It is all about the process.
I was wandering through this blog a while back and realized that despite my very first post this thing has become primarily my day planner. Not for all the amazing events I go to and am a big deal at, but really for just the interesting things happening around town that I figured would be fun to go to if you were an art/environmental/design/food/beer nerd (eg me). Also, this thing got way less personal, albeit with brief moments of deeply personal bits and pieces left out there for really no reason.
I tried the whole "online community of rabble rousers" bit and found that mostly discouraging. Betwixt the undercurrents of racism/sexism/classism that is evident when every other statement is "I'm not _(biased)_ some of my best friends are _(some sort of distinguishable other group)_" or just blatant stupid/ignorant hatred (see most of the comments on Cleveland.com, if you dare) one can get pretty fed up with the armchair quarterbacks bitching about their world view being threatened by people actually doing things. And the internet is great for that. For people who want to just sit back and bitch about things not going their way. You really don't need much, some vitriol, an internet connection and some way to transcribe your insanity into text and/or photographs. There is the path of least resistance and I dub thee "the internet".
Whatev.
So I am taking back this blog a big. No more daily planner for me (although I will probably mention some things coming up it should not be the bulk of the postings), not that anyone reads this, I think most of my traffic comes from Russian porn mirror sites or something stupid like that. Luckily I have reached a point in my life where taking back my voice is easy. I used to be slightly concerned with what the bosses or "powers that be" would think of my little windmill tilting. The Breuer Tower thing didn't exactly go over well at the old place, not that it was mentioned to my face, just conversations in passing. Can't bite the hand that feeds you, I guess, even if you are being fed poisoned oats (or at least the old moldy bits no one else wants).
Happily the new place of employ is giving me the power to be myself. Not that it is free reign to go out and say malicious and stupid things, but I suppose they sort of understand that the crazy guy in the corner is going to vent somewhere and you may as well let him attempt to curate it into some sort of solidified and slightly comprehensive statement of values instead of thinking he just has tourettes. So the office is giving me a day off a week (sans pay, which is fine as I keep my medical) to work on projects I deem interesting. They are mostly art installations or research or maybe even some sort of architecture/planning things that may turn into big enough projects to shepherd back into the office.
You may ask "Why? Why would anyone put up with your shit, Dru? Why would anyone let you work on side projects when you could be cranking away in the office full time, making your magic equate bonus billable hours galore?"
"Because I am that awesome." would be my reply. Although what it really means is that some architecture firms find value in staff working on research/exploratory projects on the side and have found the perfect chance to exploit my personal ambition as a marketing tool with the low, low price of me just not being in the office one day a week.
So I get a 3 day weekend to work on things and the office gets me for 4 days relatively undistracted.
Win-mutha-f-er-win.
What this means is that my weekends should be pretty packed of me accomplishing great things. Which it isn't. I admit this weekend in particular I sat on my buttocks playing SimCity (sucks) watching some Rhino tutorial videos, sketching some quick connection details and fretting about my weight instead of actually doing much. I have also become completely freaked by the laser cutter sitting in my home office hoping to be assembled and have a home found for it. It takes up my whole side table and makes the office feel half as big.
I'm freaking out on the inside.
Regardless, things are looking up.
I have a laser cutter. Half the battle right there in making awesome stuff. Also the Creative Workforce Fellowship has given me some street cred maybe and oh yeah...
I passed my final ARE exam, meaning I am a full growed up architect. Check it.
I, Dru (andrew) McKeown, am an Architect (in the great state of Ohio)
The above could not legally have been stated aloud before. Not allowed to be aloud. Now, perfectly legal. I have stamps and bidness cards and all the accoutrement thereof. Not an intern, etc, an actual Architect. Huzzah.
So, I'm taking back the street. More inane ramblings to come.
