Town Hall Video

Question: What happens when people turn an everyday activity into a fun experience?
Answer: People smile.

Happy to be in Lodi again

Lucas Winery

The Heaven and Round EMU collection

Robi in heaven (literally...that's the name of the chair)

Lonnie (steelcase), Kristi (UCF), and Amber

The wonderful people over at UCF treated us to an afternoon at Lucas Winery in Lodi. Partly to get together and drink some really good wines and partly to enjoy their new line of indoor/outdoor furniture. As good as the wine was Mel preferred to sip the local Lodi water. She described it as having a nondescript nose with a very earthy finish.

The furniture: CLICK HERE

The wine: CLICK HERE

-Amber

Toothpick Art

It took Stan Munro (38) 6 years to build this toothpick city. He used 6 million toothpicks and 170 litres of glue. He can spend until 6 months to create a building and each of his creations is built to 1:164 scale. Look at the amazing works of one of the most patient men in the world.

When Stan Munro started Toothpick City I in 2003, he convinced his wife that this might be an actual job. Whether she really believed him, or just reveled at the thought of a husband spending all his time in the basement, she supported him. She helped him in every way imaginable, and when Toothpick City sold in 2005, she helped him spend the money.
"My wife is the only sponsor I've ever needed," Stan admits. "She's a pretty good boss, and she doesn't mind if I work all day in my underwear"

-Mark

Fridge Notes

The pictures below are not from our office (but they probably could be)...

-Amber

A Fable For Our Times..,.

We were sitting down for lunch with a client at a Thai restaurant on Broadway when the client saw a woman trying to push her stalled truck out of a bus lane. Jack, Jason and I turned to look, the lady was indeed struggling. Before we could say "Holy Damsel in Distress, Batman" caped crusader Super Jack was running out of the restaurant followed by his faithful sidekick Masty Boy. They flew across the street and were in time to help the young woman pull her car to safety. Without any sign of stress or strain our superheros returned to the restaurant and, shrugging off the applause from the admiring crowd, sat down and finished their Pad Thai.
The moral of this story? In this economy you have to go to extreme measures to impress a client. And it's always good to have a side job and some tights, just in case!

-Naaz

What Doesn't Jack Do?

Jack forwarded me an article on "The School of (avoiding) Hard Spills." This is of course in regards to his new hobby / passion / obsesion of mountain biking.

The problem for many a novice mountain biker is failure to recognize the technical challenges and intricate skills needed to negotiate a course. That's what led a chastened Jack Paddon of Newcastle to spend a recent Saturday with about 10 other riders honing his mountain-biking skills at an all-day camp run by Total Body Fitness of Rocklin.

Instructor Dan Foster and Total Body Fitness hold instructional camps six times a year (the next is Jan. 30), during which he covers subjects that range from choosing a proper-fitting helmet to executing flawless wheelie drops off a cliff.
"My third time out (on a mountain bike), my buddy got me to the Downieville Classic," Paddon says. "It's 29 miles. I figured, 'Hey, I do 100 miles on a road bike, so I figured it couldn't be that bad. But I got crunched. I finished, but I was so far over my head.

"I'd like to do it next year with some skills."

town hall video

quote of the week

“Contrary to what most chieftains think, you are not remembered by what you did in the past, but rather what most Huns think you did” - Leadership Secrets of Atilla the Hun, Wess Roberts, Ph.D.

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum to the women and men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." - Antoine De Saint-Exupery, The Wisdom of the Sands

-Stephen

Happy Halloween

The Return of Beer 30

...nothing tastes better than a cold one on a Friday. The tradition was lost once...but it has returned. Brews, chips and salsa provided by Terry, thanks!

Practical Joke on Eric

Practical jokes are somewhat of a hobby of mine. And my favorite target is Eric. Really, it's like shooting fish in a barrel...so much material its hard to choose. Well, it just so happens that Eric misplaced his sketchbook/journal/diary...and I was lucky enough to find it. A ray of light came through the skylight, birds were singing, all was right with the world as the wheels were in motion of how to exploit this opportunity. Sure, I could have been nice and just put it back on his desk but what fun would that be? So, I taped it to the outside of the window by his workstation...no surprise it took him a while to even spot it. But he did and eventually retrieved it. Now, I must say that I have a similar looking sketchbook and in my rush to pull off this prank before his return, I accidentally taped MY sketchbook outside while his lay on my desk. Oh well, it was the thought that counts.

-Brian L.

MTA Mask Competition

Once again W+P had an entry (thanks to Amber) into MTA's annual Halloween Mask Competition. This years entry was Wilson from 'Cast Away' (bottom left) entered in the humorous category. Unfortunately another first place alluded her. But all was not lost as the masks were donated to the Pediatrics Department at Mercy San Juan Hospital for all the kids to enjoy.

Design Dialogue Series

Last week Amber and I represented WP at the final Design Dialogue presentation from the UDA (Urban Design Alliance) and the AIA. New topics will start again in January. This series is a great way to see what is going on in our neighborhoods and what is in store for the future of Sacramento. The presentations are kept brief in order to have a good dialogue between community and presenter. This particular project, the Powerhouse Science Center, is still very early in conceptual design but is getting a lot of positive feedback from all parties involved. It make use of the old PG&E powerhouse which had been an abandoned landmark of the city for the past 50 years. The project is located along the American River, a short distance from Old Town and across I-5 from the soon to be revitalized Railyard.

-Brian L.

D*mn it Joey!

Leave a few minutes early on Friday and our IT guru decides to play mad scientist with your computer. This is what I came into this morning. No note, no explanation...just a half disassembled computer. It all worked out though, I prefer to draw by hand anyway.

-Brian