… because I literally sat at my desk at CHBL for approximately 9 hours with a 0.5 hour break for lunch and conversation with Filip (another intern from Belgium). The work is putting tha autoCAD plans into Adobe Illustrator and working with the line weights, hatching, and everything else so that it is fitting for the graphics department. Seeing the autoCAD plans are good, but it is easier to read the drawings (+5, -3 floorplans, 4 sections, 3 site plans) if they’re in B&W and sans room stamps, dimensions, etc. This is my task for the past two weeks-ish. I think yesterday was especially taxing because my wrist started to hurt and my eyes were shot, thus the glasses today. They make me look old…er and more severe. Which makes me self-conscious.
This past weekend I came into work for a few hours just so that I didn’t have to stay long nights this week, and I’m glad I did, because now I’m a little bit ahead of where I thought I would be. WOO! But at the same time, I missed going to Graz with Omama. Saturday night I went to the annual Donauinselfest with some co-workers. A little about the Donauinsel: it sits in the Donau (kind of like Ile de la Cite) but it is super long and super skinny. There were 18 different stages set up… and the most famous band there was Snow Patrol. Which was the only band I knew, so that’s the one we tried to see at about 11pm on Satuday night with literally (check it out on the news, google it, whatever) a million other people. Million. GAH. Don’t get me wrong, I dig fests and crowds and the like, but we were packed in and couldn’t even see the stage where we were at. So we decided to leave, which was also a crowded situation. Good new though: I went to bed a little earlier than normal and the sleep really did me well! I was able to get up Sunday, talk to Josh a little bit (despite many Skype -related issues), tried to call the family (again a no-go because I guess my Skype really sucks), cleaned the apt a little and took the train to Neusiedl am See for Andrea’s (Roswitha’s sister) birthday. It was amazing food: kind of a pancake roll thing with mixed greens (what am I, a menu?) to start out (like an appetizer), next roast pork and rice with a delicious sauce, then a rasperry dessert with creme. And Chocolate birthday cake and coffee. I really loved this experience. Not only was Andi, Ulli, Ita, and Margit there, but the Strands family and Andrea’s family. It made me miss our family birthday’s at 915 Church. We played board games and watched half an old movie snuggling with Ulli (Okay only a few people will get this but: chee!) before Andi and I returned to Vienna.
Later that night (Sunday) I met up with a friend to try to find his favorite Croatian beer. I guess there are only two bars in Vienna that sell it legally, and both were in Ottakring (one of the farthest reaches of the Ubahn) so we get there and it tastes like Stella! I love it! Haha. We then took the train back into the first district to see all the beautiful buildings at night and I couldn’t agree more with this quote from (okay, don’t go crazy) Hitler:
“From morning until late at night, I ran from one object of interest to another, but it was always the buildings that held my primary interest. For hours I could stand in front of the Opera, for hours I could gaze at the Parliament, the whole Ringstrasse seemed to me like an enchantment out of The Thousand and One Nights.”
(Mein Kampf, A. Hitler)
I’ve also taken to reading the book about Vienna that I bought here, so I look like an uber-tourist on the Ubahn on the way to work. Whatev, I like it.
During the beginning of last week, I met up with more people from the GB here. I really felt like I was in the right place at the right time. Definitely an answer to what I’ve been waiting for. More on that later… I’m meeting up with them again tomorrow.
Jeez, I gotta get back to Illustrator. I’m totally going to finish these plans today… Muahaha. Oh and for all you archstudents reading this blog, Wolf Prix is having an internal intern competition for one of his projects: the House of Music. The goal is to design a 3-D surface to cover the interior walls of the concert hall to act as a sound diffuser. I’ll post my entries up here when I’m done. Check it!
Peace,
Liz
To preserve your arm really concentrate on the ergonomics of your desk. I had such trouble with my arm earlier this year but a vertical mouse (not the flat ones) and a short keyboard (which only shows the letters) really has done the trick. I really recommend the vertical mouse, especially for the wrist. Just an idea. And of course, exercise and sleep are the Real Doctor. Take care, your loving aunt.
Dear Elizabeth,
Lovely to hear of your exploits. Do try to pace yourself and rest regularly. About the wall – “3-D surface to cover the interior walls of the concert hall to act as a sound diffuser”, you could propose a nice colored geopolymer panel. It has already been successfully used in U boats to cut down on engine noise and it really works. We could make you some nice and textured or untextured colored panels of geopolymer, or geopolymer panels which are sand which like, with a porous center and a denser outer “bread” slice. The nanoporosity and mesoporosity would cause destructive interference in the sound waves and so cause damping.
Lots of love,
Mama