First of all, I would
like to sincerely apologize for the 11-day gap between my two most recent
blobs. Several of my constituents
have communicated their disapproval and I feel deep shame for doing wrong by you all. I hear you, the rest
of the world hears you. To atone,
I made the considerable effort to turn off The Great British Bakeoff and write this post on time.
Secondly, I forgot to
announce that I did indeed pass my last architecture exam and school is out for
the summah! No more studying for
me until I decide to schedule the California state exam (hopefully by the end
of the year). WOO HOO.
Number three—I know my
sister like I know my own mind, you will never find anyone as trusting or as
kind.
Fourth and final
point.This time next week, Will
and I will have convened with my family in Italy.Buongiorno principessas!To continue my atonement (see paragraph one), I pledge to
blob for the next two weeks FROM ITALY.(That is, if I do not succumb to deep vein thrombosis on the flight over.Yes, I am worried about this.Yes, I am a hypochondriac.I’m already experiencing phantom DVT
pain.)Feel free to send along
book/movie/sleep aid suggestions for the flight.Till next time from Italia—ciao bellas!
Friends and family, I have good news and news. Good news: I finally finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I now want to read Chernow's biography of George Washington...and I also feel like I need to give Thomas Jefferson another fair shake (I tend to assume the biases of my biographee, so I'm currently thinking TJ is a slippery and conniving son of a gun. Probably would not be friends with him. Hamilton, on the other hand...very sexy and totally into it.) This is all leading me to reevaluate my presidential biography quest. Will I ever escape the founding fathers? Shouldn't I read one about Benjamin Franklin? Is he feeling left out? Probably. News: I am taking what I hope will be my LAST ARE on Friday. (I passed Building Systems! A vent stack is a stack of vents.) Send good vibes to San Francisco. After my exam, I plan to write a more exhaustive review of Alexander Hamilton. I wanted to do it today, but alas...I must study. I know you will be waiting at the edge of your seat. Until then, my faithful readers.
From the Kaplan Building Systems ARE study guide: "In the soil stack, the section above the highest fixture is called the stack vent (as opposed to the vent stack) and vents the soil stack. The vent stack is a 'stack' of vents; the stack vent is something that vents the top of the soil stack."
"Stack" and "vent" are starting not to look like words.
Unprecedented thing—I am writing this post AHEAD of time. It is the first early blob. I am still going to schedule it to
publish tomorrow for a reason that will reveal itself later.
Why am I writing
early? Two reasons. Number one, tomorrow is opening day for
the Architects, Contractors & Engineers Softball League of San
Francisco. Last year, we claimed
the dubious prize of “First Place in the Non-Competitive Playoff”, which I think
is equivalent to a participation trophy.
So we have middling success.
The contractors, being bigger, stronger, and scarier, consistently beat
up on all the skinny architects and engineers. While I’d like to think architects’ coolness advantage over
engineers translates into softball wins, that is not always the case. Tomorrow we play a team of contractors,
so it may be a tough night for the defending Non-Competitive Playoff
Champs.
Number two, I am
procrastinating studying for my Building Systems exam (aptly abbreviated
“BS”). I’m supposed to study
electrical systems tonight, but I’m having trouble relocating from the couch to
the desk. On Saturday, when I was
supposed to study plumbing systems, somehow I ended up taking a six-hour nap. So motivation has been a tough thing to
muster. I’m very ready to be done
with these tests. Two more to go,
then the California exam, then I will be an architect. Why does it take longer to become an
architect than it does to become a doctor…we do not get paid nearly enough for
this.
Anyways, in honor of my flooded, beloved Houston and Way
Back Wednesday (which I thought I invented until I just googled it), I will close with one of my all-time
favorite Youtube videos.I
remember seeing this on the news while we waited for Hurricane Ike to make
landfall.I’m so glad it’s on
Youtube.It just tickles me.I may account for all 79,000 views.
San Francisco: where 2 beds + 1 bath = 2.7 million dollars
2. From the Ballast
Building Systems ARE study guide:
“To quantify the effects of clothing [on
human comfort], the unit clo
was developed. One clo is about equal to the typical American man’s
business suit or about 0.15 clo/lbm of clothing.”
My comments:
- The unit clo is hilarious and cute.
- The second sentence from the study guide does not
make sense. One clo cannot equal 0.15 clo/lb. (That it can equal a typical American
man’s business suit is also up for debate. Does this mean when Will and I are packing to go to the next
wedding I can tell him not to forget his clo?)
- Upon further investigation (Wikipedia), I believe
the study guide should have said 0.15 K·m²/W.
If you are interested (and even if you’re not), K·m²/W
is the same unit for the R-value for insulation. Which makes sense because clo measures the insulation value of clothing.
- Furthermore, according to Wikipedia, another unit
for the insulation value of clothing is the tog (1 clo = 1.55 togs). “Togs” is supposedly a British slang term for clothes.
I really wish I could
order coffee by drone. That’s
coming soon, right? It would just
fly up to my window. I suppose I
could use one of the food delivery apps, but what if the coffee is cold by the
time it gets to me? I’m just in a
big predicament here. It’s my
Friday off (two days late blob, I apologize), and I really need to study for my
next exam. But I know as soon as I
open the book, I am going to fall asleep.
“Couldn’t you just make
your own coffee?” you ask. Yes,
but the milk is spoiled and I don’t do black coffee.
“Couldn’t you walk to
the nearest coffee shop? You live
in San Francisco—a coffee shop is never too far away.” You are correct again. But there is this really big hill and
it’s raining.
The actual problem here
is that I am too comfortable. I’m
in comfy clothes, sitting on a comfy couch, just relaxing by myself. I could doze off any second. I think I have inherited this from my
dad’s side of the family. We are
impressive dozers.
Alas, I cannot let this
day slip by with no studying.The
test is two weeks from today, I haven’t started studying yet, and I’ll be away
all next weekend for Mahe’s wedding (!!!!!!) in New Orleans.So study I must.I publicly resolve to get off this
couch, put on my rain boots, and make the coffee trek.Thank you for keeping me honest.
Sincere apologies for no
post yesterday. I got distracted
by cramming for my exam, which is not usually how distraction works for
me. I just returned from the testing
center and feel…suspicious.
Suspicious of success, suspicious of failure…who can say. We shall see. The exam was Construction Documents and Services AKA How Not
to Get Sued/Screwed/Taken Advantage Of/Bankrupt by the
Owner/Contractor/Consultants/Users.
Riveting stuff…jk that was the Structures exam. (Ah ah. Brain fried.) So this exam was two
parts—multiple choice and a design vignette (a building section through
structure/HVAC/etc). Everything is
going along smoothly enough until I get to the vignette and read the word
“parapet” in the instructions…and then HAMILTON (the musical) is UNLEASHED in
my brain. “After a week of fighting, a young man in red coat stands on the parapet.” So all while trying to draw this wall
section, I have lines like “FREEDOM FOR AMERICA FREEDOM FOR FRANCE” and “WE WON
WE WON WE WON WE WON” playing over and over in my brain. Not the best concentration music, but I
did manage to finish the drawing.
I may need to take a break from listening to Hamilton/I just turned it
on...I’m gonna go rendezvous with Rochambeau. BYE.
Happy new year to my
adoring fans.I made many
resolutions this year and too many have already fallen by the wayside ("Dry January" began on January 3rd and ended on January 4th. “Eat
healthier food”—a frozen pizza is heating in the oven as I write this).The resolution I am most serious about,
however, is to write weekly in this blog.I will do so on Wednesdays, so I hope you will tune back in and keep me
honest. Without further ado...
2015 by the Numbers
Blog posts: 20 Presidential biographies
finished: 1
Remember me?
Weddings attended: 5
Times I flew from sea to
shining sea: 14 Architectural Registration Exams passed: 2 Architectural Registration Exams failed: 1 :( Dollars the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards swindled from me: 1,485
Times I correctly
identified an earthquake: 1
Times I was fooled by
the spin cycle: 1
Times I was fooled by
loud noises or perceived vibrations: pleading the 5th
I think that covers the
vital statistics. For me, 2015 was
a gratifying year—exciting move to San Francisco, Erin’s wedding, etc—but for
the world, 2015 seemed to be when the crazies took hold…everywhere. Here’s to hoping everyone can CALM DOWN
in 2016. A vain hope for an
election year, I realize.
A small glance forward at
2016, by the numbers:
Blog posts: 52 Architectural
Registration Exams to knock out: 5
