WP sketchbook

At the Beach...

2009-07-13T11:33:00.000-07:00

After attending the Monai presentation, Eric really wanted to be someplace tropical. So, he closed his eyes and clicked is ruby red loafers together and said "there's no place like the Bahamas, there's no place like the Bahamas, there's no place like the Bahamas"...and when his eyes opened he was magically in the Bahamas.

-Brian and Jeff

Urban Agriculture

2009-07-13T11:24:00.001-07:00

If your interested in Urban Gardening or just Gardening in general then check out this event at the AIA office downtown. I happen to live next to the Fremont Community Garden. It is incredibly successful and is always full of urban dwellers growing vegetables, flowers and playing the occasional game of Bocce Ball.

-Brian

Deep Thoughts...

2009-07-13T11:18:00.000-07:00

Many of you might remember a skit on SNL called "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy". A skit in which one man's thoughts about whatever ridiculous thing popped into his head were shared. I recently came across a few publications of his best work and thought I might share some over the next few weeks. Yes, they are rather dumb...and yes, they make no sense but they are funny and guaranteed to make you laugh.

“If you saw two guys named Hambone and Flippy, which one would you think liked dolphins most? I'd say Flippy, wouldn't you? You'd be wrong though. It's Hambone.”

-Brian

The Music of Second Saturdays

2009-07-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday I set out from my midtown abode to explore Second Saturdays Art Walk in Midtown. It's always nice to walk around with thousands of strangers and explore all that Midtown has to offer. What I found interesting this time out was all the live music that seemed to be everywhere. So I thought I would share...

This performance was completely impromptu. It was a promotion for an upcoming event at Harlows nightclub entitled 'HAIR - a tribal rock concert'. So if your a hippie or just a fan of the musical then check it out July 16th at 7pm.

Barber's Shop is a must stop for me. As an old soul I love the vintage feel of this automotive shop. The walls of the shop are littered with old 'art'...vintage signs, car parts and accessories. They usually have a down home rock-a-billy band playing and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer flowing. Barber's has been in business for 29 years, specializing in Alfa Romeo and other vintage European sports cars. They also restore and sell vintage Vespas as well as new scooters. check them out at 18th and L.

A totally random occurrence as I walked through the streets. This little group was content just jamming to whatever moved them. They had a nice little crowd gathered around them with one gentleman in a motorized wheelchair with a 30 pack of natural light in his basket. That is what's so fun about Midtown and Second Saturdays. You just never know what or who you'll run into. If you haven't been, or haven't been for a while check it out next month.

-Brian

Exploration Bahama

2009-07-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

A nice quiet stroll on the beach
such a little explorer Tom is...

These are a few images from a recent site visit to a project in the Bahamas. Look for more to come about this new and exciting project. Thanks to Tom and Terry for giving everyone the low down on how great their trip was, how awesome their tans are, and in general making everyone extremely jealous about a week in the tropics.

-Brian, Tom, Terry

Hot Italian - Midtown

2009-07-13T08:55:00.001-07:00

After over a year of renovation, Hot Italian finally opened to a packed house a few months ago. They serve up some authentic Italian thin crust pizza's and gelato, and of course birra and vino, along with a variety of merchandise, all from Italy. Next time you're downtown, stop by and check it out. If you choose to ride your bike, they have the coolest bike parking in town. Check them out at 16th and Q., across from Fremont Park.

-Brian

4th of July Festivities

2009-07-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Good food and some heated Wii competition. Another successful WP lunch time get together. Thanks to everyone who brought, baked, stirred, cooked, and grilled food for the event. To top everything off, and start the 3 day weekend off right...ice cream cones to finish the day.

Let Sleeping Interns Lie

2009-07-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is our interiors intern Ashley grabbing a few minutes of shut eye in the library. The best part is that she has no idea the pictures were taken and is seeing these for the first time, like everyone else. So, if you can't find Ashley at her desk, and paging her doesn't work (because she's sleeping)...check the library.

-Brian

What Do You Do When The A/C Breaks...?

2009-07-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Eat popsicles of course...

Thanks Cigi!

2009-07-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pages from the latest Nana Wall brochure...featuring the Yocha De Ye Golf Club.

-Robert

No Bag, No Problem

2009-07-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

As is typical when you make a retail purchase you usually get a huge bag with the stores logo on it to carry your goods. I was pleasantly surprised that when purchasing this particular pair of shoes that they did not put the box in a bag. They simply attached a small rope handle. One might say this is genius, I say it's common sense...and I also say I wish I would have thought of it!

- Brian

Newest WP puppy

2009-07-06T08:48:00.001-07:00

She is a black lab, weighs in at 17 pounds and is a complete bundle of energy. We had an interesting weekend of saying “no” to all the rocks in our backyard that she tried to eat, a few accidents in the house and her nipping at the backs of our legs as we played with her. She is a lot of fun and a great addition to the family.

- Jeff and Kim

I dare ya...

2009-07-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have noticed a few of your collegues acting rather strange lately. Well, check out this list of office dares and it might answer a few questions. Eric, Jeff and Brian have attempted and completed a few over the past few weeks. The list is at Brian's desk so if you complete one, come over and sign your name by the completed dare.

ONE-POINT OFFICE DARES
1) Run one lap around the office at top speed.
2) Ignore the first five people who say 'good morning' to you.
3) Phone someone in the office you barely know, leave your name and say,"Just called to say I can't talk right now. Bye."
4) To signal the end of a conversation, clamp your hands over your ears and say “lalalalalala”
5) Leave your zipper open for one hour. If anyone points it out, say,"Sorry, I really prefer it this way."
THREE-POINT DARES
1) Say to your boss, "I like your style" and shoot him with double-barreled fingers.
2) Babble incoherently at a fellow employee then ask, "Did you get all that,I don't want to have to repeat it."
3) Page yourself over the intercom (do not disguise your voice).
4) Shout random numbers while someone is counting.
FIVE POINT DARES
1) At the end of a meeting, suggest that, for once, it would be nice to conclude with the singing of the national anthem (5 extra points if you actually launch into it yourself).
2) Walk into a very busy person's office and while they watch you with growing irritation, turn the light switch on/off 10 times.
3) For an hour, refer to everyone you speak to as "Bob."
4) Announce to everyone in a meeting that you "really have to go do a numbertwo."
5) After every sentence, say 'Mon' in a really bad Jamaican accent. As in "The report's on your desk, Mon." Keep this up for 1 hour.
6) While an office mate is out, move their chair into the elevator.
7) In a meeting or crowded situation, slap your forehead repeatedly andmutter, "Shut up, all of you just shut up!"
8) At lunchtime, get down on your knees and announce, "As God as my witness,I'll never go hungry again."
9) In a colleague's DAY PLANNER, write in the 10am slot: "See how I look in tights." (5 Extra points if it is a male, 5 more if he is your boss)
10) Carry your keyboard over to your colleague and ask, "You wanna trade?"
11) Repeat the following conversation 10 times to the same person: "Do you hear that?" "What?" "Never mind, it's gone now."
12) Come to work in army fatigues and when asked why, say, "I can't talk about it."
13) Posing as a maitre d', call a colleague and tell him he's won a lunch for four at a local restaurant. Let him go.
14) Speak with an accent (French, German, Porky Pig, etc) during a very important conference call.
15) Find the vacuum and start vacuuming around your desk.
16) Hang a 2' long piece of toilet roll from the back of your pants and act genuinely surprised when someone points it out.
17) Present meeting attendees with a cup of coffee and biscuits, smashing each biscuit with your fist.
18) During the course of a meeting, slowly edge your chair towards the door.
19) Arrange toy figures on the table to represent each meeting attendee, move them according to the movements of their real-life counterparts.
TEN POINT DARES
And if that wasn't enough for you... How to keep a healthy level of insanity:
1) At lunchtime, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
2) Tell your children over dinner. "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
3) Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
4) Put your waste basket on your desk and label it "IN".
5) Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over his or her caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
6) Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."

-Amber

Bad Joke of the Week

2009-07-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

"I was standing in a park watching some people play frisbee. I thought to myself why is that frisbee getting larger...and then it hit me."

-Jim

quote of the week

2009-07-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. " - Hunter S. Tompson

-Stephan

2009-07-06T08:04:00.000-07:00

It seems like everyone is jumping on W+P's bandwagon and starting blogs. I highly doubt we were the first, but we were one of the first that I know of. HOK, a rather large firm...large enough to have a full time editor of a blog has started posting articles recently. I'd really like to hate this blog as it is the big corporate type but it has a lot of great articles. I guess if we had 2000+ employees in 24 cities on 4 continents we'd have a ton of great articles to post too. But, of the 2000+ employees only 36 get to actually post anything. Can you say censorship? I kinda like our anyone can post anything attitude. There is no editor, as evidenced by the horrible grammar and spelling that sometimes accompany my posts. But our blog is grass roots to the core. Watch for more 'big name' firms to start blogs in the near future...or twitter about what's going on...or become friends on facebook... or whatever.

if you care to check out HOK's blog...CLICK HERE

-Brian

Roseville Concert in the Park

2009-07-06T08:03:00.000-07:00

- Jodie

Crazy Stairs

2009-07-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

quote of the week

2009-06-08T09:57:00.000-07:00

"Divide and rule, a sound motto. Unite and lead, a better one." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1794 - 1832)

“excuses are the tools of the incompetent” - ?

How Not to Destroy a Cell Phone

2009-06-02T09:06:00.000-07:00

Step 1 - Don't give it to Eric
Step 2 - If you do, make sure it never leaves his handy belt holder
Step 3 - If that fails make sure he doesn't put it on top of his car
Step 4 - If he does, try to stop him from driving off with the phone still on his roof
Step 5 - If all this fails, grab a chair and watch for the Mini-Van to run it over in the street and have a good laugh.

Driever has showed us that cell phones aren't able to stop moving vehicles.

- Brian and Joey

Mr. Fix It

2009-06-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be nice to share some helpful hints on how to remodel and update your home. These pics are some of my proudest moments as a do-it-yourself Mr. Fix it. I would be happy to share more or you can wait for my first published 'how to' book on around the house handy work entitled "This is Why My House Burned Down."

- Eric D.

The Ellusive Paddon Spotted

2009-06-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Rarely seen in the wild, the Paddon was spotted around 16th and J in Midtown a few weeks ago. Remarkably I caught him during the 14 minutes he was NOT actually riding his bike during the month of May. Funny thing about this picture... I was sitting in a restaurant across the street, snapped a photo with the flash and everyone looked outside as if there was some celebrity out there. Looks like Jack is even more of a local celebrity now.

-Brian

May is Bike Month - Finale

2009-06-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

I see there were a lot of miles logged over the weekend. Great Job! We so far have been able to hold off the competition but not by much. They are a little more than 200 miles behind us. The web page will allow logging of miles that were completed during may for a few more days. If you rode during may and did not log your miles please do so.
W+P has 6 people over 500 miles and to even think about getting into the top 10 you need to have ridden at least 200 miles. That is amazing! Great job all around this year W+P. Below is a list of all those who rode at least 100 miles. Thank you to all who rode and made it a successful event. You are all healthier because of it.

Here are a few very honorable mentions. This is our 500 club

Jack, 857 miles? WOW! And you were gone for a week? I am thinking 1000 next year.
Mark, You damn near made it to 700. Awesome!! How are your knees?
Jaggers, You edged out Robi who I know was gunning for you!
Robi, Absolutely no shame in 526. That is more than I have ever done. I am simply stunned!
Terry, You edged out the monster Robert who tried to catch you by simply riding a Century Friday. In the heat no doubt.
And Robert this is the first year you made it to 500 and your first Century. Amazing! Great Job!

Not so far behind are our 300 Mile members

Tom… His first outing for us and Rookie of the year!
And Jim, Wow 300 miles? Top Notch! I am in for your announcement that “June is Golf Month”.

Mark and Robi's Ride

2009-06-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

Jim Williams sporting a Rolling Stones Jersey
The gang waiting for Mark to finsh grilling the burgers and dogs...

Ahhh...finally they're done!

A tired and full bunch of riders.

Finally, Jack's bike got a rest.

Well Saturday morning was a beautiful day to ride and that is just what we did. We had 11 riders show up at Mark and Robi's house. At 9:30 we were off for a 20 mile bike ride through the Rocklin and Lincoln countryside. Thanks to the following riders for showing up: Jack, Terry, JTW, Dianne Williams, Linda Green, Ryan Culver-Engler, Justin Engler, James, Tom, Robi and Mark . We even brought our next door neighbor, Ronnie along with us. Terry road to our house from his Mom's and put in an extra 20 miles before we started. Jack road from Newcastle and also had 20 miles in for the day before we started. After the ride and lunch Jack put back on his riding gear and once again headed off on his bike......we think he stopped riding some time on Monday. :)
Together we logged over 200 miles for Team W + P. Way to go!

-Robi

Oakmont H.S. Wins Architectural Design Competition

2009-06-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

A few months back 3 young aspiring architects from Oakmont High School stopped by for some help on a design competition they entered. They were a little nervous at first. Really...who wouldn't be nervous in the presence of such a 3D graphical genius as Jeff? The competition was a Re-Use of an existing building (old pump station between I-80 and the river near Old Town) turning it into an Aquarium. They had the design figured out (which included a green roof and solar panels) they just needed help making it come to life on the computer. We gave them some insider information, special cheat codes and gave them the secret handshake and sent them on their way. Well, just got an update. They won 1st place out 12+ schools!

-Brian, Jeff, and Paul