Focus the Nation and Chili 01.29.2008 5:38PM Thursday is usually my day off. I have no class and only have to TA for an hour and fifteen minutes. But this Thursday I am going to participate in Focus the Nation. Its a national teach-in to engage people around the US in a discussion of global warming solutions. As not only a citizen of this planet, but also, as a student pursuing an advanced degree in a field whose "products" account for 71% of America's electricity use and 38% of all greenhouse-gas emissions, I think it is my responsibility to provide a sustainable world for now and the future. As part of Ball State's Focus the Nation program, over 50 professors/faculty/staff will be giving ten minute presentations on how global warming relates to their area of specialty. Divided into six sessions staring at 10AM and concluding at 4PM, I have chosen one discussion to attend at each time. Not surprisingly the ones I have chosen focus around architecture and the allied fields. I plan on attending discussions on Urban Planning, Catastrophic Effects of Climate Change, Education for the Century Ahead, Ecological Design, The American Lifestyle, and Sustainability in Indiana. While it will be a long day I think this is invaluable information that everybody should be concerned with knowing. I'll be sure to report back on the information I absorb at the discussions. Even if you don't believe in global climate change, it only makes sense to live a morally responsible life that includes recycling, energy efficiency, reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions, and many other aspects to solutions to climate change. And now for a completely different topic, I have mastered a perfect chili. This is for those who like it hot (spicy!) and chunky. Taking my Mom's very successful but more traditional chili recipe I have created my own variant. Its chunky enough where it can be eaten sans spaghetti and sans meat for vegetarians. And the heat can be cut back for those who may not like it as spicy as myself. As it stands with the following recipe, its a spice that requires about 30 minutes to sweat off. Perfect. Bring to boil: - 2 cans tomato sauce - 1 can tomato paste - 2 cups water - 1 packet chili mix - 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper - 1/2 an onion (diced) - 1/2 a bell pepper (diced) - 1/2 a jalapeno pepper (diced) - 1/2 a serrano pepper (diced) - seasoning salt to taste Add meat and boil for 10 minutes and then simmer until serving. Add chili beans 15 minutes before serving and remember to get the spaghetti going at about the same time if you want spaghetti. You'll be in chili heaven. Ramblings 01.22.2008 10:38PM This is going to be all over the map, so just enjoy. - It took my studio professor five classes to call me cynical. Right on time. I countered with my usual realist/pragmatist response, but that never works with optimists. - I was at the bar on Saturday night and at one point 5 of 7 songs played were John Mellencamp. Not only did I have to stop my rant against Euchre to rant against Mellencamp, but it got me thinking of musicians (group or otherwise) whom if I never heard again, I would not care. They are (in particular order): The Eagles, John Mellencamp, Boston, Bob Seger, and Billy Joel. (Full disclosure: I have at least one song of the aforementioned artists in iTunes, because each has one song that I really like and I continue to think it will turn me on to the rest of their library. Nope!) - Which leads me to today's discussion of "architecture, morality, and taste". I posited that taste of art (music, architecture, etc.) is both intuitive and rational. My professor bought the argument with architecture, but could not believe that not only can I, but do I, rationalize music. Which further led to him to ask if I do the same with movies, only to his dismay, to find out I dislike movies. I'll state right now that I think this professor is a brilliant man, but he said I was the first of his students who was studying architecture that did not like movies. He went on to explain how he sees movies as creating space and some other "architectural" concepts. Thank god he doesn't know I hate pizza and have never had peanut butter and jelly. Furthermore, he finds it hard to believe that I don't believe in a "universal morality", that is, everybody, no matter your culture, location, position, etc. has the same understanding of what is right and what is wrong. I think there are so many factors that go into morality that its close to impossible for a universal morality to exist. Since I became an aside to nearly every part of the discussion it was an interesting class to say the least. - The birthday loot was fantabulous. It includes: Creedence Clearwater Revival "The Concert" and Pink Floyd "Dark Side of the Moon" vinyls, a Raider's fleece, "Tree Town" Threadless t-shirt, a Chicago skyline poster, and a skyscrapers of Chicago t-shirt from the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Oh yeah, chocolate iced funfetti cupcakes. - And I thought Champaign-Urbana was small. Both Muncie and Ball State are roughly half the size of Chambana and the UofI. I was downtown on Friday night and it was like a ghost town and then at the bars just south of campus (much like Green St.) on Saturday and it seemed pretty quiet. Note to self: I (and possible future family) will not live in small town, heartland of America location. It has to be some form of child abuse. Good thing grad school is keeping me busy. I pity the undergrads. Well I think that pretty much covers it. Please feel free to comment on any or all of this true ramble. I Don't Mind the Cold 01.18.2008 6:00PM There, I said it. I used to wonder why I tortured myself and headed north to college, in particular, the notoriously flat and therefore windy Champaign, IL. But then I realized it was more mind over matter. Sure it seems absurd when you check weather.com and see the temperature listed at 17 and feels like 2, but once you're dressed (more on this in a minute) and outside its not really that bad. I don't love cold weather but I accept it as an integral part of the temperate climate (and seasons) I love so much. Maybe I don't mind the cold so much since I was born, on what at the time, was the coldest day in the history of Louisville. Thanks to wunderground.com I was able to see that there has never been another birthday nearly that cold, though in 2000 and 2001 low temperatures were in the single digits. The average mean temperature on my birthday is a chilly 25 degrees, though depending on the situation it could be a hoodie day. People complain about cold weather a lot but with proper care there is no need to be cold on a cold day. Now, one thing I dislike is being warm, so this might not apply to you (most people add an extra layer than I suggest) but here's how to handle the cold weather. - Long sleeve t-shirt: Not only do long sleeve t-shirts work perfectly as late Fall rolls in or early Spring arrives, but they work wonders to layer on especially cold days. A light weight jacket also works in long sleeve t-shirt situations. - Hoodie- Hoodies work in all sorts of situations. I love it when hoodie weather comes along. The hoodie is prime for chilly days when the sun is shining bright and the wind is at a minimum. With the ability to push up the sleeves it keeps me from getting too warm on such a day. - Fleece-lined winter jacket lining: I own a big Columbia winter "parka". The best thing about it is the inner-lining separates from the weather-proofed exterior and works as a very warm but quite light winter jacket. The fleece lining goes a long way in cutting the wind and keeping the chill out. I use this most often in the heart of winter. - Columbia "Parka": When the weather's cold, the wind is blowing, and rain/snow is falling nothing is better than the Columbia "Parka". It has all the benefits of the inner fleeced-lined jacket with the added protection of repelling the water. It works during the worst of winter conditions. Maybe I've thought about it too much, but with the climates I've spent significant time in, I love knowing what winter apparel keeps me just warm enough. Of course there are plenty of situations to add some warm gloves and the toboggan. With the right clothing choice, you should have no reason to complain about being cold during the bitter winter months. Cribs: My Aparment 01.15.2008 6:16PM Well its been a while since you last heard from me, but thats because I've been getting settled in Muncie. I'm finally getting into a groove and figured out a schedule to get all the reading done without burning myself out. Having no classes on Thursday really helps out. Along with new classes, I've had to make a home for myself. Check out the video below for a tour of my humble abode. Back to School 01.08.2008 9:12PM Let me tell you, it's hard adjusting to college life again...NOT. At least not yet. Granted it is only my first week back, but with one class on Tuesday and no class on Thursday, even when work starts rolling in I'll have a chance to sleep in occasionally. I've been to every class already so let me lay it all out for you. Holy books Batman, that's a lot of reading. The seminar has arrived. No longer is it about being taught through lecture, but rather teaching myself through discussion with the professor and others. I'm taking four classes this semester and three of them are seminars. Two meet once a week for three hours and the other twice a week for an hour and a half. Not to mention, studio is going to require some reading and research for the first few weeks. I'm anticipating that I'll have no less than 200 pages to read every week. I'm going to try and keep a tally, but I can only count so high. By the end of the semester I'll have read more than during the previous 22 years of my life. Yes its a lot of reading but its finally information I'll be interested in (most of the time). Its all about architecture and mainly contemporary ideas. The topics range from theory, criticism, ethics, culture and anything else interlinked with architecture today. Most of the readings will be from professional journals/magazines/periodicals so the information will be very current. Luckily all the seminars are structured the same way. You read the information for the next class period and come prepared with notes you took from the reading. They don't have to be typed. They don't have to be complete sentences. They're notes. Main ideas, arguments, supporting evidence, counter arguments, etc. And with the notes you participate in the discussion/argument during that class period. Also each seminar has a different student lead the discussion each time. So all I have to do is read (I know, I hate reading) and takes notes. That seems a lot easier than undergrad. Best of all, I don't have any tests this semester. The seminars either have a short term paper or small project instead of any tests. I'm not big on school, but I can handle discussion and argument. I know its impossible to have before graduate school, but this seems like the way all education should be. As long as I stay on top of my reading assignments, I think I'll do alright. The Architect's Perspective 01.01.2008 3:09PM "So you got me. I'm not really an architect. But as I work my way towards an advanced degree and eventual licensure, I'm going to use this regular feature to highlight news and happenings in the field of architecture. This obviously includes buildings both existing and proposed along with design, sustainability, and technology, but also the allied fields of historic preservation/conservation, urban planning, landscape architecture, and art. While the World Monuments Fund released their 2008 World Monuments Watch, highlighting the world's 100 most endangered sites, in June 2007, I thought it would be a good way to kick off 2008 and this new feature. You can find an interactive map here. By clicking a site you can found out, not only, what the site is but also its historical significance and its current threat(s). Category of threats include "global climate change", "conflict", and "economic and development pressures". The sites range from "historic cities", "modern architecture" and "cultural heritage". Clicking through the map you quickly realize that most of the issues these sites face are caused by humans. While I think all the sites included on the watch list are important, the ones that intrigue me the most are the ones that can be preserved through sound planning and smart decisions. Take for example "St. Petersburg Historic Skyline" which is threatened by a proposed skyscraper. St. Petersburg, like many other centuries-old European cities, has a low-rise skyline. More often than not the tallest structure(s) in the cities is the clock/bell tower of a church (northern Europe) or a palace (southern Europe). A buzzword in architecture is always context. As in, does the proposed building fit into the context of the existing site? To some, context does not matter, as clearly shown by the architects of the proposed Okhta-Center. But valuing context so importantly does not have to eliminate or limit technological advancement in architecture. Maybe its just me, but this proposed all glass spire stretching to the heavens clearly does not make sense in St. Petersburg. With some more time, effort, and coordinating I know an innovative and striking design, that fits into the existing fabric of St. Petersburg, can be designed to fulfill the needs the Okhta-Center looks to provide. Other sites that caught my attention were the hurricane ravaged city of New Orleans and the West Bank of the Nile at Luxor, Egypt (including the Valley of the Kings/Queens and Luxor Temple). I was in Luxor 3 years ago and may have been a part of the problem being a tourist, though I'd like to think I was an ideal tourist, leaving only footprints. As world travel becomes a more viable option for more and more people it will be interesting to see what role it plays in future World Monuments Watch lists. After looking at the map, what sites caught your attention? Check out Last Month 01.01.2008 3:03PM Check out last month at Beavers and Ducks, while you wait for a new post for January.December 2007

Gregory 'Jesus' Dowell Muncie, IN - I'm a 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies. Currently pursuing my graduate degree in Architecture at Ball State University. I just finished a 7 month internship with RRJ. The internship has taken me from coast (Bethany Beach, DE) to coast (San Diego, CA), while showing me the ropes. Resume Portfolio Greg's Calendar Mar. 8-16- Spring Break May 2- Spring Semester ends May 3- Kentucky Derby Important Wii Release Dates - Beat GH3 on medium so now its back to Super Mario Galaxy Mar. 9 Super Smash Bros. Brawl Q2 2008 Mario Kart Wii Q2 2008 Wii Fit Other Wii Games To Watch For Feb. 26 SEGA Bass Fishing Mar. 3 MLB 2K8 Mar. 11 Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 TBA 2008 Rock Band TBA 2008 Wii Music The Latest Podcast Last Month at Beavers and Ducks December 2007 Links Bloomington or Bust Smelkem Spargel Lives of Wander Theresa's Freelance Site

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