Summer Highlights

Beastocity: 37

First of all, a round of applause, please. Thank you, thank you. I have made it through my first non-summer!! Yes my first summer working full time, amazing. So, yes, it is still the beginning of August, but with tests, performances, and IV around the corner, it seems to me summer proper is winding down. Here are some of my highlights:

- Having the veil of business lifted so that I was able to actually start identifying my house as my home! Our house family did many cleaning and organizing days, purchased some new furniture, and added some homey touches like our welcome mats (yes, plural!). I also initiated some new potting! We replaced our nasty plant skeletons with live, flourishing plants! There’s Hagrid (a lavender plant), Ron & Hermione (two red/orange lantanas) and the still unborn poppies (which I will replace soon… I promise!).

- A vacation! Conveniently located smack dab in the summer was our family vacation to Austria! It was so amazing, incredibly beautiful, and deeply warming to be with my family in such a gorgeous place. Much bonding occurred during long car rides around the country and over tasty meals. While the places we visited were amazing (!!!!!!) on the top of my list was being able to spend time with my brother-in-law and see how much him and my sister are in love :)

- With Kyle in Hawai’i for most of the summer, I suddenly became very fond of my cell phone and enjoyed many long conversations with him. I really enjoyed our times talking about all sorts of things, whether fun, ordinary, difficult, or deep, and I think my housemates got a good laugh out of seeing me flopped on my bed on the phone with a smile on my face. (And it’s even better in person!)

- Good people + good places = good times. Many friends at the Santa Monica beach for my birthday. Caroline, Eric and others at LACMA for free jazz on Friday and a stroll through the museum. Visiting Sarah in Long Beach and loving her new town and apartment (and apartment’s pool!) Vanessa in town (twice!) staying at our place and having oodles and boodles of fun. Kendra moving in across the street and seeing her when I get home from work. Kristin over for dinners, lunches with Utibe, meeting new folks in the Streetlamp internship, having Joellen and Rhoelin live with us for the summer. And the list could go on…

Well done, summer of 2009!

"That's so L.A."

Beastocity: 5.7

I recently noticed a few of the ads around Los Angeles that boast what is “so L.A.” It’s kinda cute. Apparently it’s to help boost tourism to bridge the several hundred million dollar budget gap (good luck, Arnold.) But what’s more entertaining than actually thinking about doing whatever “the man” is trying to lure me to spend money doing is testing my own knowledge of what is “L.A.” Some places or events I recognize and others I don’t. Venice Beach: Yeah, that’s somewhere on the coast… I’m sure I’ve been there. Los Angeles Convention Center: Uh, must be downtown… somewhere near the 110 probably. Walt Disney Concert Hall: Yes, definitely downtown and definitely awesome. Been there and would go again (but for free). Boulevard of Dreams: Oh, wow. I don’t think I know where that is and it’s looks like it must happen late at night and therefore past my bedtime. Darn.

So I wonder how I rank as an Angeleno. I commute 30-45 minutes every morning and ride by myself (cringe!). I like to go “hiking” on a dusty little hill near where I live. I could match freeway numbers with the names San Pedro, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Hollywood. I think Taco Trucks are amazing, but tragic because the good ones come out after my bedtime. I can parallel park like no one’s business. My office has a view of the Hollywood sign. I’ll drive 30 minutes for good Boba and loyal housemates who all facilitate each other’s Boba addictions. My “yard” consists of a strip of grass that runs the length of my driveway.

Well, I’m not really proud of most of my stereotypical Angeleno-ness, so I’m trying to embrace more positive Angeleno qualities as well. I’m learning some of the amazing things I can do around the city for free! I’m starting my own little garden to make up for the excessive amounts of concrete. I try to carpool or ride a bike. I’m enjoying exploring my little piece of Los Angeles zip code and it’s fun to try and stay more local.

So, I might qualify as an Angeleno but then I guess that means I should actually get rid of my Florida license plate. Hm, perhaps sometime soon.

My Fifth Home...

So maybe you’re not really curious, but you still might enjoy hearing a little about where I spend most of my waking hours (sadly) each week. Here’s a little bit about my architecture office…
It’s a big office. There’s about 80 of us that dwell on the top floor of the building and I’m one of 4 support staff that help the place run smoothly (or maybe I just like to think that I’m that important… hey! What would an architect do if they ran out of printer paper couldn’t print their now computerized drawings?? That’s right…)
They like their food. And their coffee. It only takes from 8:30 to 9:15 for about all 5 coffee pots (only 1 guy touches the 6th decaf pot) to go dry. They also go through the kitchen snacks like they don’t eat breakfast or lunch (in fact, most of them probably don’t…).
People are quirky. Well I’m convinced everyone is and it’s only a matter of how soon you learn their quirks, but these folks have some special things about them…
There’s the IT guys who, when they’re not running to put out technical fires they’re talking about the latest games or shooting rubber bands at people.
There’s the head of the support staff who has worked here forever and you can often find her breaking out into her old high school cheerleader cheers, her next Sunday gospel solo, or telling people (including our boss) that he’s going to go to hell but that she’s praying for him.
There’s the folks who make about 2 trips every hour to the kitchen and the folks to make about 2 trips every hour to the bathrooms. There’s the ones who drink about 4 beers at our weekly happy hour and the ones who bustle in and out of the office looking like they’re carrying the cares of the entire world and they never stop for a break (except in the elevator).
There’s the folks who wear long sleeved, button up shirts and dress slacks every day and there’s the folks who wear old jeans, chucks, and graphic tees. And it’s especially great when you see them in a meeting together.
There’s also the office assistant who is always doing the most random and stupid tasks but always dashes from one side of the office to another like she’s off to save the world (when really it’s just delivering someone’s mail). She’s constantly in the kitchen and checks her gmail way too much. She either talks to you like she’s making a business proposition or like you’re her best girlfriend (there’s not too much of an in between). Her personality kind of ranges from that of a cheerleader to a girl scout, she looks like she could be your granddaughter’s age and she’s always just a little too… eager.
Oh, wait, that last one is me.
And all these wonderful people (and then some) make up my office! It’s really a great place to work and people are always driving me crazy and making me laugh and be glad for all the different and absolutely beautiful personalities that are out there.
Cheers!

Summer lovin'

I love summer

Here are some things I love about summer:

Late sunsets in the city. I love how you can sit outside in that post-heat cool and watch the sky turn from orange to blue. I love to take a break from making dinner, step out of the kitchen onto my cemented back yard and hear the faint noises of families at home chatting or cooking coming from the houses nearby.

Lunches outside. During the winter it’s a discipline to bring my lunch and eat outside in the park behind my office. I often look for excuses to go to a café and find the cheapest thing that will buy me a cozy seat indoors. But just earlier this week I had to buy lunch and I couldn’t make myself stay in the café for more than a half hour before the idea of the sun and a bench under a tree lured me back outside.

Swimming. It’s a comfort, uh, sport for me (is there such a thing as a comfort sport?) But with the Oxy students gone for the summer, the school pool is usually empty and a wonderful place to go on a Saturday afternoon.

Less traffic. Schools are out! People are on vacation! My commute is definitely 15 minutes shorter this time of year.

Summer reading. I used to inhale books like nobody’s business. Nowadays I usually have about 5 started and I’m lucky if I get around to finishing 2. So far I’m almost through Hawaii’s Story and The Soloist is on deck.

Pace. Everything seems to slow. Naps under a fan are necessary. People seem to gather often and linger longer.

Why can't it always be summer?

What makes me tick...

Beastocity: 12 (thinking about the future is exciting and stressful)

So, I’ve been trying to articulate some ideas for a few months and I think I should document what I’ve got so far.

Architecture has always fascinated me. Mostly what fascinates me about it is how it embodies the connection between spaces and community and art. How cool is it that someone’s artistic vision creates a space which in turn impact and shape communities. Wow.

But recently I’ve been trying to dig deeper than that… What communities are in need? How can architecture and design help them? I’m no expert, but from what I can tell, current inner-city
architecture seems to be modern developers try their hand at placing their newest “theory” of building healthy inner-city communities into low-income, urban neighborhoods. To me (granted, I too am currently an outsider) it seems like a laborious process: find a lot or tear something dilapidated down, come up with a fancy yet inexpensive design, build it, furnish it and somewhere in that process the gentrification seed can get planted. But on top of that, I’m realizing that this whole process
takes years.

Maybe it’s my own personal style, but growing up in a developing suburb my life was filled with sterile new architecture (not really even modern or all that creative). To me, what gives character and life to a
community are buildings with history. What would it look like to have existing buildings be changed, adapted, and renewed to fit the functional, atheistic, and environmental needs of a community? Would
it add ownership and pride to have someone who is an insider in that community be the one who is changing the architectural landscape of the community, and thus the feel of the community? Could that happen by using existing landmarks? Could that be a metaphor of how the community is seeking to change?

Realistically, I know this is difficult and in no ways glamorous. And, honestly, I cannot even imagine how difficult this could probably be. Would this be the route of architecture, urban planning, or historic preservation? I’ll admit I’m another one of those “theorists” trying their hand at “fixing” something they know nothing about. But for now it encourages and inspires me to keep following my interest and hopefully figuring out what is possible.

Uncle.

Beastocity: 8 (and rising)

I like to think of myself as a rebel. Well I’m not, but I think there is some instinct in me that wants to go against… stuff. It’s hard to just receive. I have a hard time receiving. I want to prove myself worthy or prove myself unworthy, anything but freely receive. Receive what?, you might ask. Well, anything! What was your response last time someone complimented you or gave you something? Is your internal processing something like woa, do I deserve this? a) no! oh no! what do I do now? Either provide evidence that I don’t deserve their kindness or… what could I do to deserve it? Hmm, yes I’ll do that. Yes, then I’ll be able to deserve this. here just wait here a second and I’m going to take care of some business and then we’ll get back to this receiving thing. b) hmm well… I have done this and this recently and therefore I do deserve this, in fact, why didn’t I get it sooner? man they owe me. what could I do to show them that I deserve more… yeah, this isn’t good enough.

Relate? Maybe not. But such is my response to others all too often and that has been my response to God recently. I want to rebel. Love? He has love for me? Ha, whatever. Isn’t he all knowing? Well if he loves me then he must not be. And I’ve gotten tired. I’m tired of response (a). Something in my heart tugs back and forth saying that I’m in such a great need for God’s love but also saying that I don’t even want to ask because he just might give it and I’m not feeling like I deserve it right now. I’ll get back to him when I feel like I deserve it.

Today was a little different, a hiccup in my normal brainwaves about this topic. It went something like this: Do I like and trust God’s way of doing things but not his economy of giving and receiving love? well.. yes. Is trusting God trusting his way of doing things? yeah. Do I trust that if God wants to give me love, then he should? oh... not currently. Do I want to trust God? I want to.

"soft voice"

Beastocity: err… tell you in a month.

So, while I’m on the theme of noticing funny little things about myself (well this can be the second in my theme…) here’s my newest: I have a “soft voice.” I never thought of myself as having a “soft voice” (maybe I still don’t cus I’m putting it in quotation marks). I mean, I guess as I look back on my entire life I remember some instances that might prove this “theory.” For one, one of my pet peeves has developed throughout the years to be when someone can’t hear you and they lean into you and say “What did you say?” As though you couldn’t say it in a louder volume and instead they need to be a few inches from your face.

Do you track with me? Haven’t you ever been with someone in a public place and smoothly try to tell them something out of the corner of your mouth, trying to draw as little attention as possible to yourself probably trying to make some critical comment that you don’t want the others around you to hear, and because your dumb-o friend (or perhaps temporarily dumb-o) and instead of whispering a quiet “huh?” they awkwardly do a huge lean/bend at the waist and ask loudly “What did you say?” and now you have a third of the people whose attention you were trying not to draw conveniently looking over at you… then you have to be the one to be like uhhh I’ll tell you later. AWKWARD!

So maybe I’m just too sensitive to social situations. I am a self confessed over-analyzer. Most of my cell phone people-can’t-hear-me issues come from not wanting to disturb those around me or have them hear my conversation. Maybe I need to readjust my volume settings… maybe then people at my office would be able to hear when I page them over the loudspeaker. Until then, I’m grateful for the intervention of my coworkers who tell me weekly that I have a soft voice.