macchiato

What really makes a good macchiato? I don’t believe that truly understanding the ingredients for this drink, nor the actual construction of it make for a really good single macchiato. Don’t get me wrong, good knowledge from a good barista is the foundation of it all. But what are the intangibles that push this coffee drink into the next level, and what puts the coffee house on the map? I was introduced to place that had high remarks, but I was disappointed. Not just in the ambiance, but the drink was just not to par. Where was the joie de vivre? Where was the small Italian ceramic cups? Where was the smile? Where was the kitty cat? Where are the crakow stories? I’ll leave the place unnamed as I’m sure many of you have run into a place that lacked expectations. But maybe you’ll find that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the new place, but the other place was just perfect, so why change? My company was the saving grace that will allow me to try the place once more, but expectations are different now.

Release

There's a secret to thinking of nothing. But first let me explain its advantage. We fill our brains with information both with active and useless information, we mentally flex our mental muscle to organize it all, than we are worn out. I sometimes will site on the couch after a long week of meeting a deadline. but by no means am I relaxing, ion the contrary, my mind is still racing, while my body sits still. Since my days at Cal Poly I have learned to actually celebrate my deadlines, with complete physical exhaustion; non-stop basketball until I can't walk anymore, running until my lungs are burning, hit thousands of tennis balls until my legs cannot hold me up. No my body and mind are both on equal states: exhausted!! No I will rest peacefully, and awake newly rebooted and start the cycle all over again.

and so it begins

Baggy shorts, sandals, my favorite t-shirts, Maine root beer over ice, table side next to the open sidewalk, kebabs aroma starring right at me, and summer passers by wondering why I’m sitting alone in this empty coffee shop in the middle of the summer. Don’t worry about me folks, ask any of my students, I want to enjoy this before the herd approaches mid-quarter. It’s the first office hours of the summer quarter, and the slight evening breeze is just enough to release a sigh.
There is a girl in here with a laptop with the font size smaller than then end of a pin. There is a guy looking at his laptop, rocking out with headphones not connect to anything but air. The pastry shelf is empty but still very pleasing to look at I like clean stuff). It one of those days where I am hungry, but only for the aroma, not necessarily the ingestion of food. It's mid- July, but many of us here will consider this to be the first day of summer.

Playground

It's a week of monotonous details and playing tourists in and around a sea of as-built drawings. It's not to describe the mundane (who am i kidding) but it is more than welcomed this week. I need that sense of reference in life right now, just to know that I can. Headphones, Snow Patrol, Meaghan smith, and anything new that I can find to keep me focused on the unfocused. I did find comfort with a knock down 8 iron, its the beginning of my confidence building free throws on the big green playground.

History?

I actually had been thinking about this for awhile, but after a morning cup of coffee I am inspired to get a History degree. Nothing more than just immersing myself in more books. I know what nerd, but everything we do in life is related to something good and bad that has happened in history. It's intriguing just to think of all the conversations that would develop from it.

If you are traveling up north I might suggest taking San Marcos pass, possibly a side trip to Solvang, along rolling, long curves of whispering long blades of grass, seemingly flowing with your route, steering you to stop for a sip of wine. A convertible is not all necessary, especially if you are trying to listen to the soundtrack of Sideways to coincide with your daydreams of Miles drinking from the spittoon at the winery (careful keep your eyes on the road). There is a particular hill I will not quite deem a mountain, not yet anyway, that forever grows to my attention. Driving to and from home to San Luis Obispo I looked forward to finding it. There isn't anything spectacular to rant about its physical attributes. There are, however, stories that forever grow once I find it, every single time, around a bend of crooked tress it comes to view. I never remember which bend or curve, as if the road changes itself like a PC game intending to make it that much more mentally challenging with every new level. I'm ready for it. I believe I found some sanity in 3rd year, that I was transitioning out of home. I knew SLO was temporary, but was scared and excited for every new bend and curve in my road of life.

imperically emperical

Great conversation tonight, almost as I had relived Socrates arguing with his students Plato and Xenophon while on the steps of the Acropolis. But, if empirical evidence still has a say, it was merely me and my two friends chatting over a cup of coffee: discussing exactly that: what is real evidence. I am telling you this happened, but the only evidence you have that my meeting happened tonight is me writing about it here in my blog. Do I carry enough trust in you, the reader, that I am telling the truth? Do you need to check my ATM card to see that I had purchased a decaf frappaccino? Do you need to take hair samples from the arm chair to prove I was sitting there this evening? Or maybe it is the saliva from my straw? All this which we will decipher through science, is merely just theory, like all science. Science is not "science" for lack of an explanation. We will, like we handle all theories, disprove one science theory after another, call the previous a farce, and the new idea a "break though." However, no one, or nothing, will or can disprove that my two friends and my account of being there tonight. In essence, we are the only three who can provide empirical evidence that we were at Starbucks tonight. After we disappear from earth, it will be just stories about the three wise men chatting over over cooked beans for coffee during one late spring evening in San Diego. Story becomes a myth. Than one day, far into the future, someone will question this myth if the event actually occurred at all. Maybe we should record it in someway, like this blog, and call it, say a bible, but I think that has some copyright issues. Yet this blog tonight is mere an account in writing by me. Maybe what I am actually writing is an account of my two friends Socrates and Plato, who if they won't stop throwing pebbles at me, I'm gonna clobber them with one of my Air Jerusalem's, right here on the steps.

Chaos architecture

I mentioned on a previous blog about drawing parallels between Chaos theory and the common denominator for all design. I believe that it is the driving force why we find ourselves ever searching for a better architecture. My argument is that these changes are part of a normal cycle that may seem we are changing. Are we to define our change to our advancements on technology? In the midst of all these technological advances we are held together by some of the similar basic ideas and morals, as humans ( i don't yet want to enter the religious argument) for the last few thousand years. With that, technology is just another facet in our Spirograph of the change of our existence, the answer to all our design problems: hence the chaos theory. Don't worry, this wasn't meant to make sense.

Thesis

Do you believe it? I will argue against just to find out if you really believe it. In this I will find out several things. One; do you have some personal historical reference to the topic? Two; Are you telling me answer rather than an issue? Three: what is it about this argument that makes you so passionate? Presenting this topic these questions will be answered just in the crack if your own voice. Are you just trying to get through it all, or are you going to go to the depths of the final year and sacrifice your college career for the sake of defending your argument? It's not just this thesis year that is the end all, it is a preparation on your process of solving issues not just in the world of architecture, but all elements in life. Believe me, life has that many questions for you to answer. Those who are frustrated, have not mastered this process. Those who are smiling at the end of a chaotic meeting, understand the balance of life.

meeting in the middle

Maybe it’s a revolution I am trying to start. I don’t have the weaponry as Jester, but I think I can match his wit. At least our goals are the same in preventing mediocrity, like some lost gooey eggshell in the matrix of 2010, but will challenge any attempt of trying to be cool and meeting them in their long journey to the middle. I am not heading there, but rather climbing the cowles mountain of every journey. I wont be able to here those cheers as a marathon winner, but I’ll be able to toast the dos equis of life’s process as at least an interesting man. Hendrix may have reached his pinnacle and lived a it to the fullest, but he wasn’t honest with himself in even telling his story. Honest with his music? More like honest with a revolution, and like many heroes, he achieved his status, carved in stone without ever asking for it. We call that modesty, egotistical, maybe, but definitely revolutionary.

8:47p Sunday

It's not necessarily a topic that you would over hear in the coffee shop, but if it were I definitely would insert myself into the conversation: The California Environmental Quality Act. CEQA as it better known is not an agency but an act created by the state of California to help protect and maintain the quality of the environment of the state. Sensitive habitat, indigenous vegetation, species and other environmental aspects of a project site are analyzed by the local planning department, the lead agency, with the CEQA in its standards provide recommendations to the project in regards to this sensitivity. It can be conceived as lengthy process, one I believe should not be taken lightly, yet if the measures are follow the stated process, the project can implement the CEQA elements rather efficiently. Is the project even required by CEQA? Immediately we can recognize that a single family residence and a barn building (agriculture - I will have to verify this information) or as a general description it would be a projects that have been determined to not have significant effect on the environment, or a structure of a smaller scale. For the purpose of this 30min exercise lets say it's 10,000 sf, per title 14, but I will not cite this exact number, and leave it the size determined in title 14.
If the project is outside of these exemptions, it would be reviewed by the lead agency or the local planning department. They can review it per title 14 chapter 3 that project is categorically exempt and lead directly to a NOE or a Notice of Exemption. If it is not exempt it would enter an initial study, list the impacts to the site, determine possible solutions, and submit for public comment: which could possibly lead to a Negative Declaration, if deemed insignificant measures are needed. However if the opposite is required; needing more significant measures are needed to the site, there can be the implementation of mitigating Measures which if completed can receive a Mitigated Negative Declaration. This would than lead to No further Action.

Here is a quick list to keep in mind when starting a project as to which agencies might be involved.
1. DSA
2. Fire Department
3. Police Department
4. Health Department
5. Planning Department
6. Local Building Department
7. OSHPD
8.Department of Transportation
9. Federal Aviation Administration
10. US Army Corps of Engineers
11. California Air Resource Board
12. California Water Resource Control Board
13. Department of Fish and Game
14. California Department of Toxic Substance Control
15. Air Quality Management District
16. Water Quality Control Board
17. Flood Control District

Ishtar

11:37p

And all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity, yet I find a reason to have this glow of the laptop luminosity shine upon my unshaven grin giving life to the second half of my evening. There are no leaves of grass inspirations to share tonight, but maybe I search for some kind of respect, an 'o'captain my captain yelp might be a bit on the dramatic side, but I feel like I deserve it. We will see how the weekend plays out.
I am contemplating the efforts of marketing this blog. Yet, devilish side of me sitting on my left shoulder says to keep this to yourself, at least until this kettle starts to warm up. I have my reasons for writing in this forum; however I have yet to discover the words to describe exactly why. Let's be patient now. I'm not looking to make any pulitzer prize speeches in the next week, that would sound more like a canned presentation, not having the war stories explaining my struggles to find those exact works to give my novel it's recognizable personality, or the branding of sorts that would describe me as the next Ian Flemming, or if God would allow for another JD Salinger, let me be that. Cooks have their burnt corn muffin stories. Architects have their failed project horrors. Dustin Hoffman has his Ishtar. Let me have my blog.

That's the news and I am outta here.

11:53p End

Java Jones

944p Wed
Office hours. I can usually count on the early part of any quarter of school for a lackadaisical turnout for my java jones office hours. I don't mind it all, it gives me that transition to make me realize it is now the evening. So what does one really do in the evening. As someone who speaks of sleeping an average of 2-3 hours a night, I'm a little confused as to when this occurrence actually happens. Asking me what my routine is every night is rather difficult to answer as it changes every night. So I don't look for routine to help define my evening, I rather let the evening define me. I may jumping around doing different tasks but I'm still acting like me. I'm not a different person in the many different hats I wear during the day. This has helped me tremendously on concentrating how to be a better me. If I have a definition, than you know more than I , as I believe that even with the foundation that I have built, I am still being defined, redefined, and refined. I just hope with all the effort it is for the better; for me first, and ultimately for everyone else.
This cafe, as many times that I have been here in the last 2 years of talking with students, has somewhat of a different ambiance; almost as if I am in a lower eastern asia restaurant waiting for the storm to arrive. There are people scrambling around the streets as if they were looking for cover. If not diretly looking at them, as I'm concentrating on this computer screen, but I can feel their stress tonight.
Java jones is closed now. So am I.
9:56p

Questions

937p

What's another word for thesaurus?
One crystal thought remains in my head after 25 years of being locked away in y memory. After finishing my shift as a waiter at the hotel, I walked over to the lake, sat under my usual tree to listen to the San Luis Obispo summer afternoon. I began writing this story about climbing this mountain, falling back every so often, but still climbing. It described a lot of struggle with each step, almost sweating as I wrote. I remember vividly not having an ending to the story. I folded it up and sent it to the first person I could think of at the time. It use to bother me about not finding an ending, until coming up with the following reason recently. I was a young lad going through architecture school, all the struggles stretched my faculties in every direction, however I remained intact to finish proudly. You see I couldn't have written an ending because I hadn't experienced many endings in my own life. How could I really understand the emotions of what it is like to finish something. Until I finished school. Until I finished paying off my debt. Until I finished a relationship. Until I lost a friend. Those have real emotions that I can dictate on what its like to have something end. But is it truly an ending to a story? Or do we choose how something ends either by denial or empirical fact?
One of these days I'll return to finishing that story. Like in life all good and bad things come to end, no matter who is involved in the story. We just hope we like the character we play in our screenplay of life.
And that's the way it is
955p End

Passion flavor

10:29pm Mon

If there is anything I learned tonight it would have to be that food and writing is a passion that is shared by all. Now making that a combination to no less creating a profession, well hats off to Bourdain. If you are that passionate about it I think you should write about it. This is one off the first lessons I tell grad students that seek my advisory comments for their thesis. Write. Write. Write. You can never write enough in the beginning, as they will find no time to do this later in the year: bombarded with verbal attacks on their design, glue stuck to their fingers from making endless models, and the shear stress of just surviving.
I say write again. But like the restless child we all once were, our parents telling us not to stick our fingers in the electrical socket were just white noise forever humming in our ears, until...zap. I give that cliche face, but I never say, I told you. I offer whatever advice I can to get them to write with a sort of passion (with weeks remaining in their scholastic careers) that equal to a pig eating their slop ferociously knowing they will be my slop at my next Phils barbecue endeavor. Concentrative motivation. Yet I contradict myself in previous lectures on how next to impossible it is to turn on and off the creative switch.
Regardless, we find our ways to get though it all.; finishing the thesis books, completing those task force designs, and yes finding a way through another few slices of brisket.
Passion is underneath all these layers of life's events. Sometimes we have to peel away some to grow better layers. Without it life is just a crime. For you Albert Camus fans of The Stranger, you know where I am coming from with this statement.
Good Night and Good News!

Starting a Blog

10:01pm
I just read an article in this month's Sunset magazine that has motivated me to switch portions of my balance to more writing. It said that maybe one should consider watching less news and write more of your thoughts. So I ponder this thought as I make two version of empanada recipes; Why do I need to know the news every six hours? How does that better my life, and those around me? The news is important, but not so that I have to have an app on my Blackberry knowing every step that Barrack Obama is taking every minute on the day: woke up today played with the first dog, had breakfast on the white house lawn, took a ride on air force one to cruise the city, signed a few treaties, now I'm sitting on the porch.
I do admit that the 11 o'clock news has given me a point of reference to the evening. Growing up in Paradise Hills the family used this as a marker for the grown ups to go to bed, and to yell at anyone else who hasn't gone to bed yet. As an insomniac I use it as a marker to shut off my computer, stop any tasks that I might be working on (work or teaching related); and work on something I like: reading, watching the History Channel...etc.
Back to the point of the article was that immersing yourself with so much news maybe can be substituted with just thirty minutes of writing. It was motivating. I can can use this as an excuse if the empanadas do not turn well.
Thirty minutes is a flash in our lifetime. I see this being more valuable than hearing about another after shock from a southern California earthquake.
In all intent and purposes ( I promise I will not use another cliche in this blog) this is more for me , and not necessarily for others to read, but I don't really mind it. Maybe I'm trying to carry on somewhat of JD Salinger's intrigue in the honesty of his writing. WHo knows, maybe I'll have another Holden grows out of this writing. So if you are reading any of this, Welcome. If you are not here: hope you are enjoying whatever you are doing. Maybe tell me what is on the 11 o'clock news. Wait a minute, that might be defeating the purpose of all this.
I have to view this as an investment to the balance of life. If any of you have heard me lecture on the 5 twenties, this would not take over one of those tabs, but included in the "self" tab.
We have our days when we can't find a crumb of creativity any where, on some it is spilling out of our ears. It can possibly explain the reasoning, or let's say its the motivation, of this blog. I never understood this in the first place, but I might understand it now, and even more so as this continues. Who cares who reads it, but care for writing it.
It's a sign of the times, and I'm trying to define these times, at least my own. In a way I'm old school. I like using the computer for drafting purposes, however I like teach hand drafting. Its an art form lost, yet one can really understand the building system learning how to use this tool. Does wiritng mindless thoughts bring back the days of filling up your comp books in high school. Maybe I'm just now appreciating that exercise.
I hear la donne e mobile - pavorotti version with london symphony - that is another motivation being sparked.
What song gets you going lately?
End 10:30pm