USMB Coffee Shop III

[Nosmo King]

It was 24 years ago today I bought the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate. The mortgage was finally paid in 2005. I made the last payment at the same bank branch I closed the deal back then. When I handed over the last check, I kinda expected a balloon drop and confetti cannons and a lovely young woman wearing a one piece bathing suit and a sash to come out and congratulate me. None of that happened, except in my imagination.

I clearly remember the day of the closing. I had never bought a house and I was apprehensive (that's an understatement. I was scared blind!) I never knew how many times I would have to sign my name to so many different documents. The process was stupefying.

After all the rigamorall, I rose to leave. The closing officer rose from behind her desk and followed me out. The bank offices were laid out by someone who might have designed casinos before taking the bank office commission. There was no clear way out of there and plenty of opportunities to make the wrong turn. And I took advantage of every one of those opportunities!

After making a left when I should have turned right for what seemed to be the fifth time, I turned to the closing officer and said "Who ever designed your offices must have got a lot of D's in Architecture School!"

She gave me a cold glare and said, "My husband designed this addition to the bank."

Yikes! I'm glad the ink was dry on all those documents!

There are plenty of bad architects out there. The most basic lesson that I was taught was that a home is a machine for living in. When you think of it in that way then the design becomes easy. Yes, I have designed 2 of my own homes.

Offices are much the same concept and making them inefficient is not a good idea. Ikea stores are laid out with a one way traffic pattern. Great if you understand the concept but seriously frustrating if all you want to do is get in and out quickly.

Supermarkets have a very simple layout and so do hardware stores. Those work well because the people who use them are there with a specific list of items to purchase and want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Contrast that with a shopping mall that twists and turns and has multiple levels and each store has it's own layout. That probably explains why I hate malls and shopping.

These bank offices were a labyrinth!

But, as it turns out, the same architect designed the new Trinity Presbyterian Church which is visible from my kitchen window. It's the church I grew up in. The OLD Trinity was beautiful! It featured a hip roof with slate shingles and the ceiling in the sanctuary was covered with quarter sawn red oak. Four huge Black Walnut beams rose from the corners and met at the peak of the pyramid shaped ceiling. There was a carved screen separating the altar area from the choir loft behind. A pulpit of Black Walnut and hard maple rose from the right side. A stained glass window was on the south wall and took up about 2/3 of the wall space there.

The NEW Trinity looks more like a bunker than a church. Unfinished concrete blocks rise up about four stories separated by narrow (18" or so) clear glass panes. The only wood finishes in the sanctuary are the pews in oak and a screen separating the altar form the choir loft again, but this time made of oak strip flooring material. Two boxes about 14' square at the base and about twenty feet high hold the organ pipes. The pulpit, altar and ceiling is all cast concrete. The floors are polished concrete. Beside being difficult to heat, the church is one of the least spiritual spaces I've been in this side of a truck stop.

 

[Derideo_Te]

It was 24 years ago today I bought the Luxurious Pimplebutt Estate. The mortgage was finally paid in 2005. I made the last payment at the same bank branch I closed the deal back then. When I handed over the last check, I kinda expected a balloon drop and confetti cannons and a lovely young woman wearing a one piece bathing suit and a sash to come out and congratulate me. None of that happened, except in my imagination.

I clearly remember the day of the closing. I had never bought a house and I was apprehensive (that's an understatement. I was scared blind!) I never knew how many times I would have to sign my name to so many different documents. The process was stupefying.

After all the rigamorall, I rose to leave. The closing officer rose from behind her desk and followed me out. The bank offices were laid out by someone who might have designed casinos before taking the bank office commission. There was no clear way out of there and plenty of opportunities to make the wrong turn. And I took advantage of every one of those opportunities!

After making a left when I should have turned right for what seemed to be the fifth time, I turned to the closing officer and said "Who ever designed your offices must have got a lot of D's in Architecture School!"

She gave me a cold glare and said, "My husband designed this addition to the bank."

Yikes! I'm glad the ink was dry on all those documents!

There are plenty of bad architects out there. The most basic lesson that I was taught was that a home is a machine for living in. When you think of it in that way then the design becomes easy. Yes, I have designed 2 of my own homes.

Offices are much the same concept and making them inefficient is not a good idea. Ikea stores are laid out with a one way traffic pattern. Great if you understand the concept but seriously frustrating if all you want to do is get in and out quickly.

Supermarkets have a very simple layout and so do hardware stores. Those work well because the people who use them are there with a specific list of items to purchase and want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Contrast that with a shopping mall that twists and turns and has multiple levels and each store has it's own layout. That probably explains why I hate malls and shopping.

These bank offices were a labyrinth!

But, as it turns out, the same architect designed the new Trinity Presbyterian Church which is visible from my kitchen window. It's the church I grew up in. The OLD Trinity was beautiful! It featured a hip roof with slate shingles and the ceiling in the sanctuary was covered with quarter sawn red oak. Four huge Black Walnut beams rose from the corners and met at the peak of the pyramid shaped ceiling. There was a carved screen separating the altar area from the choir loft behind. A pulpit of Black Walnut and hard maple rose from the right side. A stained glass window was on the south wall and took up about 2/3 of the wall space there.

The NEW Trinity looks more like a bunker than a church. Unfinished concrete blocks rise up about four stories separated by narrow (18" or so) clear glass panes. The only wood finishes in the sanctuary are the pews in oak and a screen separating the altar form the choir loft again, but this time made of oak strip flooring material. Two boxes about 14' square at the base and about twenty feet high hold the organ pipes. The pulpit, altar and ceiling is all cast concrete. The floors are polished concrete. Beside being difficult to heat, the church is one of the least spiritual spaces I've been in this side of a truck stop.

Oh no! A soulless church! There is probably more spirituality in one of those storefront churches in the slums. Proportion and materials are really important when designing for a purpose. I am fortunate to work in a well designed office campus where all of the buildings are set out so as to give the impression of a village with a central main street with a circle, lake and outdoor eating areas for the cafeterias. Inside the building I work in there is central atrium that rises 3 stories with a wonderful DNA style sculpture suspended in it. That, together with the wood, glass and tile makes it a welcoming place to come to every day.

So I can understand how frustrating it must be to have gone from the splendor of the old church to the new "bunker". Being surrounded by beauty is an uplifting spiritual experience. You must miss that.

 

[Nosmo King]

There are plenty of bad architects out there. The most basic lesson that I was taught was that a home is a machine for living in. When you think of it in that way then the design becomes easy. Yes, I have designed 2 of my own homes.

Offices are much the same concept and making them inefficient is not a good idea. Ikea stores are laid out with a one way traffic pattern. Great if you understand the concept but seriously frustrating if all you want to do is get in and out quickly.

Supermarkets have a very simple layout and so do hardware stores. Those work well because the people who use them are there with a specific list of items to purchase and want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Contrast that with a shopping mall that twists and turns and has multiple levels and each store has it's own layout. That probably explains why I hate malls and shopping.

These bank offices were a labyrinth!

But, as it turns out, the same architect designed the new Trinity Presbyterian Church which is visible from my kitchen window. It's the church I grew up in. The OLD Trinity was beautiful! It featured a hip roof with slate shingles and the ceiling in the sanctuary was covered with quarter sawn red oak. Four huge Black Walnut beams rose from the corners and met at the peak of the pyramid shaped ceiling. There was a carved screen separating the altar area from the choir loft behind. A pulpit of Black Walnut and hard maple rose from the right side. A stained glass window was on the south wall and took up about 2/3 of the wall space there.

The NEW Trinity looks more like a bunker than a church. Unfinished concrete blocks rise up about four stories separated by narrow (18" or so) clear glass panes. The only wood finishes in the sanctuary are the pews in oak and a screen separating the altar form the choir loft again, but this time made of oak strip flooring material. Two boxes about 14' square at the base and about twenty feet high hold the organ pipes. The pulpit, altar and ceiling is all cast concrete. The floors are polished concrete. Beside being difficult to heat, the church is one of the least spiritual spaces I've been in this side of a truck stop.

Oh no! A soulless church! There is probably more spirituality in one of those storefront churches in the slums. Proportion and materials are really important when designing for a purpose. I am fortunate to work in a well designed office campus where all of the buildings are set out so as to give the impression of a village with a central main street with a circle, lake and outdoor eating areas for the cafeterias. Inside the building I work in there is central atrium that rises 3 stories with a wonderful DNA style sculpture suspended in it. That, together with the wood, glass and tile makes it a welcoming place to come to every day.

So I can understand how frustrating it must be to have gone from the splendor of the old church to the new "bunker". Being surrounded by beauty is an uplifting spiritual experience. You must miss that.

Here's the NEW Trinity. Notice the narrow windows.


and the old church downtown:

The old church interior:

And another from the NEW church exterior:

 

[Spoonman]

There are plenty of bad architects out there. The most basic lesson that I was taught was that a home is a machine for living in. When you think of it in that way then the design becomes easy. Yes, I have designed 2 of my own homes.

Offices are much the same concept and making them inefficient is not a good idea. Ikea stores are laid out with a one way traffic pattern. Great if you understand the concept but seriously frustrating if all you want to do is get in and out quickly.

Supermarkets have a very simple layout and so do hardware stores. Those work well because the people who use them are there with a specific list of items to purchase and want to get in and out as quickly as possible. Contrast that with a shopping mall that twists and turns and has multiple levels and each store has it's own layout. That probably explains why I hate malls and shopping.

These bank offices were a labyrinth!

But, as it turns out, the same architect designed the new Trinity Presbyterian Church which is visible from my kitchen window. It's the church I grew up in. The OLD Trinity was beautiful! It featured a hip roof with slate shingles and the ceiling in the sanctuary was covered with quarter sawn red oak. Four huge Black Walnut beams rose from the corners and met at the peak of the pyramid shaped ceiling. There was a carved screen separating the altar area from the choir loft behind. A pulpit of Black Walnut and hard maple rose from the right side. A stained glass window was on the south wall and took up about 2/3 of the wall space there.

The NEW Trinity looks more like a bunker than a church. Unfinished concrete blocks rise up about four stories separated by narrow (18" or so) clear glass panes. The only wood finishes in the sanctuary are the pews in oak and a screen separating the altar form the choir loft again, but this time made of oak strip flooring material. Two boxes about 14' square at the base and about twenty feet high hold the organ pipes. The pulpit, altar and ceiling is all cast concrete. The floors are polished concrete. Beside being difficult to heat, the church is one of the least spiritual spaces I've been in this side of a truck stop.

Oh no! A soulless church! There is probably more spirituality in one of those storefront churches in the slums. Proportion and materials are really important when designing for a purpose. I am fortunate to work in a well designed office campus where all of the buildings are set out so as to give the impression of a village with a central main street with a circle, lake and outdoor eating areas for the cafeterias. Inside the building I work in there is central atrium that rises 3 stories with a wonderful DNA style sculpture suspended in it. That, together with the wood, glass and tile makes it a welcoming place to come to every day.

So I can understand how frustrating it must be to have gone from the splendor of the old church to the new "bunker". Being surrounded by beauty is an uplifting spiritual experience. You must miss that.

one thing i like by us, most churches are older chapels. the ylook like churches, not buildings

 

[Ringel05]

This morning, my browser service, Bing! used a picture of Berlin (for some reason?) as their page, which reminded me of the Berlin Wall song, "West of the Wall" that was popular in the early sixties. So I looked it up, and it was sung by a one-hit artist Toni Fischer. The song hit #1 in Australia, and I thought it was popular here, too, but it only made it to #39 according to one source I was reading. Whether that's true or not, I don't know. I just know I loved the song, but this version is not what I remember, so I'm not sure if I didn't hear something else or a different artist. The song is unmistakable, and the Berlin Wall has its 25th Anniversary this November the 9th, 2014. Here's Toni's version of "West of the Wall" for all who love freedom:

West of the wall - Toni Fisher - YouTube

I absolutely LOVE Bing as a browser and have really enjoyed their beautiful HD backgrounds. BUT....Bing is an IE thing and you might want to rethink that for awhile until they find a patch for the nasty trojan they haven't been able to find a fix for. I switched everything over to Chrome for the duration.

Oh, I just now saw this. I can't seem to get rid of Bing from my desktop, and didn't know how it got there.

Automatic updates, that's how it got there, that's why I opt for Notify Me and Let me Choose. To remove it go to Control Panel, Uninstall a Program, select Bing Bar and select uninstall.

 

[Ringel05]

Okay, I started boiling eggs for the wife, she likes medium boiled eggs and sausage for breakfast. The water became foamy when it started to boil so I looked and one of the eggs had split entirely in two. Never seen that before. I had a soft boiled/poached egg for lunch.......

 

[Derideo_Te]

These bank offices were a labyrinth!

But, as it turns out, the same architect designed the new Trinity Presbyterian Church which is visible from my kitchen window. It's the church I grew up in. The OLD Trinity was beautiful! It featured a hip roof with slate shingles and the ceiling in the sanctuary was covered with quarter sawn red oak. Four huge Black Walnut beams rose from the corners and met at the peak of the pyramid shaped ceiling. There was a carved screen separating the altar area from the choir loft behind. A pulpit of Black Walnut and hard maple rose from the right side. A stained glass window was on the south wall and took up about 2/3 of the wall space there.

The NEW Trinity looks more like a bunker than a church. Unfinished concrete blocks rise up about four stories separated by narrow (18" or so) clear glass panes. The only wood finishes in the sanctuary are the pews in oak and a screen separating the altar form the choir loft again, but this time made of oak strip flooring material. Two boxes about 14' square at the base and about twenty feet high hold the organ pipes. The pulpit, altar and ceiling is all cast concrete. The floors are polished concrete. Beside being difficult to heat, the church is one of the least spiritual spaces I've been in this side of a truck stop.

Oh no! A soulless church! There is probably more spirituality in one of those storefront churches in the slums. Proportion and materials are really important when designing for a purpose. I am fortunate to work in a well designed office campus where all of the buildings are set out so as to give the impression of a village with a central main street with a circle, lake and outdoor eating areas for the cafeterias. Inside the building I work in there is central atrium that rises 3 stories with a wonderful DNA style sculpture suspended in it. That, together with the wood, glass and tile makes it a welcoming place to come to every day.

So I can understand how frustrating it must be to have gone from the splendor of the old church to the new "bunker". Being surrounded by beauty is an uplifting spiritual experience. You must miss that.

one thing i like by us, most churches are older chapels. the ylook like churches, not buildings

We have both. There is the "mega church" that looks like it could be a train station. And then there is the original old stone chapel that dates from 1879 but it would not be out of place in a remote English village.

It was built around about the time as the original stone schoolhouse on the same block. The elementary school has been expanded while keeping most of the original building in place. There was a great oak in the playground that was probably almost as old as the one on the Princeton battlefield. It didn't survive Sandy and my daughter was devastated because she remembered playing under it.

 

[Derideo_Te]

Omg, that seems way too easy. What is the science behind that? I always made it with brown sugar, butter, cream, vanilla.

I'm not sure, but it works. I tried it. One of the guys at work told me about it. Maybe it's so easy, even a guy can do it? Go on, give it a try. Tell me it doesn't work.

Okay, I'll try it but if that can blows up in my crock pot, I'm gonna be mad.

The stove top method takes 3-4 hours. Just put the condensed milk can in a pot of water and bring to the boil. You do need to keep topping up the water though.

 

[Sarah G]

This is the reason why I keep my alarm clock on the dresser in front of the bed. Way in front.

You mean you have to GET UP to shut it up? That is worse torture than having the darn thing going off every 15 minutes.....

I do the same thing. It helps.

Although there was that one time I woke up and found it smashed to bits on the floor beside the dresser... I got a new clock and it hasn't happened again (yet.)

I usually don't use an alarm but when I'm nervous about waking up at a certain time, I use my phone alarm. I am such a light sleeper, I just sit right up and get out of bed.

 

[Sarah G]

These bank offices were a labyrinth!

But, as it turns out, the same architect designed the new Trinity Presbyterian Church which is visible from my kitchen window. It's the church I grew up in. The OLD Trinity was beautiful! It featured a hip roof with slate shingles and the ceiling in the sanctuary was covered with quarter sawn red oak. Four huge Black Walnut beams rose from the corners and met at the peak of the pyramid shaped ceiling. There was a carved screen separating the altar area from the choir loft behind. A pulpit of Black Walnut and hard maple rose from the right side. A stained glass window was on the south wall and took up about 2/3 of the wall space there.

The NEW Trinity looks more like a bunker than a church. Unfinished concrete blocks rise up about four stories separated by narrow (18" or so) clear glass panes. The only wood finishes in the sanctuary are the pews in oak and a screen separating the altar form the choir loft again, but this time made of oak strip flooring material. Two boxes about 14' square at the base and about twenty feet high hold the organ pipes. The pulpit, altar and ceiling is all cast concrete. The floors are polished concrete. Beside being difficult to heat, the church is one of the least spiritual spaces I've been in this side of a truck stop.

Oh no! A soulless church! There is probably more spirituality in one of those storefront churches in the slums. Proportion and materials are really important when designing for a purpose. I am fortunate to work in a well designed office campus where all of the buildings are set out so as to give the impression of a village with a central main street with a circle, lake and outdoor eating areas for the cafeterias. Inside the building I work in there is central atrium that rises 3 stories with a wonderful DNA style sculpture suspended in it. That, together with the wood, glass and tile makes it a welcoming place to come to every day.

So I can understand how frustrating it must be to have gone from the splendor of the old church to the new "bunker". Being surrounded by beauty is an uplifting spiritual experience. You must miss that.

one thing i like by us, most churches are older chapels. the ylook like churches, not buildings

I like the classic charm in homes and other buildings but the one I have now kind of cured me of wanting to live in too old a home again. It is really cute looking, everyone loves it but I like modern conveniences without the modern look if that makes any sense.

 

[Statistikhengst]

 

[BDBoop]

You mean you have to GET UP to shut it up? That is worse torture than having the darn thing going off every 15 minutes.....

I do the same thing. It helps.

Although there was that one time I woke up and found it smashed to bits on the floor beside the dresser... I got a new clock and it hasn't happened again (yet.)

I usually don't use an alarm but when I'm nervous about waking up at a certain time, I use my phone alarm. I am such a light sleeper, I just sit right up and get out of bed.

I use one on my computer, plays Jingle Bells. I shoot out of bed without bothering to bend at the waist!

 

[Sarah G]

I do the same thing. It helps.

Although there was that one time I woke up and found it smashed to bits on the floor beside the dresser... I got a new clock and it hasn't happened again (yet.)

I usually don't use an alarm but when I'm nervous about waking up at a certain time, I use my phone alarm. I am such a light sleeper, I just sit right up and get out of bed.

I use one on my computer, plays Jingle Bells. I shoot out of bed without bothering to bend at the waist!

I know there is a snooze button on the alarm but I've seriously never used it. My sleep issues are different that not being able to wake up.

 

[BDBoop]

I usually don't use an alarm but when I'm nervous about waking up at a certain time, I use my phone alarm. I am such a light sleeper, I just sit right up and get out of bed.

I use one on my computer, plays Jingle Bells. I shoot out of bed without bothering to bend at the waist!

I know there is a snooze button on the alarm but I've seriously never used it. My sleep issues are different that not being able to wake up.

This should prove interesting. I was hoping to score two hours of sleep to combine with the four I got before I spent the afternoon in the doc's office. No such luck. Roughly an hour, and my everything hurts.

/whimper

 

[SFC Ollie]

 

[Sarah G]

I use one on my computer, plays Jingle Bells. I shoot out of bed without bothering to bend at the waist!

I know there is a snooze button on the alarm but I've seriously never used it. My sleep issues are different that not being able to wake up.

This should prove interesting. I was hoping to score two hours of sleep to combine with the four I got before I spent the afternoon in the doc's office. No such luck. Roughly an hour, and my everything hurts.

/whimper

Make your chair as comfy as possible. Cushion it up with a folded blanket, put a small pillow behind you. Change it up, maybe it will help your aches and pains.

 

[Sarah G]

Nite Ollie.

 

[Mertex]

You mean you have to GET UP to shut it up? That is worse torture than having the darn thing going off every 15 minutes.....

I do the same thing. It helps.

Although there was that one time I woke up and found it smashed to bits on the floor beside the dresser... I got a new clock and it hasn't happened again (yet.)

I usually don't use an alarm but when I'm nervous about waking up at a certain time, I use my phone alarm. I am such a light sleeper, I just sit right up and get out of bed.

It's a pain when husband and wife don't agree on alarm clock etiquette.....my hub likes to set it 30 minutes (or more) before he really has to get up (he thinks he's somehow getting more sleep that way) and keeps pushing the snooze button. It drives me crazy because once I wake up, it takes me longer than 10 or 15 minutes to go back to sleep, and no sooner am I back to sleep when the damn things goes off again...I like to set it for the time I am going to get up....and when it goes off, I get up and that's it. We finally compromised into just setting it for 10 or 15 minutes before time to get up...that way I just get up and don't even try to go back to sleep and he can snooze for 10 or 15 minutes more.

 

[Sherry]

 

[Noomi]

Dad was finally taken in for his operation just over two hours ago!