released.

After work today I am headed into the wild - I am journeying to a camp to spend the weekend. I am very excited as I get to finally get away from the city and check in with the inner Sarah Jane. This cabin that I am staying in has no electricity, running water and my cell phone won't work there. Talk about getting back to nature. The world as I know it will cease to exist. This means tons of reading, thinking and writing. Just what I need before spring jumps its true momentum. (By that I mean good weather.)

I am truly looking forward to being able to think thoughts through without distractions. I know that I do not need to figure out where I am going - I just need to solidify my path there in my mind. I also want to chill out because I have been having too many nightmares lately... maybe some sort of meditation would help this?

eg. My nightmare last night involved me amputating a large chunk of my left leg off and then reattatching the foot. It was rather disturbing.

I am also excited to spend a weekend away from the craziness of the bar/club/drinking scene. I may have a subastance free weekend. Wow. This also leads to a cheap weekend.. all in all it should be great fun.

I also get to do a little bit of designing too....

I am quite excited.

Architecture can be very self defeating and difficult to deal with. As choosing to be a young participant in the field you are privy to become the outlet of frustration to the many older participants. This constant issue arises generally from a persons need to be an asshole - as their mentors were to them. It becomes a right of passage with no logical explaination and no matryr throwing hault to this lineage.

Not only is this prevalent in the actual work world - but it has also been witnessed often in the schooling process. I luckily faired realtivly well when it came to the student bashing movement. I often sat at reviews watching my peers present in front of a panel of three to six 'professionals.' It was not uncommon to see the student break down from the pressure and comments thrown at them. Often they would be left standing in front of their peers and panel crying and shaking while trying to understand the logic of the criticizm.

I do not mean to say that this was all that I witnessed at school. There were great teachers too. Ones who actually made the student excited about design and architecture. Yet it is always the bad the shine brighter than the good.

Today I try and keep quiet. I often rebuttle the comments that are flung towards me and end up in a deeper pile of dung. My co-worker, who has afew years on me, sits and giggles when it is flung her way. I need to keep my rebuttle to myself as I often lash back to no avail.

Alas, this is the field of Architecture.

Side note: Please when I bring in drawings to be printed - do not refur to me as 'babe.' It is quite disgusting in general. It is also more disgusting when you are a bald man of sixty-five.

Your dating personality profile: Liberal - Politics matters to you, and you aren't afraid to share your left-leaning views. You would never be caught voting for a conservative candidate. Intellectual - You consider your mind amongst your assets. Learning is not a chore but a constant search after wisdom and knowledge. You value education and rationality. Stylish - You do not lack for fashion sense. Style matters. You wouldn't want to be seen with someone who doesn't care about her appearance.

Your date match profile: Adventurous - You are looking for someone who is willing to try new things and experience life to its fullest. You need a companion who encourages you to take risks and do exciting things. Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living. Shy - You are put off by people who are open books. You are drawn to someone who is a bit more mysterious. You want to draw her out of her shell and get to know what she is all about.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Liberal 2. Intellectual 3. Stylish 4. Wealthy/Ambitious 5. Adventurous 6. Shy 7. Sensual 8. Romantic 9. Big-Hearted 10. Funny

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Adventurous 2. Practical 3. Shy 4. Stylish 5. Wealthy/Ambitious 6. Intellectual 7. Big-Hearted 8. Conservative 9. Funny 10. Traditional

Take the Online Dating Personality Quiz at Dating Diversions

Returning from the library on this dreary rainy saturday afternoon I settled down to a cup of spilt pea soup and a chunk of sour dough bread. Yummy. I managed to pick up some great movies, books and CD's. Apparently Saturday is the day to go. Along with some Cibo Matto, David Bowie, B & S, I managed to pick up the Sonique CD. Remember that "So High" dance song from about 5 years ago? I think this CD could be a dangerous pick for me considering my sad obsession with pop music. We shall see. (She is also pretty hott which somehow makes for easy listening.)

I haven't been posting much at the moment. Work is still crazy and I don't know how I am going to get all of these damn projects out the door. We shall see though. Next week I have goals of getting four out of the door. I hope that is not too lofty.

This weekend I plan on doing some research into eco-friendly architecture because I am headed down to niches next weekend to help them with some design. Yay for a weekend in the woods and a game of frisbee if I am lucky!

Went to m83 concert this past week at the Wexner. Was really great and their performance made me reinvest some time into their new cd which I had put away due to lack of interest. I have a new found respect for them.

Went to an art opening last night. Was a decent time although by the time I got there my mood had drastically changed and I did the 'leave' before anyone sees me act.' Then went to Havana for one beer and went home to bed. I think the work week must have exhausted me. Makes me glad that it is miserable out today. Gives me a good excuse to stay in, eat, and be lazy!

A picture from my trip to Cleveland. This was the architectural beauty that I was on a pilgrimage to see.

The weather was fantastic that day too - couldn't have been a better trip.

Columbus from the ground. Yes, it can be a pretty city on a pretty day.

Columbus from a roof.

Britain, UK news from The Times and The Sunday Times - Times Online

Uh oh!

Ahhh hello there. I have been distant. Yes.

There are a couple of reasons for this:

• Been busy at work which allows for little daydreaming of blog entries.
• Just completed the GRE (again) and was laying low to study.
• Have been outside enjoying the weather!
• Have pictures to post but have no more space on Flickr. (Another reason to go pro.)

I am done with the GRE. I decided prior to entering the test again that regardless how well/lack there of I do I am finished with it. If my scores do hinder my grad school choices - so be it. I cannot go on living with this thing looming over my head. Feels good!

I spent a weekend in Cleveland alone (parents still in UK) recently to decompress from the stressors of Columbus. This was great and resulted in me journeying to the Case Western Reserve campus to check out the new Gehry building as well as the Art museum which is currently housing The Phillips Collection. The show had many famous pieces to see and was well worth the $10. Overall, I had a great time and took some great pictures on my adventure which I shall post soon.

This past weekend involved taking the GRE on Friday and relaxing all weekend. Events included events such as laying in the park, hiking, watching a a movie (Irma Vep), eating at Northstar again (4 days in a row record) and drinking good wine. It is summer already!

Even public housing can look good from the right angle on a sunny day. (Until you go inside...)

I got to hang out and do some work at this place this morning which always involves polite conversation with the locals. I was told by one older lady (as I was measuring and taking pictures) that I was "doing a good job for a woman." Huh? I think this was a compliment?

Also learned which walkers are better for fitting in the back of cars......

Charles Villiers Stanford: Review of two books [CH]: - Oct 2003 MusicWeb(UK)

My grandmother is mentioned in this Article - Eileen Le Clerc.

When I was over at their house once she gave me an original framed photo of Stanford. He sits at his piano looking quite fetching in a 'thinking' mans pose. The picture now resides over my desk and has for years.

It happened again. I suppose it is just a fact of life at least I am trying to write it off with that explanation.

My grandmother in the UK died this weekend. Her funeral is this Friday. Yet again I am unable to journey across the 'pond' to say goodbye. My parents leave today for the trip. At this point I am very hurt, sad, and angry. For some reason I hold my patriarchal familial lineage pretty high on what has influenced me. Probably because they are quite an odd, fun, pompous group of people and entertaining in their own respect. I feel very much like a Le Clerc kid.

All of the Le Clerc grandparents are now gone. I suppose I had been dreading this day for years. What happens with them gone? Nothing. With them gone my life is the same because they are so far away. It would almost be a little comforting to know that my life would have changed a little.

Screw the romanticism.

Just wanted to share one picture I uploaded to flickr. This is the Brion Cemetary designed by my favorite architect of all time - Carlo Scarpa.

How picture perfect is this! The town in the background, the weathered concrete, the greens contrasting with the 'blue' sky. Perfection.

This could be it. Basta.

I am sitting in my apartment eating chocolate and drinking tea con lache on a Sunday morning. While hanging out with a poorly Joe last night we watched some "Vicar of Dibly" as well as Fellini's "La Dolce Vita." Fellini knows how to touch that attractive Italia vibe that everyone fancies such as Marcello's constant uniform of a suit with sunglasses and the endulgance of dancing in the Trevi Fountain. How luscious! I also enjoy the subtle constant undertone of his disinterest in these fabulous moments for the search of reality while on the verge of the contrived. I eat it all up.

I have also been enduling in my old pictures and uploading them to flickr. Quite fun while listening to Squarepusher's early stuff.

Boring things going on in my life at the moment are:

• I am retaking the GRE Exam next friday.
• Work is going well. This coming week will start a crazy month of projects galore. Apparently our firm is a 'person and a half' short which means there is lots of work to do. I am very glad about this as I hate not being busy at work. As of wednesday I will have six projects to be responsible for. I think I might be reaching 'adult' status.
• I bought two Texas CD's last week. Why won't this pop-music craving leave me alone?!
• I won a CD for some competition thing. Haven't listened to it yet.
• I have a side design project coming up that I will be working on soon for a local retreat center. I can't wait as it involes research and time in a serene wooded setting away from Columbus.

I now wait for my friend as we are going to 'hit' the gym. I just ate too much chocolate and feel sick. ew.

I had the most amazing dream last night:

Joe and I were driving though a town called "Tivoli" and it was the most perfect place ever. Representative of an old english village with no building setback regulations and flowering bushes everywhere. We drove up a winding road to fun a beautiful cathedral being built from raw masonry and temporary wooden formwork. Around another corner happened to be a valley opening into the "North Sea" which was quite wild and unruly. It was fascinating as the fishermen capsized and floundered in their attempt to reach the open sea.

There was one slight drawback to the village. When they had founded it they were unaware of the planning process and placed a large parking lot and stip mall in the center. It was the only ugly moment as everything else surrounding it was gorgeous.

I remember being so astonished that this place existed just 20 minutes from where I live now. How could I have missed this place.....