Once the domains of martial art masters, Penang's inns did not only serve as resting and dining places for these hardy fighters but also doubled as the venues for the kung fu contests.
In George Town, just as elsewhere in Malaysia, the remarkable legend of the Dragon Inn is still cherished.
Anyone that enjoys reliving the past will find a home at 1881 Chong Tian Hotel in Ropewalk. This George Town inn is the oldest in the country and the emergence of the new 1881 spread over three shoplots in town may well mark the resurgence of inn culture in this part of the world. The 130-year-old inn, which once catered to wealthy merchants, today offers 11 rooms, plus a relic hall, a meeting room, activity room, library and mezzanine bar.
The owner, Xie Guo Xing says he wants to revive the Dragon Inn style, which is why he's been careful in placing his collection of antiques throughout the inn. To Xie, 1881 is more than an inn; it's also a chic Chinese boutique hotel.
Those who enjoy good food will see the inn as a fine hotel serving the best of Chinese and Western fares while backpackers willing to spend to enjoy culture will most definitely not want to miss an opportunity to put up for a night at the inn.
There is a refined antique wooden bed in the rear hall with a pillow and teapot on top of it. It might look like a set up in a wealthy local family during the olden days, but was in actual fact an opium bed that allowed people to indulge then slowly drift into sleep.
The chairs placed in front of the wooden bed, Xie says, were for the opium smoker's friends, often addicts themselves.
A golden dragon and phoenix hang on the wall of the dining hall. These two auspicious creatures symbolise eternity and happiness and are also used during traditional Chinese wedding ceremonies.
During the mid-autumn festival, another set of the golden shimmering accessories will be hung opposite the dragon and phoenix to ring in the festive season while announcing to the public that moon cakes are now available for sale at the hotel.
Wooden ladders and bamboo decorate the patio along with water tank complete with duckweed while windows of the guestrooms look down on elaborate ceramic tile paintings.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Tilera releases 16 and 36-core TILE-Gx chips
Tilera is finally shipping their 3rd generation TILE-Gx processor in volume, or at least half of the Gx family. Today they announced the immediate availability of the 16 and 36 core models along with a few customer wins.
TILE-Gx CPUs come in 16, 36, 64 and 100-core variants, with the first two being the focus of today’s attention. All of the chips share a unique architecture, you can read about it here, and have a very unique network architecture. Each core has six network links to the four adjacent tiles, 24 total, with each link dedicated to a specific function. Tilera calls this CPU + network node a tile, and it is the basic building block for their architecture. The two smaller and two larger chips each share a common set of uncore components.
With this many cores, you probably don’t need much convincing to believe that each core isn’t capable of much raw single threaded computation, but that isn’t the idea. Instead, the borderline silly amount of bandwidth to each core means that it can get almost any data it needs in and out of a core without being blocked, and with very low latency.
This adds up exactly what you want for network chips and multimedia processors. Strangely, Tilera lists both categories as wins for their chips, along with the more generic ‘cloud’ column which could be just about anything nowadays. In any case, two names, Mercury Computer and Harmonic were listed as customers, but the one we were expecting was absent. While the big G still might happen, Tilera wasn’t talking about it today.
The message is still the same across categories, it can replace racks of more generic, read Intel, CPUs with Tilera chips taking a fraction of the power, space, and other metrics that worry data center designers. As we are always saying, if your workload fits the paradigm, Tilera silicon should be the greatest thing since sliced amorphous silicon crystals. If not, you are much better served with just about anything else.
TILE-Gx CPUs come in 16, 36, 64 and 100-core variants, with the first two being the focus of today’s attention. All of the chips share a unique architecture, you can read about it here, and have a very unique network architecture. Each core has six network links to the four adjacent tiles, 24 total, with each link dedicated to a specific function. Tilera calls this CPU + network node a tile, and it is the basic building block for their architecture. The two smaller and two larger chips each share a common set of uncore components.
With this many cores, you probably don’t need much convincing to believe that each core isn’t capable of much raw single threaded computation, but that isn’t the idea. Instead, the borderline silly amount of bandwidth to each core means that it can get almost any data it needs in and out of a core without being blocked, and with very low latency.
This adds up exactly what you want for network chips and multimedia processors. Strangely, Tilera lists both categories as wins for their chips, along with the more generic ‘cloud’ column which could be just about anything nowadays. In any case, two names, Mercury Computer and Harmonic were listed as customers, but the one we were expecting was absent. While the big G still might happen, Tilera wasn’t talking about it today.
The message is still the same across categories, it can replace racks of more generic, read Intel, CPUs with Tilera chips taking a fraction of the power, space, and other metrics that worry data center designers. As we are always saying, if your workload fits the paradigm, Tilera silicon should be the greatest thing since sliced amorphous silicon crystals. If not, you are much better served with just about anything else.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Variety show at new Sasha Jo’s in Pulaski
A cold winter’s night found the WDT Reviewing Team in the middle of downtown Pulaski at one of its newer eateries, Sasha Jo’s.
Named after the owner’s two daughters, Sasha Jo’s opened in October. Strangely, there is no sign on the exterior of the restaurant, except the word “restaurant” with their phone number below it.
Inside, a sign requested us to “Please wait to be seated.” We waited … and waited … until finally a frazzled waitress appeared and invited us to seat ourselves. No problem finding a table since there was only one in the entire place occupied.
Much of the appealing interior looks the same as its previous incarnation, Margarita’s. There are oak booths and benches with ceramic tile accents along with sombreros and other Mexican hodgepodge hanging on the walls.
Julie, the only waitress working that evening, welcomed us and took our drink orders. As we looked over the menu, three warm, buttered breadsticks arrived at the table, delivered by a cook from the kitchen.
A quick glance at the cosmopolitan menu left us puzzled. Burritos or enchiladas, chicken Parmesan sandwich or lasagna, ribs or wings, an Aloha burger or a peanut butter bacon burger.
Yep, dive into a peanut butter bacon burger and kick that cholesterol up a few notches. I know your mouth’s watering, but more on that later.
We decided to share two appetizers and settled on loaded potato skins ($6.99) and deep-fried pickles ($5.99)
The potatoes were large russets, hollowed out and filled with crumbled bacon, big cuts of green onion and a sprinkled with some cheddar. These were so-so. The potato could have been cooked a bit more (raw on the bottom) and the toppings were sparse (isn’t that the reason you order potato skins in the first place — for the toppings?). Thank goodness for sour cream.
Ah, deep-fried pickles. A generous portion of hand batter-dipped dill slices were served with a side of cool ranch dressing. Even though the coating was a little soggy, the pickles were nonetheless tasty. For some at the table, this was the culinary highlight of the evening.
Now that the only other occupied table had vacated the building, our waitress was beginning to calm down a little.
Our dinners were a cross-sampling of the offerings at Sasha Jo’s. Presentation of all the dishes was very simple, kinda just food-on-a-plate.
After what seemed like forever, our dinners arrived, delivered by some new faces from the kitchen.
Chicken enchiladas ($9.99) consisted of small chunks of chicken, sweet and hot peppers, black olives and corn wrapped in two flour tortillas and smothered in a cooked down spicy red-colored chili pepper sauce. Nice crunch from the canned corn.
It could have used some sour cream or salsa or guacamole.
The enchiladas were pretty burnt on the bottom. They came with a pleasant side dish of Mexican rice with a blob of refried beans in the middle and a sprinkle of shredded Monterey jack cheese on top.
Lasagna ($8.99) left quite a bit to be desired, from the charred pasta on the bottom to the lackluster filling to the mysterious orange color in the red sauce on top. The sauce had the taste and consistency of Chef Boyardee.
Hey, where were the meat and cheese? Overall, a disaster from the kitchen.
Chicken legs were on super-special for $1 each. How can you pass up a deal like that?
We ordered five.
Lucky we did. They were compete leg and thigh pieces, unusually small — about the size of your fist. Must have come from Bantam chickens. Or mutant chickens.
They were nicely done on a char broiler and had a healthy slathering of tangy, smoky barbecue sauce. Pretty good, until I got to a bonus wing/breast combo on the plate. One bite told me there was a problem here — it tasted spoiled, as if it had spent too long in the back of the cooler — so I quietly and politely reached for my paper napkin to dispose of the evidence.
A bare bones side salad ($1.99) appeared to have been hastily assembled — torn, wet iceberg lettuce with a plastic container of ranch dressing plopped on top.
I saved the weirdest thing for last — the aforementioned peanut butter bacon burger.
It was a generous-sized burger topped with bacon, a leaf of lettuce and a slice of tomato. Peanut butter was slathered on the top half of the plain supermarket hamburger bun. There was a smear of bright orange something-or-other in there too that we guessed was melted processed cheese.
Wait — I got it! The mysterious orange color on top of the lasagna was melted orange American cheese!!!
Back to the train wreck: Who in their right mind would put peanut butter on a burger with bacon? And more importantly, why? We said several times, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” YUCK!
The menu promised complimentary vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream for dessert, but our check came before we could ask. Probably just as well. There was a two-for-one deal on appetizers and entrees the night we were there, so the total tab came to $30.56 before tip.
Honestly, it felt like someone rifled through the fridge and reheated some leftovers.
This was a downright disappointing dinner.
Once she relaxed and got into her rhythm, Julie was a very sincere and functional waitress. She has the patience of a saint, dealing with that rowdy table that gave her a hard time and having to serve that strange, poorly prepared food .
Named after the owner’s two daughters, Sasha Jo’s opened in October. Strangely, there is no sign on the exterior of the restaurant, except the word “restaurant” with their phone number below it.
Inside, a sign requested us to “Please wait to be seated.” We waited … and waited … until finally a frazzled waitress appeared and invited us to seat ourselves. No problem finding a table since there was only one in the entire place occupied.
Much of the appealing interior looks the same as its previous incarnation, Margarita’s. There are oak booths and benches with ceramic tile accents along with sombreros and other Mexican hodgepodge hanging on the walls.
Julie, the only waitress working that evening, welcomed us and took our drink orders. As we looked over the menu, three warm, buttered breadsticks arrived at the table, delivered by a cook from the kitchen.
A quick glance at the cosmopolitan menu left us puzzled. Burritos or enchiladas, chicken Parmesan sandwich or lasagna, ribs or wings, an Aloha burger or a peanut butter bacon burger.
Yep, dive into a peanut butter bacon burger and kick that cholesterol up a few notches. I know your mouth’s watering, but more on that later.
We decided to share two appetizers and settled on loaded potato skins ($6.99) and deep-fried pickles ($5.99)
The potatoes were large russets, hollowed out and filled with crumbled bacon, big cuts of green onion and a sprinkled with some cheddar. These were so-so. The potato could have been cooked a bit more (raw on the bottom) and the toppings were sparse (isn’t that the reason you order potato skins in the first place — for the toppings?). Thank goodness for sour cream.
Ah, deep-fried pickles. A generous portion of hand batter-dipped dill slices were served with a side of cool ranch dressing. Even though the coating was a little soggy, the pickles were nonetheless tasty. For some at the table, this was the culinary highlight of the evening.
Now that the only other occupied table had vacated the building, our waitress was beginning to calm down a little.
Our dinners were a cross-sampling of the offerings at Sasha Jo’s. Presentation of all the dishes was very simple, kinda just food-on-a-plate.
After what seemed like forever, our dinners arrived, delivered by some new faces from the kitchen.
Chicken enchiladas ($9.99) consisted of small chunks of chicken, sweet and hot peppers, black olives and corn wrapped in two flour tortillas and smothered in a cooked down spicy red-colored chili pepper sauce. Nice crunch from the canned corn.
It could have used some sour cream or salsa or guacamole.
The enchiladas were pretty burnt on the bottom. They came with a pleasant side dish of Mexican rice with a blob of refried beans in the middle and a sprinkle of shredded Monterey jack cheese on top.
Lasagna ($8.99) left quite a bit to be desired, from the charred pasta on the bottom to the lackluster filling to the mysterious orange color in the red sauce on top. The sauce had the taste and consistency of Chef Boyardee.
Hey, where were the meat and cheese? Overall, a disaster from the kitchen.
Chicken legs were on super-special for $1 each. How can you pass up a deal like that?
We ordered five.
Lucky we did. They were compete leg and thigh pieces, unusually small — about the size of your fist. Must have come from Bantam chickens. Or mutant chickens.
They were nicely done on a char broiler and had a healthy slathering of tangy, smoky barbecue sauce. Pretty good, until I got to a bonus wing/breast combo on the plate. One bite told me there was a problem here — it tasted spoiled, as if it had spent too long in the back of the cooler — so I quietly and politely reached for my paper napkin to dispose of the evidence.
A bare bones side salad ($1.99) appeared to have been hastily assembled — torn, wet iceberg lettuce with a plastic container of ranch dressing plopped on top.
I saved the weirdest thing for last — the aforementioned peanut butter bacon burger.
It was a generous-sized burger topped with bacon, a leaf of lettuce and a slice of tomato. Peanut butter was slathered on the top half of the plain supermarket hamburger bun. There was a smear of bright orange something-or-other in there too that we guessed was melted processed cheese.
Wait — I got it! The mysterious orange color on top of the lasagna was melted orange American cheese!!!
Back to the train wreck: Who in their right mind would put peanut butter on a burger with bacon? And more importantly, why? We said several times, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” YUCK!
The menu promised complimentary vanilla, chocolate or strawberry ice cream for dessert, but our check came before we could ask. Probably just as well. There was a two-for-one deal on appetizers and entrees the night we were there, so the total tab came to $30.56 before tip.
Honestly, it felt like someone rifled through the fridge and reheated some leftovers.
This was a downright disappointing dinner.
Once she relaxed and got into her rhythm, Julie was a very sincere and functional waitress. She has the patience of a saint, dealing with that rowdy table that gave her a hard time and having to serve that strange, poorly prepared food .
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Grant brings new boutique to downtown Skokie
A new retail fashion boutique planned for the east end of downtown Oakton Street has village leaders convinced that aggressive incentive offers to help reshape the area are paying off.
Village Trustees Monday unanimously approved a grant of up to $50,000 for the owner of a new store named Nirvana, a boutique and spa, to set up shop at 4843 Oakton St.
Not only did the Downtown Interior Rehab Grant help bring a new store to Skokie, leaders say, but an original grant under the village’s Downtown Facade Assistance Program allowed the property owner to improve the building so prospective tenants would be interested.
Under that program, the facade of a deteriorating building on the 4800 block of Oakton Street was improved in 2010, and Nirvana now becomes the fourth recent retailer to take up space there, noted Economic Development Coordinator Tom Thompson.
Nirvana will become neighbor to Bughouse Studio, Drive Cleaning and Siunik, a soon-to-open Armenian restaurant, to fill out the enhanced structure.
Trustee Randy Roberts Monday emphasized that this one rehabbed building has stimulated four new businesses. He also pointed to the success of the interior rehab grant.
“I just like the idea that this is now our sixth project,” he said.
Most of the village’s grants to improve downtown commercial interiors have been for restaurants up until now, Thompson noted.
Other downtown businesses that have been awarded the same grant include Sweety Pies Bakery, which moved locations from one downtown spot to another; the Kabul House, Libertad, Siunik and Skokie Paint and Wallpaper, which was also relocated in downtown and is the only other non-restaurant on the list.
Under the interior rehab grant program, which went into effect in 2008 as part of a series of measures to attract more businesses to downtown, the village matches funds of up to $50,000 for qualifying projects.
“The interior rehab grant program is in recognition of the constant need for significant interior work in our older commercial spaces to facilitate restaurants and modern retail uses,” Thompson said in his report to the board.
Nirvana qualified for the maximum grant because the interior rehab project is estimated to cost $144,000. Owner Sangita Shrestha’s plans call for “a significant build-out” in space that was once occupied by a candy and nut store.
Shrestha said she will construct two new rooms, expand the existing bathroom, replace the heating and cooling system and ceiling tiles, install new hardwood floors and make improvements to plumbing, electrical and other systems.
The work will involve basic demolition, drywall, drop ceiling installation, removal of old floors, repair of concrete floors, new porcelain tiling, doors, millwork and frames, fixtures and permanent shelving as well as other retailer-related equipment and improvements, Thompson said.
The owner plans to open in March.
Shrestha has had a shop at Navy Pier for the last 16 years, which she says she will continue to operate.
Her Skokie store, which will occupy about 1,800 square feet, will be divided into three parts. The first section will sell fashion items such as clothing, jewelry and accessories, she said.
The second section will be devoted to aromatherapy and sell candles, incense, massage oils and other such items. Shrestha said this section will have “a very organic feel to it.”
The third section will be devoted more to gift items such art, modern wall paintings, and tapestries.
“Whichever will have that Nirvana feel to it,” she said. “We believe that beauty is not only outward. It has to be in your mind, too.”
Ninety percent of the store will be devoted to retail while 10 percent will include a spa of sorts — an area where some of the products can be demonstrated.
Thompson said there are no other businesses currently with a pending application for an interior rehab grant “but there’s a couple of possibilities.”
Village Trustees Monday unanimously approved a grant of up to $50,000 for the owner of a new store named Nirvana, a boutique and spa, to set up shop at 4843 Oakton St.
Not only did the Downtown Interior Rehab Grant help bring a new store to Skokie, leaders say, but an original grant under the village’s Downtown Facade Assistance Program allowed the property owner to improve the building so prospective tenants would be interested.
Under that program, the facade of a deteriorating building on the 4800 block of Oakton Street was improved in 2010, and Nirvana now becomes the fourth recent retailer to take up space there, noted Economic Development Coordinator Tom Thompson.
Nirvana will become neighbor to Bughouse Studio, Drive Cleaning and Siunik, a soon-to-open Armenian restaurant, to fill out the enhanced structure.
Trustee Randy Roberts Monday emphasized that this one rehabbed building has stimulated four new businesses. He also pointed to the success of the interior rehab grant.
“I just like the idea that this is now our sixth project,” he said.
Most of the village’s grants to improve downtown commercial interiors have been for restaurants up until now, Thompson noted.
Other downtown businesses that have been awarded the same grant include Sweety Pies Bakery, which moved locations from one downtown spot to another; the Kabul House, Libertad, Siunik and Skokie Paint and Wallpaper, which was also relocated in downtown and is the only other non-restaurant on the list.
Under the interior rehab grant program, which went into effect in 2008 as part of a series of measures to attract more businesses to downtown, the village matches funds of up to $50,000 for qualifying projects.
“The interior rehab grant program is in recognition of the constant need for significant interior work in our older commercial spaces to facilitate restaurants and modern retail uses,” Thompson said in his report to the board.
Nirvana qualified for the maximum grant because the interior rehab project is estimated to cost $144,000. Owner Sangita Shrestha’s plans call for “a significant build-out” in space that was once occupied by a candy and nut store.
Shrestha said she will construct two new rooms, expand the existing bathroom, replace the heating and cooling system and ceiling tiles, install new hardwood floors and make improvements to plumbing, electrical and other systems.
The work will involve basic demolition, drywall, drop ceiling installation, removal of old floors, repair of concrete floors, new porcelain tiling, doors, millwork and frames, fixtures and permanent shelving as well as other retailer-related equipment and improvements, Thompson said.
The owner plans to open in March.
Shrestha has had a shop at Navy Pier for the last 16 years, which she says she will continue to operate.
Her Skokie store, which will occupy about 1,800 square feet, will be divided into three parts. The first section will sell fashion items such as clothing, jewelry and accessories, she said.
The second section will be devoted to aromatherapy and sell candles, incense, massage oils and other such items. Shrestha said this section will have “a very organic feel to it.”
The third section will be devoted more to gift items such art, modern wall paintings, and tapestries.
“Whichever will have that Nirvana feel to it,” she said. “We believe that beauty is not only outward. It has to be in your mind, too.”
Ninety percent of the store will be devoted to retail while 10 percent will include a spa of sorts — an area where some of the products can be demonstrated.
Thompson said there are no other businesses currently with a pending application for an interior rehab grant “but there’s a couple of possibilities.”
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Croix library reopens Friday with new look, lots of volunteers
When the Marine Community Library in Marine on St. Croix opens to the public this weekend, patrons may not recognize the place.
Gone is the dark wood paneling. In its place are pewter-colored walls with white trim, unstained ceiling tiles and new carpet.
Volunteers from the Marine Library Association will ensure that the Marine Community Library, which has been operating since 1968, will remain open.
Washington County, which previously ran the library, has scaled back its services to provide self-checkout lockers, a small browsing selection and occasional library activities. The city will provide volunteers and space and ensure public access.
The grand opening will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The ribbon-cutting will be at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by pajama story time at 6:30 p.m. There will be story and craft hour from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Robin Brooksbank, a member of the library association, said the makeover was sorely needed.
The last makeover was done in 1968 when Brooksbank's mother, Judy Wilcox, helped open the library in the same building as the Marine Village Hall.
"She was instrumental in getting the Alice O'Brien Foundation to provide a grant that renovated the (city) garage space where the snowplow had previously been parked and convert it to the library," Brooksbank said. "My mother chose dark wood paneling because she wanted an English library look. It may have worked in 16th-century England, but it was really, really dark and dated."
A Marine resident who is a retail-space designer helped association members come up with a new interior design.
"It's much lighter," Brooksbank said. "You practically float through the space. I think patrons are going to be very pleased."
The library will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays; 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays; 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Faced with a budget shortfall, the Washington County Board voted to close three of the county's smallest libraries in 2012 - in Marine on St. Croix, Newport and Lake Elmo.
Lake Elmo city officials decided to set up their own library, independent of the county system, but Newport and Marine will rely on volunteers and receive some services from the county to keep their libraries open.
Gone is the dark wood paneling. In its place are pewter-colored walls with white trim, unstained ceiling tiles and new carpet.
Volunteers from the Marine Library Association will ensure that the Marine Community Library, which has been operating since 1968, will remain open.
Washington County, which previously ran the library, has scaled back its services to provide self-checkout lockers, a small browsing selection and occasional library activities. The city will provide volunteers and space and ensure public access.
The grand opening will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. The ribbon-cutting will be at 6 p.m. Friday, followed by pajama story time at 6:30 p.m. There will be story and craft hour from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday.
Robin Brooksbank, a member of the library association, said the makeover was sorely needed.
The last makeover was done in 1968 when Brooksbank's mother, Judy Wilcox, helped open the library in the same building as the Marine Village Hall.
"She was instrumental in getting the Alice O'Brien Foundation to provide a grant that renovated the (city) garage space where the snowplow had previously been parked and convert it to the library," Brooksbank said. "My mother chose dark wood paneling because she wanted an English library look. It may have worked in 16th-century England, but it was really, really dark and dated."
A Marine resident who is a retail-space designer helped association members come up with a new interior design.
"It's much lighter," Brooksbank said. "You practically float through the space. I think patrons are going to be very pleased."
The library will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Mondays; 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Thursdays; 5 to 8 p.m. Fridays; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays.
Faced with a budget shortfall, the Washington County Board voted to close three of the county's smallest libraries in 2012 - in Marine on St. Croix, Newport and Lake Elmo.
Lake Elmo city officials decided to set up their own library, independent of the county system, but Newport and Marine will rely on volunteers and receive some services from the county to keep their libraries open.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
New townhomes on the ‘Block’
Earlier this year, Treasure Hill Developments unveiled a townhouse project on Shaw St. near College St. on a site previously occupied by a Catholic school.
The development — a row of faux Victorian-style townhouses meant to mimic the architecture of the neighbourhood — met with a “tepid response,” according to broker Paul Johnston. “After spending a few months marketing the homes, the developer quickly recognized that this wasn’t what a sophisticated downtown market wanted.”
So in October, Treasure Hill decided to overhaul the project and brought on board a new team, including Johnston, principal of Unique Urban Homes, über-urban interior design firm Cecconi Simone, and architect Richard Wengle, one of the city’s top high-end custom home designers.
“We completely re-imagined the development,” Johnston explains “The site remains the same, the number of homes remains the same, but the front architecture and the programming of the homes from an interior perspective has been completely regenerated and is now decidedly modern.”
The re-launched project, Block, is comprised of 37 four-storey freehold townhouses that range in size from 2,650 square feet to 3,700 square feet. The homes have between three to five bedrooms, depending on the plan and how buyers choose to configure their units.
Prices start in the high $900,000s and go up to $1.69 million.
Sales for Block launched in November and more than half of the homes were sold in the first weekend.
As far as Johnston is concerned, the success of the redesigned project is a testament to the demand in the city for at-grade contemporary housing.
“That response is proof positive that consumers today want a home that reflects the architecture of our time, as opposed to something of an era gone by,” he says. “This is what people want in urban living.”
Interiors at Block include 10-foot ceilings on the main floor and nine-foot ceilings on the second and third floors. Buyers have a choice of porcelain tile or engineered wood flooring on the main floor, and the second and third levels have engineered wood flooring throughout the hallways, bedrooms and closets.
“Cecconi Simone has the ability to program a space in a very efficient and intelligent manner that is remarkably contemporary,” says Johnston.
“But they also have a real capacity to capture the trends and the look and spirit of the time — their design is unequivocally modern. There is not a crown moulding that has passed the doors of Cecconi Simone.”
Kitchens have custom-designed cabinetry available in three colour options, a choice of Corian or composite stone countertops and a Miele appliance package, including an electric or gas cooktop, stainless steel fridge and built-in electric oven and microwave.
Bathrooms have oversized glass shower enclosures with rain-soaker showerheads, a soaker tub (depending on plan), porcelain floor and wall tiles and Corian sink and countertop.
The wood-frame townhouses — which feature staggered facades and wide windows in front — are clad in a combination of pre-cast concrete, masonry and stucco, with metal accenting. They also have balconies and flat roofs with skylights.
While Wengle is well known for designing luxury custom homes in high-end neighbourhoods such as Forest Hill and Rosedale, Johnston says the architect — “a modernist at heart” — was keen to work on a contemporary project like Block.
“Although his practice has been in much more traditional work in the last number of years, this is a direction that Richard is very excited to be moving in because it’s really where his roots are.”
As a result, Johnston says, buyers at Block get the custom home look at a fraction of the cost of a Wengle one-off project.
Each home at Block has a private terrace, back-door entrance and a single-car garage that can be accessed from the rear laneway.
The homes are designed with flexibility in mind, Johnston notes. Buyers have the option of having separate floors for the master bedroom and kids or guest rooms, and the basement can be configured as a gym, theatre or office.
Alternatively, buyers might opt to add an additional bedroom and kitchenette on the bottom floor so that the space can function as an in-law suite, nanny’s quarters or rental apartment, with a separate entrance from the street.
“We’re responding to the fact that the vast majority of people downtown have dynamic needs for their homes,” he says.
The development — a row of faux Victorian-style townhouses meant to mimic the architecture of the neighbourhood — met with a “tepid response,” according to broker Paul Johnston. “After spending a few months marketing the homes, the developer quickly recognized that this wasn’t what a sophisticated downtown market wanted.”
So in October, Treasure Hill decided to overhaul the project and brought on board a new team, including Johnston, principal of Unique Urban Homes, über-urban interior design firm Cecconi Simone, and architect Richard Wengle, one of the city’s top high-end custom home designers.
“We completely re-imagined the development,” Johnston explains “The site remains the same, the number of homes remains the same, but the front architecture and the programming of the homes from an interior perspective has been completely regenerated and is now decidedly modern.”
The re-launched project, Block, is comprised of 37 four-storey freehold townhouses that range in size from 2,650 square feet to 3,700 square feet. The homes have between three to five bedrooms, depending on the plan and how buyers choose to configure their units.
Prices start in the high $900,000s and go up to $1.69 million.
Sales for Block launched in November and more than half of the homes were sold in the first weekend.
As far as Johnston is concerned, the success of the redesigned project is a testament to the demand in the city for at-grade contemporary housing.
“That response is proof positive that consumers today want a home that reflects the architecture of our time, as opposed to something of an era gone by,” he says. “This is what people want in urban living.”
Interiors at Block include 10-foot ceilings on the main floor and nine-foot ceilings on the second and third floors. Buyers have a choice of porcelain tile or engineered wood flooring on the main floor, and the second and third levels have engineered wood flooring throughout the hallways, bedrooms and closets.
“Cecconi Simone has the ability to program a space in a very efficient and intelligent manner that is remarkably contemporary,” says Johnston.
“But they also have a real capacity to capture the trends and the look and spirit of the time — their design is unequivocally modern. There is not a crown moulding that has passed the doors of Cecconi Simone.”
Kitchens have custom-designed cabinetry available in three colour options, a choice of Corian or composite stone countertops and a Miele appliance package, including an electric or gas cooktop, stainless steel fridge and built-in electric oven and microwave.
Bathrooms have oversized glass shower enclosures with rain-soaker showerheads, a soaker tub (depending on plan), porcelain floor and wall tiles and Corian sink and countertop.
The wood-frame townhouses — which feature staggered facades and wide windows in front — are clad in a combination of pre-cast concrete, masonry and stucco, with metal accenting. They also have balconies and flat roofs with skylights.
While Wengle is well known for designing luxury custom homes in high-end neighbourhoods such as Forest Hill and Rosedale, Johnston says the architect — “a modernist at heart” — was keen to work on a contemporary project like Block.
“Although his practice has been in much more traditional work in the last number of years, this is a direction that Richard is very excited to be moving in because it’s really where his roots are.”
As a result, Johnston says, buyers at Block get the custom home look at a fraction of the cost of a Wengle one-off project.
Each home at Block has a private terrace, back-door entrance and a single-car garage that can be accessed from the rear laneway.
The homes are designed with flexibility in mind, Johnston notes. Buyers have the option of having separate floors for the master bedroom and kids or guest rooms, and the basement can be configured as a gym, theatre or office.
Alternatively, buyers might opt to add an additional bedroom and kitchenette on the bottom floor so that the space can function as an in-law suite, nanny’s quarters or rental apartment, with a separate entrance from the street.
“We’re responding to the fact that the vast majority of people downtown have dynamic needs for their homes,” he says.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Little penguins inspire teen activist
“Rocks!” Alisha Fredriksson shouted to the hikers below as she sent debris tumbling down the 350-metre-high volcano she was climbing on the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula.
At the peak, the 16-year-old peered out at the rows of icebergs that surround the planet’s serene southern pole. Taking a moment of silence with her fellow climbers, she was bound by the only sound – the chirping of a couple hundred thousand Adélie penguins that inhabit a region humans can only tour.
The young woman explained the sensation on a satellite phone hours later, in the midst of a recent two-week journey exploring the Antarctic Peninsula with 58 other students and 30 adults as part of the Students on Ice annual expedition. It’s an experience designed to instill deep-seated connections among youth and the environment, while chewing over global warming on the continent that is home to 90 per cent of the world’s ice.
For Alisha, a Grade 11 student at Vancouver’s Prince of Wales Mini School, a school within a high school catering to academic high achievers, winning one of five Leacross Foundation scholarships for this once-in-a-lifetime voyage is another feather in her cap. The Hungarian-born daughter of a Chinese mother and a Swedish father is a budding activist, a profitable entrepreneur and a champion rhythmic gymnast.
She is full of ideas and, judging by her prizewinning science-fair projects, such as her Shower Heat in Floor Tiles plan to retain heat from wastewater, she has the drive to give them life.
Alisha’s latest brainchild is a project to pair individual rooms at upscale hotels with Habitat for Humanity houses sponsored by donations from guests staying in those rooms. She says the initiative is still in “phase one,” but she already has the support of the chief executive officer of Kiwi Collection, a company that curates a listing of luxury hotels around the globe, and she has touched base with Habitat for Humanity.
Last summer, standing in a hotel room in Courmayeur, Italy, where she was travelling with her family, “it just sort of hit me,” she says. “I just realized how I was fortunate enough to live in places away from my home when some people don’t have homes to begin with.”
But it’s not just charity work she is interested in; Alisha also runs a small jewellery company, Brite Jewelry, for which she made a website two years ago and has since filled orders from as far away as Japan. She hands over her business card and explains proudly that the “hobby” has earned her around $4,000.
And she credits gymnastics with teaching her valuable life lessons. A six-time provincial champion, she clings to a few traumatizing memories of failure to keep her motivated. At the western regional championships four years ago, she dropped all her throws during a ball routine. “I was just feeling embarrassment and terror,” she says.
“It’s happened a couple of times, where I make one mistake and then it just snowballs. The challenge is to just forget about what’s happened and just focus on the moment.”
That is what she tried to do as she experienced moment after moment of awe while sailing around the Antarctic. The stunning amounts of ice in the southern netherworld and the remarkably unperturbed penguins are forever etched into her mind.
Her voice raises and her speech quickens in detailing the birth of a baby penguin: “We saw the egg hatching, a little penguin moving its head and peeking out.”
It was a brush with new life to bring the trip home. “Meeting all the wildlife to see how our unsustainable lifestyles will hurt them,” she says. “ ... The things I do and the choices I make will affect these little penguins on the other side of the world.”
With her adventure complete and her activism emboldened, Alisha plans to show pictures and share stories at Vancouver elementary schools, doing her part in the endless campaign to rally more kids to the cause.
At the peak, the 16-year-old peered out at the rows of icebergs that surround the planet’s serene southern pole. Taking a moment of silence with her fellow climbers, she was bound by the only sound – the chirping of a couple hundred thousand Adélie penguins that inhabit a region humans can only tour.
The young woman explained the sensation on a satellite phone hours later, in the midst of a recent two-week journey exploring the Antarctic Peninsula with 58 other students and 30 adults as part of the Students on Ice annual expedition. It’s an experience designed to instill deep-seated connections among youth and the environment, while chewing over global warming on the continent that is home to 90 per cent of the world’s ice.
For Alisha, a Grade 11 student at Vancouver’s Prince of Wales Mini School, a school within a high school catering to academic high achievers, winning one of five Leacross Foundation scholarships for this once-in-a-lifetime voyage is another feather in her cap. The Hungarian-born daughter of a Chinese mother and a Swedish father is a budding activist, a profitable entrepreneur and a champion rhythmic gymnast.
She is full of ideas and, judging by her prizewinning science-fair projects, such as her Shower Heat in Floor Tiles plan to retain heat from wastewater, she has the drive to give them life.
Alisha’s latest brainchild is a project to pair individual rooms at upscale hotels with Habitat for Humanity houses sponsored by donations from guests staying in those rooms. She says the initiative is still in “phase one,” but she already has the support of the chief executive officer of Kiwi Collection, a company that curates a listing of luxury hotels around the globe, and she has touched base with Habitat for Humanity.
Last summer, standing in a hotel room in Courmayeur, Italy, where she was travelling with her family, “it just sort of hit me,” she says. “I just realized how I was fortunate enough to live in places away from my home when some people don’t have homes to begin with.”
But it’s not just charity work she is interested in; Alisha also runs a small jewellery company, Brite Jewelry, for which she made a website two years ago and has since filled orders from as far away as Japan. She hands over her business card and explains proudly that the “hobby” has earned her around $4,000.
And she credits gymnastics with teaching her valuable life lessons. A six-time provincial champion, she clings to a few traumatizing memories of failure to keep her motivated. At the western regional championships four years ago, she dropped all her throws during a ball routine. “I was just feeling embarrassment and terror,” she says.
“It’s happened a couple of times, where I make one mistake and then it just snowballs. The challenge is to just forget about what’s happened and just focus on the moment.”
That is what she tried to do as she experienced moment after moment of awe while sailing around the Antarctic. The stunning amounts of ice in the southern netherworld and the remarkably unperturbed penguins are forever etched into her mind.
Her voice raises and her speech quickens in detailing the birth of a baby penguin: “We saw the egg hatching, a little penguin moving its head and peeking out.”
It was a brush with new life to bring the trip home. “Meeting all the wildlife to see how our unsustainable lifestyles will hurt them,” she says. “ ... The things I do and the choices I make will affect these little penguins on the other side of the world.”
With her adventure complete and her activism emboldened, Alisha plans to show pictures and share stories at Vancouver elementary schools, doing her part in the endless campaign to rally more kids to the cause.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Christchurch legacy at risk as city crumbles
As Christchurch continues to be shaken, heritage experts face some tough decisions.
Early December 2011. Ken Franklin has just made a decision. No more propping or temporary fixes to the Christchurch Arts Centre.
Given the cluster of historical buildings' precarious state, it's either a terrible gamble or a brave vote of confidence in the future. Possibly both. Unlike many landmark heritage buildings, the Arts Centre has survived Canterbury's devastating earthquake swarm and is still standing. Just.
When we speak again, it's a few days after Christmas.
"There is an awful sense of dread. They just come out of nowhere. You never know when it's going to happen next," says Franklin, the Arts Centre director, of the latest quakes that hit on December 23. "We had quite a bit more stone lost from upper levels, especially gables on Worcester Boulevard, but nothing major. We seem to have hung in there. The buildings are still standing. They have shown remarkable resilience to date."
Famous people were here - Ernest, Lord Rutherford, Sir Apirana Ngata and Dame Ngaio Marsh among them. History seeps from these stones, but then you see the present - crack lines, split archways, wrenched piers, walls rent asunder.To walk through this complex of gothic stone masonry buildings dating back to 1877, as I did in early December, is to tread the halls, cloisters and quadrangles of what was Canterbury University College and two former secondary schools.
"If we do get a shake, stick with me," says Franklin. "Running outside isn't always the right thing to do here." The destructive impact of huge stones crashed down from gable tops indicates what he's talking about. When the circular Observatory tower collapsed in February two contractors were working inside. They followed the safety advice given and moved to the street side of the building. Their car beside the tower was crushed.
The buildings are a patchwork of "make safe" mechanisms: posts under archways, crucially installed in September 2010 and preventing further damage; extensive steel propping against the Clock Tower; a 20-tonne turret on the footpath beside the Great Hall which was fortuitously removed a week before Christmas 2010; the last of the stained glass window finally extricated intact in December last year; shutters over deconstructed gable walls; and threaded tensioned wires running along the Great Hall ceiling pulling its gable ends taut.
"We are feeling quite vulnerable with this building at the moment," says Franklin calmly. "You can see the state of it. It looks reasonable externally but once you get in here you see that it is pretty fragile so the quicker we can get on to that permanent fix the better." The December quakes have hardened his resolve to move forward faster than ever.
This is the harsh reality of heritage recovery in central Christchurch. With so many heritage buildings already gone - in December, before the latest quakes, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's (CERA) demolition list designates 124 "demolish", 22 "make safe", and 31 "partial demolish" - those still there are an increasingly rare commodity. Retaining the few remaining in the face of what seems like a scorched earth policy is a thankless, expensive task.
Hence the decision that enough is enough with the propping and that recovery can begin. "We estimate it will cost $240 million to strengthen and repair the site in total," says Franklin. "We're negotiating with two insurance companies - one has pulled out of New Zealand so we're now talking to their head office in the UK. There are a large number of reinsurers lining up behind them so it's a complex situation."
What's remarkable is that Franklin and the Arts Centre Trust Board - the body charged with preserving and protecting this iconic precinct - have somehow wangled the first $35 million of insurance money. That's enough for repairs and strengthening on the Clock Tower, including Rutherford's Den, and College Hall - a project estimated to take 30 months. Comprehensive insurance cover for the Centre was raised from $95 million to $116 million in January.
In December the Centre received an unexpected boost from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust - a $14m donation comprising $5 million from American philanthropist Julian Robertson, matched by $5m from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and $4 million given by Fletcher Building. The extra money means Franklin is already planning stage two of the repairs - estimated at $30 million - for the former Christchurch Boys' High School buildings.
"This series of earthquakes is the worst thing that has ever happened to this place, but in a weird way it's also one of the best things," says Franklin with supreme optimism. "If we can get significant capital and inject that into repairing and helping to preserve these buildings in perpetuity, what a fantastic outcome that would be."
But it will be years before the public will once again enjoy the complex of bars, cafes, restaurants, galleries, studios, theatres, festival and event venues that the Arts Centre was. Heritage repair is a painstakingly slow business. For the Great Hall alone, all the slate roof tiles will be removed and a new plywood diaphragm applied, a concrete ring beam poured at the top of the walls, and the entire structure tied down with post tensioned steel rods.
In the Clock Tower some of the work is even more laborious, with new shear cores created inside the bluestone walls - a process whereby the internal masonry layers of brick or rubble are carefully demolished, replaced with reinforced concrete and then resurfaced with a brick facade on the inside. Elsewhere fibre reinforced polymer wraps - applied to the walls with resin and giving the equivalent strength of 100mm of reinforced concrete- will be used.
Early December 2011. Ken Franklin has just made a decision. No more propping or temporary fixes to the Christchurch Arts Centre.
Given the cluster of historical buildings' precarious state, it's either a terrible gamble or a brave vote of confidence in the future. Possibly both. Unlike many landmark heritage buildings, the Arts Centre has survived Canterbury's devastating earthquake swarm and is still standing. Just.
When we speak again, it's a few days after Christmas.
"There is an awful sense of dread. They just come out of nowhere. You never know when it's going to happen next," says Franklin, the Arts Centre director, of the latest quakes that hit on December 23. "We had quite a bit more stone lost from upper levels, especially gables on Worcester Boulevard, but nothing major. We seem to have hung in there. The buildings are still standing. They have shown remarkable resilience to date."
Famous people were here - Ernest, Lord Rutherford, Sir Apirana Ngata and Dame Ngaio Marsh among them. History seeps from these stones, but then you see the present - crack lines, split archways, wrenched piers, walls rent asunder.To walk through this complex of gothic stone masonry buildings dating back to 1877, as I did in early December, is to tread the halls, cloisters and quadrangles of what was Canterbury University College and two former secondary schools.
"If we do get a shake, stick with me," says Franklin. "Running outside isn't always the right thing to do here." The destructive impact of huge stones crashed down from gable tops indicates what he's talking about. When the circular Observatory tower collapsed in February two contractors were working inside. They followed the safety advice given and moved to the street side of the building. Their car beside the tower was crushed.
The buildings are a patchwork of "make safe" mechanisms: posts under archways, crucially installed in September 2010 and preventing further damage; extensive steel propping against the Clock Tower; a 20-tonne turret on the footpath beside the Great Hall which was fortuitously removed a week before Christmas 2010; the last of the stained glass window finally extricated intact in December last year; shutters over deconstructed gable walls; and threaded tensioned wires running along the Great Hall ceiling pulling its gable ends taut.
"We are feeling quite vulnerable with this building at the moment," says Franklin calmly. "You can see the state of it. It looks reasonable externally but once you get in here you see that it is pretty fragile so the quicker we can get on to that permanent fix the better." The December quakes have hardened his resolve to move forward faster than ever.
This is the harsh reality of heritage recovery in central Christchurch. With so many heritage buildings already gone - in December, before the latest quakes, the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority's (CERA) demolition list designates 124 "demolish", 22 "make safe", and 31 "partial demolish" - those still there are an increasingly rare commodity. Retaining the few remaining in the face of what seems like a scorched earth policy is a thankless, expensive task.
Hence the decision that enough is enough with the propping and that recovery can begin. "We estimate it will cost $240 million to strengthen and repair the site in total," says Franklin. "We're negotiating with two insurance companies - one has pulled out of New Zealand so we're now talking to their head office in the UK. There are a large number of reinsurers lining up behind them so it's a complex situation."
What's remarkable is that Franklin and the Arts Centre Trust Board - the body charged with preserving and protecting this iconic precinct - have somehow wangled the first $35 million of insurance money. That's enough for repairs and strengthening on the Clock Tower, including Rutherford's Den, and College Hall - a project estimated to take 30 months. Comprehensive insurance cover for the Centre was raised from $95 million to $116 million in January.
In December the Centre received an unexpected boost from the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust - a $14m donation comprising $5 million from American philanthropist Julian Robertson, matched by $5m from the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and $4 million given by Fletcher Building. The extra money means Franklin is already planning stage two of the repairs - estimated at $30 million - for the former Christchurch Boys' High School buildings.
"This series of earthquakes is the worst thing that has ever happened to this place, but in a weird way it's also one of the best things," says Franklin with supreme optimism. "If we can get significant capital and inject that into repairing and helping to preserve these buildings in perpetuity, what a fantastic outcome that would be."
But it will be years before the public will once again enjoy the complex of bars, cafes, restaurants, galleries, studios, theatres, festival and event venues that the Arts Centre was. Heritage repair is a painstakingly slow business. For the Great Hall alone, all the slate roof tiles will be removed and a new plywood diaphragm applied, a concrete ring beam poured at the top of the walls, and the entire structure tied down with post tensioned steel rods.
In the Clock Tower some of the work is even more laborious, with new shear cores created inside the bluestone walls - a process whereby the internal masonry layers of brick or rubble are carefully demolished, replaced with reinforced concrete and then resurfaced with a brick facade on the inside. Elsewhere fibre reinforced polymer wraps - applied to the walls with resin and giving the equivalent strength of 100mm of reinforced concrete- will be used.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Post-Holiday Carpet Cleaning Made Easy
A new year has begun and the holidays are over, but chances are, the ghosts of parties and gatherings past still haunt your carpets in the form of stains and ground in dirt. Thankfully, giving your home a deep down upholstery and carpet cleaning is actually easier than you might think. These days, you can forget about bulky machine rentals or the backbreaking work of moving furniture in and out of rooms, because professional house cleaning services provide more complete, affordable service options than ever.
While do-it-yourself carpet cleaning options might sound like a good deal, the truth is that they can't provide the same level of deep down clean that you'll receive from professional carpet cleaners. Not only is cleaning your carpets yourself a time consuming hassle, it can also leave behind moisture and residues that prevent your carpets and upholstery from being truly clean. Whereas professional carpet cleaning services utilize more advanced tools, techniques and cleaning products to provide a more thorough, longer lasting clean that leaves your home deodorized and sanitized.
In addition to carpets, a reputable carpet cleaning service should be able to help you with most of your more extensive house cleaning needs. For example, ServiceMaster Clean provides residential cleaning services that will take care of your carpets, upholstery, hardwood and tile floor cleaning. In addition to cleaning those items, they also specialize in cleaning countertops, back splashes and other porcelain or ceramic tiled areas of your home.
You can also expect a reputable carpet cleaning service to offer green cleaning options that utilize products free of volatile organic compounds .
Along with that service, a truly reputable carpet cleaning company should offer you some sort of service guarantee, like the satisfaction guarantee offered by your local ServiceMaster Clean. We work to your specifications and guarantee the job is done right or we do it over.
While do-it-yourself carpet cleaning options might sound like a good deal, the truth is that they can't provide the same level of deep down clean that you'll receive from professional carpet cleaners. Not only is cleaning your carpets yourself a time consuming hassle, it can also leave behind moisture and residues that prevent your carpets and upholstery from being truly clean. Whereas professional carpet cleaning services utilize more advanced tools, techniques and cleaning products to provide a more thorough, longer lasting clean that leaves your home deodorized and sanitized.
In addition to carpets, a reputable carpet cleaning service should be able to help you with most of your more extensive house cleaning needs. For example, ServiceMaster Clean provides residential cleaning services that will take care of your carpets, upholstery, hardwood and tile floor cleaning. In addition to cleaning those items, they also specialize in cleaning countertops, back splashes and other porcelain or ceramic tiled areas of your home.
You can also expect a reputable carpet cleaning service to offer green cleaning options that utilize products free of volatile organic compounds .
Along with that service, a truly reputable carpet cleaning company should offer you some sort of service guarantee, like the satisfaction guarantee offered by your local ServiceMaster Clean. We work to your specifications and guarantee the job is done right or we do it over.
Creating a Bathroom Sanctuary
Dropping temperatures and dripping ice can chill you to the bone, even in Georgia. No wonder so many of us like to take long soaks or hot showers when we get home.
If we have the proper bathroom in which to take them.
“After the holidays, people are ready to remodel their baths,” says Harry Bataille of Bateille’s Plumbing on New Macland Road in Powder Springs. “Many customers are putting in separate showers, reconfiguring their baths to expand and get more space.”
Andy Swiderek of A & S Construction in Acworth says his business gets a few calls this time of year for bathroom remodeling. “People aren’t moving to new homes as much; they’re fixing up their old ones, and the bath is definitely an important part of that.”
“Many of our clients are gutting their old baths,” Cheryl Draa of Cheryl Draa Interiors in Powder Springs adds. “They’re enlarging their showers, they’re putting in prettier tile, they’re replacing standard bathtubs with soaking tubs that they’ll actually use.”
Most builders don’t spend a lot of time putting together bathrooms, Swiderek says.
“They’re using sheet rock instead of cementboard, which eventually absorbs moisture and makes tiles pop off," he says. "Some will tile right over plywood, so a true renovation really needs to start at the base. On your floors, you need cementboard mortared to plywood with the proper thinset, with an anti-fracture membrane between the cementboard and tile to avoid tile cracking.”
As for the tiles themselves, Draa says, “lots of clients are choosing the porcelain version of marble, which doesn’t have to be sealed like marble. Others are going for paler blue and green glass tiles.”
Swiderek has been seeing some brighter colors, like "aquamarine,” in his remodels. “We still see a lot of earth tones, though. It depends on the style of the house.”
Draa advises that folks who are planning to sell their home eventually stick to neutrals, “although blue and green are really considered neutral because they’re like sky and water and grass and leaves.”
She suggests using brighter colors for accents, in places where they can be easily (and inexpensively) changed, such as with towels, rugs or curtains.
"If you’re planning on living in a place more than five years, though, I say pick the colors you like,” she adds. “You’re going to be living with them, and they’ll add to your enjoyment.”
While Bataille isn’t necessarily seeing a lot of upgrades in his remodels, he says they all want one thing: “More space. More room. They don’t want to be crowded.”
Our home in Kansas had one of those “crowded” bathrooms, with a sink outside the room itself. The previous owners had cannibalized a bedroom next to the master, turning it into a huge master suite, but did nothing with the bath.
So we put up a wall at the end of the room, and turned the sink area into a dressing room with extra counter space and closet space. It still left us with a sizable bedroom, but a spacious bath.
“More bells and whistles are requested in our remodels,” Swiderek states. “We’re getting more requests for bigger shower heads, steamer/saunas, and radiant floor heating. Radiant floor heating is great on the feet. It makes the bath really comfortable because it gives heat from the floor.”
Draa’s clients are also asking for larger shower heads and easy-to-turn handles for their fixtures. “The new products are more energy efficient, so they’re really worth it.”
If you really want to go high end, Swiderek has a few suggestions. “Insert fireplaces are really big, if you’re planning to lounge and relax in the whirlpool or soaking tub. There’s also a cool product called Smart Glass that they’re using on picture windows in baths. You can turn it opaque with the press of a button, or leave it clear, so you don’t have to mess with blinds.”
But the kickiest item would have to be “the TVs that convert to mirrors,” he points out. “You can watch TV while you soak, and then turn it into a mirror when you’re done.”
Just don’t try shaving while you’re watching TV.
If we have the proper bathroom in which to take them.
“After the holidays, people are ready to remodel their baths,” says Harry Bataille of Bateille’s Plumbing on New Macland Road in Powder Springs. “Many customers are putting in separate showers, reconfiguring their baths to expand and get more space.”
Andy Swiderek of A & S Construction in Acworth says his business gets a few calls this time of year for bathroom remodeling. “People aren’t moving to new homes as much; they’re fixing up their old ones, and the bath is definitely an important part of that.”
“Many of our clients are gutting their old baths,” Cheryl Draa of Cheryl Draa Interiors in Powder Springs adds. “They’re enlarging their showers, they’re putting in prettier tile, they’re replacing standard bathtubs with soaking tubs that they’ll actually use.”
Most builders don’t spend a lot of time putting together bathrooms, Swiderek says.
“They’re using sheet rock instead of cementboard, which eventually absorbs moisture and makes tiles pop off," he says. "Some will tile right over plywood, so a true renovation really needs to start at the base. On your floors, you need cementboard mortared to plywood with the proper thinset, with an anti-fracture membrane between the cementboard and tile to avoid tile cracking.”
As for the tiles themselves, Draa says, “lots of clients are choosing the porcelain version of marble, which doesn’t have to be sealed like marble. Others are going for paler blue and green glass tiles.”
Swiderek has been seeing some brighter colors, like "aquamarine,” in his remodels. “We still see a lot of earth tones, though. It depends on the style of the house.”
Draa advises that folks who are planning to sell their home eventually stick to neutrals, “although blue and green are really considered neutral because they’re like sky and water and grass and leaves.”
She suggests using brighter colors for accents, in places where they can be easily (and inexpensively) changed, such as with towels, rugs or curtains.
"If you’re planning on living in a place more than five years, though, I say pick the colors you like,” she adds. “You’re going to be living with them, and they’ll add to your enjoyment.”
While Bataille isn’t necessarily seeing a lot of upgrades in his remodels, he says they all want one thing: “More space. More room. They don’t want to be crowded.”
Our home in Kansas had one of those “crowded” bathrooms, with a sink outside the room itself. The previous owners had cannibalized a bedroom next to the master, turning it into a huge master suite, but did nothing with the bath.
So we put up a wall at the end of the room, and turned the sink area into a dressing room with extra counter space and closet space. It still left us with a sizable bedroom, but a spacious bath.
“More bells and whistles are requested in our remodels,” Swiderek states. “We’re getting more requests for bigger shower heads, steamer/saunas, and radiant floor heating. Radiant floor heating is great on the feet. It makes the bath really comfortable because it gives heat from the floor.”
Draa’s clients are also asking for larger shower heads and easy-to-turn handles for their fixtures. “The new products are more energy efficient, so they’re really worth it.”
If you really want to go high end, Swiderek has a few suggestions. “Insert fireplaces are really big, if you’re planning to lounge and relax in the whirlpool or soaking tub. There’s also a cool product called Smart Glass that they’re using on picture windows in baths. You can turn it opaque with the press of a button, or leave it clear, so you don’t have to mess with blinds.”
But the kickiest item would have to be “the TVs that convert to mirrors,” he points out. “You can watch TV while you soak, and then turn it into a mirror when you’re done.”
Just don’t try shaving while you’re watching TV.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tandem mold technology finding its place
Tandem mold technology, a relatively new development, is beginning to be a growth business for T-Mould, a mold manufacturer based in Bad Salzuflen, Germany with an office in Grand Rapids, MI. The company does not build the tandem molds itself, but is the inventor and developer of the tandem technology.
"Because of our growing business we wanted to have an increased presence in North America," explained Wilhelm Kliewer, managing director of American T-Mould.
A tandem mold is similar to a stack mold in that it has two parting lines. The primary difference however, is that a tandem mold operates in an alternating process. "For each parting line you have a standalone process," explains Kliewer. "The material is injected into the first single face section, then hold and pack takes place. But before the cooling process starts we activate the Compact Locking System (CLS), which locks the parting line. At that point, the barrel retracts and we shoot in the resin into the second parting line. The benefit to the Tandem mold is that we utilize the dead cycle time - the cooling phase - to injection the resin into a second parting line."
T-Mould holds the world-wide patent rights for the Tandem technology processing method, which is an amalgamating process that implements the Compact Locking System (CLS), which T-Mould's customers purchase. "We do not have repeating license fees," Kliewer clarifies. "We offer a one-time purchase of the CLS on a particular tool."
The CLS is offered in four different sizes and in different variations. "We work with customers on which locking system is best to be used for the particular tool," Kliewer says. "We're all engineers, toolmakers and process engineers, so we help our customers calculate their needs and offer technical support around the product. We also collaborate with the various suppliers such as press manufacturers, systems manufacturers to support the requirements of the Tandem tool, and with the toolmaker to design a Tandem tool. For us it is not only important that they use the technology, but more importantly that it's used in a proper functional way to receive the real benefit from the Tandem technology."
The Tandem mold concept was introduced by T-Mould in 2003. Since then, the technology has been catching on for various applications. However, Kliewer notes, applications for the technology are unique, and typically the end user is looking for greater productivity. Applications span a wide range of markets including medical, appliance, automotive and electronics among others.
One of T-Mould's customers with an expertise in building connector molds, had a requirement for a 16-cavity connector mold. "The customer usually builds 8-cavity connector tools, and with 250 critical dimensions they know how to build and balance the tool," says Kliewer. "But when they tried to go to 16-cavity tool, it wasn't possible to balance the tool properly. They sacrificed quality and it resulted in a reduced process window."
The moldmaker then went with the Tandem mold process, which resulted in increased production and higher throughput. Utilizing the Tandem technology, the moldmaker essentially had one 8+8-cavity mold in which he could use the cooling time of parting line 1 to inject into parting line 2, and can process this 16-cavity tool. "He was also able to increase his process window," Kliewer added.
Another customer needed a mold built for a housing and lid. "Usually for this type of application you need two stand alone tools or a family tool that needs proper balancing," says Kliewer. "Whenever you have a family tool with two different parts, the question is what happens if you require different volumes? With Tandem tools you can lock each parting line independently and use either parting lines as a single face tool to get different volumes."
Another application required a housing and cover for keyboards, but it also required colored resin, as well as different volumes and different surface textures. "This product couldn't be done in a family mold," Kliewer explains. "Also it needed a good profile to fill well because of a class A surface requirement. By building a Tandem tool, the customer got a perfect color match, each with its own profile as stand-alone tools, and a much lower scrap rate."
As with any new technology, educating both moldmakers and end users about the benefits and suitability for various applications, can take time. Often, people are reluctant to use new mold technology. "The customers we work with are not afraid of technology and not afraid of working at a level where they can be more competitive," said Kliewer. "We have almost 800 applications worldwide where the Tandem technology is being used. Within the U.S. in the last year, American T-Mould has worked with many different customers on a number of applications."
In deciding whether a Tandem mold is appropriate, Kliewer notes that it is important to look at the overall program and what the end user requires. "We have several customers in the appliance industry currently looking at how often they might be able to use this technology in their applications," he says. "They begin looking at Tandem molds from the outset of the design. They also evaluate shot size and weight differential, for which Tandem technology can accommodate up to 60%. In other words you can have totally different weight relations. Every second shot you can get from a larger volume of material to a smaller volume. We have developed calculation programs that we use to calculate a Tandem process vs. a stand-alone mold to weigh the cost benefit of tandem vs. stand-alone. We are very honest about what we do - we don't pretend we can achieve something that we can't, but most of the time we can achieve a significant price reduction."
"Because of our growing business we wanted to have an increased presence in North America," explained Wilhelm Kliewer, managing director of American T-Mould.
A tandem mold is similar to a stack mold in that it has two parting lines. The primary difference however, is that a tandem mold operates in an alternating process. "For each parting line you have a standalone process," explains Kliewer. "The material is injected into the first single face section, then hold and pack takes place. But before the cooling process starts we activate the Compact Locking System (CLS), which locks the parting line. At that point, the barrel retracts and we shoot in the resin into the second parting line. The benefit to the Tandem mold is that we utilize the dead cycle time - the cooling phase - to injection the resin into a second parting line."
T-Mould holds the world-wide patent rights for the Tandem technology processing method, which is an amalgamating process that implements the Compact Locking System (CLS), which T-Mould's customers purchase. "We do not have repeating license fees," Kliewer clarifies. "We offer a one-time purchase of the CLS on a particular tool."
The CLS is offered in four different sizes and in different variations. "We work with customers on which locking system is best to be used for the particular tool," Kliewer says. "We're all engineers, toolmakers and process engineers, so we help our customers calculate their needs and offer technical support around the product. We also collaborate with the various suppliers such as press manufacturers, systems manufacturers to support the requirements of the Tandem tool, and with the toolmaker to design a Tandem tool. For us it is not only important that they use the technology, but more importantly that it's used in a proper functional way to receive the real benefit from the Tandem technology."
The Tandem mold concept was introduced by T-Mould in 2003. Since then, the technology has been catching on for various applications. However, Kliewer notes, applications for the technology are unique, and typically the end user is looking for greater productivity. Applications span a wide range of markets including medical, appliance, automotive and electronics among others.
One of T-Mould's customers with an expertise in building connector molds, had a requirement for a 16-cavity connector mold. "The customer usually builds 8-cavity connector tools, and with 250 critical dimensions they know how to build and balance the tool," says Kliewer. "But when they tried to go to 16-cavity tool, it wasn't possible to balance the tool properly. They sacrificed quality and it resulted in a reduced process window."
The moldmaker then went with the Tandem mold process, which resulted in increased production and higher throughput. Utilizing the Tandem technology, the moldmaker essentially had one 8+8-cavity mold in which he could use the cooling time of parting line 1 to inject into parting line 2, and can process this 16-cavity tool. "He was also able to increase his process window," Kliewer added.
Another customer needed a mold built for a housing and lid. "Usually for this type of application you need two stand alone tools or a family tool that needs proper balancing," says Kliewer. "Whenever you have a family tool with two different parts, the question is what happens if you require different volumes? With Tandem tools you can lock each parting line independently and use either parting lines as a single face tool to get different volumes."
Another application required a housing and cover for keyboards, but it also required colored resin, as well as different volumes and different surface textures. "This product couldn't be done in a family mold," Kliewer explains. "Also it needed a good profile to fill well because of a class A surface requirement. By building a Tandem tool, the customer got a perfect color match, each with its own profile as stand-alone tools, and a much lower scrap rate."
As with any new technology, educating both moldmakers and end users about the benefits and suitability for various applications, can take time. Often, people are reluctant to use new mold technology. "The customers we work with are not afraid of technology and not afraid of working at a level where they can be more competitive," said Kliewer. "We have almost 800 applications worldwide where the Tandem technology is being used. Within the U.S. in the last year, American T-Mould has worked with many different customers on a number of applications."
In deciding whether a Tandem mold is appropriate, Kliewer notes that it is important to look at the overall program and what the end user requires. "We have several customers in the appliance industry currently looking at how often they might be able to use this technology in their applications," he says. "They begin looking at Tandem molds from the outset of the design. They also evaluate shot size and weight differential, for which Tandem technology can accommodate up to 60%. In other words you can have totally different weight relations. Every second shot you can get from a larger volume of material to a smaller volume. We have developed calculation programs that we use to calculate a Tandem process vs. a stand-alone mold to weigh the cost benefit of tandem vs. stand-alone. We are very honest about what we do - we don't pretend we can achieve something that we can't, but most of the time we can achieve a significant price reduction."
Friday, January 6, 2012
Novel polymer nanowire fabrication technology uses pulsed laser irradiation
Polymer nanowires have important advantages for industrial applications in comparison with nanowires made from inorganic materials. Because they are extremely flexible and are also optically transparent, wide application is expected in new nanodevice fields such as sensors, light-emitting devices, optical switch devices, and others. However, it had not been possible to solve two problems which were obstacles to practical application of nanodevices using polymer nanowires. One was the need to substantially reduce the size of the nanowire, and the other was addition of various dopants to impart new functions.
In the present work, the NIMS researchers proposed an extremely simple method using only a pulsed laser, which is completely different from the conventional fabrication method, and simultaneously solved the above-mentioned two problems.
Nanodevices have attracted attention because new functions that were not possible with conventional devices can be obtained by utilizing the quantum size effect, which is first manifested when the size of a device is reduced to its ultimate limit. In order to obtain the quantum size effect, it is necessary to refine the diameter of nanowires down to several 10nm or less. Molds are used in the conventional nanowire fabrication technique, but fabrication by this method had been limited to comparatively thick wires with diameters of several 100nm. Furthermore, with the conventional technique, polymer nanowires were extracted from the mold by etching (dissolving) the mold with a strong chemical agent, and it was only possible to use polymers that would not be damaged by the chemical.
In this pioneering research, the NIMS team developed a completely new technique, which is the world's first of its kind, by simply irradiating a highly-controlled laser on the material without using a mold, thereby causing a nanowire to form at the position of irradiation as though growing. It was also possible to impart diverse functions to the formed nanowires, which had been difficult until now, by adding various dopants to the starting material.
Because this newly-developed functional polymer nanowire fabrication technique can be applied to arbitrary functional nanomaterials and diverse polymers as necessary, practical application of the functional polymer materials obtained by this method is expected in the future in fields such as wiring for flexible substrates of smart phones, where increasingly active development is anticipated, and in flexible high magnetic permeability materials in antennas for portable electronic devices, where miniaturization is required.
In the present work, the NIMS researchers proposed an extremely simple method using only a pulsed laser, which is completely different from the conventional fabrication method, and simultaneously solved the above-mentioned two problems.
Nanodevices have attracted attention because new functions that were not possible with conventional devices can be obtained by utilizing the quantum size effect, which is first manifested when the size of a device is reduced to its ultimate limit. In order to obtain the quantum size effect, it is necessary to refine the diameter of nanowires down to several 10nm or less. Molds are used in the conventional nanowire fabrication technique, but fabrication by this method had been limited to comparatively thick wires with diameters of several 100nm. Furthermore, with the conventional technique, polymer nanowires were extracted from the mold by etching (dissolving) the mold with a strong chemical agent, and it was only possible to use polymers that would not be damaged by the chemical.
In this pioneering research, the NIMS team developed a completely new technique, which is the world's first of its kind, by simply irradiating a highly-controlled laser on the material without using a mold, thereby causing a nanowire to form at the position of irradiation as though growing. It was also possible to impart diverse functions to the formed nanowires, which had been difficult until now, by adding various dopants to the starting material.
Because this newly-developed functional polymer nanowire fabrication technique can be applied to arbitrary functional nanomaterials and diverse polymers as necessary, practical application of the functional polymer materials obtained by this method is expected in the future in fields such as wiring for flexible substrates of smart phones, where increasingly active development is anticipated, and in flexible high magnetic permeability materials in antennas for portable electronic devices, where miniaturization is required.
Home sick? The causes and cures for mold in your home
Every week, home inspector Lars Knobloch gets at least one phone call from someone with a potential mold problem in their home.
Sometimes they can see what they think is mold and want to be sure. Other times, they just don’t feel well and want to rule out mold as the culprit.
“It is real,” said Knobloch, who owns Nordic Home Inspection in Fargo and does real estate inspections as well as testing for mold, asbestos, lead, radon and allergens. “It’s a serious matter.”
Casey Bartz of Moorhead recently dealt with mold in a home he was purchasing and said while there are a lot of home recipes for mold removal online, he would rather deal with professionals.
“There’s a lot on the internet that can be out there to scare you,” he said. “Having an actual person I could speak to about it helped me out a lot.”
Knobloch was inspecting the home when he discovered mold along the baseboards. The air in the home also did not smell fresh, Bartz said.
So Knobloch did an air quality test, not only in the basement where he saw mold, but also on the home’s main level. The results revealed toxic black mold.
Bartz was then able to factor in the cost of mold removal when he negotiated the house’s price.
As he worked in the home before the mold was removed, Bartz noticed that he didn’t feel well. But once the basement carpet and moldy sheetrock were removed, his home smelled a lot cleaner and he felt a lot better.
Having experienced the effects of mold, he knows what to watch out for and he knows how important it is to take care of problems that could lead to mold before that happens, he said.
Indoor air quality expert, Ken Hellevang, a North Dakota State University professor and NDSU Extension engineer, said mold will grow on wet materials in 24 to 48 hours.
“In our climate, we find a lot of potential for moisture problems in homes,” he said.
In the summer, homeowners may deal with damp basements as the ground water level rises. In the winter, condensation increases the moisture level in homes, he said.
Knobloch usually finds mold where water might drain such as around a utility room, water heater, sinks, washing machines, and bathtubs, he said.
Common causes are if the soil around your home slopes toward it or if the downspouts are not angled away from your home. In those cases, rainwater drains toward the foundation, creating a moist environment where mold will thrive. Mold might then grow on the back of sheetrock or behind baseboards.
“Mold really grows well in dark areas,” he said.
Mold can be caused by the following: flooding, sump pump failure, condensation on windows, soap scum in showers, firewood stored indoors, humidifier use, venting clothes dryer exhaust indoors, line drying clothes indoors, and a leaky or poorly ventilated attic.
“No one goes up in the attic,” Knobloch said. “I usually recommend people go up there once a year to check for minor roof leaks.”
Closets, especially those on exterior walls, can also be conducive to mold.
In “Keep Your Home Healthy,” Hellevang’s guide to improving indoor air quality, he explains that closets are higher in humidity than the rest of the house in the winter because the temperature inside the closet is often cooler than the rest of the house.
Mold is found more frequently in newer homes because older homes are draftier, don’t often have finished basements, and often have plaster walls, Knobloch said.
Mold usually has a musty smell, but people might not realize they have a mold problem if it’s growing where they can’t see it.
Sometimes illness alerts them to a problem.
“Many people contact me because they’re sick,” Knobloch said. “They have one of these health symptoms and they wonder if they have mold.”
People’s bodies respond differently to mold exposure. Some might have a severe reaction while others could experience no symptoms at all.
Health risks are greater in infants and children, the elderly, people with respiratory conditions or sensitivities, and those with severely weakened immune systems, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Hellevang said research is finding people are more sensitive to mold growth than they used to be.
According to Mayo Clinic, mold allergies cause the same signs and symptoms as other upper respiratory allergies. Symptoms can include: sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, cough and postnasal drip, itchy eyes, nose and throat, and watery eyes.
With a mold allergy, symptoms generally worsen with each exposure.
Asthma symptoms can be triggered by exposure to mold spores and in some people exposure to certain molds can cause a severe asthma attack.
Mold can also cause infections, with problems ranging from flu-like symptoms to skin infections or pneumonia.
Sometimes they can see what they think is mold and want to be sure. Other times, they just don’t feel well and want to rule out mold as the culprit.
“It is real,” said Knobloch, who owns Nordic Home Inspection in Fargo and does real estate inspections as well as testing for mold, asbestos, lead, radon and allergens. “It’s a serious matter.”
Casey Bartz of Moorhead recently dealt with mold in a home he was purchasing and said while there are a lot of home recipes for mold removal online, he would rather deal with professionals.
“There’s a lot on the internet that can be out there to scare you,” he said. “Having an actual person I could speak to about it helped me out a lot.”
Knobloch was inspecting the home when he discovered mold along the baseboards. The air in the home also did not smell fresh, Bartz said.
So Knobloch did an air quality test, not only in the basement where he saw mold, but also on the home’s main level. The results revealed toxic black mold.
Bartz was then able to factor in the cost of mold removal when he negotiated the house’s price.
As he worked in the home before the mold was removed, Bartz noticed that he didn’t feel well. But once the basement carpet and moldy sheetrock were removed, his home smelled a lot cleaner and he felt a lot better.
Having experienced the effects of mold, he knows what to watch out for and he knows how important it is to take care of problems that could lead to mold before that happens, he said.
Indoor air quality expert, Ken Hellevang, a North Dakota State University professor and NDSU Extension engineer, said mold will grow on wet materials in 24 to 48 hours.
“In our climate, we find a lot of potential for moisture problems in homes,” he said.
In the summer, homeowners may deal with damp basements as the ground water level rises. In the winter, condensation increases the moisture level in homes, he said.
Knobloch usually finds mold where water might drain such as around a utility room, water heater, sinks, washing machines, and bathtubs, he said.
Common causes are if the soil around your home slopes toward it or if the downspouts are not angled away from your home. In those cases, rainwater drains toward the foundation, creating a moist environment where mold will thrive. Mold might then grow on the back of sheetrock or behind baseboards.
“Mold really grows well in dark areas,” he said.
Mold can be caused by the following: flooding, sump pump failure, condensation on windows, soap scum in showers, firewood stored indoors, humidifier use, venting clothes dryer exhaust indoors, line drying clothes indoors, and a leaky or poorly ventilated attic.
“No one goes up in the attic,” Knobloch said. “I usually recommend people go up there once a year to check for minor roof leaks.”
Closets, especially those on exterior walls, can also be conducive to mold.
In “Keep Your Home Healthy,” Hellevang’s guide to improving indoor air quality, he explains that closets are higher in humidity than the rest of the house in the winter because the temperature inside the closet is often cooler than the rest of the house.
Mold is found more frequently in newer homes because older homes are draftier, don’t often have finished basements, and often have plaster walls, Knobloch said.
Mold usually has a musty smell, but people might not realize they have a mold problem if it’s growing where they can’t see it.
Sometimes illness alerts them to a problem.
“Many people contact me because they’re sick,” Knobloch said. “They have one of these health symptoms and they wonder if they have mold.”
People’s bodies respond differently to mold exposure. Some might have a severe reaction while others could experience no symptoms at all.
Health risks are greater in infants and children, the elderly, people with respiratory conditions or sensitivities, and those with severely weakened immune systems, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Hellevang said research is finding people are more sensitive to mold growth than they used to be.
According to Mayo Clinic, mold allergies cause the same signs and symptoms as other upper respiratory allergies. Symptoms can include: sneezing, runny or stuffy nose, cough and postnasal drip, itchy eyes, nose and throat, and watery eyes.
With a mold allergy, symptoms generally worsen with each exposure.
Asthma symptoms can be triggered by exposure to mold spores and in some people exposure to certain molds can cause a severe asthma attack.
Mold can also cause infections, with problems ranging from flu-like symptoms to skin infections or pneumonia.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Despite magical experiences when studying abroad
That is how long it has been since I have taken a class in English. It has been four full months (at least) since I've taken a step on Ohio State's campus.
Coming to work again for the first time since June, I passed demolished buildings on Woodruff, a street that I had not yet seen without its orange cones. Walking into the newsroom that I haven't visited since July, I passed through hallways that had no ceilings the last time I was here. And when I came in, I was greeted by a new set of faces. Some of them I was familiar with, some of them were fresh.
I spent the last three-and-a-half months studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Let me tell you, the whole experience was magical. Seriously, complete and utter magic. I took classes at a Spanish university, lived with a host family and created a life for myself in Barcelona. I bettered my Spanish skills, learned a little Catalan, the other official language of Barcelona, made friends and ate a lot of delicious food. A lot.
I also got to travel. I took a ferry across the Straight of Gibraltar, rode camels through the Sahara Desert, visited a medieval castle in France, ate authentic Irish potatoes in Ireland, climbed to the top of Cologne Cathedral in Germany, saw multiple cities in Spain and spent a week in Italy. In between my weekend adventures abroad, I explored Barcelona and immersed myself in its culture. It was an experience I will never forget and one that I know I was incredibly blessed to have.
Seeing all of these different places was one thing, but what really blew my mind was meeting and getting to know the people. Whether it was a cab driver in Ireland or a host at a hotel in Italy, it was incredible to meet people from all of these different countries and hear their stories.
My host mom, for example, was absolutely incredible. She was a widow and ran her family-owned ceramic tile shop on one of the main streets of Barcelona. She was a little hard to get to know, but when she finally opened up, I learned things I never would have if I hadn't put forth the effort. It was also a communication feat whenever I learned something from her, because she spoke no English. And that's how it was every day. People kept talking to me in Spanish and I kept learning. It was great.
During all of this, I sent a million postcards to my friends and family and was constantly uploading pictures to Facebook in a mad effort to let some of my friends and family at home share in what I was experiencing. I blogged, I emailed, I instant messaged. This was a challenge since I didn't have Internet in my flat. But it was certainly worth the effort.
I wondered why I felt such a desire to share my experiences so thoroughly with everyone at home. First I attributed it to my journalistic aspirations. I love being able to share things through words and to let people live vicariously in that way. I love sharing other people's stories and capturing things that people otherwise wouldn't be able to experience. But that wasn't the whole reason. Then I thought about how supportive everyone at home was and how I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for them, so maybe that's why I felt such a pull to keep in touch. But it was about halfway through the second month when I came to my senses and realized that all of this rationalizing was just one big defense mechanism. I was homesick. I missed everything about home and everyone there. I missed OSU, I missed Columbus, I missed my hometown. I missed my parents, my brother, my boyfriend, my friends and even my casual acquaintances. And honestly, this freaked me out. I had always had it in my head that I'd grow up and travel the world. I'd do anything I wanted to and see everything there was to see, and I was scared because I didn't want this stupid homesickness thing holding me back. But soon, after a brief period of freaking out, I realized that being homesick was a good thing, missing people was a good thing. It meant I had people that really loved me at home, and something good to go back to.
So while I traveled around Europe and lived in Barcelona, I let all my new experiences shape me and I learned from them. I had the time of my life, made new friends and saw things I honestly thought I would only see in pictures. And I was happy because I knew that I had people at home who would want to hear about it all when I got back.
Coming to work again for the first time since June, I passed demolished buildings on Woodruff, a street that I had not yet seen without its orange cones. Walking into the newsroom that I haven't visited since July, I passed through hallways that had no ceilings the last time I was here. And when I came in, I was greeted by a new set of faces. Some of them I was familiar with, some of them were fresh.
I spent the last three-and-a-half months studying abroad in Barcelona, Spain. Let me tell you, the whole experience was magical. Seriously, complete and utter magic. I took classes at a Spanish university, lived with a host family and created a life for myself in Barcelona. I bettered my Spanish skills, learned a little Catalan, the other official language of Barcelona, made friends and ate a lot of delicious food. A lot.
I also got to travel. I took a ferry across the Straight of Gibraltar, rode camels through the Sahara Desert, visited a medieval castle in France, ate authentic Irish potatoes in Ireland, climbed to the top of Cologne Cathedral in Germany, saw multiple cities in Spain and spent a week in Italy. In between my weekend adventures abroad, I explored Barcelona and immersed myself in its culture. It was an experience I will never forget and one that I know I was incredibly blessed to have.
Seeing all of these different places was one thing, but what really blew my mind was meeting and getting to know the people. Whether it was a cab driver in Ireland or a host at a hotel in Italy, it was incredible to meet people from all of these different countries and hear their stories.
My host mom, for example, was absolutely incredible. She was a widow and ran her family-owned ceramic tile shop on one of the main streets of Barcelona. She was a little hard to get to know, but when she finally opened up, I learned things I never would have if I hadn't put forth the effort. It was also a communication feat whenever I learned something from her, because she spoke no English. And that's how it was every day. People kept talking to me in Spanish and I kept learning. It was great.
During all of this, I sent a million postcards to my friends and family and was constantly uploading pictures to Facebook in a mad effort to let some of my friends and family at home share in what I was experiencing. I blogged, I emailed, I instant messaged. This was a challenge since I didn't have Internet in my flat. But it was certainly worth the effort.
I wondered why I felt such a desire to share my experiences so thoroughly with everyone at home. First I attributed it to my journalistic aspirations. I love being able to share things through words and to let people live vicariously in that way. I love sharing other people's stories and capturing things that people otherwise wouldn't be able to experience. But that wasn't the whole reason. Then I thought about how supportive everyone at home was and how I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for them, so maybe that's why I felt such a pull to keep in touch. But it was about halfway through the second month when I came to my senses and realized that all of this rationalizing was just one big defense mechanism. I was homesick. I missed everything about home and everyone there. I missed OSU, I missed Columbus, I missed my hometown. I missed my parents, my brother, my boyfriend, my friends and even my casual acquaintances. And honestly, this freaked me out. I had always had it in my head that I'd grow up and travel the world. I'd do anything I wanted to and see everything there was to see, and I was scared because I didn't want this stupid homesickness thing holding me back. But soon, after a brief period of freaking out, I realized that being homesick was a good thing, missing people was a good thing. It meant I had people that really loved me at home, and something good to go back to.
So while I traveled around Europe and lived in Barcelona, I let all my new experiences shape me and I learned from them. I had the time of my life, made new friends and saw things I honestly thought I would only see in pictures. And I was happy because I knew that I had people at home who would want to hear about it all when I got back.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Mosaic restored in time for Pennridge class's 50th reunion
Even though Pennridge High School is closed for the holidays, plenty of activity is going on inside its walls – literally.
People strolling by the auditorium would have seen a gaping hole in the wall Wednesday, but by Thursday the space was filled with a 340-pound piece of history.
The 43-by-37 inch ceramic mosaic of the high school seal, the class gift from graduates in 1962, was mounted above the auditorium doors in the previous high school building. The gift would have been lost in the rubble when the building was demolished in 2006 if class member Marlene Bryan and others had not rescued it.
They also salvaged some bricks from the old building, using them as centerpieces for the 45th class reunion in 2007 and then allowing classmates to take them home as souvenirs.
“Classmates came from all over the country,” Bryan said. “They really cherish [the bricks].”
The mosaic itself, however, hung in Ray Weidner’s garage until this week.
“We thought now’s the time to place it,” said Bryan, chair of the reunion committee. Bryan has worked on the four previous reunions, which are held every five years, and is currently helping to plan the 50th.
The mosaic, complete with the high school seal’s scroll and quill pen, was originally designed by Richard Kuhn, the cousin of Barry Kuhn, class of 1962 member who headed up this week’s installation project. Olean Tile Company in Lansdale, where a class member’s parent worked, fashioned the mosaic from the artist’s rendering. Olean is the ceramic tile manufacturer that made much of the tile that lines the Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels, according to Bryan.
“It was a huge employer in our area,” Bryan said.
The installation, completed by Gary Schott, was completed in two days rather than the three Barry allotted for the project.
The restored mosaic is just the beginning of what Barry called “a special anniversary.” The reunion will take place on Saturday, Sept 29 at Indian Valley Country Club, but plans are also in motion for an activity Friday evening. The three-day reunion weekend will finish off with Sunday brunch Sept. 30. Invitations for the reunion will be sent out in April or May, Bryan said.
The 14 members of the reunion committee have been working together for many years.
“We’re very close,” Bryan said. “Everyone does their own thing but they all help each other.”
People strolling by the auditorium would have seen a gaping hole in the wall Wednesday, but by Thursday the space was filled with a 340-pound piece of history.
The 43-by-37 inch ceramic mosaic of the high school seal, the class gift from graduates in 1962, was mounted above the auditorium doors in the previous high school building. The gift would have been lost in the rubble when the building was demolished in 2006 if class member Marlene Bryan and others had not rescued it.
They also salvaged some bricks from the old building, using them as centerpieces for the 45th class reunion in 2007 and then allowing classmates to take them home as souvenirs.
“Classmates came from all over the country,” Bryan said. “They really cherish [the bricks].”
The mosaic itself, however, hung in Ray Weidner’s garage until this week.
“We thought now’s the time to place it,” said Bryan, chair of the reunion committee. Bryan has worked on the four previous reunions, which are held every five years, and is currently helping to plan the 50th.
The mosaic, complete with the high school seal’s scroll and quill pen, was originally designed by Richard Kuhn, the cousin of Barry Kuhn, class of 1962 member who headed up this week’s installation project. Olean Tile Company in Lansdale, where a class member’s parent worked, fashioned the mosaic from the artist’s rendering. Olean is the ceramic tile manufacturer that made much of the tile that lines the Pennsylvania Turnpike tunnels, according to Bryan.
“It was a huge employer in our area,” Bryan said.
The installation, completed by Gary Schott, was completed in two days rather than the three Barry allotted for the project.
The restored mosaic is just the beginning of what Barry called “a special anniversary.” The reunion will take place on Saturday, Sept 29 at Indian Valley Country Club, but plans are also in motion for an activity Friday evening. The three-day reunion weekend will finish off with Sunday brunch Sept. 30. Invitations for the reunion will be sent out in April or May, Bryan said.
The 14 members of the reunion committee have been working together for many years.
“We’re very close,” Bryan said. “Everyone does their own thing but they all help each other.”
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