released.

Cleveland: Thanks Tracie for the photo which I have so kindly stolen. L to R: me, tracie, chrissy and joe.

Monday flew by until about 10am. Suddenly time stopped and it began to almost go backwards. It is only 4:05 and it should be much later. I am right and I know it is really 8pm.

My favorite DJ - Emma B - left her BBC radio1 post of 7 years to pursue more of a television career. I will truly miss her on the Sunday Surgery. She came across as if she really did care about everyone who called, as if she was your best friend and confidant. She blew me away everytime I listened and the show won't be the same without her.

Spent the weekend in Cleveland and did everything from eat lamb (I like to think I am a vegetarian even though I am not) to walk in a graveyard at 2am. Quite fun really. The joys of small town, ohio. I did manage to pick up the BBC version of 'The Office' while there and watched some of them. Damn hilarious and worth seeing.

3:30 cup of coffee is not working....

Had a wicked night playing bingo and checking out some new blips and beats acts last night. After a couple of wonderful martini's I am feeling quite rough today. It was worth it though.

I was lucky enough to win the tray pictured with a 'six pack' combination on the board. Did you know that there is actual bingo lingo?

It's all about being down with it - yo.

The crazy cycle is over as I must buckle down and become serious about my future again. A friend of mine just received the positive word on her grad school application and it has reminded me of the possibilities I have failed to recently recognize. Enough with fulfilling the current social obligation and all that it entails – a studious recluse now emerges from the sheer drive and desire to leave this town and enter the next step of this long process to become a licensed architect. I have one year left until I will have finished this internship requirement and then it is onto grad school.

In short – Sarah Jane dissipates into a world of vocabulary words and equations that formulate a future objective.

More photo's added. I am slowly becoming obsessed with this Flickr phenomenon. I don't need a pro account - but I want one. Is it a complete waste of money?

Friday night design time with joe... oh how fun!

The presentation went well even with a special guest appearance by the city health commissioner (second in command under the mayor) which was unexpected. This was a great experience to be able to explain a project that I am heading up to the client – yet this was the first time I have done it and it was to quite an impressionable/powerful crew. Nothing like being thrown into a sea of business suits and power – I suppose this is what architecture is really like – fun eh? Regardless they all liked what I was doing – fantastic!

Can’t ask for much more than that!

Today I am starving - I just got into the office and piled half a bag of soy nuts down my throat. I think it could be nerves too -

I have a presentation to give today on a project that apparently is 'completly' mine as quoted by my boss. Agh! So - here I am drinking green tea getting ready for this meeting with an important/big name client. This is the part of the job that I am not so keen on - although as my mother says - I should be happy to be given such responsibilities - 'yes mother I am.'

So here I go preparing the big guns which in this scenario will be that friendly, posative, smart sounding thing I sometimes have to do....

Design Observer: writings about design & culture: Why Architects Give Me the Willies

An article worth checking out!

I learned last night that I waste too much energy and time on people that have no real bearing on my life.

I also learned that people can be BIG assholes and think they are being clever in the process.

One thing that I am happy about is the fact that the people I hang around with are great and have given me the ability to enjoy and appreciate things for what they are. There is no manipulation and egotism involved.

Sometimes everyone can win and have a good time.

After a shy Sarah Jane performed kareoke (sp?) last night I was asked to return to compete in a contest in April. Wish me luck - boo ya!

I could be a kareoke queen!

@ work. I actually look busy.

The last day and a half have been very odd in that they are fitting and flowing so well it is almost erie. My actions seem to be in check with the cosmos without my request. Quite humbling.

Yesterday at the office I managed to get myself organized for the next day and a half before one o'clock leaving only pricing to do for the remainder of the day. This was great because at 1pm the power suddenly went out. While everyone was sitting around doing nothing I was able to listen to my ipod and work until 5pm. Not bad!

Additionally, monday was great since the minute I walked into the office there were several boxes stacked on my desk - all full of chocolate. This was a gift from my co-workers - I have officially been at my job for one year. I cannot believe that I have been working in the field for one year and I still feel like I know nothing about it. That is why I do like architecture though - it seems to be a never ending lesson.

Finally, the day ended with a great greek dinner at a friends house.

The spring is coming along with a worldly optimism.

That hurts.

After learning that a friend had free tickets to the 'Arnold' convention for body building I thought it could be quite fun/something I have never done before.

Great Advertising....

The beauty of american urban planning.

The house I live in was built about 100 years ago in a brick Victorian style - quite a beauty with stone detailing on the exterior and moments of ceramic detailing in certain rooms. The original decorative woodwork has been painted too many times to count, but the subtle detailing is still evident. I am even lucky enough to have two front doors – as they often did in those periods for the professionals who worked out of their house. As property values rose and fell the original house was divided up into quadrants each one containing an apartment. I live in one of them.

After moving in about a year ago I had a couple of odd ‘dreams’ about my interactions with a lace clad woman in the ‘main’ room. It was quite funny as it happened a few times each of which it became quite difficult to comprehend whether or not this had really happened or if it was a dream. For the sake of not freaking myself out – I believe it was a dream.

Recently I have found myself woken around the same time every night, approximatly 3:15am to the noise of furniture moving around in the apartment above me. I ask myself (and readers) why anyone would consistently move heavy furniture at 3:15am?

I am generally able to rationalize while half awake/asleep that this is my neighbors boredom getting the best of her. With this I fall soundly back to sleep.

Further analysis draws me to the fact that this woman is older (60+) and has been ill lately with nurses tending to her daily. I am beginning to doubt she feels like pushing tables around in the middle of the night.

Not quite sure what to make of this one.