i don't exist in usual places

sorry for my cop-outs in posting lately (and for cheating, but no one will ever tell, right?) - i've been traveling constantly and haven't had internet access or time to update my blog.

so today i was at the archvoices retreat in dallas, tx. since most of my readers are somehow related to architecture, i shouldn't take the time to explain archvoices, but i will, since my parents read this blog. archvoices is an architecture think-tank that deals with issues related to education, internship, and licensure. it was started by two aias VICE PRESIDENTS (that's right - because we rule) about 5 years ago, and now has around 15,000 subscribers (it primarily exists in newsletter form). the retreat was mostly young people in the profession who have started innovative resources/organizations/etc for interns. check out archinect, especially you, natalie, you should TOTALLY start a u of a school blog!

belle and sebastian . simple things

location . houston airport temp . warm humidity . comfortable conditions . i love airports

seeing double

yes, i'm cheating. suck it.

built to spill . twin falls
ben folds five . twin falls

top 5 songs OF ALL TIME

i can't help but respond to pitchfork's top 100 singles of 2000-2004. first of all, i think they're a little list happy, but i do have a few particular beefs. it's pretentious. come on guys, give me a break. a list in the middle of the decade? more than a little unnecessary. but i've already complained about that. it's more than a little pretentious to list MOSTLY rap on an INDIE SITE. now, i remember in 2003 when you thought you were all cool because, well, you liked interpol, but didn't see indie music going that way, so you decided to jump on the rap/hip hop bandwagon and praise it for all of its inventiveness and complexity. WE GET IT. you need to feel special and cutting-edge. we all do. looks like you were wrong, but for some reason you still have all these people on your staff. GET RID OF THEM. it won't hurt you i promise. and to be honest, your redesign isn't that good.

ok. sorry. back to the point here. justin timberlake? pretentious. britney spears? you might be on to something. toxic isn't that bad. but #13? out of 100? pretentious. i'll admit, i may not be as indie as you, but kylie minogue? number 4? for 'can't get you out of my head'? inexplicable. and the most pretentious part? YOU DIDN'T GIVE US A #1. but hey-ya probably deserves to be number 2 anyway.

so i've been working to carefully craft my top 5 singles, though i don't even know if they were singles; that's pretty irrelevant to me. this is an impossible list to create, mostly because i'm always scared that i've just caught a song 'in the moment,' and i won't like it as much later. but, hey, i can come back to this in a year and laugh at myself, right?

in no particular order
poor places . wilco from yankee hotel foxtrot
pda . interpol from turn on the bright lights
teeth like god's shoeshine . modest mouse from lonesome crowded west
2+2=5 . radiohead from hail to the thief (this was a close call between the gloaming and lucky from ok computer)
new slang . the shins from oh, inverted world.

ok, so really, if you look at these bands, i'm not indie at all. but i like the songs, so screw you.

songs close to the top 5 include:
in the aeroplane over the sea . neutral milk hotel from in the aeroplane over the sea
cut-out witch . guided by voices from under the bushes, under the stars
he turns down . cat power from moon pix
sunrise, sunset . bright eyes from fevers and mirrors
and many, many other songs from wilco (specifically from yankee hotel foxtrot and summer teeth)

trivial pursuit question of the day

what wheelchair-bound Mattel doll couldn't fit through the door of the Barbie Dream House?

anyone?

architecture prom

you know, i have to admit sometimes that my job is pretty cool. i'm fortunate enough to have my own office, i get to think about how to make the world a better place for architecture students everyday (and get to act on those thoughts), i've been able to travel to parts of the country i've never seen before, and i get to attend really cool events like the accent on architecture gala; better known as the "architecture prom" or the "architecture oscars." this illustrious event was held last night at the national building museum; black-tie, champagne and all. i felt like a movie star (even if i did have an ugly ankle brace shining through my strappy shoes).
helmut jahn was there to accept the silver medal (ie the firm award) and calatrava was on hand to accept the gold medal. there was also a touching tribute to fay jones and phillip johnson (well, touching towards fay jones). During a comparison of jones and johnson, we heard "one was a humble and modest man, one, well, not so humble and modest." i would have liked to be on hand last year when sambo's family accepted his gold medal posthumously. everyone loves sambo.

she's eating her fingers like they're just another meal

location . home temp . 51 humidity . 64% conditions . beautiful

nothing like chinese people puppets at a hyatt in chinatown. that's a real dose of culture, my friends.

she's mixing cocktails with a plastic tipped cigar...
pavement . summer babe (winter version)

i'm hiding out in the big city blinking

location . home temp . 48 humidity . 31% conditions . beautiful

i really don't have any thing to write about, so just enjoy the picture and the music and come back tomorrow and maybe i'll have something for you.

wilco . i am trying to break your heart

all dead white boys say god is good

location . at the office temp . 36 humidity . 64% conditions . precipitation nearby, but we're dry

ok, so, um, maybe i jumped the gun a little when i said NO MORE ANONMOYOUS POSTING! and followed it up with "show your face, bitch." maybe i went a little too far.

a few hours after posting it, i got a text message from my dad (who thinks text messaging is the coolest thing ever - i even have to pay an extra $2.99 on my cell phone bill so that we can text message freely) saying "SHOW YOUR FACE BITCH!" and following it up with something about not wanting to create a blog just to post a comment to my posts. YOU STILL COULD HAVE LEFT YOUR NAME.

so now, every time he text messages me or sends me an instant message, he prefaces it with "BITCH!!" is that really necessary, dad? aren't we adults? =)

iron and wine . sodom, south georgia