The acronyms in my life: IDP, CIDP, NCARB, ARE, CSE, CAB, AIA, TGIF

Acronym Chart
IDP=Intern Development Program
CIDP=California Intern Development Program
NCARB=National Council of Architecture Registration Boards
ARE=Architects Registration Exam
CSE= California Supplemental Exam for Architects
CAB=California Architects Board
AIA=American Institute of Architect

I officially submitted my NCARB application to begin IDP and CIDP and establish eligibility for the ARE so that I can pass and then take the CSE so that my license can be granted by the CAB and then I can join the AIA. Once I receive IDP materials in the mail and being documentation I will then have 1,095 days until Registered Licensed Architect status. By the time I'm licensed and have paid every last Acronym-induced-fee I'll have spent the equivalent of a first class trip to Switzerland including lift tickets and 5-star hotel stay at Zermatt (7,220 ft vertical drop according to GoSki). At this moment, I can keep the Acronyms straight in my head and the cost, time and infinitesimal record keeping is not too overwhelming...of course, I also haven't even started yet. If this doesn't work out I have 27 different backup plans. No. 25 is global ski-bum.

Neurons that smell have more to tell!

It's official. Memory recall is stronger when a scent is involved in the uptake of information.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/science/09sleep.html?hp

I wonder what the smell of my coffee is doing for me right now...

The Seismic Life

So one of my duties as an aspiring Architect of California health care facilities is working with seismic codes and employing seismic design in hospitals. Due to professional practice, I've now become interested in seismic events both near and far. Today at 12:12:10pm PST a microquake occurred 12 miles from San Diego. I was in a hospital in La Jolla and did not feel a thing. Actually, microquakes occur at 2.0 or less on the Richter scale and are not supposed to be felt. It takes a 3.0 for humans to know something is wrong. There's talk and agreement among Seismologists that a large earthquake is inevitable for the southern San Andreas fault which runs through Palm Springs, San Bernadino, Riverside and the Imperial County. The southern end has not seen a major quake in 300 years. A 6.o - 6.9 quake will cause damage 100 miles from the epicenter. San Diego is 124 miles from Palm Springs so I hope that is far enough...otherwise I should be getting my emergency supplies together now. Actually, that's probably a good idea regardless of what my seismic future holds. The quake that just occurred in Indonesia was a 6.3 with aftershocks just as strong. The Pacific Ring of Fire is unforgiving and relentless. I wonder what kind of seismic codes (if any) Indonesia uses for homes and larger buildings. In the 2004 indonesian earthquake the USGS estimated 229,866 people displaced. That's a lot of homes destroyed. Many of these dwellings are unreinforced brick or concrete block making them heavy and easy to crumble by shearing forces and inhabitants are crushed-to-death. I did read of one architect in Indonesia who's trying to get people to adopt and use flexible materials in different ways like combining bamboo framing with block knee walls. With so many natural disasters in so many places there is a need for adaptive, short-term, rapidly deployed housing solutions or hyper-responsive architecture. There's got to be better solutions than FEMA trailers!

Big Bear Mountain

From goSki.com: Afton Alps, MN, vertical drop is 351 ft and no peak listed. Big Bear Mountain, CA, vertical drop is 1200 ft and the tallest peak is 8200 ft. Big Bear doesn't excite many people around here but when you go from the treacherous 351 ft mountains of Minnesota to 8200 ft terrain in California it's pretty exciting! Also, they don't have thai restaurants at the bottom of any ski places in Minnesota. We ate at Pong's...which looked like it could've been a questionable choice based on the kitsch of their signage but it was good! The picturesque drive up to Big Bear was worth the trip alone. The return trip in traffic would be an excellent test for Newlyweds...it also makes you want to not go more than once a year.

Photos:
http://www.flickr.com/gp/19321129@N00/DaD06U

Fortuna Mountain

I like going up Fortuna instead of Cowles because even though it's a shorter climb it's significantly more steep with strong potential for humans to synchronize with gravity. Fortunately UCSD and Scripps both have level 1 trauma centers, should a human go splat on a rock. Because it's tucked away about a 1/4 mile walk past the visitor only about 6 people are ever on the Fortuna climber's trail whereas Cowles seems to always be crowded. Today is the last time I'm climbing to the summit at Fortuna because I shouldn't be doing that kind of rock climbing without a helmet and gear. I don't want to end up on the San Diego evening news. The rest of the trail is just good hard steep hiking. I do like the climbing part. It's a physical set of decisions, a negotiation and you sense the consequences with every change in position. One time on my path of descent a cactus hidden under a rock overhang got stuck on my knee. There's no way I could've seen that coming. Sometimes even the best negotiations are ambushed.

Camera Phone's Greatest Hits

breakfast
Originally uploaded by iamonhold.

I finally got around to downloading these. Hubie's feet are not small.

http://www.flickr.com/gp/19321129@N00/R58S0O

palm tree nut, streetlight, courtyard : balboa park