Putt Putt

The new company has events on the last Friday of each month to help bonding and to have fun.

This month was each area had a limit of $10.00 to create a Par three Putt Putt hole.
They would be judged and we would all rotate through the different holes.

That happened today.

The themes ran from the games Mouse Trap, Monopoly, Clue, Operation, and The Price is Right.
The best hole in my opinion was the UFO theme. They had foam plate flying saucers, egg headed aliens, and the 'X-Factor' theme playing in the back ground. But what made it the best hole was
a. someone was there to hint "hit the ball as hard as possible.
b. place your ball as close to the tube as possible, and most importantly,
c. they had created the hole in such a way that if you did exactly as they said, you would get a hole in one. The green was warped so the ball would roll in to the hole no mater where it landed.
It took me two attempts. I didn't hit the ball hard enough. (I didn't do what they asked. Hit it REAL HARD.)

Refrigerator article

Someone added the following to the article posted on the office refrigerator about Male Architects being the "Sexiest Profession" as determined by British women in a recent poll.

The comment was as follows,

"Lies
all
Lies!"

Sexiest Profession

Someone taped an article on the fridge, a survey in Great Britain that asked women what they thought was the sexiest line of work for men.

At least in England,

at least for this year,

that profession would be

*Architect*!!

Making Spaces Places

In college I had a favorite Professor.
He made us think.
Many instructors fail in that area.

I spent my last semester in Italy. We kept a notebook and worked at creating "Rules" for "how to create spaces".

Italy is a great research lab.

Anyone can make a room or an entry or a building.
But making that room or entry or building Special, feel familiar, a place you might want to remember or spend time in requires a "vocabulary" of parts.

Just as a car needs wheels and an engine and doors and seats to be recognized as a "car", so does great architecture need a collection of parts to make it Great.

There's a reason millions of people travel to the old villages of Europe.
They organically grew, touched and were created by the people who lived there.
Human scale. Human touch.

The 'textbook ' we used is " A pattern Language" which I picked up and began reading for the first time in 15 years. I want to use it to Make our House one of those special places.
This company and the opportunity to design, has re awakened in me the desire to make Great things.
To do more than just collect a paycheck.
It's hard work.

New job II

I think I am getting into the swing of things.

My skill set is limited at the moment.

We are working on creating a new lobby and new image for a 23 year old building on a pedestrian street.

There are 3 to 4 of us, depending on the day, working on solving the problems created by the previous designer.

Things seem to be calming down and a direction appearing... that is, if the client likes what we present on Monday.

The last time I did this kind of design work was back in College 15 years ago and I wasn't that good back then.

It has stretched muscles not used. It's going to take some dedication to begin thinking like a designer after years of the nuts and bolts.

It's fun! But not with out it's anxieties...

And I will get to make the design happen, see it built, and get to brag about it to friends!
***
Advantages to large companies...

Better insurance...
Larger projects... (sometimes good, sometimes bad)...
Lunches with the Big boss are better...
opportunity to travel...
broader experience set...
more people doing more things (and not just the boss)...

potentially more politics...

we'll see...

Cookies!

We bought a kitchen table from a co worker of mine who was moving.

It will be a Perfect platform upon which to make cookies!

Hey Martha, get your apron!

Walk in jeopardy

Due to less than expected contributions from close friends and former co-workers, Zelda has inquired into canceling her walk.

The nature of the three day walk involves a commitment by each walker to donate a set amount.
She, and thus we, are $700.00 short.

Rather than place ourselves in financial burden, Zelda has, with much distress, begun the process of with drawing from the event.

It is my understanding that all monies collected to date will be given to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

So all is not lost.

For those who are wondering, I have to work hard to keep up with Z when we go walking...
She's fast!

Indigestion over the ER

Zelda visited her doctor to get a second opinion about her late night chest pain.

"Classic symptoms of Gall Bladder problems, Bunny did good getting you to the ER."
(No, she doesn't know me as "Bunny", but you get the point).

The tech at the ER should have logged her symptoms and kept his opinions to himself.
The ER doc should have given her more thought...

Now Z is worried about her Gall bladder and how it may affect her 3 day walk.
Her doc may pull her out if she has any problems between now and the end of the month.

Z has been working long and hard to make the 60 miles. It'd be a shame to be stopped before she's started...

Can't sleep

The new job is nice...
Large corporate...
Lot of opportunity...

Haven't decided if I like it just yet...
***
Changed up Zelda's office tonight.
We moved the desks around and now have a problem connecting to the M drive.
***
I'm mad because Zelda's mad about the M drive and has no where to direct that frustration.
When you throw something at the wall, it tends to splatter everything around.
That frustration was thrown hard. I got hit with it.

All her projects are on M.
All our finances are on M.
Along with photos, etc.

We'll get it worked out, but in the mean time, she has down time...
And I feel like we're in Oklahoma...
(Our joke is, I don't love Zelda while we are in Oklahoma.)
***
Time to try to get back to sleep...
Tomorrow it will be Texas again,
and I love Z in Texas.

Omaha

Magda is now Mrs. Magda.
No hyphen.
No, Mr. Husband and Magda wife.

Just Mr. and Mrs. Newly married.
***
It was hotter in Omaha than it was in Dallas...
But by the last day a cool front moved in and made it more like October.

The dinner was in Sokol Hall, an old dance hall built in the 20s or 30s near where Zelda used to live.
It has the "Mens" and "Ladies" signage on white globe lamps over the restroom doors.
The bath rooms have the anti room prior to the toilets. Way cool.
***
Zelda and I are thinking about moving back/to Omaha.
***
A balance between friends close at hand or family...
Omaha provides the prior and Texas the later.

Omaha: I like the older neighborhoods, the amount of house (Dallas) money will buy in Omaha, and the fact that my one way commute in Dallas is longer than Omaha is wide at its longest point.

We have some bills to pay down and some contractual obligations before we could do anything like that.

Omaha bound

Magda gets her self hitched Saturday.

Yes, the Kamikazi Grrrls are now the Kamikazi Wifes.

Sounds like an ABC evening drama.

We fly out tomorrow for a weekend of foody fun (Yeah!)