Well, as some of you know, I’ve written poetry for some time now, including at an open mic last year, to a wonderful audience response. This year, the monthly events are starting up again, with the first about two weeks ago. Only this time, I entered in the poetry slam competition portion after the open mic. Here are my 3 entries…
Yup, I went to Poland. To help build a timber frame synagogue. A replica of the 1731 place of worship. It was pretty awesome.
The Timber Framer’s Guild was commissioned to build this structure, and Handshouse Studio organized a student volunteer opportunity to help with its construction. My group flew into Warsaw, where we stayed for about three days, and then traveled to Sanok, where we were for about twelve, to build. We then went to Krakow for about two days and headed home. There are plenty of pictures and memories from the trip, and I will do my best to summarize them here 
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This was a post-Poland project (somebody said I’d caught the timber framing bug) at Wason Pond in Chester, New Hampshire. It was a week-long project held by the TFG, and I was able to help out for a good two days on a brief vacation from working and taking a break at home with family. Continue reading
Chicken wire, papier-mâché, plaster strips, and paint held up by 2×4 posts. Wanna watch a movie? Enter through the demon’s mouth! Continue reading
I’m kind of a redesign junkie. I remember reading somewhere that the best designs come from something solid being tweaked and adjusted over time to streamline and refine it, and I completely agree. But most of the time I design something and leave it alone for months and months, and when I come back with substantial new material (or like this time with a whole new type of material to accommodate) I just decide to completely overhaul the whole thing. Maybe it’s therapeutic, maybe it’s just getting into the mode of the work. I don’t know what it is. But I like it. I don’t do enough web stuff constantly, so sporadic in-depth projects are fun to do every few months.
Over the last year I guess I’ve had a bit of a light-colored-site fetish. Both of my earlier portfolios are very white and light gray. Interesting.
The first one is more my style of portfolio site, much like this one, where I’m trying to show as much as possible out of the stuff I’ve done that I like. I like giving a full picture, with lots of information. And I’ve done a lot of stuff, and lots of different kinds of stuff, so I like being able to remember it and show it. Believe me, just in making this it’s been a bit of a trip, going through all my old work, having to find some of my old work I’ve put in storage elsewhere. Fun fun.
I’m pretty proud of the translation from design to completion for this site. It’s almost exact. The top left link caption idea didn’t work, but I’m fine with that, I actually like having the other two links up there better, and room for a third. The footer was an afterthought, but I like it. The image gallery doesn’t work correctly, but that shouldn’t be my fault. It used to, and does on other sites, so I don’t know why it’s not working right here. But the images are up and viewable, that’s all I need. Lastly, the end of each post is a little different, where it lists the ‘Class:’ it also says ‘Personal’ and ‘Freshman’ instead of having class and year separated. But whatever. I don’t want to fudge around until I get it right, it’s good enough now, and if I hadn’t mentioned these flaws I’m sure nobody would have been bothered. 
Note: The gallery functions work now, it was a simple fix, something I just didn’t know about. Make sure you leave wp_head() in your header file if you’re making custom WordPress themes.
