Cowtown Chronicles

So, I started this new job two weeks ago. Didja notice I haven’t been posting nearly as much lately? Yeah, I’ve been pretty busy getting ready for a HUGE product launch coming up at the end of next week.

No, I’m not working for them. I work for a different company. Anyway, it’s been crazy busy. Friday was my 12th day working there, both total and in a row.

But, it looks like things will slow down a bit in the next couple of weeks.

All this time I’ve spent lately working on finding a job and starting my own business has gotten me thinking more about what I really WANT from a job, and I think Penelope Trunk hits it directly on the head in this post. It’s unfortunate that she keeps saying “twentysomethings,” because I think the attitudes she describes apply to a large portion of Generation X’ers like myself. (I’m right on the tail end of Gen X, depending on who’s definition you believe.)

Stay tuned (if you care) for more career news from me, there’s more around the corner, I can assure you!

I’m actually pretty proud of the picture that is the header of this blog. I didn’t use the best camera out there, just my trusty Nikon Coolpix P4, but I think it’s a pretty good shot of the panther statue.

I mention this because I recently got an e-mail from Deran Wright, the artist who created the statue, pointing me to his site about it and other folklore surrounding the Panther “thing” in Fort Worth.

I’ve always preferred “Panther City” vs. “Cowtown” as Fort Worth’s nickname. It’s hard to shake the kind of history associated with Cowtown, even if not all of it is positive and forward-thinking.

Anyway, check out Deran’s site and some of his amazingly great work. It really is awesome!

If you’re even moderately interested in Green Design and construction, please take a minute and check out 5ive. It’s a blog by and about a family struggling to build a sustainable house in Minnesota. One of their obstacles to overcome was ridiculously outdated zoning laws designed to keep mobile homes out of neighborhoods. This meant that their initial design, which was narrow to reduce the impact on the building site and optimize passive solar heating had to be redone.

I know this was a relatively minor setback, but it got me thinking about the zoning laws in Fort Worth, and specifically the deed restrictions in my own neighborhood. Every building built in Ryan Place is supposed to have a brick facade. That’s just stupid. I personally think brick is kind of ugly, but as Jenna reminded me the other day, “That’s what we build with around here.” Growing up in the north, obviously we had a lot more wood and stone-sided buildings, so that’s probably where my preferences lie. Beyond the appearance of the buildings, it’s my impression that brick is really not a very good material to build with. At least not compared to concrete or some of the newer foam and plywood sandwiches I’ve seen.

Anyway, I’d like to see more green housing options here in Fort Worth. The move toward increased density downtown is very encouraging, but it’d be nice if some of those projects took a few more “green” cues like rainwater collection for landscape irrigation or some passive heating/cooling systems. Or maybe green roofs or something like that. Small things that can make a BIG difference and change people’s perception of “green” building.

Technorati Tags: fort worth, green building, environmentalism

It’s amazing to me how people don’t have to have the same views or credentials to be an “environmentalist” or lead an “environmentalist” organization.  It’s also amazing to me that someone who claims to be an environmentalist can argue against something that’s sound environmental policy using the same patently false arguments, examples, and fear-mongering that non-environmentalists use.

Yes, I think the addition of wind farms to this part of upstate New York will probably cause some “landscape pollution.”  I personally can get over the look of wind turbines, because I know they’re doing something good for me.  They’re a hell of a lot more attractive than smokestacks or cooling towers.  But to use terms like “The carnage among birds and bats is considerable,” then providing no evidence or references when arguing against them is dishonest and inaccurate. Oh yeah; and “clean coal” is like saying “fundamentalist christian gay porn”

Technorati Tags: environmentalism, fort worth, new york, FUD

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Although I’m not a new graduate, this blog post over at The Brazen Careerist made me feel better about my current situation.

As much as I love Fort Worth, It’s true and unfortunate that the city as a whole is really stuck in the “old” career-oriented mindset. I mean, take a look at our major employers: Lockheed Martin (multiple sites), Alcon, American Airlines, Bell Helicopter, Various Oil and Energy companies, the list goes on. All of these places are very much “Stick it out for the pension and gold watch” kind of places.

This “30 and out” attitude is not usually very encouraging for an entreprenurial spirit in an area, and I think it’s a good indicator of why Fort Worth and Dallas haven’t been as successful in the high-tech arena as places like Austin and the San Francisco Bay Area. People have to be encouraged to follow their dreams and do what they WANT to do instead of just what they have to do to pay the bills. That takes a little bit of a “hippie” mentality, and we all know that’s pretty lacking here in Cowtown.

Is anyone here? No one is commenting or posting besides me, so here’s a funny picture of a cat:

He would have been bragging about what a great scar he’d have from now on.  Instead, this woman is just happy to have a leg left.  Whatever.

This is the best angle of the Landmark Tower implosion I’ve seen. Word of caution - potty language in the audio track.

Any Natalie Portman fans out there?