Wow...I think it's been almost 3 years since I last updated. Believe it or not, I've been busy!
I work full time at the best residential design firm in South Lake Tahoe. There's 3 of us, so we each handle the day to day operations. However, my primary role is as project manager. I've realized that I'm good at organizing our time and manage to get our projects not only done on time, but in an orderly way. I've introduced better systems for saving work, have stayed on top of communication with clients and agencies we work with, and have helped the owner resolve design problems when necessary.
In my spare time, I lend a drafting hand to a local landscape designer and several other firms in the area. I have also recently taken on the role of Treasurer for the town's architecture/engineering society and decided to begin the long licensure process by enrolling with NCARB.
However, since I also live in the most beautiful town in the US, I've found time to become a better skier, go sailing, boating, hiking, backpacking, visit Belize, volunteer at the Wildlife Care Center, and attempt to grow some vegetables - turns out I don't have anything even close to a green thumb though...
The adventure continues!

I managed to find a temporary freelance position where I have the chance to make site visits for a local landscape company, propose a design, and create rendered images of the idea for the landscaper's client.
It's good experience and rather fun.

I did it. I went to Reno and recently moved into my new place of residence in Stateline, near South Lake Tahoe. I've been here nearly two weeks and I think I will stay a while.

The location is beautiful, the people are friendly, and I have no real reason to leave. Time to find out whether I can do this and succeed.

So...I've made an unusual decision. I will be graduating from the BAC on May 23rd, 2014. That Sunday, 5/25/14, I'll be leaving for Acadia National Park to hike and spend time with my family. This will be followed by me getting on a plane in Portland, ME and heading to Reno, NV. I purchased a one-way ticket and have no plans for what happens when I land.

This wasn't an easy decision, especially since I've spent the last 10 years focused on architecture. I don't know what I'm going to do with my life, but I think that taking some time off - time to travel and learn new things and meet new people - will help me figure that out. I know that I am passionate about learning, I love to read, I thoroughly enjoy seeing new places and spending time with people who have had different experiences than me, and I like to make things.

Hopefully, I'll find a way to merge my current interests with all my education. I'd like to think that there's a way to do that.

Since my last post, I've had the opportunity to design and actually implement a project. I was hired to do a number of renderings and then oversee the project. After many weeks of work, issues, and disappointments, the project is finished and the shop owner is satisfied with the result. It has been an enlightening experience and I hope to have the chance to do something like it again.

I will be graduating next spring! As of May 2014, I will no longer be a student. A huge part of my identity will have shifted, and I haven't quite come to terms with that yet. As I am finishing my thesis, I am also attempting to figure out what to do next. The options are, quite literally, endless.

I put in a bamboo floor! Since I am interested in hands-on building but have very little carpentry experience, I've been searching for the opportunity to expand on my skills.
Luckily, one of the gentlemen I interviewed with let me know that he'd be happy to teach me how to build...if I'm willing to put in the work for free. Well, I do have weekends off so I took him up on the offer.
I spent 6 hours on Sunday putting in 108 sq.ft. of bamboo flooring. This included removing baseboards, laying down a layer of foam, and then measuring and installing the bamboo. Most exciting part: I got to use a nail gun and didn't hurt myself!
The floor looks fantastic and I'm excited to help out again...though it may be a little while as I had no idea how sore I would be afterwards.
Pictures to come soon!

After months of searching, I have finally found employment. I am now becoming a window-guru at New England Window Systems. So far it's pretty exciting stuff!

I finally had the opportunity to visit OBERON in Harvard Square. Not only was the theater a fantastic space, but the speakers were intriguing, entertaining, and thought provoking. Looking forward to the next one!

20x20 Talks by:
* Andrew Payne, Harvard GSD
* Chelsea Kelley, Evon Calabrese, Spencer Culhane, MassArt Solar Decathlon
* Christopher Harting, Christopher Harting Studio
* David Lakatos, MIT Media Lab
* Ellen Godena
* Julie Chen, "DJ Flack" Tony Flackett, Beat Research, MassArt
* Matt Trimble, RADLAB Inc
* Mike Swartz, Upstatement
* Paul Vincent Reiss, Artaic

Since I am still searching for a job, I decided to do some volunteering in my free time. I am now participating in Learning by Design: a way to encourage youth to become interested in architecture and the built world.
I will be helping to teach a group of Charlestown 5th graders about sustainability and how architects go about attaining it. Over the course of three weeks, the students will learn about scale, green practice, site and climate, and passive strategies. The final class will end with a trip to the Genzyme Center in Cambridge,MA.