With almost a full two weeks to go before Christmas, the Manger scene is complete! Now I have to figure out where to keep it the other 11 months of the year...Next project, a candle box.
Away in the Workshop, Away in a Manger - Part II
Away in the Workshop, Away in a Manger - Part II
With almost a full two weeks to go before Christmas, the Manger scene is complete! Now I have to figure out where to keep it the other 11 months of the year...Next project, a candle box.
Away in the Workshop, Away in a Manger
One of the unfortunate side effects of being an architecture student while concurrently having a full time career is the complete lack of anything that even remotely resembles "free time" (hence the lack of blog posts). However, I was recently able to sneak away from the omnipresent due dates and deadlines to spend some much needed time in the workshop (aka my garage).
For the past couple years, the wife has been dropping hints that she wanted a new outdoor manger scene as part of our front yard Christmas decorations. A few weeks before her birthday, I started looking into my options. Not knowing what to expect as far as costs, my first stop was to eBay and Amazon to see what I would have to spend to buy one. To my surprise, I was looking at a couple hundred big ones for just the manger with Mary, Joseph, Jesus and a couple sheep… and north of $500 for the entire scene! So... I decided to build my own.
My first step was to find something I liked, then model, to scale, my own version.
Next, I modeled in SketchUp a 4'x8' background and placed my individual parts on it to make sure I could get all these pieces out of one sheet of plywood. In this case, I used a 3/4" sheet of plywood having one side faced with maple and the other with birch. It was $50 from Lowe's and, other than the paint I already had, was the only costs associated with the project (not bad compared to the cost of buying I mentioned above which, by the way, did not include shipping).
While this made it a little more difficult to cut in areas with a tight radius, it ended up being a bit of a blessing because, when I later decided to build the entire scene, I only had to buy one additional sheet of plywood instead of two.
The entire time I was working on this project, I was being hounded by the workshop manager. I felt like every time I turned around, he was right there to make sure everything was being built to spec. What a pain…
The final product came out pretty nice, I think. I learned, throughout the process, the most difficult part was to hide it for a little over a month until Kelly's birthday. The morning of her birthday though, was fun. I bought a landscape spotlight and wrapped that with her card. After she opened it, I'm pretty sure I got the, "Oh…nice…thanks." But then I told her the rest of the present was outside. I think she liked it =)
Away in the Workshop, Away in a Manger
One of the unfortunate side effects of being an architecture student while concurrently having a full time career is the complete lack of anything that even remotely resembles "free time" (hence the lack of blog posts). However, I was recently able to sneak away from the omnipresent due dates and deadlines to spend some much needed time in the workshop (aka my garage).
For the past couple years, the wife has been dropping hints that she wanted a new outdoor manger scene as part of our front yard Christmas decorations. A few weeks before her birthday, I started looking into my options. Not knowing what to expect as far as costs, my first stop was to eBay and Amazon to see what I would have to spend to buy one. To my surprise, I was looking at a couple hundred big ones for just the manger with Mary, Joseph, Jesus and a couple sheep… and north of $500 for the entire scene! So... I decided to build my own.
My first step was to find something I liked, then model, to scale, my own version.
Next, I modeled in SketchUp a 4'x8' background and placed my individual parts on it to make sure I could get all these pieces out of one sheet of plywood. In this case, I used a 3/4" sheet of plywood having one side faced with maple and the other with birch. It was $50 from Lowe's and, other than the paint I already had, was the only costs associated with the project (not bad compared to the cost of buying I mentioned above which, by the way, did not include shipping).
While this made it a little more difficult to cut in areas with a tight radius, it ended up being a bit of a blessing because, when I later decided to build the entire scene, I only had to buy one additional sheet of plywood instead of two.
The entire time I was working on this project, I was being hounded by the workshop manager. I felt like every time I turned around, he was right there to make sure everything was being built to spec. What a pain…
The final product came out pretty nice, I think. I learned, throughout the process, the most difficult part was to hide it for a little over a month until Kelly's birthday. The morning of her birthday though, was fun. I bought a landscape spotlight and wrapped that with her card. After she opened it, I'm pretty sure I got the, "Oh…nice…thanks." But then I told her the rest of the present was outside. I think she liked it =)
Hurricane Irene - Rogue Style in Surf City, NC
This video was taken in Surf City, NC. I'm sure there was some storm surge making the water levels higher than normal, and it was also likely a high tide, but there's something scary about seeing a wave as high as the pier on the beach. I would have hated to be the one standing there watching that monster bear down. Short video, but worth the watch!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92pBX29a7HU]
Hurricane Irene - Rogue Style in Surf City, NC
This video was taken in Surf City, NC. I'm sure there was some storm surge making the water levels higher than normal, and it was also likely a high tide, but there's something scary about seeing a wave as high as the pier on the beach. I would have hated to be the one standing there watching that monster bear down. Short video, but worth the watch!
Kelly's Quote of the Day: Die Fly Die
I made the mistake of getting in the way of the Heralds too...
Kelly's Quote of the Day: Die Fly Die
I made the mistake of getting in the way of the Heralds too...
Designing a House in Which Every Surface Is Skateable
This place is pretty cool! An architect designed a house for a former professional skateboarder in which every surface is skateable. Not a bad idea for those flat days… The full article, written by Steven Kurutz of at the New York Times, can be found through the link below.
Designing a House in Which Every Surface Is Skateable
This place is pretty cool! An architect designed a house for a former professional skateboarder in which every surface is skateable. Not a bad idea for those flat days… The full article, written by Steven Kurutz of at the New York Times, can be found through the link below.
Very VERY Big Cloudbreak
The surf in New Jersey this summer has been consistent – consistently flat… While I have had the opportunity to sit on the beach very often, the surf has just not cooperated. Last weekend I was sitting in my beach chair watching clean little 2-foot barrels peel away in the shore break and wishing I was in it.
Later that afternoon, I was in my grandparent’s shed dropping of some bird seed I had picked up and I found an old bodyboard from back in my pre stand-up days. Then a lightbulb went off. I went out and bought a pair of Churchhill fins started playing around in the shorebreak, trying to fill the void created by the lack of surf this summer.
The reason I bring this up is this… while messing around in the shorebreak, I wiped out a few times. While the waves were pretty small, some of the wipeouts tossed me around and even made me kick the back of my head with my new flippers. This reminded me of a very important lesson – the ocean can kick my ass whenever it wants to.
This is why I am so impressed when I see things like the video below. Not only is this wave HUGE, it’s breaking over razor sharp coral (as opposed to the pretty blunt, NJ sandbars). I couldn’t image wiping out on something like this…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDqU_m1G7aE]
Very VERY Big Cloudbreak
The surf in New Jersey this summer has been consistent – consistently flat… While I have had the opportunity to sit on the beach very often, the surf has just not cooperated. Last weekend I was sitting in my beach chair watching clean little 2-foot barrels peel away in the shore break and wishing I was in it.
Later that afternoon, I was in my grandparent’s shed dropping of some bird seed I had picked up and I found an old bodyboard from back in my pre stand-up days. Then a lightbulb went off. I went out and bought a pair of Churchhill fins started playing around in the shorebreak, trying to fill the void created by the lack of surf this summer.
The reason I bring this up is this… while messing around in the shorebreak, I wiped out a few times. While the waves were pretty small, some of the wipeouts tossed me around and even made me kick the back of my head with my new flippers. This reminded me of a very important lesson – the ocean can kick my ass whenever it wants to.
This is why I am so impressed when I see things like the video below. Not only is this wave HUGE, it’s breaking over razor sharp coral (as opposed to the pretty blunt, NJ sandbars). I couldn’t image wiping out on something like this…
Kelly's Quote of the Day: Running from Cops
It's no secret... between my wife and I, she's the funny one. This is something I understand and I live with. Every now and then, she'll say something when no one else is around, that I wish everyone could hear. This has happened a few times recently and I said to myself, "Now thats worthy of a Facebook status update." Well, the other night, she said something that made me decide to start a new feature called "Kelly's Quote of the Day."
For those of you who don't know my wife, she is very well mannered, often quiet, and always has the best of intentions. Most of the time, she'll put the well being of a stranger before her own, that's just the type of person she is. That's why when she says something worthy of a KQotD, it's so special. For those of you who do know Kelly, no context is really needed understand why things like this are funny.
Last weekend, standing in her parent's back yard after letting their dog in (they were on vacation), not understanding why I didn't want her to knock a bee's nest off the door with just a rolled up newspaper, Kelly turned to me and said:
"If I can outrun the cops, I can outrun a couple bees."
Enough said. Stay tuned for future posts.
For those of you who don't know my wife, she is very well mannered, often quiet, and always has the best of intentions. Most of the time, she'll put the well being of a stranger before her own, that's just the type of person she is. That's why when she says something worthy of a KQotD, it's so special. For those of you who do know Kelly, no context is really needed understand why things like this are funny.
Last weekend, standing in her parent's back yard after letting their dog in (they were on vacation), not understanding why I didn't want her to knock a bee's nest off the door with just a rolled up newspaper, Kelly turned to me and said:
"If I can outrun the cops, I can outrun a couple bees."
Enough said. Stay tuned for future posts.
Kelly's Quote of the Day: Running from Cops
It's no secret... between my wife and I, she's the funny one. This is something I understand and I live with. Every now and then, she'll say something when no one else is around, that I wish everyone could hear. This has happened a few times recently and I said to myself, "Now thats worthy of a Facebook status update." Well, the other night, she said something that made me decide to start a new feature called "Kelly's Quote of the Day."
For those of you who don't know my wife, she is very well mannered, often quiet, and always has the best of intentions. Most of the time, she'll put the well being of a stranger before her own, that's just the type of person she is. That's why when she says something worthy of a KQotD, it's so special. For those of you who do know Kelly, no context is really needed understand why things like this are funny.
Last weekend, standing in her parent's back yard after letting their dog in (they were on vacation), not understanding why I didn't want her to knock a bee's nest off the door with just a rolled up newspaper, Kelly turned to me and said:
"If I can outrun the cops, I can outrun a couple bees."
Enough said. Stay tuned for future posts.
For those of you who don't know my wife, she is very well mannered, often quiet, and always has the best of intentions. Most of the time, she'll put the well being of a stranger before her own, that's just the type of person she is. That's why when she says something worthy of a KQotD, it's so special. For those of you who do know Kelly, no context is really needed understand why things like this are funny.
Last weekend, standing in her parent's back yard after letting their dog in (they were on vacation), not understanding why I didn't want her to knock a bee's nest off the door with just a rolled up newspaper, Kelly turned to me and said:
"If I can outrun the cops, I can outrun a couple bees."
Enough said. Stay tuned for future posts.
Guess the Building
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7
Guess the Building
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7
Candidate for Architectural Hall of Shame?
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7
Candidate for Architectural Hall of Shame?
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7
Top 5 Quotes from Studio Last Night
As I've stated a few times in previous posts, this term of studio (developing a Master Plan for Drexel University) has been quite different than what we are used to. Namely, the program has been made up as we go along, the studio sessions are a bit free form, assignments aren't always clear and there is an unusual amount of emphasis placed on inter- and intra-group collaboration. While I considered this a neat experiment and a valuable learning experience, I can see how the stress of the term is starting to take its toll on some students. A few nights ago at our last large group presentations, I heard more awesome/funny/sad student quotes packed into a single night of presentations than I've heard the first five years (which will be a topic covered in an upcoming post). So, here they are, the top five quotes overheard near the end of a particularly stressful term. Enjoy!
Fifth Place:
I'm not sure if this entrant needs any context. As a matter of fact, context may actually take away from this statement; it's funnier just to come into a conversation half way through and hear one student say to another:
"No, I don't have any children...or goats."
Fourth Place:
One of the running jokes about the space where our studio sections meet is that, despite being the home of architecture, nobody can seem to figure out how to run the heating/cooling system. Over the winter, it's hotter than hell...in the summer, you need a parka. I must say, during the final presentations on this particular early March night, it was hot to the point where I thought I may actually pass out. When one student leaned over to a classmate and said to her, "It's so hot in here, I actually think I crossed the threshold of hell," she replied:
"This isn't hell. If it were hell, at least Jimi Hendrix would be here."
Third Place:
For the final presentations, each group put together either a short video or PowerPoint presentation that was projected onto the wall. When one of the groups put their video up, the title seemed to be missing a bunch of letters, almost as if they were the same color as the background. When one fellow student pointed this out to another, the response was:
"The only letter this studio is missing...is 'WHY????'".
Second Place:
It was tough trying to figure out which of the following two quotes would take home the grand prize. During a particularly well rehearsed, well put together presentation, when student A said to student B, "Yeah, I heard this group met every other Sunday throughout the term to work on this project and it shows... did you meet with your group on the weekends?" Student B replied:
"I don't put pants on on Sundays, never mind go to studio."
First Place:
There are several reasons this following quote took the gold. It is not only funny, but ironic and, quite frankly, a bit sad. It also captures the level of stress and anxiety you are put through as architecture student, unless you are mentally tough and an expert at time management. So, toward the end of a long evening, at the end of a long term, the first place quote I overheard during final group presentations goes as follows:
"I can't wait until I graduate so I never have to think about architecture ever again."
Ouch... let me know if you have any funny studio quotes to add to the mix!
Fifth Place:
I'm not sure if this entrant needs any context. As a matter of fact, context may actually take away from this statement; it's funnier just to come into a conversation half way through and hear one student say to another:
"No, I don't have any children...or goats."
Fourth Place:
One of the running jokes about the space where our studio sections meet is that, despite being the home of architecture, nobody can seem to figure out how to run the heating/cooling system. Over the winter, it's hotter than hell...in the summer, you need a parka. I must say, during the final presentations on this particular early March night, it was hot to the point where I thought I may actually pass out. When one student leaned over to a classmate and said to her, "It's so hot in here, I actually think I crossed the threshold of hell," she replied:
"This isn't hell. If it were hell, at least Jimi Hendrix would be here."
Third Place:
For the final presentations, each group put together either a short video or PowerPoint presentation that was projected onto the wall. When one of the groups put their video up, the title seemed to be missing a bunch of letters, almost as if they were the same color as the background. When one fellow student pointed this out to another, the response was:
"The only letter this studio is missing...is 'WHY????'".
Second Place:
It was tough trying to figure out which of the following two quotes would take home the grand prize. During a particularly well rehearsed, well put together presentation, when student A said to student B, "Yeah, I heard this group met every other Sunday throughout the term to work on this project and it shows... did you meet with your group on the weekends?" Student B replied:
"I don't put pants on on Sundays, never mind go to studio."
First Place:
There are several reasons this following quote took the gold. It is not only funny, but ironic and, quite frankly, a bit sad. It also captures the level of stress and anxiety you are put through as architecture student, unless you are mentally tough and an expert at time management. So, toward the end of a long evening, at the end of a long term, the first place quote I overheard during final group presentations goes as follows:
"I can't wait until I graduate so I never have to think about architecture ever again."
Ouch... let me know if you have any funny studio quotes to add to the mix!
Top 5 Quotes from Studio Last Night
As I've stated a few times in previous posts, this term of studio (developing a Master Plan for Drexel University) has been quite different than what we are used to. Namely, the program has been made up as we go along, the studio sessions are a bit free form, assignments aren't always clear and there is an unusual amount of emphasis placed on inter- and intra-group collaboration. While I considered this a neat experiment and a valuable learning experience, I can see how the stress of the term is starting to take its toll on some students. A few nights ago at our last large group presentations, I heard more awesome/funny/sad student quotes packed into a single night of presentations than I've heard the first five years (which will be a topic covered in an upcoming post). So, here they are, the top five quotes overheard near the end of a particularly stressful term. Enjoy!
Fifth Place:
I'm not sure if this entrant needs any context. As a matter of fact, context may actually take away from this statement; it's funnier just to come into a conversation half way through and hear one student say to another:
"No, I don't have any children...or goats."
Fourth Place:
One of the running jokes about the space where our studio sections meet is that, despite being the home of architecture, nobody can seem to figure out how to run the heating/cooling system. Over the winter, it's hotter than hell...in the summer, you need a parka. I must say, during the final presentations on this particular early March night, it was hot to the point where I thought I may actually pass out. When one student leaned over to a classmate and said to her, "It's so hot in here, I actually think I crossed the threshold of hell," she replied:
"This isn't hell. If it were hell, at least Jimi Hendrix would be here."
Third Place:
For the final presentations, each group put together either a short video or PowerPoint presentation that was projected onto the wall. When one of the groups put their video up, the title seemed to be missing a bunch of letters, almost as if they were the same color as the background. When one fellow student pointed this out to another, the response was:
"The only letter this studio is missing...is 'WHY????'".
Second Place:
It was tough trying to figure out which of the following two quotes would take home the grand prize. During a particularly well rehearsed, well put together presentation, when student A said to student B, "Yeah, I heard this group met every other Sunday throughout the term to work on this project and it shows... did you meet with your group on the weekends?" Student B replied:
"I don't put pants on on Sundays, never mind go to studio."
First Place:
There are several reasons this following quote took the gold. It is not only funny, but ironic and, quite frankly, a bit sad. It also captures the level of stress and anxiety you are put through as architecture student, unless you are mentally tough and an expert at time management. So, toward the end of a long evening, at the end of a long term, the first place quote I overheard during final group presentations goes as follows:
"I can't wait until I graduate so I never have to think about architecture ever again."
Ouch... let me know if you have any funny studio quotes to add to the mix!
Fifth Place:
I'm not sure if this entrant needs any context. As a matter of fact, context may actually take away from this statement; it's funnier just to come into a conversation half way through and hear one student say to another:
"No, I don't have any children...or goats."
Fourth Place:
One of the running jokes about the space where our studio sections meet is that, despite being the home of architecture, nobody can seem to figure out how to run the heating/cooling system. Over the winter, it's hotter than hell...in the summer, you need a parka. I must say, during the final presentations on this particular early March night, it was hot to the point where I thought I may actually pass out. When one student leaned over to a classmate and said to her, "It's so hot in here, I actually think I crossed the threshold of hell," she replied:
"This isn't hell. If it were hell, at least Jimi Hendrix would be here."
Third Place:
For the final presentations, each group put together either a short video or PowerPoint presentation that was projected onto the wall. When one of the groups put their video up, the title seemed to be missing a bunch of letters, almost as if they were the same color as the background. When one fellow student pointed this out to another, the response was:
"The only letter this studio is missing...is 'WHY????'".
Second Place:
It was tough trying to figure out which of the following two quotes would take home the grand prize. During a particularly well rehearsed, well put together presentation, when student A said to student B, "Yeah, I heard this group met every other Sunday throughout the term to work on this project and it shows... did you meet with your group on the weekends?" Student B replied:
"I don't put pants on on Sundays, never mind go to studio."
First Place:
There are several reasons this following quote took the gold. It is not only funny, but ironic and, quite frankly, a bit sad. It also captures the level of stress and anxiety you are put through as architecture student, unless you are mentally tough and an expert at time management. So, toward the end of a long evening, at the end of a long term, the first place quote I overheard during final group presentations goes as follows:
"I can't wait until I graduate so I never have to think about architecture ever again."
Ouch... let me know if you have any funny studio quotes to add to the mix!