MANTONE

I completed Version 6 of FloatingPodium.com.   I’m going to put development on hold because I’m directing my attention to another project for the next two weeks.  In the future I think i’m going to include some type of community feature, such as a forum.  I havn’t put much thought into the detail.  I’m also considering incorporating some type of tutorial section.  I should also remember to give credit to all the resources i used to create the site.  One of them being the simplepie rss class.

Last summer I started out with a purpose – to test whether I was capable of traveling to a new city (New Orleans) without having any prior connections. No friends, no family, just myself. So I bought a one way ticket and did not make any prior arrangements and simply ended up at Louis Armstrong Airport(MSY) with a weeks worth of clothes and my laptop. I remember catching a bus into the city – feeling the humidity and wondering where will i be sleeping tonight. It was a fresh feeling – there was a healthy amount of stress, combined with an inner peace that provided all the impetus I needed to have a wonderful summer adventure. When my summer was over I was able to accomplish some of my work goals and made a beautiful friend. Although I could recount all the details of my previous summer, I’m more interested in regaining that sense of being alive, because somehow I’ve seem to have lost it these last 9 months.

This summer began with the an entirely different purpose, to work in an architectural practice. I want to simply want to participate and be around people working towards the creation of architecture. It’s half way through summer and I have yet to accomplish my goal. It’s starting to get discouraging, but I have manage to spend my off time working on FloatingPodium. I’ve been getting feedback and it definitely is a morale builder to work on something that people use. It is currently in its fourth iteration and I am working on adding a video channel. Despite the progress on FloatingPodium, I will continue to press for architectural work. Who knows maybe FloatingPodium will lead to work?

I salvaged a previous website project and turned into an architecture news website that aggregates architecturally related news into one master page. I havn’t really seen one out there so I decided to start on in my spare time. It currently is not well orgainzed but it does the job. I’ve been through 3 designs and I will release changes on a weekly basis. The intention is to build an organic news site.

This might sound convoluted, but I’ve been thinking about my thoughts lately, and I’ve realized that for the last year or so I’ve been turned off to hearing myself speak. It’s almost like I’ve been resigned to settling for what I have instead of taking the risk necessary to explore what I truly want for myself.

…I suppose if I compared the interpersonal dialogue that I was having a year ago when I decided to go to a new city and prove to myself if I could start a life elsewhere away from the comforts of what I have here in California, I would emphatically say that this year has been a stagnant year. And after proving to myself that I had what it takes to live in an unfamilar enviroment, I’ve settled back into the life that I have here, one of just school and simple pleasures. It’s almost like i’ve spent a whole year without any hunger to grow. It has made me fat on the inside.

It’s funny how a day that consisted of 3 Miles, Sobe, Mackerel, Sake, Kirin and Faith made me realize that I am hungry. So here is a note to myself, when you sober up tomorrow, remember to talk to yourself and tell yourself that 3 miles is not enough…and that you are well on your way to being the world’s greatest restaurant architect.

Why on earth are you at your computer when you can step away from it all and go outside. Especially since there are about 100 other headlines on global warming and the various impending threats to the natural environment. Enjoy it all before it all goes away. Here are some places to get you started camping or out in the wild.

http://www.parks.ca.gov – With the best climate year round there are plenty of fantastic camping openings and outdoor recreational activities to participate. Take your family out, or your girlfriend or partner. You’ll be paid back with plenty of smiles. I’m sure there are other state park listings, so check out your own local state’s web-page. A quick google/yahoo/msn search should do the trick.

http://www.recreation.gov – Apparently you can book campsites now. So there is really no excuse for you to hide behind the keyboard and say that it’s inconvenient to go camping. There are plenty of exciting places to go camping across the country. I’d even bet that there are ones within 2 hours of wherever your sitting right now.

http://www.trails.com – This site is not free, you have to get membership to see the details. But it’s a good site to get started if you want to hunt down the trail names. I’m sure a little web investigation will get you all the information you need to get in your car and out in wild.

http://www.trailsource.com – Are you not from United States? Or are you tired of the United States? This site tracks trails across Mother earth. They are categorized by activity: Biking, Hiking, Cross Country Skiing, Sledding, Horseback Riding, Dirk Bike Riding, etc…

I’m sure there are other great resources, but these are the ones i found while looking for a place to get away this weekend, so send me link, and I’ll think you while I’m outside under the stars.