Chicago Riverwalk!

Pictures of the Day] Buildings/Structures on the Riverwalk

Mood] Excited!

Weather] High 83 (though walking around makes you feel hotter!)

Currently] In my living room.

Quote of the day: "You're alive. Do something. The directive in life, the moral imperative was so uncomplicated. It could be expressed in single words, not complete sentences. It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act."

The Riverwalk was tons of fun! I'm sorry to say that the pictures above are out of order, but you can still look at them and get an idea of how populated the river walk is with famous buildings and structures! We started at the Centennial Fountain and worked out way westward along the bank of the Chicago river. We crossed a couple bridges and checked out all the different plaza spaces that are spread between the buildings, like the Equitable plaza. We also saw the Vietnam Memorial and a lot of water features/greenery. All in all, the city is pretty much filled with lots of spaces to socialize and take breaks. I had a really fun time just walking around. I got a good work out and probably a bit of a tan.

For this class, Chicago Landscapes, we'll be going on field trips every Wednesday, so it'll be a lot of fun to check out all the popular sites in Chicago. It is interesting to start picking out buildings and areas that are developed in different ways based on the time in which they were built. Some of the plazas we saw had completely different ideas for what it was to offer a social space. Some has lots of plants and shading. Others were simply huge open spaces. I think I like the ones with plants more. They add a lot of colour to the otherwise, blue, black, tan, and red of Chicago.

More field trips to come!
Jaye

IPRO - First Day and Field Trip

Picture of the Day] Us at the Ethics Station.

Mood] Cheery

Weather] HOT. Enough said.

Currently] In the office

Quote of the day: "There are two ways to pass a hurdle: leaping over or plowing through... There needs to be a monster truck option."

So IPRO was a lot of fun. The first day was all about getting together and having some group bonding. We ended up doing a little overview about what IPRO is and how the process was going to work during the summer time (shortened number of classes meaning fast paced and concentrated amount of work each week). Then we proceeded to do group related activities. The photo above is us at the "ethics table" where we were supposed to match up quotes related to ethics/morals to the presidents who said them. It was fun, but probably the most challenging. The one I liked best was the crossing of the "lava" with "rocks" which was basically black top with cardboard pieces. At the end of each task, if we completed it, we were given extra points if we did it fastest or we met more specific qualities for each task. Then, we were given a "prize" which was to help us for the final project. The final test was to build the tallest tower out of cardboard, paper, tape, and markers. I think we ended up in third.

Since our IPRO is about helping the neighbourhood of Oak Park be more sustainable, we took a trip out to the Oak Park Village Building where they manage such town affairs. We spoke with a few representatives of the Village and the Sustainability committee they have there. It was a very good meeting, quite interesting, and we definitely have a LOT to cover these next few weeks. There is a lot of research that needs to be done. I'll keep you updated.

Until the next!
Jaye

Flea Market and Fresh Dish

Pictures of the Day] Dropped hardboiled egg & Asparagus Goat Cheese pasta

Mood] Sticky.

Weather] High of 89. AKA NASTY.

Currently] In my living room.

Quote of the day: "Never believe anything until it has been officially denied."

So I decided to go and check out a flea market with my friend. Didn't have enough time to really peruse as much as I would've liked, but it was pretty cool. Unbearably hot, but that's how it goes when it's on a parking lot. I think it would be nice to go again, preferably early when it is a little cooler and there are better steals. I really really want to get some awesome stuff for making my own steampunk jewelry, or even vintage at that. Not only is it currently popular, but I think that I would wear it for a long time.

The weather has been getting progressively worse in my opinion. The heat is terrible along with the humidity. There is just a lot of stuff that needs to be done, around my apartment and around school. I feel lazy and sleepy all the time! I definitely need to clean! I have managed to prepare for summer classes though, so I feel a bit better about that.

Oh, so about those images. So I think if there's anything that I can do pretty well it's making hardboiled eggs. Unfortunately I ended up dropping one and it turned out looking like a one of those candies called Dots, but that's okay, it was still delicious. The other photos I've got are pictures of a modified recipe I tried. I have a LOT of asparagus still, and it needs to go! I will be grilling, roasting, baking, whatever I can. So the dish was another attempt at using them. It turned out pretty well. I used whole wheat spagetti instead of the traditional white spiral pasta that you use with pasta salad. I think it turned out okay, except the garlic did get a bit too brown, so it soured. :( Well, no one's perfect.

That's all for now!
Jaye

P.S. Didn't buy anything from the flea market (except a small boring carpet for my shoes which was $1). I was disappointed. There were tons of cool clocks but none that I wanted to pay for and spend time dismantling. Oh well. Gears another time...

New Apartment: First Meal of the Summer!

Picture of the Day] Garlic Bread, Stuffed Mushrooms, Prosciutto wrapped Asparagus, Asparagus Soup, Ratatouille

Mood] Tired.

Weather] High of 75. Sunny.

Currently] In my room.

Quote of the day: "I feel like a blue French rat from PIXAR that cooks."

So I decided to make myself a delicious meal, which of course, turned out to be too much food, but oh well! Summer break for me is ending, so that means work and school will be starting soon and I need to do a lot of work! I am going to start planning my meals and what I want to make for a week. This was sort of a splurge, so oh well! At least I have enough to make more too. It will last me a while. The Asparagus Soup is actually supposed to be creamy, but since I didn't have a blender or a blending stick, I just decided to have it as I made it, which was kinda on the fly. The asparagus ended up being quite tender though, so it was find in the end. I think it would've tasted a lot better creamy, but that's okay.

The ratatouille was tons of fun to make! I hope I can get better at it. I actually got the recipe from a really neat website called smittenkitchen.com. It has a ton of recipes that I think I'm going to try! There are pirogi on there, and I do love those. :D I'll be documenting all of my finds and my cooking exploits, so watch out for that!

Buying the utensils for everything was the worst part. I guess I have been so used to having all the supplies at home, that I was surprised with all the things I actually needed to kind of function in my own kitchen. I'll just have to start up getting all the supplies that I'll need in the future. Afterall, I will only have 2 more years left of school and then "off to the real world", as most say it. I really don't like that saying. It suggests that I'm not already living in the "real world", whatever that means. I think that's silly. There are some things though that I think I really need to buckle down and take care of. I suppose that's the part of "being an adult" most people think of, like financial stuff.

For now, I need to focus on getting through the rest of school though, and making sure that I have all the stuff I need to be successful! :D That means supplies, energy, and lots of time dedicated to improving!

Well, more cooking and projects to come,
~Jaye

P.S. Sherlock Holmes the movie is aweeeeesssommmmmeeeee. Love the music and style. Bought the Barnes and Nobles collection of the stories, so I should probably read them sometime...

At Home Projects!

Picture of the Day] The Floppy Disc throw pillow I made out of fleece for my boyfriend! :D (Front, Back, Lock, Indicator)

Mood] Tired.

Weather] High of 62. Rainy.

Currently] In my living room.

Quote of the day: "I adore simple pleasures. They are the last refuge of the complex."

Soooo I decided to relax since I've been home. I have slept more, eaten more, watched TV for the first time in probably a year, and played the Wii. Exciting. I decided to take up my projects again, that is, the throw pillows. If you might remember, I made the bamboo bolster and posted some pictures of that. Now I have done it! CREATED THE ULTIMATE NERDY CUTENESS! It is a super awesome floppy disc pillow. It certainly isn't perfect and yet again I asked for help to seal up the final edge because my hand stitching skills are not up to par, but I am excited! I think it looks cute and my b/f loves it!

The next pillow project is a Pizza pillow for my brother in law. Going to be awesome. I already have the parts made. I just need to take the time to sew it all together! It's hard without a machine, so I'll be sewing all the individual ingredients on by hand and then sewing together the whole pillow later. Don't worry, there'll be pictures of this one too! Well, that's it for now. Hope you like it!!!

Super psyched,
~Jaye

Going Home!

Picture of the Day] Science & Industry Spring Formal, 21st Birthday, Fall ASA Rush, Apples to Apples

Mood] Cheery

Weather] High of 73. Partly cloudy.

Currently] In my room.

Quote of the day: "All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has it."

WHEW~! School is ooovverrrr! At least for now. I've got a few weeks before summer school hits and then it's a couple weeks of intensive study before going back to the regular fray. I have a few pictures looking back on the year, which I always find is a cool thing to do. I will be working this summer, so I will probably be meeting a lot of new prospective/admitted students! I am excited about that. This year has not yielded quite the grades that I wanted, but I also know that 3rd year is supposedly the toughest. I thought 2nd year was bad! I think this summer I need to focus on getting a portfolio ready, working on study abroad, and really educating myself more on architecture. I think one of the best things for a student to probably do in this field is to just read and look as much as possible. Being observant in an environment that you already know about is a good thing! Being hyper sensitive to your surroundings and having that be second nature is great! It's a skill that anyone can value.

I think that I tried a lot of different things this year, but not many of them worked because my process was not quite up to speed. I can work hard and I am dedicated, but I wasn't approaching things the right way. Maybe if I practice this summer by learning more, immersing myself in projects, I'll find a path that I can use, a method that I can be consistent with. :)

Well, I am crazy excited to go home. I've been waiting for a long time and I hope that it will be just as much fun as I know it will be. My family misses me probably as much as I miss them (which is a lot). I'm also excited about getting my own apartment when I come back to school for summer school. It'll be fun to cook things on my own and to have my own place to relax in!

See you soon,
~Jaye

Finals Week

Picture of the Day] Final models: 1/2" = 1'-0" Section Detail, 1/8" = 1'-0" Final Model

Mood] Wary

Weather] Gray with a high of 73

Currently] At the Front Desk

Quote of the day: "Appetite, with an opinion of attaining, is called hope; the same, without such opinion, despair."

So finals week is approaching and there is a ton to do! This is going to be a short short post. Although review is over for now, we have to catch up on all of our other examinations and projects. Here is what I need to do.

Studio includes:
2 booklets with my work from this semester
2 cds with my work from this semester

Projects include:
Report for Ecological Basis of Planning

Exams include:
Structures
MechElec

Essays include:
Vernacular Landscape - Graffiti

Presentations include:
Vernacular Landscape - Graffiti

That's about it for now. I gotta get crackin!
Jaye