up your architecture.

My check is coming tomorrow. FINALLY!

I've finished the new comprehensive landscape plan for John Henry Beck Park. Thanks Bill.

I can finally sign my lease. Moolah.

I'm re-reading the 7th Harry Potter book and loving it. Holey.

Patrick Z. is coming down to visit me this weekend. Rock On!

I've gotten to talk to my folks. Hey Ma! Hey Pa!

One of my best friends, who I've been incommunicado with since my move left me a message yesterday. Hey Nick!

I'm an Uncle again. Hey Baby Jacob!

Jake w/ his Grandpa aka My Pops

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today sucked. Tomorrow will be better. I have a feeling.

Uplifting Link of the Day (aka The Only Good Thing That Happened Today): A Great Watchmen Movie Interview with Zach Snyder

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We had an awesome going away soirée for Nadene this weekend, but apparently some attendees don't want their visage on the interweb regardless of my tact (or apparent lack thereof), so this is what the party may or may not have looked like...

The Mississippi State boys came down and we had a heck of a time. Jenny made her famous red velvet cake and there were burgers and croquet for all. A tribute to Nadene is forthcoming. Stay tuned boys and girls!

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Biloxi is a strange place. There are constantly people coming and going. Some stay for a day, some a week, some a month, and some a year and beyond. I can't even think about who I will live with when my lease ends in January because to be quite honest, I'm not sure who will even be around. There are people who have moved past Hands On into other non-profits and community organizations and there are always people coming through the Design Center, but it's a strange feeling. I've spoken about this before so I won't say too much on the subject, but it's a new way of living when you've been in one general geography your entire life. I am happy to be anchored again, but the current is definitely more rapid here on the mouth, rather than up by the source of the Mighty 'Sip.

In another ending, I'd like to mention the death of a nice firm in Minneapolis after reading this article off the Arch Record by James Murdock...

A Middle School in Moorehead, MN done by RMA that I Enjoy.

"It’s become an almost weekly occurrence this summer: a leading architecture practice acquiring a smaller firm to give itself additional capabilities or a presence in a new market. This week’s deal sees Perkins+Will buying Rozeboom Miller Architects. Terms of the transaction, which was announced yesterday, are undisclosed.
Based in Atlanta, the 72-year-old Perkins+Will is a leader in sustainable design, educational facilities, and health care buildings. It maintains offices in 16 cities nationwide—many the result of past acquisitions—as well as additional offices in Canada and China. Posting $268.3 million in revenue last year, Perkins+Will ranked No. 5 on RECORD’s annual list of the Top 150 Architecture Firms. Rozeboom Miller, meanwhile, was established 10 years ago in Minneapolis and specializes in K-12 design as well as civic and cultural buildings."

A pithy little obituary that will most likely mean a bit of a shake up at RMA. If anyone is still there, best of luck...

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Another big thing this week was having a really cool gal from Studio Gang Architects in Chicago down here in the 'lox doing some revisions to their house for the Architecture for Humanity Biloxi Model Home Project. It was her last full day here so a bunch of us from the Center went to this brand new little po-boy place called Crave which is actually only a couple of blocks from my house and then went to the beach to eat. I had to try the "Fried Chicken Club" po-boy. It was delicious if not a little ridiculous.

Posted by James Wheeler at 05:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When we showed up to work bright and early this morning, we were greeted by a little guard hanging out by the front door of the Center. This awesome guy just chilled for a bit so we got a chance to take a couple of pictures before he scampered away.

Also, every Tuesday and Friday our Americorps members that work at the center wear their official HOGC/Corps shirts... here they are all to happy to also not only chill for a bit, but bust a pose as well.

ROLL CALL!

Nicole!

Shana!

Sam!

Sarah!

Posted by James Wheeler at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, here is how Sarah stays prrrty... it's all Christine and her excellent sense of fashion. Yeah, afternoons are long sometimes and we get a little nutty. It's a new fad people, get on the bandwagon before it leaves.

Also, Guitar Hero Mania has hit my house. Tim Boon plays quite a bit and is getting better. Even Elly and Alejandro have gotten in the action. So far we've had a small loyal following including Tasia and Julie from Hands On and Sambo. I'm sure one night we'll have a "Battle of the Bands", although it won't truly be quite so big we could bass/guitar combos... but that was before Rock Band was announced and revealed to be totally awesome.

Therefore... Link of the Day: ROCK BAND!!!

Posted by James Wheeler at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Will the money ever start flowing? I'd like it to, but it seems like time after time, there is something going wrong or slowing up the process. I found out today that I was going to have to overnight a hard copy of all my docs up to Starkville so that it can go through to Human Resources because apparently the faxed copies weren't clear enough. I called up to check and see what the MSU FedEx number was and they told me that I'd need to pay to get it sent up. Umm... where do you think that I'm going to get the 20 bucks to send something up north if I haven't gotten paid yet and I'm basically begging that they send me something by the 1st so I can sign my lease? *sigh* Anyhow, I think everything is going to be on it's way now. I politely e.mailed them after I sent it out and asked them to send it back up overnight via FedEx so I think we're even... at least when they pay me we will be.

On the other hand, I do relish the chain reaction that will occur when I get the money. I can sign my lease so that I officially can call my place home. Then I can pay my phone bill so that I can call the AAA and pay to get my car fixed so that I can drive my broke-ass computer to the Gulfport Best Buy so that I can enjoy the internet that we now have at our house. Ahh, the joys of payment for services rendered. Soon you will be mine and all shall be right in the world once more.

Maybe Montgomery Burns had it right when he said, "I'd trade it all for a little more"... excellent.

Posted by James Wheeler at 05:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my eagerness and passion yesterday I forgot to mention one of, if not the most important literary event of most people's lifetimes. The final installment of the Harry Potter series came out this morning at 12:01am. Now, I want to underscore that I initially (read: before I read any of the books) thought that this was just another fad, something pithy based on selling kids toys rather than getting them into books. I have my friend Jessica Miller to thank for making me read the first four books and hooking me on one of the most entertaining and well composed fantasy book series of all time.

But first I had to get the book.

My friend Kristen picked me up around midnight and we headed to the local Books-A-Million. Knowing that we didn't have much problems getting in and grabbing books last time so we didn't pre-order books anywhere figuring that a 12 million copy run in the U.S. alone wouldn't leave us without books. Unfortunately, this is the South and apparently the local booksellers feel as though everyone should have pre-ordered their books and recieved their obligatory wristband or pass to get them into the midnight sell.

Here is where our story takes a strange and unexpected turn. You see, when I came back down to Mississippi, I decided that despite it's convenience I would keep my visits to uber-corporation WalMart to a bare minimum. But at 12:48 am I said that desperate times call for desperate measures. At 1:03 am we walked in the door of the D'Iberville WalMart hopeful, but not totally optimistic. Let this be said loud and clear...

OH EXECS OF WALMART, IF YOU ARE OUT THERE READING THIS, I WILL NEVER DOUBT YOU AGAIN.

A few short moments later we strode in the door. In the midst of clerks sorting out returned items into nearly 20 shopping carts marked with paper signs designating areas of the store we wandered through the store and then there it was... it wasn't surrounded by throngs of people, there were no long lines, there was nothing but a huge display of Book 7 of Harry Potter. My heart nearly lept through my chest.

Needless to say, the next hours of my life were consumed by the Deathly Hallows. Without giving anything away, I can honestly say that it was one of the best reading experiences I've had and totally fulfilled the expectations I had for the final book of what I think is one of the best fantasy series of all time. I hope everyone else enjoyed it as much as I did. I've already lent my copy to my friend Sam so as to pass on the PotterLove (tm) and I urge you to do the same with all of your copies. If Jessica had never lent me her copies I would have missed out on something truly amazing.

To Anderson, Staci, Troy, Erica, Adam, Karin, and everyone else out there including Kristen down here and Jessica up north... to all my fellow Potter fans. Happy Reading!

P.S. if you'd like to share your thoughts with me on what you thought of the book, I'd love to hear from you! Send me an e.mail at james.wheeler@gmail.com!

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I sat listening to the radio late last night on the way to Sonic in Sam's car after working late and it came out of my mouth instantaneously and unconsciously, "I'd throw it back". ESPN radio had been discussing Barry Bonds' historic chase of one of the most hallowed records in all of baseball (I'd put it in the top three including Joe DiMaggio's hit streak and Cal Ripken's grueling Iron Man record of consecutive games) and I just blurted it out. And I would. Sam tried to run through the lists of things that one could do with such a historic ball: sell it in a variety of ways, trade it, give it to Cooperstown, keep it. None of these for me would match the ability to single-handedly tell Barry Bonds that he had to cheat himself and baseball to achieve this record. I explained my logic as I will do here...

Barry Bonds took performance enhancing drugs in order to extend his career and make himself more marketable. He didn't do it because he wanted to overcome one of the greatest records in the sport, or because kids wouldn't look up to him for simply being an outstanding outfielder and solid contact hitter. Barry Bonds took drugs to make money. He took the national past time and twisted the love of the game to enhance his way of life and in my opinion he did so knowingly.

In my opinion, the asterisk that was by Roger Maris' name was always one of the most confusing things as a child when I poured through record books memorizing statistics about the long dead heroes of my father's youth. To have something like that put onto another record is simply unacceptable.

There are a couple of organizations on the web, the best of which I think is Boycott756.com. It will donate every dollar pledged to the person that catches the record breaking homer IF and only if, the person throws it back. Otherwise, all money pledged will go to youth baseball. This is something that if I had the money I would like to support. More importantly, I'd like the person to throw it back and then talk about the purity of the sport and how cheating fans and the sport that made you a living... the GAME you played to put food on the table, the INTEGRITY of that sport is worth more than a damn ball.

In fact the part that makes the most mad is his All-Star Game comments in that he doesn't think he has been treated badly on the road this year...

"You ain't going to throw the ball back," he said of the record home run. "They boo, but all those cameras flash every time I swing, don't they? Boo, but click, click, click. …

"I feel disappointed in some of those fans that were influenced by a third-party judgment and have not (taken) the opportunity just to know me. People in San Francisco know me. The fans here know me. Fans outside the city only get to see me three days. To judge me based on a third party, that is what disappoints me … when actually I've done nothing wrong to you."

The thing that I don't know that Barry Bonds understands is that people who really love and revere a sport and its records are suffering the impersonal black eye that he gives to the sport of Baseball. I say "throw it back", watch how Barry reacts, let him seethe, let there be uproar, and let it be known that the statement of a ball being thrown back can say that we may acknowledge your home runs, but we do not recognize your record.

Throw it back.

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This all stemmed from a couple of conversations that I had at the Design Center focusing on Minnesota sparked off by what I like to call the 'Sotacorps. Here at the GCCDS we have a number of people hailing from the great state of Minnesota most of whom were sparked to action by Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity being our visiting professor a couple of years ago. There's Sam Carlsen, Jody Rader, Sarah Naughton, Shana Payne, and myself currently, and as you should know if you read my blog there are a steady stream of Minnesotans down here throughout the year.

Anyhow, I wanted to catch myself and everyone else up on the happenings of a couple of Corps members which are back in the great white north. So here goes...

Della Hansmann was in the GCCDS semester domestic down in Biloxi and as of late has a dope job as an intern downtown Minneapolis in the IDS. She and I also worked together on the graduate journal, There at the U. The exciting part about her life is a bit more rural. I'll let an excerpt from a recent e.mail illustrate...

"There is a building project in my life that I feel very happy to brag about. My parents are making great strides on their timber frame barn. I was down a couple of weeks ago for the raising and helped do a little siding while I was at it. The whole thing delights me. The frame is 8 x 12 pine with 4 x 4 purlins bracing between the bents. The siding (which is both sheathing and finish exterior) is 5/4 oak in 12" wide boards and the decking in the loft and of the roof is set at whatever width came off the portable saw mill. All the wood is from well maintained forests less than two hours drive from the site and most of the decking is from oaks felled on our own land after they got a disease two years ago. Dad's still working full time and I'm up in Minneapolis but we have managed to get our hands on every stage of the process and my parents both do a lot weekends to expedite the process. Anyone interested in pictures should check out the album on my facebook account. Call me with questions and I'm nearly guaranteed to talk your ear off. I'm so in love with the little project."

I totally urge you to check out her facebook account and look at the pictures, she's helped design a right beautiful little barn that will last for generations. Also, check out this great link she included on material salvage. It's really interesting. Thanks Della!

In other Minnesota news, I'm sad to say that the Twins aren't doing so hot after getting the brooms out against the A's after the All-Star break, we promptly handed them to the Tigers as they beat us in three straight. I really think we need to solidify the rotation, but there's not much we can do right now, and I'd rather keep Torii Hunter than boot him, but hell, let's trade Jeff Cirillo and get a decent stick or another arm to help us down the stretch. Also, please don't trade for another Tony Bautista or Rondell White.

For everyone that is signed up for Mitch League Football 2007... get your butts in gear and sign up so I can figure out how many, if any spots I need to fill!

Finally, I want to give a shout out to the editorial staff of Issue No. 4 of the graduate journal There including Aaron Westre and David McWilliams who are pounding away on the next issue and aiming to have it hot off the presses at the beginning of the spring term. You can follow their progress and send them fan messages here.

The Official "James Looks Like This" Shot of the Day:

What can I say? It is back. Also, a little known fact...The beard is a natural sweat and bug deterrent. Es verdad. es maldito verdad.

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I wanted to upload a picture or two that my friend and co-worker Shana Payne took while constructing a model of an Architecture for Humanity model home here in Biloxi the other day and to comment on the state of things here in Biloxi. First pictures, then social commentary.

The Nguyen's House done by MC^2 Architects (M-C-squared) out of Houston which is under construction now.

A view through one of Shana's squaring blocks to the beautiful Sarah Naughton and our outstanding new Americorps AFH member Nicole

Despite the fact that I've had car and phone problems, and now computer problems, the irony of having a 9-5 is my evenings are free with no way to coordinate or get to places. This has still left me with such an abundance of options that I have trouble deciding what to do sometimes. I still feel the anxiety of temporary living on the Coast which was drilled into me by all my short stints here. I always had to go back up north every month or so and the reality of actually living down here (while it is not a forever thing) is certainly permanent in almost every manner of being. So, in order to enlighten everyone, this is what I have been spending my time (and lack of money) doing.

Making a new Budget (getting paid is integral to that, but I think everything is squared away and I should be getting all my backpay next pay period)

Hanging out with the roomies (we watched Crank together the other night and it was highly enjoyable)

Re-reading the Harry Potter book series in a week because the 7th and final book comes out this Saturday at 12:01am (oh yes, I will be there)

Exploring the Coast on foot (this is the Church's Chicken that I really want to have turned into a drive through confessional for Father Steve and the Catholic community of East Biloxi. For the devout Christian on the go, I give you Church's... Church! "That will be 20 Hail Mary's, please pull around to the next window for your Communion". Sacrilicious.)

Playing ultimate frisbee with the Hands On team at the Salvation Army's Yankie Stadium field every Tuesday at 7:30-tired

Trying out the Hall of Fame Superstar mode on Madden '07 (that I got as a gift right before I left, thanks Mom!) on my house's huge TV! And to answer your question... Yes, the Vikings suck even on the Playstation.

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have a couple of family updates to toss on here and I'd like to share some good news about the 'rents for everyone that keeps tabs on me via the blog. Unfortunately that is a lot of you with my phone still off so I apologize again. If anyone really desperately needs to get a hold of me they can call me at the Design Center during work hours. But that should probably be kept to a minimum. 228.435.7180, ask for James Wheeler (there's two James', two David's and two Christine's).

As many of you know my Dad has had some health issues but as of latest check he is doing great and all his blood work has been looking stellar. Thanks a lot to everyone who keeps checking in with me about him. I know he appreciates your care and concern for his health. In a related note, the health of my Dad's kick ass Corvette is also much improved as he treated it to a bit of work and a new sound system. I like to think of it as a reward for kicking Cancer in the teeth. So to my Dad... Boogity Boogity Boogity!

As anyone who has met my Mom will know, she is one of the nicest people you can meet and I'm happy to say that now that I have a place to live, care packages are once again a part of my life. As far as I know I have one on the way, but my folks were also nice enough to send a little cool weather in the form of a most excellent postcard from the town nearest our cabin (Ely, MN) with a snowscape on it. It currently resides on my desk at the Design Center.

Anyhow, that's my quick update. Hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned to upyourarchitecture.com for tomorrow's Episode... Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel!

Screen Capture of the Moment (work on the GCCDS Workshop:

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The fun never ends.

I ask you what is safe anymore when safe mode is no longer safe? *tear*

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While it may have rained a bit on our parade (and not just in a possible metaphoric sense) I got the chance to officiate the first ever Hands On Gulf Coast Americorps Olympics on Sunday. We had a series of events and all the new and current Americorps members and assorted long-termers split into 8 teams which based on color had to come up with a team identity. They are as follows:

Silver Stampede (Silver)

Slippery When Wet (Yellow)

Blue Surge (Blue)

Purple Reign (Purple)

Red is Dead (Red)

Holy Shit (Brown)

Tightey Whities (White)

Irish Car Bombs (Green)

They competed in a series of events all of which were organized by the Olympics Committee of my roommate Tim Boon and one Caitlin Sherman of Sherman Clan Fame (Dan and Eddie are her brothers, John-Boy is her cousin). The events were a series of relays, ridiculous games such as Barnyard Buddies (you had to be blindfolded and find your partner on a huge field making only the sound of the barnyard animal assigned to your team), a team time-trial on an obstacle course (this is when the rain started), and finally two eating contests (watermelon and chubby/pudgy bunny). Both of the eating contests could be done under the pavilion and ended up being pretty hilarious. All in all, everyone seemed to have a great time and get a chance to meet new people. Closing Ceremonies were held over at Dan and Karissa as we met our new NCCC team and had a great time relaxing together.

The Awards Ceremony was at Hands On on Monday, complete with oyster shells painted up as medals. The final medal standings were thus...

Gold Medals- Holy Shit!
Silver Medals- Purple Reign
Bronze Medals- Silver Stampede

The Ceremony:

Finally, if you didn't check out the cleverly placed link in the first paragraph, here is a link to Chris DeVeer's (Hands On Coordinator Chieftan) take on the day filled with observation and groovy pics... CHECK IT OUT!

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At first look when you are rolling by John Henry Beck Park on Division Street (the arguable main drag of East Biloxi, it may look a bit foreboding. There is a tall black fence flanking the main gate on the north side which can be a bit of a visual deterrent, but once you get inside the park, there are a ton of opportunities for people of all ages. The GCCDS and Hands On have both had their part in the radical improvements in the park since the storm as well as many volunteer groups including people from the great state of Minnesota who created a shade structure for the playground (see below).

There are a couple of other great opportunities for the community to interact at the park, one of which is a set of plots for gardening that can be signed up for and tilled by residents and volunteers alike. An old structure dubbed the Red House on the grounds is being reinvigorated with the help of volunteer labor to become a community building to run programs out of in the park. There are basketball courts and small pavilions that are scattered around the park which bring ballers and grill masters to the park in the evenings and on weekends.

One of my projects currently is to work on a couple of new schemes for the park which is constantly evolving. They want to add a small concessions/lavatory building which has been designed by the Design Center's David Perkes and eventually a sort of outdoor market bay series which can act as shade structures, seating, and a venue for a farmer's market. Once I get some of that work done next week, I'll toss some sketches up and y'all can write nasty things about them :).

Anyhoo, that's about it for the park. More excitement to come tomorrow as I'll have a full rundown of the first ever Hands On- Americorps Olympics!

Posted by James Wheeler at 08:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So this morning I took a break from sitting in front of the ol' computer this morning before lunch and stopped by to do some work on 145 Rosetti which is a project that was begun by a Design Corps team led by Sergio Palroni and Brian Bell and is now in the hands of the GCCDS. It's a hell of a house with some quirky design features. The biggest thing you'll notice is that it is in a major floodzone and therefore according to FEMA guidelines must be raised up 13' from grade. The height of the Sonotubes that they poured the footings in is pretty astounding. It's one of the first down here that I've seen go up that high without copping out and using CMUs (concrete block). Anyhow, we went over and framed the exterior walls of the larger bit on the left in the photograph before lunch and the rain hit today. It's a pretty basic dogtrot plan only jacked up 13' and having a pretty amazing entry stair in the airspace between the two pieces. Since the project is going to be a GCCDS project it wil give me an awesome opportunity to do a couple of afternoons or mornings each week with my co-worker Jason who is heading up the project now.

The weekend should be fun as I am going to see Harry Potter again with some other friends, being a judge for the Americorps Olympics in John Henry Beck Park, and having a Mississippi Mug Movie night with Sam now that he is back. Additionally, I'm going to start up a little "Get to Know the Coast" feature where I'll try to do a weekend update about a specific place/house/project/hot spot here and give you a picture and a little background. This weekend, I'll kick it off with the park since I'm going to be there for the Olympics. Hope you enjoy it!

Miss Creel Update of the Day:

Posted by James Wheeler at 03:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alright! I just got tickets with my awesome friend Patrick to go to the Smashing Pumpkins show in Nashville, TN on November 5th! I am super pumped to finally get a chance to go and visit Mr. Z and to also see Nashville for the first time. This is awesome.

Posted by James Wheeler at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is the 23rd birthday of Anyeshka of "Anyeshka and the Red Man" and Hotlanta Airport fame today. And I wanted to wish my most fabulous gal a happy, and healthy birthday!

Yesh giving the camera <3

Posted by James Wheeler at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, it’s about 11:45 pm on Wednesday and I’ve just arrived home from the fifth cinematic installment of the Harry Potter series. If you don’t want to have anything unintentionally ruined for you, mind the following.

***SPOILER ALERT***

The movie was fantastic. I love the way that David Yates directed both dramatically and visually. Even Emma Watson was acting a bit less with her eyebrows this time around. From the continuances of previous directors work (i.e. the Weasley Twins, Neville as the underdog hero, Ginny’s affections for Harry, etc.) to the fantastic camera work with the dream sequences, the cramming of nearly 900 pages into 2 hours and 15 minutes, and the excellent twists with Cho and the Veritaserum, Hagrid’s giant half-brother Grawp (who provides along with Hermione one of the funniest moments of the movie), and other such clever ways to get around side story lines, this was by far my favorite movie after the first viewing.

Seeing as how it was my favorite book it stands to reason, but the characterization due to excellent casting including Tonks (who I didn’t see nearly enough of), the amazing work, once again, of Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, and a brilliant job with the Luna Lovegood character. The action in the Department of Mysteries was fantastic. Other favorites include the flying sequences into London (early on brooms from Number 4 Privet Drive and later on Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic) which made me hoot and holler and surprisingly, one of the best beginnings I’ve seen with imagery of Dudley looking so tremendously ridiculous and bang on as “Big D” I burst out laughing at the sight of him and his gang.

So I should wrap this up at some point, but I think the only thing I was disappointed with that got left out was the St. Mungo’s trip to see Mr. Weasley and seeing Gilderoy and the Longbottoms there. The storyline with Neville’s parents is explained with Neville merely telling Harry his parent’s predicament and making Harry promise not to tell, but I think seeing his mum give him the gum wrapper is one of the most heart-breaking pieces of writing that J.K. Rowling had done. I also would have done with a bit more of Number 12 Grimmald Place, but these are minor gripes to be sure when placed against the background of how spectacular I really think this movie was.

After I get to see it again (which will most likely be very soon) I will definitely go through a bit more in depth with different parts of the movie vs. the book and everything else. I think I may even go through and do brief chapter analysis for all you crazies out there (I’m looking at you Della)!

To close, I went with Kristen tonight and we commented on the cultural phenomenon that the Harry Potter books are and how the mix of anticipation and regret for the 7th book is really one of the unique literary milestones of our lives. I’m still needing to get down to the local Barnes & Noble to reserve a copy. Hope they still have spots available, it’s supposed to be the biggest book release of all time. Pretty good for kids books, eh?

Posted by James Wheeler at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

01. Doomsday Clock- I think this one is great besides the chorus. I find the chorus horrid and would like to add that the fact that they used this song for the Transformers movie is equally horrid.

Track Rating: Bleh/10

02. 7 Shades of Black- I like this track. It has good Pumpkins thrashing in the background and Billy seems to be having fun. Jimmy rocks the drums and all in all, it’s a solid effort. Good no. 2 song. As Jack Black would say, “better, warmer”.

Track Rating: 7/10

03. Bleeding the Orchid- Another example of why I don’t like choruses that simply restate the name of the song. Billy wails the title five or six times and I am bored.

Track Rating: Meh/10

04. That’s the Way (My Love Is)- This synth-pop track is not too bad. Kind of Zwan-y and a little Adore-esque, but it seems solid. This is also the first track on the album produced by Billy and Jimmy with Terry Date.

Track Rating: Awww/10

05. Tarantula- I love this track. I love this track. I love this track. As a bonus, I’ll tell you why. It has a driving beat. The verse melts into the chorus and then jumps back out. It has a neat little instrumental solo in the middle and the mix is just right between Billy and the rest of the music.

Track Rating: Pumpkins/10

06. Starz- I really like everything about this song except the damn “we are starz… we are… we are starz”. Oh, and never use a ‘z’ in place of an s. It’s damning no matter who you are.

Track Rating: Z-/10

07. United States- As a great epic this song doesn’t really live up to some of the other meandering tracks from past Pumpkins albums but I don’t mind. I feel like it’s a step forward in some ways and a step back in others. I like the idea of political commentary, but you can tell that Billy is better at personal angst. After all is said and done and despite all his rage, I don’t believe he is a rat in a cage… at least in the political arena.

Track Rating: Troy/10

08. Neverlost- If Tarantula is the Rock, this is the Roll. It’s easily the best slow song on the record and has some really excellent percussion courtesy of Jimmy.

Track Rating: Twilight to Starlight/10

09. Bring the Light- This song, Starz, and Pomp and Circumstances are all produced by legendary Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker and you can tell the most in this song I believe. Despite the high production quality, this is another “saying the same thing over and over again” chorus sufferer. It sounds like a throwback to before the Pumpkins which is a little too far back for my tastes.

Track Rating: Freddie Price Jr./10 (Freddie Mercury)

10. (Come On) Let’s Go!- I read a review that called this the most like a Zwan track. Although I hear it in the clean production and the nod-along canter of the lyrics, I like the older-school style of the guitars which split time with softer riffs. Billy sounds classic at the end.

Track Rating: Could have done without the “!”/10

11. For God and Country- I think the synth sounds a bit too sing-song 80’s in this one but I like the message. Despite all that, the political commentary still seems like a fish out of water for Billy.

Track Rating: Dubya/10

12. Pomp and Circumstance- This song makes me think of the last half of Twilight to Starlight and that my friends… is a good thing. *smile* It’s a good way to polish off an album that had a few of hiccups. I’m not sure about the lalala’s by Billy, but oh well. Still tight.

Track Rating: Mortar Board/10

BONUS TRACK RUNDOWN

Death from Above (Best Buy Bonus)- I was actually kind of surprised that this didn’t make the album. Maybe it has a bit of religious context to it, and that is why. I really like this song and was happy to find it online.

Track Rating: Free Spin/10

Stellar (iTunes Bonus)- Okay, this is two tracks in a row that I think should have been on the album. Perhaps I’ll find out why they didn’t put this and the other bonuses on the actual album at some point, but I’m scratching my head right now as to why I had to track down three of the best tracks available because none of them were on Zeitgeist proper.

Track Rating: Stellar/10

Zeitgeist (Target Bonus)- I suppose putting a self-titled track on the album might be too blasé for Billy, but this is a fan-effing-tastic track. It’s just Billy and his guitar and a nice little narrative that shows the same vulnerabilities that the Pumpkins were loved for.

Track Rating: Go Buy This Album at Target for this Track Alone/10

As Scott Hall would say, “Survey Says…”

Zeitgeist Rating: 7/10 Raised Fists
Zeitgeist w/Bonus Tracks Rating: 8/10 Raised Fists
Zeitgeist w/Bonus plus Editing Rating: 8.5/10 Raised Fists

Posted by James Wheeler at 06:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Live on Letterman! Check them out this Friday as well playing another track off the new record.

**excerpted from an e-mail to Patrick Z**

I bought Zeitgeist and here are my initial reactions. I really dig all the live stuff I've heard, but Billy is a bit loud in the mix of a couple of songs. Overall, I seem to agree that it's kind of a delayed missing link between Mellon Collie and Adore with a little of the later stuff peppered in. After listening to it 3 or 4 times, I find myself really liking it though. Some of the lyrics are a bit obtuse at times and I feel clog up some good rocking, but when the dam opens, it blows the lid off the place. I'm going to listen to it at work all day today and then I'll give you a rundown on what I think of individual tracks. As of right now, I find myself drawn more so towards the stuff not produced by the BC*lightingbolt*JC collaborative. Maybe it's just good to take yourself out of that mix, maybe not. We shall see.

Hey Kids, Rock and Roll. Rock On.

P.S. The video for Tarantula (see above) rocks my socks.

Screenshot of the Moment (working on a couple of arrangements for Miss Laura Creel's new home in Long Beach, MS.

Posted by James Wheeler at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay, so not much to report today except the fact that I'M GOING TO SEE HARRY POTTER TONIGHT! I gotta say that I'm super jazzed. I'm going to hit up an 8pm show with Kristen and Christine and then probably try going again Friday or Saturday if I really like it. I'll put up a whole review tomorrow or later tonight and then start the count down until the book comes out :).

One more thing is a great little website that Yesh (who's birthday is tomorrow!) pointed out to me that featured this interesting horoscope:

Among the Yanyuwa Aboriginal people who live along the coast of Australia's Northern Territory, the word for "fat" is nalu-ngiliny. It doesn't merely refer to the greasy stuff that grows naturally under the skin of animal bodies. It's also a metaphysical term for vitality. Anything that's rich in nalu-ngiliny is healthy. A certain landscape may be considered fat, for instance, which means that it's fertile and sacred. When acacia flowers bloom each year, it's a sign that sea turtles and the marine mammals known as dugongs, favorite foods of the Yanyuwa, are "fat" and ready to be hunted. Your assignment in the coming week is to identify the things in your life that are nalu-ngiliny, and to give them the honor, gratitude, and nurturing they deserve.

So there will also be a list of things that I think deserve to be called FAT in my life. Stay tuned.

Quote of the Day (from the Nascar.com Power Rankings)
Ingrid appreciates it when Jeff changes the diapers but hates it when he refers to it as "taking a half-pound out of the right rear."

Posted by James Wheeler at 05:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

IT does exist...

Yesterday got exponentially better as it went on. My car continued to work. I got a ton of work done on the house for Laura Creel. They ordered pizza for dinner at Hands On which I was happy to help dispose of. Then, the coupe de grace... Sam Carlsen made his triumphant return to the Coast.

I'm sure if you read my blog, especially the early posts from my time down on the Coast, that you can appreciate how excited everyone is to have Sam back. After his return last night we got together at my place with Shana and another returning friend, Emily Long and hung out. After a while we went to The Pub to shoot a couple games of pool and watch the Home Run Derby.

Today he starts work with us at the Design Center doing CD's for a house on Elmer that the Studio was working on during the semester down here. It's a pretty cool project.

The result of having him back is perhaps best summed up in his suggestion that we rent Mr. Baseball and comparing it as the "Lost in Translation" of the 1980's. Brilliance.

***UPDATE***
For all of you who don't know, coincidentally, the name of my band in the Guitar Hero series is Tom Selleck Mustache. Rock On.

Link of the Day:

Man Flies 193 Miles in Lawn Chair

Posted by James Wheeler at 01:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I guess yesterday was my lucky day. I got a hold of Kendall over at Hands On and she let me borrow her car to go and retrieve the last of my stuff from Jessie's house over in Ocean Springs and what do you know? Eddie starts up right after I go in to check the voltage. He ran just fine and had been running well ever since. The only explanation people have given me is that moisture got into the engine due to the torrential downpour and the ridiculous humidity we have down here. Either way, I'm a happy camper. As I said before, my phone is on the fritz right now due to some crap that Cingular likes to pull every once in a while with me. Anyhoo, please drop me an e.mail or hit me up on the Facebook if you need to get a hold of me for the time being. I'm trying to resolve this ASAP.

Link of the Day:
A Lulu of a Loo (courtesy of cnn.com)

Posted by James Wheeler at 09:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just thought I'd let everyone know that Tim Boon loves the Lucha mask. Additionally, my other roommate Alejandro loves the rodeo. Just as a rundown, here is my current roommate list so you are all less confused...

Elly- longest inhabitant of the house that used to also be home to Elisabeth Falcon and Carrie O'Neil
Alejandro- Elly's boyfriend who is originally from Veracruz, Mexico
Tim- Hands On case worker and all around cook kid

Also, it will be exciting for you to notice that as I have a place to live, I now also have and address!

I am:

James Wheeler
1617 St. Martha Avenue
Biloxi, MS 39531

...and loving it.

P.S. Have a lucky day.

Posted by James Wheeler at 09:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So this past Tuesday and Today we have had a little event where the Americorps members of our staff and the rest of Hands On do a swap accompanying someone to work that usually works somewhere else. Although I missed a totally sweet swap on Tuesday due to illness, but today, Nadene brought Doug in for a day of Architectural learning. Doug is in his early 30's and is one of Hands On's grooviest Building Empire dudes straight out of Cali. Anyhow, they did a half day of Nadene showing Doug what we are doing and working out some details on the current things that she's working on. Anyhow, this weekend will be fraught with peril as I attempt to sort out my phone situation and car situation all without a phone or a car! I will give you all an update on Monday, but I suspect it will be a lot of waiting, waiting, and reading the Harry Potter books as I prepare for the next book and movie (which is coincidentally based on my favorite in the Potter series: Order of the Phoenix).

P.S. Woody stopped by today on his little stop over on the way back home to Scotland for a break for a month or so...

Posted by James Wheeler at 09:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Most of yesterday was spent hanging out at my new house and unpacking, but after while I headed over to the wonderful lane of Acacia to S.Hamilton and Caitlin's house for a little kabobbing before the fireworks started. As Guillermo had promised, the beach was a shitstorm of crazies all with their own fireworks spreading from the official fireworks all the way from Biloxi to Gulfport. Basically, G-Mo said that last year that he compared it to a patriotic re-enactment of Normandy. I would say that he was pretty right on. Drunks + Fireworks = One Crazy Night. Anyhow, after that I headed over with Tim Boon to Sarah and Kristen's place to have a drink and chill out for a little bit before turning in. So to 'Merica... Happy Birthday, and many moooooooooore!

Posted by James Wheeler at 02:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So this is going to be a quick tribute to one of the people I've been most fortunate to meet down here on the Coast. Brandon is a Jersey boy living in Boston and going to the BAC. He was part of the Studio that was down here while I was working on my Thesis and he's one hell of a guy. Truth be told, as hard as it was to say goodbye to some of the other people down here from Hands On, he's the first Studio mate that I've had to say goodbye to that I wouldn't see soon (peeps from MN) or over the summer and beyond (Nadene from Auburn and the Mississippi Boys). I wondered leading up to the day how I would feel about it. We ended up going out for some dinner the weekend before he took off and had one of the best talks we've ever hand and I felt really glad to have been able to share his friendship, even if it was only for a little while. Anyhow, when it came to him leaving Kristen, Michelle, and I drove him to the airport after a great lunch with the rest of the GCCDS at the Biloxi Schooner, I found myself not very sad at all, but very happy for Brandon, the experiences he's had, and the final year and change he is entering into with a great eye-opening experience such as this. Therefore, in lieu of a profile on the GCCDS site, I'd like to yoo-google-ize B.Mills in my blog...

Brandon Milling is a transplant Jersey kid into the boss streets of Bean Town, Mass. Hailing from the practicality of the Boston Architectural Center, he brings a distinct flavor to the Studio that is a mix of high energy, sass, and an infectious laugh. He is kind-hearted, sharp-tongued, and lately, well-tanned. He will be remembered for his uncanny presence in the studio, his generous trips to Chevron, and his always open ear. Hope to see you soon buddy.

Posted by James Wheeler at 02:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Yesterday I got up feeling shitty. I was sleeping on a couch. My back hurt. I could see a friendship deteriorating rapidly in front of my eyes. The only thing I had going for me was the fact that my driver was starting in the fourth row at Loudon. What a reversal the day had in store for me.

I found out through the grapevine that one of my friends here on the Coast had just moved in with a former Hands On'r over by Keesler in a three-bedroom house that has housed some of the greats at HOGC including the Falcon and Miss Carrie O'Neal. Anyhow I was resigned to packing some stuff in a van that my friend Kendall brought over from Biloxi and either dropping it at a friends house or moving into Hands On for a couple of weeks. The thing I hadn't really accounted for was meeting up and going over to the house and loving it.

I rode up to it and the address was 1617. My folks live at 16917. A good omen. The next thing that I noticed that as opposed to some of the other places down here that say they are "furnished" the furniture is nice. We have a huge TV. The rent is cheap. The rooms have ceiling fans. We have free laundry on site. And best of all, the roommates are really cool. All in all, many great things led me to basically walk through the house while talking with Tim Boon (one of the people living there) and after taking the tour told him that I'd take it on the spot. Pretty crazy, eh?

So pretty much my life has taken a total 180 in the span of a day. I have unpacked all my books, gotten my computer and camera stuff out that was packed away, imbibed a beer with my lucky 24 coozie, and slept on a mattress for the first time in weeks. Needless to say I am a happy camper. The internet will be installed soon and then we'll get back to regular posts. So this is the real beginning. I'll take pictures tonight and have a big post tomorrow. Stay tuned!

P.S. Thanks to everyone that helped me get through all this. A lot of people did things from letting me crash to letting me vent and I really appreciate it.

P.S. Part Deux- What a race yesterday! The 24 showed me a lot and that ending was great. The Drive for Five is Alive folks.

Posted by James Wheeler at 09:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)