Semester's End

The semester ended today. I can say two things.

1. YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

AND

2. Can Kinko's ever do anything right? I think not.

Architecture Studio Fall 2007

Customarily, architecture design studios in an educational environment are an opportunity to design structure or structures of some sort under a few select constraints. This allows creative minds to drift off into the depths of theoretical mumbo jumbo traveling through the realms of the most expensive materials available, the most expensive approaches to structural design, if any, all coming back around to a hopefully beautiful, "original" design backed by perfect reasoning and flawless dialogue. If you are sensing sarcasm than my literary handicaps aren't entirely thwarting my intent.
This past semester the constraints were quite strict. I was to design a senior housing facility in Georgetown, Colorado on a site within the boundaries of a National Historic Landmark. What this amounted to was juggling the design guidelines of the town (very strict) and one's own design preferences and skills. Where would one be stretched....where would another be sacrificed? I welcomed this refreshing project in that it was more real world, more within real constraints and real circumstances. But as I got into it I realized how difficult it was. It was difficult to put my preferences into a design that was laden with such strict guidelines. And so in the end I found myself introducing some very subtle stylistic approaches of my preference while working within the constraints of the town. I wasn't entirely pleased with the outcome but nevertheless....here it is.
FYI - Blogger doesn't like CMYK Images

Retired DJ

This weekend I am officially a retired DJ. I stopped DJing for the most part about a year ago. DJ equipment isn't exactly something you can just stow away for another day. It happens to take up quite a bit of space. It was also starting to depreciate a bit so it was the right time to pass it on to someone else who would use it more often. It is a little sad to see it gone but the space has already been taken up as if it was never there to begin with. I am a pretty organized person when I have the time. So, here it is. Some of my tools an dour camping gear all nicely organized on shelves instead of lining the walls of every room or piled up in every closet.

Turkey, Le Cumbre & Bon Voyage Colorado!!!!

The Lady's folks live in Santa Barbara....not a bad place to spend holidays and other times off of the normal schedule. I have probably said that before on here but.....there ya' have it. It was my first Thanksgiving with her family and we had a great time. The whole trip was a much needed break from school and work. I was socializing? Yeah....not used to that. Being out and about from morning till night you would think that I would interact with a ton of people but being in the zone I have become somewhat of a hermit on the go. So I had the opportunity to talk with a lot of people out there which was refreshing. I feel more natural that way...more alive. As mentioned before I have tuned my future schedule to allow for more refreshing experiences of this sort.
We got some quality miles in on our bikes out there as well. One of the rides we did was Le Cumbre peak which proved to be quite long and difficult given my lack of exercise lately....but really fun at the same time. Below is a picture of the view from the top looking down on Santa Barbara....as well as a picture of my Lady, Father-in-Law and I.
As for Bon Voyage Colorado.....we were at a beautiful home on the mountain our last night in Santa Barbara. A wonderful friend threw a going away party for my in-laws (they are heading out on a year long RV trip across the Americas....more to add in the future I am sure). Anyway, we were leaving at 4 in the morning the next day so were left the party a little early. As we were saying our goodbyes....say.....someone like Pierce Brosnan's twin brother came up to us and in the thickest accent possible said Bon Voyage, Colorado!!!! And we were off!

Not worried....you'll come back

Vegas is an interesting place unlike any other. Every time I go there I say....that was fun, but I am never coming back. And for some reason I end up back within the next year or so. Is it the faux buildings, the fake people, the chance for riches? Well, most of my visits have been purely because it happens to be on the way to Santa Barbara but there is a certain excitement about being in a place that doesn't sleep. Then there is a certain depressing disturbance watching people indulge in every possible activity that those same people can in no way afford. So....Vegas.....exciting and disturbing all in one big fuzzy ball of energy.
My architecture side: There is a new development going up in Vegas called City Center. It is a 68 acre, $7.4 billion project. It will be the essence of over indulgence in a city of over indulgence. Oh but wait.....the development will be LEED certified. Who are you kidding? I mean really. Sure its great that the effort was made. If its going to be built it might is well be somewhat environmentally friendly but....okay well I am back and forth on the issue but something doesn't seem quite right and I believe it is yet another sign that the LEED system, while good, is flawed and could use some tuning. BEHOLD, a Smörgåsbord of celebrity architect designs all in the beautiful landscape of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last Classes

Today I registered for the final classes I need to take in the spring to finish my Architecture degree. Of course I still have business classes for another year but that's more part time and in the evening so its different. There was a certain burst of excitement upon submitting my choices as if the classes were already completed. I guess I should focus on finishing this semester unscathed first....then move to the next.

Bucking Broncos

My brother has been in Iraq for over a year now. He and his wife come home in a couple months which I am sooooo excited about. The Broncos have a soldier of the game at every home game and Monday Night Football against the Packers was my bro's opportunity to be on the Thundervision. My Dad, and my brothers and I had the opportunity to benefit......that being going to the game for free.

Traffic was insane and I was late. Consequently, the seat next to the humongous walking Bronco was left vacant for none other than this guy. Automatically I knew I was going to really have to step up my game. This is the scenario. Bro pops up on screen gives a few shout out's, camera man pans to us and we give it up for my bro and the Broncos. When you are standing next to the said Bronco there is this overwhelming feeling that you have to do him proud. I did, I think.

I cheered frantically for what seemed like way longer than necessary...glancing at the Thundervision every couple seconds thinking, "seriously am I still up there....I really can't do this for much longer."

Afterwards brother next to me says something like, "Dude, I was a little blown away by your enthusiasm. Totally unexpected."

My response....I don't really remember.

Guy in front of me, "Dude, did you like win something?"

Anyway, good game but the Broncos lost in about 10 seconds of OT.

Raining in Portland?

People aren't joking when they say it rains in the Northwest. I was in Portland for a long weekend for the 2nd Annual ManFest/Fellas weekend. This is basically just an excuse to get together with past college roommates once a year and have a good time. I find it easiest to describe the situation in a list of phrases.....rain, sudden drop in maturity level, potentially destroying relationships at the host person's home court, rain, physical exercise, rain , rain, torn shirts and soft pants, good food, good food again, rain, Doug-fir, possible bad decisions, making fun of bad decisions, sun....oh just kidding...almost, football, ballistic- take 3, gravy breakfast, and that's a wrap. Good times. Now its back home, behind in school, and totally ecstatic about being back at work.

Nikon D80

It used to be that I would get new toys on a regular basis. I would give in to the idea that I actually needed something when truly I just wanted it. Times have changed and my self control has improved. Now I start to get stressed out when I have a four hundred dollar balance on my credit card longer than two weeks.
I needed a Digital SLR camera. It was essential to my life's progression that I had this. Alright, maybe not but it felt like a good decision after months of researching and thinking. And so it arrived last week in all its splendor. I got it from www.bhphotovideo.com which I must say I was very impressed with. Their prices were less than others, no tax, and an amazing selection. I would totally recommend them if you know what you want. So far, it is everything I hoped it would be....and more. Now I just need to make time to use it on a regular basis.

Chile in the Summer/Winter

Tickets to Chile have officially been booked! We are not sure exactly what we will be doing while we are down there but we know we will be spending a lot of time in Patagonia hiking around. These next few months will give us a chance to figure it all out. And of course we gotta leave some of it up in the air. We will be leaving the day after Christmas and staying for a couple weeks. Hopefully some postings will be made while we are out and about there. It is going to be a great break in between semesters and right after I will be heading into my last semester of architecture school. Holla! If anyone has any suggestions about where to go or what to do in the area feel free to chime in.

The Mother Lode

This weekend turned out to be the opportune time to get the ole property ready for winter. Yeah, its only October but up in those parts you never know when its actually going to be impossible to make it up the mountain. I didn't get quite as far on things as I expected or would have liked but I guess there really is no hurry. Half of the fun is in the process.
I got a great deal on microlams a couple months ago. They have been conveniently stored in my father's garage but keeping them there throughout the winter wasn't really an option so this trip we took them all up. We set up the beams for the floor and stacked and covered the remaining beams for the winter. Much easier work than digging and filling holes...a lot more gratifying too as the actual structure is beginning to emerge....kind of.
The Rockies have had quite a run the past couple months. Game 3 against the Phillies was on Saturday night and there was one potential option for watching the game.
The Mother Lode in Ohio City is a little place off of country road 76 consisting of a general store, liquor store, restaurant and bar....oh and an RV park. The place was great. Greg, the manager, was a nice man and kept the place open and the wood stove burning for us till the end of the tense game. The Rockies were victorious sweeping the Phillies out of Colorado and out of contention for the World Series. If you are ever in the area, stop by the place and check it out.

Passing up work = difficult move

I have had a problem with passing up work my whole life. Oh I need someone to tile my bathroom, frame my house, design this for me, herd my cattle....the list goes on. And my response is always sure sounds good.....even though general rules of time management would prove that....dude, this is totally impossible are you an idiot? Yes, I am an idiot. But I thrive on being too busy, taking on new experiences, and I can't say that I am not a fan of a little extra money.

I've done it though. I came to the realization that I needed some sort of game plan to avoid making it in the obituaries prematurely. Working 36+ hours, getting a Master's in Architecture and a MBA, keeping my lady happy and keeping up on a hobby or two is completely impossible. So, I have given up working on Thursdays dropping down to 30 hours a week. This is a big step for me. And it may not seem like much of a break but it is. After experiencing my first Thursday off yesterday....I am glad I have done it.

Same but different

It probably doesn't look much different in the photo but.....it is. The forms have now been stripped and the piers are back filled. Back filling by hand is not easy....just ask Roger. We got it done though. I will still need to do a little more grade work but we didn't have it in us the next day.
We also did a lot of site clean up, cutting up a lot of down trees. Unfortunately most of the trees were fairly rotted so they won't even be good for burning. Things look a lot cleaner now though. I will make one more trip up there this season and then I'm afraid I won't be back up until May. Slowly making progress.

Bears & Innocent Criminals

Is it really that weird to wander the streets of an unknown town looking at house designs and approaches? Yeah, I guess it is. We were in Aspen this weekend and I spent about 3 hours doing this. I wouldn't recommend doing this in your local suburban neighborhood but in a town where the residual income flows out the ears, it proves to be quite interesting. It was a mix of houses of old character, some victorian, some ski chalet, some mid-60's to 70's California ranch style. Then of course there are the scrapes where completely new approaches were made...some with mining influence, some modern, some just adorned with expensive materials with a "just because we can" attitude. Okay enough about this....just trying to validate my excursion.

I decided to turn down this one street but at my arrival I noticed three Volvo SUV's, the Aspen Police of course. The American in me (or redneck...you pick) says hmmm, what's going on here. I bridled my desire to walk straight over and decided a more stealth approach would be better. So, I decided to walk around the block and approach the crime scene from the back. Just as I make my last turn I am greeted by a black bear 20 feet away walking straight towards me! Think, think what do you do. Okay, I am looking big and I am slowly turning around...okay I am walking slowly, one....two...three steps, oh no... "poo" this will not work....and at this point I forget a bears ability to run up to 40 mph and I break into an all out sprint. Luckily, the bear wasn't up for a race. It's funny how I completely abandon everything I know when put in this type of situation. What's even funnier was me looking around after I began walking again to see if there was any chance anyone saw me abandon everything I knew. All clear....I think I'll head back into town.

My second bear encounter was the next night. This time I was inside and a mom and two cubs decided it was a good idea to try and destroy the dumpsters right outside our window. Success on their part, total loss of sleep on mine.

The main reason for the trip to Aspen was to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals play at the Aspen Snowmass Jazz Festival (sponsored by Calamos and many others). I mention the sponsors because I have never been to a concert where the sponsors were announced multiple times and scored a light show of their own lining the sides of the stage. But I guess I remembered the name....so score for them. Too bad I have no money to invest. The show was amazing as usual but even more amazing this time. There are a limited amount of things in life that make me as happy as spending time with family and friends. Listening to talented musicians completely shred their instruments is another one. Combine the two and it becomes an off the charts, unforgettable experience. Totally rad.

Back to school minus the cool shoes

I haven't been back to school shopping since about middle school. It's a funny thing. All of a sudden kids are walking around with shiny shoes on. I know a kid in elementary school who just a few weeks ago had some new looking shoes on and I commented on them. But of course this week he had newer shoes on...to go back to school of course. I think I need some back to school shoes or something. Maybe ones with the lights all over them.

My three week break from school did not cut it. I have never been so unexcited about a current semester and it scares me a bit. I am still at that stage though....you know, the stage where you don't really have a grasp on how bad or possibly how good it is going to be. Regardless I am in it with one year left...kind of. I still have the MBA to finish but I am thinking I might take it a little easier and regardless I think it will be easier.

Piers are Done

Well, its been a month since the footings and now the concrete work is finally done on the cabin/hut/shed. I won't be able to get around to too much more this season because school is starting up again next week but at least it's started. I have a guy coming out to move some dirt around and by then the holes will be filled and ready to brave the winter months. My pops came up again to lend a hand which was really nice. We work well together and he seems excited about doing it. The pictures taken below are courtesy of my littlest sister. These phenomenal works of art are available for purchase, matte or glossy of course.
Mr. McGuckin....notice the wheel barrow plug, 10 cents a hit seems fair I think.

Overall site with finished piers (Still formed up)

We also stopped by the hatchery this trip. I had been to one in the past...say around age 9 or 10 and didn't remember much so it was cool to check it out. Here are some pictures of that.

"Good" Music

I am a fan of "good" music. What that means, I do not know. But I like my life infused with a soundtrack. When I think about it I am surprised that I have never taken the opportunity to voice my musical opinion since beginning this log. Maybe it is because nothing has seemed to strike me as so amazing or just so utterly horrible to justify stating an opinion. Calm down Kelly Clarkson I haven't listened to your sophomore album yet!


Last night I went to see Marc Broussard at the Fox theater with my pops, my sister and her friend. I had hear some of his music and thought it was pretty good but his studio albums in no way prepared me for the amazing performance last night. His band was amazing. Their instrumental abilities were near perfection. That skill coupled with a thick charisma you could almost taste made for quite the show. They were all connected. Broussard's vocal range was phenomenal and only hinted at on the records I had heard before. Great Show.

Could I get a longer time out please

The second I get back from a nice weekend I went head first into a week of twelve hour days and weekend work. Ill. Next week looks nicer.

Break in the semesters

This past weekend I went to Santa Barbara with the wife. Her folks live out there so we have the great opportunity to make trips out there a couple times a year. Let me tell ya', it's really rough. It was a nice break from the heat. We went from scalding mid-90's in Colorado to a comfortable 72 the whole week we were there.
With the summer semester just ending, I took this trip as an opportunity to eat well, sleep well, relax well and visit with family and friends. I believe I took full advantage of all of the above, especially the eating well.
Transition...
I have a problem. I am constantly in denial of the power of the sun. What is it in me that thinks I can expose my chest to the sun, it being the first time since about this time last year, and come out unscathed. Oh, I put spf...8 on but yeah....didn't quite cut it. At least I haven't peeled.....yet.

Capris on men....the ongoing debate

Capris on men......what do you think? Not really, it was necessary I promise. I decided to be a minimalist on this camping trip and what happened, I spilled fajita sauce all over my only shorts resorting to pants in mid ninety degree weather. Outcome....man in makeshift capris.


Initially it was our plan to head down to Durango to stay at our friend's cabin. Due to the work issues of multiple people we decided that a 7+ hour drive each way for a weekend wouldn't be the best idea. Outcome.....camping just past Nederland by Eldora.

Jump in the story. Its amazing how fast people can come together in the pursuit of a safe haven. We located a perfect campsite but upon arriving the clouds aligned, not in our favor, and proceeded to dump water slash hail by the buckets all while we were trying to set up a tent. Oh but yes, we came together in a frenzy setting up the world's largest tent in record time.

Within an hour the weather took a turn for the better and we found ourselves hiking a trail known as fourth of july. I had never been up in this area despite the fact that I have lived within an hour of it for years. It was great though. This distant picture doesn't do the waterfalls justice but know it was pretty sweet thrught the binocs. Dinner....excellent in my mouth, not so good on my shorts.


The next day was beautiful. I don't say beautiful in a serious way too often so know that I am serious here. The air was clear, cloudless blue sky.....a little spicy but not too bad. We took a hike up to Lost lake on the Hessie trail. It was a nice incline with waterfalls dotting the path. The lake water was refreshing. I wanted to jump in but my jean capris would hold water like a sponge so it didn't happen. We had lunch at the lake and worked our way back down the trail.

Triple Bypass

This past weekend I did the Triple Bypass. It is a cycling tour from Evergreen, CO to Avon, CO and is about 120 miles. The route covers Squaw pass, Loveland pass and Vail pass with a fair amount of up and down in between. I rode it two years ago but didn't sign up in time last year so I signed up extra early this time around.
The ride was nice. I rode with a friend and we kept a pretty steady pass throughout. I felt better this time compared to last time. Now, whether that was because I knew what I was getting into or whether my physical shape was different.....I don't know. But, I can say that I really don't see how the pro riders do that multiple days in a row without stopping. Pretty phenomenal.

Fourth of July Weekend

This past weekend my brother, father and I went out to the cabin site to see if we could make some more progress towards a permanent structure. I decided to take a couple days off of work after the fourth of July so we could work for two days and play for the rest of the weekend. Part of this was my wife's idea seeing as how she would be conveniently coming up on Friday evening just in time for the end of construction. Of course we ran in to some problems as always along the way but we now have concrete in the ground ready for piers on the next trip.

I consider myself to be a fairly independent adult. I am 27 years old, married, and somewhat making it in life so far. What amazes me is the ability my parents have to emit this sense of comfort during times of difficulty. There were definitely points during the work that I was uneasy about the way things were going or frustrated by the difficulty of getting things right and the presence of my father and his good attitude made everything fine. I have also seen these traits in my in-laws as well. So, is this a learned trait, is it something that exists based on the relationship that is developed over years....I don't know. But it exists for me and it has pushed me through a lot of experiences, including the foundation of the future Howell cabin.

Although my wife got out of hucking 80 pound bags of concrete around and digging holes, she definitely had her fair share of rugged activities.....these include

1. Shooting a .22 for the first time, hitting a quarter from quite a distance.

2. Catching a 13" rainbow trout....while I caught nothing.

3. Chopping wood

4. Fighting off bears around our tent (in her dreams)

5. and....Setting a serious pace on our hikes

......so about my hairstylist

Recently I expressed the desire to have gray hair. Why you may ask.....I don't know. It just seemed like a good idea and hey why not get a glimpse of my inevitable future minus tarot cards, crystal balls and pink monkeys. My hairstylist was excited about my request...she recently learned of a new formula that would make all my dreams, of having gray hair, come true.

Time passed and just when I thought maybe it wasn't going to happen the time had come. Now at the time I wasn't aware of the process that would have to take place nor was I aware of the possible effects but I was open to the idea of experimentation for the sake of furthering the style repertoire of my good friend and of course the pursuit of gray hair.

Step 1 - Bleach hair to a lovely off white.
Step 2 - Apply the magical gray potion and bam!.....gray hair.....kind of.
Step 3 - Salon closes, transfer the operation to home salon for cutting
Step 4 - Cutting reveals slight discolorations in the gray, lets reapply and call it good.
Step 5 - Huh
Step 6 - That's gray isn't it?
Step 7 - If I'm not mistaken.....it looks kinda purple.....lovely shade of lilac. Very cool but maybe not the best look for the architecture profession.
Step 8 - Strip the tone and its back to a "creamy blonde"...my name is....my name is....
[Day Passes]
Step 9 - Back to original color...kind of...scalp burning....lessons learned and quite a great time through the process

It was a funny experience. Knowledge has been gained through experimentation.....on my head. My conclusion...I will be ready to try it again in a couple weeks.....with short hair and expertise through experience on our side....maybe.

Pictures to follow shortly...

Sunshine Hillclimb

I decided I was going to do this race in the middle of last week. I had never done a real race so I thought....hey....why not start with this one. The race is a 9 mile climb gaining 1300 feet of elevation in the process, 3 of the miles on dirt. I had done the pavement section many times and felt comfortable with it....at least at my pace.

Throughout the week I had visions of myself rolling in last so I was a bit nervous at the start. I started at a consistent pace and tried my best to carry it through to the end. I felt pretty good about the overall race and had a good time as well. I didn't roll in last and even if I did I think I would have still felt good about it.

Bike to work week

This past week has been the "official" bike to work week for the state of Colorado. Wednesday being the "official" day of all days. I managed to to ride in on monday, wednesday and today, the other days missed because of school restraints. I have biked to work in the past but not this frequently. What I have come to find is that I enjoy it a lot. It makes my commute time my work out time so I have more time to do other things and I plan to keep this up on the days that I don't have school.

I don't typically have crunchy thoughts....well occasionally I do but.....I was thinking on my ride home on Wednesday how crazy it would be if a quarter of the population of the Denver metro area rode bikes to work. There would be a designated bike lane on the highway, people would definitely be more healthy....and it would be pretty cool too. I would say not even 5 percent of the population biked to work on Wednesday. Yeah...pretty crunchy but it was something to think about on my way home.

The Boettcher Mansion

Last night we went to a wedding at the Boettcher Mansion. I have lived in Colorado for over a decade now and always wanted to see the place but never have. The wedding was great and the building and site were beautiful as well. They had this cool band and though the wife and I are a pretty sad case when it comes to formal dance and swang, we still had a lot of fun.

Cherries....what a genius idea. They had these nice little bags of cherries everywhere...really good cherries too. I must have eaten 10 or 11 bags.

So about the mansion. It was really cool. The spaces all felt really nice. The stonework in the main room was amazing. It made me really want to try my hand at stone masonry. The only downside, which I assume no one in the whole place but me noticed, was the inevitable horrible retrofitting of necessary equipment to bring a historical building up to code. Yeah exactly.....I'm probably the only person who noticed it.

Overall, the evening was great. I haven't been to very many weddings but the ones I have been to have all been very fun. My conclusion.....I am a fan of weddings.

Carpet & standing water don't mix

We live in a basement…and for the most part it hasn’t been that bad. The rent is cheap, the space is big and the temperature is a constant 68 to 70 degrees year round. Over the past couple of days we have noticed a little water coming up through the carpet along one wall. I was pretty sure we had a problem with the out door faucet just up above. I wasn’t too worried about it….just called the landlord to come have a look. It is times like these where I am glad I don’t own a house.

The landlord instructed us to clear out the area and he would have a plumber come around the next day. A friend and I cleared the area and then I decided to pull up the carpet to check out the crime scene and to try to start the drying out process. Oh what a mess. Apparently this had been leaking for quite sometime. The carpet pad was completely saturated and mold was forming. The stench was horrible and within minutes the stank-aroma covered our whole house. I wanted to begin the drying process though so we left it uncovered and turned some fans on.

We closed off our room and opened the windows and slept quite nicely but one step into the rest of the house was met with the same familiar stench. No drying had taken place.

The problem is now fixed but our place is still in dissarray. We hope to have things back under control within the week.

Spandex & Chainsaws

Often times after work I am torn between the numerous options of how to spend the remaining 3 hours of daylight (in the summer). Yesterday I was trying to decide whether to go on a bike ride or tune my chainsaw. Last trip up to the cabin I couldn't get the chainsaw to work and I left my carburetor adjustment tool in town. I have been meaning to get it working again for over a week now.

I came to the conclusion that I could actually fit them both in. I went on a nice 30 mile ride and came home. I jumped right into working on the chainsaw...I was already sweaty and didn't want to end up changing twice. A few minutes into my work and shortly after getting the engine going, revving it and causing quite a seen, it hit me. What kind of scene was I really creating? If my neighbor were to look outside he/she would have seen my lanky self clad in spandex shorts, flip flops and a bright jersey with chain saw in hand full throttle. Oh what a sight!

So yeah, chain saw's workin' and I am one step closer to getting in the cycling condition that I am aiming for.

"What have you been up to man?"

"Uhhhh, well....I guess...uh....nothing really. Been working, school, and......that's about it."

My response would be the latter, the previous being the question I am asked fairly often. When we don't place enough value on the individual experiences in life it all tends to blend together and the reoccuring day to day actions are all that stands out. I haven't written in two weeks and I think what have I been up to......refer to line 2 for answer. But no, that isn't what I have been up to...there has been so much more.

- Had an excellent BBQ at my house
- Had a birthday celebration for my sister and sister-in-law.
- Went back up to the cabin site with a friend, dug pier holes for the foundation (which would have
been absolutely impossible without his help) and also squeezed in a beautiful bike ride while up
there.
- Swore to get on my bike a whole lot more and have somewhat succeeded in doing so
- Taught a large group of children at church
- Tended to our lovely garden which seems to be really healthy despite our total lack of experience
in this realm.

I could list so much more as I think about it. What it comes down to is....I find some happiness at work and at school but it is completely outshined by the happiness I find in these other experiences yet I still answer "nothing" to the inquiry of how I am spending my time. I will work on that.

Memorial Day Weekend

It has been a really busy past week. My brother, who is serving in Iraq, came home on leave to get married to a fellow soldier. Her family is from Louisiana so we made the trip down there. It was really nice to get away for a bit as well as meet new people, see new things, etc. I am excited for them and the commitment that they have decided to make.
We also took the opportunity to see some of the sites. We went on a swamp tour and also went into New Orleans. Check out this snapper that was right outside of our boat (canoe).


The swamp was actually surprisingly beautiful. I had a great time. Overall, it was great to be with family away from work and school and everything else at home that occupies my mind constantly.
By Memorial Day we were back home and ran the BolderBoulder 10k race. I have ran it for five years straight and every time is a great experience. It is a race of over 50,000 that welcomes all to have a great time and also honors those who serve in our military. It is an interesting time right now where political differences, especially about the war, question what patriotism is and how it should be shown. I do not choose to use this site as a banner for my political views but regardless of what is taking place right now in our world I am proud to be in this country and have the rights and freedoms I have. I am proud of our flag and see it as a representation of what we have here, not a representation of a political party or current idea. It is much deeper than that. I am grateful for soldiers, especially my brother and my brand new sister-in-law who are willing to do what they do. My wife and I ran in honor of them and their sacrifices.

A work of art

The lady of the house is fairly particular about the appearance of our living quarters. After living with a group of guys for years some adjustment on my part has definitely been needed.
Over the weekend I did some preparations for my next trip up to the cabin site.....in two weeks. These preparations included lumber and a lack of storage space. I knew the spare bedroom would house everything quite well but I also knew this would not go over too well. And then like a flash of light I had a grand idea....create a work of art and its placement will be appreciated....or at least tolerated. I stacked everything in an appealing formation and waited for approval.....

GMAT? Ugh....

I had the distinct pleasure of taking the GMAT this past week. I felt like I had prepared enough to understand the format and learn some of the common tricks. I was confident in the math but knew no matter what I did I would struggle on the verbal. I ended up doing exactly as expected....kind of. I did fairly well on the math but bombed the verbal. I guess I will wait and see if my performance was good enough. Needless to say, I hope I never have to take that test again.

Oh just in case you are wondering the garden is still alive.

Gardening

My wife and I recently decided that we wanted to try our hand at gardening this summer. We planted a lot of seeds in multiple starter trays and hoped for the best. We knew that some of our choices could very well be a success but we also knew that inevitably some of them would not. Consequently, we planted a lot more seeds than we had room for and all of them seem to be doing really well so far. This weekend some of the sprouts were ready to go into the ground so we spent a few hours setting up beds and planting them. It doesn't look like much in the picture but it was a lot fo fun and pretty exciting as well. My folks had a garden for much of my upbringing so, of course we always had to work in it. Never during that time do I recall having fun working in it like we did this weekend. It's interesting how perspective changes on so many things as one gets older.

Blizzard on Weekend One

For the past little while, I have been designing a small cabin. It has been a lot of fun and a learning experience as well. This past weekend the plan was to go up to the property, cut down some unhealthy trees and do an overall layout. I brought my brother up to help out. Upon arriving, the weather was beautiful. There were a few snow drifts here and there from the passing season but overall we were ready to get to work. We worked for a few hours until it started to get dark. We decided to set up camp have a fire and take a load off.

At about nine o’clock the snow started coming down. It was light but showed signs of accumulation. The plan for the next day was to cut down a few more trees and then do the layout. This did not happen.

The next morning there was six or so inches of snow on the ground and still piling. We still managed to get some work done but opted to leave a little early to make sure we could actually get off the mountain. The schedule is already on a delay but, of course, these types of things are to be expected and I am sure it won’t be the last. I’ll be back up the first week of June to see if I can catch up.

I love my hairstylist....

....in a totally non-flamboyant way! One of my best friends has been cutting my hair for the past 3 or 4 years now. Its a great thing. I never have to tell her what I really want. I just sit down, relax and let her do her thing. Due to both of our busy schedules I had put off getting a haircut for quite sometime and right at the point where something needed to be done....she was out of town for a week. Sooo, I had to go to one of those "other" places.

I was uncomfortable from the start. Was it the stylist's foul appearance, her raspy voice, or could it possibly be her tuna fish breath 6 inches from my face inquiring about my life. You be the judge. It was all of the above coupled with the pain of trying to explain the length and style I wanted...something I have taken for granted up until now. The outcome wasn't horrible but it was undesireable. I hope to avoid this in the future.

Blog to write mo' betta

Being in the field of archicrunkture, the extent of my writing is made up of half sentences and abbrev. words only to get a point across....definitely not to appease anyone at the Wall Street Journal or anything. Thus, my intention is to get the rusty "english" wheels turning in my head in hopes of composing complete sentences without the risk of an aneurysm or something of the like. Oh, and displaying my thoughts, experiences, images, etc. for the public view is just so invigorating. So there.