THE NEWS! THE NEWS! The news you've been waiting for! . . . Well maybe not but it's news from (and about) me all the same - drumroll please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Are you ready? Really? Ok. I'm switching majors! No more Architecture! . . . You want to know what to Well, that was going to be in my next post but . . . I'm heading over to the College of Education - specifically I'm going for a major in Elementary Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You want to know why? That really is for the next post - I want to describe it fully and explain how I came to this decision - it'll be worth the wait, I promise.
Until then . . .
Until then . . .
Last time I checked in we had visited the Nelson-Atkins Museum (did you notice that I figured out how to make links? Now I'm using them everywhere!) and were in the process of starting Project 4. Well, this time we've finished Project 4 as well as our first semester in the Environmental Design Studios. Project 4 was a difficult project, but I did enjoy it - we spent the first 3 weeks formulating and refining a design for our garden (if you didn't remember or I didn't tell you *gasp!* we were designing a modern garden on a 40'x56' site for Project 4) and once that was approved, we drew a site plan (the bird's eye view plan), two section cut one-point-perspectives (what you would see if you were standing at a certain point in the garden) and 4 diagrams to describe our design process.
The design was created and refined through a series of models and sketches that built upon each other until we reached our accepted design (you should be able to tell that I'm learning because my prose is very designerish sounding right? Except this of course . . . but we're in parenthesis so I can write however I wanna!). Basically we made a LOT of models - I made around 18 to get to my final design, which was approved the Friday before Thanksgiving break. We all had the privilege of working on our projects throughout the break, which added some nice spice of stress to the otherwise relaxing holiday season. Even so I managed to procrastinate and enjoy some time with my family - eating a big meal at Grandma Joanne's and shopping on Black Friday (this is only the second time I've had that opportunity shop early on Black Friday with my family by the way - if I get to it I'll make an exclusive holiday/family-time post later).
When we returned from Thanksgiving Break we had a busy week before us and the final project due the next Sunday. I worked my hind-quarters off and finished a grand 15 minutes before the deadline after pulling an all-nighter Saturday night and catching church Sunday morning (although I'll confess I had a little trouble staying awake during the sermon . . . . . . OK! so maybe I missed (read: slept through) all of the sermon, but I caught the song service! (after I drifted off standing . . . that jolted me awake long enough to make it to the sermon) . . . anyway . . .). The point is that I finished on time then we all (the 1st year Architecture students) cleaned out the studios and they served us dinner (Mr. Goodcents) - 5 o'clock is way too early for supper so I had a giant chocolate cookie instead. After dinner I came back to the dorm and warmly embraced my old friend, Mr. Pillow. We had a nice reunion (he seemed glad to see me too) and I got up the next morning to finish up with studio - we still had critics of our projects. My critic went well and Monday night Mr. Pillow helped me reconcile with Mr. Sheets and Mrs. Bed (I'm typing this late at night here so give me a break on the names, a'right?) we made up and I slept in nicely on Tuesday and took the day off because I had no classes.
I finished up the last of my normal classes this afternoon and I'm down to two finals next week (Wednesday and Thursday) which I'll finish studying for early next week. I'm going to relax and enjoy myself this weekend and I plan on exploring the town some next week before I head home for the Christmas Break (which is nearly a month with NO HOMEWORK!! Hard to beat that!).
Anyway that brings you up to date on my work in Architecture, stay tuned for more posts and a some news.
The design was created and refined through a series of models and sketches that built upon each other until we reached our accepted design (you should be able to tell that I'm learning because my prose is very designerish sounding right? Except this of course . . . but we're in parenthesis so I can write however I wanna!). Basically we made a LOT of models - I made around 18 to get to my final design, which was approved the Friday before Thanksgiving break. We all had the privilege of working on our projects throughout the break, which added some nice spice of stress to the otherwise relaxing holiday season. Even so I managed to procrastinate and enjoy some time with my family - eating a big meal at Grandma Joanne's and shopping on Black Friday (this is only the second time I've had that opportunity shop early on Black Friday with my family by the way - if I get to it I'll make an exclusive holiday/family-time post later).
When we returned from Thanksgiving Break we had a busy week before us and the final project due the next Sunday. I worked my hind-quarters off and finished a grand 15 minutes before the deadline after pulling an all-nighter Saturday night and catching church Sunday morning (although I'll confess I had a little trouble staying awake during the sermon . . . . . . OK! so maybe I missed (read: slept through) all of the sermon, but I caught the song service! (after I drifted off standing . . . that jolted me awake long enough to make it to the sermon) . . . anyway . . .). The point is that I finished on time then we all (the 1st year Architecture students) cleaned out the studios and they served us dinner (Mr. Goodcents) - 5 o'clock is way too early for supper so I had a giant chocolate cookie instead. After dinner I came back to the dorm and warmly embraced my old friend, Mr. Pillow. We had a nice reunion (he seemed glad to see me too) and I got up the next morning to finish up with studio - we still had critics of our projects. My critic went well and Monday night Mr. Pillow helped me reconcile with Mr. Sheets and Mrs. Bed (I'm typing this late at night here so give me a break on the names, a'right?) we made up and I slept in nicely on Tuesday and took the day off because I had no classes.
I finished up the last of my normal classes this afternoon and I'm down to two finals next week (Wednesday and Thursday) which I'll finish studying for early next week. I'm going to relax and enjoy myself this weekend and I plan on exploring the town some next week before I head home for the Christmas Break (which is nearly a month with NO HOMEWORK!! Hard to beat that!).
Anyway that brings you up to date on my work in Architecture, stay tuned for more posts and a some news.
Well I figure I'll start my updates by sharing some fun, interesting and neat things I've come across on the big 'ol net.
First off we've got a story about a couple who decided to live the simple life and constructed a gypsy wagon which they promptly moved into.
They packed or sold all their belongings and took off on a road trip with the vague destination of New England; after their road trip they settled into a group home and parked the wagon in the backyard. The trip is documented on their blog - whittleddown.com - where they also share tips and tricks for living with a little less. I thought it was a pretty cool story and I'm following their blog now (I'm looking forward to trying some of their projects). You can read a more detailed article and see more pictures at ReadyMade.com.
On a completely different note - here are some fun gadgets brought to us from the guys over at ThinkGeek that are sure to amuse and amaze the simple minded (like me!).
-First off we have the Buckyballs: 216 spherical rare earth magnets that can be manipulated into a mulitude of shapes and forms. Check out the short video here.
First off we've got a story about a couple who decided to live the simple life and constructed a gypsy wagon which they promptly moved into.
 |
| Home, Sweet Wagon? |
On a completely different note - here are some fun gadgets brought to us from the guys over at ThinkGeek that are sure to amuse and amaze the simple minded (like me!).
 |
| Buckyballs |
-First off we have the Buckyballs: 216 spherical rare earth magnets that can be manipulated into a mulitude of shapes and forms. Check out the short video here.
 |
| This is the Annoy-a-tron 2 |
-Second we have 3 similar but unique devices: the amazing Annoy-a-tron, the Annoy-a-tron 2 and the EvilTron. These little bare-bones devices emit various sounds at random intervals to annoy or scare your victim. The classic Annoy-a-tron emits a 2 or 12 kHz beep (thats an electronic sounding beep so they won't suspect anything - but it's extremely irritating) on a random interval every 2-8 minutes. The Annoy-a-tron 2 adds the options of a 15 kHz tone (the "Teen Buzz" tone that middle aged and older adults can't generally hear), cricket chirping, an Instant Message Alert, a grating electronic noise and the typical electronic beep; and the EvilTron produces some unsettling creaking, unidentifiable scratching sounds, gasping last breath, sinister child laughing, an eerie whispering of "hey, can you hear me?", or a random combination of them. All of the devices come with powerful rare earth magnets to help you hide them anywhere they won't be found and the batteries are estimated to last up to a month.
 |
| The Phantom Keystroker |
-And one of my favorites: the Phantom Keystroker. This devious little device looks like a USB flash drive but, when plugged in, it will type random garbage, toggle the caps lock, make random mouse movements or preform a combination of them.
If you ever need some fun gag gifts or something for the guy who has everything ThinkGeek is a great place to check out (as you can see from some of their gadgets).
That does it for this post - the next is on the way!
Well I've finished up with studio and my classes for this semester and I'm taking some time to catch you all up on what I've been doing since my last post. Basically this means that I've got a lot to post in the next few days so be prepared for a lot of posts covering a lot of subjects - we'll have some fun and interesting stuff I found online, some reflection on the past semester, a look ahead, and some news about my college plans. So, with no further ado, here we go!
So I told you I'd get some pictures up of our field trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City . . . . . . . . . . . What's that? . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oh I didn't tell you? . . . . . . . . Well I'm telling you now . . . . . . . . . . Yes I'm really putting them up now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes by now I mean in the next few minutes . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yes! They're going up right now! This instant! See?!
Here is a view of the sculpture garden we studied as a precedent case.
Here's a view of the columns by the garden - they're even bigger in person.
Here's a detail of the column capital - anyone know what order? Yep, thats a volute from the Ionic Order.
This is a cool fountain they had in the garden.
This is Endless Coupling by Isamu Noguchi. We're required to use this as a sculpture
in our garden design for Exercise 4. (Ugly isn't it?)
in our garden design for Exercise 4. (Ugly isn't it?)
Here's another neat fountain in one of the other buildings.
This is a courtyard where they serve meals - it's really a beautiful space.
This is the view from the back of the Nelson-Atkins looking away from the museum.
That statue in the foreground is The Thinker.
That statue in the foreground is The Thinker.
And here is the view of the back of the Nelson-Atkins from the edge of the property. You've gotta love the giant birdies - they really accent the ancient architecture look the building's pulling off.
Well I did warn you that it may be awhile before I got around to an update and I didn't want to lie to you and I wanted to make sure that there was no confusion as to 'awhile' (it means a long time in my vocab) so I've been waiting to post until I could meet both of these conditions.
. . . Ok so maybe that isn't the whole reason . . . but that's not important anyways - I'm posting now! Things are still busy around here so for those who are interested here's a quick summary (since my last update):
- I finished up Exercise 1 which was the one on Danforth Chapel (sorry that I haven't got pictures of it for you yet - I still hope to get them up here eventually). We drafted a plan view, 2 sections, 4 diagrams and made a space volume model for the final.
- I began and completed Exercise 2 - it was a two week project where we constructed 3 non-parallel planes and used within an imaginary 8 inch cube to imply spaces. If that sounds really weird and abstract it's because it was, but I liked this exercise much more than the first one.
- I started Exercise 3 - as of now I'm about half-way through it (it's a 3 week project). Using the same 3 non-parallel planes from Exercise 2 we are defining (note the difference between defining and implying space - yeah it seems pretty slim but they ground the difference into us so that we'll recognize it for the rest of our lives) space with the 3 planes and structure added to them. Basically we're taking an 8 inch cube and dividing it into spaces (volumes) using our 3 planes and the design strategy we used to construct the aforementioned (25 cent word for ya there) planes.
*If this doesn't make sense (which wouldn't be surprising because it barely makes sense to many of students here) I hope to get some pictures of these projects up eventually to help clarify and illustrate the objectives.
- In about a week and a half I'll be starting the fourth and final project for this semster, in which we get to design a garden. I'm looking forward to this project because we get to leave the abstract and work on a real design and we will have interaction with other people (I'm not sure who yet) that will act as the client. We'll be taking a field-trip to Kansas City to further enhance this exercise - I'm looking forward to this as well.
- I'm also taking a History of the Designed Environment class, it's the standard lecture class and a requirement for all majors in the college but I'm enjoying it. Before that class I attend a Intro to City Planning class that I don't enjoy quite as much, but it is getting better so there you have it.
Now you know my basic activities in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design (CAPD) - it's a ton of work (more than I've ever done in my life) but I'm really enjoying it. My only concern is that I'm not going to know what to do with free time when Christmas Break rolls around - but I'm sure my family will have plenty of suggestions to help me out on that front.
As to the rest of my activities here in Manhattan . . . well there isn't much to tell because there isn't a whole lot of time available outside of studio; however, I'm proud to say that I've done an excellent job of filling what little time I do have off (mainly with church activities and I try to set aside a little time for sleeping, but I've heard that it's overrated). I still love my church home at Grace Baptist Church - I've found a good bible study class at 9:20 on Sunday mornings that is on Spiritual Disciplines and is team taught by two excellent teachers. One of the teachers happens to be the father of our Awanas director, whom I work under (in a roundabout way) on Wednesday nights - they are both amazing Christian men and I am blessed to be able to learn from them. As I mentioned I also help in Awanas on Wednesday nights in the Sparks age group, which is boys and girls from kindergarten through 2nd grade; there are about 80 children in this age group and we subdivide them into four groups - so I get to work with around 20 kids (it varies week to week). We have 4-5 teachers for each team (of 20 kids) and the kids are very well behaved and seem to enjoy the program. For those who haven't experienced Awanas I think the best description is that it is like a combination of RA's (or GA's) and VBS - every week they learn verses and get vests, patches, and badges, and they sing and play games. I am also involved with a small group at the church that meets every other week and has fellowship and bible study - there are about 10 people in our group and I really enjoy the opportunity to meet with fellow believers and relax and worship - it has been a great experience for me and is helping me to develop friendships with fellow Christians.
Switching gears again - I'm wrapping up for tonight but I always feel like I need to have some images for my posts so here are a couple I found from last year. They were taken on the HCC campus during the spring semester and I thought they turned out all right, so here you go, enjoy.
. . . Ok so maybe that isn't the whole reason . . . but that's not important anyways - I'm posting now! Things are still busy around here so for those who are interested here's a quick summary (since my last update):
- I finished up Exercise 1 which was the one on Danforth Chapel (sorry that I haven't got pictures of it for you yet - I still hope to get them up here eventually). We drafted a plan view, 2 sections, 4 diagrams and made a space volume model for the final.
- I began and completed Exercise 2 - it was a two week project where we constructed 3 non-parallel planes and used within an imaginary 8 inch cube to imply spaces. If that sounds really weird and abstract it's because it was, but I liked this exercise much more than the first one.
- I started Exercise 3 - as of now I'm about half-way through it (it's a 3 week project). Using the same 3 non-parallel planes from Exercise 2 we are defining (note the difference between defining and implying space - yeah it seems pretty slim but they ground the difference into us so that we'll recognize it for the rest of our lives) space with the 3 planes and structure added to them. Basically we're taking an 8 inch cube and dividing it into spaces (volumes) using our 3 planes and the design strategy we used to construct the aforementioned (25 cent word for ya there) planes.
*If this doesn't make sense (which wouldn't be surprising because it barely makes sense to many of students here) I hope to get some pictures of these projects up eventually to help clarify and illustrate the objectives.
- In about a week and a half I'll be starting the fourth and final project for this semster, in which we get to design a garden. I'm looking forward to this project because we get to leave the abstract and work on a real design and we will have interaction with other people (I'm not sure who yet) that will act as the client. We'll be taking a field-trip to Kansas City to further enhance this exercise - I'm looking forward to this as well.
- I'm also taking a History of the Designed Environment class, it's the standard lecture class and a requirement for all majors in the college but I'm enjoying it. Before that class I attend a Intro to City Planning class that I don't enjoy quite as much, but it is getting better so there you have it.
Now you know my basic activities in the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design (CAPD) - it's a ton of work (more than I've ever done in my life) but I'm really enjoying it. My only concern is that I'm not going to know what to do with free time when Christmas Break rolls around - but I'm sure my family will have plenty of suggestions to help me out on that front.
As to the rest of my activities here in Manhattan . . . well there isn't much to tell because there isn't a whole lot of time available outside of studio; however, I'm proud to say that I've done an excellent job of filling what little time I do have off (mainly with church activities and I try to set aside a little time for sleeping, but I've heard that it's overrated). I still love my church home at Grace Baptist Church - I've found a good bible study class at 9:20 on Sunday mornings that is on Spiritual Disciplines and is team taught by two excellent teachers. One of the teachers happens to be the father of our Awanas director, whom I work under (in a roundabout way) on Wednesday nights - they are both amazing Christian men and I am blessed to be able to learn from them. As I mentioned I also help in Awanas on Wednesday nights in the Sparks age group, which is boys and girls from kindergarten through 2nd grade; there are about 80 children in this age group and we subdivide them into four groups - so I get to work with around 20 kids (it varies week to week). We have 4-5 teachers for each team (of 20 kids) and the kids are very well behaved and seem to enjoy the program. For those who haven't experienced Awanas I think the best description is that it is like a combination of RA's (or GA's) and VBS - every week they learn verses and get vests, patches, and badges, and they sing and play games. I am also involved with a small group at the church that meets every other week and has fellowship and bible study - there are about 10 people in our group and I really enjoy the opportunity to meet with fellow believers and relax and worship - it has been a great experience for me and is helping me to develop friendships with fellow Christians.
Switching gears again - I'm wrapping up for tonight but I always feel like I need to have some images for my posts so here are a couple I found from last year. They were taken on the HCC campus during the spring semester and I thought they turned out all right, so here you go, enjoy.
As a reminder - you can see a bigger picture by clicking on them.
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