August to Yesterday

Apologies are in order, dear readers, who have not left this blog by the wayside as its creator has.

It is a new lifestyle, one which does not have the same level of excitement or insight as a college student. I go to work in the morning, come home, do some stuff in the late afternoon, eat dinner, and go to bed early. There's really not a whole lot more than that. In fact, I'm finding myself living an ironically 1950's dream. Early mornings and long days at the firm, a place of my own to relax, and a car to enjoy sunday drives.

Which is not to say I'm not learning anything. On the contrary, the project I'm currently working on at the firm is by far the most complicated anyone on my team has done before. The intergroup politics and relationships seem to do a majority of governing of how the project is taking shape. I'm not happy with the way the project is turning out, but its a fascinating and intense introduction to the birth of a building. It's a shame that I really can't go into the details here about it. But I am writing these things down, keeping my eyes and ears open, and getting down to it. I can say at least that the project is developing along a concept that I came up with, which is satisfying, even as it gets perverted by the various parties associated with the project.

On my birthday, Saori took me to to fish and chips for lunch, and surprised me with a little slice of pound cake with candles. That night we went to Flemmings in Scottsdale, where we had a great steak dinner. One year ago, I celebrated my birthday at Lomo in Buenos Aires with Malbec wine and wonderful beef. This year, we got the best steak in the house, Oscar style, which meant that it was cooked with crab meat and Bearnaise sauce on top. For dessert we split a phenomenal chocolate lava cake which was served with a candle after our waiter discovered that it was my birthday. We found out when we got the check they gave it to us for free, at a normal cost of $11. To go with my filet mignon, I got a glass of chilean malbec, the closest I could get to Argentina.

The next day, Saori and I picked up Taylor and we went to India Palace for dinner, the restaurant he'd been wanting to go to since eating there with me my freshman year. I think Tay is good at school, at least he seems to be going to class and doing his essays. He's already made friends with most of the people on his dorm floor.

We had a busy weekend. Saturday, Saori and I drove around downtown Phoenix, taking an impromptu tour around Meier's federal courthouse, and around deserted downtown. We then made a visit to the Arizona Rock and Mineral Muesum, a museum I've not visited in at least ten years. We spent about two hours there, looking at rocks, and I ended up buying a big solid copper sphere, some 'tv' rock, and a beautifully polished petrified oak slice. Saori picked up a gypsum desert rose that she'll try to mount on a ring. After the museum, we drove around the desolate areas southwest of downtown Phoenix, stumbling on the new Cesar Chavez library. I was blown away as this library looked exactly like my library project third year in architecture school. We pulled over and explored it, and I picked up a CD they were selling of old cuban salsa from the 1950's. Very cool.