The Drawing of the Desks

Yesterday was the first day of school.

Officially, I mean, if you don't count the two weeks of 15 hour day studios of the "pre-semester orientation."

Our day generously started at noon, as our studios are in the afternoon leaving the mornings free for other classes. Tuesday's class was actually at 1:30, but we stopped by early to sit in on a short talk on dual degrees since both Saori and I are kicking around the idea.With the architecture masters degree, there is also possibilities for other masters degrees as credits transfer between fields. Their most common dual degrees are MArch/MBA MArch/MUD (masters of urban development), MArch/MLA (masters of landscape architecture), and MArch/MSW (masters of social work). Many of these masters degrees would require only an additional semester or year to complete, essentially giving you an additional masters for a year less of time, energy, and expense than it would separately.

I've been kind of kicking around the idea of getting a masters of social work. On the one hand, I've always wanted to pursue an architecture that benefits humanity, and this would give my architecture masters and future career a directed focus. The field is very broad- I'd be more towards the economic and community development side of social work, perhaps with disaster mitigation thrown in, rather than abused child kind of social work. On the other hand, I really need to evaluate how dedicated I am to that field, and how more time and money I can afford to spend. On the flip side, the school of social work at Wash U is consistently ranked the #1 or #2 school in the country, and they provide excellent scholarships. Anyway, I have a semester to think about it.

Anyway, our first class was very straightforward, Environmental systems I, which we may or may not end up waiving depending on what our course material from ASU shows. I think we'll actually end up taking it, and waiving out of Environmental systems II: The HVAC Strikes Back. The instructor was good, clear, and held our attention pretty well. We got our first assignments:

• Read an incredibly introductory introduction to building systems (central heating and cooling), that actually began with the dawn of life in the seas (ocean temps are pretty stable due to the thermal mass of water, fish are cold blooded, etc) through mammalian adaptation including the strategy of Not Being There (hibernation, migration, or death). This is the only text I've ever read on building systems that include the discovery of fire before finally getting to the invention of air conditioning.
• Student questionaire which essentially asks for basic contact information and a definition of sustainability, so I printed out my speech on the subject that I presented in Scottsdale earlier this year and attached that.

Afterwards, we went home and had a pretty lazy day of reading while Saori recuperated from being sick. (She's feeling a little better today). Then, at 9pm, we were called forth to the highest level of the architecture building for the Anciente and Hallowed Ryte of the Drawing of the Desks.

Considering that the majority of time spent in architecture is spent in studio, the location of a desk is given utmost importance. Windows, corners, and walls are all prized amenities. Usually the way it was handled back at ASU was a crowd would form at the door before studio and when it was unlocked, there would be a mad scramble for desks a bit like Wal-Mart shoppers on Black Friday. I don't know how it normally happens here, as the studios are all open and connected in large halls. 

Actually, the Drawing of the Desks is a new thing here. Why it had to be at 9pm is beyond me. Anyway, we went to our assigned quarters of the hall where our studio was and our names were drawn from the Grande Chalise of Choosyng Tupperware container and we got to pick our desks based on the order we were drawn. I got a window and a short ledge which will come in handy I'm sure. 

I was surprised by how many people immediately started moving in. And I do mean moving in. I came in this morning to find people desks laid out with rows of tea jars, extra monitors, coffee makers and microwaves, additional shelving, personal desk chairs, you name it. It lends a feeling that something monumental or awesome is about to occur.

Anyway, that night, we went out to Blueberry hill with some new friends. It was quite a mixed table. Representation from US, Hong Kong, China, Japan, and Vietnam. Our Vietnamese friend, Hiep, told us an interesting story of his flight to the US. He flew in the country for the first time a few weeks ago, and United bumped him and made him sign some paperwork that was not clearly explained. He was then stuck in San Francisco for twelve hours along with another woman who also got bumped and they ended up going sightseeing together. She was a local of St.Louis and while they were placed on different flights, she came back to the airport to pick him up and drive him to campus. She actually hosted him with her family for a few days, took him to the grocery store, bank and phone store, and drove him to to the apartment he ended up renting. Sometimes I think that the world is held together by the kindness of strangers. 

We ended up heading home around 1pm when the bar closed after we all played a miserably bad game of darts in the dart room.