Architecture Time!

My friend, and finally engaged to his girlfriend of 76 years, Franky, just had his latest project featured on Apartment Therapy. Its a rooftop garden in Athens, with gangster views in every direction. Fantastic photos too!

See all of them and read the article on the website:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/gardening/roof-garden-by-mabarchitects-061303

In other archi-news, I'm taking my 7th exam tomorrow - Lateral Forces. Also meeting with the church board on the project that I've been talking about for months. Its going slowly, and has no money, but I'd rather do it for little to nothing than pass up a first project of this magnitude. But for the time being it seems to be a part time job. We'll see. Annnd starting a new job on Monday in NYC. So I will be pulling myself in 3 directions pretty soon. Whopee!

Sleeping with a Ghost

So I'm sure there is a ghost in this room and its making my sleep a wee bit uncomfortable. Yesterday morning I was woken up by the sound of someone walking - well more sliding their feet - up to the side of my bed. I thought it was theBoy, turned, and of course, no one was there. Last night, I was tossing and turning thinking about how this person or thing would return. After sleeping on my side for some time, I turned onto my back, opened my eyes, and soon after the room was full of bright light. EEEEEK. Was it a truck nearby, a neighbor's light? Nope. It was my cell phone. The light turned on as if someone was calling or sending a text, but there was neither. That was good enough to freak me out and I was one "event" away from sleeping outdoors last night.

In related news I had a dream this morning that I was walking down a hall with one of my brothers. We stopped at a table piled with ham sandwiches on white bread. The lazy looking guy sitting on the only sofa in the big room got up for a sandwich too. I decided not to, then saw a delicious looking fig, which got bigger and more complex as I opened it. It turned into some big black thing which convinenently had writtten on it that it was part of the corn family. I kept peeling it open. I ripped open a big pod, which instantly turned into a plastic to-go container, and in it was a pile of nickle sized brown bean-chip things. Of course by then it was a party for my dad, and we had tons of food, which I had to move out of my trunk (we must've moved outdoors) because I didn't want people dropping food in the trunk. My dad praised everyone for planning the party so far in advance (one day according to dream conversations). I don't know. That's all I remember now.

The Hipster Problem

Having spent more time in NYC this summer than I have in four years there is something that has really surprised me. That is, the enduring phenomenon of the hipster. I really thought this thing would be over by now. Skinny jeans, dyed hair, repulsive body odor, contrived attitude, and penchant for 80's like music. Where are these people coming from, and why are they here? When did it become cool to smell terrible? These people are so desperate to belong to something they will stop at bathing. Smells like consumers posing as artists.

I've heard that Spanish gangs in Williamsburg have taken to attacking hipsters with machetes. That's a bit extreme. I do believe something will come along that will kill it, eventually.

Its always darkest before the dawn, they say.

Make Blueprints?

Draw the outside?

I need to have a talk with this person. My first, and last, encounter with real blueprints was ten years ago. But that's not even the point. Everyone seems to want to be an architect nowadays. I guess someone's gotta draw the outside. Whatever that means. There is serious wasted energy in that idea.