The Ride Home
Driving home today I received a phone call from my father. He informed me that Grandpa passed away.
Although I didn't know him that well (get-togethers were/are rare on my father's side), I still shed (and am shedding) a few tears, more out of a recognition of how beautiful life can be.
Trying not to be sad I recognize the happy things (which, of course, will make me cry more right now, but I should get it out while its fresh).
The big-happy things:
He's with Gramma-Nette in Heaven
He got to meet Rachael (and gave me the "she's a great girl" approval)
He lived a full age of almost 85 years old (his birthday was this upcoming Sunday)
Rest in the peace that only God can bring, Grandpa.
I, and your whole family, DO love you, though we weren't always the best at showing it.
o)0--Chasetifer--0(o
Blessed
It has been quite sometime since I've poster on here. Usually I write about something nostalgic... about how I was reading past posts and they inspired me to write... but lately I've been realizing I have a lot to say... a unique point of view on the world. Maybe that's how this blog was supposed to go, but after a while it got too sentimental and reflective. I mean, reflective is good and all, but there isn't much meat. I want to do something deeper and more... important? Offer a unique point of view that others can see and possibly be influenced by.
I'm also bored off my ass at "work" and I'm trying to figure out ways to keep my eyes open, so I thought a random blog post might suffice. As it just so happens, I am currently writing underneath the orchestra seating level at the Pav in downtown Sufu. That's where all the cubicles are. I'm home for the holidays... for a short time... but quite long relatively speaking. The semester at IAstate has passed by... not a great one by any means... more of filler I'd say. The professors were absolute trash... learned nothing except how to be a crappy studio professor (though I did turn out a decent model
www.flickr.com/chasetifer), but I did have some other decent classes like Green and Sustainable Design and, of course, Sci-Tech (with which I have a love-hate relationship). 3 As and a B+ later (you fill in which class goes with which grade), I'm done with the semester and done TAing a bunch of kids who didn't seem to want to learn. Yeah, that's right... my TA assignment this semester was Arch221... architecture history. Sure, its dry stuff, but its not so hard to learn that we should be grading everything on a curve and still having ranges of 15-95 out of 102. Whatevs... it's probably against school policy to be writing about "grades" I was in charge of... hell... I'm sure its against work policy to be "blogging" at work.
Next semester I've got a different assignment though... thank goodness. I'm working with Kimberly... who... despite being the butt of many jokes... I actually respect because she's freaking smart. It should be good, especially since its an upper level class... not sure what that means my job will be... hopefully she doesn't think I'm qualified to grade papers... maybe just tests :). Also, next semester I'm taking a skyscraper studio. I am so excited for this... my chance to be Norman Foster (whom I, of course, also highly respect). Also, my last sci-tech course, a course on Middle-Eastern cities, and a class called "Goodness and Beauty."
Sigh... anyway. Most importantly, I got engaged 6 days ago. Yeah, I know, right? Freaking crazy... I think one of the reasons I started this blog was to sort out my feelings about (certain) girls, and now I've never been more certain about women... specifically one :)... in my life. I guess they call that maturity or something. My uncle Jason would probably call it stupidity. Anyway, its great to finally make it official... Rachael and I were already acting engaged anyway. Now comes the "fun" stuff of wedding preparations. I'm going to limit the mushy stuff to just this phrase: I thought the whole world was just out for themselves (me included), until I met Rachael, and she showed me what a truly sweet, kind, altruistic person is,... and that they do... she does really exist.
This Christmas was quite strange. Again I had the task of trying to see as many people as I could in a few short days. Oddly enough, Sufu had a giant blizzard all through this, so that complicated things. Christmas Eve was weird because we didn't go to church (mother's pretty much given up looking for a church... on weekends she's usually visiting her boyfriend... that's another story). Also, because of my neice and nephew, we opened presents rather early... giving me time to get over to Rachael's dad's house for more festivities. This was quite nice, but I ended up staying overnight there because of the 18inches of snow we got... and the lack of plowing that had been done. Ricky (yes, that's his full, given name) was nice enough to drive Rachael and I to church in the morning and, because of the weather, I helped fill in for cantoring with Rach. This was quite nice as I'm beginning to warm up a bit more to catholicism, though I'm still opposed to converting. Its always a good feeling to be "involved." After that Ricky (okay, I'll call him Rick), drove me to my Dad's where I remained for Christmas Day. We opened gifts and had ham and turkey for supper. Rach came over later and we spent the night there. By morning they had plowed the roads so we were both able to return to her dad's and retrieve our vehicles. I felt bad for Mom because the weather did not allow for any visitors during Christmas day... so she spent it alone. Luckily, Rach and I were able to spend part of last evening with her (after celebrating Christmas with Rachael's mom and family at BWWs... delicious!).
Now its on to New Year's... which honestly I just would rather sit around and veg out... so hopefully no plans spring up out of no-where. Yikes, I should probably work for a while now. I'm sure I'll be bored later this break and might update some more, so we'll see. I should attempt to coincide blog posts with office hours, which might spur me to post more often... at least once a week. Hopefully I'll remember that. Anyway, best wishes to you all and have a happy new year!
o)0--Chasetifer--0(o
Strange, how it goes
I'm about to begin my 2nd year of graduate school. I would have never thought... graduate school?
Hrmmm... (yes I know there is an R in there). I was feeling all nostalgic at work today, so I took a break and checked out some old posts I had. I ran across a time when I used to write all the time. The comments people had about that post were so nice. From friends that, well, disappeared I guess... went away. I'm sure they don't read anymore, since I haven't been the most faithful of updaters.
But every time I come back here I always feel that twinge of what I felt when I first started blogging. Not a bad twinge... a good twinge... a relief... like a successful visit to the bathroom.
When I look back and read my old posts I see how idealistic I was about life, and even if the few short years I've had this blog, I've become so much more cynical. Maybe its maturity? Nah... I doubt it... I still get along with people younger than me.
ISU has been a great experience. I'm at a place where no one knows me; not at the college, not even in the town. I've had a chance to be who I really am and not what people expect me to be. That's probably what undergrad was supposed to be like, but I still had all my insecurities coming with me from high scho
ol. I used to be so... scared? I don't know if that's the right word. Now I feel like I have a very unexacting disposition, as if I were sitting back on the world and simply just nodding my head as everyone does there own thing. I think that's kind of where I want to be... very pluralist.
Well, anyway, I think I'm going to motivate myself to post by putting picutres up. We'll see how that goes. These are of my latest projects:
Peace out,
o)0--Chasetifer--0(o
The all nighter
Surprise to all those who might actually check this from time to time. Speaking of time... it is 5:14 a.m. I'm pulling my first grad-school all nighter. Strange thing is, its not to finish some last minute project. No, the professor's said grad-schoolers shouldn't be doing that sort of thing (though i have a feeling it will yet occur). Rather, I'm sitting on the 4th of the College of Design, about 10th or so in line to sign up for the laser cutter. The new sign up sheet goes up in 3 hours. I've been here since 10:30...
Worst part is, the pollen forecast is high... for the next 4+ days... which is pretty much an eternity. Plus my body is freaking out... lack of sleep... a pop-tart... and two cans of Coke Zero... probably not the best combination in hindsight... but at least I'm still awake.
Its suprising what you can accomplish when you actually stay up all night and do work. I've reached the point where I just don't give a damn right now, so I've obviously given up, but I still accomplished a lot. I fleshed out my essay on public/private home space a bit more, finished the most detailed section of my CAD file for the laser cutter, started saving some JPEGs for a presentation movie, and I even was able to do some renders. Also, I've updated twitter about 7 times, checked facebook just as many, and played a bit of CivIV.
This project is due May 1st, and then I've got two weeks off before summer session begins. In between that time though I've got a wedding to play for. Which reminds me I still need to practice a bit more and get a hotel reservation... urgh... which reminds me I need to call the u-haul guys about renting a truck for 4 days in July... which reminds me I should check into what our actual apartment number is... which reminds me that I need to find some more stuff to put in storage (so I don't have to move as much). Anyway... I have to use the facilities. I guess that's all for this very random late night early morning blogpost.
Thank you, drive through please.
o)0--Chasetifer--0(o
Architect as Social Psychologist
What role does an architect serve in the transformation of daily life? Today we had a discussion in seminar about what role the architect has in designing "newness" in thought of spacial social interaction, mainly in terms of floor plan and kitchen design. What has been evidenced in the evolution of the floor plan is an opening of space, allowing interaction between service centers (which are more and more becoming multi-function spaces, acknowledging the informal activities that are permitted within its confines) and leisure centers.
It seems that art/architecture historians are quick to criticize the canon when it comes to many themes within architecture history. Granted this is why they succeed... trying to see how the point of view of other historians might be wrong or different, so that they themselves may offer something new. However, I'm not a historian. I recognize that there is something about being an architect that can assuage the ego, which is why some architects work so fervently and what they do.
However, what I find intriguing about the transformation of space is that the architect does play a vital role. They are the ones who are astute enough to observe society and say "this is where society is heading." However, I wouldn't say that this is all the architects doing. It's social psychology aggrandized and realized to its fullest. Society presents a reality, the architect interprets that reality and visually adjusts their reality to fit it. Once the architect creates this reality (i.e. the open floor plan), society makes their reality fit with or around this reality until status changes either with society or the architect.
This is a simplified form of the process, but it is continual and thus what can make architecture so rewarding.
That's all I have for now.
o)0--Chasetifer--0(o
