What is This Blog About?

I like buildings.  Always have.  Always will.

That's kind of a lie.  What I really like are cool buildings; stuff like the Seattle Library.  Not so much your suburban strip malls.

And I actually do remember when I first started liking cool buildings.  As a kid I loved jets and dreamed of being a fighter pilot.  My early life consisted of living in quaint Dakota cities like Rapid City, and Fargo.  I would look up and see B-1 bombers flying out of Ellsworth, and the F-16s flying out of Fargo.  Then, at age 11, my parents took me on my very first plane ride to see a city called Chicago.  I was forever changed.  I stared wide-eyed at those tall buildings and had a new dream.

Fast forward 15 years, add 2 college degrees, and a brand new suit - I found myself peering down onto the Seattle street 32 floors below me.  I was in the waiting room of a company called Magnusson Klemencic Associates nervous for my upcoming interview.  Working at this company would mean I would engineer high profile buildings all across the globe, and more importantly, fulfill my childhood dream.  After an 8 hour interview, I left that office feeling like I nailed it, and sure enough I got the job.

"But Trace, why do you like cool buildings so much?"

Oh gee, I never thought you'd ask.

I love buildings so much because they're a manifestation of the success, intelligence, and creativity of humanity.  People congregate and big ideas are formed due to the creative friction that these buildings allow.  Some of our happiest and saddest moments take place within their walls; nailing a job interview, attending a wedding, or visiting a loved one in the hospital.  Some buildings are so awe-inspiring they become symbols for their city and represent the millions of people who live there.

But enough of that melodrama.  Let's get to the point.

I've been working for a couple years now and it's been great.  I've worked on great projects with good people.  Life is good.  But sometimes, when you've been staring at a building's floor (we call them slabs) that you've been designing for a couple days, weeks, months...you forget about all the reasons why you like buildings and you become sleepy, or you daydream, or you get on ESPN.  But every once and awhile, you look at your slab slightly differently and BOOM!  They look like something.

And you laugh.  And you show your co-workers.  And they laugh.  And then a week later their slab looks like something and they show you.  And you laugh again.  And over time, you have a small collection of slabs that look like things, and you're 28, single, bored, and you decide the world needs to see these slabs that look like things.