I’m ripping a CD that I burned in my first year in grad school. Most of it is the excellent Psychograss album Now Hear This.
I had thrown in a few extra tracks in the leftover space at the end, which is now a snapshot of my mental state of that tumultuous time in my early twenties.
The opening bars of each of these tracks triggers a flood of dormant feelings.
I have mixed feelings of Architecture school. It’s inherently traumatic but created memories I wouldn’t want to give up.
If I was in power, I would develop a less vicious pedagogy…but I can’t muster any sympathy for students today, even if Studio hasn’t changed in two decades.
Humans are weird. Maybe I’m more cruel than I dare to admit.
Hmm what big thing happened in the closing weeks of of 2022?
Oh yeah! Of course!
It has been an indulgent five weeks after I was let into this garden the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I was genuinely excited when I got the invite email. I should have been even more excited, if I had known what we would do together as a group.
With that, let me indulge in five #SundayShares of old posts, #PostTips and #PostProjects
The Ghost of Old Year’s Past
This pancake photo might not seem like much, but I’ve always been self conscious about my deficiencies as a photographer. This photo reminded me that I enjoy shooting #Texture and gave me confidence to make shareable images with a camera. One day, I’d love to be great at street or landscape, but I’ll leave those efforts for another year.
I’ve always wanted to start drawing again, but my fear of inaccuracy had perennially constricted my gut. After joining Post, I wanted to see more hand drawing on Post and realized I needed to do my part. My hand was a convenient model which that morphed into a series the shaping ASL manual alphabet. The project clicked at “D” when I paired the sketch with a silly sentence. It’s so great when an iterative project crystalizes into something that feels just right. Even though I’m fan of quitting early and often, I’m also a huge proponent of repeating something until the universe gives a clear go/no-go.
I posted notes on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids early one morning right after they released the feature showing who liked your Post. For a few minutes @noam was the only person who liked this Post. Hell yes, I have a screen shot.
This may be getting extra-recursive, but I wanted to reshare this #SundayShare of the greatest honor of my career. Fuck cancer.
This hack won’t be of much use after the Post Team rolls out their Lists and Global Notification features, but in the meantime, I been using my web browser’s bookmark folder for tracking favorite accounts, including @ mentions of myself (…/topics/<INSERTusernameHERE>)
This might be just me, but please consider doing “Quick RePost” if you’re not adding substantive commentary. I believe a simple compliment is better added to the original Post’s comment section — it keeps the conversation centered on the original Post and the original Poster has a better chance to see and respond. This habit will also help keep following feeds clean if/when they start combining Quick Reposts into a single entry.
I’m ashamed to admit it, but I used to dismiss #AltText as digital virtue signalling. After watching professional creatives studiously adding alt text to each of their images, I realized that I was the jackass. This the best aspect of Post culture — good peer pressure to make things better.
My blog has had two long running efforts “Notes on my Consumption” and “Written Snapshots”. I’ll keep sharing this #DailyWriting here.
I’m going to finish my alphabet hand #Sketch series. I’d like to continue the #Texture photos. Maybe start a series on “boring architecture”. I wonder if my appropriation of the Tarot will last more than a couple of weeks — I have no idea what I’m doing!
I’m a big fan of #SundayShare. It’s a fun excuse to dig into my archives.
Are there other fun hashtag out there? @annasomeday came up with #WeekendWeirdness. @taratrudel just proposed #ComfortZone. @nolahaynes started #ClubGoodVibes. I’ve joined @allegrastein‘s #dailywriting crew. It will be fun to explore with other #PostCreatives like @jpdubois as these organic initiatives pop up.
Finally, a negative goal: Stop wasting time on the meta-conversation. I already know who’s good and who’s naughty. Gossip is juicy but pseudo-fun steals time from making Posts!
Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine heading into 2023. I’m going back into the office after next week, re-inserting commute hours back into my routine and eroding my spare time.
And to be honest, I’m a fickle person when it comes to hobbies. There is a legit chance that this Post might mark my peak on this platform.
If so, I will be forever grateful to Noam and the Post team for an amazing year in five weeks.
But let’s hope we’ll have many great weeks of sharing together.
Yesterday afternoon, I took out my sticks for a reading while the kids played with their new “kid’s only” tent. The boy came out from the clubhouse and started messing with them as I created groups of fours.
He even attempted a cartwheel while holding a bundle. (Thankfully he didn’t poke an eye!) I told him to keep his feet on the floor if he wanted to keep playing with sticks.
Traditionally, yarrow stalks are used for I Ching divination. Maybe I’ll plant a batch one year. Until then, I have a collection of sticks from my backyard, the in-law’s garden, and from the desert overlooking the NSC Education Building that we built during the pandemic.
It’s a ragtag collection of more-or-less straight sticks that aren’t too knobbly, slightly smoother after to multiple readings. (I also tried using 50 unsharpened pencils, but that’s too industrial. I’d rather use coins.)
After obtaining the result, we were called downstairs for dinner. We watched The Fantastic Mr. Fox and played until the ball dropped in Times Square. That was enough for NYE. I did the dishes and closed the evening by reading Roald Dahl while listening to Bill Evans. A pleasant goodnight for the old year.
After I woke up in 2023, I read the texts from yesterday’s divination, conducted my morning jaunt on Post, gave myself a proper shave for no good reason beyond the calendar date, and put on Waltz for Debby again.
Let’s write it up to start the (real) New Year!
~
1. Heaven 乾 ䷀ (heaven over heaven)
Creative. Ride the six dragons. Heaven over heaven, movement is constant. Sublime Success. Nothing is static, clouds dance with another. Perseverance gives power in the moment.
Changing Line 4 (yang becomes yin)
Leap into repose. No hurry. Inaction may be the right course. Move with deliberation. Attune oneself to the task. A delicate moment between two worlds. Hesitation is warranted.
Changing Line 5 (yang becomes yin)
Flying Dragon. Find a virtuous partner. Search for good company. Trust in resonance. A chorus of shared inner strength. Spontaneity, time to fly. The work is ready. Leap. Advantage.
26. Great Domestication 大畜 ䷙ (mountain over heaven)
Not eating at home. When the soul is ready, branch out. Heaven in the mountain, the heart is prepared with great virtue. Profit. Inner strength is the core of action. Release them for great good. Cross the river.
~
Auspicious start Move deliberately Find the sage Great deeds
~
P.S. My back is still tender…but I can touch my toes again! Thanks for reading my spontaneous sillyliminalweekjournal.
She enjoyed the trailer and this is one of her favorites from the Roald Dahl book set. We gave it a whirl on New Year’s Eve.
The girl closed 2022 by learning the hard truth that adaptations distort beloved stories. She expressed her dismay throughout the viewing. Expecting fidelity is a surefire path to disappointment.
I hadn’t read the book, so I thought it was fine. It was a welcome respite from the current Pixar aesthetic. The story and characters had a delightful edge (which Disney studiously avoids). I haven’t watched Wes Anderson before, but I now grok his reputation. I’d watch him again.
After the kids went to bed, I read the book. It’s a fun, quiet story. I get why my daughter felt let down.
We discussed it further on New Year’s Day —
The director added all that stuff to fill a 90 minute movie.
But why did he make these changes?
Those are plot devices to manufacture tension.
Were they necessary? The book was better.
I agree, but the mass market demands more excitement in their movies.
As a father, it hurts to feel her sense of betrayal. Then again, she’s embarking upon lifetime of disappointing movie adaptations.
Best that we got the initial shock out of the way, last year.
This game is Where’s Waldo in a metropolis of murder and mayhem.
As investigators, the player’s job is to track the incident on the map — backwards and forwards in time and space — to catch the perpetrators.
The key conceptual breakthrough is that the little figures are repeatedly shown in the map, tracking both space and time. Of course, it helps that the design team implemented this idea impeccably.
The kids absolutely love this game. My daughter hates competitive games so the team coop is a good fit, and the illustrations are cute as hell (an apt superlative given what’s depicted).
As a parent, I been awful at picking presents, especially games. So it I’ll take any success when where I can find it, even though I dislike the idea of single use games (sorry Legacy!).
Given my cheapskate tendencies, the fact I’m now considering other games of limited replayability is the highest recommendation I could give MicroMacro. Not just me, it won the ’21 Spiel des Jahres!
If it sounds interesting, get it.
Make sure you have a real magnifying glass when you play the game. The thin plastic magnifier that comes with the game scratches up easily. Even better, get a domed magnifying paperweight. It’s perfect for marking a key point on the map as well as exploring the vicinity. I’m happy we had one at home.
Is there a hidden cost of trying to fit everything in? I can’t to remember anything from audiobooks that I “read” at 1.5x speed. Let’s not talk about YouTube.
Such an approach would force me to be pickier about my information consumption.
I also wonder if listening to things at high speed is grooving bad hidden psychological habits.
What’s a better Disney film? As I grow up, my tastes regress. Continue the trend and this will become my favorite movie! (Though I can’t envision how it could dislodge Pom Poko.)
We watched it with her years ago. No memories. As I pulled up the movie, she was unimpressed by my excitement. Then it started. She LOL’ed throughout.
The boy watched intently. During our dinner break, he smiled and proclaimed That was a lot! (But refused to elaborate.) I’ll re-interrogate him on film criticism during breakfast.
Should we watch the sequels? I’m a timid gambler. I’d quit while I’m ahead. But if the kids insist…
Our home renovation was the first project under my stamp. The second was this renovation at Building 1300.
It was built as a residential center the disabled. Fifty years later, it’s an administrative building. We removed two kitchens, freeing up space to become an indoor exercise activity space for the clients and a training room for the staff.
In school, we design majestic pretend structures. Sometimes we get to participate in marquee IRL projects — my wife worked on curtain wall details for an addition to an iconic museum and I’ve played a part on three university building projects.
But really, Architecture is a mundane practice.
We make incremental improvements to what’s around us. We get paid to make the world a little better.
Four years ago, I left private practice to become an Owner’s Project Manager for the State of Nevada.
I’m the ultimate middleman — I don’t deliver nothing. The Architect designs the project. The Contractor builds it. The Agency uses the facility to serve the public.
I just shepherd the team to deliver the project on time and on budget, hopefully at an optimal quality.
My tasks are unremarkable. Calculate estimates. Send emails. Meetings and phone calls. Double check drawings and dollar signs. I shuttle documents around our bureaucracy.
My position is five steps below the Governor on the org-chart, but it’s blessedly free from politics. The Citizens elect our Politicians. They determine our directives. The Division gets it done.
But nothing happens without people.
My big paradigm shift after taking this job was realizing that work is all about relationships. As a professional architect, I delivered tangible documents. Now, my only unique skill is familiarity with the government bureaucracy.
I’m here to balance the conflicting demands on a project, negotiate the cross incentives within the team, and chart a path through the process.
It’s not always daisies. On Friday night, I dropped the velvet hammer on a flooring manufacturer for delaying another project. It’s my duty to be fair and firm as a steward of taxpayer dollars.
I grasp the checkbook, but I work for those who do the real work. Construction isn’t easy, but I hope to make it satisfying. I try to conduct myself with honor and enable each team member to to do their best. I care about each of us, in our roles and as individuals.
This is our work. Let’s make the most of this precious opportunity.
Maybe even walk out with a smile.
This Kitchen Demolition project did not go smoothly. It started as an extensive renovation with a consultant architect, but the agency suddenly realized that the funding was about to expire.
With that nasty deadline, I could only deconstruct. I slammed demolition drawings on AutoCAD LT and pushed it out to bid. The contract was approved, signed by all parties.
Then COVID hit.
The Capitol feared we were at the precipice of a depression and killed this little project. (Of course, the cancellation dragged out amidst the pandemic confusion, leaving the contractor in limbo for more than a month.)
By Spring 2021, the looming depression became an economic rebound. The Agency revived the project.
The Contractor held their bid, we waded through a swamp of paperwork, moved the cash into the right budget account, and those kitchens disappeared!
We celebrated with a twelve pack of Dr. Peppers.
Construction is only straightforward after it’s done. Every project suffers its twists and turns.
We can plan, but only so much. When chaos hits, the universe forces us to negotiate. If we choose to collaborate, these frustrations can cultivate relationships beyond mere project roles.
June came and went this year. The twelve month warranty expired — the only part of our job without hiccups.
Wednesday morning, I returned a missed call.
His voice quivered.
Tracey passed away. I thought you should know. She really enjoyed working with you.
䷨䷆
one small project client and contractor respect notice beyond this vale greatest honor of my career
