Address At The Heavenly End

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then this weekend I've caught up on months worth of posts. I hope you don't mind a few more.

I love cemeteries. Either you love them too, or you think I'm weird. There isn't much in between. I've always found them to be peaceful and fascinating places. Back in Utah I used to take friends around on cemetery tours in the fall and tell stories about all the interesting people. Now that I've moved I'm cut off from the familiar names and traditions I know. Near my home in Denver is a large cemetery named Fairmount, and last week I spent an afternoon wandering through. Apparently it's a popular thing to do because there were many others walking or biking along the lanes. There was even a group of people sitting next to a grave playing the guitar and singing.

I was also joined by a bus from a retirement center. The bus slowly drove around and stopped in front of a monument. Then a minute later it would drive around the corner and stop again. No one ever got off, but it slowly made the rounds as each person inside must have had a turn giving directions.



It was a beautiful fall afternoon. The weather was perfect.



According to the Fairmount's website, the 285 acres was opened in 1890.

Designed by German landscape architect, Reinhard Schuetze, the layout incorporates sweeping vistas in broad curved lanes thus creating a beautiful and serene park like setting.

Brett, is this the type of work you want to do?

It does, indeed, have sweeping vistas and some very curious monuments. There is also a different section for every religion and affiliation you can think of. There is a section of physicians, of veterans, of Catholics, of Greeks, of Jews, of Elks. If you belonged to it, you could be buried among it. Here are a few of the more interesting things I came across.

Most unusual monuments, in a contemporary art sort of way.



The inscription ad astra per aspera is Latin for "through adversity to the stars".





(The white building in the back is the mausoleum. It's huge!)

Best Nick-Names




Furthest Distance Travelled to be Here



Most Melodramatic Carved Image



Most Apropos Decoration



Idea I'm most likely to steal



Most "Colorado"



If this were Utah it would be red rock.

Most Cliche, but Still Touching



Coolest Headstone Calligraphy





Accompanied by
The Most Poetically Over-wrought Inscription



It's a little hard to read but it's by Tennyson.

"Now folds the lily all her sweetness up,
and slips into the bosom of the lake."

Most Appropriate Landscaping



Loveliest Carving





Best Name - Ever!



Most Intriguing Offerings



At the base of the candle is a pile of coins. Does anyone know the meaning behind this?

Coolest Religious Offerings



Most of the Jewish headstones were covered with rocks.

Best Monogram



Best Carved Name



Oddest Headstone



Cheesiest Amateur Poetry



Best Inscription and Carving Combination



Most Overly Sentimental Sentiment

If Tears Could Build a Stairway
And Memories Were A Lane
We Would Walk Right Up To Heaven
And Bring You Back Again

I wish I knew some of the stories of the people buried here. I bet they are fascinating.

Family

It's only taken me six weeks, but I finally had a chance to dig through moving boxes and find the cord to my digital camera. In September I flew back home for a weekend to attend my cousin's wedding. It was my first time back since moving to Denver, and I loved having the chance to see everyone. Here are a few pictures of the event. You can see more on flickr.

Writing

What's up with all the blogging? For the longest time hardly anyone I knew blogged. Now all of a sudden everyone is doing it. Friends, my brother and sister, even my office has a blog. So I guess I should post something more than once every six months. Here is my first little offering to the blogiverse. I'm heading back to handwritten blogs because I spend too much time in front of a computer as it is.



PS: Moleskins don't have spell check.

Wrong Number

Over the past six months I've been getting a lot of wrong numbers calling my house. I have no idea why, but several odd messages have been left on my answering machine by people who think they have another house. One recent caller left a detailed message that I can't help but share. The number on caller ID is in Wyoming, and I think someone may be in trouble if he shows up with a pineapple upside-down cake.

Hey Joseph, this is Hope. Ah, mom and me worked it out. We're either going to have tacos or chicken enchiladas. Haven't decided. If you could bring a good dessert it'd be great. Anything that doesn't have cooked fruit. I hate cooked fruit, so I just don't want to do anything fattening for you guys. Anyways I'll talk to you in a little bit. Bye.

I'm very curious about Hope and her aversion to cooked fruit. And at what point did she realise Joseph never received the message. Did she believe him when he said he had no idea what she was talking about, when she knows full well she left a message on a machine? I'm tempted to call her back and tell her I have a good recipe for enchiladas.

Here Comes the Bride

My sister Shannon was married to Brian on May 11th.
It was a beautiful day.




With a beautiful luncheon.



And a beautiful reception.





The fish all made it through.



This is my three year old nephew Colin. He helped decorate.



And then there was the food.




It tasted even better than it looks. But not everyone agreed.



Apparently Oliver doesn't like ice cream.



Aiden wasn't too excited about it either.



And Cameron was being shy.



Their sister Paige isn't shy.



Neither is Kaylee!

There was dancing.

They cut the cake . . .

And Shannon threw the bouquet.

It was caught by Mekenzie.

On her sixteenth birthday!

Ethan had a little too much fun.

He hit his ear on a chair.

Ouch!

The bride and groom are off to Mexico.

I'm sure they'll live happily ever after . . .

More photos here.

I'm Still Alive!

I can't believe it's May! So much has happened since the last chance I had to blog that I don't know where to start. I'll have to backtrack and write about the most remarkable and exhausting spring I've ever had.

Where to begin . . .

Winning two major competitions in a week?
Eleven days in Qatar?
Speaking at the American Society of Interior Designer's convention in San Francisco?
My senior project that turned into design anarchy?
Senior exhibit and a presentation to the dean?
Beginning the job search?

How about graduation!

Yes! At last I am a college graduate! Last Saturday I graduated magna cum laude with honors, with a degree in Interior Design and a minor in history. What was my honors thesis on? I titled it, "Design Response to Humanitarian Crisis: An Analysis of Low-Income Labor Camps in Doha, Qatar in the Context of a Student Charrette." I know, I know. I can't help it. I wouldn't be me if I didn't go overboard and push a few boundaries.

Now I'm sifting through job opportunities and trying to decide whether to stay in Utah or move to a bigger market. It's not a decision I'm taking lightly. I'll catch up with everything else that has happened over the next few days.

The Police are Back!

I got them! I have tickets to see The Police in Denver this summer! I've always been wary of a reunion. I hate it when bands get back together and they just look old and desperate. But if their performance at the Grammy's is any indication the concert should be incredible. I know I can count on Stewart to keep Sting from becoming complacent. Hopefully the edge will still be there and the music will continue to evolve.

Now I'm waiting for the Crowded House tour to be announced. (I still can't believe my two favorite bands got back together in the same month.)

Lucky Spendlove Murdock

LOGAN, UT– Lucky Spendlove Murdock’s luck finally ran out at 12:45 Thursday morning February 22, 2007 in Logan, Utah; following an extended illness. Lucky was born on or around January 1, 1992 in Logan, Utah, the son of a Golden Retriever father and a Cocker Spaniel mother. He was one of an unknown litter.

Lucky was born in Logan, Utah. He was abandoned as a pup, but later adopted by the Steve and Cheri Murdock family on Sumac Drive where he grew up as a happy and contented canine. He attended Logan Obedience School where he was a somewhat interested student. He led an active life when someone took him for a walk or if the door was accidentally left open. Lucky enjoyed laying around the house, begging for food, and hiding under the bed. He was a very kind and considerate canine who loved his human family and was greatly loved in return. His life was one of loving his family, especially his step-mother, Cheri Murdock. He enjoyed being petted and in being let outside to run around. He greatly appreciated being provided a secure and comfortable home. Family trips to his step-grandparents, where he could run wild and act nuts in their large yard was a highlight of his life.

He made friends easily and when someone showed him even the slightest attention they became a lifetime friend. Lucky will be greatly missed by all who loved him. He is survived by members of his human family which include: Cheri, Steve, Holly, and Shannon Murdock, all of Logan; Brandon, Jan, Paige, Oliver, Cameron and Aiden Murdock of Clinton; Bron, Rachelle, Ethan and Colin Murdock of Hyde Park, and Brett and Annie Murdock of Alta Loma, California. Lucky was greeted in Heaven by his step-greatgrandmother Zola Allen and feline step-brother Bodow. Burial will be at the Murdock Pet Cemetery Logan, Utah. Friends and family may call at the cemetery at any time. A graveside service will be held at a date and time that is yet to be determined.

Globe Trotting

I finally have my travel itinerary for Qatar. I won't announce the exact dates online, but I will be gone for 11 days! The flight will be about 24 hours each way and we will come in a few days before the conference to participate in a charette with the other students. I will miss seven days of school. I'm glad all my classes are in my department and they will let me go. But I have no idea how I will get everything done this semester.

To add to everything else going on I found out this week I won another competition. It's not time yet to announce the details, but it will involve me travelling to San Francisco three days after I get back from Qatar! I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

Guess what!

I've been neglecting this little blog because I've been working on another blog (see previous entry) . That blog has been part of a competition entry for a design conference called Tasmeem. The competition is to identify an issue dealing with water and generate design solutions for the problem. I worked on the project with a friend and we focused on the 1.2 billion people who don't have access to a source of clean drinking water and the 6,000 children who die every day from a water-borne illness. It's a little outside the realm of interiors, but it was fun to apply what I've learned to another area of design.

I just found out that we won! The prize is all expense paid trip to Qatar for a sustainable design conference in March. The speakers are some of the best in the world - David Suzuki who spoke at Greenbuild, Cameron Sinclair the founder of Architecture for Humanity, Susan Szenasy the editor of Metropolis, and other architects and designers from around the world.

Yes, that's right! I'm going to Qatar! Where in the world is Qatar?! Here it is:


Yes, I know. It's in the Middle East. But the safe part of the Middle East. I promise.

Qatar has mosques . . .


. . . and luxury resorts . . .


. . . and camels . . .


. . . and this giant pearl.

It is also the home of Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar who is sponsoring our visit.

I'm so excited!

Experiment

I'm starting a blogging experiment. I want a blog to save the world.

We all know the power that blogs have to bring people together, people who would never have met otherwise. Blogs can entertain and inform and shape our lives in unexpected ways. I want to take this power and use a blog to help those who need it most.

Over 1.1 billion people in the world, right now, don't have access to a clean source of drinking water. Children are hurt the most - 1.5 million children under the age of five die every year from water-born diseases. Every one of these deaths is preventable.

Just by having access to a computer puts every one of us in a position of great privilege and power. What will you do with that power?

I want to do something, so I'm starting another blog to explore what we can do to address this global crisis. We are all affected by the way water is used and misused, whether we realize it or not. My new blog will be a discussion of what we can do. I don't know what form it will take. It is something that I hope will start a discussion and grow as we try to figure this out together.

So please visit Water Is . . . I chose that title because water is so many things, to so many people. Water is hope, it is freedom, it is power, it is life. I will update it daily, so check back and help me find ways to make it fun, as well as informative. Together we can save the world, even if it is for one person.

Resolutions

I've never been big on resolutions because I've always been pretty good at self motivation. If I want to do something I don't wait for a certain date to start. So I began my resolution a few weeks ago. It's my goal to sketch something every day. I tried to do this last spring but life was a little too complicated. Things are no less hectic now, but I'm making this a priority because sketching helps me relax and it helps me design.

These sketches are meant to be quick and casual. I've taken drawing classes but I've never been taught to shade with a pen. I'm sketching now to try and teach myself how so they will be very experimental. I'll share the sketches here and on flickr when I have the chance.