The List

This started out as a post on Facebook and got out of control quick:
A couple of fallacies about those things you're "supposed" to do as an adult.
1.  Marriage:  A friend of mine posted today that she should get a divorce because it's a tax savings.  My question..why bother getting married?  So many purport legal and tax benefits that clearly aren't there.  Andy and I aren't married, our relationship has lasted longer than some we know who met, married and divorced in less than HALF the time that we have even been together.
2.  Rent vs. Own: despite what everyone says, you CAN lose money by buying instead of renting.  See this story:http://tinyurl.com/yzdsb2x.  We did some calcs when we sold our house in Chicago and could have made a better "investment" by putting the same amount of our mortgage in a regular savings account...and we sold BEFORE the bubble burst.

You know "the list"...all the things that you're supposed to check off when you're an adult?  Graduate from high school, get into a good college, find a mate, graduate from college, get a good job, move to the city in a great little apartment, get engaged, buy a condo in the city in the perfect up and coming neighborhood, have dinner parties, get pregnant, move to the suburbs....A lot of us never do that.  And yet, we beat ourselves up.  "Why am I still a kid?"  "What am I doing?  I need to grow up!" "I need to find some one to marry and settle down with."
No you don't.

Your life is yours. Do with it what you will.

Yes, I did some of those thing on that list.  I'm not against the list.  It's just that some of it didn't really work for me.  I tried at times to push my life back on the list and took a look around and realized that I didn't need to check everything off to be happy.  Andy and I have been together for nearly 10 years.  We met in a dive bar on January 19, 2000.  I was completely drunk as hell and being a complete ass. He had just started dating someone else.  A few months later, we made out in the back of a friend's car and the rest is history.  Oh wait, I'm glossing over the part that's different about us.
We started actually dating (not just making out in taxis and friends' cars at 3 in the morning, moved in together in March of 2001, bought a house together in June of 2003, got a dog together in August of that same year, moved to San Francisco together in September of 2007 and had a son together in July of 2009.  ALL without getting married.  All TOGETHER.
Do we have an anniversary?  No.  I have NO CLUE what day our first date was.  It just kind of evolved.  It's nice.  I don't get mad at him for not remembering our anniversary and well, he doesn't get mad at me for not remembering.  He mostly remembers my birthday (the same month/day as his mom's) but sometimes confuses it with his sister's birthday (one week earlier) and I remember his (The IDES OF MARCH!!! Mwah hah hah hah).  We ignore Valentine's day (4 days before my birthday, why bother?) because we love each other every day and don't need a Hallmark holiday to remember it.

Thunderstorms in the Bay Area! Run for your life!

I'm not sure how many of you may know this (I didn't until I moved here) but thunderstorms are a rare event in San Francisco.  Since moving here in September of 2007, I've seen one in mid-September 2009.  That is until a couple days ago, where we have had one every day for the past 2 or 3 days. I tried desperately to get a shot of the lightening, managign to get a shot an instant before (while checking focus, framing etc) and immediately after the lightening.  BAH!  I did get this really cool shot of an ominous black cloud floating over San Francisco Bay.

I also got this shot of a rainbow after some heavy showers a day or two before The Thunderstorm.

There are more Thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow, although I get the feeling that meteorologists are a little out of practice on predicting the weather around here since it's mostly the same all the time. Nevertheless, wish me luck on capturing some good shots.  Until then, you'll have to settle for these photos and videos from other lucky bastards.  Humph!


Wrath of God Thunder Wakes Up San Francisco (prepare to TURN DOWN THE  VOLUME)


Lightening Over the GG Bridge

Jimmy likes Eames Aluminum Group Chair

The set decorators of the Daily Show should be ashamed. They have defaced a modern American classic piece of furniture.  If it were me, I would be waking in a cold sweat at night, praying for forgiveness at my altar of miniature modern classics by Vitra. On the left, exhibit A, the American classic, by Charles and Ray Eames, the aptly named Mesh Management Chair from the aptly named Aluminum Group seating collection.  Yep, Charles and Ray preferred uncomplicated names for their pieces "Lounge and Ottoman" "Soft Pad Chair" "Molded Plywood" "Chaise" etc etc....On the right, exhibit B, the chair as it appears on the set of The Daily show, with HUGE ASS casters, reminding me of the shoes Kramer wore when he shared a cab with Mel Torme, who thought he was, well, "special." You know, the shoes that Jimmy designed to make Jimmy jump higher.  Jimmy doesn't like misunderstandings.
I just noticed this in Tuesday night's interview of George Lucas and speculated George Lucas had some weird thing in his appearance contract about not appearing shorter than anyone in the room, which would really be a feat when Jon Stewart is interviewing you. However, it was the same in tonight's interview so that quirky theory is gone.
Why oh why?  How could they do such a thing?

"What a waste of money"

This post on Hacker news really defines for me why I need to take a break from design, especially corporate design.  Many the comments in here are exactly what clients and end users think.  Yes, there are a few comments rebuking the concept that good design is expensive but most focus on the perceived "wasted" resources-money as well as energy-going into space design.  To be fair, Interior Design is essentially a luxury service, icing on the basic need of shelter.  Yes, there are lots of studies done on improving productivity, morale and decreasing employee attrition.  However, no one seems to care about that when it really gets down to brass tacks.  All that matters is money.  And sometimes, it's not even the actual amount of money you spend.  I have had more than one client that was concerned about "optics"  They spent MORE money to make it look like they spent less so employees wouldn't think that the company valued how their space looks over how much an employee was paid.  So, they spent the same amount of money building a life-sucking dilbert-ville instead of a space that the employees might like with access to views and sunlight; control over the lighting in their space; better common areas where people can get to know their co-workers and feel connected to them.  I have had clients tell me that red paint "looked expensive"  Are you kidding me?  Paint costs the same, no matter what color it is!!!  The business of Interior Design is stupidly demanding, given what it is.  Partially because Interior Designers do not get paid nearly enough for the the ridiculous amount of hours and energy put forth in an effort to please your client and create a design that you are happy to have your name on.  Just to define this a little more, since everyone thinks they are not paid enough.  The minimum work week is 45 hours.  Even then, you can't get everything done that needs to be done.  There is always more-one more drawing to do, one more design iteration, one more hour on that detail...it's never done.  In my twelve years of working in the industry, I have been treated for TMJ and panic attacks, and been admitted to the hospital twice with life-threatening asthma attacks because I was too busy to take my medicine.  Yes, all of that is my fault, not the industry's fault, as I am ultimately responsible for my own health.  However, none of my friends in other industries report similar issues.   The other issue I have with this industry is value.  We do not value ourselves.  We give away our services for far less fee than other professional services. THEN we perform extra services without asking for more money.  Just dumb.  If we don't value ourselves, how can we expect people who are uninformed about what we do to value us?
I suppose my real question is, is there a way to change the perceptions of the general public, so they think that Interior Design is something worth spending money to hire a professional?  Do we charge more, don't back down on those fees and embrace the luxury nature of our services?  By charging more than we do, does this make people want it because they can't have it?  I would love to hear thoughts on this-both from people in the industry and not in the industry.

Photo credits: from my portfolio. SRAM Offices, Chicago, Illinois by RTKL Associates. Photo by Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing.  This project was one of the few exceptions to the above.  The client was very involved in the creation of the space, even in the development of custom furniture for the space, and really appreciated what we as interior designers could bring to the table.  I think mainly because they were designers themselves and "got it."

Just wait till next year!

Being an Auburn fan...


Is starting to feel like being a Cubs fan.
War Eagle.
Go Cubs.

Because there is never enough white meat or rolls...

Happy Thanksgiving leftovers, everyone! (Even if you have to make more leftovers)

Mr. Drysdale will see you now, Mr. Clampett.

I am now officially taking (at least) a year off to take care of Jackson.  In honor of that I am re-posting one of my favorite emails I have ever gotten from a co-worker.  Jeffrey, you rock.  I hope they let you out of the sandbox soon.

From: Jeffrey Warren
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2008 12:34 AM
To: Katie Bowman
Subject: RE: our awesome building

http://www.som.com/common/modules/gallery/dsp_image_gallery.cfm/inland_steel_building?galleryCategoryID=503999&ImageIndex=5

Mr. Drysdale will see you now, Mr. Clampett.

Jeffrey

post script...

This photo is in the Inland Steel Building, where my office was located when I worked for HOK in Chicago. (They have since relocated to CNA Center) When I transferred to the San Francisco office, I was surprised to be in essentially the same building at One Bush Street, same architect, built about the same time, same shaped floor plate, but not as shiny.