Another long week

My project is steaming along nicely this week. We almost have the plan locked down, at which point we can make sure the sections, elevations, etc. are all cohesive. The next step will be to move into nitty-gritty details, which will be excellent to my portfolio.

I took a picture of this excellent little stool that appeared in the office earlier this week. Its being used in another project, and I'm guessing the showroom sent it over for us to see. That is one of the incredible things about working here: when you want to use a piece of furniture or a light or a particular fabric or finish, its almost always just a few blocks away. A couple of weeks ago, I researched a German artist for a client, and after pricing several of his pieces, I realized that the only gallery that carried his work in the States was 6 blocks north of the office.

This is Oreo. He is some strange half-breed, possibly a dog. He is very quiet, yawns a lot, and moves at a sedate pace. He seems to possess some large degree of wisdom, or perhaps has experienced so much of the world that he is no longer surprised by anything. He is actually quite cat-like in his self-sufficiency and self-possessiveness. I would enjoy spending more time with him, but he is only around for a week or two while his owner is out of town.

Totes-my-goats

I left work early yesterday, after feeling like a zombie all day long. I think I had five cups of coffee, and was still feeling drowsy and dim. So I asked to leave at 10:30 instead of midnight, and managed to get a wonderful 7 hours of sleep!

My order of 3 tote bags from cheaptotes.com came yesterday too, and I spent about an hour drawing on one when I got back to my apartment. It was incredibly relaxing, and I think that littl bit of creativity helped me wind down after being stressed out all day. I wanted to make a geometric line pattern that has been in my head for a week or so, and is inspired by Sam Messenger's art, plus lots of other influences not so obvious (or even remembered).

I think I'll draw on another one this evening. And have a beer. And go to sleep early I hope!

Quickly before bed:

Grandma, I am sorry that I haven't been posting more frequently! I keep intending to get in a better pattern, but this week has been tough.

A quick overview:

I am working on a house on a hill in Connecticut. The conceptual parti is a floating box. Calvin (the principle of the firm) is using the Farnsworth House as a point of departure. It is also supposed to be a counterpoint to the 18th-century colonial further down the lightly wooded hill. Another inspiration is the traditional Japanese house, particularly the wood construction and fusuma, sliding doors made from wood and paper.

This week has been particularly busy, as we are pushing the project forward as fast as we can. My team had a meeting with Calvin last Friday, then again today, and a third Friday. Each meeting means lots of changes, lots of work. Added to that, we are meeting with a structural engineer tomorrow, and we want to have a final-ish plan ready for the client on Monday. All this to say: this week has been tough.

I've worked 'til midnight every night, and arrived at work an hour earlier than almost everyone as well. Been very tough to come home and write a blog entry, hence the reason this is the first all week. I apologize, my faithful readers, you few, you happy few, you band of blog-readers.

Darwin must have been from New York

I just had a thought that made me laugh aloud. (The frequency with which this happens is inversely related to the amount of sleep I have had divided by the number of cups of coffee.) I was standing at the sink, thinking about my plans for my birthday evening, and I started chuckling about the ways I am adapting to living in New York.

1. I sleep with noise-cancelling earplugs. The window AC in my room vibrates so loud that it rouses me out of deep sleep nightly.

2. I have deadened my sense of smell. There are too many stinky things in my neighborhood for a sensitive nose.

3. My balance has improved dramatically. I can now stand on a crowded train without a hand on the bar while carrying my bag, drinking coffee, and reading my book.

4. I have developed an excellent resistance to coffee jitters. This is very useful on mornings when I've only slept three hours (because of my rattling AC unit).

5. I no longer feel fatigue in my feet. I actually don't notice them at all. On a side note: they also move faster than at any other time in my life.

I think I'll keep adding to this list as I adapt further. Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes!

Sounds, smells, things to see

I like to remind myself how lucky I am to be in this amazing city. Every now and then I get a little depressed that I'm not in Texarkana hanging out with a wonderful girl, or in Springhill with my family, or in Austin with my roommates.

When that happens, I try to remind myself to look around and enjoy how incredible everything around me is. I love to imagine the histories behind each brick facade, and think about the people who have lived there.

Last Sunday, the 4th, I went to a park along the Hudson and met some friends on a bench looking out over the water. We sat for a while, waiting for the sun to set. A constant tide of people flowed behind us, looking for places to perch and watch the show.

The show was pretty incredible. 25 minutes long, five boats shooting off fireworks over 1000 feet high. Those are just numbers. Something about watching fireworks in New York City seemed unsettling. I was reminded of soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, hearing explosions in the distance and knowing that they were being fired at their buddies.

Also, this final image is for Lydia.