One Year

Woah, I just realized that I have had this blog for exactly one year now. Fancy that.

Good Impressions

The other day a co-worker of mine was causing quite the scene trying to get a design package to our general manager. In my opinion, nothing shows weakness like someone completely losing their cool under pressure, especially self induced pressure. You see, his only reasoning for this package delivery was to illustrate that he was managing the project well (which he is not) and hopefully opening doors to new opportunities. Consequently, the team he is on was feeling some unnecessary heat.

As far as I know the project was delivered but the next day this guy comes into work in a faded purple shirt and khaki pants, both wrinkled to the point where the very fabric couldn't withstand another wrinkle nor could one find a single surface on the ensemble to add another wrinkle. Its that level of "wrinkleness" that can only be achieved by putting a damp outfit in the bottom of the laundry basket and deciding it is the perfect outfit to dig out two days later. Sorry, no photo.....next time.

Luckily, I am not on that project. But really, if one's lack of management skills doesn't ruin opportunities for meeting with clients, consultants and progressing projects, one's inability to present themselves as a reputable designer to the public has to the throw things off a little. We are being paid for our aesthetic and functional judgment with a heavy emphasis on the aesthetic side. In my mind I think it translates....or maybe I am just crazy.

Deer Trail Road Race 2008

Okay, so yet another learning experience in the world of cycling for me. I have now done a hill climb, a circuit race and now a road race and I am beginning to understand a bit of the strategy. I am also noticing that my fitness level isn't quite where I would like it to be. But regardless I finished, didn't finish last and had fun even though the last 14 miles were in an extremely turbulent crosswind mixed with sand, sleet and snow.

Lessons:
1. Less experienced riders (myself) should not attempt to go out with the first break
2. Eat enough, even though its painful
3. With snow in the forecast, wear insulated gloves

And so it's on to the next one.....

Anthem: The Lonliest (and windiest) "Community" in Colorado

I biked for ten miles throughout the roads of this neighborhood and saw 1 person. All the token aspects of a fabulous "neighborhood environment"...just no people and lots and lots of wind. A bit creepy to say the least.

All the Colors of the World

Has anyone had a a straightforward, fun experience picking out paint colors? I have heard a fair amount of stories and witnessed a few and it has never been a pretty process. I am willing to bet that divorces have taken place due to mind numbing swatches and paint samples. Of course not that solely, but the straw that broke the camel's back....the 2.7 million dollar camel at that.

For the past couple weeks we have been attempting to choose the stain colors for our cabin as well as the clad color of the windows to match. Woah.....something else. Just when I thought we had it all figured out based on the swatches, I moved to the actual stain samples and everything was completely different. Reworked...reworked...buying way more stain samples than I would have liked. Finally, we have come to a conclusion. This is what they will most likely be....of course the color swatches are a bit different than what they actually look like. The Blue Slate being the field, Barn Red being the roof overhangs (soffit, fascia, rafter tails), the clad windows matching that pretty closely and the exterior heavy timbers have the natural color.....oh and the interior....that is a battle for the future. What do you think?

And the #1 Song is.....

This is pretty cool. It is a database of the #1 songs on a certain date, such as when you were born, when you got married, etc.

http://www.joshhosler.biz/NumberOneInHistory/SelectMonth.htm

The #1 song when I was born was....... 1980 Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd

Spring Back to Vail

This weekend the lady and I went up to Vail to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals perform once again. These guys never cease to amaze no matter how many times they come around. It was roughly 20 degrees but we still had a great time. We also had a pretty killer standing spot as illustrated in the pic below, so that was pretty fierce too.

Koppenberg Circuit Race

Last weekend I participated in my second cycling race. This particular race is a circuit race, four laps measuring in at just over five miles each. Half of the terrain dirt while the other half is road. It was yet another fun cycling experience. The first lap was really fun. I managed to stick with the field, riding side by side with just over 60 riders. After the infamous dirt hill on this course, the field started to break up...lost chains, flat tires, running riders. I managed to hold on with the group for a while past this point but in the second in third laps I found myself beginning to fall behind a bit. By the end I was in the bottom half but chalked it up as one more race experience....hoping to get more comfortable and possibly faster as the season goes on.

Princeton, Philly, and more

Well, its been over two weeks since we got back from a visit out east but I thought I would still mention it. The lady and I went out to visit my Mom as well as some friends that have moved to Philly from Colorado. It was a really fun trip and a nice quick get away.

I had never been to Princeton before but I was interested in seeing it, including some of the buildings there. This building below was quite intriguing to me. It was designed by Venturi and I always thought it was pretty lame. But seeing it in person, inside and out, changed my perspective completely. I really thought it was something. Not that my photography will do it justice any better than the images I saw prior to my visit.
We also saw this cool building by Yamasaki with pretty cool columns.

And then of course Frank Gehry has a signature building coming out of the ground there right now. I must say it is a more tame than a lot of his other buildings.

All the traditional buildings were really impressive too. We also spent some time in some new parts of Philly which was cool. I really like that city, the character, history and everything.....not sure I would want to live there but it was a nice visit.

Best in Show

I have always been a little bit appalled by dog shows. I think the main reason is that out of all the beautiful dogs in the world these people have managed to manicure and dress up the most hideous dogs on the planet and have them prance around in circles on Astroturf.

But how about this. I read this in the news recently regarding a show in the UAE.

"finest overall camel and separate categories related to the age and color of the camels, in which features such as best neck, head, lips, nose, hump, legs or feet, are judged."

Y-E-S.....I should also add that the prince of Dubai paid $2.7 million for his prized camel. Forget breeding Golden Retrievers, I am getting into the Camel breeding business.....those lips, that hump....oh its soooooo beautiful.

Google Reader

I just set up my Google Reader for the blogs, websites, and things of that sort that a visit.....it is quite convenient and in the long run I think my employer will be happy about it. :)

The Fatherhood - No not me

Reality TV shows are so ridiculous when the staging of events are so staged that it is in fact a stage that the actors are staging reality in such an unreal way. Maybe even more ridiculous than that last sentence. For my example I present to you Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood. The show is so ridiculous yet oddly appealing in small doses. I do have to give credit though. The show is where I first witnessed the use of these puppies shown below...and from then on I knew I must have them.
To my surprise I received them from my father for my birthday a couple weeks ago and I have to admit they are great. I have never been able to do push ups without wrist pain and this has solved that.....I am going to be so ripped......not quite.

I also got an Iverson jersey from the lovely lady...something else I have been wanting for months which I think in a way has bumped up my basketball skills, street cred and bank account all in one swoop. Holla.....