Transitioning phase has begun!

(Recently completed 1st kyu test in Aikido in Madison, WI)

Already October! The leaves are fluttering all about, people are raking their lawns, geese are gathering, and of course pumpkins are appearing all over the place.

While fall has been lasting for quite some time now, the frost is coming and the trees will soon be bare. 

Recent haiku I thought of while walking down the sidewalk the other day (10.17.17)

"Like children running-

I welcome the blowing leaves

with open arms!" - Makoto

I have begun signing my poems with the pen name 'Makoto' because my initials 'MU' are the same as my fathers, and the same as my sisters. I always enjoyed these initials because in japanese the workd 'MU' means 'nothing'... how appropriate! So, although it was never an issue, I felt it was time for a pen name. How did I acquire it? It was a gift. It is a japanese name meaning 'truth or sincerity'. 

The best things in life are given to us... I value this gift as it is a wonderful name with a meaning that gives one cause to always strive to do what is right, to keep one's intentions sincere. 

After my father passed on, I was up in the Pacific Northwest and I went to visit the Shinto shrine, Tsubaki Grand Shrine of America run by Rev. Koichi Barrish. What a wonderful place to go see!

Sensei Koichi Barrish agreed to do a ceremony honoring my late father, and I also made known to him that I was seeking a new 'pen name', and if anything spoke to him during the ceremony that was appropriate that I would be  honored to receive it from him. I don't want to get into all the details here, but it was truly an incredible experience and brought much needed closure for me as well as a profound sense of peace. Walking the temple grounds afterwards and taking in the gorgeous river that runs through the backyard I felt what a special place that is. There is a true sacredness in the domain of nature as it should be,  something that you can feel in our very bones by spending time in places that have less of a human print on them.

Now on my final year of architecture school, I am forced to look ahead into the not too distant future and wonder- what next? What perfect time of year to have such thoughts...the changing of the season corresponding to this huge transition beginning for me. I have been in architecture school for the past 7 years. It has become such a norm to me that thinking about life without school in it actually feels kind of strange! I am excited for this next chapter of my life, and looking forward to the experiences that it will bring. My time has been split between Aikido, School and Work, with very little trail running actually taking place these days. I find you can have three things in your life, any more than that and you just end up dabbling... if you truly want to get good at something, you have to pare it down to three. Life can be interesting in that many times, you don't even get to choose these three...

You sort of come up for air one day and find them there. If you are lucky you get to choose maybe one...but two? You are blessed. Choose wisely, how you spend your time defines you.

At the end, at the beginning!

Here we are, the last day of 2016!
This day always brings up so many different trains of thought. People like to reflect on what they have achieved over the last year, maybe comparing it to years past and those achievements or regrets that have brought them to where they are today. I am no different, much of this morning has been filled with fleeting thoughts of goals set and met, and also of goals that have slipped on by...

2016 was such a year of transitions! And while it will be over at midnight, it is now launching all of us forward. I welcome the New Year with much anticipation, as new ventures unfold and new memories are made. I have spent much of this year doing the same as I have for the last seven, continuing onward through architecture school. However of course there are the other goals that run parallel- in years past it was racing, running farther and farther, challenging myself and my body to ultra marathons and seeing how far I could go...

This year, after the passing of my father, it was an inward journey. How far could I go back to find myself, the self that existed before the running, before architecture school, before adult life began, before I lost my dad. This too was an ultra of sorts, because it was full of unknowns. It was full of ups and downs, an emotional roller coaster. But it was a necessary journey, and I am thankful I took the time to truly go through with it. This type of self reflection I think is so easy to abandon. It is easy to just keep going forward, because going back is hard! Deciding to stop is hard. Much easier to keep the momentum going. It may seem like a waste of time to look back, to stop and reflect. Many people say don't bother, the past is gone...but I don't believe that. I don't believe the past is any less real than the time given to us today. It's all part of who we are, and the present becomes the past in an instant. Are we learning as we go, or are we merely stumbling ahead? Being still brings us back to now. It is easy to lose sight of things when we are constantly pushing onward, without taking the time now and then to look over our shoulder. Did you drop something? Did you forget something? Does it matter? Maybe not. But in my case it did. I looked back, and realized that there was a part of me that mattered very much that had been dormant for awhile. Like it was sitting on the bench, waiting to get back in the game. And I would not have found that part of me if I had not gone back for it. If I had not taken the time to realize it was even missing in the life that had begun to sprout from my constant forward progression.

There are phases in life. I truly believe that. Sometimes we are not ready for something to be revealed to us, sometimes it is and we miss it. We look back one day and we understand, and we change accordingly, or we acknowledge this truth and that simple acceptance shifts things in our thinking, which shifts things in our actions, which shifts things in our lives. All from a glance over the shoulder...

It is important to press on, to seek the new dawn that awaits us. It is important as well to remember the things that make us feel joy and love, and give us direction and stability. The things that become our compass through this life, whatever they may be. Hold on to them, and if you happen to lose sight of them, go back and find them. Take the time, it isn't going to slow you down. If anything, it will slingshot you ahead. Be brave. Everything is as it should be.

Following up to July 19th juice cleanse!

Sorry for having taken so long to follow up to the juice cleanse I talked about in my last entry! As you can see I survived, and it did the trick. Today is October 9th and I have not had a drop of coffee since. I have been drinking hot tea, which I now have probaby a dozen different kinds, but overall I feel a lot better. In fact, I feel better all day long so it is easy to not go back. It is always easier to go the path of least resistance no? I have found that if I try something and I like it better, I stick with it. The same probably holds true for most of us. It comes down to taking the initiative to START. Thats always the hardest step, the first one out the door...however, it is like the story of the wild goose. No one tells him to go, he knows and just starts flying...

Details??? Ah, so the cleanse went like this...
Day one: Pick up groceries. A LOT of groceries. I think the apples alone was like 125.00. Yeah, waaaay too many apples. You do not need a case, although it is supposedly cheaper. That is a ton of apples. Buy a dozen and just get started. I bought what I figured was the total amount needed for the entire time because then I would be committed you know? It worked, but it was overkill and I was eating apples and juicing apples for like 2-3 weeks afterwards...
Day two: Hungry. But not starving. The juices are actually pretty good, by middle of day 2 the headache comes. Not severe, but there perhaps as a reminder that your body knows something is not quite the usual... a little hard to focus because I think your mind is wondering when you are going to eat, maybe a survival instinct? Who knows. Stay strong.

Day two midday: Had to leave work because my headache progressively got worse. At home it was pounding, I began to doubt the cleanse, but just laid down and hoped it would pass. It turned into a migraine, which must have been my body detoxifying because somewhere around 9 pm I got really nauseous and had the dry heaves (crazy!!!) which lasted about 2 hours... then finally sleep. Woke up feeling pretty good, very clear headed. And very ready to be done!
Let me just say that I am a firm believer in that the worse you feel during something like this, the worse you probably were to begin with health-wise. Whatever my body was kicking out, I am glad it did. I am sure I am better off for it!

Day 3: A little weak, but able to work all day. Came home and had a great dinner of greens and healthy food stuffs. Nothing too crazy, but savored it all. Said farewell to coffee for awhile, because it felt so good to just wake up and be alert, and not half out of it.

Afterthoughts- coffee is pretty acidic, and if you drink it like I was (cup in the morning, americano maybe mid-morning...maybe another after work, etc) thats tough on your system. My energy levels were always up and down, and I would feel bloated around mid day. I feel much more balanced now, healthier, happier and at ease. That was worth changing my habits. Each of us is different, we have to constantly refine ourselves as we go. That's what life is all about, paying attention and getting back on track when we wander off.
Take time for self reflection, study your habits, they are what you spend a lot of time thinking about and doing! Are they propelling you forward or holding you back? Be honest with yourself, life goes by too quickly to half ass it.

48 HR JUICE CLEANSE

After my run today with my brother, I decided that I really need to cut back on my coffee intake. I drink quite a bit of coffee, and I am sure I would feel better if I just quit for a bit and got off the stimulus it provides. Since I always go all in, why not make it a complete cleansing period?
I did some research online, and found a great blog post by Doug Hay who was also an ultrarunner.


You can check it out yourself at:http://www.justonjuice.com/3-day-juice-fast-plan/


Question 1 : How is this going to affect my current training? 
Since Doug was also training for an ultra when he did his cleanse (which was also for three days, not two like mine) I felt his advice was great for me. Since he mentioned the worst symptoms came on at the 12 h mark, I started my cleanse today, at 5:30 pm. This will allow me to wake up and then drink another one right away, hopefully this will ease the hunger pains a little. I also am going to add chia seeds to my juice drinks, for the extra protein/energy. Things can get demanding at the architecture firm where I work and I want to stay on my game :)

Question 2: How expensive is this going to be?
I got lucky here since I already own a pretty nice juicer, an Omega Juicer 8004. This machine is amazing, juices anything (handles wheatgrass very well due to it being a 'masticating' juicer, meaning that it doesn't use spinning blades but actually presses the juice out with an auger type bit.Rinse and done. Back to the cost, I was just looking at a grocery bill. Which mind you, would have been a lot less if I had noticed that it called for 24 apples and not a case. The case was expensive, at 40lbs. That being said, I am going to be juicing A LOT of apples over the next two days. There will also be a lot of leftover 'stuff' I am sure.
Bill: 165.00

Question 3: Whats going to happen to me?
 Ha ha, this is where it gets a little exciting and a little scary. Since it is only for 48 hours ( of which 16 I will be sleeping, hopefully) the worst symptoms Doug mentioned are headaches, fatigue and hunger (go figure). I think the worst will be the hunger pains and the coffee withdrawal. Both of which should clear by the morning on Tuesday (it is currently Sunday evening, 7:12 pm. I began the cleanse at 5:30 pm today) so we will see. Since I eat pretty healthy already (green smoothies every morning, low meat intake, no junk food, no soda, no alcohol, etc.) I am not expecting this to get too painful. That is my hope...

Question 4: Whats going to happen afterwards?
 When the 48 hours is up, I am going to gratefully sit down to some quinoa and salad with walnuts and roasted beets. After that, for the following 30 days I will abstain from coffee completely, and continue my morning green smoothies except I will be following a new rule of thumb of ABC (apple, beet, carrot) juice intake daily. Each day starts with lemon juice and warm water, to stimulate the digestive system (this also helps to clear the skin).

In closing, I am excited to do this. I feel like it is time to make some good moves with my food intake and to help take my training to the next level. What better gift to give oneself then amazing health? The human body is meant to feel amazing, everyday. To do amazing things, everyday. Anything less and it could be said that you are merely cheating yourself out of a life filled with a healthier, happier you.
I will be posting more on this experience as it unfolds for those who may be interested in trying it themselves someday.

 


 

Resuming ultra-training! (And the beginning of grad school!)

I have decided that the 'official' training for Superior 50 mile slated for September of this year has begun. While I have not been doing ANY (gasp) racing this year at all (thanks to grad school) I have been 'thinking' a lot about it and more specifically my approach, which will be three fold as described on my training page which can also be found on this blog. On that page I talk a little about how I handled the training for this race last year, which paid off very well. With a few tweeks I am certain of another fantastic race, and am actually even gunning for a PR :) guess time will tell!
I started grad school this summer (always the 'go-getter!') in order to have less classes in the fall which enables me to work more. My time spent working at Stephen Perry Smith Architects has been just fantastic. I absolutely love the firm and the team we have there and am honored to have a mentor such as Stephen Smith as not only an employer but also as a great friend. It is always amazing to me how when you are going in the right direction, things really do seem to fall together. HINT: If you are experiencing endless drama and troubles in your life, something is WRONG. Life should not be that hard or miserable, and if you are experiencing both then it is time to take serious inventory and perhaps some hard life choices.
I had to do this, and most successful/happy/healthy people have as well. Every single truly interesting person I have ever met has overcome some hard obstacle in their life, and it has been that obstacle that has made them who they are today!

Grad school has been comprised of learning structural analysis so far, not necessarily the most interesting thing in the world but certainly very useful in helping to design truss systems and deal with design issues on a particular site or custom design desire. I will never look at an arch again the same. Good stuff for us young aspiring architects... I love learning about architecture and then running long in the woods on a Saturday afternoon and just thinking about how these things all come together... the balance of the gravity loads on the truss, and the balance of the ecosystems in the woods. Wonderful thoughts on longer runs... these things keep me going, keep life interesting. The real trick for me is learning to balance what you need to know, with what you don't. What you need to have, with what you don't. Keep it minimal, leave room for growth. The game of life is ongoing and wonderful, and there are miles and miles to go...

Stay motivated, stay in the game.

Making Moves

There is a certain excitement that accompanies a big move. An air of possibility surrounds it, anticipation builds during the days leading up to it, we become anxious and even a little nervous. The move I am referring to here is moving ones residence, which entails all that you own. This is an interesting experience and seems to change as we get older.
When we are younger, we take everything. Everything we believe we need since we are all about acquiring stuff. Then when we move during our twenties we are amazed at how much crap we have we don't even use, or need, while the whole time we are packing we are experiencing nostalgia and remembering good times (and bad) associated with certain items. We keep a lot of 'what-if' stuff and lug it all to our new place. Now I am in my late thirties, and find that I really am about minimizing my 'stuff'. Part of that is that I want to simplify, and part of that is the wisdom of knowing that quality over quantity is more important than how much stuff I have. These seem like great years, like all the mistakes I have made to get here are starting to pay off.
For instance, I am much more sure of where I want to go with my life. I have made a few career changes, and found that the practice of architecture was something that I was very passionate about. The spirit of 'place-making' truly pulled at my heart strings, and I am extremely fortunate to have remained open enough to change, for this allowed me to take chances and to make the jump to go back to school after building houses for nearly 17 years. That single decision, that single move changed everything. It changed the path my life was on, it changed my place of residence, it opened doors to new opportunities, introduced me to new people that would become mentors and peers, in essence it was the biggest move of my life. And it was so worth it.
Everyone should take the time for moving. Movement is life, it keeps us from becoming stagnant. It forces us to take inventory, of ourselves, our 'stuff', our lives. It strips away the familiar and shows us whats possible. It keeps us young, and keeps life exciting. It is natural, in the way that birds and animals (and people used to) migrate to the pattern of the seasons.
So circling back to the beginning, as I am filling bags to take to Goodwill, in order to lighten my own move, I am reflecting on all the things a move can do. The power in that, in the unknown. It is exciting, and I encourage everyone to do it more often. Refresh your life.

Summer breezes! On break from Architecture school: 3 rules for enjoying yourself...

As Spring semester came to a close, I had begun to think about all of the adventures I was going to entertain...learning to sail, running the trails, stand-up paddleboarding, scuba diving in Lake Michigan...

Unfortunately for me, I had signed up for two online classes. Luckily, only one started right away. The thing about online courses is that they are great for getting credits out of the way during the summer break, but they have a pretty significant impact on your summer 'break'. So this post is all about 3 ideas to keep in  mind that I am striving to focus on myself.

Being an ultra runner, my base running mileage dropped significantly due to keeping up with the accelerated 4 week course and work. I was able to still do the Northern Kettle 50k (first ultra in over a year) and then also partake in one of my favorites, the Chippewa Moraine 50k.

1. TAKE THE TIME AS IT COMES : Ultra running is a pretty dedicated sport in terms of time, I mean you have to get in the miles if you want to be able to COVER the miles. Being signed up for Sawtooth 50 mile now coming up in September, this has been a period of re-learning to juggle my priorities with my responsibilities. What I have really learned to embrace is the fact that you have to grasp opportunity as it comes...so when I get a chance to hit the trail for an hour, I just GO. I don't think about it long enough for my brain to talk myself out of it, I just get out there. Like many other runners, I have never went for a run in the woods and then thought to myself, "I never should have done that...I feel so much worse now...". Believe me, those little acts of initiative will keep you living as an athlete throughout whatever life throws your way.

2. DON'T OVERPLAN YOUR TIME : Being a man of extremes, I have had a lifelong tendency to overdo pretty everything I do or attempt to do. When it comes to my weekends for instance, I willfully plan all of these things to do, and will agree to more if asked only to come to find that I have no time  left for myself. You have to keep time open for just 'whatever come along'. This helps to keep a little spontaneity in your life, otherwise things become too bland and planned...who needs their life to feel like its work? Free up some space in your schedule and you will find things to do during those spots when the time comes...I guarantee it.

3. SPEND TIME IMPROVING YOURSELF : This is important year round, but when you have extra time like during the summer months when there are nice days to provide that extra motivation, there is no better time to pursue activities/hobbies that give back. Reading good books, trying out Yoga or Standup Paddleboarding, simply going for more walks and reflecting on your life in general...these types of activities keep people grounded and sharp. Giving yourself time to reflect or time to become more flexible or stronger enables your body/mind to perform better. You will feel better, you will be more focused, and you just may find something that brings you some real joy in your life. Life should continue to be about learning and personal growth, don't get sucked into dogma and become complacent in your every day affairs. I took a yoga class last semester and loved it. Not only did my recovery times lessen after long  runs, but I felt better. I was more engaged in 'the moment' and aware of my own body-where I was weak, where I was strong. It helped me identify certain issues that I needed to pay more attention to, such as a tight hamstring or a stressed knee. Take the time to try out something that requires you to listen to yourself, to slow down and pay attention. Those activities bring us back to the moment, help us to fully live in the present. Its important to take the time to enjoy those, because like summer break, they are gone before you know it.

The Best Luck is having Great Teachers

So the semester is out at last, and I have been immensely enjoying getting back to training and racing!
This pic was taken at the Chippewa Moraine 50k ultramarathon held up in New Auburn hosted by Jeff Allen in late April. This race was my first ultra in 2010 and I was so thrilled to get back up there to run it again. The RD is a good friend of mine and it is always a pleasure to catch up with him a little as well...



The spring 2014 semester seemed never ending... the main topic covered in our studio was tectonics, and how to really explore the relationships of mass plane and frame in terms of joinery, making space, proportion and scale. I learned quite a bit once I was able to wrap my head around the whole idea, as always it takes me awhile to shake the 'builder' mind and to look at these concepts as the basics surrounding good architecture.
I have stumbled across a wonderful book that I have been reading lately that I have already recommended to a couple other Architecture students called "Letters to a Young Architect" by Christopher Benninger. Since I have already covered the first few chapters I can honestly say that this book is a must read for any architecture student who wants to fully understand what it means to become an architect. Mr. Benninger is a highly accomplished architect, and sheds light on many topics that are simply not addressed at school or stressed enough by any professors that I have had.The book has been a real delight to pore over being on break now, and the extra time allows me to really soak up the concepts. One great quote in the book was this:
"The best luck is having good teachers"... so simple and yet SO true. Mr. Benninger was told this by an eighty year old man who was referring to his ninety something year old teacher...proof that we are never to old to learn, and to lean on those wiser than us to glean the insight we need to continue on our personal journey in this life. I always seek out the most knowledgeable persons on any subject under which to learn from, I figure that way you are placing yourself in the best possible position to learn the most...


Always seek out great teachers, and your 'luck' will surely improve.. happy hunting.

The Power of Standing There

What's with the title? Phusis is a word the Greeks used that meant "the emerging and rising in itself and in all things". This is an important concept because what this does is 'clears and illuminates a sense of earth, it confirms our presence in the moment.

Where did that come from? I am currently in an Architectural theory class that is actually a graduate level course, one that I was invited into and also one that I am not getting credit for because I am still an undergrad. The reason I stayed in the course, is because I am learning a lot. It is very interesting and I believe will really help me better understand Architecture.
Currently I am studying some of the works by Martin Heidegger who wrote a comprehensive lecture in 1954 titled "Building, Dwelling, Thinking". I am not going to go into details here because it is very deep reading and required many passes for me to really let his concepts sink in. However I will share the basis of his essay because I felt it was very profound:

Martin believes that society has slipped away from our original form of 'authentic existence'. He believes that humans have the ability to 'dwell poetically' (sense of belonging and place in the highest sense coupled with an awareness of the fourfold) and that when we become detached from that, either through distractions or loss of the understanding of such we are in a sense tossed into a state of mild confusion, anxiety and chaos. Society around us becomes chaos, because things are not aligned as they should be. He talks about the 'fourfold', a word he uses that symbolizes sky, earth, mortals, divinities. Although his essay is pretty extensive, I am going to attempt to streamline his message: A building has the ability to make the world visible. How? because it reverts our attention back to the fourfold (sky, earth, mortals, divinities). Again, how? Heidegger gives the example of a Greek temple. The stone giving off a warm glow of the sun, but really, it is revealing the sun itself. Therefore the stone is making visible the grace of the sun ( Our eyes acknowledge the sky, the warmth of the sun on our face. Or the stars, and the black of night). The open space of the interior of the Greek temple frames the sky, therefore this framework makes visible the sky. It was built to honor the Gods, and by being in its presence one cannot help but think of the reasons it was built and what it signified, and therefore our thoughts are turned to the divinities of this world, and so the building reveals the divinities to us simply by standing there. It makes us ponder its past, of the hundreds of years it has stood there and in its permanence and steadfastness it reveals to us our mortality. We notice it's base, firmly rooted in the rock cleft upon which it stands, and it brings all those other things back down to earth. By standing there it reveals the sense of the earth upon which it stands. And so, the fourfold is shown (sky, earth, mortal, divinities) separately and yet all at once. This is Phusis, the emerging and rising in itself and in all things. For although the building simply stands there, it is bringing something into presence: The mortal standing there, the sky above him, the earth at his feet, and the concept of something divine. This is the fourfold, this is the power of architecture. It makes the world visible and spatial, "bringing something into presence". It is not representational. It is much more than that. It is the union of World and Thing. World in this sense means 'the time spent between' so man's stay between earth & sky, between birth & death, between joy & pain, between work & word. Thing means the manifestation of the fourfold.  So Things make a place come into presence, at the same time as its elements emerge as what they are (sky, earth, mortal, divinity).
Heidegger's work is worth studying because it raises consciousness of something greater. This was fascinating to me because it shows the reach of something 'just standing there'. How powerful that can be. We are always part of something bigger than we ever could imagine.

 Food for thought for the day... hopefully I made a little sense of  Heidegger's work. I by no means claim to fully understand it, but am trying to turn the words around in my mind and gain some insight from that. Enjoy the day!

Spring semester returns...back to the studio!

January 21st, 2014...
THAT didn't take long! Just as I was beginning to settle in to a 'normal' routine again (working and running and sleeping) the Spring semester crept up and cracked my reality like a well placed towel snap!
Fortunately I made the wise choice of dropping the online class that had me at 18 credits for the semester to bring that number to a more respectable 15. I have become aware of the fact that yes, I need to have a life outside of school... even if that life is running upteen miles in the woods through the snow, it is what keeps me grounded. Ultra running has been such a big part of my life over the past 4 years that I found myself REALLY getting bummed out last semester when I got to the point where I was barely running at all. I just was not myself, and was practically miserable. I had less energy, weaker focus, and my ambition was running low. By the end of the semester I was feeling a little burned out. I am sure  many students hit this point, and since this is my fifth year in school now it is not all that surprising if I experience moments of blah...thats where the refreshing trail runs come in! The training, the racing, the energy that comes from spending time training in the outdoors (specifically the natural world, not just running around town). It is a healthier way of life, and I truly needed to bring things back to balance in order to stay successful and  happy while still making my way through Architecture school. I am sure there are many people out there that find that life gets in the way. Reminds me of a quote, "If you are too busy to run, then you are too busy." Amen to that.

Having more of a balance in my life has really helped me to appreciate setting goals and then reaching them, and then setting more. I think this is important, to feel that feeling of accomplishment, of attaining new heights in our lives. TRY something NEW! You just might surprise yourself! At the wonderful age of 35 I feel more compelled than ever to try new things, although with the time commitment to school and my job at Stephen Perry Smith Architects it is really small things, almost more like 'refinements'. If what you are doing is working, but you are stuck or need a little jumpstart, then refine some things in your life. Take inventory! What can be improved? Look at your diet, HONESTLY look at it. Do some research! Omega 3's and Omega 6's...BIG difference there. Find out what you are eating and what it is doing to you. Can't drop weight but are eating healthy? Could be the foods  you are eating are loaded in Omega 6's...trust me, I recently had  someone fill me in on all of this, and I found that a lot of what I was eating was considered very healthy, non gmo, organic, etc, but was LOADED with Omega 6's which slows your metabolism, and you will gain weight. Quinoa was high on this list, as was many grains. If you don't balance the 6's and the 3's, this will lead to imbalances and significant weight gain, sluggish behavior. You cannot just eat more omega 3's, you have to reduce the volume of food that you are consuming that is rich in the omega 6's in order to restore balance to your body. The suggested ratio is 3:1 ( 3's : 6's) while the average American diet is 1:10...I could go on and on but hey do some research yourself! Educate yourself, and then tell your friends and family. This is how we as a community stay informed and help each other stay healthy and happy...okay, that quite the tangent but it was very relevant to my day today so I had to throw that in here for anyone who maybe can benefit from such information, which is EVERYONE. So please take the time. This was super interesting and directly effects our quality of life, so it is worth the time looking into. Invest in yourself!

That is what going back to school was for me, and what ultra running is, and what drinking green smoothies and going to the gym and quitting alcohol etc. all is...investing in myself. I honestly feel the best I have EVER felt, in my entire life and I am 35 years old. I feel blessed to be able to say that, to be waking up each day excited and full of energy. To be generally happy all the time, to be grateful for clean air, to try and pay attention to life's little wonders that are amazing and all around us every day. And still, I try to refine. I continue to learn, and to pay attention to those that know things that I do not, or have another side to the story. I question what I hear or read by pitting it against my conscience and against what I know to be right in my heart. Stand on that feeling, always. Never be afraid to better yourself, or be a better person to others who just may really need it. In this current age of YouTube and flashforward thinking with all the info at our fingertips people forget to refine what they have, or who they are. The tools are there, take a chance on yourself. Don't dwell on mistakes, you will make less of them the farther you go. If you don't, then you need to refine. Go for a walk in the woods, spend some time in your natural habitat, away from the distractions and the noise and the cars and all the stuff. Find a quiet place where you can hear the wind in the trees and spend some time there. Hell, spend a lot of time there!
You will be pleasantly surprised.

Thank god for snow shoers!

So this past Saturday Jodie and I went running in the Southern Kettle on the IA starting at Emma Carlin and turning around on top of Bald Bluff. Aside from the occasional crow or chickadee the woods were quiet, peaceful. The only other tracks I came across were the snowshoe tracks and my tracks from last weekend...(thanks, at least the trail was blazed) which brings me to an interesting point- where the hell is everyone? I am simply amazed that these trails are not packed down more with the comings and goings of trail runners! Such awesome trails, close to hot coffee at Backyard Bikes, with a changing station right at the parking lot, and I feel like only a select few of us are taking advantage! I guess thats a good thing, since it is nice to be able to go out there and just lose yourself in the solitude of the pines and allow your mind to settle with the rhythmic crunching of your footprints...
This will be 3rd winter running year round on those trails, and I feel so incredibly lucky to be able to there in an hour from where I live. I find the deeper snow, and unstable footing is wonderful training for ultra runners, or any athlete I guess as it strengthens the stabilizers and core and helps to improve balance. I love flying down the hills and breaking through the drifts and sliding around corners...its play, really. Like one of my favorite quotes: "I am at  play in the fields of the Lord"...

Since I am still on winter break I have been taking full advantage of the extra time available to me on the weekends. The Southern Kettle Moraine has been my go to spot for training, and just to reconnect with my natural environment. I plan on doing a few ultras this year, with Chippewa coming up in April. What better place to train then out there? I have to get out in the Northern Kettle yet this winter, I will post a report on that soon. For now, the trails are great in the Southern Kettle, and any of you trail runners putting miles on the dreadmills, shame on you! You don't know what your missing :)
Guess I am one of the lucky ones...

Farewell to 2013!

As I sit here on the last day of 2013, I have been thinking back on all that has transpired. I am sure I am not the only one who does this, nor am I  the only one who enjoys writing a summary of another year gone by. I find this to be a wonderful way to catalog my journey, one year at a time. It helps to evaluate where I was, where I am and where I would like to go. To make goals, both short and long in order to maintain direction. It holds me accountable for my actions.

Not sure who first said this but it doesn't make it any less true: "When you grasp opportunity it tends to multiply". I have found this to be true for myself. Whenever you go after something that means a lot to you, whether you get it or not, that initial action in itself puts in motion multiple energy waves, or 'rings' that cause reactions in your life. We can never see the totality of the consequences of our actions, because those rings never stop. Some may grow and expand, others may break apart eventually and disappear, but for certain this is how change comes about. I have found in my life that when you are on point, meaning heading in a direction that is morally correct about something that you are passionate about, and you are diligently pursuing a worthy goal or overcoming a certain hurdle, that more doors tend to open rather than shut. Life becomes more and more grand with each passing year. Life actually becomes easier. Now I know that it is not ACTUALLY becoming easier, but I believe that when you are in tune to that deeper rhythm that things tend to fall into place easier. The healthier you are, mind and body, the more you are able to tune in.  That makes it easier to evade the pitfalls that are always around. Everyone has to deal with them-make no mistake,  no one is exempt from the curve-balls of life!

Correct attitude and reaction response plays larger roles than many people realize. We as a society try to control everything. Our jobs, our budgets, our perceived places in our day to day lives, our schedules, our patterns. But truth be told, the only thing we truly control is our attitude. Our reactionary response to daily events in our lives is the biggest determinant in what happens next. So true. And so hard to keep in check at times. For me, this is where running long hours in the woods comes into play. It gives me time to sort things out, to quiet the commotion, to let everything just BE STILL. And although I am moving, I begin to blend, instead of disrupt. I begin to relax, to soak in the moment, and to really feel alive. This feeling brings me back to center, keeps my thoughts in check, and allows me face whatever chaos is waiting for me back at home, work or in my environment.

I am extremely picky with my time, because as I grow older I  have less and less of it to myself it seems. Is it not the same for everyone? Our circles of friends evolves, we evolve. We discover that we don't have to do what so and so is doing because we have finally realized that we don't like to, and that's okay. The pressure of trying to impress a certain group or person dissolves because our world gets so much bigger. The possibilities also expand, multiply. I found that once I stepped out of my existing social circles and began to explore, many of these had been just under the surface of my day to day life. I just had to adjust the focus to see them. I found ultra running, and this really turned my spirit on to life, to the possibilities out there. Your habits will determine the quality of your life!

One of my previous Architect professors told me that these years of university time will be an amazing time of growth, more so than any other time during my career.  Currently I am on my 5th year of Architecture study. Most likely three more to go to finish the masters out. One thing I find fascinating about school is that it changes you. You evolve. Faster than you do just living day to day I think. You are not the same from year to year. All this knowledge that you are being immersed in, it just tugs you this way and that. It stimulates thoughts that lead to others that inform and confuse and baffle and lead you onward. Such intellectual growth, please, take full advantage! Every step, carrying you farther into you will become. That is exciting to think about! Where will you be in 5 years? Are you looking forward to it? If not, perhaps it is time to evaluate what you are doing with your time. What is shaping your life?

If you are not happy take the time to truly figure out why. Do that for yourself. Its worth however long it takes. I am a late bloomer, and didn't really start to allow myself to be truly happy until I was just about through my twenties. People should be able to live lives that give them some sort of happiness, some feeling of fulfillment. If not, make changes. As humans, we are creatures of habit, through and through. Change is hard, and especially voluntary.  Start small and discover what that feels like then go from there. Your confidence will grow with each victory. It is like ultra running- you don't just start out running a 50 mile race. You work your way up to it. You put in the hours, the training. I started out just running- and that led to a 5k. Then a 10k, then I ran 20 miles one day. Then a 50k...100k...(ok, thats as far as I have gotten so far). You build on your successes. You also build on your failures too, because you start to gain confidence in yourself. You begin to realize this vast world of opportunity that for whatever reason was so utterly unattainable before is now in the realm of possibility. The opportunities you seize begin to multiply.
If something doesn't work out, find the lesson in that. Adjust your focus. Even if you don't see the merit right away, chances are later in life you will. I can look back now 15 years at things I did or did not do and can make direct connections to things that are happening now. There are no wasted moments.

 I have heard many people tell undergrads of Architecture schools that they should take off some time between undergrad  and grad school to work and to figure out what areas they may want to specialize in. That way they can better personalize their elective classes to go a certain direction and begin to prime themselves to become better educated in one field of study versus another. I wholly agree, in fact, if you can, take off 5 years and REALLY figure it out. In fact, don't come back until you are dead set on your career, because to me you are just throwing away your money otherwise. I waited almost 20 years between high school and college- in fact, I never planned on going back. Didn't even initially finish HighSchool! And then all of a sudden, it was time for me to make some changes. Big changes.  I didn't know where to start, but I knew I had to do something. So I did what I had to do to get myself going down that road. I didn't look back, I just kept on going. I had absolute certainty of my ability to change my current situation. Absolute. But I was ready, entirely ready. How did I know? I can't answer that. I guess I just finally took the time to take a real hard look at things, and to be completely honest with myself.

 Honesty. How hard is it? Think about that simple word. If you are unsure, then take the time to figure it out. I don't think there are any shortcuts to that kind of understanding needed to unlock your full potential. You just have to put in the time. I may be one of the oldest students in my class at UWM, but I KNOW the direction I am going. I have all kinds of goals in mind, nothing set in stone but many wonderful possibilities. And  any one of them can become a reality, or any combination of them, or lead to something entirely unforeseen! The important thing is having direction. I have been going in this direction most of my life and didn't even know it. I spent 17 years building everything from silos to pole barns to houses, and am at a point in my life where this transition into Architecture feels completely natural. I know that this is not the normal turn of events, but like I said I am a late bloomer. If I finish school around the age of 38-39 I know the remaining 60 years or whatever I am blessed with will be amazing because when I am working at the firm it doesn't feel like work at all, it just feels right.

 If it wasn't for the recession and the bottom falling out of the housing market I could have still been building houses today, but that's not how it played out. I saw an opportunity, and I went after it. It wasn't all thought through, I knew there were wrinkles that would have to be ironed out in order to go to school full time but I put forth the initial effort to go down that road. Over the course of that first year I changed my major from Construction Management to Architecture. Because of one class, of one instructor, of one SENTENCE. I confessed to one of the instructors, that I was worried about being too old to be going back to school for Architecture. I admitted I would be almost 40 by the time I got all through and licensed. I asked him if it was too late for such a career change, perhaps I should be more practical. He told me, "Marcel, 40 is coming no matter what you do. What do you want to be doing when it gets here?" That one sentence had one of the biggest impacts on my life, ever. So simple and straightforward!

That was all I needed to hear. I jumped and never looked back. There were never any doubts after that, because once my feet were on that path and the farther I traveled in that direction the more things just fell into place. Sure it took a lot of work on my part, but I just had this feeling of calm, of security. I had found what I truly wanted to do for the rest of my life. And looking back, everything I had done prior had been leading me to this point in time. It all clicked, and that was a feeling like no other.
Being in school now, I have all that building experience to fall back on as it relates to the study of Architecture and the built environment. Its all relative, it all matters. There are no wasted moments. Everything you do in your life, has an effect on something else. Everything.

 I am already making big plans for 2014, to have my efforts echo forth into the rest of my life. I hope anyone who reads this does the same! Live worthwhile, and let's all age gracefully together. Happy New Year's Eve!

Fall semester comes to a close...now what?

Many long nights and days of drafting...

FALL SEMESTER IS OVER! 'TIS BITTERSWEET MY FRIENDS!

So yesterday I took my last final. ARCH 300, which is a history course.
Went pretty well, considering I am not one for memorizing things straight out, I am better at really taking the time to get to understand something. I find that way you come to the realization of "do I really need to know this or is this a stepping stone?" This class had some excellent lessons, so I am glad I put in plenty of time and plenty of notes. I actually enjoy taking notes as it is  a wonderful excuse for practicing lettering! I have been doing that for the last four and a half years now, and my lettering is getting pretty decent. Straight across the page, no guidelines needed anymore. Now my boss, HIS lettering is amazing. I love to look at it, it's a font in itself. I aspire to write like that someday...my father always stressed the importance of handwriting, how it is a sign of one's character. You can always tell who the writers are, just like you can usually tell who has done a sketch or two ;)

This semester was a transition point in my career as an architect in training. It was a constant struggle to shake the 'office constraints' as my teacher called them. It is tough to forget about code and structure and just try to focus on form in its simplest existence and how it creates space and what that space can do and how it makes you feel and what it signifies or doesn't and why that matters and if it doesn't well it should because it is important. And somewhere along the way, it begins to make more and more sense.

I feel very lucky to be 35 and in school for Architecture as a full time student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Especially with 17 years of building experience under my belt. It seems like everything I was so anxious for is just falling into place now, and while that does not make me any more patient it surely makes me more grateful for all the steps I took to get here. There are no wasted moments.

I have a habit of researching my instructors to try and figure out which one I consider to be the best fit for me. I look at where they went to school, how long they have been practicing, any accomplished works/publications, basically anything I can easily look up. Then after I figure out who I believe I stand to learn the most from, I do my damnedest to get in their class. I write emails, ask for referrals, whatever. Usually this can work because no one else does it. I look at it like this, you are already spending a lot of money for the class, why not try and get the most of it? The most bang for your buck? So far I haven't had a bad pic...maybe there aren't any to begin with. I still feel better trying to cover my ass.

 These are the four main projects we
had this semester. We went from defining form, to creating space, to creating space in relation to form, and finally to creating relationships of form and space. The model building is a lot of fun, extremely time consuming but at least it reminds me of building... on a much smaller scale.

 I have turned the apartment pretty much into a design studio/home office. Love it. The NEOLT drafting table I have is 60" wide, and I can stack 11x 17 drawings above each other- wonderful for transferring lines. When its not being used for drafting I adjust it flat and just throw the cutting mat on it and BOOM model time.
Get good tools for building models, and don't wait until the last minute to do the heavy cutting. I KNOW my neighbors did not appreciate the jigsaw at 10 pm, at which time I felt bad and broke out the coping saw...and finished all the pieces by hand sawing ( not recommended, but actually works pretty well with basswood)

You know it amazes me still how many architecture students simple cannot draw to save their lives. Most of this is coming from not practicing at all, and just resorting to creating a SKU model and printing it out and then tracing it. Congrats, you got it done and didn't learn shit. Well maybe you are a little faster at SKU now.
Now I know a lot of people do this, but I also know that there is something to said about being able to draw. Its a tool in your kit, an important one, and you are going to use it all the time to communicate. There is no other tool as fast as sketching at being able to get your thoughts out of your head and onto the paper for you to scrutinize and ponder. Its also an impressive skill once you get good at it, and I know that it played a big part in my getting hired at the firm where I still work now. Once you get out of school, you are going to be on a computer all the time. Take the time and learn how to draw while you can. Develop the skills of perspective and sketching to scale and being able to do a quick interior layout, these are gonna come up when you least expect it. I personally love the hand drawing illustrations, sketches, watercolor renderings, marker renderings, perspective drawings, etc...they are personal and they are one of a kind. The computer will never replace that. Don't get me wrong, I am on Revit for work every day and have been learning that software for the past 5 years now along with SKU and CAD and now 3ds max but even so, I am still the guy who will spend 1500 to go spend a week out in Vegas with Mike Lin and study hand graphics for up to 14  hours a day and love every minute of it (well most minutes). Learning these tools is seat time, there is no way around it. The better you know the tools, the easier you can get your ideas across. The better you can communicate. The better you will become.

 So, what will I be doing over break? Well I have six weeks to work, run, and unwind. I plan on running a project I have been working on in Revit through 3ds max. I have a few video tutorials to go through beforehand and hopefully sometime next week I can post a pic of the trial run of the rendering. Most of the renderings I do currently are in Revit, then I  touch them up in PS. I have 3ds max on my home PC and at work, so I have been WAITING to get the free time to invest the seat time and learn it. At least the basics of bringing in a model and rendering it through max. So I am excited about that...and I hope to get another marker rendering out. Been awhile and I need to keep those skills in the front of my mind, cause you never know when you may need them. And its fun, which is just an added bonus to working in architecture!

New city, new school, new trails...let the exploring begin!

A few weeks now into my first semester here at UWM School of Architecture. Since I have not written on this blog in awhile, I almost have to sift through all that has happened lately in order to not be up all night, all though to do so would seem then norm these days anyways.
Work at the architecture firm has been amazing! I feel totally at home there with the team and feel like I was able to hit the ground running. What else..oh, finally all moved in on the East Side of Milwaukee, pretty close to Lake Michigan! Close to coffee shops, Whole Foods, the Milwaukee river single track trail (awesome)...Life has been grand. I am truly blessed.
I have begun the new design studio here, it is their first one that they offer to Architecture students and I have mixed emotions about having to take it.  A lot of what is being covered is review for me, except for some new vocabulary and some new concepts to dwell on. After I was finished at ITT and started up in Madison at their Architecture program, I felt like I was having to start over, learning many of the same concepts that I had already spent a fortune on learning once already, not to mention putting in the time, again. Here at UWM it feels like that a little too so far. Of course this is a little disappointing, in that I was hoping to be learning all this wonderful design theory and to be diagramming the great buildings of old. I am sure more of that is coming, but I think what really causing me to feel that way is that I REALLY  liked going to work at the firm every morning. It was exciting, it was fast paced, and I was learning A TON of real world application every day. Since I am obviously missing it so much ( being on reduced hours now due to school full time) I must be on the right track, and truly love what I am doing which is the practice of Architecture. So whats the problem, right?
Even though a lot of what I am doing presently in school may be review, I am still learning. I am still practicing Architecture even if it is building little cardboard abstract shapes and changing them and rechanging them and drawing them and then doing it all over again. There are lessons in the every day little things, and I am learning more and more to be patient. It is the only way you get to see them. The big things are easy to see, everyone gets those. The smaller ones, not so much. You have to earn those, by putting in the time and being there when the  magic happens.
Since it is all relative-the model making, the history lessons, the sketching and the sleepless nights of drafting I simply have accepted that this is paying my dues- again. At a new place, with new teachers, and new peers and new lessons to be learned, and earned.
Here's to the winds of change, blowing stronger than ever...cheers!

Another Beloose Workshop!

Las Vegas is hot. Too hot. Honestly, I have no idea why anyone would want to live there, unless you are just a major fan of gambling and air conditioning. This was apparent after I stepped off of the plane on the 18th of July to meet Mike Lin to help him get ready for his 2 and 7 day Beloose Graphic workshop. This workshop consists of either 2 days or 9 days of intensive hands on learning of a plethera of multi media rendering techniques involving markers, colored pencils, pastels, watercolor and graphite. There is also a hybrid digital class the last day, taught by his son Brian. The whole experience is profound, and after I had attended a 9 day workshop last January I wanted to come back as a teaching aide and that was the reason I was suffocating in the desert heat out in Vegas. Its nice out there indoors, since it has to be or I am sure everyone would leave. What struck me is that there is virtually no outdoor atmosphere, it is a life of shuttling from one AC controlled environment to the next. I am sure during cooler months there may be some kind of outdoor activity, but during the last week of July it is pretty non existent.
This workshop was similiar to the last one I took in Manhatten, Kansas in that the people you meet alone are worth the trip. Imagine 70 designers from all over the world converging into one hotel to study hand graphics/rendering techniques under one of the most skilled artists I have ever met in person! The conversation is stimulating and extremely enjoyable. The tips and tricks are amazing time savers, and after 12 hours plus each day you are completely saturated in the experience. The beauty of Mike Lin's workshop is that he does not sit up there talking about theory for hours, he draws. And you draw with him, following steps and techniques along with him. This is such an incredible way to learn. He shows you the shortcuts, the tricks, without beating around the bush and just showing off what he can do. I love the transparency of his style, and his willingness to share is evidence of his passion for the art. I feel very fortunate to have been able to attend his seminar, and would gladly return to help out as an aide again if I am given the opportunity.
This time around there were people from Canada, Hawaii, Switzerland, and all over the USA. I met some wonderful people, engaged in some incredible dialogue, and walked away with my mind brimming with new ideas and future endeavors. I saw La Rev in Vegas, remarkable show. I would highly recommend it! It was like nothing I had ever seen before...the strip was loud and chaotic, so really not my thing but the architecture was impressive. Was blows my mind is that all of that is just sitting out in the desert. The mountains surrounding the area look lifeless, and I rarely saw any wildlife. The air was dry and HOT, and the palm trees that are planted around Vegas and Henderson look out of place surrounded by rock and sandy dirt.
BUT, the workshop was great. I am glad to be back home, by Lake Michigan and the greenery of lush vegetation and singing birds. Till next time I get called out there!

Spring break?

Ok...I understand that this week is spring break. I understand that people go on trips, take it easy, and generally unwind. What I do not understand is first of all, where is Spring? And second of all, where is my break? Haha...I am on campus working on a presentation piece grounded in Revit that is to be presented next Tuesday and of course I am the only one here. Thank God for Pandora and decent coffee down the hall. On a brighter note, I saw my first robin yesterday here in Wisconsin so apparently spring is just flying under the radar for now. It IS supposed to hit 50 by Saturday so that is looking promising!
Note to self: Never install a new hard drive during midterms. Not sure what I was even thinking...scrambling to re install all of the software I need to finish the 5 projects I am juggling...while of course training for another 50k slated for the end of April. Love it :)
I received a couple of new books lately that are both wonderful collections to my library- the first is Transformational Thought by Jason McLennan, founder of the Living Building Challenge. DEEP reading, wonderful stuff to cover before going on a long run on the trails, I am absolutely loving it. The second is another SketchUp tutorial type book based on doing renderings, and using Ruby Scripting. This one is by Daniel Tal who has another nice one concerning site design using SketchUp. Haven't had much of a chance to check that one out yet...mostly because I am sitting here at school blogging working on my Revit presentation...:)
I am pretty excited to go check out apts this weekend in MKE...the winds of change are blowing something fierce :)
Time to stop procrastinating and get back to it...

(yes, the famous traveling green cup)

Midterms...already???

Midterms already???

Hard to believe, but there is only about 8 weeks or so left in the semester. My last semester here at Madison College, which brings about its own set of emotions. In June I will be moving to Milwaukee and joining the Architecture program out there. That will most likely be my home for the next 5-6 years, until I finish my masters. They have a fantastic dual masters program for M.Arch and Urban Planning, and that is my goal.

My OTHER goal is to learn to sail. The UW has an awesome sailing club out there, and since I will be living so close to Lake Michigan I thought it would be foolish not to take advantage of it! I am very excited to get started on this new adventure!
My ultra running has taken a pretty substantial break, however I am training for an upcoming 50k that is scheduled for the end of April called the Chippewa Moraine Ultramarathon hosted up by Eau Claire. Beautiful area, and the race director is a friend of mine. This race was the first ultra I had ever run, and so I have made it a point to get up there every year and run it again :) so far the streak remains unbroken!
Some recent additions on my journey of Architecture have included joining the Milwaukee chapter of AIAS, joining ASAI (American Society of Architectural Illustrators at the nudge of Mike Lin) and joining the SAI (Society for American Illustrators). I am also planning on going to Las Vegas in July to be a TA for Mike Lin's upcoming 7 day seminar. This will be interesting because I will be on the other side of the table this time, getting to experience the seminar from a completely different angle! If anyone has not heard of Mike Lin, do yourself a favor and check out his website called beloose.com. It is free to join and there are a ton of helpful tips and tutorials on there. He teaches hand rendering techniques using a variety of different media, and his illustrations are amazing. Check out the gallery and you will see what I mean!
Here is one that I did after I got back from his last seminar in January which was hosted down in Kansas...

This was done using Lepen on trace over the 2pt perspective chart, then transferred to 100s marker paper and rendered using Chartpak markers and pastel for the sky. This was to be used in a presentation for possible renovations for the Midway Barn Complex out at Taliesin.

Being able to sketch and render is vital to being able to transfer ideas quickly from ones head to paper. Even with the speed of current software programs, there are the perimeters that are always present no matter which software you use. For schematic design and for the creative process to really get flowing, you need to sketch. The most valuable lesson I learned at Mike Lins seminar was learning to sketch in 3d, or perspective rather. This included sketching in 1pt and 2pt perspective. This process is so liberating, that after learning it I did not want to turn on Revit for almost 2 weeks lol...to be able to sketch on the fly, to scale, and truly express design concepts AS they come to you, is why Architects draw. Why designers draw, and probably why every child at some point or another draws or scribbles or whatever you want to call it (and this includes on the walls, of course). I feel lucky to have returned to this state in my life :) and am now apparently attempting to make a career out of it. Time will only tell...

Emma Carlin, snowy trails... all smiles

Finally got back on the trails! Jodie and I hit the snow covered trails of the Southern Kettle a couple of days after our part of WI got slammed by a decent snowstorm. We both knew the scenery would be awesome in the woods, and although my longest run during the last 2 months was 7 miles, I managed 14 on that day...just couldn't help myself!

Hopefully get back down there this weekend. I had a slight back injury that was slowing me down quite a bit on the distance stuff, but now that it is feeling better I want to soak up as much time on the trails as I can before I leave for Kansas next week for the Mike Lin Graphic Workshop (9 days of learning techniques and different media representations for architectural design, including interiors and site planning stuff. The guy is amazing! check his site out http://www.beloose.com

It is a 2 day or 7 day seminar, but if you register for the 7 day you can attend the 2 day for free, so it then COULD become a 9 day, of course which I happily signed up for lol... classes are from 8:30 am 'till midnight (no joke) so you definitely get your money's worth!

Merry Christmas, and thank God that semester is over...

Happy days are back again! Sunny and snow covered, today looks like a story time Christmas morning! A decent snow storm last week left about a foot of snow on Waterloo WI, and since it was the wet sticky variety there have been snowmen springing up and branches hanging low. The semester ended FINALLY last week on the 19th with a grueling Art History final that was done online under a time limit. I was praying for my Charter connection to do me justice and stay strong...managed to keep an A in all of my classes. Toughest semester yet. The next one  is my last before I make the jump to Milwaukee, and I am taking just under 20 credits, again. So this should be interesting. Many of the GER classes I am trying to knock out the majority of them before I transfer to Milwaukee, so that will give me more time in studio to work. Of course then I want to join the sailing club as well...so let's see how that 'light load' progresses.
I got out for a trail run a couple of days after the snow storm, down in the Kettle. It was just amazing! The forest looked like a winter wonderland! I took plenty of pics, and ended up running from Emma Carlin to Bald Bluff and back, about 14 miles. Farther than I had initially anticipated, but it was so scenic I could not help myself. Plus I felt incredible so I just went for it, left it all out there lol
Couple of projects in the coals, scheduled to go out to Michigan to pick up this really neat drafting table I found online, the architect doesn't use it anymore and although it is rather large it would be perfect for doing drafting and hand renderings on (thinking marker, pastels, watercolors, etc.) so I am excited to pick that up. Then on the morning of the 3rd it is off to Kansas, where I will get fully saturated in graphic design under the tutelage of Mike Lin who is hosting a 2 day and 7 day seminar right outside of Kansas City. Of course I signed up for both, so I will be there for 10 days. The seminar runs from 8:30 am until midnight everyday (seriously?) so it will be pretty intense. For those of you who are not familiar with Mike Lin, he is a world renowned  rendering artist. He does amazing sketches/renderings/presentation pieces using pencil, marker, watercolors, pastels, charcoal, etc. I currently own two of his books, the one called Drawing and Designing with Confidence  is a must have for anyone looking to sharpen their sketching and hand rendering abilities. I am really looking forward to this seminar, and start the spring semester the day after I get back ha. Talk about launching into the New Year!
Had Christmas at my grandmothers house last night, it was wonderful to see everyone! My brother was unable to make it due to his entire family coming down with the flu. Bummer. Everyone else seems to be doing well.
Today I am going to my cousins house for a brunch, should be fun visiting at a slower pace. I really look forward to these little breaks in school, to catch up with family and unwind a little. Of course there is another side of me that is already chomping at the bit, but for now hitting the trails is satisfying my never ending desire to push forward. Guess I better get going...coffee is getting cold.

Training has begun for Hellgate 2012

Today I am nursing my sore muscles and achy tendons as I begin to recover from last nights 30 mile training run down in the Southern Kettle Moraine. The weather was perfect, little to no wind, clear sky, and the smell of leaves as we all trotted through the woods-then the prairie, then some more prairie, and finally back into the woods to the parking lot where our cars were waiting. The group started as five, a good strong number. By Bald Bluff we quickly grew to six, then just as quickly two dropped back- and then there was four...
The sounds of feet shuffling through the leaves continued, headlamps bobbing onward.
In the prairie two of us wanted to slow down a bit, so then there was two...
Thank goodness, since thats a long stretch by yourself. It was my first night since last winter. I am training for Hellgate again this year, which is coming up quickly on December 9th. All I know is that I want to be better prepared than last year, and its hard to know at what point you are ready. 70 miles is a long way to go through the mountains on foot, in December, in West Virginia.
I really wasn't even planning on signing up this year, I have been so swamped with school and trying to squeeze in work and spend enough time with family so they don't forget about you or think that you just don't care. Its a juggling act, no way around it. So why throw a 70 mile race on top of all that? Who knows. Its just something I feel like I need to do, again.
There is a certain clarity that comes with pushing yourself way beyond where you should stop. It brings you to this place that doesnt exist all the time, but must be there, just beyond the comfort zone. Just beyond what is practical, and logical, and maybe even healthy. I think this place transcends all of that. It is a clear understanding of what it feels like to be alive, to hurt, to feel joy, anger, sadness, all of it. There are some races and events that not only have paths that lead to an eventual finish line, but also can take you to this place. You live your whole life again, memories coming and going, thoughts rising and falling like your breath in the mountain air. You have to face it all as it comes, good or bad. It doesn't matter how fast or hard you run, your thoughts are right there. You have to resolve any questions you have, or have had and buried. Because it all comes out in the mountains...

And I am looking forward to it.