrack for those thoughts..."the postal service"


a look at me in 2003:

and a few shots from the concert:

i just want to fly[in]

it had been a couple years, but i finally made it back out to one of my summer events, the stearman field fly-in at benton, kansas.

[pressing] engagement

so my sister is getting married...

naturally, the past few months, she's had a lot on her mind.  so when she asked if i'd like to design her wedding invitations, i gladly said yes.  not only because i have a not-so-secret love for graphic design, but i thought it would help elevate some stress.

now you would have thought at this point in my life i would have realized; to alleviate someone elses stress, mean you must now take it on.  not only did i now have added stress, but i now know way more about wedding traditions, rules, and etiquette than i ever expected to.

let me give you a summary of every voice message from my sister the past month:

"are the cards done yet?"

"are the cards done yet?"

"are the cards finished?"

"when are they going to be done?"

"any idea when we can expect the cards?"

"how are the cards coming?"

"so...i just wanted to check the status on the cards."

i worked on the cards in my spare time, but found myself getting extremely frustrated with little things like spacing and, a new discovery, kerning. luckily my friend jonathan, a very talented designer, stepped up and helped me finish up the final design. not only that but he printed them on his press as well. sure enough, they turned out wonderful, and they were sent out eight weeks before the big date, something a found out was standard etiquette.  the voice messages have also stopped.

all in all, it wasn't that bad, and i'm honored my sister asked me to do it.  now lets just wait and see how the actual wedding goes!

it's a small [pool] after all

so i had some friends in town this weekend.

by a very fortunate and gracious chain of events i was able to get us invited to a pool party by a host i had recently been aquatinted with.  thankfully my friends are always up for any adventure and ironically they had packed their swimsuits.

we were social, and quickly made chit chat with wonderful, but complete strangers.  than a guest entered the party and my friend was shocked.  it was his old college roommate, who he hadn't seen in years.  as they chatted and discussed how each other had been invited, it was discovered many of these people weren't strangers at all.  we found that several of the party guests had actually been at a college party my friend had hosted a decade ago.

it really is a small world.

nothing [gin] can stay

i'm sure by now you know, i believe an event must happen three years in a row in order for it to be called a tradition.  well...this years annual "june bucket" party became a tradition.  however it achieved that status bitter sweetly...

the friend who introduced this wonderful event to our group, recently accepted a job in another city. not only would this be the last june bucket she would host in wichita, but it was also a bit of a farewell party. luckily, if you're going to throw a going away event, one involving buckets of gin, sprite, citrus fruits and turkey basters is a great way to go out.  the night was filled with laughter, photos, walking tacos, music, dancing and a multitude of amazing friends. even a late night kansas thunderstorm couldn't dampen the festivities.

not so secretly, i am a bit of a sentimental guy.  between the basters, bottles and buckets, i did reflect back on the past three years; the strangers i've met who eventually became friends, and the strengthening of those friendships through the retelling of stories a celebration like this always creates.

i have no idea what the future holds for the annual june bucket party. maybe it will continue, maybe it will cease, maybe it will change, maybe it will expand, or just maybe... some other event incorporating odd kitchen utensils and drinking will take its place. whatever happens, i do know it won't be the same, but then again, isn't that just life?

natures first green is gold,

her hardest hue to hold.

her early leaf's a flower;

but only so an hour.

then leaf subsides to leaf,

so eden sank to grief,

so dawn goes down to day

nothing gold can stay.

thank you robert.