The #HISPinParis19 students took lots of neat pics while we were in Paris, and after a month and a half back in the US, I’ve finally found a few minutes to look through my own. Among the 10,000 shots of my kids – yes, I’m that mom – I did manage to take a few … Read moreArt de la rue
I am currently two weeks into teaching HISP 470: preservation abroad in Paris. My students have been writing wonderful posts about their experiences, focusing on topics like the rehab of Notre Dame, the variety of churches in the city, dealing with trash and recycling, etc. This post is nothing so serious, though it does discuss … Read moreMexican Food in France: does it exist?
I posted semi-recently about the convergence of my nerdery and work interests with the Urban Design Alignment Chart. That was a fun little project, but last fall I joined those two interests more seamlessly. So seamlessly, in fact, that I didn’t even think twice about it until just now. Last semester, I taught HISP471VV: Urban … Read moreIt’s all fun and games (until you build a city)
Since the Notre Dame fire, I’ve had lots of interesting conversations and fielded many pertinent questions. I thought instead of endlessly repeating myself, I should write some of this stuff down. Here goes: What exactly was lost? How do we fix it? The cathedral itself took the brunt of the damage: most of the artwork … Read moreNotre Dame: Follow-up Thoughts
As I write this, Notre Dame is on fire. I’m not going to show photos of the blaze. It feels like looking at a crime, looking at a corpse. I should be grading right now – sorry students – but I can’t focus on anything except this loss. So I’m going to write, because right … Read moreNotre Dame
Friends, family, and heck, random strangers at this point know that our neighbor’s tree fell on our house last March. I’ve blogged a little about it, but I haven’t written up too much yet. This is because (1) I didn’t want to jinx our rebuild as it was happening and (2) it’s still a bit … Read moreThat %^&#% Window
I’m not exactly a newcomer to the D&D alignment chart. It’s been a major meme forever. Did I let that stop me from creating a chart of my own? Nope. After all, I’m a regular if not very skilled D&D player, and I love urban design. Two great tastes that taste great together! Chart below. … Read moreNerding out on urban design
Since I’m an urban planner and a preservationist, people ask me about random urban stuff all the time. Why is this street like that? What does this kind of roof mean? When was this built? This can be a really fun game. But to be good at it, I constantly try to make sure I … Read moreWrong Assumptions
The tree fell on my house three months ago. Work started a few weeks back. The time in between has been challenging to say the least. I know I said I’d write “lots of posts” about this experience but turns out it’s easier said than done. The process feels like a maelstrom. My emotions, on … Read moreHome away from home
The title says it all, really: a big honkin’ tree fell on our house. The tree was in our neighbor’s yard: a 60′ tall 3-4′ wide BIG FELLA. It fell across our kitchen and even pierced through our other neighbor’s living room. The important facts: No one was hurt. Thankfully, no one was in the … Read moreA tree fell on our house