Katrina...the name would normally invoke the image of a mail order bride from a former russian state..."god protects stupid people"--we all hope so...for those who chose to stay in nola...
cletus, god is calling...pick up the phone...no, not that end....
talk about good luck...imagine being on vacation for 4 days to visit your family a 10 hr. drive away...then you hear about a massive hurricane heading towards your city of scholastic and many jovial means...we'll just say that my flight scheduled to send me back to nola on monday was cancelled. just to give a quick update: everyone i personally know has evacuated, and whoever is left[tourists and other locals that couldn't get out] have been escorted by police to the superdome to take shelter...luck, prayer and voodoo are all the city can cling to now...let's hope it works, if you got them now would be the time to bring out the live chickens and the candles.
right now, i am working on getting a flight back by tuesday...tulane is apparently scheduled to start classes on THURSDAY!!! now THAT is a GOOD ONE!! HA![from my knowledge of the city, their pump system for flooding, and their infrastructural capabilities...IT AIN'T GOING TO HAPPEN!!]
i am working on building up a journalistic urge[trying to keep the panic at bay] so that you guys would see what i came back to...am getting my digital camera fixed this weekend.
in an unintentionally dramatic mood, now we can only watch and wait...it's not so bad the weather channel's jim cantonie[?] is HOT!!
i'm too sexy for your party, too sexy for your party...the way i'm DISCO DANCING!!!FIRST THESIS PAPER TURNED IN:
THESIS: 0 POINTS
ERIN: INFINITY POINTSI'll be back in dfw tommorrow kids...looking forward to reunions all around!!
Have a nice day...i know i will!
i got this email from a friend who wrote that these were actual photos from an alabama wedding, and i can't tell if these photos are fake or not...let me know what you think...i personally think the first one is fake, the cake---probably real. What do you think? 
to make reference to kris's blog...these are velma & cletus's wedding photos... he said ball sack.he he he.
brain melting...can not function any more....can not type in full sentences..."project x" has become my demise...help
let me see....can't talk about "project x"....OK, I've got it!!
so saturday night i went to a housewarming party where all the guests brought a liter of liquor/mixer to contribute to the hosts bar... but i didn't end up staying long. i had been in jeans and t-shirts for the last week being prepared for painting the closet our studio had been working on, and so i decided to dress up a bit...i had to leave because after 2 hours my shoes had successfully cut off the circulation to my feet and my legs were going numb(the last part is a bit of an exaggeration..=) )
when i got home i got a phone call from Moe saying he was back in town, and that the house he moved into right before he left for the summer was horrible and now he's looking for another place at the same time as working on "project x". the greatest part about this is that he was only in his house for 1 night before he decided he wanted to move...that's mo for ya...pre-madonna central. he had looked at SEVERAL different places over a couple of MONTHS in spring just to decide on THAT house. i just thought it was funny.
and YES, this is a real radio station in new orleans: techno & 80s , with fashion tips on fridays...the dj reads from the cosmo beauty tips, and fashion section... "MUSIC FOR THE DIVA IN YOU!!
i also got a phone call from a friend Jenn, the one who i loaned my bike to and then she moved, and i don't know her current address--but i see her all the time, so no real big deal--and SHE IS ALSO coming back into town on tuesday...we're going to hit our designated happy hour hangout..THE COLUMNS on wednesday after "project x" is due...good times!!
oh, and helen started law school again today! it was SOOO cute, she was all nervous and re-reading her little books this morning...i haven't seen her that worked up over nothing in a while...i am not as neurotic as i last thought...it gives me a sick bit of comfort...but i didn't get why she was so nervous: she has some of the same profs as last year, all the same people are going to be in her classes, the only difference is the law books she had to buy this year...i can't really blame her though, because law school starts almost a week earlier than ALL the other schools....my semester starts in 2 weeks!!!
i'm trying to stay calm about the "project x" due date...so i'll just try to think happy thoughts about columns...
DREAM WEAVER....na na na na na na-na through the niiiiigggghhtt....OOOOWWW DREAM WEAVER...--don't know the words, but seemed appropriate. ---funny, just recently helen mentioned that she noticed that i seem to have a different theme song every day...i guess that explains some things...what things, i have no clue...discuss amongst yourselves.
ps. i didn't take this photo...got it from The Columns website...very cute little bed & breakfast if you have the money or inclination while in new orleans. what you are looking at is the exterior porches, where many a mint julep has been enjoyed over the years... the upper balcony is off limits except to hotel patrons, but the bottom porch is always a prime spot for the bar patrons...REALLY laid back and yet classy little place.
one last photo...neon bottles, i thought it was a cool effect from the lighting behind the bar.. 
some fancy b&w photos...i was trying to be all artsy that day... 
it may be hard to see but the woman in the window is playing the piano...classy bar!!
Get thee to a nunnery...
THE WORST PRANK EVER...it might be a guaranteed ticket to hell, NO HANDBASKET.
i had a friend in highschool that moved from dfw to galveston, tx and started going to a private catholic school...we kept in touch and then one time on the phone he asked me if i had received any odd mail recently....nope, nothing out of the ordinary...little did i know what was to come...
"ERIN"
"YEAH MOM?"
"There is some woman on the phone for you, and i didn't recognize her voice..."
"ok, thanks I got it....Hello"
"Hello Erin, my name is sister Magdelene from the St. Benedict's Convent in some midwestern state. I'm calling because we have recieved the information that you sent us showing your interest in becoming apart of our sisterhood. I just wanted to get a chance to talk to you and find out some more about you and why you are interested in becoming a nun..."
**DEAD SILENCE**
"hello?....Erin..."
OOHHH YES FOLKS...my GREAT friend in galveston, tx apparently walked by a bookshelf of convent pamphlets almost every day, and decided that it would be funny to fill out my information and send all of them in....
i got 4 phone calls, 1 short introduction film on becoming a nun, and almost 50 letters and response letters from different convents ALL OVER THE COUNTRY!!!
I did kind of lie to the nuns that called, i never told them that this was a prank that my friend played on me...i just said that i was still in the decision process about the choice to join the convent and i wasn't quite sure which convent i was looking at specifically... i'm going to hell... 
greatest party invitations of all time:
jesse's going away party here is an excert from the invitation(for those of you not from dfw his real name is jesus, but we all know him as jesse)
WAS MY INTERNNow he's going off to UCLA...rsvp, etc.
movie quote response: "That's right man, don't fuck with the jesus.." "dude, he's a petterass.."
[the big lebowski]
abby's birthday-- here's another little excert in case it's hard to read:
"we will be celebrating the birthing and maybe a re- enactment at jessica's apt..."
FANTASTIC, i'll bring the forcepts!!
you know i've put so much of this bullshit thesis business on to this blog recently, so much so that i've been boring even myself(and lots of others considering the comments recently--sorry bout that--it's my blog and i'll write a novel if i want to)....so EVEN though i've got SOOO much work over the next couple of days, you all have my word that i will not go into an in depth description of the thesis( i hereby swear that this will be the last time i type the word thesis for at least 5 days)--plus life is too short to dedicate solely to work....right?? that's right. so i hereby christen this the 4 days of SERIOUSLY random tangents by erin... let the madness begin...Day 1] "THEY ARE ALL GOING TO LAUGH AT YOU...."just in case i really suck at architecture, i should go for another highly competitive mostly low paying job....be a comedian...i've been in a couple of situations recently where i have met some people that i've never really spoken to before...after a very short time into the conversation people say that i am REALLY funny and that i should be a comedian...i've actually heard this before, a couple of times from just random people that i've worked with when waiting tables...but still, i kind of find it a little odd...i really don't think that i'm all that funny. my little "stories" are always quite amusing to me personally, but i never really thought they were hilarious--maybe at the time because that's how life goes...it's only funny afterwards...but whatever. so that's my little shpeel about being funny...i don't get. in most cases people think that they are funny, but they aren't...whatever.
the funny thing about the above association with lucy is that for those of you that know me well, it's too close to the truth...i'm thinking that another possible job could be a lucy ricardo impersonator...i'd have to buy a short red wig but that would make it all the more funny, right?
i think another thing is being in architecture..it's such an obsessive type of profession that it takes normal people coming into college and makes them absolutely socially retarded...(hello, my name is erin....so you're NOT in architecture?...what is that like?? you actually have HOBBIES and things that don't involve your job on weekends?? that sounds FANTASTIC...where can I sign up for that kind of job?? tell me more about your life outside of your job, i'm highly intrigued about this thing that you call your life...) On the prospects of meeting people that aren't in architecture i've actually had to practice having conversations where architecture is not included... here is a little excert from a practice convo with a friend jon--
e: ok, so let's try this jon.....ok now go...you start with something and i'll try to respond..
j: silence
e: ok, seriously...
it goes on awkwardly after that and we just slip into architecture discussions again.... i'm thinking that i might need to seek professional help soon...
not many have commented on the entries recently....hello?? anybody out there??? ECHOOOOO.... i'll assume that you are just really busy and don't have too much time....grad school and work never end do they....
so i worked on some thesis reading, and even a little writing yesterday evening... i have now described the topic of my thesis and a thesis outline[a description really]...still have to write about 5 different readings that will apply to my topic[found 3 last night--i got another one of the books i ordered a while back....Landscape Urbanism by the AA--i was soo excited about it that i read through almost half of the book!], 3-5 precedents that i'll be referring to, and a whole shit load of documentation maps/photos/notes/sketches to do before next wednesday..my one respite is that i'll be flying back into dfw on the 25th, the day after the prelim thesis paperwork is due!!! tonight i'm going to work on some more of the writing...i'm trying to finish as much as i can by saturday so that i can do some more documentation work. i want to try to have the 5 copies of the whole document finished and printed by either tuesday night or early wednesday morning...it's due by 4pm...again, i'm making progress slowly but surely, so if i keep working a little every night than i think i'll be okay. oh and tommorrow is the last day of our summer studio, so i'll have all of this weekend to dedicate to the paperwork and documentation....oh, and even though karen has been here about 2 days now, she seems to really love the city and she's met all the good people at tulane...She told me to be sure to mention to everyone that has the time or inclination...if you are taking classes at UTA in fall, TAKE BRAD BELL'S FABRICATION CLASS!!! It is seriously going to be WELL worth it...TRUST ME!!!---The guy is FANTASTIC!!MON/WED 11:00 a.m. - 12:20 p.m.
UTA Course Syllabus
ARCH 5395 Section 004
Fall 2005 Disclaimer: This on-line syllabus is provided for student convenience and is based on the most recent information available. There is no guarantee that the information is 100% accurate. If you have special concerns about course information, you are advised to contact the instructor.
1. Instructor:
Brad Bell
2. Office Location:
Architecture 203
3. Office Hours: TBA
4. Phone: 817-272-2801 main office number
5. Fax: 817-272-5098
6. Mailbox: 19108
7. Email:
8. Instructor WWW Site:
9. Link to Additional Course Info:
10. Course Prerequisites:
Graduate standing, permission of instructor
11. Required Readings/Materials: TBA---TRUST ME he WILL give you guys readings but they will be well worth it...
12. Course Description:
ARCH 5395. FABRICATIONS (3-0) This course will explore new techniques and technologies for material and component fabrication in architecture and will make use of the new shop facilities and equipment, including the laser cutter we have on order.
13. Course Learning Goals/Objectives:
14. Attendance and Drop Policy: TBA
15. Tentative Lecture/Topic Schedule (course content):
Specific Course Requirements with descriptions
1. Quizzes (number and type): --He might give like 2 quizzes..not hard
2. Examinations (number and type):
3. Final Examination: No Final Exam
4. Other Graded Assignments (Homework / Projects / Labs / Research Papers):
5. Missed Exams, Quizzes and Makeup Work:
6. Grading Format Weighting / Point Value of Assignments and Examinations:
7. Other Information:
Use of aerosol materials, paints, and other hazardous chemicals: Due to health and safety regulations and University policy, no spray paints, adhesives and other hazardous aerosol products are allowed in the building. Furthermore, no painting or use of flammable or other hazardous chemicals is allowed anywhere in the building, including and especially the fire stairs. Use of such chemicals is a hazard to your health and safety and that of other building occupants. It is also against the law. Spray painting and similar activities are only permissible in the approved ventilated spray booths in the School Shop. Violations of this policy will be subject to both academic and civil penalties.
To Martin, with much friendship and respect: a writing that i found even more inspirational than a poem about gardenburger...
Time seems to pass. The world happens, unrolling into moments, and you stop to glance at a spider pressed to its web. There is a quickness of light and a sense of things outlined precisely and streaks of running lustre on the bay. You know more surely who you are on a strong bright day after a storm when the smallest falling leaf is stabbed with self-awareness. The wind makes a sound in the pines and the world comes into being, irreversibly, and the spider rides the wind-swayed web.
-Don Delillo, 'The Body Artist'
the barbeque included:salmon and halibutasparagus shoots wrapped in breshutto(spelling?)t-bone steakstomatoes & onionslemon pepper chickenALL of the above was brushed with virgin olive oil and simply grilled...they also served cokes and chips...while the food was good...the whole thing was so very contrived, and very different in feeling from our normal cookouts...this one had no beer, good healthy food, cooked well, and they didn't have catering for part of it...we found out after 4 hours of their filming the barbeque, and parts of the school--they are distilling the filming down to 6 minutes of show time...they did film helen twice, no sound, just a couple of shots of her putting a bite into her mouth and then chewing...SOOO WEIRD!!!oh, and to answer john's question, bobby flay didn't actually show up...it was only a couple of guys: sound guy/producer/camera guy/ and lighting/and some girl who made everyone sign this authorization saying that they could put our face on tv if they decide to use it.
anyways...i'm going to start my thesis paper work tonight...wish me luck!!
today is the big day...cookout on the food network!! 15 min. of fame here i come...
it's pretty cool because they are also going to be filming around the school and interviewing the students on studio projects that we have been working on....PRESS FOR THE DESIGN/BUILD PROJECT!! i'm going to get to be on tv...in the background!!
soon to go on ebay: bobby flays signature on a piece of meat...
i also found out that we will be over printing the pamphlet that we are sending out in mailers for fundraising and press, so that we can keep some copies and send them to friends and family i don't know how many we each will get so i need to know now which of you are seriously interested in recieving one...for myself it is an exciting little keepsake of the experience, beyond the dehydration, sunburns, buises, and complete exhaustion....good times to come my friends, good times to come...
sleeps in theory is reporting live from the crescent city:
karen bullis, the humble leader of the infamous KB Squad,has just relocated the headquarters of her gang of hardcore architecture students out to NEW ORLEANS!!!!!
she will be teaching digital graphics classes at TULANE UNIVERSITY starting the fall semester of 2005!! Although her underground gang of students, the KB Squad, has somewhat officially disbanded...a stronghold is again being established...beware... 
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day in the neighborhood, would you be my, would you be my....MY NEIGHBOR!!!i had a great day today...i met with ila berman today and got some feedback on my proposed theoretical topic and site, and was asking for some more possible precedents, and theoretical writings that would integrate into my paper...she was quite excited about my proposed site, and mentioned that it was very appropriate to my idea, and that the area was quite vibrant and ripe for both opportunity and the type of design proposal i am looking at...she was suggesting that when i look at some of the firms that i look for process of design towards many of their projects as well as looking for the specifics of what would be an appropriate precedent.some other precedent projects that she suggested that i look into:downsview park/toronto--stan allen & james cornerwest side convergence/nyc--reiser+umemotofoa's worksome other theory readings to look into:gregg lynnstan allen--points & lines(this may have been for projects though)SHoP--greg pasquerelli(?spelling)after our meeting i was mainly feeling quite a bit better about the project that i am pursuing...i think i was having some concerns after running my ideas past the urban design school director, and also after some of the comments that some of my studio mates made..."i think they did that same idea last year, you may want to choose something different" "your proposal sounds mainly urban in nature, i am not sure about the requirements for the ARCHITECTURE thesis project, so you might want to double check with them to make sure it is appropriate" "you are going to have to be pretty creative with both your design and the program...that area has been a thorn in the side of the city of new orleans for quite a while...people probably won't buy into it" "etc"now i feel a lot less stressed out, and i feel like i have a more definite direction for my proposal....YYYEEEAAAHHH!!!In other news: Helen is finally back and we had a great dinner and a long convo...okay well gotta get back to work now!! i am excited about the progress that i am making..
procrastination from running errands is addictive...
It's just another manic monday....(ooohhh, oooohhh)...i wish it were sunday...(ooohhh,ooohh)....that's my fun day....
sanborn: 1908-09
more photos from under the bridge...the projects from the aerial shot are the buildings in orange brick
some photos at n. claiborne & basin/orleans streets
the french quarter is directly south of my site...i am trying to get a broader view of the map so that you can fully orient yourself to where my site is located...especially for those who don't really have a reference point in new orleans...
this is my site: an aerial view thanks to google earth
this is the orientation of the site so that you can follow the historical map belown. claiborn is runs as a frontage road underneath the i-10 freeway... directly above the little i-10 road notation is the projects i was referring to as being pretty rough. they extend back a couple of blocks. although it looks like quite a busy little intersection from the aerial shot, it's not all that crazy, and underneath the bridge on either side of the intersection, the area underneath the bridge,is simply laid out for parking and there were not many cars that utilized this current function. there were some people walking about but nothing too exciting.
this is that same intersection a little closer upthe time period is 1895-96interesting that there is a pretty large canal that runs through that site, with another drainage canal the next block over...hope you can see what i'm talking about
this is a little broader view of site(same time period)
back to work......looking back at what i've written so far on this page, the url that i chose was very true to the nature of my entries...but i have taken an informal poll of those that seemed to check my blog more often and here are the results:abby: i am dying laughing, hilarious(? spelling)jon: i laughed out loudmartin: pretty good but juvenile---ps. martin, it's a fucking poem about gardenburger...how deep and meaningful did you really expect me to be when creating a poem about fake meat products...seriously...helen: that was sooo funny(giggle giggle)and again, the polish judge gives me the lowest score.... but as i am not pursuing poetry currently, i will stop here while my literary success is on a high...so now i am working on the historical sanborn maps of my chosen site, and i have to say just from looking at what was there previously, i'm learning more and more about the possiblities of design moves that can be made at this seemingly innoculous intersection...i'm still in process of peicing the maps together, but i will be sure to post them today when i am done...i've got to do as much about the site as possible this weekend because i'm meeting with ila berman on monday...those of you from the kb squad might remember her as the very short, very dynamic little woman that was a critic from tulane at our last jury....yep, she is the grad advisor/associate dean/professor at tulane.hold your breath i'll post the sanborn's soon....
Gardenburger: a poem of devotion
by erin keith
gardenburger, gardenburger
it is you that i greet
when i can't enjoy a barbeque
where they cook lots of meat
the smell is so fantastic,
but i just can not partake,
of the ribs, hamburgers
or even a big fat steak
thank you again for your soy bean goodness
without your mushrooms, rice, and other
i would be in a mess
i can now feel comfortable
and easily blend in
when the meat eaters are also enjoying
their great "din din"
i am a loyal customer
this poem i present to you
now everyone knows
that without you i'd be blue
THE GIRLS ARE BACK IN TOWN
I am SOOO uber-excited! Helen is coming back in town, and soon others will follow...
I just got off the phone with her and boy does she have some crazy stories about her trip, and i can't wait to see the pics she took...also i will be having a special guest soon...by guest i mean that someone we all have fond memories of will soon be locating themselves in new orleans...i can't disclose any other information right now...but i know some people in DFW are going to be REALLY surprised when they hear about this person!! i'm really excited that they are going to be here....this person i mean...just wait and see!!
i'll tell you guys next week...
in other news...i've now been reduced to interior design....i mean interior finishes of our housing design. it's kind of cool but it's a little boring to me...hence my masters degree in architecture instead of interior design, but this girl in the studio blythe is like the interiors team leader and she gets so excited about color palettes and other such material ideas that it's been what is keeping me going...she has enough energy and excitement about the project that she could make a crack addict seem mellow...
tonight we are having a barbeque out at the site, and if it was anything like last time it's going to be GREAT food and interesting company, with a police cruiser driving by almost every thirty minutes making sure that this group of white kids aren't stirring up any trouble in the neighborhood....they actually have a third policeman that sits in the back seat with the door slightly ajar so that if they have to stop the guy in the back can just JUMP from the vehicle and onto the scene(if you know what i mean--i'm a poet and i you better beleive i know it baby).
the people in that neighborhood are REALLY nice though and super friendly. all the kids came out last time and were racing their bikes in the street, stopping only once and a while for a juice break. random neighbors would just stop by for a plate of food, a beer and some conversation...good times man, good times. of course no one in the neighborhood has seen our proposal drawings or models yet(and we start building it soon) so they may or may not be as friendly when they actually see our designs--just kidding, it looks pretty cool and we know that the NHS guys that we have been working with REALLY dig our proposal...gonna be GREAT if you ask me!!
well until next time.....
ps. i hereby dedicate this entry to my long lost roommate...thanks for coming back, i was starting to question my sanity!!!! 
HEY GOOD LOOKIN....
here's some news on the streets: new orleans(and especially tulane) is being over ridden by the movie/tv business--i'm ready for my closeup darling...
sjp just moved into the fq and is currently in the process of filming a movie here
jennifer love hewitt is in the middle of filming a dramatic made for tv movie at tulane arch building --to be coming out on abc/nbc/some other family network within the next 3-6 months so i've been told---watch for it and you might get a glimpse of me running out of the building...i wasn't one of the extras but i think that interrupted a take...
bobby flay from the food network is coming
next week to film the arch student's barbequeing...because our school having a barbeque is SOOO unique and original...wtf...
at least he's going to be buying all of the food to be cooked!!! FREE FOOD BITCHES!!! YEAAAHH!!! thank you food network...of course now we will have to name all of our first born after bobby flay...
