How to Address an Architect

Anyone who knows me knows that I value proper introductions. I currently hold both titles "Duchess" and "Captain," and I had hoped that a third would be coming along. With that in mind, I decided to check with Google: "How do you properly address an architect?"

Yahoo answers had a promising link.

How do you properly address an architect?

"Dear Architect X" or "Dear Arch X." or is it just " Dear Mister /Ms. X"?

• Answerer 1

  "Architects dont't get any special treatment in addressing them unless they have a phd."

• Answerer 2

  "Dear Arch Person.............
  
  Pls hurry up and draw my house, because i wanna build it. My animals are getting hungry and have no shelter. The weathers looking pretty bad too, so get a move on!
  
  Regards, Noah
  
  P.S Dont forget to add in the extra room for mah harem. My biatches are getting moody because they dont wanna sleep with the animals."

I'm going to be honest, I was disappointed. The second one was particularly bad. One would think that after 6 years (minimum) of school, 3 (ish) years of interning, and an exam that can only be compared to the bar exam, becoming a licensed architect would merit some sort of title. I for one, would like to see something like this:

The Honorable Master X, Architect

It seems like everyone else with that degree of education and qualifications merits some sort of professional style... the Honorable Judge or Representative, Esquire for Lawyers, Doctor... Or is that taking it too far?

Winter Fashions

For a daytime look: Lets start out with a classic black dress, but layer a turtleneck under it for warmth. Then add patterned tights, and brown leather knee high flat boots for a cute but casual look. Top it off with a belted wool coat that will keep you warm but is still stylish. As soon as you get home, you will no doubt be freezing your ass off. We both know that no matter how many times I tell you patterned tights and a wool coat are winter appropriate, they will never compare to your VS Pink sweats and ski jacket. Quickly pull on your North Face fleece on top and some ratty plaid pajama pants over your tights but under the dress (which should be short enough that it looks like a sloppy t shirt with the North Face on). Switch those leather boots for Uggs which are still more comfortable than slippers even though your feet probably feel like they will never regain their feeling. Since you will still be cold, throw on a fur scarf just to top off the crazy granny look. Then feel free to crank the heat, run a hot bath, or post nasty comments under this post about how wrong I was about those tights. This is exactly what happened to me today. Sorry fashion bloggers, but apparently your advice does not apply to the Midwest!

Taking me Shopping is like Taking an Alcoholic to Happy Hour

I spent the last year reconditioning myself not to shop. I was short of cash (recession reschmession), but more importantly, short of suitcase space as well. I knew I was returning to the US in May, and anything that didn't fit in the suitcase had to be left behind. I know there is shipping and stuff, but do you guys realize how expensive it is to ship? A five euro pair of flats tends to cost around 20 euro to ship! Ugh. So that, and Brian's good influence on me is what ultimately got me to give up shopping.

It was a slippery slope. I wasn't always a shopping addict. I used to make all sorts of unconscious purchases, disqualifying any "needs" as "purchases," reasoning that they didn't count because I didn't have a choice. Once I got past that, I started to make up all sorts of reasons to "need" things, ranging from "I need that leather handbag to look professional" to "this will save me money in the long run - if I wear this to the bar, I will have no need to pay for drinks." Then, "needing to have fun" also didn't count, so magazines, yummy cocktails, cute tights, and twizzlers (my first addiction) didn't count either.

Brian made quite an important intervention around here, pointing out that no, I do not "need" quite as many things as I kept thinking. He also made the quite valid point that I did not keep any sort of budget, and that it was something I should consider. I still don't keep a budget but I am trying to stay as far away from shopping opportunities as possible.

My mom is the one I place the blame on for my recent relapses. I call her the "Enabler." She gets bored or needs to run some errands at the mall, and to persuade me to come with, she always mentions hitting up the sales on Anne Klein and Ralph Lauren at the department stores. This is exceptionally painful to refuse this summer, as I only recently got a job, and the sales are AMAZING. I always buy more than I intend, and she usually doesn't even make the original purchase she went for. It's ridiculous! I'd like to think I have more control than that, but I have seen my own behavior around those two pound bags of Twizzlers.

My summer plan to rid me of this addiction once and for all is to get really into crafts. I feel like if I get into making stuff, it will at least slow down my rate of "wants" or "needs" to a more manageable speed. Is there a program to help Shopaholics?

La Tourette - aka - The Monks Have Eyes

Having class just returned from a three day trip seeing some of Le Corbusier's most well known buildings, combined with other trips and every history lecture ever beginning with a picture of Ronchamp, I consider myself to be something of a Corbu-expert. Le Corbusier invented a style I like to call "architacky," and his buildings tend to creep me out.

La Tourette Monastery near Lyon is a prime example of "horror movie architecture." We arrived just as it was beginning to get dark out, with the intention of staying overnight in the unused cells. Although it was designed to house up to 100 monks, now only six live there. My first impression was that it is a compound, meant to keep the people inside from getting out. The facade on the path up to the monastery is a massive rough concrete wall with only two small rectangles protruding at an angle near the top, with a structure the shape of a lookout post at the top.

The entrance feels very private as it is small and almost hidden. Upon entering the building, popcorn finish textures the walls and ceilings, supposedly for the shadowy effect, but we all know the initial budget for La Tourette was extremely limited and only got tighter as the building went on. All the popcorn texture did for me was remind me of bad motels, which reminded me of Psycho, making me even more nervous about trying to sleep there later. The inside of the building felt very institutional, with strip windows looking out onto the courtyard full of shadows and ambiguous shapes. By this time, it was completely dark outside and the only lighting came from a few dim green tinted lights in the hallways, visible in our hallway and across the courtyard in the west wing. The crumbling south wing that has been sectioned off for rennovation was completely dark. It has the atmosphere of a mad scientist's laboratory.

There are no outdoor lights whatsoever. There is a city some distance away in the valley below, but the lights don't carry up to La Tourette. We met a man from Switzerland who was staying at the monastery to work on his writing. He had been staying in the east wing alone for the past five days and was grateful that we were joining him for the evening. Not being able to find any light switches anywhere else, we gathered in one of the oratories with a fluorescent light. Our professors talked to us and then brought us down two flights of stairs. Everyone had their cell phones out for light when we stopped in front of what appeared to be a large black wall. Someone pushed on it and it rotated to reveal... complete darkness. It was apparently the entrance to the church, and we were asked to sit down inside in silence and put away our phones. Sitting there in the darkness, I could practically feel vampire's fangs at my neck. We left the church and went to the "dining room," which is not used any more and had table settings suspended by fishing line from the ceiling, floating in the air without a table. The ghostly effect seemed appropriate for a partially abandoned monastery.

Thoroughly ready to be stabbed in the shower, experimented upon by mad scientists, or posessed by demons, I went up to my cell for the evening. The hallways were completely dark by this time, and most of the toilets and showers were out of order. Brian was kind enough to show me a mini side door, meant for ventilation, through which zombies could easily enter the room while I was asleep. Any horror movie could take place there with few to no adjustments.

Although I seem to have made it through the night, the professors seemed bent on tormenting me, because when I saw the hostel in which we were supposed to spend the next night, I almost died. Dole, the Asshole of Europe.

10 Reasons NOT to Fly with EasyJet

I just recently returned from a trip to Spain with my boyfriend and it really couldn't have been much better. It could have been a little warmer (it IS February), but it really was a great time, one thing aside:

Since it was only a short flight from Paris and we were trying to budget, we decided to make use of this inexpensive airline. Even though we saved money, I would say it was similar to using a paper lunch bag instead of a purse - in the end, probably not worth it.

1. A red flag should have been when I received a message from EasyJet regarding my trip to Italy last fall. The email was asking for me to log on to their website and pay an additional 2 euro for a flight I had already taken a month ago.

2. Their super elite exclusive amazing speedy check in option turns out to be nothing more than a different line for check in. When we checked in, this particular line was actually longer.

3. My boyfriend and I decided to share a suitcase for this trip and each bring a small bag. The suitcase was standard carry-on size - Brian had used it before with his personal item as a huge backpack - but they told us we would have to check it! Sure enough, when we were waiting for it at the baggage claim in Barcelona, most of the suitcases on the conveyor belt were the same size.

4. We ran into some friends at the airport who were getting on the same flight. One of the girls did online check in, so her carry-on bag was not rejected, but when she went to the gate to board, they told her she couldn't have a purse if she had a carry-on, and told her to put her purse into the suitcase. I don't know how you pack, but really? A purse inside a suitcase? Besides that, the purse she had was almost the size of the full suitcase, so I had no idea what they thought she was going to do. Luckily I was there to save the day and shove my much smaller purse into her suitcase and carry her purse on myself. I really have never heard of an airline that doesn't allow a personal item with a carry-on. Even if she HAD fit the purse in, was she supposed to open her suitcase mid-flight if she wanted to look at her magazine or listen to some music?

5. Because this is such a cheap airline, they cut many corners you never thought you'd miss. Like the walkways that extend right into the plane. EasyJet has it arranged so you and your luggage all get herded onto some busses, and they drive you out to the runway and then dump you out at the bottom of the stairs. Doesn't sound so bad until you think about carrying your suitcase and purse (up those shakey portable stairs), the possibility of rain, and the fact that everyone is in a big rush to get on the plane because there are ...

6. No assigned seats. Someone had the bright idea of an open seating plan for this airline, so instead of a seat printed on your ticket, you are grouped into group A, B or a special group for the handicapped or people who take a while to get settled down like little kids. Sounds nice, like you can choose your seats, until you get onto the plane and want to sit with your boyfriend, but only one middle seat in every row is open. No one wants to sit next to a stranger unless someone told them too, its just awkward, so everyone leaves that extra seat, until someone has to sit there or ask everyone to get rearranged.

7. Also, I am pretty sure their seats are getting narrower with less leg room. By no stretch of the imagination can they expect their average customer to be smaller than me. Maybe even smaller than Air France.

8. The other problem with the boarding groups is that everyone tends to rush on at the same time, and in my experience, most French people are completely unfamiliar with the concept of how a line works. They just walk up to the front. I would but I have a conscience.

9. And you have to pay for the snacks. I don't know about you, but I would rather them add an extra $20 onto my ticket price and receive a coke and a muffin than try to dig out my wallet from under the seat on front of me.

10. What they do serve in flight is a bunch of irrelevant advertisements. They made an announcement before takeoff that they would be selling insurance or something. Is that a threat???


All in all, EasyJet is REALLY cheap. Yeah, you're saving money, and they won't let you forget that for a second.