life [or something like it...]

with a new city, comes new hobbies...

2008-11-18T14:36:00.005-05:00

i've decided to run. (even though i get bored, i know how something to keep me motivated to work out for...half marathon in washington dc in march)

i've decided to stretch. (one day i'll be thankful i'm still flexible. i can already tell a difference)

i've decided to cook chicken. (i burn it everytime but i'll keep trying)

i've decided to paint. (3 blank canvases hanging on my wall screaming for some creativity)

i've decided to make money. (another job, selling my belongings, looking for more jobs)

i've decided to start christmas shopping early this year. (one present down, 9 to go)

more to come...

sigh

2008-10-29T14:13:00.003-05:00

today i started a new project. for the past 7 months i've been working on proposal work and have loved (almost) every minute of it. i design, render, make pretty pictures, redo some, but generally i'm creating. the only reason to ever redo something is either a. i didn't like it and wanted to redo it, b. the principal didn't like it and wanted it redone, or c. it's too expensive. none of those options bother me...maybe sometimes option b. like i said earlier, i started a new project today. i'm not a big fan of projects, yet i was semi-thrilled to be working on one that i designed the interior for. i received my instructions late this morning and immediately starting working on setting up the files. it's a complicated organizational system with 4 files; 3 central files linked into 1 composite file. it took me the rest of the morning and into early afternoon to separate and organize everything. task completed. or so i thought. the verbal instructions given to me were wrong. how frustrating. instead of cutting and pasting the sections of the building into the new file, someone else had a 'better' idea to copy everything then start deleting parts of the building. one way or another, it's the same thing. this is precisely why i do not like working on cd's. everything has to be redone because someone else thought it would be a 'better' way. someone higher up. so right now, i'm frustrated. not excited to be on a construction document team anymore. i want to go back to my happy place of designing and making pretty pictures. this is why i hate cd's and the only part about architecture that makes me want to get out of the profession.

costume

2008-10-08T09:16:00.002-04:00

this year i'm actually doing something legitimate for halloween. i'm going to a charity fundraiser party. tickets were semi-expensive but the real problem is that now i have to have a legitimate costume. any ideas?

from my new home

2008-09-19T14:58:00.000-04:00

going crazy...

2008-08-26T18:45:00.002-04:00

i really think i'm going crazy this week. how random is it that jess [http://in-focusdesign.blogspot.com/] just wrote about the first time a bird pooped on me? i'm going crazy, i really am.

oh man or omen?

2008-08-26T18:36:00.003-04:00

1. yesterday my car hit 111,111 miles. and i even took a picture of it. i was at the ghetto walmart picking up my new ergonomic kneeling chair i ordered online. maybe i had good luck by not getting shot?

2. a bird poop on my shoulder while walking on the plaza during the lunch hour today. while this usually only happens once in a lifetime, this is indeed the second time in my life that a bird has pooped on my shoulder. the first time was while walking into the pantheon in rome and that mess got in my hair. while this one only saturated my cardigan sweater, it was still gross non the less. so i'm doing a big no-no at work today. i have a tank top dress on without the cardigan. even though i've wiped it off, i still can't get myself to put the cardigan back on. my coworkers will just have to deal with my unprofessional apparel for the day.

3. i'm sure there's more to come...the week isn't over yet.

I (heart) Rendering.

2008-08-18T13:23:00.002-04:00

well, this is what i do now. i use revit to model interior spaces then transform them in photoshop. i absolutely love what i'm doing. so far all of the interiors i've designed have been proposals. hopefully i'll get to see one finished someday...

goodwill furniture

2008-07-05T16:27:00.004-04:00

this is my new find. $8 at goodwill. i really like the style but hate the color. the color will change, i just need to decide on one first. any ideas? i was almost thinking red and black, but if someone else has a better idea, let me know. as soon as i was done at goodwill, i went over to home depot and bought new sleek brushed aluminum pulls. these are actually the same pulls i put on all of my cabinets in the kitchen of my house. even though i won't be living there anymore, i'm sure seeing these pulls on my new but used cabinet will remind me of home.

driving on i70

2008-06-29T21:27:00.002-04:00

this could possibly be the most outrageous thing i have ever seen. i was driving on i70 today and my mother and i could NOT believe this. crazy huh?

new light

2008-06-16T22:25:00.001-04:00

check out my new track pendant light fixture...

my other favorite europe picture...

2008-06-15T22:10:00.001-04:00

my favorite europe picture...

2008-06-15T22:07:00.002-04:00

updates

2008-05-23T09:16:00.002-04:00

a few updates for you:

the birds have flown the coup. well, actually they dropped out and then wabbled around the neighborhood. i don't think i saw one fly.

found a renter. however, things are a little sketchy. anticipated move = august 1. where am i going to live? don't know.

i leave for europe on monday. can't wait for some gelato.

babies

2008-05-14T22:33:00.007-04:00

A few weeks ago I took a broom outside to swat down two birds nests, one on my front porch, the other on the side of my house on the water meter. But then I thought twice. I took my compact mirror and my stool, and discovered beautiful baby blue eggs hidden inside. I left them. Just this week, both nests hatched and now I'm the proud "landlord" to 8 beautiful (very ugly) baby birds.

For Rent.

2008-05-01T08:57:00.006-04:00

My big news was going to be that I found a renter but that fell through. I was about 90% sure this girl was going to rent but it didn't work out in the end. My house is still on the rental market with ads on Craigslist and trashy yard signs that have handwritten phone numbers on them. I think they are disgusting but what else am I supposed to do? I've had many inquiries and a few tours but nothing substantial except that one girl. She even liked my purple bedroom. I guess it wasn't meant to be. I'm hoping to make the move in July. That gives me enough time to go to Europe, pack my house, find a place in KC, and move.

I have started my search for an apartment in KC. I haven't found anything I'm in love with yet. Any suggestions?

So that's it. That was the big news. No I'm not engaged, no I'm not having a baby, but I do feel like I'm having a midlife crisis which could end in one of the two senarios mentioned above.

coming soon...

2008-04-18T09:15:00.001-04:00

BIG NEWS TO COME!

dinner

2008-03-19T21:04:00.002-04:00

my new creations this week....

salad:
spinach lettuce
black beans
corn
tomatoes
rigatoni pasta
italian dressing

western sombrero:
fritos
ground beef (or soy sausage)
lettuce
cheese
tomatoe
salsa

make trailer

2008-02-12T22:36:00.003-05:00

i was just looking through old movies that were made in premiere pro to show my office what can be done. i'm trying to convince them to purchase that software so i can make a video of our projects for all of the trade shows we go to.

these were the days...

heart week

2008-02-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

image inspired by tessa...

empty canvas

2008-02-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

i finally just hung this canvas i've been meaning to paint since i bought my house 2 years ago. since i have no motivation to paint it, i'm curious to see if any of my friends would do me the honor of painting something on this canvas and have it displayed in my house?

table for sale

2008-02-10T21:25:00.000-05:00

with the purchase of a new dining table, i am now selling my make shift outdoor made indoor dining table.

CANstruction

2008-02-08T09:47:00.000-05:00

Lucy and the Laser

2008-02-07T22:31:00.000-05:00

Community Center

2008-02-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

This is the first project I worked on at HWA. It used to be an elementary school, now it's a community center. I think it turned out pretty good. It's completely different from anything HWA has ever done...I kind of like it!

2008-02-07T21:59:00.000-05:00

Here are my first few images from my Camera Diana...

activities for 2008

2008-01-11T13:30:00.001-05:00

instead of resolutions for the new year, i'd rather make a list of places to go...

st. louis [ mardi gras fun for a weekend ]

houston [ to see an old coworker ]

missouri wine country

dole institute in lawrence [ i never seem to make it there even though i live 2 minutes away. my grandfather's picture is on display there and i've never seen it. ]

kemper museum of contemporary art in kansas city [ that's another one i just can't ever get myself to go to...i always end up at the nelson. ]

kansas city zoo

boulevard brewery tour

colorado springs [ to visit kristi and ski a bit ]

napa valley [ just for a weekend ]

chicago [ ikea ]

parkville, missouri [ wines by jennifer store ]

washington dc [ visit my friend who was in kansas city for 3 months. who would have thought we would become such great friends in that short period of time ]

westin, missouri [ snow creek... attempt to snow board again ]

crown center [ ice skating ]

comedy club [ experience laughter even though i'm not a fan of comedians ]

moon marble company [ marble factory in bonner springs, ks ]

bob jones shoe store [ supposedly a great shoe store in the crossroads ]

costco [ join and find out what it's like to be a included in the cult of bulk shoppers ]

camera diana

2007-12-28T14:57:00.000-05:00

my new toy...

So here's how the story goes: back in the '60s, a small firm in Hong Kong created an inexpensive camera called the Diana. Crafted entirely of plastic, each camera cost only a dollar at the time of its release! Although it was only produced for about 10 years, Diana became a favorite with avant-garde and lo-fi photographers. They loved its soft & dreamy images, super-saturated colors, unpredictable blurring, and random contrast. Diana shots were raw & gritty, with a character all their own. They couldn't be duplicated by any other camera on Earth! But after the camera was discontinued in the '70s, functional examples became difficult to find and increasingly expensive to purchase. Dianas were in high demand! And given the cameras exceptional images and retro good looks, the fine folks at Lomo decided that it was time for a comeback!
Not satisfied with a simple reissue, Lomo decided to add something to the original. That meant adding all-new functionality to the camera and dramatically expanding its creative potential. They called it Diana+. Its body was re-cast using a duplication of the original mold. The lens was balanced to obtain those "perfectly imperfect" dreamy, gorgeous, color-drenched, sometimes-blurry, and often-mindblowing images.

i'll post some pictures when i get them.

Snack Crackers

2007-12-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

Ingredients:
2 packages of oyster crackers
1 tablespoon dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 package dry Hidden Valley Orginal Dressing Seasoning
1 cup vegetable oil

Directions:
Mix dry seasonings and vegetable oil together. Pour over crackers. Shake well and often to coat crackers. Let sit for 15 minutes for crackers to absorb oil.

you probably know these elfs...

2007-11-29T13:03:00.000-05:00

bedding ideas?

2007-11-04T20:12:00.000-05:00

i recently acquired a king size bed. this is both good and bad. good...it's a bigger bed. bad...i have no sheets or bedspread to fit a king. in the meantime, i am borrowing my parents old stuff during my search for bedding. when i bought my house, i painted my bedroom 2 shades of purple to match my duvet cover on my old bed. now, i'm looking for something new and interesting to put on my new bed. i love the colors of my room and would prefer to not paint over it. in order to keep it the same color, i would need purple, white, or silverish bedding. any ideas?

girl in france

2007-10-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

i just came across this video from europe when jess i were in france. i'm pretty sure this was in nice, france but not real sure. it's hilarious. check it out.

downtown kc

2007-10-06T17:15:00.001-04:00

fog.

2007-10-01T18:43:00.000-04:00

on my drive into work...

ikea is fun.

2007-09-24T14:13:00.000-04:00

my new light fixture from IKEA

3:30 work break

2007-09-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

we usually go for a 3:30 stroll on the plaza for a little break during the day.

we ran into this yesterday out on ward parkway. it was the tour of missouri bike race. it was my first time seeing the any sort of bike race. it was a lot cooler than you expect. erin and i stood on some newspaper stands so we could see better. after they passed us 5 times, and 30 minutes later, we decided to go back to work.

Shishkabobs

2007-09-07T17:21:00.000-04:00

it started out as a "something new and fun project"...ended as my "best backyard endeavor ever." this little grill has been sitting in the box in my garage for about a year now, never had been opened. the little sucker worked pretty darn good.

Itinerary #2

2007-08-29T15:27:00.000-04:00

Day 1
Fly into Rome
Stay in Rome

Day 2
Train South to Pompeii
Stay in Sorrento

Day 3
Day trip to Amalfi and Capri
Stay in Sorrento

Day 4
Train to Sicily

Day 5
Sicily

Day 6
Sicily

Day 7
Fly to Venice
Stay in Venice

Day 6
Venice - Burano, Murano, Lido
Stay in Venice

Day 7
Train/Drive to Padua and Verona
Stay in Venice or Bologna (1/2 way)

Day 8
Train/Drive to Cinque Terra
Stay in Cinque Terra

Day 9
Cinque Terra
Stay in Cinque Terra

Day 1 0
Train/Drive - Pisa
Stay in CFNO

Day 12
Stay in CFNO

Day 13
Train/Drive to Rome

Day 14
Fly out of Rome

and the planning begins...

2007-08-28T16:44:00.000-04:00

First Draft...any comments?

Day 1
Fly into Rome
Drive/Train straight to CFNO
Stay in CFNO

Day 2
Drive Chianti Trail
Prada
Stay in CFNO

Day 3
Drive/Train to Pisa (1/2 day) Lucca
Drive/Train to Cinque Terra
Stay in Cinque Terra

Day 4
Hike Cinque terra
Stay in Cinque Terra

Day 5
Drive/Train to Venice - Stop at Padua and Verona
Stay in Venice

Day 6
Venice - Burano, Murano, Lido
Stay in Venice

Day 7
Venice
Stay in Venice

Day 8
Fly/Train/Drive to Vienna
Stay in Vienna

Day 9
Vienna
Stay in Vienna

Day 10
Vienna
Stay in Vienna

Day 11
Train/Drive to Salzburg
Stay in Salzburg

Day 12
Train/Drive to Zams, Landeck
Stay in Landeck

Day 13
Train/Drive to Zurich, Switzerland
Stay in Basil or Zurich

Day 14
Fly out of Zurich

I've already left out Lucca and Montepulciano. They'll get squeezed in there somewhere

chairs, chairs, chairs.

2007-08-13T22:06:00.000-04:00

what to do with these chairs???
i found these at goodwill. $2 later they were mine. each chair is 2 pieces that slide together to leverage off one another. i don't have a plan for them yet, any ideas?

i guess i need to decide if they are going to be indoor or outdoor furniture. i already have an outdoor patio set that takes up my little patio. i could clean them up, stain them, and find a home for them somewhere on the patio smashed between a spiral tree and my plastic patio set. another option is that i could paint them black (or some fun color) and put them inside as a sitting area. i hate to give up the character of the wood since it's in such good condition but it just wouldn't' go with my living room.

lonely chair

2007-08-10T15:19:00.000-04:00

my mom found this chair on the side of the road and brought it to my house.
she thought i could do something with it. after a year of gathering dust in my garage, i finally did do something with it.
i spray painted the frame, my mom helped me reupholster the seat, and my grandfather helped me sand, and restain the seat back.
i think it turned out pretty good...

Simpsonize Me

2007-08-02T09:55:00.000-04:00

i got this from jackie's blog...

http://simpsonizeme.com/

I really don't think this looks like me.

royals vs. yankees

2007-07-25T14:19:00.000-04:00

2 rows from the top, sitting next to 38,000 people.

who would have thought the royals could sell out.

everyday plaza

2007-07-13T21:59:00.000-04:00

sanibel island

2007-07-12T14:08:00.000-04:00

my favorite picture.

2007-07-02T12:01:00.000-04:00

The Secret

2007-06-01T14:46:00.000-04:00

reminiscing...

2007-05-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

orbit

2007-05-23T16:37:00.000-04:00

my newest addiction:

i think it was my obsession with orange slices growing up that led me to this impulse buy at the grocery store. as long as i can remember winterfresh was the flavor of choice only because it was competing with wintergreen, cinnamon, and bubblemint...gross. but hey, those were the only sugarfree flavors out there. occasionally i'd sneak the juicy fruit but that flavor only lasts 10 seconds when you chew it fast. times have changed and more flavors are coming out so i thought it was time for me to branch out. tough decision...do i buy citrusmint, raspberry mint, lemon-lime, or mint mojito. i got the cirtus one...you know...orange slices, summer, refreshing...it appealed to my inner child. 3 packs later, i got the raspberry mint. it tastes like cough syrup but i got used to it. still not number one in my book but it satisfies the right craving. 3 more packs later, mint mojito was the kicker. not so good, but decent. definitely does not rival real mojitos. it's a teaser to the real thing. now i'm left with lemon-lime and whatever flavor they decide to come up with next. gosh darnit, i can't stop chewing the damn things...

museum fun.

2007-05-21T14:19:00.000-04:00

the nelson...my favorite place in kc. where else would i want to go for my birthday rather than wandering around the new bloch building after a few glasses of wine, on a gorgeous night, and with someone who enjoys art, architecture, and the scenery that the nelson gives. the place is magical.

i'm so ready for it to open.

25

2007-05-18T14:06:00.001-04:00

I'm a quarter of a century old today. It was 25 long years ago that I was born. I find myself asking with what does this 25th year bring? I can only think of one thing...being able to rent a car.

Weekend Activity

2007-04-27T14:15:00.000-04:00

I'm heading to my grandparents house this weekend for a short visit till Sunday. They live in Rolla, Missouri which is 4 1/2 hours away. I haven't visited since Christmas so I thought I needed to go now before the summer gets in full swing.
I bought this paper flower kit to keep me busy on my visit. By the end of the weekend, I'll have some fresh, spring flowers to brighten my cubicle.

I'll let you know how they turn out when I get back.

2007-04-20T09:59:00.000-04:00

This was something new for me...making dinner. I don't cook but last night I decided I wanted to try. It turned out pretty good even though my guest was 35 minutes late so everything had to be zapped in the microwave. But isn't it pretty?
I skinned the whole bag of carrots and steamed them. I never eat peas but I thought they'd be pretty so I warmed them up. I sliced some Havarti cheese to go with the wine before dinner. I also warmed up the garlic bread in the oven being careful not to burn it. It turned out nicely. The wine...Rocca Delle Macie 2002 Chianti Classico was wonderful, dusted off since it had been laying in the rack for so long waiting for a special occasion.
I designed my dinner. I'm glad I had gotten these new white plates for Christmas last year. They looked nice and clean. This was the first time I have eaten on my kitchen table I got 2 years ago that is really an outdoor patio set from Lowe's.

My Cubicle

2007-03-26T17:09:00.000-04:00

I went camera happy at work today. Here's a glimpse of where I sit 8 hours a day...

The overall cubicle:

I try to limit myseld to 2 Diet Dr. Peppers a day. I'm afraid my teeth will turn brown if I drink anymore. Anyway, I can't really afford to have more than 2 a day...50 cents just kills me. One of my podmates says it causes cellulite too. That's no good. Notice the crumbs next to the Diet Dr. Pepper can. That's where my Low Fat Triscuits sat but not for very long since I just gobbled them down. Behind the can, is my to do list...not for work, but for personal to do's. It includes my grocery list which is made up of fruits because I'm going to venture out and make something tonight (a fruit salad). My to do list has a bunch of stuff on it like house work, get my shoes repaired, find a flight to Houston, spray paint my bird bath, and a bunch of reminders about working on a logo for a friend, and about a run I've been thinking about doing on April 29th. I love lists.

I was dressed up one day and my sister said I looked like Polly Pocket. I had no idea who that was. I asked my friend in the marketing department who Polly Pocket was since she has little girls. She proceeded to show me around the Polly Pocket website and so kindly printed this out for me just to demonstrate that I do in fact look like Polly Pocket. Do I? I don't have yellow hair or big feet. But, the same podmate that said Diet Dr. Pepper causes cellulite decided to write my name on the printout. Now I'm Polly Pocket.

This is the top drawer of my under the counter filing cabinet. Let's see now. It's quite unorganized for me (you would know that if you knew me). People think it's strange that I have so many crackers but even weirder that I have preportioned Honey Nut Cheerios. I've decided to eat my breakfast at work so I have a half gallon of skim milk in the refrigerator. This is due to the fact that if I eat breakfast before I leave my house at 7 am then I get hungry when I arrive at work at 8:30. In order to eat less, I begin eating at 8:30 when I arrive at work so I don't munch on useless calories all morning. So far, this hasn't helped. So back to my drawer. I have a lint roller which I don't use since I don't really care if I have Lucy fur on me. I wear black a lot but oh well. I have some good smelling spray stuff for those stinky afternoons I decide to go walking on the Plaza. The rest, well, you can tell what the rest is. Take note of the candy cane that's been hanging from the separater since December. You might not be able to see it, but I do have a bag of McDonalds Ketchup and salt and peppers I stole. They come in handy. They really do.

My name isn't Alesha, it's Alicia, but how do you tell that to an 8 year old who's already redrawn the picture 3 times already? A coworker of mine has a daughter who was a Junior Chiefs Cheerleader. She visits the office occasionally with her mother. She drew this one at home so I decided to put it up. Sure enough, the next time she came to visit, she went looking for this picture and it was up! I love little kid drawings, especially this Hello Kitty version she did of me!

I've had this space heater since 3rd year of college...that's 5 years! I'm amazed it works considering what it's been through. The nob at the right, the one that controls the temperature, is pushed so it's a little bit jankity but it stills turns. I use my space heater as a footrest so I think I just put too much weight on it and it gave in...I didn't know I had fat feet. The light doesn't work anymore on the top since I pushed that in too with my feet. Sometimes I turn my space heater on full blast and I don't realize at the time, but it kind of burns my legs. It's better when I have pants on but I absolutely love hot things. I'm very careful to make sure I unplug it everynight because I don't want to be responsible to burning the place down...when I'm not here.

Taylor drew this pretty picture too. I think it's supposed to be KC Wolf (who's the Chiefs mascot) but KC doesn't have red hair! She pretended that she drew this but I knew she traced it. But hey, that's okay. I still like it and it's still hanging up in the cube.

My montage of photographs are what keeps me sane day to day. The new poeple who come through the office think the baby pictures are of my son but I'm just in love with my nephew. He's the cutest thing ever and makes me smile all day. I have a picture of my Chiefs girls, a picture of the family, and random pictures of friends. I included my Christmas Card I sent out of my cat Lucy. She's the other love of my life besides my nephew. I have a Jayhawk sticker stuck to the panel... and yes I am more of a Jayhawker than a Wildcat. In front of my colorful display of affections are 3 water bottles. I just get thirsty a lot. Whatever. I've gotten a million and a half questions about why I have 3 water bottles on my desk. I was going to take them to the KSU Career Fair to hand out but instead I took a huge box of them while these stayed on my desk. I don't know what to do with them so they'll just stay there until someone steals them which will be hopefully sometime soon.

Nothing

2007-03-23T13:53:00.000-04:00

I was going to write a new post right now but I just don't know what to write about.

The Fountainhead

2007-02-15T09:34:00.000-05:00

I actually watched a black and white movie. Yep ... me of all people ... and it was about architecture! AND I actually liked it. It was The Fountainhead. I think I am the last one on the planet to see this movie. I could write a philosophical, in depth review about it but I'm not. I don't have time for that. I'll just write that I liked the movie and that I recommend it.

Wine Critic

2007-01-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

how to be a good wine critic:

http://www.gmon.com/tech/output.shtml

Apartment Poll

2007-01-05T14:16:00.000-05:00

Okay everyone. Since I will be moving to KC soon, I've been looking at a few places to live close to the Plaza. Since I've been spoiled at my house for awhile, I decided I needed the same amenities as I have right now...washer/dryer, dishwasher, and parking, plus I want to live in a clean apartment and I want to feel safe since I'll be living by myself.

I've narrowed it down to 3 places. Let me know which one you think I should choose:

45 Madison:
www.45madison.com

Library Lofts:
http://www.kcloftcentral.com/library_contact.html

The Neptune:
http://www.theneptuneapts.com/s/homepage

Christmas at Home

2006-12-26T20:51:00.000-05:00

This year I decided to decorate my house for Christmas...5 days before Christmas. I searched through the remaining trees left at the Optimist's Club Lot and found this one. I got a good deal...$15. Pretty good considering it was supposed to be $40. I guess flirting helps a little. That night I went to Wal-Mart to purchase the decorations. $20 later I came out with red ball ornaments, a wire star for the top, a tree stand, and tree skirt. The clear lights were left over from last year when I borrowed them from my Mom thinking I would decorate...that never happened. I set up my "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" in one night, but it was missing something. I strung together red and green mardi gras beads and draped them across the tree. It was also later adorned with Candy Canes which gave it that needed 'homey' feel. The next night I got home at around 9. It was freezing cold but time was running out...only 4 days left till Christmas, I must decorate. In the pitch black outside my house, I strung clear lights around my one and only tree. It looked okay until one of the strands decided to go out and it had to be in the middle of the tree where if I wanted to replace it, I would basically have to start over. It was 9:30. Oh well, I'll leave it. It looks kind of ghetto but hey, I did it in the time I could all by myself.
So this is my beautiful tree I decorated by myself. I think I'll have it up a little longer than most people keep their Christmas tree up and no I'm not some Christmas freak fanatic. But I guess my realtor will want it gone when my house goes on the market pretty soon. That'll be a sad day.
I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

Plaza Lights

2006-12-08T14:08:00.000-05:00

One of the advantages of working on the Plaza...

Flexibility

2006-12-06T10:21:00.000-05:00

Cartoon

2006-12-06T10:18:00.000-05:00

Vegas!

2006-12-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

Here's a sampling of my Vegas trip last weekend...

Going to the KU Basketball games:

Chahuly sculptures at the Bellagio:

Out at the Palms with my friends:

The Bellegio fountain:

Leaving Vegas:

Pictures

2006-11-16T14:22:00.000-05:00

the Chiefs Cheerleaders at Savannah's wedding.

Girl's Night Out Chief Cheerleader style...PINK!

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T09:41:00.000-05:00

Coworkers

2006-09-11T14:05:00.000-04:00

quote

2006-07-31T14:57:00.000-04:00

a nice quote that was sent to me...

The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.

Taylor

2006-07-21T16:40:00.000-04:00

This is what goes on here at work. Her name is Taylor and she's 8 years old. She's going to be a Junior Chiefs Cheerleader pretty soon. She just got her ears pierced to match the real Chiefs Cheerleaders. Her mom is Dionne who sits one desk over and across the aisle from me.

This is such a great environment!

Brick Sandwich

2006-07-21T16:34:00.000-04:00

During lunch today, I was riding along with one of my coworkers on the way to her apartment and tucked in a back alley/road is this awesome piece of architecture. I'm told it's a lobby for 2 condos buildings. It was a surprise to run into a concrete form smashed between 2 tall dark brick buildings. I'll explore the interior next week.

The New Job

2006-07-20T13:54:00.000-04:00

I am now settled in at my new job. I don't have anything interesting to share right now, sorry. I'll try to find something fun to post later today.

Last Day

2006-06-28T16:41:00.000-04:00

Today is my last day, YAY!

Plastic Monkey

2006-06-27T14:32:00.001-04:00

Well. Tomorrow is my last day here at BG. I'm very ready to leave which makes it hard for me to be sitting at this desk surfing the web all day. I've checked myspace, facebook, and tons of blogs about 20 times each already today. Yet, I continue to be bored and continue to not make progress on anything and continue to get paid. It's weird how it all works out. How does anything get done?

Here's the picture of the day:

My Girls

2006-06-23T15:39:00.000-04:00

Here's my girls!

Gardening

2006-06-22T09:33:00.000-04:00

I've really appreciated my mother and her gardening until this last weekend.
I paid a handy man to take out 3,000 lbs of river rock from my flower beds. He did that a couple of weeks ago and this weekend I finally got around to making the leftover mud pit look semi decent. Westlake had 40% off all of their plants, so my mother and I went last Friday and bought $70 worth of plants. Sunday morning my mom came over for 3 hours and helped me plant them. It got too hot so she went on home after we planted them all. Last night after work, I decided I wanted to work in my garden rather than work out at the gym. I planted a few more plants, spread mulch around, and cleaned up a bit. I'm slowly getting satisfied with the way it's looking. It's still bare in some spots and one garden is still a mud pit but it'll eventually look good. I'm going shopping for more plants at lunch today. It's really weird but I have the bug for gardening. I'm turning into my mother.

Ball Chair

2006-06-20T16:06:00.000-04:00

I want this:

But if I could choose a color, it would be purple :)

Song of the Day I

2006-06-19T15:32:00.000-04:00

My third year in college I always posted a Song of the Day on my profile for AIM. Since I'm having a hard time thinking of things to blog about, I'm bringing back the Song of the Day...

Life Ain't Always Beautiful
by Gary Allan

Life ain't always beautiful
Sometimes it's just plain hard
Life can knock you down, it can break your heart

Life ain't always beautiful
You think you're on your way
And it's just a dead end road at the end of the day

But the struggle makes you stronger
And the changes make you wise
And happiness has it's own way of takin' it sweet time

No, life aint always beautiful
Tears will fall sometimes
Life aint always beautiful
But it's a beautiful ride

Life aint always beautiful
Some days I miss your smile
I get tired of walkin' all these lonely miles

And I wish for just one minute
I could see your pretty face
Guess I can dream, but life dont work that way

But the struggles makes me stronger
And the changes make me wise
And happiness has it's own way of takin' its sweet time

No, life aint always beautiful
But I know I'll be fine
Hey, life aint always beautiful
But its a beautiful ride
What a beautiful ride.

For Jackie:

2006-06-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

It seems as though Jackie has been a little (maybe a lot) stressed lately. This one's for her:

Mojo.

2006-06-13T14:51:00.000-04:00

I love MOJITOS!

Purple People Mover

2006-06-09T16:57:00.000-04:00

Here's what I've been working on this past week. It's a People Rapid Transit System for KSU. This is a free standing station that will sit in 8 various places around campus. The renderings are a little archaic since I had never done a 3d Model in AutoCad or used the rendering program AccuRender. I wanted to the building to be white but that didn't exactly happen. A lot of the design of the station was governed by our structural gurus who overcalculate everything.

BIG NEWS

2006-06-05T15:32:00.000-04:00

The Friday before Memorial Day weekend I sent in my resume to a firm in KC, MO and 10 minutes later, I had an interview set up for that Tuesday after Memorial Day. All of that weekend, when most sane people were laying out at the pool, I was stuck indoors making a portfolio. I got it done and it didn't look too bad for having only worked on it for 3 days.

My interview lasted 2 1/2 hours which surprised me becuase I thought it had only been 1 hour. It went great. I was so pumped about that firm. I think they liked me and I liked them.

On Wednesday, they offered me the job! I will now work at Hoefer Wysocki Architects (HWA) located in Kansas City, MO on the Plaza. They just won Best Small Business in KC. Their projects include commercial, government, and healthcare. It's a great employment package so I'm excited to work there. My package included the salary I asked for and health insurance for just $20!!! They have a lot of employee get togethers, so hopefully I'll make friends. This is a great opportunity for me to be working in KC. I'll be closer to the stadium so I won't have to take off of work to get to practice on time. I don't know when I'm goign to start since I have not given my 2 weeks notice yet at BG.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my house yet. I haven't figured any of that out. I'll be commuting for a while but hopefully I can find some renters so I can get an apartment in KC. I'm not going to sell my house because I may want to come back to Lawrence after the Chiefs stuff is over.

I just thought I would let everyone know my big news :)

Go Chiefs!

2006-06-02T16:14:00.000-04:00

You are one of the first to see my photos...

http://www.kcchiefs.com/cheerleader/alicia/1

They are not linked to the website yet but I have the address. The new 2006 poster will be presented sometme soon on the website. I'm gettin' pumped. You know, now that I think about it, I bet they'll show us this weekend at our retreat! I'm getting exicited now. I'll repost when it gets loaded to the site.

Yeah, so this weekend we have retreat/camp all weekend! We don't know where we are going but we've got clues. Here's what we know... we meet at 6:30 at the stadium tonight. They take us to a campsite somewhere. And the only other thing we know is that we get to swim, we don't know if it's in a pool or a lake and we don't know where we are staying...Kinda scary!!! To end the weekend on Sunday we are going to the salon to get our hair done. This is going to be a long weekend.

BIG BIG news next week...

bLOom

2006-06-01T09:25:00.000-04:00

I told you I would put pictures of the Orchid Jess gave me a year ago, so here you go. It finally finished blooming!

I bought my secretary an orchid about a month ago and have yet to give it to her. It's too pretty to give away but I will eventually. I need to write her a thank you letter first that I have been procrastinating on writing. Her name is Tami and she's like a mom to me. She's helped me through a lot here at work and in my private life. During my Chiefs tryouts, she was the one to help me fill out my application and to tell me what looks good and what doesn't. She just likes to be involved. So this is my thank you gift to her. Since my orchid was one of my favorite gifts of all time, I decided to get her one too...

The other night I was messing around taking pictures of random things in my house. Jordan was working on his computer in my living room so I snapped his picture. I know this photo is really dark and I should taken it into photoshop to work on the levels but I like it really dark...it's supposed to be that way. I like how you can barely see his face and how you know he's working on a laptop but not being able to really see the laptop.

Big news to come...check back soon...

Self Portrait 2.0

2006-05-26T16:36:00.000-04:00

Here's me. Me as a 4 year old standing in front of hot pink Azaleas with a matching heart on the front of my dress. Yep, that's me, the little girl with frizzy blond hair who still has that hair even as a 24 year old.

I had to dig this photo out of the woodworks last night. Actually my mom did. I don't own any pictures of me prior to high school or the invention of the digital camera. At Chiefs we do a lot of unity bonding activities and one of them is an activity called "Guess Who". We all submit a picture of us as a kid, baby, or awkward teenager. This is the one I chose, well, acutally it was my mom who chose it...not too embarrassing and not such a dead giveaway that it's me. What do you think?

Clif Bars

2006-05-25T12:16:00.000-04:00

I have discovered the Clif Bar. It's so delicious, almost like a cookie. I love the texture, taste, and the fact that it's 70% organic. That gets me pumped.
Here's how I came to discover another favorite snack food....
They told us at that we need to be eating snacks during practice because we skip dinner but still need the energy to preform. They suggested energy bars. Just recently I went to the local grocery store and loaded up on about 10 different types - PowerBar, Luna Bar, Clif Bar, Balance Bar, and the list goes on. Last night I picked up the Clif Bar on my way out the door to practice. Half way through practice I felt a grumbling from my stomach and decided it was time to crack open that Clif Bar. I was a bit surprised upon first sight. It was small, soft, and didn't look too appetizing. I had been used to seeing the firm, hard, flat pieces of cardboard of a PowerBar. I took my first bite of my newly found Clif Bar with a bit of skeptism. It was good. I looked at it again. I looked at the package. Read the package. Read the label. It was actually healthy. The taste could have fooled me. I felt like I was eating a cookie! Everyone knows how much I like cookies so that kind of describes my other newly found obsession...Clif Bars.

Orchids

2006-05-24T15:22:00.000-04:00

Every since accepting a housewarming present from my old roomate, Jess, I have been obsessed with Orchids. She got me a pink Orchid that now sits at the window in front of my kitchen sink. I am forced to look at it everyday due to the fact that kitchen sinks are a must in everyday life. The following picture was taken a few months ago when it only had a few blooms. I need to take a current picture of the 8 or so blooms it has now. It's just beautiful. I'll post a picture of it when I get the chance.

I'm trying to pin-point why exactly I fell in love with Orchids. I used to be in love with Birds of Paradise. That is yet another odd looking flower that compares in uniqueness to the Orchid. I think it's the delicacy of the petals and the intricate shapes, patterns, and colors one little bloom can make. There is a sophistication in the look of the Orchid. It makes me feel older, wiser, and more mature than liking Daisy's or Pansies. The Orchid is like no other.

I found this picture at Gettyimages when I was feeding my addiction of beautiful photography and Orchids...

More Orchid pictures to come...

Chiefs Mini-Camp

2006-05-23T10:31:00.000-04:00

This past Saturday, we had an appearance at the Chiefs Mini-Camp. This was the first time we wore our white hot pants, so we were all nervous. It ended up fine though. We did a little meet-and-greet in the beginning when all of the fans were in line before the gates opened. I can't tell you how weird it is having people ask for your autograph. It started to sprinkle on us so we went in the tunnel and waited for our turn to dance on the field. We did one little dance and then let the football players continue their practice. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. The fans sit so close to the field, that I feel like i'm dancing in their laps. I can't even imagine what it's going to feel like when the entire stadium is filled. I heard there were about 15,000 people at Arrowhead Saturday. After we danced, we promoted our Junior Chiefs Cheerleading program and signed what seemed like thousands of autographs. The whole time I'm thinking "why are you ruining your brand new shirt/hat with my signature?" I just don't get it. But it's fun so I'll go with it!

Me and Krystal:

Me, my sister Erica, and my nephew Caden:

Caden

2006-05-19T15:26:00.000-04:00

This is my nephew, Caden. Isn't he beautfiul? I can't wait till he gets older and can play with me!!!

Self Portrait 1.0

2006-05-18T16:27:00.000-04:00

I'm really intrigued with the 'self portrait' blogs...here's my stab at it...

These pictures were taken at Kabal in the Rivermarket District in Kansas City, MO last Friday night.

work

2006-05-16T17:52:00.000-04:00

i figured this would be the best way to tell everyone what's been going on with me.

as everyone already knows, i'm not happy about where i am working. yesterday the boss and i had some parting words and i pretty much quit. probably not the best idea considering i don't have a job lined up and a hefty mortgage that still needs to be paid the second of every month.

after a long chat with my parents, they convinced me to go back to work, let things cool off, get my stuff together, finish up my projects, and then leave on a good note. so, i'm at work physcially, but mentally, i'm gone. i have yet to give my 2 weeks but i'm not sure they deserve the respect of a 2 weeks notice.

i'm on the hunt for a new job. it needs to happen fast because i can't stay here any longer. i'd rather work at mcdonalds than here. i've been making some phone calls trying to get something in line, and hopefully that won't take too long to get going. i fixed my resume yesterday while at work. my boss caught me fixing it but didn't say anything. i still need to make a portfolio which i hope to get to this weekend. if anyone has any ideas, please let me know.

i have a feeling one day i'm just not going to come back to work. i'm going to wake up in the morning and say 'hey, not today. i'm not going through this crap today.'

Top 5 Renderings

2006-05-11T14:58:00.000-04:00

As Mindy suggested, here are the top 5 renderings of all time [not designed by me]...

#5:

#4:

#3:

#2:

Drum roll please....
#1:

They're beautiful aren't they?

Daily Routine

2006-05-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

The past week I've been waking up at 6am every morning and it's starting to catch up with me. No, I'm not foolish, I just don't seem to have enough time after work to get everything done that I need to get done.
I used to get up at 7:15, go to work from 8-5, work out 5-6:30, dinner, errands, housework, then crawl in bed at 10:30. Now, with the new activities I'm involved with, my day goes more like this...wake up at 6, learn dances from a DVD, get ready for work, work 8-5, leave for KC at 5, practice 6:30-9:30, arrive back in Lawrence at 10:30. Somewhere in there I still have laundry, tanning, errands, "keep my image", and play time. On the nights I don't have practice or a photo shoot, I work out after work still and then run my errands. Sometimes if I have time, I may visit my nephew, or grab a drink with a friend, but still maintaining my 10:30 bedtime, although sometimes it creeps to 11. By the end of the day, I'm exhausted.
As I lay in bed at the end of the day, I call some friends just to check in while I play with Lucy in bed. Can't talk for long, though, my eyes get heavier and heavier. After hanging up the phone, it's a matter of seconds till I fall asleep.

Propel Wireless Biz Card

2006-05-08T16:50:00.000-04:00

A business card I created for Propel Wireless...

Front:

Back:

My Debut

2006-05-08T14:08:00.000-04:00

Alright kids. Hooray for me. I'm starting a blog...