Good morning .......
UA & Karen ...... you don't know me well enough to know that I tease a lot? Well of course, i wrote your BF UA - because you didn't want to go out with him last night! (yuk-yuk)!!!
AV ..... thanks and take care of that toe. I hope your ENT finds the reason for your throat swelling. I had a growth/tumor on my upper neck 10-years ago that scared me. My ENT did the exam and later the surgery while I was awake. He was terrific - a good doctor and all the nurses loved him for his personality. Everything worked out well - barely a scar and it never came back. Hope your ENT experience is just as good!
about the cancer - it was no surprise. I knew it two weeks ago that the growing started again - just didn't know how fast. I'm a little upset because i should be back on chemo again ... should have been two weeks ago, but sometimes so-called progress moves slowly! Should know more later today. And it sounds like maybe the Nurse Practitioner who i liked so much may not be there anymore! That would be upsetting - because the NP who returned my calls yesterday and two weeks ago has the bedside manner of a large mushroom!!!!
Chotti ...... I think you came along on HW just after my long depressing thread about my family support. I have little family left - just two daughters now - no one else exept an ex-wife who kept my last name! One of my daughters moved 1150-miles away about a month ago - and while she doesn't know how to react with my medical problems, she really does care.
The other daughter, for some reason, walked away from me two years ago when I was last in the hospital. She's also walked away from her Mother at times. My grandchildren (2) are thru her - so my relationship with them is on eggshells! My son-in-law is one very rude dude - the nicest thing i could say about him! SO - I have NO family support!!!!
In architecture, I worked for others for 20-years and included working for construction companies too - in purchasing and contracts with some project management. I did work for a well-known (at the time) residential California architect by the name of Barry Berkus. Otherwise, I was with smaller firms.
In architecture, as you may know, job positions change or evaporate with the flinching of the economy. After 6-lay-offs in 20-years and a divorce looming, I went into business for myself. I never got large enough to hire employees - so I wore all the hats. It was a ton of fun!
I also never missed a child support payment or time with my kids - so my business was not an aggressive one. I did a number of commercial build-outs and one Wright influenced dental clinic for two dentists who loved Wright .... so I even designed the leaded glass windows. But nice architecture to design was not often available. Mosty of my work was with small additions and remodelings for individual clients on their homes.
I did more residential work than commercial with few notable structures. I did one cool three-story large residence for a Chicago Bear by the name of Lance Briggs. It's in stone and copper with a very complex structure - and proud to say I designed the entire structure - and has an elevator, etc. And I did a home in Indonesia (upper highlands) after studying Indonesian architecture - a fun job that was my only metric structure designed for typhoons. I did all the preliminary structural design for concrete - then hired a structural engineer to finalize.
I actually enjoyed working with Mr. and Mrs. John Doe homeowner for their 40K addition. My rates were reasonable. I was never sued - could not afford E/O insurance. I didn't often lose a job that I bid and eventually, most of my new clients were referrals. So, I was secretary, gopher, marketing, designer, draftsman and project manager - and even bookkeeper. I loved it ..... but the economy downturn that started 8-years ago nearly did me in. Metastisized cancer finally did - but I did what i loved doing for 22+ years on my own. Most people don't get that chance!
Yep ..... you asked for it! A one-man office rarely gets anything outstanding to do in architecture ..... but I had happy clients!
P.S.
Happy Turtle ...... sorry to hear winter is coming.
Happy Bean ...... you're sounding good lately.
Later - but peace and wellness!
Rob & Gizmo