The River

Not to be confused by a previous post entitled 'River', this is 'The River.' Bonus points to the person who knows the artist of this song.

Quick update before I get to the good stuff. The first critique in Design class went really well. The profs said that I had good craftsmanship, good eye movement within the design, and good contrast. To do something as difficult as a spiral was a bold move. So I'm happy with that. The beginning of the week was really tense with trying to get everything done, but as soon as class was over Wednesday night, it was smooth sailing. Also on Wednesday night, I got to pick my materials for my box that I have to design, and I used the Sliding Compound Miter Saw to make my first cut. Pretty exciting stuff.

All the art and design students had a first of the year grill out, so I got to meet some new people. I was talking to one student about starting the program later than the rest of the traditional freshman, and she brought up a very good point. I'm being thrown into the pressures of design studio without having to also get used to the pressures of being on my own for the first time, so I'll be able to handle design better. I love that, and it's a great way to look at it.

So Thursday, of course, was my birthday! Thanks to all that called or sent cards. I got out of class on Thursday at 10:45, and Danielle called me and told me that I needed to go to my car. She drove all the way to school to see me on my birthday, and she brought cake!! We ate some cake, and went out to lunch at Noodles and Co. Then I showed her around campus and the studio. It was a great birthday.

Saturday, I drove into the city to spend the weekend with Danielle and Heidi. We had rescheduled Heidi's birthday surprise, which was Kayaking along the Chicago River. We went on the fireworks tour. So we kayaked for 3 miles to Navy Pier, watched the fireworks from our kayaks, and then kayaked back 3 miles to where we started. I've never been kayaking before, and let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks. (That is not really a look of excitement, I was kinda nervous, I really didn't want to tip, but I didn't!!) I had so much fun, there are so many beautiful buildings along the river, I just wanted to coast the whole way to just keep my eyes on the skyline.

Architecture lesson of the blog: My favorite building was 333 West Wacker Drive. Built in 1983 by Kohn Petersen Fox Associates. The building was designed to match the curve of the river. The glass panels are green to reflect the Chicago River, the sky and the surrounding buildings. It's one of the most popular all glass skyscrapers in the world. It is ranked #62 of 150 on the American Institute of Architects' (AIA) America's Favorite Architecture List. http://favoritearchitecture.org/afa150.php

http://kayakchicago.com/index.html (These first pictures are before the trip started, check out our stylish PFD's aka Personal Floatation Devices made for paddlers; the last picture was at the end, we were so tired, it's a workout!)

I think that's really it. It was a good weekend. I needed to get away, even though I've only done two weeks of school, it's been draining getting used to the routine. Design assignments 2 and 3 will be up this week (probably Tuesday or Wednesday) for ya'll to look at.