gregorydowell.com- Beavers and Ducks


Rainy Days 05.15.2008 7:07PM - This is the wettest winter/spring I can recall. And its not only that it snowed/rained a lot of days but its the amount of precipitation that falls when it does rain. I'm so tired of water. And seriously why every time it rains does every one drive as though they've never driven in rain before? Fuck me. - Thanks to all who participated in the cornhole design vote. One person, Matt, selected the two boards I anticipate I'll put together. Those would be boards #1 (white w/ Chief) and #5 (blue w/ Illinois). Originally I was planning on two blue boards but I like how the "theoretical" white design with Chief looks. I would have taken a lot to convince me to go with either of the orange boards. - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull debuts one week from today. This will be one of the few times in my life that I will see a movie on the day it opens. I'm happy to know that the crew looked to mimic the style of the early movies and and keep with the feel that made Indiana Jones a classic. - These might not be of interest to you, but both are interesting reads about where architecture is today. The first by Wall Street Journal architecture critic Ada Huxtable looks at architecture and its role as art. I don't particularly agree with Huxtable as she has great love for the "starchitects" whom I believe are doing a lot of bad for the field. And then there is this one from "starchitect" and world class dick, Peter Eisenman, on his six point plan for architecture. Surprisingly I agree with most of his points. However points #2 and #3 sound like "Back in my day, the glory days of architecture..." I think #4 is linked directly with #5 and is most obvious even to those outside of architecture. "Starchitects" are partially to blame, which Eisenman, himself, is so it should be interesting to see how Eisenman abides by his own six point plan. - And finally there's a new and very entertaining post at CadaverBlender so check it out now! Illinois Cornhole 05.08.2008 11:36PM With the amazing technology that is the laser cutter (thanks BSU) I am going to be able to create some sweet Illinois cornhole boards sometime this summer. So I thought I'd put up for the vote the various board layouts and colors I'm thinking about. Things to keep in mind: - White boards get pretty dirty. - I'm not a huge fan of the color orange. - Disregard the above points and pick your favorite combination. - The vote is NOT binding and I reserve the right to choose whatever combination I want. Use the designated numbers and list the combination you vote for in the comments. Make sure the combination includes a "Chief" board and an "Illinois" board. Get voting! Back to Normal 05.06.2008 8:20PM The last time you heard from me was a little over two weeks ago when I informed you that I had in fact survived the Wabash Valley earthquake. That was nine days before my studio project was due and I have once again survived what could have been a disaster. Life will now return to normal, or as normal as it ever is. I start work at a Louisville area architecture firm on Monday. But let me catch you up on the interim. I not only made it through studio, but also all my other graduate classes and now I'm two semesters away from having my Master of Architecture. Along the way I was able to get a jump start on an idea for my thesis, and wrote a short paper on those ideas which I will expand, specify, and focus next school year. You can read that paper here. It is truly an interesting topic that spans various fields (architecture, history, archaeology to mention a few) and is far from being completely understood and researched. After four years of planning (read: I always had a final on Derby) a group of my friends was finally able to visit and head to the Kentucky Derby. Things went off without a hitch (minus maybe the sunburn) and we're looking to make it an annual tradition. Everybody had a blast which included making our booze sandwiches for sneaking our alcohol into the infield. Check out the process for making booze sandwiches here. Awesome pictures included. There's the quick update on what's been going on for the past two weeks. With things settled down Beavers and Ducks will be updated on a regular basis. I have a pretty exciting summer ahead with a handful of concerts and a vacation to the beach, so there will be plenty to talk about. That talk includes the surprising Oakland A's who are in a pack of teams with the 2nd best record in baseball. Check out Last Month 05.01.2008 2:25PM Check out last month at Beavers and Ducks, while you wait for a new post for May. April 2008	Gregory 'Jesus' Dowell Muncie, IN - I'm a 2007 graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies. Currently pursuing my graduate degree in Architecture at Ball State University. I just finished a 7 month internship with RRJ. The internship has taken me from coast (Bethany Beach, DE) to coast (San Diego, CA), while showing me the ropes. Resume Portfolio Greg's Calendar May 12- Work begins May 22- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull May 24-31 Pawley's Island, SC June 6- R.E.M. Concert in Chicago June 17- Coldplay's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends July 18- The Dark Knight Important Wii Release Dates - Always playing Guitar Hero III, Mario Galaxy and now Super Smash Brothers Brawl Now Out- Mario Kart Wii May 19 Wii Fit July 2008 NCAA Football 09 Other Wii Games To Watch For June 29 Guitar Hero III: Aerosmith June 22 Rock Band TBA 2008 Wii Music TBA 2008 de Blob TBA 2008 James Bond 007 The Latest Podcast Last Month at Beavers and Ducks April 2008 Links CadaverBlender Bloomington or Bust Smelkem Spargel Lives of Wander Theresa's Freelance Site