Sorry I haven't written in a few days- I have forgotten a lot of the finer details, but here is a nice overview:
5.9.10
Left Edinburgh for Kiplin and stopped in New Castle on the way home. We parted ways with Larry there because he took the train to Manchester from there. The market was going on so we all just walked along the waterfront and went into an awesome contemporary art museum and a ridiculous Norman Foster theater complex. Got to Kiplin and ate then watched a movie (?). Not completely sure but knowing us, I’m sure we did. We went to the roof of Kiplin Hall, which was cool to see- got some good aerial photos, then we played SPUD on the lawn in front of the house. Not sure why I had never played this game before but its like 500 on steroids- so fun.
5.10.10
Did work most of the day. Pretty much finished my last paper. We went to watch Iron Man 2 at the Station (our last bargain movie!!) and then went back for dinner.
5.11.10
We kidnapped DuPuy today. We (the girls) made a bit of a scavenger hunt for him complete with puzzle pieces and rhyming hints to take him to a few last places before we left Kiplin for good. We went to Easby Abbey, Rapeseed fields (that one was kind of for me), Richmond Castle, and Bolton Castle. We had an excellent cheese, wine, and grape party out of the back of the van at Bolton Castle. Great day. Back at Kiplin we did some work on our papers and had a packing/cleaning party. Thai takeout for dinner. We decided to play capture the flag on the property- not an excellent idea when there are only 7 people playing. We decided to settle on playing SPUD again instead and went back and played beer pong. Why that was the first time we played that I have no idea. Late night, but good way to leave North Yorkshire.
5.12.10
Left for London! First stopped at Chatsworth- they filmed the Duchess and it was Mr. Darcey’s house in Pride and Prejudice (!!) It had pretty cool gardens- complete with a maze I couldn’t find the center of. We were joking around and did some classic senior pictures in the garden- very cheesy, love it. Made it to London around 7 and waited FOREVER at O’Neil’s for food- I’m very upset with them. The food was good at least, and the Guiness was flowing. Went to bed early- totally tired.
5.13.10
Ran in the morning. Followed DuPuy around during the day went way out to the middle of nowhere London to Chiswich and a few cool museums. One was an old school natural history museum with a bunch of skeletons and an aquarium- totally loved it. Took the bus back and went to get Indian with Jenny Sara and DuPuy- yum. Power napped and went out to the Zoo Bar in Leicester Square- success.
5.14.10
Free day in London. Tried to find derelict buildings with Jenny- went to old gymnasium and found a great display about an urban renewal in the St. Pancras area- very cool. Then went to Camden- very cool found a great ethnic market got Moroccan. Went to Soho area to try and find another derelict building but no luck so we went to meet the guys at Oxford Circus for shopping. Came back and I decided to go to the British Museum real quick then walked back. Read then went to the other Side with Jenny. Re-fueled with some Starbucks. I'm going to miss London. We got to see a lot of great places today- it makes me want to spend another week here!! AHHH!!!
Friday, May 14, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Dear Edinburgh, I love you
5.6.10
Left Glasgow this morning. Jenny Sara and I snuck out early to get some coffee at a really awesome place- def should have gone there more- oh how I love Scottish boys and their accents. Our first stop was Falkirk Wheel- a giant rotating contraption that transports canal boats from one level of a canal to the other. It was crazy, not srue why it was necessary, but hey go for it. Then we went to ‘the Pineapple’. A building with a pineapple on it- it was weird. Then we drove through Sterling and got lunch in Duncombe- there was a market going on (!!). We went to St. Andrews next- walked around the town, played some golf, walked on the beaches. What a life those college students have! It was a really nice town, would love to be there in the summer when the British Open is there! Finally made it to Edinburgh (late) and Jenny, Dave and I went to dinner at an Indian place. I made the mistake of asking for it to be ‘a little spicy’ and ended up getting my mouth lit on fire. We went to get gelato after- for medicinal purposes of course- and went back to the hostel to read/do work.
5.7.10
Went on a run in the morning. The goal was to run up Arthur’s Seat (a –almost-mountain on one of the borders of Edinburgh) but I kind of went the wrong way and ended up running up along another hill across a ravine from Arthur’s Seat..whoops. Went for a quick coffee and met everyone for the day. We walked all around the city- climbed the acropolis, went to the Scottish Houses of Parliament- liked it a lot, great modern building- walked the ‘Royal Mile’, went to the Castle, and (most importantly) did some Scotch tasting. I had a pretty sweet one, but everyone got a different type. Some were really smoky- I felt like I was breathing in ash! After we all walked to an art museum (closed, boo!) and found dinner. Decided on a Mexican place, so good. We went back to the hostel to rest then went out. I found a cool area and we went to a college-y bar that was basically one giant dance party, a.k.a. our kind of scene. We danced until 2 and went back to the hostel. Going to be tired tomorrow!
5.8.10
Woke up and investigated some street blocks in Craig’s New Town with Emma and Jenny then met the group to climb up a monument. Great 360 views- still really windy though! We walked around the lark and the castle then explored the college area a bit before DuPuy dropped us off at the Scottish History Museum. The design was interesting- it had a lot of really great moments, but it wasn’t too cohesive and the materials were one too many and a little cheap looking. We went to lunch then checked out some new architecture. Shopping was next on the agenda then we convinced ourselves to climb up Arthur’s Seat- big ass hill. The views were amazing from there. Edinburgh really is a beautiful city and the sun had managed to come out for us so the shadows were amazing on the buildings. We climbed back down then hit Craig’s New Town for some more shopping. I managed to get separated from Jenny and the guys so I just shopped by myself and went back to the hostel to get my book and read at a restaurant for dinner. Not going to lie- it was kind of nice being by myself for once. Being constantly surrounded by 7 people and DuPuy all the time can make alone time precious. Back at the hostel and doing some computer work. Back to Kiplin tomorrow!
Left Glasgow this morning. Jenny Sara and I snuck out early to get some coffee at a really awesome place- def should have gone there more- oh how I love Scottish boys and their accents. Our first stop was Falkirk Wheel- a giant rotating contraption that transports canal boats from one level of a canal to the other. It was crazy, not srue why it was necessary, but hey go for it. Then we went to ‘the Pineapple’. A building with a pineapple on it- it was weird. Then we drove through Sterling and got lunch in Duncombe- there was a market going on (!!). We went to St. Andrews next- walked around the town, played some golf, walked on the beaches. What a life those college students have! It was a really nice town, would love to be there in the summer when the British Open is there! Finally made it to Edinburgh (late) and Jenny, Dave and I went to dinner at an Indian place. I made the mistake of asking for it to be ‘a little spicy’ and ended up getting my mouth lit on fire. We went to get gelato after- for medicinal purposes of course- and went back to the hostel to read/do work.
5.7.10
Went on a run in the morning. The goal was to run up Arthur’s Seat (a –almost-mountain on one of the borders of Edinburgh) but I kind of went the wrong way and ended up running up along another hill across a ravine from Arthur’s Seat..whoops. Went for a quick coffee and met everyone for the day. We walked all around the city- climbed the acropolis, went to the Scottish Houses of Parliament- liked it a lot, great modern building- walked the ‘Royal Mile’, went to the Castle, and (most importantly) did some Scotch tasting. I had a pretty sweet one, but everyone got a different type. Some were really smoky- I felt like I was breathing in ash! After we all walked to an art museum (closed, boo!) and found dinner. Decided on a Mexican place, so good. We went back to the hostel to rest then went out. I found a cool area and we went to a college-y bar that was basically one giant dance party, a.k.a. our kind of scene. We danced until 2 and went back to the hostel. Going to be tired tomorrow!
5.8.10
Woke up and investigated some street blocks in Craig’s New Town with Emma and Jenny then met the group to climb up a monument. Great 360 views- still really windy though! We walked around the lark and the castle then explored the college area a bit before DuPuy dropped us off at the Scottish History Museum. The design was interesting- it had a lot of really great moments, but it wasn’t too cohesive and the materials were one too many and a little cheap looking. We went to lunch then checked out some new architecture. Shopping was next on the agenda then we convinced ourselves to climb up Arthur’s Seat- big ass hill. The views were amazing from there. Edinburgh really is a beautiful city and the sun had managed to come out for us so the shadows were amazing on the buildings. We climbed back down then hit Craig’s New Town for some more shopping. I managed to get separated from Jenny and the guys so I just shopped by myself and went back to the hostel to get my book and read at a restaurant for dinner. Not going to lie- it was kind of nice being by myself for once. Being constantly surrounded by 7 people and DuPuy all the time can make alone time precious. Back at the hostel and doing some computer work. Back to Kiplin tomorrow!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Scotland
5.5.10
Went running this morning then got ready for another Mackintosh-filled day. We went to a museum that had re-made Mackintosh’s actual house so we could walk through it. Attached to it was a museum- there were Whistlers!! Next we walked to another gallery that had a Mackintosh exhibit with some of his paintings and furniture. We made our way back to one of his churches now that we were sure it was open and sketched inside for a bit. Then lunch…at McDonalds!! I’ve definitely had an overload, two orders of chicken tenders in 3 days is plenty for me. We sketched another Mackintosh façade, which was, conveniently, across the way from the McDonalds parking lot. We drove over to a building (House for an Art Lover) that was commissioned by a group of architects who built it off of a set of architectural drawings by Mackintosh. They were for a design competition, which he didn’t win, and consequently the house was never built. The scale was ambiguous from the drawings the architects found and the interpretation was too large I felt. I think they needed to scale it down some- the spaces were much larger and less intimate than any of the other Mackintosh buildings we have been to.
DuPuy dropped us off back at the hostel and let us have some free time for the rest of the evening. Off to Edinburgh tomorrow!
Went running this morning then got ready for another Mackintosh-filled day. We went to a museum that had re-made Mackintosh’s actual house so we could walk through it. Attached to it was a museum- there were Whistlers!! Next we walked to another gallery that had a Mackintosh exhibit with some of his paintings and furniture. We made our way back to one of his churches now that we were sure it was open and sketched inside for a bit. Then lunch…at McDonalds!! I’ve definitely had an overload, two orders of chicken tenders in 3 days is plenty for me. We sketched another Mackintosh façade, which was, conveniently, across the way from the McDonalds parking lot. We drove over to a building (House for an Art Lover) that was commissioned by a group of architects who built it off of a set of architectural drawings by Mackintosh. They were for a design competition, which he didn’t win, and consequently the house was never built. The scale was ambiguous from the drawings the architects found and the interpretation was too large I felt. I think they needed to scale it down some- the spaces were much larger and less intimate than any of the other Mackintosh buildings we have been to.
DuPuy dropped us off back at the hostel and let us have some free time for the rest of the evening. Off to Edinburgh tomorrow!
Updates
4.30.10
Woke up early to get some more last minute work done on my projects- crit is at 1:30. I was actually able to get a lot of progress on my first project so I was happy with it. We made Mexican for lunch- guest crit Larry Frank is here so we all played host for him. After lunch I had my critique- it went really well. They liked the changes I had made to my swimming pool and made some good suggestions about how to make my two projects better.
Last few days at Kiplin before Scotland were really relaxed- I had already finished writing my papers for the British urbanism class so I was pretty much hanging out until we left. We went into Richmond one day to go swimming and watch Cemetery Junction- SO GOOD. I love coming of age stories…especially if the guys have British accents. Really excited to see Scotland- beautiful scenery here we come!
5.2.10
This morning we packed up and left for Scotland for a week. First stop was a castle with a view- pretty impressive. Then we went to Lindisfarne! The weather was cold and windy and slightly rainy- very poetic. I loved the house/castle remodel. The amount of detail Lutyens puts into his houses is amazing, so many little personal touches. It makes you want to be an architect. After walking around the town we drove to Muirfield golf course to see the Lutyens hotel- Greywalls. The hotel was quite swanky- you could tell by the 700 pound bottles of whiskey displayed in one of the rooms- but quite nice. The gardens out back were beautiful. After we drove to Glasgow- our hostel is in a great area. It reminds us all of Bath because of the topography and our hostel is in a curved housing piece reminiscent of the crescent and the circus in Bath. By the time we were at the hostel and out to eat it was really late and we decided on Chinese buffet- instant gratification. I may have eaten my body weight in food but it was excellent. As Chris said- you need to binge eat every once in a while. It felt great.
5.3.10
Woke up early to go running- there is a park right next to our hostel. Such a hard run through the park with all the hills!! I needed it though; you need a nice hill workout every now and then. The group went to a Mackintosh church in the morning but it was closed so we went to another of his buildings that is now a museum to him called the Lighthouse. They had so much free stuff (!!) we all stocked up and complained later about how heavy our backpacks were- worth it. Next we went to lunch at the Willow Tea Room- another building by Mackintosh- great meal. His interiors are great- especially his stair and entry sequences. They are a piece of furniture in themselves. Some of his decorations are a little too girly and precious for me, but you have to admire his design approach and how he leaves nothing undersigned- a lot like Lutyens in that way. After lunch we went to the Glasgow School of Art- one if Mackintosh’s most famous buildings- and had a tour of the place. We walked around the city a bit more and DuPuy picked us up to drive around and see some newer architecture across the river. Very interesting stuff around there, think space age. We all made a beeline for the closest McDonald's after we were done for the day because we were under the impression that the Monopoly game was still going on and that, naturally, we would be able to win something. Let down- its over. Dave and the girls went to a really great French restaurant after- I got French Onion soup and it made me reminisce about Lyon last summer.
5.4.10
Slept through the alarm- no running this morning. Whoops. We drove to New Lanark in the morning. It was an industrial New Town built around the same time as Lowell, Mass. Not going to lie- it was boring. I think one industrial new town was enough for the trip (Saltaire). We ate lunch there and then left for Hill House- another Mackintosh building except this one was a private house. The house was amazing. I am in love with his stairs!! Plus- I have decided that I am going to replicate his window seat in my house, I snuck a picture and sketched it for a while so I am confident I can do it :P
We drove to see Loch Lombard after so, as DuPuy says, our parents wont kill us because we went to Scotland and didn’t see a Loch., and made our way back to Glasgow. We went our for Spanish Tapas- delish. Then Sara, Zach and I went to a bar and sampled some whiskey- we’re in Scotland after all.
Woke up early to get some more last minute work done on my projects- crit is at 1:30. I was actually able to get a lot of progress on my first project so I was happy with it. We made Mexican for lunch- guest crit Larry Frank is here so we all played host for him. After lunch I had my critique- it went really well. They liked the changes I had made to my swimming pool and made some good suggestions about how to make my two projects better.
Last few days at Kiplin before Scotland were really relaxed- I had already finished writing my papers for the British urbanism class so I was pretty much hanging out until we left. We went into Richmond one day to go swimming and watch Cemetery Junction- SO GOOD. I love coming of age stories…especially if the guys have British accents. Really excited to see Scotland- beautiful scenery here we come!
5.2.10
This morning we packed up and left for Scotland for a week. First stop was a castle with a view- pretty impressive. Then we went to Lindisfarne! The weather was cold and windy and slightly rainy- very poetic. I loved the house/castle remodel. The amount of detail Lutyens puts into his houses is amazing, so many little personal touches. It makes you want to be an architect. After walking around the town we drove to Muirfield golf course to see the Lutyens hotel- Greywalls. The hotel was quite swanky- you could tell by the 700 pound bottles of whiskey displayed in one of the rooms- but quite nice. The gardens out back were beautiful. After we drove to Glasgow- our hostel is in a great area. It reminds us all of Bath because of the topography and our hostel is in a curved housing piece reminiscent of the crescent and the circus in Bath. By the time we were at the hostel and out to eat it was really late and we decided on Chinese buffet- instant gratification. I may have eaten my body weight in food but it was excellent. As Chris said- you need to binge eat every once in a while. It felt great.
5.3.10
Woke up early to go running- there is a park right next to our hostel. Such a hard run through the park with all the hills!! I needed it though; you need a nice hill workout every now and then. The group went to a Mackintosh church in the morning but it was closed so we went to another of his buildings that is now a museum to him called the Lighthouse. They had so much free stuff (!!) we all stocked up and complained later about how heavy our backpacks were- worth it. Next we went to lunch at the Willow Tea Room- another building by Mackintosh- great meal. His interiors are great- especially his stair and entry sequences. They are a piece of furniture in themselves. Some of his decorations are a little too girly and precious for me, but you have to admire his design approach and how he leaves nothing undersigned- a lot like Lutyens in that way. After lunch we went to the Glasgow School of Art- one if Mackintosh’s most famous buildings- and had a tour of the place. We walked around the city a bit more and DuPuy picked us up to drive around and see some newer architecture across the river. Very interesting stuff around there, think space age. We all made a beeline for the closest McDonald's after we were done for the day because we were under the impression that the Monopoly game was still going on and that, naturally, we would be able to win something. Let down- its over. Dave and the girls went to a really great French restaurant after- I got French Onion soup and it made me reminisce about Lyon last summer.
5.4.10
Slept through the alarm- no running this morning. Whoops. We drove to New Lanark in the morning. It was an industrial New Town built around the same time as Lowell, Mass. Not going to lie- it was boring. I think one industrial new town was enough for the trip (Saltaire). We ate lunch there and then left for Hill House- another Mackintosh building except this one was a private house. The house was amazing. I am in love with his stairs!! Plus- I have decided that I am going to replicate his window seat in my house, I snuck a picture and sketched it for a while so I am confident I can do it :P
We drove to see Loch Lombard after so, as DuPuy says, our parents wont kill us because we went to Scotland and didn’t see a Loch., and made our way back to Glasgow. We went our for Spanish Tapas- delish. Then Sara, Zach and I went to a bar and sampled some whiskey- we’re in Scotland after all.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tech- done, studio- ALMOST done!!
4.27.10
Today we had our presentation for the people who work at Kiplin Hall. It wasn’t a typical presentation in the sense that none of the people had any previous architectural experience so we decided to make it more of a history presentation. We each shared information on the time period we were focusing on and the precedents we studied then only briefly described our initial designs for the walled garden. When all was said and done they actually really enjoyed the presentation- they all had their lives invested in Kiplin Hall and worked there everyday so it definitely had its relevance.
After we worked on the tech review so we could go over it with DuPuy at 5- it seems pretty straightforward so hopefully the exam isn’t too hard tomorrow. I need an 84 to get an A….
We watched another episode of Brideshead Revisited later and then I did some internet work- not looking forward to the exam tomorrow morning!
4.28.10
I woke up early for the exam so I went for a run. Exam was kind of difficult- its just a matter of how quickly you can find everything in the book because the questions Bovill asks us we would never have memorized, they’re too specific.
The weather was amazing so everyone who took the exam in the first round sat outside and read/played badmitten all afternoon. I’m almost done with the next Sherlock Holmes mystery- I need to move on to Jane Austen before we go to Scotland! We had a group dinner outside on the patio table set I cleaned and set up from the shed. DuPuy supplied the G&T’s and we watched another episode of Brideshead after. We started to watch Love Actually but I had to go to bed- too tired.
4.29.10
Woke up around 5 am in need of water- Justin was in the same boat...interesting. Woke up for tech with a headache- whoops. We played a round of soccer; most people seemed to be pretty tired though so we didn’t play for too long. Sara, DuPuy and I went into Richmond for a bit to use the internet and run errands. When we got back I tried to do some quick tough-ups on my garden project to procrastinate revisiting project one until after dinner. I was proud of myself for dinner. I made lamb, seasoned with ground pepper and sea salt, and sautéed vegetables- broccoli, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and balsamic- delicious. After I forced myself to work on project one. I actually got pretty into it and somewhat resolved my plans. After that though I lost steam and went to do other work. Hopefully I will be able to convince myself to work more on it later tonight…
Today we had our presentation for the people who work at Kiplin Hall. It wasn’t a typical presentation in the sense that none of the people had any previous architectural experience so we decided to make it more of a history presentation. We each shared information on the time period we were focusing on and the precedents we studied then only briefly described our initial designs for the walled garden. When all was said and done they actually really enjoyed the presentation- they all had their lives invested in Kiplin Hall and worked there everyday so it definitely had its relevance.
After we worked on the tech review so we could go over it with DuPuy at 5- it seems pretty straightforward so hopefully the exam isn’t too hard tomorrow. I need an 84 to get an A….
We watched another episode of Brideshead Revisited later and then I did some internet work- not looking forward to the exam tomorrow morning!
4.28.10
I woke up early for the exam so I went for a run. Exam was kind of difficult- its just a matter of how quickly you can find everything in the book because the questions Bovill asks us we would never have memorized, they’re too specific.
The weather was amazing so everyone who took the exam in the first round sat outside and read/played badmitten all afternoon. I’m almost done with the next Sherlock Holmes mystery- I need to move on to Jane Austen before we go to Scotland! We had a group dinner outside on the patio table set I cleaned and set up from the shed. DuPuy supplied the G&T’s and we watched another episode of Brideshead after. We started to watch Love Actually but I had to go to bed- too tired.
4.29.10
Woke up around 5 am in need of water- Justin was in the same boat...interesting. Woke up for tech with a headache- whoops. We played a round of soccer; most people seemed to be pretty tired though so we didn’t play for too long. Sara, DuPuy and I went into Richmond for a bit to use the internet and run errands. When we got back I tried to do some quick tough-ups on my garden project to procrastinate revisiting project one until after dinner. I was proud of myself for dinner. I made lamb, seasoned with ground pepper and sea salt, and sautéed vegetables- broccoli, onion, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and balsamic- delicious. After I forced myself to work on project one. I actually got pretty into it and somewhat resolved my plans. After that though I lost steam and went to do other work. Hopefully I will be able to convince myself to work more on it later tonight…
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Lake District
4.24.10- 4.25.10 weekend
We left early Saturday morning for the Lake District to get some quality hiking in. By 11 we were at Scales where we started our hike. The beginning was ridiculously hard and, needless to say, I started to feel self-consious about my cardiovascular abilities. I was able to tough it out and we made it to the tarn where the real adventure began. We had a food stop and then we started our climb up the cliff- literally hand over hand climbing. I felt like I was at an adventure course, minus the harness and safety precautions. The climbing actually wasn’t that hard. Believe it or not walking up the hills earlier ended up being the hardest part of the entire climb. Once we made it to the top we admired the views for a bit- truly breathtaking- and climbed over to where prarsailers were ‘sailing’ out then started the descent. Walking down mountains sucks. Its hard on your knees and you always feel like your going to fall. Next time I’m going to parasail down I think.
We were staying at a really cute hostel near Ambleside that was an old converted mansion. Definitely my favorite YHA- plus they had a great breakfast. The next morning we drove to Grasmere (?) and saw a great waterfall then drove into town. We split into two groups: DuPuy, Sara, Dave and Emma went to hike and see another waterfall and the rest of us decided we wanted to rough it and climb up a mountain that we thought looked pretty epic. We had to forge a river- throwing stones to make paths sounds a lot easier than it actually is fyi- and climb some fences, but we finally made it to a hiking trail and made our way up. Today was a bit different in that we weren’t hiking in open scenery- it was more wooded. The weather was misty and foggy, and so by the time we made it to the top we were literally in the clouds!! It was such an awesome feeling. We met up with the others a few hours after we split and we were all exhausted and unanimously decided to head home. Such an amazing weekend!! I have officially found a new love of hiking, I can’t believe I have never done it before! Seriously, one of my favorite weekends, it was great to be outside- after all you simply can’t beat the scenery here.
4.26.10
I woke up annoyingly early today and then was exhausted again by the time we had tech at 10…life is weird. I think my body is just tired from climbing mountains all weekend (what a B.A. thing to say). We did some grocery shopping (yay!) and played soccer later. I was still a bit sluggish though so I just played one game and went for a quick run to try and loosen my muscles up a bit. I finished my seminar topics and put a ‘lick and a promise’ on my garden project for our presentation tomorrow so at least I was able to be productive. A few of us went to the station to watch The Last Station about Tolstoy- so good! I had no idea about his ideas and followers in his later years. Learn something new everyday.
We left early Saturday morning for the Lake District to get some quality hiking in. By 11 we were at Scales where we started our hike. The beginning was ridiculously hard and, needless to say, I started to feel self-consious about my cardiovascular abilities. I was able to tough it out and we made it to the tarn where the real adventure began. We had a food stop and then we started our climb up the cliff- literally hand over hand climbing. I felt like I was at an adventure course, minus the harness and safety precautions. The climbing actually wasn’t that hard. Believe it or not walking up the hills earlier ended up being the hardest part of the entire climb. Once we made it to the top we admired the views for a bit- truly breathtaking- and climbed over to where prarsailers were ‘sailing’ out then started the descent. Walking down mountains sucks. Its hard on your knees and you always feel like your going to fall. Next time I’m going to parasail down I think.
We were staying at a really cute hostel near Ambleside that was an old converted mansion. Definitely my favorite YHA- plus they had a great breakfast. The next morning we drove to Grasmere (?) and saw a great waterfall then drove into town. We split into two groups: DuPuy, Sara, Dave and Emma went to hike and see another waterfall and the rest of us decided we wanted to rough it and climb up a mountain that we thought looked pretty epic. We had to forge a river- throwing stones to make paths sounds a lot easier than it actually is fyi- and climb some fences, but we finally made it to a hiking trail and made our way up. Today was a bit different in that we weren’t hiking in open scenery- it was more wooded. The weather was misty and foggy, and so by the time we made it to the top we were literally in the clouds!! It was such an awesome feeling. We met up with the others a few hours after we split and we were all exhausted and unanimously decided to head home. Such an amazing weekend!! I have officially found a new love of hiking, I can’t believe I have never done it before! Seriously, one of my favorite weekends, it was great to be outside- after all you simply can’t beat the scenery here.
4.26.10
I woke up annoyingly early today and then was exhausted again by the time we had tech at 10…life is weird. I think my body is just tired from climbing mountains all weekend (what a B.A. thing to say). We did some grocery shopping (yay!) and played soccer later. I was still a bit sluggish though so I just played one game and went for a quick run to try and loosen my muscles up a bit. I finished my seminar topics and put a ‘lick and a promise’ on my garden project for our presentation tomorrow so at least I was able to be productive. A few of us went to the station to watch The Last Station about Tolstoy- so good! I had no idea about his ideas and followers in his later years. Learn something new everyday.
Friday, April 23, 2010
it feels like...Spring??
4.21.10
Tech in the am, then we were all inspired by the sunny morning and decided to play a game of soccer. I was suffering a bit because I was still stuffed up from being sick, but it was such a nice day I couldn’t resist playing. Dave, Sara, Jenny and I went into town with DuPuy after to use the internet and attempt to be productive at the station. Our goal for the next few days is to finish most of our seminar topics so we can put our book filled with all of our topics together before we graduate. Since I usually go to the library to do my essays- and apparently other people do too- DuPuy agreed to drive us to Richmond and stay at the Station for a few hours. I was pretty productive and was able to do about 1.5 of my topics. Not too shabby.
When we got back I did a little bit more work then gave up for the night. On the TV agenda for the night DuPuy had us scheduled for an hour of Brideshead Revisited (DuPuy promised not to commentate the show this time) and then the Hangover. I forgot how much I loved the Hangover- SO FUNNY. It was pretty late by the time we were done and I went straight to bed.
4.22.10
Tech in the morning- just one more exam!! After I did some more work on my seminar topics and went for a run. The weather is excellent- it is actually starting to feel like spring here. I wore a sweatshirt and pants and I was…hot! After some more procrastination I finally hunkered down and finished another topic before dinner and then gave up for the night. The movie agenda tonight is the Bucket List- not as funny as what I had originally thought it was supposed to be but it was still a really great movie. So uplifting! If I’m rich when I’m about to die I’m definitely doing that :P
Emma and I got a hankering for cookies so we made peanut butter cookies after the movie- excellent life choice. I read some Sherlock Holmes and went to bed.
4.23.10
We had tech in the morning, and then Emma, Jenny, Dave and I went to Richmond again to do some work. By the time general swim was open at the pool I was able to finish another seminar topic and get a pretty decent start on my last one. Swimming is getting a lot easier; 30 minutes went by pretty quickly this time. I might have to up the dosage! We discovered there is an ice cream shop at the station today- not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing yet- and the ice cream was amazing!! We drove back to Kiplin and I was able to get another good two hours of work done before I was maxed out for the day. Time for dinner and TV time!!
Tech in the am, then we were all inspired by the sunny morning and decided to play a game of soccer. I was suffering a bit because I was still stuffed up from being sick, but it was such a nice day I couldn’t resist playing. Dave, Sara, Jenny and I went into town with DuPuy after to use the internet and attempt to be productive at the station. Our goal for the next few days is to finish most of our seminar topics so we can put our book filled with all of our topics together before we graduate. Since I usually go to the library to do my essays- and apparently other people do too- DuPuy agreed to drive us to Richmond and stay at the Station for a few hours. I was pretty productive and was able to do about 1.5 of my topics. Not too shabby.
When we got back I did a little bit more work then gave up for the night. On the TV agenda for the night DuPuy had us scheduled for an hour of Brideshead Revisited (DuPuy promised not to commentate the show this time) and then the Hangover. I forgot how much I loved the Hangover- SO FUNNY. It was pretty late by the time we were done and I went straight to bed.
4.22.10
Tech in the morning- just one more exam!! After I did some more work on my seminar topics and went for a run. The weather is excellent- it is actually starting to feel like spring here. I wore a sweatshirt and pants and I was…hot! After some more procrastination I finally hunkered down and finished another topic before dinner and then gave up for the night. The movie agenda tonight is the Bucket List- not as funny as what I had originally thought it was supposed to be but it was still a really great movie. So uplifting! If I’m rich when I’m about to die I’m definitely doing that :P
Emma and I got a hankering for cookies so we made peanut butter cookies after the movie- excellent life choice. I read some Sherlock Holmes and went to bed.
4.23.10
We had tech in the morning, and then Emma, Jenny, Dave and I went to Richmond again to do some work. By the time general swim was open at the pool I was able to finish another seminar topic and get a pretty decent start on my last one. Swimming is getting a lot easier; 30 minutes went by pretty quickly this time. I might have to up the dosage! We discovered there is an ice cream shop at the station today- not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing yet- and the ice cream was amazing!! We drove back to Kiplin and I was able to get another good two hours of work done before I was maxed out for the day. Time for dinner and TV time!!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Garden Project: DONE!!
4.18.10
I went running this morning (yay!). I felt pretty good; I think I have seriously increased my endurance on this trip. Today is a workday to try and finish up our studio projects. I haven’t been able to be too productive lately and today wasn’t too different. The only thing the kept me going was that there wasn’t much else to do. While everyone played soccer I also took a break and read more Sherlock Holmes. I really like reading some of the stories now that I have watched the movie- I’m getting some background information.
Since Emma’s parents have been having so much trouble with flights going home because of the volcano we were all speculating about our flights in a month and joking as to how we might ave to get home- QV2 anyone? But then we actually started to worry some about vegetables since they are usually flown in and Sara and I went out to the grocery store for a quick vegetable and fruit run- you can never be too sure!
After dinner Jenny Chris Dave and I played settlers so we wouldn’t be going to bed at 10:30 and made it to a more reasonable midnight.
4.19.10
We had tech in the morning- we have moved on to electrical now. Then DuPuy took some of us into Richmond so we could get a few things done. Jenny and I went swimming- I am determined to go at least 2 more times so I can get my money’s worth. I paid 14 pound for a 10 day pass, I figure if I go 7 times it was only 2 pounds a trip. After we went grocery shopping- I think I’m going to get off the wagon officially now that I have almost paid DuPuy back and get a bottle of wine. I went with South Africa- I don’t think I’ve ever had their wine and we DID just watch Invictus.
Back at Kiplin we are in production mode so we can finally finish this garden project. It is supposed to be done by tonight- shouldn’t be too bad. Its crazy how les stressful this is compared to real studio!! Much better living conditions.
I started to feel kind of crappy by the end of the night- my cold is getting worse- and had to go to bed around 11:30. I was basically done with my project though I just need to finish drawing some trees on my aerial axon- nbd.
4.20.10
Today we did York, officially. We walked the old Roman wall, saw some pretty cool ruins- I love them- and went to the Viking Museum. Apparently York has some serious history involving the Vikings and they uncovered a lot of artifacts to help tell the story of their lifestyles etc. The museum was ridiculous though- it was literally an amusement park ride. They strap you in a suspended car and move you through ‘Jorvik’- the Viking York. The best part was in the end when they were describing the actual house of a Viking and in the back of the ‘house’ in the yard was a man behind a wooden woven fence going to the bathroom. He was ‘busy’ and we should ‘keep moving’. At least the Brits have a good sense of humor.
Before leaving York Zach, Chris and I went to a beer store and I got some of my new ‘classy’ beers that I have discovered on this trip- Duvel and Chimay. So good.
We watched the second dvd of the Che Guevera documentary before going to bed. I felt bad- since I can’t really breathe out of my nose due to a (I think) sinus infection I kept feeling like I was breathing really loud. I felt like the kid from ‘Hey Arnold’.
I went running this morning (yay!). I felt pretty good; I think I have seriously increased my endurance on this trip. Today is a workday to try and finish up our studio projects. I haven’t been able to be too productive lately and today wasn’t too different. The only thing the kept me going was that there wasn’t much else to do. While everyone played soccer I also took a break and read more Sherlock Holmes. I really like reading some of the stories now that I have watched the movie- I’m getting some background information.
Since Emma’s parents have been having so much trouble with flights going home because of the volcano we were all speculating about our flights in a month and joking as to how we might ave to get home- QV2 anyone? But then we actually started to worry some about vegetables since they are usually flown in and Sara and I went out to the grocery store for a quick vegetable and fruit run- you can never be too sure!
After dinner Jenny Chris Dave and I played settlers so we wouldn’t be going to bed at 10:30 and made it to a more reasonable midnight.
4.19.10
We had tech in the morning- we have moved on to electrical now. Then DuPuy took some of us into Richmond so we could get a few things done. Jenny and I went swimming- I am determined to go at least 2 more times so I can get my money’s worth. I paid 14 pound for a 10 day pass, I figure if I go 7 times it was only 2 pounds a trip. After we went grocery shopping- I think I’m going to get off the wagon officially now that I have almost paid DuPuy back and get a bottle of wine. I went with South Africa- I don’t think I’ve ever had their wine and we DID just watch Invictus.
Back at Kiplin we are in production mode so we can finally finish this garden project. It is supposed to be done by tonight- shouldn’t be too bad. Its crazy how les stressful this is compared to real studio!! Much better living conditions.
I started to feel kind of crappy by the end of the night- my cold is getting worse- and had to go to bed around 11:30. I was basically done with my project though I just need to finish drawing some trees on my aerial axon- nbd.
4.20.10
Today we did York, officially. We walked the old Roman wall, saw some pretty cool ruins- I love them- and went to the Viking Museum. Apparently York has some serious history involving the Vikings and they uncovered a lot of artifacts to help tell the story of their lifestyles etc. The museum was ridiculous though- it was literally an amusement park ride. They strap you in a suspended car and move you through ‘Jorvik’- the Viking York. The best part was in the end when they were describing the actual house of a Viking and in the back of the ‘house’ in the yard was a man behind a wooden woven fence going to the bathroom. He was ‘busy’ and we should ‘keep moving’. At least the Brits have a good sense of humor.
Before leaving York Zach, Chris and I went to a beer store and I got some of my new ‘classy’ beers that I have discovered on this trip- Duvel and Chimay. So good.
We watched the second dvd of the Che Guevera documentary before going to bed. I felt bad- since I can’t really breathe out of my nose due to a (I think) sinus infection I kept feeling like I was breathing really loud. I felt like the kid from ‘Hey Arnold’.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
4.15.10
What a lazy day. I woke up right before tech started and then did some work after class for studio. After lounging and watching scrubs with the guys for a bit I took a shower as a distraction- I should have gone swimming in Richmond when DuPuy and Emma went in to do some errands!! Emma’s parents flew in today- I’m excited to meet them! They are going to tag along with us tomorrow, and make us dinner (so I automatically love them).
I did some more work until I gave up and read some more Sherlock Holmes- the library here has the complete illustrated novels (I finished Maus a while ago). For dinner I made- I kid you not- pork faggots. I saw them in the grocery store and had to find out for myself what it is all about. The answer: not too much. They look like giant meatballs but are made of pork liver…so basically they’re not too excellent. But I can say I tried it! Now I have to figure out how to have this as leftovers…I could only pawn one off to the guys. Maybe stir-fry? After dinner I watched Burn Notice (I’m really missing all my American shows) and am doing work in my room. All in all, a not-so productive day.
4.16.10
Emma’s parents came to Kiplin in the morning so they could go around with us today. We went to Helmsly first- very cool little town. We went to the castle there and then drove over to the Rievlaux terraces. They were pretty cool- literally a flattened terrace in the landscape, about a half-mile long, overlooking an abbey with a folly at either end of the terrace. We drove back to Helmsly and picnic-ed with our lunches and ice cream (!) then headed toward Castle Howard.
The house and gardens were spectacular. Definitely one of my favorite places to date- plus there were peacocks everywhere, go figure. We wandered around the gardens then went into the house, it was cool to recognize the scenes we saw in Brideshead Revisited. The folly was excellent- I wish we could have gone into it. It was a great day, and pretty leisurely- we were actually able to ‘stroll’ as opposed to ‘march’. Back at home we relaxed and had dinner in front of the TV and watched Che- pretty cool documentary, but I wasn’t really in the mood for it. Went to bed- couldn’t read Sherlock, too tired!
4.17.10
Another day on the road- first stop: Scarborough. It’s a town on the coast, and the castle there is built up n a cliff. Very cool. We climbed down to the beach (think Jersey Shore- no lie) and walked along the beach until we worked up enough courage to climb back up the giant hill to get to the car. We sort-of lost Chris somehow, and waited around at the car for a while until he found us. We drove over to some cliffs- basically a bird haven. So.many.seagulls!! The views were spectacular though. We drove over to Flamborough to see the lighthouse and climb down the side of the cliff there to go onto the beach. We discovered an inlet with some coves, but the tide was coming in and we had to climb some precarious rocks in order to make it out. Long drive home and dinner! Work day tomorrow- unfortunate.
What a lazy day. I woke up right before tech started and then did some work after class for studio. After lounging and watching scrubs with the guys for a bit I took a shower as a distraction- I should have gone swimming in Richmond when DuPuy and Emma went in to do some errands!! Emma’s parents flew in today- I’m excited to meet them! They are going to tag along with us tomorrow, and make us dinner (so I automatically love them).
I did some more work until I gave up and read some more Sherlock Holmes- the library here has the complete illustrated novels (I finished Maus a while ago). For dinner I made- I kid you not- pork faggots. I saw them in the grocery store and had to find out for myself what it is all about. The answer: not too much. They look like giant meatballs but are made of pork liver…so basically they’re not too excellent. But I can say I tried it! Now I have to figure out how to have this as leftovers…I could only pawn one off to the guys. Maybe stir-fry? After dinner I watched Burn Notice (I’m really missing all my American shows) and am doing work in my room. All in all, a not-so productive day.
4.16.10
Emma’s parents came to Kiplin in the morning so they could go around with us today. We went to Helmsly first- very cool little town. We went to the castle there and then drove over to the Rievlaux terraces. They were pretty cool- literally a flattened terrace in the landscape, about a half-mile long, overlooking an abbey with a folly at either end of the terrace. We drove back to Helmsly and picnic-ed with our lunches and ice cream (!) then headed toward Castle Howard.
The house and gardens were spectacular. Definitely one of my favorite places to date- plus there were peacocks everywhere, go figure. We wandered around the gardens then went into the house, it was cool to recognize the scenes we saw in Brideshead Revisited. The folly was excellent- I wish we could have gone into it. It was a great day, and pretty leisurely- we were actually able to ‘stroll’ as opposed to ‘march’. Back at home we relaxed and had dinner in front of the TV and watched Che- pretty cool documentary, but I wasn’t really in the mood for it. Went to bed- couldn’t read Sherlock, too tired!
4.17.10
Another day on the road- first stop: Scarborough. It’s a town on the coast, and the castle there is built up n a cliff. Very cool. We climbed down to the beach (think Jersey Shore- no lie) and walked along the beach until we worked up enough courage to climb back up the giant hill to get to the car. We sort-of lost Chris somehow, and waited around at the car for a while until he found us. We drove over to some cliffs- basically a bird haven. So.many.seagulls!! The views were spectacular though. We drove over to Flamborough to see the lighthouse and climb down the side of the cliff there to go onto the beach. We discovered an inlet with some coves, but the tide was coming in and we had to climb some precarious rocks in order to make it out. Long drive home and dinner! Work day tomorrow- unfortunate.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
4.13.10
It was crappy outside so we were forced to stay inside most of the day. We had tech in the morning then crits after. I had a pretty good crit- he likes my design so now I just need to tweak a few things and produce!! I’m definitely tryna finish this project ASAP.
After my crit (I had to go last ughh) I thought about running…then thought about not running and decided that was a better option. Zach mentioned steak night at Wetherspoons in Richmond so we piled into the van and half went to the grocery store the other half went to dinner. I opted for steak, and unfortunately, they ran out of steak!! How can you run out of steak on steak night!? In the end I basically got a pile of burned meat and peas…I had to eat some of the pork chops with ketchup it tasted so bad, but at least it came with a Guinness. Back at Kiplin I tried to study a bit for the tech exam tomorrow, but gave up and went to bed. Should be an interesting exam tomorrow morning…
4.14.10
I woke up and went on a run before the exam. There is a small road almost right across from our entrance to Kiplin Hall so I decided to check it out. It was awesome! I was basically running in farms- complete with wonderful smells…
The exam wasn’t so bad- I had to guess a lot though and I ended up getting an 86 (!). That’s ok my average is still a 92. I did some work on my presentation and ate lunch then while everyone played soccer I took a nap/slumber. I was so cold today it must have worn me out- weird. Dinner now and DuPuy wants us to watch Bride’s Head Revisited tonight since we are going to castle Howard on Friday.
It was crappy outside so we were forced to stay inside most of the day. We had tech in the morning then crits after. I had a pretty good crit- he likes my design so now I just need to tweak a few things and produce!! I’m definitely tryna finish this project ASAP.
After my crit (I had to go last ughh) I thought about running…then thought about not running and decided that was a better option. Zach mentioned steak night at Wetherspoons in Richmond so we piled into the van and half went to the grocery store the other half went to dinner. I opted for steak, and unfortunately, they ran out of steak!! How can you run out of steak on steak night!? In the end I basically got a pile of burned meat and peas…I had to eat some of the pork chops with ketchup it tasted so bad, but at least it came with a Guinness. Back at Kiplin I tried to study a bit for the tech exam tomorrow, but gave up and went to bed. Should be an interesting exam tomorrow morning…
4.14.10
I woke up and went on a run before the exam. There is a small road almost right across from our entrance to Kiplin Hall so I decided to check it out. It was awesome! I was basically running in farms- complete with wonderful smells…
The exam wasn’t so bad- I had to guess a lot though and I ended up getting an 86 (!). That’s ok my average is still a 92. I did some work on my presentation and ate lunch then while everyone played soccer I took a nap/slumber. I was so cold today it must have worn me out- weird. Dinner now and DuPuy wants us to watch Bride’s Head Revisited tonight since we are going to castle Howard on Friday.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Happy Birthday Emma!
1.) I forgot to mention that the other day a few of us went on a walk around the property and had some serious bonding time with the sheep here. All the sheep around the country have been having their lambs in the past few weeks so the babies are too cute for words. Actual sheep are pretty ugly, but damn they start out cute. We were just walking around in the fields trying to coax some of them to get close so we could pet them. As Dave said, “why aren’t they like dogs and just come running up to you to pet them!?” Needless to say, we didn’t pet any. Maybe one day.
Last night Jenny, Dave and Chris taught me how to play settlers- great game. Highly recommend it. We played (Chris won), and I did some sudoku and went to bed.
Today I woke up with all the church-goers and did some work online looking for architecture firms in DC I might be able to apply for an internship at. I’m trying to find some smaller firms so I will have more meaningful work to do rather than get lost in the crowd of a 100-something person firm fetching coffee. It’s a lot harder than it sounds- I think I’m going to have to ask DuPuy for some recommendations on that one.
It was an amazing day so we took advantage and played some soccer. The games are getting longer and longer because we’re all getting better on defense- I love it. We came back inside and pretended to do work and we all eventually gave up trying and just watched the masters. Go Phil, good for him. The guys all wanted Tiger to pull it out in the end, but lefty had it in the bag.
4.12.10
Emma’s birthday! We had tech early and then went off to Harewood Estate. The gardens were amazing, great scenery. They had a mini zoo with penguins (random) and birds. The oddest part though was the geo domes (yes, seriously) that were supposed to be some interactive children’s attraction where you could watch movies and write on chalkboard walls…its sad what some of these places need to do in order to keep people coming.
We went home so I could make Emma’s cake (Jaclyn’s choc. choc. recipe) and head over to A Taste of Thai in Richmond for dinner. The food was amazing, as usual, and then we headed over to the station to watch our bargain Monday movie: Shutter Island. It was weird, makes you think twice about reality…is this even real!? We ate cake and ice cream back at Kiplin, the cake was a huge success! Time to try and do some work in prep for crits tomorrow. We need to finish this garden project!
Last night Jenny, Dave and Chris taught me how to play settlers- great game. Highly recommend it. We played (Chris won), and I did some sudoku and went to bed.
Today I woke up with all the church-goers and did some work online looking for architecture firms in DC I might be able to apply for an internship at. I’m trying to find some smaller firms so I will have more meaningful work to do rather than get lost in the crowd of a 100-something person firm fetching coffee. It’s a lot harder than it sounds- I think I’m going to have to ask DuPuy for some recommendations on that one.
It was an amazing day so we took advantage and played some soccer. The games are getting longer and longer because we’re all getting better on defense- I love it. We came back inside and pretended to do work and we all eventually gave up trying and just watched the masters. Go Phil, good for him. The guys all wanted Tiger to pull it out in the end, but lefty had it in the bag.
4.12.10
Emma’s birthday! We had tech early and then went off to Harewood Estate. The gardens were amazing, great scenery. They had a mini zoo with penguins (random) and birds. The oddest part though was the geo domes (yes, seriously) that were supposed to be some interactive children’s attraction where you could watch movies and write on chalkboard walls…its sad what some of these places need to do in order to keep people coming.
We went home so I could make Emma’s cake (Jaclyn’s choc. choc. recipe) and head over to A Taste of Thai in Richmond for dinner. The food was amazing, as usual, and then we headed over to the station to watch our bargain Monday movie: Shutter Island. It was weird, makes you think twice about reality…is this even real!? We ate cake and ice cream back at Kiplin, the cake was a huge success! Time to try and do some work in prep for crits tomorrow. We need to finish this garden project!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
hiking!
4.7.10
Woke up and took advantage to the internet while everyone else was still sleeping. I’m looking up some summer camps that I might be able to work at over the summer in case I don’t get any architecture related internships- working at the gym sucks.
Tech in the morning so we could go into Richmond later when the pool is open. I forgot how hard swimming is! I’m beat- total body workout. Once we got back to Kiplin I took a nap then did studio work until dinner.
4.8.10
Honestly- drawing a bit of a blank for what we did this day. I know we went to Richmond to go grocery shopping and get some movies from the library there. They STILL don’t have Pride and Prejudice again so we got the Dark Knight and the Fantastic Mr. Fox. We decided to watch Mr. Fox tonight- great. Love the part where he salutes the wolf at the end. Now everyone raises their fist to me as a greeting, its great.
4.9.10
Today we went to Leeds to meet some people from the architecture firm that did the renovation on the study center at Kiplin Hall. It actually ended up being one man, who didn’t really seem to know what we were doing there/why we were there. Oh well, it was cool to go there, the firm seems pretty interesting. Plus we learned there is a 5,000 pound fine for every bat you kill on a development project- apparently they’re endangered. After meeting with him we walked around Leeds for a bit then went off to see Harrogate.
Harrogate was a great town. It was a ton of topo (kind of reminded me of Bath), and there are some amazing parks and grand houses near the edges of the town. Once we drove around for a while we headed back to Kiplin.
After dinner we played Ass Whole (finally!) for a while and watched the masters a bit. After cards most everyone watched the Dark Knight, but I got some internet work done and cleaned the kitchen- I wasn’t tired and that’s what I do when I’m bored, I can’t help it. I blame mom. ☺
4.10.10
Another early start and off to hike! We went to a place Damien (the gamekeeper) told us about. It was apparently the highest altitude pub/inn in the UK. We found a trail- which wasn’t too hard there are farms surrounded by stone walls everywhere with little gates and holes in the walls for people to walk through and hike! The farmers just let people walk all throughout their land. Its great. We hiked up a MASSIVE hill all the way to the top (sweating- it was at least 65 today). The view was amazing. I’m officially converted, I want to go hiking all the time now!!
We climbed back down and ate lunch. The next stop was a waterfall- a bit more difficult to find. It was amazing we climbed to the top of the waterfall- walking over literally an I-Beam of a bridge and had a beer at the inn there. We stopped at another waterfall/rapids area and went home. We were beat, but it was too nice of a day to not play soccer. It was a great game; we’re getting a lot better.
Shower, dinner, relax, probably bed early. I’m beat.
Woke up and took advantage to the internet while everyone else was still sleeping. I’m looking up some summer camps that I might be able to work at over the summer in case I don’t get any architecture related internships- working at the gym sucks.
Tech in the morning so we could go into Richmond later when the pool is open. I forgot how hard swimming is! I’m beat- total body workout. Once we got back to Kiplin I took a nap then did studio work until dinner.
4.8.10
Honestly- drawing a bit of a blank for what we did this day. I know we went to Richmond to go grocery shopping and get some movies from the library there. They STILL don’t have Pride and Prejudice again so we got the Dark Knight and the Fantastic Mr. Fox. We decided to watch Mr. Fox tonight- great. Love the part where he salutes the wolf at the end. Now everyone raises their fist to me as a greeting, its great.
4.9.10
Today we went to Leeds to meet some people from the architecture firm that did the renovation on the study center at Kiplin Hall. It actually ended up being one man, who didn’t really seem to know what we were doing there/why we were there. Oh well, it was cool to go there, the firm seems pretty interesting. Plus we learned there is a 5,000 pound fine for every bat you kill on a development project- apparently they’re endangered. After meeting with him we walked around Leeds for a bit then went off to see Harrogate.
Harrogate was a great town. It was a ton of topo (kind of reminded me of Bath), and there are some amazing parks and grand houses near the edges of the town. Once we drove around for a while we headed back to Kiplin.
After dinner we played Ass Whole (finally!) for a while and watched the masters a bit. After cards most everyone watched the Dark Knight, but I got some internet work done and cleaned the kitchen- I wasn’t tired and that’s what I do when I’m bored, I can’t help it. I blame mom. ☺
4.10.10
Another early start and off to hike! We went to a place Damien (the gamekeeper) told us about. It was apparently the highest altitude pub/inn in the UK. We found a trail- which wasn’t too hard there are farms surrounded by stone walls everywhere with little gates and holes in the walls for people to walk through and hike! The farmers just let people walk all throughout their land. Its great. We hiked up a MASSIVE hill all the way to the top (sweating- it was at least 65 today). The view was amazing. I’m officially converted, I want to go hiking all the time now!!
We climbed back down and ate lunch. The next stop was a waterfall- a bit more difficult to find. It was amazing we climbed to the top of the waterfall- walking over literally an I-Beam of a bridge and had a beer at the inn there. We stopped at another waterfall/rapids area and went home. We were beat, but it was too nice of a day to not play soccer. It was a great game; we’re getting a lot better.
Shower, dinner, relax, probably bed early. I’m beat.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
To the COAST!!
4.5.10
(Happy Birthday Grandpa!)
We worked on studio in the morning until tech at 2. I don’t even know the last time I had to sit and work/think/focus for that long a period of time! School is rough sometimes! We had individual crits then played soccer after. We were all dead tired- playing soccer three days in a row is not in our athletic/conditioning abilities just yet. Dinner then we watched Troy. I forgot how good Brad Pitt looked in that movie…
I started to read Maus today- excellent. It’s a fast read because it’s a graphic novel, but the content intense and it brings a really horrible time in our history to the public. It’s a man essentially interviewing his grandfather on his experience in the Holocaust. I’ve gotten a little carried away though- I’m almost half-way done and its over 200 pages! I need to pace myself…
4.6.10
DuPuy was getting restless so he took us on a trip to Craigside and the coast today. It was an early start, but it was worth it because we had a great day. Craigside is an estate in Northumberland (near Scotland) where the owner essentially designed nature. He ordered for almost every tree and plant that is currently there to be planted in its spot and yet its purpose was to appear as if it were there naturally. Great concept- and extremely hard to pull off! Nature’s beauty is hard to replicate. It was so weird though because it literally looked like we were in upstate New York. Really gorgeous and we got to hike around a bit.
After, we went to the coast to see an old castle that is currently in ruins. It was right on the water and the walk there was phenomenal- a 1.25 mile walk along the water, walking on the beautiful green grass with sheep grazing literally yards away. So England.
Back home we ate and relaxed a bit. I read more of Maus until everyone wanted to watch a movie- I opted out. I’m tired of watching movies!! Plus I finally got the internet to work so I need to take advantage!
(Happy Birthday Grandpa!)
We worked on studio in the morning until tech at 2. I don’t even know the last time I had to sit and work/think/focus for that long a period of time! School is rough sometimes! We had individual crits then played soccer after. We were all dead tired- playing soccer three days in a row is not in our athletic/conditioning abilities just yet. Dinner then we watched Troy. I forgot how good Brad Pitt looked in that movie…
I started to read Maus today- excellent. It’s a fast read because it’s a graphic novel, but the content intense and it brings a really horrible time in our history to the public. It’s a man essentially interviewing his grandfather on his experience in the Holocaust. I’ve gotten a little carried away though- I’m almost half-way done and its over 200 pages! I need to pace myself…
4.6.10
DuPuy was getting restless so he took us on a trip to Craigside and the coast today. It was an early start, but it was worth it because we had a great day. Craigside is an estate in Northumberland (near Scotland) where the owner essentially designed nature. He ordered for almost every tree and plant that is currently there to be planted in its spot and yet its purpose was to appear as if it were there naturally. Great concept- and extremely hard to pull off! Nature’s beauty is hard to replicate. It was so weird though because it literally looked like we were in upstate New York. Really gorgeous and we got to hike around a bit.
After, we went to the coast to see an old castle that is currently in ruins. It was right on the water and the walk there was phenomenal- a 1.25 mile walk along the water, walking on the beautiful green grass with sheep grazing literally yards away. So England.
Back home we ate and relaxed a bit. I read more of Maus until everyone wanted to watch a movie- I opted out. I’m tired of watching movies!! Plus I finally got the internet to work so I need to take advantage!
Monday, April 5, 2010
Happy Easter!
4.4.10
Everyone went to the York Cathedral this morning to mass except Sara and I so it was a quiet morning. Almost too quiet- I’m used to eight people running around the place. Emma and Jenny had bought 9 chocolate imps in Lincoln when we went the other day and left them out on the counter for everyone so Sara and I hid them. It was as close to an Easter egg hunt as we could get. I finished reading my book while everyone was out- good ending. I’m excited to be moving on to a new book though. Jenny is going to let me read Maus- it’s a graphic novel set in the holocaust.
Once everyone came back we went on a mini imp hunt and then geared up for soccer. It was another perfect day for soccer, and today we had a bit of an audience. Kiplin Hall officially opened to visitors on Easter so there were tons of people here- at least 20 cars. Every once in a while I would look up and see people crowded around the gate watching us play. Zach broke my shoes- he stepped on my foot and stayed put while I kept moving and ripped my laces from the whole left side of my shoe. I had to wrap my laces around my shoe so it would stay on. Dave and I went for a quick run around the lake after the game and then we all freshened up for dinner.
Sara essentially made the dinner, but since she used to be a vegetarian I helped her in gutting and stuffing the ducks and Cornish hens. Dinner was excellent though, and we finished with some cake- courtesy of Zach. Great meal.
We watched the Secret Window- way more creepy than I thought it was going to be, but the ending was pretty predictable if you thought about all the clues they gave you throughout the movie. Its all about the perfect ending…
Everyone went to the York Cathedral this morning to mass except Sara and I so it was a quiet morning. Almost too quiet- I’m used to eight people running around the place. Emma and Jenny had bought 9 chocolate imps in Lincoln when we went the other day and left them out on the counter for everyone so Sara and I hid them. It was as close to an Easter egg hunt as we could get. I finished reading my book while everyone was out- good ending. I’m excited to be moving on to a new book though. Jenny is going to let me read Maus- it’s a graphic novel set in the holocaust.
Once everyone came back we went on a mini imp hunt and then geared up for soccer. It was another perfect day for soccer, and today we had a bit of an audience. Kiplin Hall officially opened to visitors on Easter so there were tons of people here- at least 20 cars. Every once in a while I would look up and see people crowded around the gate watching us play. Zach broke my shoes- he stepped on my foot and stayed put while I kept moving and ripped my laces from the whole left side of my shoe. I had to wrap my laces around my shoe so it would stay on. Dave and I went for a quick run around the lake after the game and then we all freshened up for dinner.
Sara essentially made the dinner, but since she used to be a vegetarian I helped her in gutting and stuffing the ducks and Cornish hens. Dinner was excellent though, and we finished with some cake- courtesy of Zach. Great meal.
We watched the Secret Window- way more creepy than I thought it was going to be, but the ending was pretty predictable if you thought about all the clues they gave you throughout the movie. Its all about the perfect ending…
Sunday, April 4, 2010
4.3.10
We started work on site analysis this morning after everyone woke up. I am starting to get pretty excited for this project. The site has a lot more going for it then just a walled in green space- there is a stream running along the backside of it and a greenhouse etc. I have been charged with designing a Georgian Garden- a picturesque, geometrical, organized garden set in nature.
I bought blood pudding at the grocery store the other day at the deli counter- the woman told me how to cook it etc so I decided to make it before tech class today. Honestly, not bad. Not bad at all. I might even buy some more next time I go shopping.
After tech and some studio work we played soccer (!!). It was amazing outside. Perfect soccer weather- sunny and a little bit chilly. I missed soccer- yet another reason its nice to be back at Kiplin.
We watched Braveheart after dinner. I couldn’t even make it all the way through- it was SO LONG. How long can you drag that on!? Not exactly my favorite. Reading then going to bed- I’m almost finished this book!
We started work on site analysis this morning after everyone woke up. I am starting to get pretty excited for this project. The site has a lot more going for it then just a walled in green space- there is a stream running along the backside of it and a greenhouse etc. I have been charged with designing a Georgian Garden- a picturesque, geometrical, organized garden set in nature.
I bought blood pudding at the grocery store the other day at the deli counter- the woman told me how to cook it etc so I decided to make it before tech class today. Honestly, not bad. Not bad at all. I might even buy some more next time I go shopping.
After tech and some studio work we played soccer (!!). It was amazing outside. Perfect soccer weather- sunny and a little bit chilly. I missed soccer- yet another reason its nice to be back at Kiplin.
We watched Braveheart after dinner. I couldn’t even make it all the way through- it was SO LONG. How long can you drag that on!? Not exactly my favorite. Reading then going to bed- I’m almost finished this book!
Friday, April 2, 2010
4.2.10
Went running in the morning- there are so many geese around the lake!! I might have to start running in the area instead of around the lake from now on. I’m not trying to have a death by geese.
Already starting on studio- we went out and did site analysis for out next project, which is conveniently just a walk outside. We are designing a garden in the space next to Kiplin Hall that we are currently using as a soccer pitch. After we fixed lunch and settled in for some tech- so not used to that. We hung out and then went grocery shopping. I bought way too much- I love grocery shopping! We bought food for Easter dinner- girls get Cornish hens, boys get duck and everyone gets stuffed peppers. Yum!
Getting ready for a nice night of cards and a movie. Oh how I missed Kiplin…
Went running in the morning- there are so many geese around the lake!! I might have to start running in the area instead of around the lake from now on. I’m not trying to have a death by geese.
Already starting on studio- we went out and did site analysis for out next project, which is conveniently just a walk outside. We are designing a garden in the space next to Kiplin Hall that we are currently using as a soccer pitch. After we fixed lunch and settled in for some tech- so not used to that. We hung out and then went grocery shopping. I bought way too much- I love grocery shopping! We bought food for Easter dinner- girls get Cornish hens, boys get duck and everyone gets stuffed peppers. Yum!
Getting ready for a nice night of cards and a movie. Oh how I missed Kiplin…
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Kiplin!!!
3.30.10
I woke up in the morning to run. Bad idea. I could only run for 20 minutes because I was nervous about my face and hands- it was so COLD!! I made it back to the hostel in time to eat before the French kids came down for breakfast and relaxed the rest of the morning until we set off to explore the town on our own. Jenny, Zach and I went up a church tower to get some aerial views of the city, then sketched a gate to one of the colleges and ran into Emma and Dave there. After we had enough sketching we went to lunch and we went to sketch a round church we saw the day before with DuPuy- plus it was inside so extra bonus for staying warm. Jenny and I wandered around after that to find some Easter candy for ourselves then went to the botanical garden. It was really helpful since our next project is a garden project- plants are so hard to design and create layers of color with. This next project will be interesting.
Jenny and I went for coffee then met up with everyone at an Indian restaurant I had found earlier. I am really starting a love affair with Indian food- it is so good!!
After our dinner we went back to the hostel and found a few people watching Pirates of the Caribbean- so good. After the movie I went to bed- busy, cold day- I really like Cambridge! Sad to leave tomorrow, but ecstatic to be back at Kiplin not living out of a suitcase.
4.1.10
I didn’t even know it was April Fool’s Day until about 2:00 so go me. We left Cambridge in the morning and headed for Lesceister to see a Sterling building at the University there. DuPuy loves Sterling. He was very innovative when DuPuy was in architecture school, and –honestly- he did experiment a lot with window types and glazing. He is one of te main reasons why we are able to do such amazing things with curtain walls and double skins…but why we went an hour out of our way to go walk around it is beyond me…but I did kind of like it.
We made our way to Lincoln after that and saw the castle and cathedral. The weather was crazy while we were there. During the two hours it was sunny and WARM, then freezing and windy, then raining, then hailing, then just cold and cloudy again. Honestly, the weather here is phenomenal. The cathedral here is definitely one of the largest I have ever been in- and it has the famous imp! DuPuy sent us on a mission to find it but we sort of cheated considering the handout they gave us had the answer on it- whoops! As an Easter gift he bought us all a keychain with the imp on it- very cool.
After some traffic and grocery shopping we made it back to Kiplin!! The place had been cleaned and was beautiful. I made dinner right away- steak and vegetables, yum. I had been needing some quality iron for a while now. Its just so expensive to buy a steak! We chatted and I unpacked and organized my life while most everyone watched the Departed. Sleep soon.
I woke up in the morning to run. Bad idea. I could only run for 20 minutes because I was nervous about my face and hands- it was so COLD!! I made it back to the hostel in time to eat before the French kids came down for breakfast and relaxed the rest of the morning until we set off to explore the town on our own. Jenny, Zach and I went up a church tower to get some aerial views of the city, then sketched a gate to one of the colleges and ran into Emma and Dave there. After we had enough sketching we went to lunch and we went to sketch a round church we saw the day before with DuPuy- plus it was inside so extra bonus for staying warm. Jenny and I wandered around after that to find some Easter candy for ourselves then went to the botanical garden. It was really helpful since our next project is a garden project- plants are so hard to design and create layers of color with. This next project will be interesting.
Jenny and I went for coffee then met up with everyone at an Indian restaurant I had found earlier. I am really starting a love affair with Indian food- it is so good!!
After our dinner we went back to the hostel and found a few people watching Pirates of the Caribbean- so good. After the movie I went to bed- busy, cold day- I really like Cambridge! Sad to leave tomorrow, but ecstatic to be back at Kiplin not living out of a suitcase.
4.1.10
I didn’t even know it was April Fool’s Day until about 2:00 so go me. We left Cambridge in the morning and headed for Lesceister to see a Sterling building at the University there. DuPuy loves Sterling. He was very innovative when DuPuy was in architecture school, and –honestly- he did experiment a lot with window types and glazing. He is one of te main reasons why we are able to do such amazing things with curtain walls and double skins…but why we went an hour out of our way to go walk around it is beyond me…but I did kind of like it.
We made our way to Lincoln after that and saw the castle and cathedral. The weather was crazy while we were there. During the two hours it was sunny and
After some traffic and grocery shopping we made it back to Kiplin!! The place had been cleaned and was beautiful. I made dinner right away- steak and vegetables, yum. I had been needing some quality iron for a while now. Its just so expensive to buy a steak! We chatted and I unpacked and organized my life while most everyone watched the Departed. Sleep soon.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Cambridge
Yesterday we had to wake up super early for breakfast at the hostel- there is a group of 50 french middle schoolers who were eating at 8am so we had to sneak in before them in order to get some food.
After that we had a busy day scheduled. We went around to a lot of the different colleges here: King's, Queen's, Trinity, St. John's etc. I think I like this better than Oxford. The schools are bigger and all have beautiful courtyards and parks that go right up to the river Cam. The gardens make the river more accessible and all the bridges over it make you feel like you're in Venice. There is a sport called punting here- basically it looks like you're the person taking people on a gondola ride- DuPuy wants us to do that today but it is frigid outside so we may opt out. The streets are great here too- lots of cute shops and cafes. Plus there is a lot of chocolate shops with easter candy- I decided in lieu of my parents giving me one I'm going to make myself a basket :)
DuPuy is trying tolock up the computer so I;ve got to go. Not looking forward to the 6 degree weather today. ..
After that we had a busy day scheduled. We went around to a lot of the different colleges here: King's, Queen's, Trinity, St. John's etc. I think I like this better than Oxford. The schools are bigger and all have beautiful courtyards and parks that go right up to the river Cam. The gardens make the river more accessible and all the bridges over it make you feel like you're in Venice. There is a sport called punting here- basically it looks like you're the person taking people on a gondola ride- DuPuy wants us to do that today but it is frigid outside so we may opt out. The streets are great here too- lots of cute shops and cafes. Plus there is a lot of chocolate shops with easter candy- I decided in lieu of my parents giving me one I'm going to make myself a basket :)
DuPuy is trying tolock up the computer so I;ve got to go. Not looking forward to the 6 degree weather today. ..
Monday, March 29, 2010
3.29.10
We left London today- I'll see you in a month. Drove to Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth. Saw some great communities. Its interesting to se the precedents for places like Greenbelt and Columbia. Ended in Cambridge- very nice. The colleges here are epic. I want to go! Its very similar to Oxford, but I think I like the greens here better than Oxford. Going to go running tomorrow to explore the waterfront!
We left London today- I'll see you in a month. Drove to Welwyn Garden City and Letchworth. Saw some great communities. Its interesting to se the precedents for places like Greenbelt and Columbia. Ended in Cambridge- very nice. The colleges here are epic. I want to go! Its very similar to Oxford, but I think I like the greens here better than Oxford. Going to go running tomorrow to explore the waterfront!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Our home away from our home away from home...
3.26.10
Made it through security without having to pay any extra money for my bag! Whoop whoop. That was way too stressful. I almost wish we had just payed a little more for Jet Blue or another airline where we wouldn't have had to stress out for every flight about our bags. Live and learn.
But we're back in London now! Back in the good ole YHA with the familiar beds and showers! We had the evening off after meeting with DuPuy. I finally ran!! It was raining a bit when we first got back, but it let up and I could finally run. I was feeling so guilty when we were in Frankfurt because everyone was biking and running and rollerblading- if only I had room for my shoes! We cleaned up and went out to dinner at a pub. Some of us went back a little early- I had to present the next day on the London shopping arcades so I wanted to read up a bit. Exhausted.
3.27.10
Woke up early to run- I'm trying to bring back the good habits. Met downstairs at the hostel and followed DuPuy around, just like old times. We went to Hyde Park, Regents Street, the arcades, Piccadilly Street. Basically we went to a lot of the important landmarks around and to the east of our hostel that we hadn't been able to visit yet. I really like some of the urban design John Nash did (Regents Street and incorporating some of the arcades as other modes of transportation through the city)- not so much the architecture. Hyde Park was great- I already had seen a bit of it though with my morning runs. We passed by a lot of shops during the day- such a teaser.
After he let us loose we went back to rest up a bit: we are all going to see 39 steps tonight at the theatre. Sara researched an Indian restaurant near Piccadilly where we would be watching the play. I got something different than my go-to's, Chicken Tikka or Rogan Josh, bad decision. Not as much flavor as some of the other dishes. That's ok- I tried.
39 steps was AMAZING! I had no idea it was going to be that good- I had my reservations. It was funny and extremely well done. It helped that I didn't have any expectations going into it- good or bad. I literally had never heard of the play before so everything was new. Definitely recommend it.
I was exhausted- again. This running is killing me! I've got to build up my endurance again. I went back and read for a bit then went to bed. Sucks we're loosing an hour tonight- I could use the sleep.
3.28.10
Free morning! I woke up to go running then went out with Sara to shop- need to test out my new debit card :) Turns out stores in London don;t open as early as we expect them to in the States...Sara and I were there by 10:45 and the earliest stores opened was 11:30. And that was a very small percentage. We walked around a bit then got a cappuccino to pass the time and headed out caffienated and ready to shop.
Then I messed up. DuPuy changed the plans like 10 times for where we were supposed to meet and the final decision was made ~11:30 the night before while I was reading downstairs at the hostel. I forgot where it was. Sara forgot her phone. Bad combination. I THOUGHT it was St. John's wood. I was wrong. Then we went to the Marble Arch because we knew we were supposed to meet at an arch/monument and that was the recommendation from a man on the street. Eventually we just went back to the hostel and got got Sara's phone and met them at Hyde Park. My bad. We walked around the park and looked at the memorial for Princess Diana then walked along the canal.
A few of us went back to Oxford Circus to shop- stores were closed. We just went to dinner at the Slug and Lettuce (we had been wanting to go for a while) and went back to the hostel. Leaving for Cambridge tomorrow morning, and I have to present on Letchworth on the way there. More reading to do.
Made it through security without having to pay any extra money for my bag! Whoop whoop. That was way too stressful. I almost wish we had just payed a little more for Jet Blue or another airline where we wouldn't have had to stress out for every flight about our bags. Live and learn.
But we're back in London now! Back in the good ole YHA with the familiar beds and showers! We had the evening off after meeting with DuPuy. I finally ran!! It was raining a bit when we first got back, but it let up and I could finally run. I was feeling so guilty when we were in Frankfurt because everyone was biking and running and rollerblading- if only I had room for my shoes! We cleaned up and went out to dinner at a pub. Some of us went back a little early- I had to present the next day on the London shopping arcades so I wanted to read up a bit. Exhausted.
3.27.10
Woke up early to run- I'm trying to bring back the good habits. Met downstairs at the hostel and followed DuPuy around, just like old times. We went to Hyde Park, Regents Street, the arcades, Piccadilly Street. Basically we went to a lot of the important landmarks around and to the east of our hostel that we hadn't been able to visit yet. I really like some of the urban design John Nash did (Regents Street and incorporating some of the arcades as other modes of transportation through the city)- not so much the architecture. Hyde Park was great- I already had seen a bit of it though with my morning runs. We passed by a lot of shops during the day- such a teaser.
After he let us loose we went back to rest up a bit: we are all going to see 39 steps tonight at the theatre. Sara researched an Indian restaurant near Piccadilly where we would be watching the play. I got something different than my go-to's, Chicken Tikka or Rogan Josh, bad decision. Not as much flavor as some of the other dishes. That's ok- I tried.
39 steps was AMAZING! I had no idea it was going to be that good- I had my reservations. It was funny and extremely well done. It helped that I didn't have any expectations going into it- good or bad. I literally had never heard of the play before so everything was new. Definitely recommend it.
I was exhausted- again. This running is killing me! I've got to build up my endurance again. I went back and read for a bit then went to bed. Sucks we're loosing an hour tonight- I could use the sleep.
3.28.10
Free morning! I woke up to go running then went out with Sara to shop- need to test out my new debit card :) Turns out stores in London don;t open as early as we expect them to in the States...Sara and I were there by 10:45 and the earliest stores opened was 11:30. And that was a very small percentage. We walked around a bit then got a cappuccino to pass the time and headed out caffienated and ready to shop.
Then I messed up. DuPuy changed the plans like 10 times for where we were supposed to meet and the final decision was made ~11:30 the night before while I was reading downstairs at the hostel. I forgot where it was. Sara forgot her phone. Bad combination. I THOUGHT it was St. John's wood. I was wrong. Then we went to the Marble Arch because we knew we were supposed to meet at an arch/monument and that was the recommendation from a man on the street. Eventually we just went back to the hostel and got got Sara's phone and met them at Hyde Park. My bad. We walked around the park and looked at the memorial for Princess Diana then walked along the canal.
A few of us went back to Oxford Circus to shop- stores were closed. We just went to dinner at the Slug and Lettuce (we had been wanting to go for a while) and went back to the hostel. Leaving for Cambridge tomorrow morning, and I have to present on Letchworth on the way there. More reading to do.
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