Stuart Was Right!!!

LONDON (AP) -- Gay cowboy romance "Brokeback Mountain" took four awards including best picture Sunday at the British Academy Film Awards, a result that boosts its hopes for the Oscars in two weeks' time.



Stuart has been vindicated and has been in a constant state of celebration since his country applauds what he considers the greatest film of all time. Now, if we can only get him to stop coming to work in his cowboy "outfit"

SGW - not your typical architecture firm

It's nice to know that life at SGW does not resemble the attached cartoon at all.

Update: New Orleans (shuffleboard with the ladies)

Well, I’m back here in Baghdad….I mean New Orleans. Things are going great down here, if you like mud, trash and a foul stench permeating everywhere. OK, so that is not so different from before K-day. Since returning to the fine city I have been drinking and wondering around aimlessly shouting at the roaches, which seem to have faired quite well while everyone was gone. Luckily the beer still flows and there is no shame in sitting on your stoop with a 40. Of course I’ve had no stoop to sit on being on a cruise ship for a few weeks. That was quite an adventure. You would not believe how crazy the 70 year old women are when you start playing shuffleboard. ‘Ol Betsy almost took my head off with the shuffle stick after I beat her a second time last Saturday. Why the hell would they put a deck full of retirees on our boat anyway? Luckily I will be moving out this week to this fine new apartment. I took a picture for all to enjoy. Looks good doesn’t it? There’s a little cleaning to be done, but I think it should be fine.
Well, I will have more to say later, right now I have a date with a spry 67 year old lady I met at the early bird special on deck 12. Maybe I’ll get lucky, but first I need a couple Pabst to loosen up.
One last thing, Stuart is right on with the Bareback review. That movie has been burned into my brain for weeks now. It really changed me…..I really miss Pete now.

-Steve the younger

Stuart Gives "Brokeback" a Two Thumbs Up!

BROKEN TEARS

A review of ‘Brokeback Mountain’
by Stuart Dickie

In Hollywood, there are few movies that appeal to me as a Briton. Very rarely is a movie produced that can relate to my sensibilities in a way only any movie based on ‘Pride and Prejudice’ can. Immediately, I found that ‘Brokeback Mountain’ could, and does, deliver that tour de force I have been looking for.

Heath Ledger, best known as a ‘Brother Grimm’ to the four people that saw that movie, delivers in his role as a gay cowboy, struggling through life with his wife and kids after a randy affair with fellow caballero, Jake Gyllenhall, best known as the brother of the girl who liked to get spanked in ‘Secretary.’ If anyone knows how hard life can be after a tête-à-tête with another man, it is me, Stuart Dickie.

At first, I thought America might shy away from this movie, even boycott it. In the end, though, art has ruled the day. Gay or straight, I highly recommend this movie. It can appeal to all race, class or creed. Michelle Williams delivers a powerful performance, portraying a wife constantly trying to hump her husband, only to have him constantly turn her away to sit by the window, wearing only his cowboy hat.

To be continued…

Why You Should See Brokeback Mountain

If it doesn't make you better understand Pete & John's relationship, it will at least let you join conversations like this one found on a movie blog (sounds like the movie is moving):

#1: I'm curious to see who has seen this film, and what your reaction is. I saw it Sunday (four days ago) and I still can't get it out of my head. It was so powerful and had a HUGE impact on me; unlike any other film I have ever seen. It's mind-boggling what it is doing to me. Anyone who's seen it, please let me know your thoughts.

#2: You said it made a huge impact on you--in what way? Can you elaborate on your thoughts? I haven't seen it yet, but I'm very curious about what others with an open mind might think about it. Thanks.

#1: I can’t be very specific without ruining the film for you. PLEASE go see it. Everyone should see this magnificent film; it is really making waves, everywhere. It is such a beautiful, moving, magnificent piece of art. You won't be disappointed and it will stay with you for a long time.

#2: Try telling that to the religion forum. :-)

#1: They’re the ones that need to see it the most. I have been corresponding with a self-labeled "conservative Christian" (via message boards in imdb.com) who was "coerced" into seeing this film, and he said it totally changed his mind and heart about gay people. He has vowed to challenge people whenever he hears anyone slam gays. Isn't that amazing? That is the power of this film. It is changing hearts and minds all over the world, and I've never seen anything like it in my life.

#2: Have you seen "Ned Kelly"? Another movie where Heath Ledger shines. He was also the son in Mel Gibson's "The Patriot."

#1: This is the only film I have seen Heath in and I am an instant fan. He is AMAZING and if he doesn't get a Best Actor Oscar out of this there is no justice. One doesn't just "see" this film; one EXPERIENCES it, and for a long time. It is so powerful and moving.

Fucking Robbed . . .

Well, hell of a welcome back to South Bend and a great way to kick off that last semester of school . . . let me tell you. I got a call Friday night from two of my roommates who had just gotten back to the house to find that it had been broken into, and any and all electronic devices, etc. (and pretty much anything else of significant monetary value) had been stolen. Bastards. So, needless to say, I spent most of the night on the phone with them and my other 2 roommates.

The brain surgeons that are the South Bend Police (shown here scratching head in disbelief) had a tough time lifting any prints, and also couldn't find any signs of forced entry . . . which makes it very suspicious to me. Only other person that we know has a key to our house is our landlord (in San Diego), and the maintenance guy, who's about 65, seems to be a nice guy, and generally seems harmless. He is a "townie" though, so you never really know.

As for my personal stuff - TV, Stereo, Fridge, DVD player (had the DVDs at home, thankfully), video game crap, camera, bike (which we all took ours out of the garage to keep them safe . . . haha . . . and even locked them to one of the steel columns in the basement) . . . all among the pricier things. For some reason, and thankfully, they didn't take all my architecture books . . . must not have thought they were interesting, when in actuality, they could have made a killing reselling those probably.

My one roommate also had his sketchbooks from Rome stolen . . . which is one of those losses that are irreplaceable. (See CPayne for first hand account.)

Well, more updates as we apprehend the criminals, discover the warehouse full of looted items, and keep the ball rolling on this semester's rocking start in the Bend.

The Dancing Queen . . .

In a fitting tribute to me on my last day at the office, Laura requested that we break a CD of her favorites to send me off in style. Coincidentally, her favorites coincided perfectly with Chris' Abba's Greatest Hits (even in the same order). Then Laura smiled and had a good laugh with all of us in the "annex." Good times at the office. I'm so glad to have Laura as a friend.

Here's a quick photoshop drawing she just did and asked that I include:

John's Dilemma

John has spent a bit of time out of the office the past few days. It is apparent what is going on as his face has been swollen like a balloon for days. He has had visits to dentists and subsequently, the doctor and no one could figure out what was going on until today.

John has a conjoined twin. This fetus has sat dormant for John’s life, implanted in his cheek, and for some unexplainable reason; it is finally becoming “active”. This is nothing to laugh at and is not a subject solely for cartoon sitcoms. It is not an uncommon problem but it is a little odd that is has manifested itself in the facial area.

Some doctor’s have surmised that similar conditions are psychologically related that the "minor twin" begins growth as manifestation of a "host's" drammatic loss of a close friend or lover. In this case, it is obvious that John is suffering from the departure of Pete from our office on a level that many of us just can’t understand. True, he has been a little “down” lately but none of us would have suspected just how close Pete and John were.

Due to the severity of the situation, John is currently undergoing “removal” of the twin. After removal, a drain will be placed through John’s cheek, followed by minor cosmetic surgery to disguise that drain as a mole. Pro-life activists are already getting wind of the removal process and have started picketing the office. If you ask me, they are getting carried away. I hope things don’t get out of hand. If only they could understand John’s pain.

The legend of "Peaches"

One day Michael came to work and walked his lunch directly to the kitchen. When he left the kitchen, he left with a single peach in his hand. Sherrette, who was washing her hands while Michael came in, came out of the bathroom and looked around the annex, tentatively asking, “Where’s my peach?” She obviously thought that the annex was playing a joke on her. Unfortunately, they had no clue what she was talking about.

Having noticed Michael walk through the annex on his way back from the kitchen, the members of the annex told Sherrette that she should check and see if he had her peach. She went to the front of the office and to Michael’s surprise, found her peach.

Michael immediately returned to the kitchen as he was sure he brought a peach to work. “I packed a peach this morning and put it on the table when I put my lunch in the fridge”, he remarked. An embarrassed Michael came from the kitchen after pulling a PEAR from his lunch bag and brought the pear back to his desk. From that day on, he has been known as “peaches”.

I hope you found this story as funny as we did when it actually happened. If you see this man coming, hide your peaches (from the looks of his desk, you should pretty much hide anything you don't want stolen).

Pete, Frolicking In The Wilderness, Checks In . . .

A little update on what Pete has been up to since he left us here at the office . . . We received a letter today with no return address, but it was signed, "Lovingly yours, Peter" (followed by excessive hearts & smiley faces). Enclosed in the envelope was the attached photo - Cowboy Pete & his new 'friends.' He says that they met one night amidst the sheep & under the stars at 'Brokeback Mountain,' and ever since, their lives together have been sheer bliss. This photo, however, was taken as they prepared for hijinks involving some rival cowboys, and he apologized that they weren't "wearing their happy faces."

He asked that we send his profound love to the office, and extended a personal invite out to John to come visit "the boys on the ranch" and take a ride with them into the sunset.

Life With Andy Again

Well, Andy's back and he has started decorating the office with a vengeance. He is a little crazy but we like it that way.

He has been busy spreading all of the vast knowledge has has attained this semester. It's amazing that you can learn so much about movie trivia in architecture school.

Unfortunately, in gaining Andy, we have lost Steve. As you can see by the reaction of the ladies in New Orleans, Steve had to go back to school. It looks like he is spending more time drinking and socializing with people on the streets than doing actual work. Hope he can get that thesis done.

Who's checking these drawings....

Conry...Rutz? Rutz...Conry? Seems quality control let this one slip through the cracks and now tens of tens of innocent squirrels have bee destroyed without any proof they were in fact connected to any organizations bent on taking over the world. At least the old people have been taken care of.

So Long Pete

This has been a week of uncomfortable celebration as we savor our last few days of working with Pete. Yep, you read it right, Pete is moving on to greener pastures and now someone else will be responsible for cleaning up his manure.

Steve, who has been filling in for Andy since he went off to school will now have more shoes to fill as he tries to fill in for Pete. Of course, Steve’s quality and quantity of work will have to diminish quite a bit to reach that goal. Perhaps a few Jager-Bombs before work may put him in the right frame of mind to work as hard as Pete did.

We have to admit that regardless of how much Pete did or didn’t contribute to the ongoing work at SGW, he was a source of endless entertainment. In addition to the mounds of work that he created for Steve the Younger, his unique methods of plan dimensioning will ensure SGW’s lifelong relationship with all of its clients as they attempt to build to Pete’s drawings. Pete’s actions were equally matched by his exuberant appearance. We will truly miss his flowing cape and magical T-square. Pete’s appearance brought an other-worldly flair to the office.

Many people have been seriously affected by Pete’s departure. Stuart started balling the minute he heard about Pete leaving and hasn’t stopped since. Other co-workers have resorted to binge drinking –the funnels in the back room are getting a bit out of hand. I am seriously worried about what will happen to the fragile chemistry that we have here at SGW once Pete is actually gone.

I am sure Pete is going to make the most of his new position – we all can’t wait to hear what his new title will be. For those that are interested, we have started interviewing (John and I) for someone to move into Pete’s seat. You have to already work at SGW, you must despise George Bush to the point it makes no sense, and you have to be willing to enter into random conversations on any subject at a moments notice.

-C.P.

Andy replaced?

Well, today we officially got over Andy’s absence. The “irreplaceable” intern Andy has actually been replaced with a new intern, Steve “the younger”. Steve is a refugee from New Orleans and has completed the trio of Tulane folks in this little corner of the architectural universe. After hosing him down and getting him a decent change of clothes, he seems to fit in quite well.

Since arriving at SGW, he has been busy helping Steve “the elder” get his shit together with the endlessly exciting task of filing. Some project managers do this work on their own but Steve “the elder” is a bit too important to waste his creative talents on such a mundane task.

We are still schooling our new intern on how to navigate through IMDB but hopefully he will catch on soon. Last week, we spent a bit too much time trying to determine if Jessica Biel is a good actress or not. Andy’s expertise really would have come in handy. Our arguments about cinematic minutia are getting a bit out of hand and we could use someone to sort this out for us so that we can actually get some work done.

On a side note, in an informal office poll, most people believe that Jessica’s acting talents can not be ascertained by the body of work she has produced so far. Only Pete truly believes she is a bad actress.

Life Without Andy

The Nap Store realized by some jerk in Florida, Mall of America.

That's right, naysayers. The Nap Store aka MinneNAPolis aka the Power Nap Sleep Center exists or will soon. Google it yourself, ARut. Said jerk's implimentation includes themes and perhaps more appropriate markets then my original concept but we are almost dead on with pricing ideas. It turns out people will pay to take a nap if the facility is available. The Nap Store making the world a better place one sheep at a time.

You owe me five, Andy.

-Pete

Resurfacing like the Kalpoe Bros. . . .

Well, I'm back . . . from Aruba, that is. Fresh from a secret mission that I was commissioned to execute by the South Bend based Equestrian Search Team (an affiliate of the Texas based EquuSearch).

As you can see, it was a success . . . The Brothers Gumbel and I inflicted some beach justice, and now the Kalpoes are in custody once again.
"Taste that, Deepak & Satish? That's the taste of beach justice" - Greg Gumbel


Now that my heroicism is done for the time being, I'm working on getting reacclimated to this "city of sin." More on how sweet South Bend is later on tonight . . . for now, I've got to get to some sort of classes.

Glad to be back.

-Andy

On a day like this.....

...we really miss Andy around here, especially on a day like today with big news coming out of Aruba. Breaking News!!!! Two brothers arrested again in connection to Natalie Holloway case. Had Andy not left us I'm sure this would have sparked a good 15-20 minute discussion concluding with all of having much greater knowledge of the incident and managing to offend or entertain at least 4 other people in the office. However, andy is no longer here so I know nothing about what happened and there has been no talk at all about Aruba in weeks.
In other big SG news, seems Peaches is having some trouble with his fax covers. Apparently he never got the memo and has been using the old cover. Luckily, having 5-6 bosses there are plenty of people to point this out and make sure he understands the fax policy.

Where's Andy?

It's truly quiet in the office today. Pete is at City Hall and Andy is... ...hmmm, where the hell is Andy? We set up this wonderful blog for him so that he could tune in at any moment and catch the excitement that is going on at SGW. We haven't heard from the bastard in months. O.K., it has only been a week in a half but it feels like months. Andy, if you are out there, please let us know you're still alive. I'd hate to think that you had another beef stew incident or worse yet, that you have joined a commune or something.

-CP

More Encouraging News About Our Profession

Andy, There's still time to escape!!!

An Excerpt from CNN/Money:

"Most of us work hard for a living. And if we're lucky, we're well compensated for the effort. But there are some jobs you should take only if you really love the work because the investment you make to get the job and the hours you keep aren't necessarily commensurate with what you earn.

Not that all careers in this category are necessarily low-paying, at least not by national standards. But they may require a great deal of time and money in graduate education, offer working conditions that only passion can excuse, and there may be such a long run for the roses that you forfeit prime working and child-bearing years just to achieve a salary that college peers were earning a decade earlier. Here are just three of those jobs.

Architects

For every Philip Johnson or Frank Lloyd Wright in a generation of architects, there are countless more who work without fanfare on the everyday buildings where we work, live and shop.
Architects may spend up to seven years completing undergraduate and master's-degree studies, or up to three-and-a-half years in a master's program if they majored in another area during college. To be eligible to take the licensing exam, they also must log three years as interns working for licensed architects.

Architects with a master's might enter the work force with between $50,000 and $80,000 in student loan debt. But as first-year interns, they might earn only $34,000, the national median according to the 2005 compensation survey by the American Institute of Architects. Meanwhile, several steps up the ladder, senior architects earn a median of $68,900."

A Little Introduction.

I am sure everyone is curious to get to know the people responsible for this blog – so here we are:

Andy “The Optimistic Intern” Rutz

Andy has had an off and on relationship with SGW. He will soon be a graduate of Notre Dame University. Since he won’t be drinking this semester, he will surely graduate magna cum laude. Andy’s hobbies are: watching Anchor Man, looking up trivia on IMDb, and creating mind-blowing renderings of even the most mundane buildings.





John “I Hate Everything” Sugrue

John has been at SGW way too long. When he is not knocking people off of their bicycles or boycotting the latest street fair, he is enjoying himself with a beer-in-hand at Wrigley. His hobbies are: space elevators, sticking up for President Bush, and making cynicism into an art form.





Pete “I don’t need your affection and you ain’t getting any of mine” Conry

Pete has been at SGW for about a year and never tires of the architectural challenges that the office offers. He is a deck design genius and never resorts to “standard deck lighting tricks”. His hobbies are: deck design, deck building, deck critique, and putting down President Bush.