Final Four Madness

OK, there were 2 games that destroyed many brackets. Michigan State and Villanova. That being said there were some that saw it coming. There is actually one player (Michael Forbes of Roebbelen) that has all Final Four still in it.
Seeing all you who had the schools like Syracuse and Memphis going all the way I got tired of grading Sh*tty PIX. I set some criteria to narrow the field which helps weed out the pack of sheets that have a chance in hell of winning. Here is the criteria and there are 20 or so sheets still in the hunt.
· Sheets with at least 2 of the final four still in the Tourney
· Sheets that still have their champion still in the Tourney.
And yes, each of the teams in the Final Four are represented by at least one sheet.

P.S. One last note Kim Navarro has officially kicked her husband’s butt. Sorry “Golden Boy” not this year …………..AGAIN.

Stay tuned next week for who will take home top bragging right honors.

-Eric Driever

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Sustainable Suite Design Competition

USGBC, The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and The Hospitality Industry Network (NEWH) are sponsoring the Sustainable Suite Design Competition to help drive green design practices within the hotel industry. This competition provides a platform for student and professional teams from around the world to present their approach to green hotel room interior design. For more information CLICK HERE

-Regina

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Roseville is Turning 100!!!

Our little railroad town is turning 100 in mid-April! I wanted share some really great Centennial events the City has planned for next month. The City’s homepage has a lot of information, including a document you can print to read more about each of the events and their timing. http://www.roseville.ca.us/

Some highlights:

Premiere of Rose Parade Documentary – Friday, April 17, 5 pm at Magic Circle Theatre
Union Pacific is bringing in one of their oldest running steam engines for our Centennial weekend (pictured above) – Saturday, April 18, 12 – 3 pm
Two separate Then & Now exhibits – one about glaciers at the UEC - Utility Exploration Center (Reception 4/16) and the other (photos of Roseville) will be displayed at the Civic Center on Saturday, April 18
Centennial Movie Premiere – Saturday, April 18, 5 – 6:15 pm at Magic Circle Theatre
Earth Day – Saturday, April 18 at the UEC
Birthday Cake Contest and burying of the new time capsule – Saturday, April 18 at the Civic Center

-Naaz

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quote of the week

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Blue Line Gallery

Roseville Arts presents FACES at the Blue Line Gallery (405 Vernon St.) in Downtown Roseville. Note: Linda Green's art (center middle) will be on display until April 15...so if you in the neighborhood stop by and check it out.

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Earth Hour

Earth Hour is a worldwide event that encourages individuals to unite in the fight against global warming by turning off their lights and spending sixty minutes outside with friends and family. Over the past two years the simple idea has grown into a monumental movement, and this year’s event is aiming for 1 billion participants. Earth hour 2009 takes place on March 28th at 8:30pm local time, so save the date, flip the switch, and see how this simple individual action can make a profound collective statement. Info from Inhabitat.com.

Visit the Earth Hour Website...CLICK HERE

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Most Advanced Bike Ever?

For the bicycling enthusiast...(about half the office) check out this new bike from Formula 1 race car engineers BERU. It is being touted as the most advanced road bike ever. Check out their website and decide for yourself. Click here.

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Biggest Loser Motivation

For those who don't know, we are half way through our second Biggest Loser/Most Consistent Mover contest. It seems trimming the weight is a little more difficult this time around. So, I went in search of ideas and found this great website full of healthy food choices and recipes to get back on track.

Check it out...CLICK HERE

-Brian L.

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Design Dialogue Series

I would encourage anyone interested in urban design issues to attend the first Design Dialogue at the AIACV office this Wednesday night. Our very own Terry Green will be presenting WP's take on alley activation along with other local architects and designers. The presentations are short (very short) leaving more time for questions and discussion about the issues...a chance for your ideas to be heard. See below for more info.

Panel Presentation -- UDA has asked the two developers on the panel -- Jeremy Drucker and Aaron Zeff -- to describe what they initially saw, including where, that inspired them to come up with a comparable development concept for an alley in Sacramento. Tom Pace, the City of Sacramento's Long Range Planning Manager, will comment on alley concepts he has seen in a variety of locations; in addition, he will provide information on the "density bonus for alleys" that is included in the recently approved General Plan.

Visual Presentations -- UDA will provide a continuous slide show comprised of alley photographs from around Sacramento, California, other cities and states, and other countries. *** Developers Drucker and Zeff will display renderings of the concepts they are in various stages of proposing. *** Terry Green (Williams+Paddon) will display boards that depict a color-coding scheme for alley ID-&-safety. *** Ron Vrilakas (Vrilakas Architects) will display boards that depict alley landscaping and traffic management concepts suitable for alley-fronting retail and residences.

Dialogue -- UDA encourages attendees to arrive early in order to have time to view the displays prior to the opening presentation. Following the panel, Brian Fischer, Director of Business Development, Sales, and Marketing for Midtown Grid, will facilitate a dialogue that ensures everyone an opportunity to ask a question and/or offer a comment on the presented concepts and information.

- Brian L.

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Tour of The Orleans in Old Town

A few weeks ago, the IIDA organized a tour of a new infill project in Old Sacramento, The Orleans. First, we met at the Firehouse. I have not been here in years… and once I was there, I wondered what took me so long? I love the outdoor patio of this place… especially this time of year. We got a firsthand tour of the much improved Firehouse by Terry Harvego (the project developer) and Michael Dunlavey (of Dunlavey studio, who did the renovation work at Firehouse and also did the interiors of The Orleans). After that, we walked over to The Orleans with Bruce Monighan (the architect on record) and got the inside scoop on how this project became the newest infill project. I was anxious to get inside and boy was it worth the wait! These rental lofts were planned to maximize the views and make the most of the outdoor living space… and that was apparent. Almost all of us were ready to sign up when we finished. And, at a decent rental price… why not? Urban living on the Sacramento River with killer views – who wouldn’t want one of these lofts? Well, my dog for starters… but if you are not responsible for any furry creatures and you are looking for a place to call home… go check them out at Old Sac Properties! I’d love to come visit.

- Andrea

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Heath Ceramic

If you are ever in Sausalito and have two hours to spare, I highly recommend checking out the Heath Ceramics manufacturing facility off of Bridgeway Blvd. Heath ceramics is named after the late Edith Heath who founded the company in the mid-1950’s. She and her company are known for their unique and timeless design as well as their dedication to producing quality products (that cost a pretty penny, but are worth every penny at the same time). The facilities were incredible, not due to size nor enormity of production mind you but because of how down to earth and understated it was; they used their own pottery pieces (that retail for $70+ in the store)for putting ‘slip’ and other mixtures in, their sinks/floors/backsplashes were clad in mosaics of their own broken tiles, and flanked throughout the space was everything ranging from ceramic bowl/glaze/cup/tile prototypes to hand molded pumpkins that they entered in their annual Halloween contest. The tour consisted of brief visits with the various artisans where, at each station, they described and exhibited their craft. The artisans as well as the tour-ista, as I will call her, were all very passionate about the work as they spoke. It is that passion that makes their product special. The attention to detail and the extreme pride in what they create. All of these qualities come together to transform clay into beautiful works of art.

Entrance to Heath, ceramic art by Edith Heath

Fresh from the mold. Notice the open door...each employee has the ability to open a door or window as well as access to natural light.

Amazing tile. Revived from the archives a few years back, this tile is a classic modern design


Heath is known for their glazes...such vibrant and beautiful colors

Seconds?... those on a budget can visit their seconds store for bargains on near perfect pieces.

-Amber

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Eric's really on top of things...

Talk about efficiency...Eric's working two jobs at once.

-Paul

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Martha Riley Community Library named ‘Best Community Impact Project’

Martha Riley Community Library named ‘Best Community Impact Project’
by the Sacramento Business Journal

We are pleased to be a part of the award winning team that designed this upbeat and contemporary library and gathering space that allows all sectors of the community to come together. From the children’s reading tree to the teen media center, quiet reading areas, spacious meeting rooms, comfy gathering spaces to the Utility Exploration Center, this project truly has something for everyone.

“The library itself is no longer a place where people are going to shush you. People can bring sodas and a cup of coffee into the library. We want it to be comfortable” noted Mike Shellito, City of Roseville. “The library became cool again.”

Lots of awards programs are more like beauty contests – what’s on the outside -- but this one goes beyond outer beauty and judges the impact a project has on bettering the community it serves. And after all isn’t that why we design buildings, to better serve the community?

“The Business Journal award is unique in that judges visit the site and the Owner and Design Team have an opportunity to relate the building’s story. This building’s connection to the community is paramount to the success of the project. To be recognized for it, is the decoration on the cake!” said Naaz Alikhan, Principal, Williams + Paddon Architects + Planners, Inc.

This is the 2nd year in a row that a Williams + Paddon project has received the ‘Best Community Impact’ award by the Business Journal. Our company philosophy Involve // Connect // Delight is why we enjoy doing projects like this so much.

To learn more about the Martha Riley Community Library and Utility Exploration, visit our website.

-Jodie

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Citrus Heights Community Center

Check out the Citrus Heights Community Center site. Reminds me of a postage stamp.

-Trish

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How we spent our President’s Day Weekend!!!

Over the President’s Day Weekend, Jeff and I went to visit my parents up in Tahoe. We decided to take a leisurely drive down to Mono Lake with my mom. I hadn’t been there since I was little, and Jeff had never been. It was a beautiful drive down and the scenery was spectacular…
…these are right out of Bridgeport and are the backside of Yosemite. To give a small sense of scale, Bridgeport sits at an elevation on 6772 ft., so those mountains are pretty high. Our destination, Mono Lake, was just as I had remembered…very flat with the tufas sticking out of the water.

We took a lunch break, had a nice leisurely walk down to the water’s edge, then headed back home. On the way home, just outside of Walker, we came across this memorial.

It is to commemorate a fire plane accident that happened in 2002, killing all on board and setting the town of Walker on fire. It was a very humbling place…seeing the trinkets that people have left over time and seeing the rows of tee-shirts that other firefighters have left. We saw shirts as far away as New York and Alaska. We took one side trip…up the road to Sonora Pass (I think) and saw the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center…the following is a blurb from their website about what they do…

“The Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC) is one of the Corps most remote and isolated post. The center was established in 1951 as a Cold Weather Battalion with a mission of providing cold weather training for replacement personnel bound for Korea. After the Korea conflict the name was changed to the Marine Corps Cold Weather Training Center. As a result of its expanded role it was renamed the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in 1963. MCMWTC operated on a full time basis until 1967 when it was placed in a caretaker status as a result of the Vietnam War. The training center was reactivated to a full-time command on May 19th 1976.

The center occupies 46,000 acres of Toiyabe National Forrest under management of the U.S. Forrest Service. A letter of agreement between the Forrest Service and the Marine Corps permits the use of the area to train Marines in mountain and cold weather operations.

The center is cited at 6,762 feet, with elevations in the training areas ranging to just under 12,000 feet. During the winter season (October - April) snow accumulation can rear 6 to 8 feet. Further, severe storms can deposit as much as four feet in a 12 hour period. Annual temperatures range from -20 degrees to +90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The MCMWTC conducts formal schools for individuals and battalion training in summer and winter mountain operations. The training emphasis on enhancing overall combat capability.

Marines at the center are also involved in testing cold weather equipment and clothing, and developing doctrine and concepts to enhance our Corp’s ability to fight and win in mountain and cold weather environments.”
(My parents have gone jeeping up in those mountains and have come across the troops in full gear, with tents, rifles and anything else they needed.)

All in all…we had a great little trip and I highly recommend it as a day trip to anyone wanting to get away.

-Kim N.

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