Andrea Jaggers in front of the Denver Convention CenterWednesday, May 28, 2008
W+P Three Wheeled Races
Look at that crowd...you'd think this was the Indy 500.
Team WP sporting our hot jerseys.
Nothing says fun like the founding principle of the company having a blast on a tricycle.
Tye Brown with the pedal down
Cigi and Anda playing bumper cars with their trikes. To celebrate our halfway mark through Million Mile May, the employees of Williams + Paddon participated in the first annual Big Wheel and Tricycle Races. I ask you, who doesn't want to break from the monotony of starring at a computer for some fun in the sun? That's right, it was recess time! As we headed out to our trikes, a grand crowd was forming to witness this band of uncoordinated folks attempt to pedal a 4 year old's toy. Needless to say we looked more than a little ridiculous, came home with a few new bruises, and had a ton of fun along the way. We even contributed to our Bike Month tally by logging a total of 1.25 +/- miles that afternoon...that's a lot of pedaling on a tricycle!
-Tye
Weekly workplace humor #3
Rule #3: Messy desk
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know someone is coming to your desk, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.
-Trish
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us, it looks like we’re not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents around your workspace. To the observer, last year’s work looks the same as today’s work; it’s volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know someone is coming to your desk, bury the document you’ll need halfway down in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.
-Trish
Keep those legs moving!
Williams+Paddon friends, family and employees have truly stepped up the efforts this year. Last year our efforts brought us 3rd place in the category of small employers with 4,248 miles. This year we are on track for first place with a pledged 8,211 miles. In addition we have been given an Honorable Mention in the category of “Bike Friendly Employer”. It is a bit ironic that the winner was SMUD. I am convinced that the only reason they won is due to either the bike lockers W+P designed for them, the on-site fitness center W+P programmed or some other aspect of the building design that has enabled them to achieve this honor. Also, as I said this morning my goal for all of you is to simply achieve your pledge! You can do it I know!
Lastly please join us in insuring that we are not overtaken by those %*&$# engineers. Please join one or both of the closing rides on Friday or Saturday. The weather should be great and great fun will be had by all. What is the worst that can happen? I promise you won’t fall over dead and, as the old adage goes, that which does not kill you can only serve to make you stronger!
- Eric Driever
"green" tower
Talk about green washing...this "house" takes the cake, the ice cream and the presents. Here are just a few interesting facts:1. single family residence
2. 570 ft. tall
3. 6 floors of parking
4. 1 helipad
5. 9 elevators
6. $1800/ft
7. 35,000 s.f.
8. 2 billion construction cost
9. The architect, Perkins + Will, is so 'proud' of their green washed masterpiece that they won't even put the project on their website.
Sustainability is most commonly defined as, "The ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Just a little food for thought...
-Brian L.
Who will win?
The race is on...Jack Paddon vs. Chris Jaggers. Who will be the first to 700 miles? 800 miles? Like two Roman gladiators facing off in front of thousands of cheering on lookers, these two highly competitive gentleman attempt to out dual each other in a fight for WP biking supremacy.
Snow ride
The plan was well thought out. A ride from JTW's cabin up the Old highway to Donner Summit were Diane would have a picnic lunch ready for the tired riders. It was a well planned event but good ol' Mother Nature decided to dump two inches of snow on our route. The message from Jim Saturday morning says it all..."unless you have snow chains for your bike, the ride is postponed."- Jim and Brian L.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
AIA Convention '08 - Boston
Convention 2008 can be summed up in two words: Green BIM (ok, so it’s one word and one abbreviation). While many of the seminars were hit and miss, the exposure to the latest in technology was a good eye opener. The world of professional services is moving rapidly into the world of Building Information Modeling and Integrated Project Delivery. We learned some great things about on-line sources that can assist in conceptual energy performance modeling through linkages to Revit, conflict analysis on 3-d models, and linkages to help facilitate LEED compliance.We also learned that the profession in on aggressive path beyond LEED to “Regenerative architecture” and that the Architecture 2030 Initiative (http://www.architecture2030.org/) is leading the way in reducing our country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
And then there is Boston – a charming mix of incredibly historic buildings and places and trend setting new architecture, some of it like the sixty’s era Boston City Hall fueling debate in our small W+P delegation. The current Mayor of Boston wants to tear it down, which is what they did to their cross town freeway (aka “The Big Dig”) which was a great improvement to the waterfront, market place and historic State Street area.
Finally the good news is that we pretty much missed the mini heat wave here. Boston was a lot like early March around here – tulips, dogwoods blooming, and long sleeves and sweaters.
-Jim
The Page 13 Violators share 1st place for the 1st time!
The Violators took the field on Friday night with a gleam in their eye and a hunger for first place in their bellies, for a few others it was more like a belly full of beer! We quickly took the lead in the first with four runs as the Ball Busters’ pitcher was having a hard time throwing strikes, and whatever strike he did pitch we “put it where they ain’t”. With a solid lead under our feet, our defense stepped up again and put down our first place rivals with only a few hits to their credit. The Page 13 Violators won in a commanding fashion by a score of 8-2. We had a great round of hitting by all, highlighted by Matt Rudolph, Brian Lefholz, Ryan Culver, & Elsa Gomez. Another highlight was watching Ryan “get on his horse” and safely outrun a couple infield hits. Who’ve thought he could be a rice burner? Thank you to Bev Lund and Rose Cottle for coming out to support us and take some team photos. We hope to see more of our W+P family out to enjoy our winning season. Stay tuned as our next game is against Vertigoz on Friday May 30th. There will be no games this week due to Memorial Weekend.-Coach Sandusky
Weekly Workplace Humor #2
Rule #2: Use computers to look busy
Any time you use a computer, it looks like “work” to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal email, chat and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren’t exactly the social benefits that the proponents of computer revolution would like to talk about but there not bad either. When you get caught by your boss (and you will get caught) your best defense is to claim that you were teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training expenses.
-Trish
Any time you use a computer, it looks like “work” to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal email, chat and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren’t exactly the social benefits that the proponents of computer revolution would like to talk about but there not bad either. When you get caught by your boss (and you will get caught) your best defense is to claim that you were teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable training expenses.
-Trish
The Death Ride
Look at those smiles...little did we know what was in store for us as the day progressed...
Mmmmmmmmm....
Even Jack couldn't survive his own ride...
I think I'm either sleeping or passed out...probably passed out!The story begins with a mid week invitation from Jack for a leisurely ride of a mere 20 miles around Lake Natoma. You’re probably saying to yourself, “Oh, that sounds wonderfully delightful”…ha, I laugh at your naiveness. Then he suggests we tackle Beals Point thus making the ride 43 miles…longer but still manageable. Due to a lack of interest (just Jack, Nancy, and myself) he got the bright idea to ride from Old Town Sac. to Beals Point and back. Now the miles were totaling around 63…at this point I’m questioning my sanity. When you add in the side trips the odometer totaled 80 miles! No that’s not a typo…oh how I wish it were. We actually rode 80 miles in 100+ degree heat. Are we insane…YES. Was this smart…NO. Would we do it again…in the famous words of John Wayne “That’ll be the day!” Through all the pain, dehydration, and heat exhaustion… there were a few highlights. The donuts for brunch at Roxy’s really hit the spot and the ice cream cones in Old Town were refreshing. It wasn’t the healthiest food but we had ridden for 8 hours…we earned it! We meet up with fellow Team WP jersey wearing member Paul who added 30 miles to the effort for a grand combined total of 270 miles by 4 riders!
-Brian L.
On Site and In Style
I snapped this great picture of Jason's backside...I mean Timbuk2 bag on site at Sacramento Unified School District ERP (Emergency Repair Project).-Beverly
Mother's Day Boutique Update
I would like to thank all you who came out to supported our Mother’s Day Boutique and those of you who helped in setting it up. We had our most successful Sierra Adoption fundraiser yet as we raised over $ 3,100, making a new record for our fundraiser events and putting us over the top for our fundraising goal. I would like to specifically thank Andrea, Amber, Shannon, Kim Settle, Cigi, Naaz, Aerie, Jodie & Trish for all their help in making this successful event come to life. Andrea, Amber and Shannon rallied in the last couple weeks before the event to iron out the bugs on our event and bring in some very impressive donations. Every year that we’ve stepped up to the plate to raise $5,000 for a child to have a home, we consistently met that challenge in the most creative ways that Sierra Adoption has ever seen.On behalf of the kids, thank you all.
-Will
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Weekly Workplace Humor #1
Rule #1: Never walk without a document in your hands.
People with documents in their hands look like hard working employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like their heading for the canteen. People with a newspaper in their hands look like their heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.
This is the first in a series of how to tips on the art of corporate advancement.
-Trish
People with documents in their hands look like hard working employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like their heading for the canteen. People with a newspaper in their hands look like their heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.
This is the first in a series of how to tips on the art of corporate advancement.
-Trish
Mayhem at Maidu
At noon on Friday, 16 members of the office changed into their cycling apparel, strapped on a helmet, and hopped on a bike for a quick one mile ride over to Maidu Park for a City of Roseville sponsored “picnic in the park”. It was interesting to see how quickly serious workers transitioned into a bunch of crazy kids on recess. Some people literally seemed as though they were recalling the joys of forgotten childhoods zipping all over the park in every direction like kid who has just gotten his training wheels off. Unfortunately the lack of parental supervision combined with abundance of youthful enthusiasm led to a regrettable collision. As many of you know Jack cut off Robi…Or Robi was following too close while going too fast…In either case a valuable lesson was learned. They managed to wreck right in front of the children’s playground teaching all of the kids the valuable lesson why they should wear their helmets. Way to step up Jack and Robi! After the accident, reality quickly set back in on the rest of us. After lunch we “maturely” rode back to office to finish out the week, but the I think I speak for all involved (except for maybe Jack and Robi) that the work was easier, the stress was lower, and the sky was bluer after our lunch time bike ride. -Tye
Biking Yosemite
Here is my picture of biking in Paradise. The challenge of riding in Yosemite is to keep from crashing off the road as you stare at the waterfalls and majestic cliffs. Well worth the risk. -Jim
Monday, May 12, 2008
Habitat for Humanity
What a glorious day to help out our fellow man. The sun was shining, the birds were chirping, and we strolled onto the site ready to work our butts off. I’d be lying if I said it was all smooth sailing from there but to be truthful our foreman was a little confused when he saw our group approach the house… why you ask? Well it seems he was unaware that he would be getting any volunteers that day. Not to fear though… he was eventually able to scrounge up enough tasks to keep us busy for the first part of the day. Everyone was able to pitch in. Andrea was a heck of a cement mixer with only the aid of a steel stake to churn the mush in a 2’ deep hole. I got my adrenaline rush from aiding in pushing a massive pile of the neighbors metal “collectibles” out of the way of what would be our fence line. And, as you can see, Leah headed up the somewhat entertaining operation of removing an electrical pole from the corner of the lot. She enjoyed about an hour of watching the men-folk attempt to “wiggle” the pole out unsuccessfully before she let them in on a little secret… “uh guys, it would be soooo much easier if you made a lever”. Low and behold the pole was out in a matter of minutes. That’s our Leah!
All in all, a fantastic day with zero casualties.
-Amber
Violators Show Precision in latest Blowout!
As the beautiful Spring begins to pick away at our vast roster and send everyone on vacation, the Violator’s make the best of what’s around. That’s right, the Violator’s took the field with only four girls on Friday night, causing an automatic out every time a fifth girl is called for, thus putting us at a slight handicap. However, it really didn’t affect us, as we had a record setting 12 run first inning rally that sealed it for the rest of the game. Amongst those runs was a homerun for Brian Lefholz, on a misplay in the outfield. We also showcased our fine oiled machine of an infield as Elsa Gomez recorded four unassisted outs at first base and Jeff Navarro achieved a one-man double play with a quick tag of a base runner and force out at second. As Team Harvest had a hard time throwing strikes (walking over a dozen Violators), we took advantage of their weakness and finished them off with a big score of 13-1.
The exciting game is yet to come as we take on the team who issued our only loss of the season, The Ball Busters. If we can overcome them with our quality play as we have been for last few weeks, then we will be tied for first place, another unprecedented achievement from the Page 13 Violators.
Please come out and cheer on your champion bound Violators this week at 7:20 Friday night!
-Coach Sandusky
The exciting game is yet to come as we take on the team who issued our only loss of the season, The Ball Busters. If we can overcome them with our quality play as we have been for last few weeks, then we will be tied for first place, another unprecedented achievement from the Page 13 Violators.
Please come out and cheer on your champion bound Violators this week at 7:20 Friday night!
-Coach Sandusky
Funny Pics from the Tour de Lincoln
Yes...that is a Williams + Paddon 'Tattoo' on Jill Thompson's (City of Lincoln) leg.
Not to be outdone by showing of the legs...Robi proudly sports the road rash, bruised ankle and swollen knee...compliments of Jack.
Dorel, the Italian/Greek wild man road biker with unlimited energy...why you ask? Simple...Go Girl Energy Drinks. I think the pink really complements his eyes.-Brian L.
Tour de Lincoln
With ‘May is Bike Month’ in full swing, a contingent from WP set out to tackle the Tour de Lincoln. Saturday was a beautiful May morning. It was sunny, the temperature was in the low 80's and we had the bike riding animals from W + P poised and ready to rack up some miles!.Jack, Nan and Randy Dawson (Trish's husband) started off before any of us even showed up. There were tackling the 63 mile ride which included a 3,500 foot gain in elevation. Kim Settle was next out of the gate heading for 1400 foot gain in elevation and a 40 mile ride. STUDS!!!! all of them.......that's all I can say!
Next off was our 20 mile team riding strong: JTW, Trish, Terry Green, Mark, Dorel, Brian L., James, Ryan Culver, Eric Culver, and Ulie (Ryan's friend).
Last out of the gate was our 10 mile team: Nora, Greg Tonello, Kim Tonello (recovering from her stiff neck) and Me, Robi (with only one good leg… you all know this story by now:) Our surprise rider for the day was Terry Green who didn't think that 20 miles was enough for him so he made up his on route and ended up riding 46 miles (6 of which were charting his own course after getting lost)! Way to go Green Machine! Glad you found your way back to us.
In all we had 17 people riding for Team WP logging a total of 432 miles! We all had a great time, at some yummy BBQ, met some super nice people and enjoyed the company of the warm and friendly folks from the City of Lincoln.
Thanks to all of you and your families for coming out. I had a blast I hope you all did too.
-Robi
Monday, May 5, 2008
Sponsored Riders
Everyone knows that Robi has really taken to cycling as of late. She now owns a multi thousand dollar bike and to help offset that cost she has acquired a sponsor. That's right, Mark and her are now sponsored by Sunkist Orange Juice as evidenced by their oh so cute matching outfits.
Roseville Arts – Home & Art Show Tour
Last Saturday couldn’t have been a more perfect day for a bike ride. For some of us at W+P who wanted to get those biking miles in before the month of May slips away, Saturday was indeed a gift for all of us. A group of us joined forces and headed out in one direction, and two of us decided to kill two birds with one stone (so to speak). Why not get the biking mileage and exercise in while enjoying the Roseville Arts - Home & Art Showcase tour? The tour featured some of Roseville’s most luxurious homes and hosted several local artists who displayed their beautiful works of art. We were also treated to some tasty appetizers, desserts and fine wine at most locations. Several local caterers and restaurants were well represented. So, as we headed back to our starting point, with joints beginning to stiffen, I felt no regrets, because after all , I probably chalked up a good 10 miles.-Rose
Timbuk2 Travels
Kim snapped this great shot of her WP Timbuk2 bag catching some rays on The Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California. If you go on vacation or just go to an interesting spot around town...take your bag and a quick photo for the blog. What a great way to capture all the places the PEOPLE of WP visit.-Kim Settle and Brian L.
May is Bike Month - Week 1
Well, Well, Well...What a kick-off week it was. Here are some highlights:]
· May 1st we saw at least 9 or 10 commuters. And a very nice breakfast provided for us. Thank you!
· Kim Settle’s ride from all accounts was a great success!
· James Engler even got out and rode (If he can do it so can you Naaz!)!
· Williams+Paddon is second on the small Employers leader board.
· Like Big Brown at the Derby we have a dark horse leading the pack! Way to Go Lefholz! Let the records show Mr Lefhoz is leading Mr. Paddon.
· Also let the records also show that with 141 total combined miles the Lefholz combo is ahead of all other couples on the board, even the Jaggers! SMOKIN!!!!
The race is on who will win it all for W+P?
I am noticing some goose eggs on the scoreboard and that not everyone has pledged. We can do better!
- Eric Driever
The Rumble at Woodcreek Golf Course
It was just another typical twilight evening at the golf course for the bi-weekly golf outing; birds chirping, the low muffle of chatter and laughter emanating from the putting green and clubhouse, the sweet smell of grass on a light evening breeze, and good company as always. Yep, Tuesday twilight golf was here again and all those who showed up had been looking forward to playing and especially since it was a different course, Woodcreek. But alas, this would be anything but a normal golf outing. Brett and I had been waiting for Naaz and her son so we could tee off when we let a large gentlemen and his twenty something son go ahead of us since we were waiting. They tee off and fifteen minutes later, no Naaz. So we decide she can catch up and we both tee off. As we make our way up the fairway, fairly happy with both of our shots, we notice the larger man standing next to the cart pacing back and forth writhing and yelling profanities into the air… My drive nailed this guy square in the back. As we walk over to apologize and explain we didn’t see them and it was an accident, they start yelling at us like we were trying to start a fight or hit at them intentionally. The small guy comes up to me as I explain but again starts yelling at me, meanwhile the gentlemen who was hit looks like he’s starting to settle down and regain his composure all the while I’m thinking “am I really going to get in a fight in the middle of a golf course?” Brett then steps in and again says it was an accident. By this time I think they realized that if we were to throw down they would be at a disadvantage with only one healthy person, so they continued on their way all the while glaring back at us… and then Naaz shows up.-Jeff
The WP Tour de Lake Natoma
Our MayisBikeMonth Kick-Off Ride & BBQ was a great success! Jim Williams & Rose Cottle took off from my house & did the Roseville Arts! Tour, with Rose encouraging Jim to partake of as much wine as possible at each of the stops on their tour, in hopes of slowing him down on the road, just a bit. Meanwhile, Mark Posnick & Robi Kaseman on their stylie & lightning fast road bikes, Terry Green on his vintage Raleigh (complete with fenders, a rattrap rack on the back, & a cruiser seat), James Engler on his mean green machine , Justin Engler & Ryan Culver on their gnarly mountain bikes, Abbie Lefholz on her new birthday hybrid and Brian on his bright yellow attack machine (loaned by Andrea), Trish, on another flashy & speedy road bike, & Zara Dawson on her sturdy mountain climber and I (on my zippy new hybrid) all met on the American River trail & rolled around Lake Natoma for approximately 2.5 hours.
Later… back at the ranch house, we hydrated ourselves with cold beers & soft drinks & hobbled around on sore muscles while Margie grilled for us. All went well until I discovered I’d forgotten to set out all the trimmings for the burgers. (I was simply mortified!) I brought out the platter, everyone rebuilt what remained of their burger, & it was smooth sailing after that, with lots of talk of past rides, future rides and who is growing what in their garden this year. A great start to what promises to be a fantastic month of riding! -Kim Settle
The Unofficial History of Hacky Sack
The co-operative kicking sport of Hacky Sack has ancient origins from China, Thailand, Native America and nearly every country. Perhaps one of the most interesting hacky sack stories stems from Scotland during the dark ages. As the story goes, young shepherds would often kick stones to each other to pass the time while they tended their flocks.On a related note, the game that we play in the parking stalls at lunch, “Handi-Hack” or “Hack Pong”, whichever you prefer, is sweeping the country as a new sport. I have included a few images taken from a recent tournament. There is even talk of including it in this year’s Olympic Games! Fox Television has also contacted us for the rights to create a new reality television show based upon the game called “So You Think You Can Hack?” Anyone is welcome to join us at lunch in the parking lot if you are interested in playing.
-Tye Brown
WP Bike Garage
Like a scene from the classic renegade biker movie 'Wild Ones', our bikes were lined up everywhere we could find room. The office looked more like a bike shop then an architecture office on May 1st (the start of May is Bike Month). We had great participation with almost half the office riding that first day...let's keep it up for the entire month and smash our 6,371 pledged miles. That should be no problem with Jack boasting about riding 6,000 by himself.-Rose and Brian L.
