Someone asked me the other day if i'd seen any movies over the weekend. No, I hadn't, and I realized it's been quite a while since I had. the only movie i've seen this year was "300" while i was away in Pennsylvania for my grandpa's funeral. Perhaps not exactly appropriate, but it was a great time.

Nothing good seems to be in the theaters right now or anytime lately, but i seem to remember a lot of advertising lately that has caught my attention. so when is this stuff coming out? I just found a web site with movie releases and here is what i am looking forward to. there might be other great movies coming out that i don't know about or recognize, but these are the big titles for 2007:

Mar 09: 300 (saw it!)
Mar 23: Shooter
Apr 06: Grindhouse (?)
May 04: Spiderman 3
Jun 08: Ocean's Thirteen
Jun 15: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (?)
Jun 27: Live Free or Die Hard
Jul 04: Transformers
Jul 13: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Aug 03: The Bourne Ultimatum
Nov 16: Beowulf (?)
Dec 07: The Golden Compass
Dec 25: Alien vs. Predator: Survival of the Fittest

spring/summer started today. and since my work trip scheduled for today was canceled, i rode my bike to Prospect Park and relaxed at the big lawn there, whatever it's called. i am so out of shape. my legs were hurting after that ride. but the park was hopping as this was everyone's first chance to get outside and enjoy some sun. and you could tell it was the first chance because all the white people were really white. ha, ha.

i saw this high rise apartment building in midtown on the way to take a friend out for a birthday dinner. red light came down the side street from the setting sun. the juxtaposition of this to the Hearst building next door was nice, but i didn't get a good pic of that. i guess i like the repetition of the balconies. black and white would be nice too.

I found out last week that i get to travel to Burundi this July with church. Africa, here i come again!

Burundi is one of the smallest (maybe?), poorest, and most conflict-ridden nations in the world. You may not have heard of it before, but you probably know its neighbor, Rwanda, which shares similar problems between the Hutu and Tutsi people. Our group also plans to help the Twa people who are native to the area but have been forced into the mountains.

Anyway, i still have a lot to learn about Burundi, but i think it will be a great trip. probably grueling and amazing.

whoo-hoo! i passed ARE #2, construction documents & services. probably barely passed.

i still haven't scheduled the next exam, or even started studying for it. this is mostly because i can't decided which test to take next. i wanted to switch over to the graphic exams, but i have to figure out how to study for them; we don't have study books for them.

but i don't have time to think about it right now. soon...

We were swinging an arc around the top of Brooklyn just then. We had flown over Staten Island, had gotten a long look at the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan through a haze, and had just seen the neighborhood where i live due to a plane dipped into a course change. Our constant descent meant you could see the people on the sidewalks and read the signs on buildings. We were moments from touching down at Laguardia. Ten seconds out i snapped this pic. We have good sunsets in New York.

WHOO-HOO !!! I passed my first ARE! (Architect Registration Examination) and so did my study partner. Such a relief. And the champagne is on the way. Now, only eight more tests to go.

February has really gotten to me. i was already crabby today when i got to work today. and then we didn't have heat again until after lunch... around two, i think. my toes are still thawing. times like these i just want to go home. and then move some place warmer. why put up with this?

i guess i like to think that i enjoy winter. it's great to have changing seasons and see everything die and then regenerate in the spring. and snow can be really beautiful, especially since it covers all the dirt of the city.

but snow is really only fun when you get a "snow day," and that doesn't happen in new york city because the subway doesn't shut down. okay, it shut down twice since i've been using it, and those were momentous occasions: it took a multistate power grid meltdown to stop the trains, and everything else, and then there was the transit strike, which didn't stop me from having to go to work; it just involved lots of walking and bike riding in the freezing cold for a few days.

Perhaps if NYC got 6 feet of snow like upstate. maybe then i'd get a snow day. or that one town that had 12 feet! that would be awesome! excpet new yorkers as a rule don't eat at home, so everyone would probably starve.

i don't know where this complaining was headed, so i'll end it. i guess it's almost March. i think i can make it through the winter. i'm feeling better already. aren't you glad you read this?

Okay, the Puerto Rico pictures are online. (link below) I only uploaded a selection of the images from the picture pool, but these are still a lot. photography credits go to ryan, christina, omar, connie, and me.

here's the itinerary so you can understand what you're seeing:

day1: arrive at rented apartments, walk around Old San Juan
day2: drive to El Yunque rainforest, rehearsal dinner in San Juan
day3: Ocean Park beach, wedding at old fort, reception dinner
day4: drive/boat ride to Culebra island, Flamenco beach, dinner Old San Juan
day5: walk + shop Old San Juan, fly home

picture link: H E R E

two weeks ago i was swimming in a rainforest waterfall, napping on an island beach, and sipping pina coladas. The temp didn't go below 70 or above the low 80's. perfect.

it was 8 degrees going to the gym this morning, and has warmed up now to 16. we didn't have heat in the office this morning until about 11. the gallon jug of water in our fridge was frozen solid, and i was cadding in scarf and a hat. Paul made me some tea to sip and thaw my hands until the heat came back up. but my toes are still frozen.

i miss you, Peurto Rico!

(note: inappropriate contents have been replaced)

i think the picture says it all.

we spent our last few hours in puerto rico [over]eating an amazing meal at Pamela's on Ocean Park Beach. sooooo good.

this dog seems to be a regular at Pamela's. He had the puppy-dog eyes and why-won't-you-give-me-a-table-scrap look down pat. I think his thickness proves his begging abilities; he was pretty much rectangularly shaped with four little legs splayed out from his body. The waiters spoke to him (i didn't understand the spanish) and gave him a water bowl at one point. And when they cleared our plates, he hedged his bets and waddled closer to another table that still had their food.

okay... i'm signed up to take my first architect's exam. a friend convinced me to schedule the same test so we could study together. i hadn't even started to prepare for it, but i guess a looming test date is the best incentive to start. so now i'm taking spare moments to read through a study guide. this stuff is pretty dry, so i sometimes end up falling asleep.

i was just thinking that i should probably just announce when i have successfully passed each exam, thereby avoiding any embarrassment should i fail them. oh, well. i can take it.

wish me luck!

once again, santa brought me almost everything on my christmas list. i guess the flat screen HDTV i asked for was too big for the chimney because i couldn't find it anywhere. i know it was a tough year, but i don't think high fuel costs should affect someone with flying reindeer.

But thanks everyone for your gifts. B+T, the meat tenderizer you gave me made it through airport security in my checked bag. Holly+Chris, the headphones kick, and i can't wait to peruse itunes to spend the GC. Mom, thanks for finding that gift you forgot to wrap. sorry dad i didn't love the shirt, but now YOU get to wear it! Anna, the pretzels rule. Marshalls, i can't wait to wear my homemade FruitbytheFoot stickers.

Thanks for a great stay in She-Vegas/Sure-Boredom/Sheboygan. It was above freezing probably the entire time, and that single hour of sunshine was a real treat. Thanks too for the extra five, six pounds from the constant eating and loads of christmas goodies around the house. i thought of you this morning at the gym.

i forgot to post this pic earlier. christina is singing me 'happy birthday" with my makeshift birthday cake; the cake is a pint of haagen-das, and the candle is a match stuck into the ice cream. by the time she was done singing (and prancing), the match was going out. c gasped to get my attention (i was taking this picture). i lowered the camera and saw the flame dying, so i lunged towards the flickering flame and at the same time blew out a quick puff of air. i got it just in time. then we died laughing.

The state education department of the university of the state of new york has informed me that i "have been found eligible" to take the 9 tests of the architect registration examination. i guess i'll be studying my way through most of 2007! yeah to me.

maybe i'm just tired, but i'm really not looking forward to this. it seemed like test taking was over for me a long time ago. and for these tests i really have to study to pass. however, i am hopeful that studying will help fil in all the gaps in my knowledge in the myriad aspects of architecture and the profession.

wish me luck. i need it.