_zemlet.com_news_
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
LA Metro
We all heard how excited I was that my new office was right by a Metro Rail station- I could save the environment and take public transportation! When I moved to Seattle, I missed the BART terribly, especially whenever I wanted to go to the airport, go out drinking, or go to a ballgame. So I was so excited to come to a city that had a train system. A few days ago I had a meeting downtown, so I took the Metro Red Line. I got a little lost on the way back (there is a tricky split where only one train goes where you want and I wasn’t on it) but I ended up getting to see The Beverly/Vermont station public art, which is really incredible, so it was a good trip. Then I had to pick up some mail the next day at the post office by the airport. So, since I was late to work anyway, I parked my car at the LAX Metro rail station and took the train to work. Well ok trainS, actually: I had to take the Green to the Blue to the Red. Now in the Bay Area, these transfers would have been choreographed to minimize time waiting at the station. There is no such thing in LA: often the train leaves without you, even if you run (and I mean RUN) to the other platform. Other times there is no overlap at all and you are left waiting a while for the next train. Also, each transfer means you have to buy a new ticket. These are all mild inconveniences. I could at this point talk about how confusing the ticketing is, or how bad the web site is where someone like me went beforehand to try to figure out what the deal was with vital things like parking and ticketing and got zero information. I could also mention how the entire rail alignments run through the worst neighborhoods, past the most broken down buildings and houses you have ever seen, so that is depressing in itself. But I could understand that the rail was intended to lift those neighborhoods up, or offer transportation to those who most need it, so that was understandable. I noticed how few people took the trains and how very few of those seemed to be people commuting to a job, but I chalked that up to the time of day.
OK so now it is time to return home from work at the end of the day. This is when I realize that taking public transportation in LA was one of the worst ideas I’ve ever had. (Dear Al Gore: I would love to save the environment, but public transportation in LA is so upsetting that I don’t care how many penguins die, I am driving to work every damn day. Keep fighting to the good fight. Love Zemlet) It would have been bad enough for me to see the loud, violent arguments; or the incredibly depressed teenage parents; or the disgusting personal habits displayed for all to see; or the horrific fashion choices; or the extremely graphic make-out sessions and blatant sex acts all on their own. But to be subjected to a constant barrage of those things combined over an hour and a half, was simply too much. The majority of people on these trains seemed to have no respect for those around them: taking over stairwells so nobody can use them, or singing lewd lyrics out loud in the crowd. I didn’t get any sleep last night as the scenes I was subjected to replayed themselves in my head and continued to upset me.
What upset me more was that I found myself developing stereotypes about the types of people who populate certain neighborhoods or dress a certain way. I want to be someone who respects all cultures, is open minded about different ways of life, and blind to racial differences. But Los Angeles is beating that optimism out of me. I began to think that perhaps there is a grain of wisdom in avoiding certain types of people, that perhaps it is useful from a self-preservation standpoint to use people’s appearances to judge if there will be trouble. I don’t want to be the person who judges people based on how they look- I want to see the humanity behind the appearance or the circumstance, but when people are not behaving like humans, that is difficult. It is hard to respect those who don’t seem to respect anyone around them at all.
So yeah. Avoid all public transportation south of downtown. And my dislike for Los Angeles is increasing, obviously. I continue to really enjoy my job and working again, but I miss living someplace I can love, where I can feel a portion of kinship with fellow residents.
There is a happy ending: my car was not vandalized or stolen from Aviation Station and I felt an uplifting rush of happiness upon discovering that fact. My boss generously pays for me to park in the building where I work, so I am grateful for that as well. Driving to work takes half the time that public transportation requires, so I will get extra sleep and time in the evening, my car is fully air conditioned, and I will be able to take advantage of the best radio programming anywhere.
.: posted by Zemlet 11:43 AM
Monday, June 19, 2006
and then she SOLD it
If you read the news about Maria Altmann and her Klimt paintings, you will read a story of how the Nazis stole her birthright, how Art Nouveau masterpieces were lost then recovered, and how this Austrian fought to regain pieces of her family history. Once she won the court battle to recover these paintings, she allowed their exhibition at LACMA. Scott and Stacey and I went to go see these paintings the week before I got my job. (We did all these fab LA things before I got locked away in a downtown office.) They were quite beautiful, with much more texture and depth than you see in even the best photographs. The gold leaf was spectacular. Of course, after seeing them we all wanted to take a nap. I am unsure if that was the artist's intent.
So what do I hear this morning? She SOLD it. Oh and not on the cheap either- it went for $135 million: the most expensive art sale to date in America. So now I think she had it on display not to generously share with the public, but as an elaborate marketing ploy to drive up the price. I don't know wether I should be disgusted or admire the salesmanship involved.
.: posted by Zemlet 8:36 AM
Friday, June 16, 2006
Oh! NPR!
Well it was a good thing I didn't put mascara on this morning before getting into my car. (Don't worry, I have some on now- even though I'm not looking for a man.) NPR ran one of those converstations where people interview each other and this morning's made me cry. It was about a father who raised four daughters on his own and had battled depression. He talked about how each one had their own way of getting what they wanted. Here it is online, I recommend a listen. (Make sure tissues are handy.)
There seems to be a lot of coverage lately on how Homeland Security funding is distributed. New York City is especially up in arms, since their funding this year was decreased in favor of less famous American cities. From what I can glean, the cities had to submit proposals for the money, outlining how it would be spent and categorizing the city's assets, such as landmarks or icons. To me, it sounds like New York turned in a bad proposal. They indicated they would spend money on personnel, not more long-term resources, such as equipment. Well, the selection committee didn't want to see expenditures for personnel. They wanted to see things like surveilance and comunications gear. Cities like Charlotte, NC had figured out what the "client" was looking for when they wrote their proposal, so their funding increased. Granted, it is stil only 4% of the total monies New York has enjoyed, but they got more of what they asked for than some of the bigger playesr like New York. The reason all fo this has caught my eye is that it again emphasizes the importance of getting the proposal process right when working with government clients, and making sure you address what they really want and what they will really base their decisions on, not just what they ask for in the RFP.
OK, even thought this post is mostly work related, I should sign off now instead fo wasting time trying to think up something witty to include here. How about a photo of a cute kitten that Nano posted the other day?
.: posted by Zemlet 8:34 AM
Thursday, June 15, 2006
I tie-roh
Well my first days at work are going really well. I was so worried about working for a small firm again that I forgot all the good things about working for small companies, such as the magnitude of the impact you can make and the ability to get involved with all aspects of the business. I still need more clothes and am missing a whole bunch of updates on other thigns I've been up to, but I've been so tired. First of all, I need to regain my past stamina that allowed me to work full days and commute every day. Second of all, before I started I was so excited I couldn't sleep, so I still feel like I need to catch up. This is a whole new ballgame: I need to be up around 6:30 AM instead of Noon. And really, I need to train myself to be able to get up even earlier. My commute is about 45 minutes (to go 16 miles) if I drive, but more like 1.5 hours if I take public transit. So, in order to save the world by taking Metro, I need to be out the door a lot earlier. Hopefully I can practice getting up earlier and earlier each day.
I learned how to do Korean BBQ today and it is totally rad. I spied on a group of experts and was able to mimic their techniques when I took my own turn. There is a place nearby where you go through a self-serve salad bar-ish line and pick out whatever you want to put in: meat, vegetables,tofu, cilantro, then give it to the grill guys. They toss in on the ancient wheel-of-extreme-heat, add sauces and spice, and cook it up for you. At the place I go, they give you a bowl and some waxed paper and you can get whatever will fit in the bowl. So what you do (again, I didn't pioneer this, I learned from the pros in line ahead of me) is take the waxy paper and use it to press the food deep into the bowl without getting your fingers dirty. Pressing the food into the bowl is the key to get more or fit in the extra yummies at the end of the line: namely, the noodles. Those are at the end, so save room or smash the food really really well. Since it all gets stir fried up, smooshing it is ok, and it shrinks when they cook it, so you know it will fit back in. Also if you want extra of a certain spice (I put lots of garlic on mine) wait until the BBQ guys are busy and heap the extra into your bowl so you get the amount you want. But I cannot stress the smooshing enough: it is a Mongolian BBQ innovation everyone should employ. Yum!
.: posted by Zemlet 1:56 PM
Friday, June 09, 2006
news!
OK and now for the big news: I got a job! I hadn't even really started looking in earnest and didn't even go on monster.com. I hooked up with a recruiter that usually markets technical people to the A/E/C industry, but had a few folks who were looking for marketing people.
My new position is running the marketing and business development for a small architecture firm that does mostly institutional work, including a lot of work for LA County Unified School District and LA County Parks and Recreation. They have even done some historical restoration and commercial/office buildings, including a really cool one in Old Pasadena that I saw over the weekend. My new office is on Wilshire Blvd close to Western Ave. I am excited about working for an architect for the first time and thrilled to be so near a Metro station so I can take advantage of public transit.
It has been two years since I have had a regular job working for a single firm, but it seems like there is more than enough to do at this new place to keep me busy. I am a little nervous working for a small firm for a lot of reasons, so have agreed to work full-time for three months to see how I like it there. That way, if it isn't a good match, I can leave in good faith and continue my job search anew or return to consulting. As soon as I accepted the position, two consulting gigs came up I had to turn down. It will be very sad to go back to making my old salary dough instead of my posh hourly rate, but I will probably end up richer in the end anyway.
I start Tuesday. That doesn't leave a lot of time for a whole new cool architect gal wardrobe! I better get on that! Ack time for AQ20... more later on Scott's recent visit and all about my new pal, Stacey.
.: posted by Zemlet 6:14 PM
Sheep Floozy
Hey look! My Mum came to visit and we finished her web page. Let me know if you see any mistakes I should fix, since we did a lot of it late at night.
.: posted by Zemlet 6:11 PM
Henry & Sara
Memorial Day Weekend we went to SF and saw the whole "Philosophy Club" gang at Henry and Sara's wedding.
Jonathan was in the wedding party, hence the tux, so we got this photo below. Doesn't it look like a gay wedding? I think Henry makes a lovely bride, however Jon is the blushing one.
.: posted by Zemlet 6:03 PM
|
