Dust

As for the last post, I don't think I will delete it because it makes me laugh. The "hacker" very cunningly posed as a guest blogger, to which I agreed. Interesting interpretation of hacking.

Had a "lock in" in the studio to design for 4 hours, now I am in a bad mood. Doesn't help that everything I was working on has changed now. Maybe it's because the heating seemed to have failed during the lock in.

Went to an ash Wednesday service this week. I like it how, when putting ash on everyone's forehead, the liturgy was "remember my child, that you are dust. From dust you were made, and to dust you will return."

Don't think I've really talked to anyone properly yet today either, gonna go do that.

Well i have hacked into this blog now.

could cause some trouble but think will save it up for a rainy day.

harharharharhar

Played football last night, running around and shouting is a great way to spend time. Think I might be addicted.

Slept on a mate's couch, then had chocolate and pancakes for breakfast (its pancake day!).

Might go and hear Hans Blix speak today.

Temporary Architecture and Flexible Urbanism

this stuff is brilliant...
parasite architecture

parasite paradise

ideal space

Shouted as loud as I could in my dream last night, wonder if I was actually shouting. Haven't had any overly strange looks from my flatmates today, so maybe i'm safe.

Today was the beginning of the last cleaning/sorting/dumping that will take place. The flat on Lothian Road has been a great place to hang out over the past couple of years...especially in the summer. Mostly, we will miss the roof. A perfect suntrap, it hosted barbeques, sunbathing, many many cups of tea, sleeping out sometimes, lots of praying, a mini garden, often random clothes drying on an old folding bed frame. Tour busses would pass and tourists would stare, or pretend not to notice. Normal busses would pass and people would smile, as would those on the street who happened to look up. It was good to make total strangers smile by just drinking tea.

Though we're kind of losing something, the new stuff up ahead (mostly still unknown) is exciting, too. Not having a flat to take care of will free some things up that weren't able to work before, though some things will end with leaving it.

There have been suggestions of attaching a rope ladder at the front for continued roof access, but somehow it wouldn't be the same.

Multitasking

Trying to do loads of things all at once - and as I wait for 5 different pages to load, thought I would try and update my blog too. Lots of things are going funny, maybe I'm asking it to do too much.

Finishing the first project handin of a series- requires a lot of work for the 5% it is going to be worth, but it's good fun (?). Designing a bar, wish I'd at least had a chance to snoop behind a few...will have to ask experienced friends instead.

Had a brilliant time on the beach yesterday, dancing about under the stars, around a fire for ruth's and tom's birthdays. Wrote in big letters in the sand.

Better get back to the project...

Escapism is the best

Escaping to the country was beautiful. Went to a small cottage on the borders - good company, great food, amazing surroundings...

Saw the brightest Scottish stars I have yet seen, sat around fires and chatted, chopped firewood for fun, went on a walk around the countryside to beaches, taught people to flip over gates, ate lots of excellent food. Wore three t-shirts and two sweaters most of the time.

"I like being in the country because I can think here"
-"I like being in the country because I can not think here."

Listened to the birds calling and replying to each other, listened to the silence. On the way back home in the car, played i-spy and told stories collectively, with one word each.

New Life

News of a new baby in town, the pastor of a local church and his wife are now the proud parents of a baby boy. We reckon that everyone ever on any of their contact lists has been emailed with a link to an online photo album! New life is amazing.

Weather has turned mild, flowers poke up on the meadows. Sat on a roof yesterday, wind blowing in my face, chatting to God with a few mates.

"Earth's crammed with heaven;
And every common bush afire with God..."
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning "Aurora Leigh"

Wondering what helps us to connect to these things - to look up, instead of down, what helps us to uncleanch and start dancing from within. There is healing for this place, for our lives.

New brief

Began a new project this week: to design a temporary festival bar in the ground floor of St. Stephens Church, New Town. Already the work is mounting, beginning with a group chat by our tutor, stating that they've been lenient with us in this first term, and it's time to start behaving like interior architects. Hmmm...

The venue is known as Aurora Nova, hosted by the German theatre company fabrik, and the Brighton-based komedia. Having done extraordinarily well in the festival these past few years, this collaboration pools together talent from all over the world in true festival style. At the end of the design project, we have the opportunity of presenting our designs to Aurora Nova, with the possibility of one of them being selected for construction. Exciting!

Went to hear performance poetry last night, hosted by "The Big Word", in the Tron. Always enjoyable, especially when friends perform...

An old classmate of mine from Sweden is visiting, already sparking good discussions about politics, economic game theory, the nature of the universe, morality and ethics. It's great. Perhaps the core element of "Theory of Knowledge" in the International Baccalaureate has made us used to relating this way, it seems more normal than talking about films.

There was also an incredible flash storm yesterday, with sleet, hail, pounding rain, lightning, thunder. Lasted about 1 1/2 hours, loved it.

"The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.
`Who are YOU?' said the Caterpillar.
This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly,
`I--I hardly know, sir, just at present-- at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.'
`What do you mean by that?' said the Caterpillar sternly. `Explain yourself!' `I can't explain MYSELF, I'm afraid, sir' said Alice, `because I'm not myself, you see.'
`I don't see,' said the Caterpillar.
`I'm afraid I can't put it more clearly,' Alice replied very politely, `for I can't understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.' "

Went to a tea-party yesterday, lots of brilliant people were there. Someone even dressed up in tails. Nobody else managed to make that much effort, he will convert us eventually I think?

Habitually being caught in vivid dreams, though none of them seem to have much meaning other than a jumble of my everyday life, cunningly twisted and re-woven into bizarre and intensely-coloured spectacles. Maybe I am too hot at night.

Might do an elective course on recycling.