Saturday, February 3, 2007
Thursday, February 1, 2007
29.9726027
Another fractional step towards being 30...
As the time of 10,950 days old nears, I've thought about the "zeros", of life or life between the ages of 10, 20, and 30. When I was 10, life was great because my Mom, who taught (and still teaches) 2nd grade brought me to school in the morning and had me stay after school with her in the evening. This was every 10 year olds' dream because I had complete run of the Computer Lab, Music Room, Art Room, Library, Gymnasium, and Playground. Life after 10 went downhill because Jr. High was a popularity contest that I never joined. I discovered Coffeehouses, Ragstocks and thrift store fashion way too far ahead of my time and that combined with being gay and asian in a 99% white and straight school, left me alone in the school art room for 6 years. Sr High was slightly different because I could drive to the art room instead of being subject to the torture of the bus. Life after 20 was a roller-coaster-learning-curve of romantic, familial, friendly, corporate, laborious, exhilirating, disappointing and surpising relationships and where they did or didn't lead me. I think 30 will be a good decade with wiser drama, a thicker yet spongier heart to take the ups and downs and an evolving apprecation of the ones that I can't help but stick to.
About a month ago, one of those sticky ones, Dameon said to me, "People don't want to be right, they just want to be understood" - that statement was like Moses parting the sea. Tonight, Steph made the comment that the fatter and fuller our lives are the more excited WE are. She'd said this after I had told her that despite my new job, still working for my girlfriend, going to school, and freelancing on the side, I've felt even more excited, on top of already being excited about being in San Diego. I think the people who stick in our lives are there to diligently observe and to comment (for better or for worse) and ultimately to enlighten us through their own quirks and qualities. To be really esoteric... in quantum mechanics when a wave of light falls on a particle it causes the particle to bounce around like a cue-ball and on occasion a pair of subatomic particles can sometimes become “entangled.” This means the fate of one instantly affects the other, no matter how far apart they are. I think those funny behaviors explain why we stick to certain people.
As the time of 10,950 days old nears, I've thought about the "zeros", of life or life between the ages of 10, 20, and 30. When I was 10, life was great because my Mom, who taught (and still teaches) 2nd grade brought me to school in the morning and had me stay after school with her in the evening. This was every 10 year olds' dream because I had complete run of the Computer Lab, Music Room, Art Room, Library, Gymnasium, and Playground. Life after 10 went downhill because Jr. High was a popularity contest that I never joined. I discovered Coffeehouses, Ragstocks and thrift store fashion way too far ahead of my time and that combined with being gay and asian in a 99% white and straight school, left me alone in the school art room for 6 years. Sr High was slightly different because I could drive to the art room instead of being subject to the torture of the bus. Life after 20 was a roller-coaster-learning-curve of romantic, familial, friendly, corporate, laborious, exhilirating, disappointing and surpising relationships and where they did or didn't lead me. I think 30 will be a good decade with wiser drama, a thicker yet spongier heart to take the ups and downs and an evolving apprecation of the ones that I can't help but stick to.
About a month ago, one of those sticky ones, Dameon said to me, "People don't want to be right, they just want to be understood" - that statement was like Moses parting the sea. Tonight, Steph made the comment that the fatter and fuller our lives are the more excited WE are. She'd said this after I had told her that despite my new job, still working for my girlfriend, going to school, and freelancing on the side, I've felt even more excited, on top of already being excited about being in San Diego. I think the people who stick in our lives are there to diligently observe and to comment (for better or for worse) and ultimately to enlighten us through their own quirks and qualities. To be really esoteric... in quantum mechanics when a wave of light falls on a particle it causes the particle to bounce around like a cue-ball and on occasion a pair of subatomic particles can sometimes become “entangled.” This means the fate of one instantly affects the other, no matter how far apart they are. I think those funny behaviors explain why we stick to certain people.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Being 29.96985301 years old and Part II of the architecturally challenged
11 days out of 365 until I turn the big 30.
So I had a discussion with my new boss the other day in which I asked things like "how long did it take you to get licensed", "when did you start your firm", "when you go out for Thai do you order mild, medium, or inferno?". Well, my new boss said, "I had a biology degree, I backed into Architecture. I've had my firm for 10 years, I can handle really hot food". So, I did some further checking tonight and researched the California Table of Equivalents and the NCARB State by State Board requirements and they were very confusing...but this is what I think I distilled from all of the info: I don't need a Masters Degree in the state of California to become a licensed Architect!!!! If this is true I just saved $70,000! I save $36K for avoiding grad school and get a plus $34k for being able to work in lieu of school! Before I go out and buy a $200 bottle of champagne I'm going to put in some calls to the California Board of Architecture to verify this but if I navigated the maze of regulations correctly, I could sit for a division of the Architects Registration Exam tomorrow, work on my IDP for the next 3 years and be licensed by age 33.96985301!
In Minnesota, I would still have to go to graduate school, I'd still have to do the IDP and WAIT to take the ARE until BOTH of those conditions are met AND freeze my a** off the whole time.
Now, if I'm wrong, I'm going to really lament not saving that $70k but at least I'm in California.
So I had a discussion with my new boss the other day in which I asked things like "how long did it take you to get licensed", "when did you start your firm", "when you go out for Thai do you order mild, medium, or inferno?". Well, my new boss said, "I had a biology degree, I backed into Architecture. I've had my firm for 10 years, I can handle really hot food". So, I did some further checking tonight and researched the California Table of Equivalents and the NCARB State by State Board requirements and they were very confusing...but this is what I think I distilled from all of the info: I don't need a Masters Degree in the state of California to become a licensed Architect!!!! If this is true I just saved $70,000! I save $36K for avoiding grad school and get a plus $34k for being able to work in lieu of school! Before I go out and buy a $200 bottle of champagne I'm going to put in some calls to the California Board of Architecture to verify this but if I navigated the maze of regulations correctly, I could sit for a division of the Architects Registration Exam tomorrow, work on my IDP for the next 3 years and be licensed by age 33.96985301!
In Minnesota, I would still have to go to graduate school, I'd still have to do the IDP and WAIT to take the ARE until BOTH of those conditions are met AND freeze my a** off the whole time.
Now, if I'm wrong, I'm going to really lament not saving that $70k but at least I'm in California.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
advice for the architecturally challenged
So here's my dilemma...
The first Architecture firm I interviewed with in San Diego offered me the job on the spot and they gave me until 9am Monday morning to decide.
I've been out of the Architecture field for almost 5 years and have no Autocad experience but was presented with a decent offer despite the dust on my career. It was also a decent offer relative to the indentured-servitude-pay-scale that Intern Architects can expect until full licensure. The office primarily does "tenant improvements" for health care clients such as entire floors of reception desks, nursing stations, patient treatment rooms and bathrooms all stripped of the 80's and re-dressed in the double-00's. The office runs very leanly with only a bookkeeper, the Principal, one full-time drafter and possibly me the aspiring architect-to-be from Minnesota. The pros are: small office with a simple chain of command (although i'm not sure where the office dog fits in), health care projects that are technical with short construction turnarounds, lots of hands-on experience, paid Autocad training, very short commute and good job stability because the Principal has been in business for a while.
The cons are: low to zero opportunity for creativity, more hours than I wanted and no modern design in sight. The 80's office-park decor of the firm also kind of depresses me although there was one decent art piece on the wall. The technical experience is the true value to me in this job offer otherwise my first reaction is that I'm partially selling my soul. However, in this business that seems to be a pre-requisite and maybe I just need to accept that.
My dilemma is...
Do I give up the ideal of working for a creative, innovative, modern firm at least for now?
Or, do I take the risk of waiting several weeks or several months for a position in my dream firm to materialize?
Should I just take this job that's being offered and make the most of it for a year?
Friends! Advice? (please email or post before 8:45am Pacific Time!)
If you have 12 min. listen to Antoine Predock's advice to young architects during his interview about being awarded Gold Medal in Architecture. He's old but brilliant.
http://www.idimultimedia.net/clients/aia_podcast/06192006/aia-predock.mp3
The first Architecture firm I interviewed with in San Diego offered me the job on the spot and they gave me until 9am Monday morning to decide.
I've been out of the Architecture field for almost 5 years and have no Autocad experience but was presented with a decent offer despite the dust on my career. It was also a decent offer relative to the indentured-servitude-pay-scale that Intern Architects can expect until full licensure. The office primarily does "tenant improvements" for health care clients such as entire floors of reception desks, nursing stations, patient treatment rooms and bathrooms all stripped of the 80's and re-dressed in the double-00's. The office runs very leanly with only a bookkeeper, the Principal, one full-time drafter and possibly me the aspiring architect-to-be from Minnesota. The pros are: small office with a simple chain of command (although i'm not sure where the office dog fits in), health care projects that are technical with short construction turnarounds, lots of hands-on experience, paid Autocad training, very short commute and good job stability because the Principal has been in business for a while.
The cons are: low to zero opportunity for creativity, more hours than I wanted and no modern design in sight. The 80's office-park decor of the firm also kind of depresses me although there was one decent art piece on the wall. The technical experience is the true value to me in this job offer otherwise my first reaction is that I'm partially selling my soul. However, in this business that seems to be a pre-requisite and maybe I just need to accept that.
My dilemma is...
Do I give up the ideal of working for a creative, innovative, modern firm at least for now?
Or, do I take the risk of waiting several weeks or several months for a position in my dream firm to materialize?
Should I just take this job that's being offered and make the most of it for a year?
Friends! Advice? (please email or post before 8:45am Pacific Time!)
If you have 12 min. listen to Antoine Predock's advice to young architects during his interview about being awarded Gold Medal in Architecture. He's old but brilliant.
http://www.idimultimedia.net/clients/aia_podcast/06192006/aia-predock.mp3
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Don't underestimate grapes.
I've ended up at Wine Steals too many times in the last month so I guess I need to offically call it my new hangout. I went there once last week with my Spanish Tutor and aspiring Martial Arts Sensei, Elio, and returned for a glass of Malbec with Steph this evening after Building Codes. Today I took the long way home after a business meeting in Carlsbad. I drove down the coast through Leucadia, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and La Jolla. Every minute was absolutely breathtaking and required all of my multi-tasking faculties to check out the eccentric shops along the roadside, watch surfers, look out for bike-riders and take in the magnitude of the endless housing developments eastward and inland. It gave my Architectural Moxie a huge boost - there is SO MUCH design to be had out here! The market for residential new construction and remodeling seems unlimited! It seems like any young architect who's willing to really hustle and get their name out, should have no problem finding work and able clients. The beautiful views and building sites seemed endless on HWY 101 into San Diego. I did my office-chair-craigslist-deal in Del Mar, trading a roll of quarters for a fully adjustable chair and was back in San Diego with my new ergonomically superior seating within 15 minutes. Tomorrow I get a portfolio together for an interview with an Architecture firm specializing in Health Care Tenement Improvements. They want an Autocad Expert, which is not me, so I'm not going to hold my breath but the interviewing will at least be good practice.
Start Seeing Turbots
My night-time reading: The End of the Line, How Overfishing is Changing the Way We Eat. The author's description of how beam trawlers operate is frightening. Basically, a football field sized rake with a net attached to it gives a once over to the bottom of the sea. The kill ratio to get a pound of marketable fish is about 15:1. As usual, the government bodies, national and international, are too conservative and too slow to avoid 
collapse or outright extinction of some of the fish stocks. One of the arguments of why ocean and fish conservation is not a more urgent part of the public consciousness is that fish are not cuddly and furry and cute. The other adage, "out of sight, out of mind" is also a factor. This is very disheartening because I think fish are the most fascinating creatures on the planet. As a perpetual "looker-upper" I had to seek out visuals for the fish the author refers to - and I was not disappointed.
A Turbot
The end of the line for this Turbot.
collapse or outright extinction of some of the fish stocks. One of the arguments of why ocean and fish conservation is not a more urgent part of the public consciousness is that fish are not cuddly and furry and cute. The other adage, "out of sight, out of mind" is also a factor. This is very disheartening because I think fish are the most fascinating creatures on the planet. As a perpetual "looker-upper" I had to seek out visuals for the fish the author refers to - and I was not disappointed.
A Turbot
The end of the line for this Turbot.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Amo San Diego!
Yo amo explorar uno nuevo barrio cada dia. Hoy, fui al camino de Adams.
I like to explore new neighborhoods every day. Today, I went to Adams Ave. I went to check out a futon-like sofa that walks the line between cheap and classy, if there is such a thing. Supposedly, such line exists with red wine but I'm still working that out. Initially, when I started walking down the street I was concerned that I may be mugged but then Sunday's Methodist message of "Don't Be Afraid" and the visiting Dr. Parson's description of violence in the Congo flashed in my ears and bravery prevailed. Hopefully I look more like a person of novelty than one of temporary financial opportunity. There are two fabulous second-hand stores on Adams and both had items the Knitter would lust after. The Methodist Missionary thrift store had some incredible ceramic pieces and a ton of good books! - titles that were all best sellers either last year or in the fifties!
I wandered into a shop that had bamboo imports from Bali. The owners go there twice a year and buy until they fill one shipping container completely full. On my way back to the car I drifted into a place called O'Grady's pub and it's the first bar that has reminded me of Minneapolis. Ironically, the best food at O'Grady's was the Mexican because the chef is Mexican. He very personally and personably talked me into his Carne Asada burrito which I requested be muy caliente! I dropped a bit of carne asada on the floor and it burned a hole to Beijing. It was fabulous and irrefutably the best burrito I've ever had.
I am irreversibly changed.
The waitress Kelly gave me a card and told me to come back for a free drink - I'm going back in two hours.
Other News of Status...
Real Estate Exam = passed!
Other News of Status...
Real Estate Exam = passed!
Spanish = I conjugated a verb in something other than the present!
AutoCad = I can now "fillet" a corner and put hexagons in an array!
Building Codes = I think Albino Bunnies should be left out of it.
Girflriend = She's working hard and I miss her!
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