Stanley's New Friends

Stanley made lots of friends at work. Everyone was excited to see him. Here is Stanley at my computer. I'm an interior designer and I help architects design buildings.

Stanley got a tour of the office.


Jenny, Claudia and Karin showed Stanley our plotter. It's a machine that prints giant pieces of paper.

Then Caroline, Carrie, Amy and Kirsty helped him pick out some carpet and tile for a new office.



Harry, Anne and Karin showed him how the computers work.

At lunch Flat Stanley and Flat Holly went exploring downtown.

This is the capitol building where the Governor of Colorado works. It's where all the laws are made.

The capitol has a big gold dome and it is exactly 5280 feet above sea level, which is one mile. That's why Denver is called the Mile High City.

There are cannons in front of the capitol to protect it from invaders. Stanley and Holly tried them out.

Across from the capitol is Civic Center Park, and at the other end is the County building and the Denver Mint. The mint is where money is made.

There are lots of churchs in Denver. This one next to the capitol has a tall spire.

This is the Colorado History Museum where you can learn about the Native Americans and pioneers who lived here over 100 years ago.

Here is the Colorado Ballet where all the Ballerinas practice dancing.

This is the new Denver Art Museum. Isn't it a crazy building?

It has lots of angles and looks like a spaceship. It was designed by a famous architect named Daniel Libeskind.

Look! A giant broom and dustpan!

Here's another building with crazy windows.

Across the street is the Denver Library. It was also designed by a famous architect. His name is Michael Graves.

Stanley really likes this big orange sculpture. Orange is his favorite color.

This is another sculpure of big red Ys that have messages of peace on them.



But this is Stanley's favorite sculpture of all. A giant chair with a horse on it!

Then Flat Stanley and Flat Holly went back to work so he could see his new friends.

Goodbye Flat Stanley! Come back and visit us again!

Stanley Goes to Work

This week Stanley has been coming to work with me. We ride a train from south east Denver to downtown. There are lots of cool places to visit in Denver.

This is the 16th Street mall.

Stanley really likes the Hard Rock Cafe. Look at that giant guitar!


This is Nike Town where Stanley tried on some new shoes.

There are lots of concerts at the Paramount Theater. Stanley wants to see Lenny Kravitz and Kelley Clarkson.

Stanley got tired of walking around so he tried out this bench.

Then he ran over and sat on this bench. They are hand painted by artists and make the street very colorful.

Then he jumped up to look at this cow. It has Denver painted right on it's side.

16th Street is really long and there are stores and restaurants everywhere.

Denver has lots of tall buildings built around historic buildings. Look down this road and you can see an old church.

This is the World Trade Center where I work every day. It's more than 25 stories tall.

Stanley's Sunday

Today Flat Stanley and I went to church. My church is on a street called Holly Street. Stanley thought that was funny.



In church he played with the other kids in primary and had lots of fun.



On the way home I stopped and showed Stanley this giant ice fountain.





Isn't it cool? Stanley thinks so. But it was so warm today that the ice was melting fast.

After lunch Stanley played with Athena. He had another fun day.

My New Friend

I have a new friend who has come to visit me in Denver. His name is Stanley and he arrived in my mailbox. Stanley is very unusual because as you can see, he is flat. Stanley has been staying with my niece Paige, and she sent him to me in the mail.

Stanley was excited to get out of his envelope. It was a nice sunny day, so I took him to the park.

We played basketball.

Stanley slipped down the slide and played with the puzzle.

He climbed up the ropes . . .

And almost fell off! But he caught himself just in time.

On our way back home we saw a squirrel in a tree. Stanley was very excited to see a squirrel!

Stanley will have lots of fun while he is on his vacation, but he already misses Paige.

I Could Hear Them Breaking Free

Why couldn't my school choir have been this cool? I might have enjoyed singing if it had! The PS22 Chorus in New York sing my favorite song - ever. And do one of the better covers of "Private Universe" I've heard.



Here is an amazing live version of the original by Crowded House, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.



So what was I singing in my choir? This song. Years after it was cool.



We also sang a song about painting a rainbow. No wonder I quit after the first trimester!

Happy Birthday to Me

My first birthday away from home. I bought myself a little cake. It's not nearly as good as the five chocolate and pumpkin gingerbread cakes my mom had sent to the office!

I also got my first delivery of organic produce which will come to my door every two weeks. It's my birthday gift to myself.

Why Design?

Philippe Starck's talk at TED2007 is not what you might expect from the designer of the sleek Louis Ghost chair and the luxe Hotel Mondrian. Rather than play a slideshow of chrome and polycarbonate objets, he just talks, for 17 minutes, about why he works, how he sees the world, and how he wishes humanity to evolve. It's a passionate, funny talk about being fully engaged with life; as Starck puts it: "Nobody is obliged to be a genius, but everybody is obliged to participate."

Digital Sketch

My creative exercise for the day. Fifteen minutes with Photoshop and a random word generator. I don't know where the soft colors came from. This would be the perfect poster for the bedroom of an eight year old girl.

Vote

Vote for The Police for best reunion tour and Doctor Who for best sci-fi series! That's all I really care about.

Wish List

If anyone is wondering what to get me for Christmas, you can start with these shoes from United Nude by architect Rem Koolhaas.

Peel, like an apple.

Eamz, inspired by an Eames chair.

Mobius, after the strip, and connecting the curves of a Barcelona chair.

Light

When I moved this summer I left most of my old furniture behind. I only brought the basics - a bed, a dining table, and drafting table. I'm content to get by in a bare condo until I can afford to buy pieces I truly love. My new philosophy is that if it's not good enough for my future kids to fight over it when I die, I don't want it. That meant a few months of living on folding chairs, but my resolutions held firm.

Fortunaetly it didn't take long for me to fall in love. First I found an Artimide Mega Tolomeo floor lamp for a steal. The tag said there was a scratch on the shade, but there isn't. Even the salesperson couldn't find the defect and she gave it to me for the clearance price anyway. I took it right home and set it up in my living room.



It makes me happy, even with a folding chair.

I was even happier to find the perfect sofa at the same store. It took weeks for my order to arrive, but it was worth the wait.



The beige walls and vertical blinds will be going away soon, but until I find the perfect wall and window treatments, I'm content.