weekend

Friday was a busy day for me despite having no school. I spent the morning working in studio, then called Hondacare to take the van in because the check engine light was on again. Without a phone, I used the library desk phone to arrange to take it in. I took it in around noon and Jeremy (?) took me back in the courtesy shuttle, a van identical to mine. I don't know where they find these guys.

Jeremy (or something like that) was 75 years old, and a retired navy gunner's mate in the Korean war. He grew up in tempe during the 1930's-40's and graduated from Tempe High with Ira Fulton, now the largest donator to ASU, and one of the richest men in Arizona. It was intersesing hearing about how Tempe used to be fifty years ago. The street I live on I always considered to be a bit unusual as it runs unusally close to University dr. and follows some strange kinks before dead-ending into McClintock. Apparently 8th st. used to be the main road, before University was built. It made sense to me- all the old buildings lining the street, apparently the Four Peaks brewery was built in an old dairy building, and the railroad tracks following the road instead of university. Back when old Jeremy attended Arizona State Teachers College, McClintock road was out in the boonies. Really interesting conversation.

Anyway, after a few hours I called back in with a payphone and found it was just the gas cap. Go figure. So Jeremy drove back and picked me up and I drove my van home. Later that evening, I drove down to Tucson to hang out with Cassie and Julie, and ended up going to a party in a hotel event center. It was the most organized college party I've ever seen, and I was patted down at the door by hired security staff. Very wierd. Had a really good time though. Drove back to Tempe saturday afternoon, and made a pass at layiung out my next history of architecture paper.

This morning I got up early to head into studio. Got some work done there, but I'm not moving very quickly. I realized I hadn;t been to the site yet, so I drove out to the park in glendale. My intended site is along the fence line. The weather was gorgeous today again, and the sleepy community park with the big old trees and squaw peak in the distance reminded me of how much I love Arizona. I sat there for about two hours just sitting and sketching, watching a softball practice, a guy throwing an axe into palm trees, and several picnics and birthday parties.
Sally and Jonathan invited me to dinner, and Jonathan made fried leek rings, fried chicken, and rolls. Really good dinner. Great gelato for dessert, apparently from Costco. I'll have to look for it next time I'm there. When I came in, Gabriel greeted me with "Hi Aric!" Sally also let me do an emergency load of clothes while I was over there.

After that I went to studio and worked there until about midnight. I'm not happy with the design I've got, but we're pinning up next monday and I need to move on. I think I'm nearing what I want concetually, but I needed to get a solid floorplan in order to really peg down what I'm dealing with. Got a floorplan, and two sections pegged out. There was practically nobody in studio tonight.

Got some really tragic news the other night too: my cousin Brandon passed away in an apartment fire. He was only about a year or two older than I am. He left two younger brothers and his parents. There's just been so much sadness and death recently, it doensn't seem right or fair. It's horrible and macabre to think about how when I shook his hand at grandpa Perkin's funeral, I'd never see him again. Dad's flying over to Oklahoma to be with his brother. It's just too sad.