I just spent the last four days working while also frantically emailing companies in the CLEVELAND area. Trying to find extra work in the summer months is how I spend most rainy days. Of course today is beautiful and sunny but instead I'm spending time studying for an exam tomorrow and hoping to get a call back from a few construction companies with projects around the city.
This weather is exhausting and while CLEVELAND is a great city it's also very frustrating. Jobs seem to be slim right now in the area which in part is likely due to a more conservative economy due to the recent slump. Hopefully this is remedied by the numerous projects in the downtown FLATs. Another project I just read about is being financed by the CLEVELAND Browns ownership group. It's a plan to build additional fields and practice facilities and additionally a larger office building. The planned construction will be on three sides of the current browns stadium and will add much needed attraction to a coast that is rarely used in CLEVELAND.
This April has been extremely rainy so rainy that we are approaching setting a record for rainfall which means I am fairly close to setting a record for dog baths currently my husky is outside running circles in the mud because it's sunny and I don't blame here but I'm inside studying bummer.
One exciting note I just submitted my passport and will be attending a trip with EWB Engineers Without Borders to August Pine Ridge Belize to help construct a school building.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Dog Days
the last week has been very busy, full of engineering work with school and restaurant work. two nights closing and leaving Ohio City at 3:30 am and sleeping only until my dog lets me which is around 9 am at the latest. this week should be interesting, this morning i have an interview with a Lakewood surveying company. i worked as a surveyor 2 years ago full time or about 50 hrs a week over a summer. just to enlighten a bit about surveying; i would be the guy on the shoulder of any road standing behind a tripod. the use of the tripod is the total station on top that takes a reading that incorporates the distance and angle to the rod-man who is marking a specific item at a specific distance. all of this data is loaded into a computer where a 3 dimensional map is created therefore an engineer can manipulate and design from this 3-d map.
another option i have looked into is a small company in South Euclid that produces small home and office Wind Energy Turbines. this would be a great opportunity since i believe that there is a turn in energy creation that CLEVELAND will experience very soon. with a proposed wind farm to be constructed just off the shores of the city in Lake Erie; starting with a company that specializes in turbines might be one of the best options i could have for employment.
finally there is a company i have contacts with that designs buildings and works with LEED certified projects. LEED is controlled by the US Green Building Council; which applies regulations on how builders and owners can create levels of effective green building. it takes a concise framework for measuring practical green building design. LEED certification is the new trend for engineers and architects and is a huge improvement if you can complete the process. this company may be a great fit for what i would consider a positive move in my design experience. this firm is located on the East Bank of The Flats and is a few blocks away from many big construction projects that are growing in CLE.
this week i will be communicating with three CLE companies trying to find a fit for my next career and job decision.
another option i have looked into is a small company in South Euclid that produces small home and office Wind Energy Turbines. this would be a great opportunity since i believe that there is a turn in energy creation that CLEVELAND will experience very soon. with a proposed wind farm to be constructed just off the shores of the city in Lake Erie; starting with a company that specializes in turbines might be one of the best options i could have for employment.
finally there is a company i have contacts with that designs buildings and works with LEED certified projects. LEED is controlled by the US Green Building Council; which applies regulations on how builders and owners can create levels of effective green building. it takes a concise framework for measuring practical green building design. LEED certification is the new trend for engineers and architects and is a huge improvement if you can complete the process. this company may be a great fit for what i would consider a positive move in my design experience. this firm is located on the East Bank of The Flats and is a few blocks away from many big construction projects that are growing in CLE.
this week i will be communicating with three CLE companies trying to find a fit for my next career and job decision.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Dog Lessons - Siberian Huskies
so wednesday was a long day i was up early and started this blog, worked on a few assignments and headed off to class aroun 12 which is followed by work from 4 to 11. so i was gone for about 12 hours today which leaves my beautiful 18 month old SIBERIAN HUSKY alone until my brothers get back from school around 4. i always feel bad leaving her but im very comfortable with my family feeding her and letting her run around driving them crazy all night, although i wish i was around her more for her.
to preface this story i will give a little info about this dog. i did a ton of online research when i was raising this puppy and its all true. Siberian Huskies are a descendant of wolves that were domesticated by the Chukchi tribe in Northern Asia, they were brought to Alaska during a gold rush to be sled dogs and later into house pets and show dogs. Siberian Huskies, Samoyeds, and Alaskan Malamutes are all descendants of the original sled dog. The Alaska Husky is actually a general term for any sled dog in Alaska; this includes "mutts" which many are hybrids to increase sled strength and speed. my breeder told me that they breed Grey-Hounds and Siberians to build sled teams and its very dangerous crossing such vastly different breeds. just to clarify my breeder has a sled team, lives in Ohio, is very particular about his dogs and puppies, he does research on the breed and all of his dogs come with AKC papers; so this wasn't just some puppy mill.
the beautiful dog i have is a "red" and white (they generally are red, grey, or black with white and there are also rare Siberians that are solid white) she has the bright blue eyes that almost look fake when you look at them. she is an absolutely beautiful dog and so playful and very friendly with children and new people.
this is her (Breck) sleeping on the front porch, its often to bright outside to actually see here eyes hence the squint above. she looks so peaceful here.
so back to this evening. i get home around midnight and as i pull in i see her running toward my car and i think its a little late for here to be out. (although she has spent 2 or 3 nights out in sub 20* temps hiding in the snow until 5 am - more stories+later post). before i can put my car in park i can smell it, if this has happened to you or you've driven by a dead one you know the smell, such a horrid smell and immediately you tell yourself no shes fine it was just around it didn't get her.
idiot! - of course it sprayed her its happened before (once in October) so i get out of my car and she jumps up to put her paws on my waste and to lick my face to say hi like always as if there's nothing wrong. i thought dogs had a "keen" sent of smell, apparently they just hope you cant smell it, so so wrong. i push her off me and send her up the porch to go inside and start the washings.
the smell is so horrendous its still stuck in my nose now. i order her up the stairs and she listens because shes like the kid that knows he fucked up and its basically all over. i run to the cabinet and grab baking soda - because she eats tomato sauce and the baking soda is supposed to absorb the odor. i grab gym shorts and walk her into the shower.
this is where it gets fun. imagine a 50 lb cat who is lean and probably 90 % muscle shes strong as hell and is built to run so when she kicks it really really hurts. now i say imagine a cat because if you've ever seen a cat soaking wet its kinda funny, they become half the size and they walk around very confused meowing at themselves. this is what a husky does, she stands in the shower and instead of looking 70 lbs and tough like a wolf she looks 40 lbs and pathetic. mostly pathetic because she has sad blue puppy eyes and has this pathetic half-howl half-cry that is non-stop.
after the shower i put her in the crate, which its been a few months but i need this to be a very bad experience for her so she HOPEfully will avoid this again, the smell has gone down enough where i may be able to sleep soon; and her crying over being in the cage was finally subdued by me petting her and talking her into a sleep. im not trying to be cruel by locking her up but i also don't think she was trying to be cruel by bringing this smell in her and infecting everything with it.
to preface this story i will give a little info about this dog. i did a ton of online research when i was raising this puppy and its all true. Siberian Huskies are a descendant of wolves that were domesticated by the Chukchi tribe in Northern Asia, they were brought to Alaska during a gold rush to be sled dogs and later into house pets and show dogs. Siberian Huskies, Samoyeds, and Alaskan Malamutes are all descendants of the original sled dog. The Alaska Husky is actually a general term for any sled dog in Alaska; this includes "mutts" which many are hybrids to increase sled strength and speed. my breeder told me that they breed Grey-Hounds and Siberians to build sled teams and its very dangerous crossing such vastly different breeds. just to clarify my breeder has a sled team, lives in Ohio, is very particular about his dogs and puppies, he does research on the breed and all of his dogs come with AKC papers; so this wasn't just some puppy mill.
the beautiful dog i have is a "red" and white (they generally are red, grey, or black with white and there are also rare Siberians that are solid white) she has the bright blue eyes that almost look fake when you look at them. she is an absolutely beautiful dog and so playful and very friendly with children and new people.
so back to this evening. i get home around midnight and as i pull in i see her running toward my car and i think its a little late for here to be out. (although she has spent 2 or 3 nights out in sub 20* temps hiding in the snow until 5 am - more stories+later post). before i can put my car in park i can smell it, if this has happened to you or you've driven by a dead one you know the smell, such a horrid smell and immediately you tell yourself no shes fine it was just around it didn't get her.
idiot! - of course it sprayed her its happened before (once in October) so i get out of my car and she jumps up to put her paws on my waste and to lick my face to say hi like always as if there's nothing wrong. i thought dogs had a "keen" sent of smell, apparently they just hope you cant smell it, so so wrong. i push her off me and send her up the porch to go inside and start the washings.
the smell is so horrendous its still stuck in my nose now. i order her up the stairs and she listens because shes like the kid that knows he fucked up and its basically all over. i run to the cabinet and grab baking soda - because she eats tomato sauce and the baking soda is supposed to absorb the odor. i grab gym shorts and walk her into the shower.
this is where it gets fun. imagine a 50 lb cat who is lean and probably 90 % muscle shes strong as hell and is built to run so when she kicks it really really hurts. now i say imagine a cat because if you've ever seen a cat soaking wet its kinda funny, they become half the size and they walk around very confused meowing at themselves. this is what a husky does, she stands in the shower and instead of looking 70 lbs and tough like a wolf she looks 40 lbs and pathetic. mostly pathetic because she has sad blue puppy eyes and has this pathetic half-howl half-cry that is non-stop.
after the shower i put her in the crate, which its been a few months but i need this to be a very bad experience for her so she HOPEfully will avoid this again, the smell has gone down enough where i may be able to sleep soon; and her crying over being in the cage was finally subdued by me petting her and talking her into a sleep. im not trying to be cruel by locking her up but i also don't think she was trying to be cruel by bringing this smell in her and infecting everything with it.
so this will be our first lesson about Siberian Huskies, maybe its all because i wanted the Bulldogs to win the NCAA championship. - my schools in the Horizon League so got to push for them and Brad Stevens cause hes a huge numbers nerd. but as we say in CLEVELAND far to often "there's always next year"
A begining to something
over the past 5 years i have been in school studying engineering and i'm about to enter my senior capstone this next fall. during that time; i've had the same laptop and the same appetite for architectural, engineering, food, restaraunts, gardening, photography, art, design and dogs. i spend hours upon hours reading short entries about new buildings and architectural masterpieces and i hope that through this i can organize some of my design ideas and thoughts on up-and-coming projects, specifically in the CLEVELAND area to this site.
everything from the new Inner Belt Project, the Gilbert Casino, the Medical Mart, the Wolstien East Bank Flats project and my personal favorite proposed plan for the "Lake Erie Wind Farm" (this is one that the city officials have not made enough motion on so this will be a post very soon).
and as you would expect i am a CLEVELAND sports fan so im sure i will have many posts about our struggling teams.
i have also spent the last 4 years working in a few different restaurants and one of my favorite things to do is to travel around this wonderful city and experience the phenomenal food culture that CLEVELAND has to offer.
so to start off here is my dinner last night. i went to Rocky River Wine Bar. this is the second time i have gone here and it was just as good as the first. as a side note i spent a year working in a french style bistro and i love this type of food.
this thick slices of chewey bread were topped with avocado and a few plum tomatoes and then they slammed a huge slice of Brie on top and melted it perfectly. there wine selection is great the service is also exceptional and the desert menu is constantly evolving; last nights peanut butter Pana Cotta with salty-caramel and crushed nut topping was unbelievable and the raspberry Creme Brulee i tasted was also amazing.
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