Perkins+Will

One thing that is annoying is that people from the same team, my team, even though we sit in the same pod, we talk to each other thru instant communicator. Seriously, all we have to do is call the other person’s name! The problem is that person sometimes is listening to loud music and can’t hear us calling them, so often we look like idiots calling people who can’t hear. "Ryan... Ryan? RYAN!!!!" And then there's laughter. The person who sits next to the summoned one often touches that person's arm, that person being called take off the huge headphones, and says "what?". Seriously? Headphones? Where are we? At an airplane, that one needs to cut out all the loud noise? No. We are at an office that often sounds like a library. Very quiet. Nobody needs a Bose headphone. Small ones that fit inside the ear will do.

Competition LOFT
Zaki explains too much, including what you didn't ask, or "another way of doing" something. Mike didn't show up much. Steven is hyper.

Beer Time

There's a woman in my office who has a distinct smell. Maybe it's her hair. When I go in the bathroom I can tell when she has been there. "Hum, that smell again. She came in right before me". You know that little breeze that goes by when someone walks by you in the opposite direction? Yes, that smell again! I turn my head in the opposite direction and "disfarcadamente" cover my nose with the top side of my hands while making a disgusted face. Sometimes I even stop breathing. The thing is, we seem to always be on the same "pee" schedule or the "filling up the glass of water" schedule. She always appears out of nowhere! "I can't believe! That girl again!" I think to myself everytime I see her. We always meet around the office.
I can't imagine sitting next to that girl. I would never be able to work. Would I need to wear extra perfume to cover up her lack of? Maybe Victoria's Secret would save me this time.


The boys talking about girls in the communicator.

The girl who gets into other people's conversation.

When we moved to the new office (describe the old office) people complained that we lost space to work. I didn't care that much. At AGRAR I had even less space. and worked fine.

Compare with agrar. people smoked pot at the balcony once.

Preston Partnership

Jeff making jib jab videos of everyone.

Fat loss competition at the Retail Studio.

Meeting about overtime. I was always on the bottom.

First architecture job – TS Adams Studio

After a couple of unsuccessful interviews, I was called by this little office that I replied to an ad at the newspaper. My husband said he never met anybody who got a job by answering an ad at a paper. I went to the interview very relaxed thinking they are not going to hire me anyway, I’ll just do my best. Chris and I have practiced interviewing, so I did well this time. I was interviewing with three guys at the same time, I was very nervous, but I explained well what I did before, and I was hoping to get my foot in the door in the US. A couple of days later, the owner, Tim, called me and offered me the job. I was more than happy. I told Chris, even if he had offered me 1 dollar per hour, I would have taken the job. Of course he did better then that in the offer. I started the following week.

Pam complained that I was wearing too much perfume. She complained to the owner’s wife and she had to come and talk to me. "Helena, can you come here with me? I need to talk to you". She said that pointing to the boss's office. I entered the room, she followed me, and I was sweating. "Am I getting fired?" was my first tought. "Do I stink?" was my second tought, trying to hold on to some hope.
Well, here comes the problem: I smelled too good. "What?" I tought with much relief. Then she went on how embarrassed she was to have to tell me this, how Pam had put her in this position etc. Bad girl that Pam. Complaining about my good smell, she had "gowl/gall". I can't imagine complaining about someone smelling good. GOOD people, not bad! Anyone else would give anything to sit next to me because of my fragrance. After my Mom’s first visit to my house, we discovered Victoria’s Secret "Get 5 - Pay 4" Garden collection. Those pretty little things that smell so good. I wanted (and I bought) the whole collection. Five items that smelled like a specific flower. I purchased five items, and wore them everyday, all together. I took a shower with the shower gel or the scrub, then I would apply the body lotion all over my body, and then spray the body mist. I kept the hand lotion in my purse. Well, everything smelled great, but maybe wearing them all together was too much. Maybe Pam had a point.

I didn't know about wood frame construction. The first time I saw a roof detail I almost passed out. Those " x"'s everywhere! I wondered what those were. I nevee worked with wood frame construction before, and I didn't even know what a 2x4 was. Everything seemed to be 2x4, 2x6, 2x8, and so forth. What was that? After my first day of working there I went straight to the bookstore and bought a illustrated architecture dictionary and a building construction details book. I needed to find pictures of those things and all the vocabulary. I needed to succeed. I devoured those books and after a few months I was able to develop on my own wall sections and details for one house all by myself. One of the main archutects was very impressed of how fast I was learning and he congratulated me on my determination. That was very nice and encouraging. I could do that.
Being able to draw all that stuff by myself made me confident but at the sane time after two years I was ready for other challenges. I wanted to work with larger buildings.
Working with single family homes in Georgia introduced me to a few architects that became dear. Kim Mead White, Greene and Greene were admired by me and my peers. I learned more about the Arts and Crafts Movement and Frank Lloyd Wright. I wasn't afraid of 2x4's anymore. They were the back bones of architecture and now I was dominating them.