what can i say, really?

i'm buried in work. and study materials. for the last 3 weeks or so - apart from the hour i set aside every night to cook and eat dinner - i have been living and breathing architecture. 


at work, we are in the home stretch for our renovation project. i work 10-11 hour days- definitely not the norm- and do not get paid overtime or collect comp time. a grande pike place from starbucks each morning is my way of coping. at home, i am studying for the first of my architecture registration exams. there are 7 total. i'm not sure exactly when i will take this first exam, since i am waiting on the TN board to approve my application and give me a testing number. my goal is to finish all exams by the beginning of june 2011. we'll see how that goes.


i'm sorry that all this seems to have a "woe is me" vibe to it... i really am surprisingly quite happy and satisfied with the way things are going lately. one thing i have found is that i am about 150% more productive during the week (and weekends for that matter) than i was with my 40-hour work week. somehow i find time to workout and cook dinner every night. if it weren't for those 2 things i think i would go crazy. oh, and the support of my wonderful bf doesn't hurt either. 


even so, i'll be happy when this deadline has passed and i can have time to style my hair in the mornings.


so that's where i am. i do have delicious recipes to post- i still try to cook something new once a week. soon i will post: portabello burgers. yum :) you will LOVE them.


thanks, friends, for continuing to check in. 
miss you all!!

yeah, i'm still here

my sincerest apologies for the lack of posting lately. there's lots going on. including, but not limited to, painting for the show, boyfriend back in town, holiday celebrations, ribs at the parent's house, cleaning the house... and it has all swallowed me whole. but i will do my best to get back on track.

tonight, sean and i resume our pre-chattanooga workout regimen with a few games of racquetball. looking forward to that. then i'll probably make this new shrimp dish i've been eyeing for about a month.

for now, though, i'm just tryin to give myself a pep-talk for the week ahead. i love 3 day weekends. not 5 day work-weeks. and now it's time to leave... meeting the boss and the client for a site visit. i know you're jealous.

happy monday!!

the run-down

my boss brought his dog to work today and she sat in my lap while i worked. finally finished getting the house clean over lunch. it's been a weeklong endeavor. kept getting distracted at work by the fun that shall inevitably ensue this weekend- sarah is in town and our usual routine includes lots of delicious food and wine, sandwiched by fantastic conversation. the bldg super came in to warn of the massive and violent storm headed our way. "might be good to get outta here" so we did. spent 45 minutes sitting in a friend's basement waiting for the tornado sirens to STOP. stayed on the phone with susan and we weathered the storm together. trees down on the way home. crap alllll over the streets. luckily no lights were out so the drive was easy. zoe sleeping next to me. her little leg draped over my arm. i wish ppl could see this side of her. not the side where she attacks your face at full force. waiting for sarah to arrive at mi casa. starving... constantly thinking "what will we have to eat"... looking forward to a girly night with my bestie, wine, and sex and the city.

a whole bunch of things

a lot went on today, and i'm here to give you the exclusive scoop!! i bet you feel lucky...

work went well- we're staying busy and i'm learning lots. i get to do a larger variety of stuff at this new office. and it's refreshing to have something different to do everyday. after work i went down to mud island for an evening run with rachel. things have been busy lately and we haven't had much hang out time, so it was fun to get together for a bit. the run was nice, too. the weather has been perfect for the past couple of days and that helped a lot with my endurance since i haven't been training as methodically as i should have been. the zoom through the zoo race is on thursday. it's a 4-miler. i know i can do it, i just hope it's not so hot that it's unenjoyable.

zoe has been grooming herself for the past 45 minutes. after talking with sean on the phone tonight, i noticed zoe has a bit of a stench to her... just a little accident... ew. so i had to give her a bath. yes, i gave my cat a bath.

BEFORE

AFTER

she didn't really want anything to do with me since then, although she made sure to stay within my line of sight so i could see what i'd done to her. i think she has finally forgiven me and is laying with me in bed. cuddles.

but before all this craziness, i had a fabulous dinner. SIMPLE, SUMMERY AND SAVORY. i shall share :)

BLACK BEAN, CORN, AND AVOCADO SALAD

serves 6

1 (30-oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cups corn kernels

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 tsp grated lime zest

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp salt

combine all ingredients in a bowl. serve at once.

i put the mixture on a bed of lettuce, along with some baked tortilla chips.

another fabulous weight watcher's recipe: 283 cal per serving

you can also make your own tortilla chips... cut reduced fat flour tortillas into strips or triangles and arrange on a sheet of foil. bake on the middle of a pre-heated oven at 375, until toasted. about 5 minutes.

that's a good note to end on. so i will.

I'M EMPLOYED!!!!!!

and not by FedEx :)

i am now an official employee of John Pruett Architects. intern. til at least aug/sept. hopefully longer.

YAY ME!!

nightcap

my night has been very random. but enjoyable.

1. delicious homemade enchiladas with rachel and adam

2. met dad at poplar and highland to pick up my social security card and birth certificate for tomorrow morning. see #6.

3. got the low-down on rotation day #1 from sean. bottom line, he sounded tiiiiiiired.

4. sorted laundry, started laundry, cleaned zoe's litterbox.

5. painted :)

6. gather information for my morning of job applying. i'm "hoping" to be on the day-sort out at the airport for FedEx. work part-time, get benefits, still can work contract for the architect i'm working with now. good deal. i don't know if FedEx hires people with architecture degrees. or people who can't lift 75 lbs. but we'll find out soon enough.

and that brings us up to date.

i will now proceed to go upstairs and put the whites in the dryer, then wash my fash, brush ym teeth, and curl up in bed with my zoe and a movie.

gettin' back out there

i got a break in the unemployment storm this weekend. while i was in knoxville, i got a call from a firm i had contacted a couple of weeks ago. the owner was the one who called me and expressed an interest in having me do some contract work. SO yesterday i went in for the first day of work!! i basically worked during the afternoon, on some schematic design for a local renovation project.

there were a few challenges that came with the job:

1. this place is much smaller than LRK. as in, they have 2 full-time employees. i'm used to all the ambient noise in LRK's office. even on the quiet days, there was some noise. not at the new place. it is veeeeery quiet. it's not necessarily a bad thing, will just take some getting used to.

2. LRK had "custom" key-commands for AutoCAD. and because that's the only place i ever used CAD, that's all i've ever known. now i have to get used to the out-of-the-box commands, as well as the random custom settings that were setup by the person who usually uses the computer i was using. along the same lines, the layer system is obviously completely different. i won't go into detail, but those of you who know what i'm referring to probably understand my frustration.

3. i miss my LRK friends :( enough said.

but the positives are great... the office is literally a 2-minute drive from my house. i guess i could walk, but come on... let's be realistic. the people there seem very nice, and the boss was impressed with my initiative to take AND PASS the leed exam. he's studying for his right now. and above all else, it's some money, experience, resume booster, and possible connection for future employment.

so it took me almost 8 weeks to find a little work. hopefully it will last :)

i love obama

so i got a $44 check from the government... and my weekly check was supposed to be, well, MORE than that... so i went to my local unemployment office to inquire about the check and i discover that this money is from president obama's stimulus package!! i don't know if this is a weekly check or not, but it makes me smile to know that my president is thinking about me :)

AND here's my order from j.crew!! i've finally purchased my bathing suits for this summer- YAY!

and for a little variety...

and for those of you thinking "so, uh, she's buying j.crew swimwear and collecting unemployment??"... i have two words for you:

GIFT CARDS.

i love it.

a couple of things

1. i am a bad memphian. at the gas station, a man from out of town asked me how to get to graceland. i threw a couple of blank stares his way, then said "um" about five times before giving him C-grade directions. and i think i said something stupid like, "you can probably just follow the signs." and here's the thing- i KNOW how to get there. i think i just crumbled under the pressure. it's a good thing i'm not a doctor.

2. in a move that i can only assume is to save money, the semi-decent paper towels at work have been replaced by these  t h i n g s  that are SO un-absorbent that it they can best be described as tree bark. i'm concerned about the future of the toilet paper.

it's been a g o o d day.

1. got 8+ hours of sleep last night

2. came home for lunch and got quiet time with sean

3. finished my 'assignment' at work - proud of what i did and ahead of schedule

4. did 40 minutes of cardio - my power song: "let it happen" jimmy eat world

5. cooked new recipe - delicious, reduced-fat mac and cheese

6. visited with roommates and friends

7. watched PRESIDENT Obama's oath of office and inauguration speech. tears came. the good tears.

the good ol' days

while cleaning out my inbox today, i ran across this article my mom sent me a while back. it's an excerpt from Transportation Magazine in 1943 - a guide to hiring women. it is equally hilarious and ridiculous. it reminds me of watching Mad Men with rachel. i will say no more... just read and enjoy.

Eleven tips on getting more efficiency out of women employees. There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formally held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from Western Properties.

1. Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they still have the pep and interest to work hard and deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.

3. General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters. 

4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.

5. Stress at the outset the importance of time the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee a definite day long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering the management for instruction every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but they lack the initiative in finding work for themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change. 

8. Give every girl and adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick, and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful when issuing instruction or making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hear too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.

just a few thoughts.

i love my job. like any job, it has it's good days and bad days, but ultimately the firm is wonderful and i feel lucky to be a part of it. i work in the multi-family studio, where our work consists of urban infill apartments/condos and mixed use projects. i always saw myself in residential architecture- i love the idea of being able to directly influence (hopefully for the better- haha) the way people live. the built environment impacts every aspect of everyone's lives. rich or poor, that is one of the things we all have in common- and one thing i believe we all deserve. and organizations like Architecture for Humanity have made in incredible difference in struggling communities all over the world. and their belief is simple- good design is not a luxury. it doesn't have to be fancy, but it needs to work for the person using it. they deserve nothing less.

how we live, how we use space, how we shape space, how space shapes us; the challenge is to use architecture to respond in a way that not only meet our current needs but is adaptable for the future. as architects, i believe we have a great opportunity. along with our clients, we can shape our built environment in an efficient, beautiful, and responsible manner- hopefully to improve quality of place, quality of community, and quality of life.

city lights

WINTER CAN BE AN ESPECIALLY DEPRESSING TIME to have a full-time, grown-up job. as if it isn't hard enough to sit in one place (and concentrate!) all day, it's dark and cold when i leave for the day. and lately the weather has been rainy, foggy, and generally unenjoyable.

but   t  o  n  i  g  h  t  ... the fog made me smile.

it puts a new spin on this pattern of red and green lights i've grown up looking at. it was exactly the moment of relaxation that i needed after a day packed with powerpoint setups, parking garage concepts, and stair/elevator/trash room plans.  if only these lights could stay on all year long- i'd be much calmer. 

i hope it's foggy tomorrow, too.