sanshache

i said docta

2008-08-03T02:29:00.003-05:00

and it's the perfect anthem for the morning after these drinks as well.

on repeat on repeat in the near east

myriad harbor on repeat

2008-07-07T07:23:00.003-05:00

I took a plane
I took a train
Ah, who cares, you always end up in the city

I said to Carl
Look up for once
See just how the sun sets in the sky

I said to Jon
Do you think the girls here
Ever wonder how they got so pretty?
Oh well I do

listen to my muxtape

your one-stop-youtube for john denver

2008-06-18T16:47:00.005-05:00

Take Me Home, Country Roads

Leaving, On a Jet Plane

Annie's Song

Rocky Mountain High

Thank God I'm a Country Boy

Sunshine on My Shoulders

i just went on a kick for a bit... other favorites?

testing

2008-06-15T12:01:00.002-05:00

rainy commute

2008-05-09T09:24:00.004-05:00

good morning, it's raining.

ya's hair

2008-05-08T23:32:00.000-05:00

cut by vidal sassoon's stanly le

baco de mayo

2008-05-06T11:03:00.003-05:00

the Masters of Ceremony

charlotte amtrak

2008-04-30T21:01:00.003-05:00

just before my 13-hour ride back to dc

hirschhorn after

2008-04-05T08:06:00.002-05:00

Lucky Dragons

cornhole

2008-03-24T12:40:00.003-05:00

poetry reading

2008-03-23T01:03:00.005-05:00

I have a super cool new friend! We went to this poetry reading tonight that's part of the Split this Rock Festival. Good job guys, my interest in poetry is renewed.

I forgot my camera unfortunately, so instead I'll share one of the poems. It's a funny, but the tones ranged. I need to find Carolyn Forche's poem about her struggle with cancer. She described the period of sickness as a type of limbo, similar to the space between one language and another. She says it better. Thank you poets.

as a disclaimer, i'm not so sure how copy laws apply to blogs but i just Ctrl+C and Ctrl+Ved this from the following site... http://washingtonart.com/beltway/carroll.html

Kenneth Carroll

SNOOKIE JOHNSON GOES DOWN TO THE RECRUITER'S OFFICE
NEAR BENNING ROAD & STARTS SOME SHIT

it was right about the time they started drafting for the iraqi war
snookie came to sign up but he didn't walk through the door,

instead he leaped like a madman right through the plate glass
& kicked the recruiting sergeant square in his no-good ass

he said, "i wanna go to the desert, kill some arab chump
& drink his hot blood like water from a barnyard pump

i wanna get bit on my nose by a scorpion wit a bad attitude
i wanna smoke twelve packs a day & eat snake heart for food

i wanna drink poison gas with a side order of sand
& dance with a nuclear missile while digging the junkyard band

i wanna jump in an oil well & get real slick
then have me a party with some them mooslim chicks

cause i'm snookie johnson from a bad neighborhood
& when i get ciced up i don't mean nobody good

so sign me up sergeant & sign me up fast
i'm just raring to kick me some motherfuckin ass"

the sergeant looked at snookie with nothing but disgust
knowing he was the kind of nigga can't nobody trust

"you too damn crazy for the military," the sarge said wit a frown
snookie gave him a sheet of paper & said, "yo man, write dat down."

ride the bus

2008-03-21T14:51:00.002-05:00

projections

2008-03-15T19:40:00.004-05:00

at the hirshhorn

salud de cuba

2008-03-14T08:36:00.002-05:00

old cubans!

http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/films.php?FilmID=122

hours after my walk

2008-03-13T10:30:00.003-05:00

my friend snapped this, mount pleasant on fire last night.

To make a food or clothing donation to the displaced residents, contact Neighbors' Consejo at 202-234-6855 or send the donation to 3118 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20010.

mt. pleasant has alleys

2008-03-12T20:23:00.002-05:00

i went for a walk and these are great.

rainsunrain

2008-03-08T23:44:00.000-05:00

consumerism-urbanism-gentrification and me

2008-03-08T17:22:00.001-05:00

target is open. and i like it, and so do these people. follow my adventure and my rad mag purchase.

and finally, i sat in this window and had the best hummus wrap ever at stickyfingers yum.

baked and wired wins

2008-03-05T13:49:00.003-05:00

attn georgetown: baked and wired is yummier than the new cupcake place, duh, please.

quiet sunshine

2008-03-02T23:15:00.002-05:00

biking and coffee, it's perfectly relaxing
bigbear

architecture oscars

2008-02-22T23:49:00.000-05:00

i was starstruck! it happens often, i've been told, so fun.

i went to an AIA event, Accent on Architecture, tonight. it was a completely last minute decision, but i was able to take my boss's place at a black tie dinner and experience the sensation of schmoozing with principals and deans and CEOs. it was really pretty neat to see Renzo Piano accept the AIA Gold Metal. Nathaniel Kahn, (yep, the My Architect guy), referred to him as the Bob Dylan of Architecture. Pretty Rad. Renzo Piano was probably quite the ladies man... I would have gone for him about 30 years ago for sure. ahh, charming italians...

I should also mention that Kieran Timberlake got the Architecture Firm award, and after visiting Sidwell School this fall, it makes me really happy. But then the host kept making Justin Timberlake jokes, so lame.

Unfortunately, Ada Louise Huxtable wasn't present, but through video, was able to give MoMA the keystone award. Barry Bergdoll accepted, he mentioned an exhibit on pre-fab homes opening soon that i will definitely go see. Others... Robert Ivy (i'd already seen him at washu, old news, hah), and David Thurm, who loves his new office apparently.

castro's baby's mama

2008-02-19T22:37:00.004-05:00

ay los viejitos! it makes me sad to see EL CAPITAN step down. castro's endless presence is such a major part of cuban, and american, political culture. It seems strange to think about being the generation that will be able to compare Castro's Cuba to whatever is coming for that little paradise of an island. obviously though, I have no clue what's actually going on in cuba, i've only ever spent a week there. but it's completely romanticized. it's this mystic place where my mom and aunts and uncles grew up climbing guava trees and teaching farmers how to read. how beautiful.

following castro's life has also been a way to keep in touch with my memories of my granddad. they would have been the same age, both nuts. now i'll just have to rely on food, music and a stiff cuba libre. i can sense my cuban-ness fading away! ?!que carajo es esto?!

it's pretty difficult to try to understand how the rest of my cuban family responds to the news. i never really sense any resentment towards him or the series of events that broke up the family during their youth and made them flee to north carolina in the late 60s. it might just be something better left unspoken during family get-togethers. but i'd like to think that, like me, castro symbolizes what's left of their memories of the island. I think it gets harder to remember their times as happy kids running around taking apart TVs or helping their grandmother sort black beans. but, in combination with those scary times being harassed about the whereabouts of their father and awaiting a visa to the states, conjuring up cuban memories becomes a big emotional gamble. aside from that stark work-ethic and strength in the kitchen, i think it's fair to say that their cuban-ness has faded quite a bit.

... unlike miami cubans, but i won't continue this topic. it begins another discussion on the varying levels of assimilation among cuban-american immigrants and the reconstructed memories of the younger generations. like me, admittedly.

my sadness also comes from the future images i've created in my mind of a country reconquered by capitalism, with its wealth stratified once again along the same seams of race and connections to american business. facing its inevitable fate. i'm completely pessimistic about cuba's future. but like most other political decisions and forecasts, it's just a gut feeling. (and my guts have shit for brains. (pardon the high fidelity quote, i had to.))

ouch, slap me harder

2008-02-14T15:29:00.004-05:00

this is the reason i miss saint louis, or at least why I find their art scene to be way fun... yay White Flag

"... negligent provincial art galleries operate with undue pretense, and abuse their inflated authority to routinely betray the good will of their patrons by exhibiting art they know to be compromised, by misrepresenting their motives and expertise, by effectively defrauding both their artists and clients, and by generally diminishing the environment for meaningful contemporary art as a result of their perverse curatorial behavior."

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_sdYZud2Qdc

and it makes up for all the people watching i would have done during the event too, so cool.

holler to the slapees that i know...
2:45 jeff
5:37 stefan
7:59 isabelle
8:08 eric repice

como se dice? como se llama?

2008-02-12T10:08:00.000-05:00

obama reggaeton to celebrate the potomac primaries

i remember making posters with helen and annieeee

billy goats

2008-02-10T20:45:00.000-05:00

dimsumyum

2008-02-09T19:54:00.000-05:00

this was my favorite table to watch at china garden, the older gentleman on the left had a huge jade ring to go with the gold watch. i think he eventually caught on to the fact that i was trying to get a good photo of them. also, movie recommendation: eat drink man woman

salad ballad

2008-02-08T15:34:00.000-05:00

okay i admit to recent blog craziness...
i just wanted to thank those who recently contributed to my salad brainstorming session. No names have been changed. Hopefully, I'll continue to add different salads to the list. But, for tonight, just so you know, I have already chosen the Moroccan carrot recipe.

thank you all.

Chelsea: i just had an amazing salad with crispy calamari, yellow peppers, red peppers, olives on arugala with a thick, sweet balsamic vinegarette
me: yum!could i sub out calamari for something?like sweet potato, or prob not?prob something salty
Chelsea: yea--maybe anchovies?or onion crispsthe salad i like from cosi has pistachios, cranberries, blue cheesewith a vinegarette

Carolyn: mmmmletme think
me: think veggie
Carolyn: /go to one of my fave websitesoo look at this farro-and-roasted-butternut-squash-recipe.html not typical salad, but it was in the categoryand looks tasty red-rice-salad-recipe.html
me: coooool
Carolyn: oh yumm moroccan-baby-carrot-salad-recipe.html alot of their salads look awesome

(i also saw this one, spring-roll-salad, oh man.)

Tom: well, i've always been a fan of goat cheese with bakes sweet potato and some other greens tomatoes and nutsmaybe some olive oil and balsamic
me: yum, so like wedges?or maybe round slices of sweetpim going big on presentation
Tom: cut it up into cubes and bake it under the broilier or something
me: okokgood one, thanks
Tom: anytime
me: any preferred greens?
Tom: i mean, i've always been a fan of red romain lettuce, i dont like those mixed bag greens, the piece are always too big to fit in the mouth

Andy: Hmmm...I have a Turkish cookbook... you want me to thumb through it?
me: oh, yes, sure Sent at 3:54 PM on Friday
Andy: Tomato salad?Kind of a tomato/lemon theme
me: so what are some key ingredients?
Andy: 6 tomatoes, 1 lemon, some "desalted white cheese", dillweed, parsley, olive oil, basil...
me: over greens?
Andy: No, the tomatoes are the salad.
me: oh, sounds amazing
Andy: want to see the picture?

me: i need salad ideas
Beth: well i have them right here....come and get them

(well beth.. not helpful, but thanks for the invite to sf)

chicken

2008-02-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

the dcist may have recently put this place on the radar, but it's become quite a bbb tradition these days. El Pollo Rico is the best peruvian chicken in the dc bubble.

20 dollar

2008-02-08T10:02:00.000-05:00

and some crack about how M.I.A. probably wasn't referring to the price of a beer at SaintEx

this morning

2008-02-07T09:19:00.000-05:00

pie

2008-02-03T01:16:00.000-05:00

squares and rectangles

2008-01-27T19:01:00.001-05:00

olafur eliasson has another piece at the hirschhorn. i love it.

Reykjavik series 2003
http://www.visitreykjavik.is/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10/12_view-10/

bbb's city of the future

2008-01-20T15:21:00.000-05:00

the model

displays at union station

the sleep-deprived team

and friends can vote for the winner of the national competition until April 27th. the final round of competitors are the winners of the city of the future competitions from dc, atl, and sf.

holiday family

2008-01-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

i'd also like to mention that i have something of a resolution to have a more adventurous year.

national arboretum

2007-12-10T17:55:00.001-05:00

august is for sharing

2007-09-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

having visitors recently gave me a chance to visit some of my favorite places in the city.

drawing the line

2007-07-29T22:50:00.000-05:00

a lesson to be learned (thanks ale for reminding me.. her blog documents her pursuits in the design world and that kind of professionalism, at least for my blog, is pretty much hopeless at this point) ...

there's a new situation for me and a majority of my friends that maybe i wasn't clued in on... and maybe my friends know this more than i do, or maybe i'm just overly trusting and open with everyone i know.

professionalism. and behavior/composure in the office setting.

what does that even mean? why can't i talk about regular things with my "friends" at work? why should i keep it to topics like the weather or the upcoming office volleyball game. my instinct is to skip those topics completely for the sake of sincerity. wouldn't you rather hear about my laundry schedule? the number of new leaves on my plant at home? more seriously...

i have no idea what im doing... when will the identity crisis end?? i've found myself buying things to make up for it. i.e. shopping for clothes that i want to wear to work... maybe that is why people tend to be so materialistic, it's just a constant search for identity. hide me.

so the goal for myself this week is to not buy anything. mostly i'm broke, but i also have just been completely irresponsible with my new income. i'm even bringing lunch to work tomorrow, this is huge. let's see how i do. (am i even allowed to strike up conversation about my new goal for this week?)

the district of columbia

2007-06-30T19:10:00.001-05:00

view from the top

charlotte summer

2007-06-07T09:49:00.000-05:00

sleepless in newyork

2007-03-25T04:12:00.000-05:00

so i want to live here one day. can't sleep, the city's too beautiful. thinking about what i want. more soon.

spring break

2007-03-08T03:02:00.000-05:00

so im going to ecuador for the next week. pretty pumped. dreading typhoid.

Papallacta

for rent

2007-02-24T02:13:00.000-05:00

my apt

2010

2007-02-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

www.2010imperative.org
The event was swell! More of the architecture school should have been present, but the turn out was a perfect size for the venue and there was a good mix of designers, engineers and environmental scientists.

GIVENS prepares for 2010

don't really know why the reflective pond look was necessary...

feliz cumple

2007-02-18T21:44:00.000-05:00

baking a cake for mom. yummy.

orange crate furniture

2006-12-20T13:37:00.000-05:00

this is what table etiquette looks like during finals time.

be sure to gchat and drink wine while eating a lot and writing a paper.

furniture design with five-legged octopi and fiona apple.

Chicago

2006-12-04T14:06:00.000-05:00

iit library

the question is wouldn't mama be proud

2006-11-17T03:25:00.000-05:00

elliott smith is good.

uhhh im graduating. really quite soon. future unclear, etc.

determining the ingredients to happy living:
city without cars
sunshine
intellectual stimulation
art
friends
good health
selfmade/low-budget furnishing
books held by said furnishing
cranberry juice
coffee maker
netflix+projector...

okay now its a gift wishlist... so really the first six are most key.

fotos de ninez

2006-09-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

he estasdo pensando en como poder encorporar algo mas personal de quien soy en mis dibujos. en si, ni se donde empezar.

maybe in english

the obvious place would be to begin with allusions to my mother. but it's too much all at once. and maybe i'm more in a place where i'm ready to look forward. but as i've been trying that, it's nothing and means nothing to me. my work has been lifeless. it's been so damn frustrating.

honesty would most likely bring more life to it all, but i've hesitated because i'm afraid that i won't accomplish what i want. there's also the issue of what would be most honest right now.

if i were to immediately attempt a portrait, my skill with figures from imagination would come up short. drawing from photos has not been successful either, as far as creating a piece that takes composition, etc into account. round two, three, four.

so we'll see, in my sketches i keep incorporating drooping windmills. where from? kansas. but maybe that's not why they appear. in a painting i did something like 5 years ago, a flower that was printed on my grandmother's pillowcase reappeared again and again captured from my imagination. i think i still dream about it sometimes. comforting, it also has a smell attached to it, fresh sheets as i was tucked into bed around age 6. umm nostalgia.

i'll begin with childhood. de cuando era la nina de mimi y papa, cuando mi tio pepe me traia flores, y pasaba el tiempo con mis munecas en la casa de mis abuelos. ay, aveces me olvido de estos tiempos. tantas otras memorias de problemas con mi padrastro. como seran las memorias de mis hermanos? espero que tengan algo bueno en que pensar. espero que este tiempo duro no es lo unico que conoscan de lo que es una familia. cuando volveran estar felices??

salvasen quien pueda me canta ves traz ves juana molina.

mad props to bucky and chihuly

2006-09-10T20:06:00.000-05:00

Missouri Botanical Gardens

pessimism irks me

2006-09-09T23:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how eloquently I can explain my frustrations at the moment... that's my disclaimer.

Pessimistic people are worthless. When confronted with a problem, perhaps out of your area of concentration, why brush it aside and say "I just don't think it's feasible"? Look, there you are still in the dark, still with the same problem. When confronted with a problem, again, on a topic outside of your knowledge base, why would you close off and discourage those interested in finding a solution?

This afternoon I came across something I am beginning to feel very strongly about. Many people are beginning to acknowledge the urgency of reducing and eliminating the use of fossil fuels from daily activities. As a student of architecture, I recognize that close to half of the fossil fuel consumption, and therefore carbon dioxide release, is related to the built environment. I recognize that everyone in my profession is capable of making large contributions to the solution. It is the major responsibility of all designers to become aware of how the decisions they make can lead to excessive consumption. It is the responsibilty of all designers to begin to address the issue in their own work and in their own communities.

summer fiddling

2006-08-21T19:19:00.000-05:00

my week in charlotte has been the best one of the past few years. it's consisted of reconnecting with old friends and spending time with the v kids. there's also been some reflection time, as these last fews days before the beginning of a semester tend to have.

and i made an awesome playlist.

ok, im bored, so there.

vkids

my internship is pretty much over

2006-08-09T14:53:00.000-05:00

so goodbye DC and new friends, I'm back to Charlotte this Saturday.

I also finished a model today... kind of fun to share?

it's better with the lights turned off...

black cat black cat

2006-08-07T21:55:00.000-05:00

it's everything that is connected and beautiful
and now i know just where i stand...

being at the silversun pickups show felt like I traveled back in time to middle school days with brent kyle jimi and mikey, i guess adam too. basically, it was awesome and grundgey and beautiful and i rocked out. I was alone this time, but it didn't feel like i was, maybe just because of the comforting nostalgia going through my head.

also, i hope jeff made it to chicago in one piece!

great show, please also note redhead on the right in the foreground, i think i met him through dan and/or that he opened for the walkmen in dc a while ago...

pretty little shoes, cheap perfume

2006-07-28T22:59:00.000-05:00

on repeat....

crazy last days in dc. working late, relaxing in the house, watching TCM,

rainy beach days

2006-07-23T08:58:00.000-05:00

drove to bethany with etta j. and the rain.

2006-07-03T16:10:00.000-05:00

beau reminded me that my blog is a public thing that anyone i meet is allowed to judge.

so something to judge....

poop.

2006-06-21T08:18:00.000-05:00

holocaust museum

kexp pledge drive

2006-06-16T08:30:00.000-05:00

i love kexp. but this week has been brutal. im broke sry, maybe one day though.
i'm in Charlotte this weekend... to the LAKE!
Annie, lets play volleyball. Helen, lets play music. ...oh wait none of us are ever in town at the same time.

my daily view after work

day one at work

2006-05-22T16:31:00.000-05:00

horray for internships. this office is going to be a lot of fun. its really small, about 25 people, and everyone is rather young, rather international. within the first hour i had a roach crawling up my shirt from under the desk, but I'm sure that's some sort of good-luck-omen-thing. actually i was nailed by bird droppings, although possibly squirrel, just yesterday. and now I'm off to an after work party at a penthouse in georgetown. Tomorrow is volleyball by the lincoln memorial, and thursday is a wine&cheese/office meeting... whaat? Did I mention, I changed my mind and enrolled in summer camp?

also, i need to learn InDesign tonight, why don't people tell me this. Attn: all architecture students, learn InDesign.

welcome, cristina, to bbb

and all the rest.... stop, get it? rest stop?

2006-05-05T01:27:00.000-05:00

aqui les dejo mi proyecto para la parada de descanso que dise~ne. somos finalistas en una competicion en california. ya veramos como sale todo.
but it's not supposed to be blue.... imagine all of this in green.

nevermind

2006-04-25T11:22:00.000-05:00

idea shot down...

couple sleep

2006-04-23T21:46:00.000-05:00

designing a motel for the lonely traveler.

i initially think of sex, or the lack of it. so how would one compensate for the partnerless. hold on, i mean in terms of the built forms in a motel room. right now, i'm studying the geometries of couples as they sleep.

here's a funny analysis of what the sleeping position "means" in a relationship.
sorry, i had to break it up, the following is actually one url.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://inspirasiteja.
tripod.com/sleep7.jpg&imgrefurl=http://inspirasiteja.tripod.
com/tidordua.html&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;h
=343&w=391&sz=21&tbnid=XCpWFE5zqf_usM:&amp
;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tbnh=105&tbnw=120&hl=en&
start=9&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsleep%2Bpositions%26
svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox
-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

it's difficult to measure because in a sense blobitecture is very rigid, and not so great for universal designs.

ramble, ramble, i need to design something.

sunny daysss......

2006-04-16T16:21:00.000-05:00

Carina spent the weekend with me! it was amazing, i did so many things, saw so many people, I'm ready for summer... and I actually did get the internship in DC, woot! just a few more all-nighters to go. happy easter. amen.

ningun ser humano es ilegal

2006-04-13T04:26:00.000-05:00

jeff took this one at the immigration rally in dc on April 10th

plans rethought

2006-04-11T14:34:00.000-05:00

yes, thank you anonymous for reminding me that I have changed my mind and am now sending out more resumes to DC firms. I will not be in st. louis. but will be working with a firm hopefully.

21 yo

2006-04-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

im so close!

i need a job this summer, DC fell through. but i am going to take structures classes and therefore get a bachelor of science in architecture. and maybe that anthro minor i've always talked about completeing.

so if anyone would like to live with me in st. louis this summer. please do. or if you'd like to hire me. please do.

i'd like to go to argentina as soon as possible. quiero practicar el espanol, lo extrano tanto tanto, no se que hacer, necesito viajar lo mas pronto posible. pero quien me va mandar o pagar?, jaj. como dijo carina, que pasaron con los dias cuando no teniamos idea lo que era el dinero. meh.

i went to new york. it was amazing, and made me realize that i should do what ever the hell i want and then tie it into architecture somehow later. young explorer it up.

DUMBO

local nyc hero

local stl hero

spring break what what

2006-03-13T21:57:00.001-05:00

soooo been awhile, had a bit of a downer for a day, but i think i'll now be able to handle working with people that completely disregard my opinions.

i'm on the road! i decided this may be one of the most productive breaks ever. the plan: st.louis-carbondale-charlotte-dc-columbus-st.louis. about 40 hours of driving, w00t. plus great people along the way. and an interview. more later.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

2006-03-08T17:31:00.000-05:00

i feel so weak and defenseless.

so im entering this competition

2006-03-02T18:32:00.000-05:00

“If you’d ever unwind / And relax for then maybe / We could have a good time / And this will help." - The Rosebuds

I had my review for the rest area design on Wednesday. First reaction, "this isn't really architecture, i don't know how to talk about it," second reaction "this could be a thesis project." I'm not sure how to take it, but I'm assuming that if I had more than a week to work on the actual design of the space that I would have gotten farther than a landscape design and diagramic model of the rest area. However, I reallly liked the idea, and I got a lot of praise for the depth of research and understanding of the site. This is the sketch for the site.
Idea: re-establish a wetland that had been crammed into 8' pipes under the highway and create a rest area above the wetland, to avoid drainage complications and create an identity of place. because this site is right outside of st. louis and the stream feeds into the missouri, then the mississippi, then the gulf....

and now the competition... annie and helen, you'll love it!... The idea is to redesign a sustainable rest area that will work completely off-the-grid, meaning all the energy required, like lighting, would be gathered from the site. The site is in the San Joaquin Valley in CA, but the project should be applicable to any other site along this highway, CA99. An existing problem is vandalization. And most interesting- the population of the area is more than 50% hispanic, a majority immigrants. About 15% live under the poverty line.

...SO how can i design a sustainable, state-maintained, rest stop and still feel as though i've addressed the social issues. Actually, how do you even address a social issue in architecture without just relying on the programming?

random cityyy

2006-02-28T00:44:00.000-05:00

reflection time once again, most of what im thinking cannot be posted... how does that work? confidentiality among friends should include some sort of blog exception clause ...thing. i will say that i feel repulsive, in the most literal sense of the word. but not in general, because in general its the happiest ive been in a long time.

the latino symposium i had been working on all year went really well last week, my professors even showed, friends too. everyone presented a project, everything from research to short stories, paintings, even architecture projects this year. the keynote speaker was this old, liberal, cuban professor who decided to just tell life stories (by reading excerpts from his memoir). he was charismatic and entertaining, but not at all what you would expect from a keynote speaker, pero ya fue! I can tell my professors respect me and are interested in what I'm doing, which is so exciting... I want to have professors forever. booooo graduation.

my left headphone keeps fading in and out as i move around making models, headache-city.

final review is on wednesday, i need to pull a lot together for this to work, but it will and it'll be awesome. i'm working on a site model made completely of fabric, a la conceptual.

this series is from a trip to the St. Louis Public Library with my graphics class. daniel took all these, i can't take credit, but i do get to publish them here (our agreement only referred to facebook daniel).

im addicted to gmail

2006-02-22T01:16:00.000-05:00

its part of my routine, routineroutine.

queen of carolina is an amazing funeral song choice i think. and why shouldnt funerals have songs.... ave maria

freakoutt, is that womanly? FOOD!

hahaaaaaaaa too much caffine - jittery goodbye!

also, "i love him scintillating too"- caitlin

in response to your comment annie...... i know nouvelle vague! you saw a performance? its pretty funnn, is it more than just covers, i should know but i dont...

holy shit damali ayo

2006-02-14T23:32:00.000-05:00

women and art
and race and consciousness and sincerity...

damali ayo spoke about herself and shared experiences of black women. She's hilarious... quoted Jerry Seinfeld, something about the difference between actors and comedians, wanting to be anyone but yourself vs. being yourself completely. my favorite piece by her is a color study on flesh tones. She had paint mixers match the tone of different parts of her body and then laid out a portrait of her self on a 12x30ish wall by using what were essentially swatches of her skin. really soothing. damaliayo.com also, rent-a-negro.com is another one of her projects.

my most memorable burst of laughter came when she went on one of her random asides about dating a white guy that "didnt consider her as black." her response was "what? who have you been sleeping with? you've seen every part of me!" So great. I've definitely had this conversation... you're not really "hispanic" right? i mean you're pretty much white, i mean i'd never say i dated interracially..." Minus a million points Isaac!
But to confess, i wasn't exactly outraged by his comment. I just laughed at his denial and probably liked it. fooled 'em again, haha. Today I would be a little more animated by it.

oh! also, al jolson inspired mickey mouse?! i get it now!

i bet you look good on the dance floor

2006-02-09T00:37:00.000-05:00

arctic monkies rock....

also Orishas -537 Cuba , thank you Matias... "Donde el sudor del guajiro hace la tierra so~nar" Shall I translate?... where the countryman's sweat makes the earth dream... it feels cheapened now..

so beautiful, the first one is my favorite! Jessica Luts photographed her sister and I got a digital copy of the prints. sooo cool. Las bellas brasileras!

the past 34 hours have been amazing.

2006-02-01T18:08:00.000-05:00

I've been giddy about this drawing all day. i started it at 6am today, although I've been sketching about the idea all week. (note that the rest of the week, and night, had been devoted to the other topic of rest areas which ended in an acceptable montage, but it doesn't convey the message successfully, therefore, never ever showing it)

I put together a graphic that shows the lifespan and quality of life (in terms of monetary value contributed to the family) of my matrilineage while also sneaking in the assignment to compare the human body to an automobile. The deep red gestural lines represent the quality of life of those past, the orange-red line is me, hi! and the peachy line would be my descendant, weird.

i really want yu araki to see this because just last night, i reminded him that we were all going to die.

The assignment part of the drawing is comparing the cool areas, which represent the value of a car, to that of my life. (note the immediate drop in the top curve after buying a new car, and also how the money lost after disposing of a car plunges down past the cost of an education, because it's non-renewable) If I were to keep a car for 10 years at a time, I will get a new car about 5 times in my life, sahweet.

The grey tones represent awareness/ consciousness. I can only really remember the value of the used mini-van my mom began to drive in 1995. so the middle grey tone goes from that point until the present, 2006. The black tones are estimation, suggesting the Jetta will stay with me for another 6 years, until 2012.... i can't imagine what I'll do without it.... or what will replace it... Hypercars anyone?

So other things I've noticed that this graphic conveys...
I went from two matriarchs to none... right when I need them to boost me into "contributing-hood" (Good thing matriarchs have matriarch sisters, aunts and great-aunts included).

I have just covered at least 100 years. I will eventually understand the way living practices have changed over ten decades. can't wait to be wise... but obviously i'll never really be old...

The chart came from somewhere, and keeps going somewhere, without me.

Ahh, relief, I get to live past 2050. And have found a way to express how I feel after these past few years.

it took more than an hour to figure out how to make the image small enough to post, i had no idea how awesome illustrator's resolution can be. also, i want to hear comments.

a thousand layers, of built-up skin, designed to protect what you've stored within

2006-01-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

white octave- appeals for insertion

At Annie's request, here is one piece of the puzzle... there are different iterations but not a final quite yet.

rest. stop.

2006-01-23T22:16:00.000-05:00

Highway Culture. Isolation, security, independence, the open road. Identity?
My analysis of interstate travel glorifies the state-maintained rest stop for exposing an area's identity better than any other rest area thick with neon logos looming over the road. Although the other exits may lead you to the next established place, there's no way to know you've traveled at all because any distinguishing features of this new location are hidden. However, if you can catch the sharp turn after REST STOP NEXT RIGHT, you might catch a glimpse of the area's natural vegetation, or maybe a hand painted map of the area in the restroom lobby. With luck you may even be near local walking trails and viewing points. These spaces are not apart of the local routine, they ask of nothing from the traveler but offer shelter and peace. A space between connecting roads where you want nothing more than to rest and stop. This is where you can truly see a place. Of course there are many interpretations, but not every rural town is captured by a Cracker Barrel.

and now to communicate this in a graphic...

burnt toast

2006-01-16T13:33:00.000-05:00

I'm back in St. Louis for a new semester and all of that. It's hard to imagine what the new routine will be, but it seems a bit unmanageable already. negative-negative, blahhh.

The drive was amazing! It was a such a beautiful day to cross the Appalachian mountains. clear, sunny skies, the mountains in the horizon were every shade of blue, snow caps on the highest peaks, ice patches in the exposed rock, and trees and trees and trees. But of course my camera was in the boot (yeah vw). By the time I was able to make it to a rest area the best had past but I did get a few.

oh and annie sent me a cooper the kayaker video...
http://www.riotkayaks.com/teamblog/riotblog.html

tunnel viewed through my salt-stained windshield

driving some more

and some more

the view of nc from tn

want to live here?

dusk

And today i think i captured st. louis city better than ever. not so impressive and not my every-day experience but pretty honest.

Gravois near Kingshighway.

charlateeun

2006-01-12T10:59:00.000-05:00

i hate cars. mostly batteries. I got back from D.C. and I had to jump the Jetta again. Met up with Carina and had to jump start the car again. Hopefully the battery is recharged enough to withstand errand running for the rest of the day.

Being in Charlotte also means coffeeshop read-a-ramas, lunch with the aunties, and possibly a visit with the Vinzants and/or Lamblas. All of these things and time with Vero and Victor. Knitting is just a fun hobby, right? Vero and I sat around knitting yesterday, using mom's old needles and yarn I had bought her a few Christmas-years ago. Creepy, I think it's easier to be away from the house, Mom's presense is as strong as ever here. Clothes, lotions still around, eek.

Also, someone make my cover letter more persuasive.

who is in your birthday lunch club?

2006-01-05T20:03:00.000-05:00

jeff knows andrea kohashi's mother's friend. how do we know this? he's in her birthday lunch club.

alexandria today, torpedo factory was the highlight. i may take a photo class there this summer, i think it'd be really awesome. being there really reminded me of high school with ms. nowlin, one of the best teachers i've had. it got me in the living-in-an-art-world, happy mood. and then i went to the grocery store in columbia heights... GIANT. it was intense and too real. Kids fighting over who got to push the cart, wives denying their husbands frozen pancakes, lines stopped because of fake food stamps, parking validations...... overload. lets just avoid it forever.

unfortunately though, no worthwhile pictures, yesterday's probably shouldnt have been uploaded either but oh well.

the cute new years eve picture

i might like you better if we slept together

2006-01-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

it's romeo void's 1981 hit, never say never. i just saw the video. please find this song and enjoy.

today's area of d.c. was georgetown, basically the "shoppping" on M Street. so, haircut and lameo people, plus a stop into the cool soaps place, Lush, and i left. the residential areas north of M are pretty awesome though. you know, the place you park when you're there.

driving was hell, but i got this pretty average shot of D.C.

how does this happen? its pretty much the same shot, but not, weird.
anyway, it's georgetown.

murray is a baby

the bums on the couch, there's me. i can't believe i'm saying this but go texas football!
i guess i just got into it.....

dc adventuring, day one

2006-01-03T19:03:00.000-05:00

so i made the adventure after good solid advice from the city-explorer expert, Annie Lambla

redline to adams morgan

the new year's eve bridge

yummy lipstick

un cafesito

i wanted a shot of this guy and the woman that wanted him, alas it's just him.

the dc shop style

white store front action

tunnel lights

that one tree dan likes

and then dannychico picked me up

rainy day in dc

2006-01-02T21:51:00.000-05:00

blog born with the new year.

I spent those important few seconds before 12:00 am linking arms with two of my favorite people. we were crossing a bridge towards the empanadas place in adams morgan as an end to the night. everyone knows the fuss of new years eve when you're with a group of friends and each person has a different idea of what would be perfect. this probably wasn't what any of us had planned for the first seconds of the new year, but it made me happy.

this is most likely due to the fact that im not really into the bar scene... as in im not 21. but im okay with that, until plans are continuously ruined because of my little burden. whatevs

so now i have time to chill in a city i dont really know. im dying to explore and document the streets of dc. so maybe tomorrow i'll borrow a camera and metro around. alone or not.