Siftings
Sep
28
Into The Gaps
John stops for a moment and says he’s getting too excited. The room rumbles with laughter, for John’s a rather gentle soul. He’s also John Nalbandian, dean of the city manager training brigade if ever there was one. Chaired the Public Administration Department at KU. Mayored Lawrence, Kansas. ...
Sep
28
Aperture
The plane descends into the over-built hell that is Los Angeles. Less than an hour ago it took off from the heaven of Seaside and the peninsula. As we lose altitude, I slide the window shade up and the difference is so stark, I take a picture for a tweet. The first of three planes today, this...
Sep
18
A Few Small Repairs
I was stumped. It happens so regularly, you’d think they’d all sort of run together. And they do. The running screenplay of my life carries the working title Stumped: A Life Not Quite Sure, Except For A Few Things.
The February 25, 2015 episode stands out though, because I have notes from...
Sep
17
Is it umpa or oompa (lumpa)?
“Bridget Bardot?” goes the question. “Jill St. John” starts the answer, “and that’s Jacqueline Bisset”, finishes it. It’s a non-standard conversation to have in front of a vacant furniture refinishing shop. But it’s a non-standard day. Not an odd day (at least, to me). Just a non-standard one....
Sep
16
Craig’s Friday Checklist: Thwackery
Things to bring with on PARK(ing) Day:
Misc.
3. Conceptual Walls – to conceptually frame the space
2. Handouts – so I can be lathing rather than explaining (here)
1. Not So Conceptual Picture Stands – because space is only 10% defined by walls and 90% by what you hang on...
Sep
15
Oh Leery
Seaside leads the peninsula (get used to that phrase) with PARK(ing) Day tomorrow. See you tomorrow at 600 Broadway, Seaside, CA. A handout for my parking space turned live-work-play demonstration goes something like this:
The THWACK Factory: A Love Story
Orville and Wilbur dreamed we...
Sep
14
Prairie Echoes
“We kick ass and take names.” Someone, I don’t remember who, asked my boss why Vernon Hills was so stridently successful. Perhaps they were hoping for some nuanced theory of community building and organizational development. They got Larry Laschen, instead. Few words, and so huskily delivered,...
Aug
24
Cheetahs In The Mist
We lost Jimmy. The marine layer rolled over the dunes and enveloped the Seaside Spartan ball diamond in a fog so dense our centerfielder was no longer visible. As practice came to a ghostly end, the first thing we could make out were his fluorescent orange and yellow cleats trotting in from the...
Aug
19
Craig’s Friday Fill Up
Normal gas station. Abnormal place.
7. Range Rover
6. Dodge 200
5. Porsche 996
4. Jaguar XKE
3 "Levi's Edition" Jeep
2. Aston Martin DB5
1. Lamborghini Miura
Aug
16
Tables, Times
Some people scream. I’ve never found anything beyond an ebullient and brief “wooo!” much help at all. Raising your voice is for people with either a shortage of context and / or an abundance of self-importance. Children. Political candidates. People on the flight who go with “ohh noo!” and...
