Review Day

We convinced DuPuy not not make us take the tech exam on Friday (it wasn't that difficult, our schedule is flexible). There was just no way we would have been able to finish working on our projects and study for the exam, let alone TAKE the exam before our deadline of noon Saturday. Instead half of us took it Saturday after our deadline and the other half is currently taking it. I, obviously, took it yesterday- it took us 3 HOURS!! We were basically learning the material as we were taking it- not the best method. I still got an A though so I'm not complaining.

Last night DuPuy treated us to a play at the Georgian theatre in Richmond. We saw a Sherlock Holmes play, very funny. The actors were great! The actual seats were less than comfortable, but it was awesome to finally watch a play that wasn't directed at my high school. Before hand we went to a restaurant right next door called "A Taste of Thai"- delicious. I got green curry with pork. I am really getting into the asian foods here- I'm addicted to Indian now, I'm loving thai- go figure. I may never eat take-out Chinese again...or at least for a little while...

We are having our review today around 2. I'm a little worried as to how my drawings are going to look because we had to scan them in (and the scanner was horrible), make a powerpoint and then project them onto the wall- I've decided I'm going to lay my drawings out just in case they are illegible from the projector. In the end though I like my project and it was, by far, the best charette I have ever had to endure. No all-nighters, I cooked breakfast-lunch-and dinner for myself every day, and we were still able to play soccer!! Life is good.

About to go pack for our month of traveling on the road- this should be interesting..

Work, work, work!!

2/24/10

To keep our spirits up we all played rotation DJ in studio. We went in a circle around the room and each person had to play any song they wanted. I was suffering though- I felt SO tired around 10 and I pushed through until 11 and read before going to bed. I think its a mental thing (or that I have been consuming insane amounts of tea aka caffeine) but there is a slight possibility Justin has mono- I'm worried we all have it! In reality I think I just didn't have my normal dosage of caffeine that day and so I felt more tired than usual...

2/25/10

Work, work, work!! I really want to finish my drawings tonight- then I can add any extra detail and scan/fix my drawings for the presentation tomorrow. We will see how that goal plays out...

I am already not doing well because around 12 I got bored and went for a run haha, oh well.

We finally went into the main house at Kiplin this afternoon. I wasn't that excited about going, but it is so much nicer inside than I had anticipated! Absolutely gorgeous. Plus, I have decided I am going to have a 'drawing room' in my house- the one there was epic.

Tonight my agenda entails working until I can't keep my eyes open..then go and read some before bed. Tech exam tomorrow morning- ugh.

Charette- UK style

2/21/10

I am trying to backlog and remember what we did today- not going to lie it’s a bit fuzzy. It was a work-day, that I know. I went on a run in the middle of the day and was then forced to play soccer later- apparently no one can play without me. We went to dinner at a place in town- I got a beef and onion pie. Let me tell you, the Brits know how to make a meat pie- it was very good. I ordered an Irish coffee for the first time after dinner- not a huge fan. But at least I can say I tried.

2/22/10

I, shockingly, have decided to abandon my morning runs for a little bit. Today I went on a run sort of as a ‘break’ in the middle of the day- excellent idea. It helps to break up doing studio work. Not that I don’t love being here, but during the week the days can get a little monotonous so it helps to have something to do so I don’t just end up eating or going on the internet out of boredom.

We all went to see our cheap 4pound movie tonight. I saw Up In the Air- such a downer in the end. I still can’t get over Alex- what a bitch!! Dave and Emma saw Invictus- kind of jealous, it sounded great. Maybe it was the movie- or the act of going to the movies- but I was wired up tonight, and I went to bed at 1 mainly because that was when Jenny went to bed. Who would have thought I would be the last one up.

2/23/10

I woke up at 7:30 this morning…on my own. I think I’m sleeping too much- is that possible? Tech in the morning is not so great. It is a great way to break up the day though I have to admit. Eat breakfast- work on some studio- do tech for 2 hours- eat lunch- play soccer. Soccer was fun today- we played three games of 3v3. It is hard to get even teams with only three people- almost every game was a blow-out. After we just worked for the rest of the night. I was extremely tired though end ended up going to bed around 11 and reading- I’m really enjoying Middlesex- I’m hooked!

2/24/10

It has become a production to come and use the internet. I need to walk through the dining room, kitchen, up the stairs, through the boys’ room and into the apartment just to get a connection. It is really helping my goal of becoming less dependent on technology. Before I literally always had access to the internet- and a phone for that matter. I don’t know what I’m going to do when I go back to the states and I have all this technology again!!

Today after lunch we went into Richmond- I had to plan out the rest of my meals so I wouldn’t have any food left over (or not enough). The drive over there was really freaky though because of the fog. You literally couldn’t see 10 feet in front f you- it looked like we were driving through a blizzard.

It is really weird to think that we have a review in 4 days (and are supposed to be done by noon the day before!). I am not really stressed at all- it is going to be a really low key review since the only guest crit is Nick M. Normally I wouldn’t be sleeping much, I would be completely stressed out- but jut yesterday we were all drinking G&T’s in the kitchen calm as ever. I also had a really great talk with DuPuy today about the structure of my building. Before I had always thought of it as ‘how is my building going to stand up’, but he had a completely different perspective. The way you’re building is structured is literally how it is going to look, the aesthetic of it. I wish I had been given this perspective a long time ago, maybe I would have liked tech a little bit more…

I love this semester- today DuPuy called it studio rehab, and I totally agree. The only down side is that since we are, technically, in a charette we have postponed movies until Sunday night…such a hard life we live.

2/19/20

We finally played soccer again today! I had taken a week hiatus after several minor injuries, and it felt good to play again. Afterwards I was exhausted though because earlier today we went to Richmond to go on top the castle there then do some 'detective work' as DuPuy called it. I was charged with going swimming and figuring out where the drains and HVAC is in a pool for my project- it was a success. Jenny and Emma had to help me some though because I forgot to put my contacts in and was, therefore, swimming blind.

We watched the Duchess- such a depressing movie. I think we might need to move on with the period pieces...

2/20/10

Today was an amazing day. The weather was excellent- sun almost all day! We woke up early and I presented on Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal in the morning. We got there and the sun and shadows through the ruins of the abbey were stunning. The abbey was massive- I can't even imagine what it much have been like when it was in its prime. I think that fact that it was open to the sky made it look even larger too because it was as if it were endless. The gardens were beautiful- the grass here is so green!! There were a few areas that looked run-down. DuPuy says the maintenance here is a huge production because the trees are all starting to die and there are tons of people who come here every year walking around and ruining the gardens- such a shame.

After we went to Blemhen Rocks- not going to lie I was slightly mad we were going to see some rocks after we had just walked around for 4 hours- but I was speechless. It was on a cliff and you could just climb around on these massive rocks, and on the top of them were the most amazing views. The English countryside is a beautiful sight- especially with some snow!

On the way home Sara and I got ingredients for some gin martinis- damn can Sara make a strong drink. We watched the Other Boelyn Girl, and I attempted reading some but I was too tired and fell asleep. Excellent day.

2/16 cont.

So we ended up watching Snatch- go figure. It was hilarious because DuPuy thought he had never seen it until 10 minutes in and he remembered he already had. He is the worst person to watch movies with though- constant comments!! Oh well, it was a great movie so nbd. I read my book for ~30 minutes after the movie and went to bed. I am really starting to get into this book! Plus, I want to read Maus (Jenny's graphic novel that she brought) so I need to finish this one!

2/17/10

Tech in the morning- this section is actually getting really helpful because its about HVAC and placing the air ducts and mechanical equipment. We had a work day and I took a break to go running to 'figure out my elevation' as DuPuy recommended. I had a desk crit with DuPuy later and I am really starting to move along with my design! I tried to work on my seminar topics later too, but I ended up just surfing the internet for 90% of the time and didn't get much done...c'est la vie. We watched Charlie Wilson's War at night while 'working on studio', but it ended up that everyone got sucked in and didn't do any work. After we worked for a bit until it hit 12 and I went to bed. I'm not conditioned to stay up late anymore! Its such a different lifestyle here than when I am in College Park...and its a much better one!

2/18/10

Woke up to work on studio before our group crits (I was with Jenny today). We ended up running really behind and I just worked straight through until our turn (last) and was brain dead after. Running helped, then we had tech. I have a long list of drawings I need to work out before our review- its in a week and a half!! I'm so excited to be on the road again though- its going to be like we're backpacking across the UK since we're staying in hostels everywhere we are going etc. I'm getting really pumped for spring break too...I just need to stay strong through this last stretch and have a good design!!

Tech...

2/15/10

We had a tech review- its always so confusing because half the time we are trying to figure out where Bovill got the numbers from and hwy he is using them. We gave up after about an hour and a half and worked on studio a bit more and finished the first season of the Tudors. I think we might have to succumb to buying the next season!!

2/16/10

I was in the first group to take the tech exam this morning- 9am. The test ended up taking me about 2 hours- it was a long time to look up tables in a book. DuPuy graded them right after we took them; I got a 96. I tried to do studio work after, but my brain was fried so I went on a run and gave it another go when I was done. I’ve really enjoyed this studio process with DuPuy- he is making us think a lot more about details rather than the parti or the big idea. It was a long day, so we are scheduling a movie night to wind down. Braveheart is currently the winning contender, but The Dutchess is a close second, so we will have to wait and see…!

The Tudors!!

2/12/10

In Durham we walked along the river- very beautiful. I felt like I was reading Huck and Finn. The weather was kind of crappy, but we stuck it out for a while and had a few impromptu tech lessons while analyzing one buildings- and getting more than a few odd looks. We decided not to stay in Durham and went home. Emma bought the first season of the Tudors in Durham and we ended up watching the first four episodes tonight- we got sucked in!

2/13/10

So I think its safe to say I officially like coffee now. I never thought it would happen, but I can drink it black and I don’t mind it at all. Its scaring me!

We went to see a folly in Richmond today for Emma’s fourth class. Before Emma, Sara, and I went grocery shopping for dinner tonight- Lasagna, garlic bread and apple pie. I have to admit the folly was a lot nicer than I was expecting. It was all made of the vernacular stone and had a square bottom with a octagonal top. There were four floors and a tiny spiral staircase to take you up. Now they have renovated it and rent it out to people for a few days at a time. The views of the town were amazing and the renovation was extremely nice- I wouldn’t have minded staying there for a weekend. After we went into town and walked around the market- I was quite tempted by the cheese and sausage selection, but considering our limited refrigerator space I had to hold back. We went back to Kiplin and played soccer- I got killed. Dave stepped on my other foot and boy and I in pain. Then, since the field was muddy because it rains at least once a day, I got too close for comfort to pulling my groin. I got Jenny and Dave to run a cool-down lap around the lake with me so I cold get a good stretch in. I might have to take a break from soccer for a few days…I was then called to the kitchen to start on dinner- mom would be proud of my lasagna skills. For dinner we’re all dressing up because, well, why not? After we made the boys clean up and we continued to feed our new addiction to the Tudors- now I know what Aunt Linda was talking about all this time!

2/14/10

Today was a VERY early day. We left for Hadrian’s Wall at 8:30- it was well worth it though. The wall is massive and the topography it goes through is ridiculous. I fell walking down one of the hills- boat shoes was not the best choice for today, we were practically hiking. After we drove to New Castle and (after getting lost a few times around the city) took a look at Byker new town. It was….interesting. I definitely didn’t jive with the style of architecture of the place, but the idea was good. It was a development that essentially built a wall to block the sound from a nearby highway and built housing for lower income families. There was a school, a sport complex, a church, and a few community greens. Unfortunately because of the type of people that were living there it lacked a sense of community and it wasn’t kept up well at all- one of the major battles with urban planning. We walked down to the Millennium Bridge, and then called it a day- we had to get Emma and Dave back in time to go on their Valentine’s Day date. I made meatloaf for dinner- just like home :) I was able to get some alone time and read my book for a bit, and then we watch two more episodes of the Tudors and went to bed.

2/15/10

Went running this morning- I finally ran three laps around the lake! I’m going to try and work my way up every week. Today is a work day- finally- and then we have a tech review at 4 for the exam tomorrow. It’s so weird we haven’t been working non-stop all weekend! It’s a very different lifestyle from studio in cp- and I like it.