Aiden Keith

This is my new nephew Aiden. He is two days old. Aiden was scheduled to be born in Logan on Friday, but he couldn't wait. He came a day early in Ogden.


He joins his five year old sister Paige, and four year old twin brothers, Oliver and Cameron to complete his family. They are very excited to have him, but Paige still wishes he was a girl.

Publicity is a good thing, right?

Ok, this is definitely outside my comfort zone. Last semester I designed a dialysis center in commercial studio, which I also turned into my honors contract. I made it sustainable and tried to find a design metaphor for spiritual and emotional healing. I submitted it to the Undergraduate Research Fair earlier this month. After the fair I was contacted by a girl named Blaire in the Communications department. She interviewed me for a HASS PR campaign she is working on and issued a press release on my project. A week later I got an email from the Statesman telling me they were writing an article about it.

This morning the last Statesman of the school year came out and to my surprise and a bit of embarrassment, my rendering is on the front page. You can read the article at this link.

Student designs floor plan for dialysis center - Campus News

I'm just a bit embarrassed. Below is my abstract from the research fair.

Little man cometh

I just got this text message:

Little man cometh
Baby born. 6.9, 19" mckay dee, room 4215. Yee-haw!!!

I have a new nephew! Aiden was born this afternoon in Ogden. I'm so excited! Pictures forthcoming.

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

-Saint Augustine

Bands

My sister and I just got tickets to see Sigur Ros. They are playing in Utah the day I will be moving to Salt Lake. I'm so excited. It will be a fun way to start my summer.

Now I'm reminiscing about all the bands I've seen in concert. Some I'm proud of, others not so much. But they have all been fun. In alphabetical order, I've seen the following live . . .

Ataris
Barry Manilow (under duress!)
Beach Boys
Beck
Beu Sisters
Chantal Kreviazuk
Clay Aiken
Dave Matthews Band
Flaming Lips
Grant Lee Buffalo
KD Lang
Kelly Clarkson
Kingston Trio
Larry Coryell
Morley
Neil Finn
No Doubt
Peter Cetera
Samples
Savage Garden
Semisonic
Sheryl Crow
Sting
Suicide Blondes
Weezer

Sometime I'll have to compile a list of all the operas I've seen. That list is much longer.

The Second S of GSBS

I found this photo on the University website. On the right is Stephen Smith of GSBS who gave me my internship. This photo was taken at the library dedication on the same day I had my interview. I like his tie.

I haven't factored in sleep

Things to do before the end of the semester . . .

• Complete redesign of project boards for Jamie Drake presentation
  
• Render English sitting room and create board presentation
• Render sustainable Potager's kitchen and create board presentation
• Construction documents for kitchen - elevations, floorplan, millwork, electrical plans
  
• Finish finding materials for both rooms - fabrics, sustainable countertops, glass
• Write six page paper for American history on the environmental movement
• Finish Honors project on sustainability in residential design
• Find apartment for May and June for internship
• Finishing touches on Valentino powerpoint presentation

I also have an internship meeting April 26th and a Study Abroad meeting May 1st.

Wish me luck! At least I don't have any finals.

Press Release

I hate attention. I hate it. I'm content to sit quietly and work hard. Which I do - and sometimes that pays off. The press release for my honoroable mention in the International Design Guild/ASID Student competition is out. I guess I need to learn to be comfortable with a little self-promotion. So here is the press release:

2006 ASID/International Design Guild Student Design Contest Winners Announced

Manchester, NH Mar. 29 /The International Design Guild/ -- The International Design Guild, an ASID Industry Partner, hosted its Annual Student Design Contest which serves to recognize and reward ASID student designers for their outstanding floor covering creations in both broadloom and rug categories. This contest has awarded over $80,000 to budding designers across the country.

Contest applicants had the opportunity to win cash awards in denominations of $2,500, $1,000, and $100 for first-place, first runner-up, and honorable mention tributes, respectively. A panel of seasoned luxury floor covering Guild showroom owners, as well as, Howard Brodsky, Co-CEO of CCA Global Partners judged the entries based on their individuality, use of color, and overall design.

Krista Eliason, President of the International Design Guild explains, “The Guild is amazed at the amount of truly impressive designs we received in 2006. The Guild and its members enjoy working closely with the design community and it’s clear there are many gifted students who deserve to be recognized for their talents.”

The 2006 ASID/International Design Guild Student Design Contest winners are as follows:

Broadloom Category

First Place Winner of $2,500 and a 3-month membership to the Premier Professional Program: Lori Gray, College of Mt. Saint Joseph, Cincinnati, OH
First Runner-Up Winner of $1,000 and a 3-month membership to the Premier Professional Program: Patricia Rodriquez, Miami, FL

Honorable Mentions Winners of $100:

Vivian Restrepo, Miami International University of Art & Design
Allison Ziskind, Miami International University of Art & Design
Zaima Suarez, Miami International University of Art & Design
Patricia Rodriquez, Miami International University of Art & Design
Holly Murdock, Utah State University

Area Rug Category

First Place Winner of $2,500 and a 3-month membership to the Premier Professional Program: Fiona Worboys, Rhodec International, Ann Arbor, MI
First Runner-Up Winner of $1,000 and a 3-month membership to the Premier Professional Program: Molly Miller, Utah State University, Logan UT
Honorable Mentions Winners of $100:

Lori Gray, College of Mount Saint Joseph
Ana Cristna Rozas, Miami International University of Art & Design
Miren Altimari, Miami International University of Art & Design
Pamela Jensen, Utah State University
Lisa Green, Western Michigan University

The 2007 ASID/International Student Design Contest will begin on August 1, 2006 and contest entry forms will be available at www.asid.org under the Student Center tab.

About the International Design Guild

The International Design Guild, a division of CCA Global Partners, was formed in 1992 and is primarily focused on the luxury segment of the floor covering industry. With 100 showrooms throughout the United States and Canada, membership to the Guild is gained by invitation only. Each Guild Showroom specializes in serving the needs of interior designers and discriminating consumers who appreciate the importance of beautiful home décor. Members also exhibit the highest standards of product knowledge, design expertise, and customer service. Guild Showrooms guarantee designers and consumers the widest selection of luxury products fitted to the highest standards. Visit us at www.design-guild.com or contact us directly at 1-800-205-4345 to learn more about our organization.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deborah M. Lamoureux
Senior Project Manager of Strategic Partnerships, International Design Guild
Phone: (603) 626-2169 or dlamoureux@design-guild.com

I'm glad I could keep Miami International from a clean-sweep of the broadloom honorables! Congratulations to Molly and Pam too!

My Secret Life

My friend Loralee might just be the internet's most prolific blogger. Reading her blog is often better than watching a soap opera! I got this exercise from her.

First I typed the phrase "Holly needs" into Google. My search came up with this:

"Holly needs to stop trying to sell her body and concerntrate on singing a bit better."

and

"Holly needs wings."

Then I tried it with "Holly wants" and got:

"Holly wants to know what kind of power drives him, why terrifying visions of a churning windmill haunt his dreams, and just what he means when he whispers in his sleep that an enemy who will kill everyone is coming."

What kind of secret life am I leading?! I think all this might be happening to this Holly:



Which reminds me . . .

I am part of on online printmaking group. Last summer we were challenged to carve self-portraits. Mine ended up as an anime character.


My life in the alternate universe must be much more exciting, though no less busy, than it is here.

Internship at Last

This morning I met with Stephen Smith, principal architect of Gilles Stransky Brems Smith in Salt Lake City. GSBS designed the new Merrill-Cazier Library on campus and he was here to take part in the dedication ceremony. On Wednesday he left a message on my cell phone asking me to meet him in the lobby at 9 a.m. He said, "I'll be the old guy in a suit and tie, not looking like a college student." Even with that description he wasn't that easy to spot. I had to make my way through the news crews and other dignitaries milling around. The lobby was full of men in suits, university staff setting up chairs and a podium, the cameraman and newsanchor from channel 13 I had seen on tv before I left home, and the usual milieu of students.

When I finally found him he invited me to the cafe and we sat down. Over a cup of coffee he looked through my resume and work samples, and then offered me an internship. He didn't ask many questions, just told me that he liked my work and my interest in sustainability. GSBS hopes to have half of their office LEED accredited by next fall. Every Monday they order pizza and have a LEED workshop for their employees. They haven't had an intern before so I'll be blazing new ground (no pressure there). I start the second week of May and will work until I leave for London in July. David Brems, the other principal I initially spoke with, is the 2006 Chair for AIA's Committee on Design.

This is where I will be:



GSBS is also known for:
The Olympic Speed Skating Oval
(one of the first 12 LEED certified buildings in the country)
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
South Town Expo Center
Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield Headquarters
Salt Palace renovation and expansion
LDS Conference Center (consulting architects)

. . . and many other projects throughout Utah. I'm so excited to have this opportunity. Now I need to find an apartment in SLC.

In the Beginning

Oh No! Now I'm a blogger! Not by choice, mind you. This is required for a class. It will be fun though. I still prefer my handwritten blogs, but this will be a good supplement.

My plans for this summer: an internship in May and June (I'll let you know where as soon as I know) and after that a semester abroad in London and Paris.