Successfully Surviving Sleepless S'allnighters...

It doesn't take much to know that we hate going to bed, but once we're there we don't want to get out.

We're oxymoronic that way.

Recently, I had the privilege to stay up all night to complete my project for the final presentation on Monday morning. This sounded easier than it was doing. I spent Saturday night working on the negative/cast model so I would be able to start with the cement Sunday morning. But this didn't help the rest of my day. Things took an hour longer than expected, and other things just wouldn't take, thus needed to be force fed down the production pipe.

Eventually all things work out. The more time spent looking at the clock, the less time is spent doing what's important, and that's only the beginning.

Time is really the 4th Dimension of reality. I'm sure no one has thought about it much. The first dimension is just flat, the second dimension explores shapes. The third discovers the multiple sides at once of an object. And the fourth is the object through the mediums of space and time.
Mid-Blown.

Getting back to how to survive the night... It requires focus and, if need be, coffee or any caffeinated liquid. One other thing you should be noting is naps. 30 minutes to an hour can be beneficial to helping the mind keep itself together so a human being doesn't become a zombie between 12 and 4 AM.

This was fairly close to happening to me. I was just falling apart at around 9 PM after spending 12 hours straight staring at my project, gluing piece after piece together. I'm still human, but I may have accidentally glued a part of my sanity to the foam... couldn't have been the first time.

Sleeping for 3 hours before getting up for the bus is a TERRIBLE idea! DO NOT DO THAT!

The effects of this amount of sleep are as such: Moody; Cranky; Irritable; Confused; Mumbled groans of pain; May attack victims if bothered.

In other words: This is the Zombie Effect.

To avoid this either: sleep for 2 hours; have a coffee; or sleep for 4 more hours and skip the presentation and get a failing grade.


If any of this was unclear, feel free to send me a message or post a comment.

Thanks for reading, dear reader.
~ArchiTalmud

What's Architecture Studio Like?

Ever wonder what the hype is?

(That's my studio!! During the Lunch Break!!)

Down here- since the studio is underground- it's a critic-eat-student world. Most of the time, for the first years, they're all into fighting the system and working together to survive each class. Eventually they will learn to fend for themselves. Like a pack of wolves.

Each day starts off by exposing ourselves and our work that we either spent all night or all weekend putting together. That is not an exaggeration. It takes a long time and precision to complete projects. Time spent on projects include the following activities: Listening to music; texting; calling other studio partners; deciding if you should email your studio critic; regretting emailing your studio critic; regretting using ink on Mylar paper; resolving issues; offering to write essays for non-Architecture students so they will pay for your museum board, Mylar, Vellum or trace paper.

After most of us (and the one guy who did their project perfectly) are done sweating ourselves, we then start working on the next project that's usually due 36 hours later. You pull out your T-square, triangle, pencils, drafting tape and end up being asked four times-by the prettier girl in your studio group who somehow always forgets her materials-if they could borrow things. As long as it's none of your expensive material, by all means, TAKE IT! The rest of the time, when we need a break from our work, we're free to roam around the studio and visit other groups and look at their work. It's always interesting to see the possibilities each project has. It's also interesting how each student has their own signature pattern that they incorporate into their designs repeatedly.

There are the occasional moments in studio where everyone shares in a laugh. What the joke is? No one knows. We don't get enough sleep. And no one has had breakfast yet. So we're laughing at the perpendicular someone just dropped. [Inside joke].

Here is where I will tell you that you should not complain about your life. You get sunlight, you get food, you get to have a social life (Note: I didn't say you have one). We have nothing, we spend more, and we're always being disapproved by a critic. We're taught to think freely by following a guideline. Comparative to learning to tread water in a shark-infested ocean.

Life. Enjoy it, dear reader.

Noah: Savior of Mankind - And the Ark that helped...

"Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations" (Bereishis 6:9)

  G-d sees the world is bad and finds Noah, 'The Last Man on Earth' (Get it?) who is still good. G-d chooses him and his family to continue life on Earth. But first they had to survive The Flood.
But how are they supposed to do that?

"Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall caulk it both inside and outside with pitch." (Bereishis 6:14)

 First of all, why on Earth would G-d force Noah to construct an Ark with rooms that's sealed and insulated, when G-d can wipe out the world and not have to bother with this?
The answer is so the people of the world could watch Noah build this- not large- GIGANTIC Ark for the next 120 years and ask him why. Noah would answer and G-d hoped they would repent.

 To quote Bill Cosby, he had a cynical rendition of one of the conversations that probably took place:

I was just wondering: What would be the effect of an Ark on the average neighbor?
Now, here's a guy going to work, 7 o'clock in the morning - Noahs next door neighbor and he sees the Ark. 

Neighbor: Hey! You up there! 

Noah: What you want? 

Neighbor: What is this? 

Noah: It's an Ark 

Neighbor: Aha... 

 You wanna get it outta my driveway?
 I gotta get to work!
 Listen, what this thing for anyway? 

Noah: I can't tell you
 Hahahahaha! 

Neighbor: Well, I mean can't you give me a little hint? 

Noah: You wanna a hint? 

Neighbor: Yes, please 

Noah: How long can you tread water?

 G-d gives Noah all of the dimensions and specifications.

...The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 

A window shall you make for the ark, and to a cubit shall you taper it on top, and the door of the ark shall you set in its side; with lower, second, and third stories shall you make it. (Bereishis 6:15-16)

 Dimensions List:

• Length: 300 cu.
• Width: 50 cu.
• Height: 30 cu.
• Extra Window + Door: 1 cu.

What's very special about these dimensions is that they are equal to the Hebrew letters: Shin, Mem, Lamed and Aleph.
This spells out the name Sah-muh-el. This is the name of the angel of evil. Pure evil. Why would G-d choose these exact dimensions if they represent something so bad? The answer is that the dimensions were bad, but what was inside the Ark was all good. And that would protect them.

 The material and sealer/insulation needed to be exactly as was asked for. Interestingly, Moshe (the leader of Bnei Yisroel in years to come) was placed in a basket. This basket was only sealed on the outside. This was done only because the Nile river was calm. The Flood of Noah's generation was going to be a whirling whirlpool of wickedness for a year, therefore it needed to be sealed on the inside and outside.

  The window that was asked for was needed for light because the rest of the Ark was completely sealed. The Gen. Rabbah says, "Some say [that it was] a window, and some say [that it was] a precious stone, which gave them light (31:11)". Also, it's explained that the 1 cu. was actually slanted on the top so it would be more of a triangle and that would allow the water to run off and not be trapped on top which would create leaks.
[Le Corbusier once designed a house that had that exact problem. A million dollar problem.]
 The door was placed on the side of the 1 cu. so water would not get into it. Obviously, the Ark was not created to be a submarine.

Masechet Sanhedrin explains why the Ark was three stories: The top floor was for people, the middle for all the animals (and demons), and the bottom was for waste. The smell from the 3rd to the 2nd floor was only a problem when the animals needed to be fed. And it was a miracle that the animals behaved themselves well for the 40 days that they spent cooped up together on the Ark.

Why can't we act like that for a 2 hour trip? Because we're human, I guess.

Thus, G-d thought out perfectly again the exact dimensions for the survival of Noah and his family. Although, it should be mentioned that, given the dimensions, there was more than plenty of room for people to come onto the Ark. Noah and his family were only eight people (not including grandchildren). G-d really was hoping for the people to repent. Alas, they did not and Noah and his family had this shopping mall sized living area to live in for the next year.

Have a Good Shabbas, dear reader.

Genesis and Divine Architecture

The Midrash Rabbah brings up an almost obvious idea from the beginning of the Parshah.

"The Torah says: "I was the tool of G-d's artistry." An architect who builds a palace (or any structure) does not do so on his own; he has scrolls and notebooks which he consults regarding how to place the rooms, where to set the doors. So it was with G-d: He looked into the Torah and created the world."

 And Thus...

In the beginning, G-d decides with all His great wisdom to create the universe... 

Please take note: The word 'Bereishis' does not only mean 'In the beginning'; it also means "In the head".

In the simplest translation of the Torah, G-d creates the world in six days.

The first day on the job He starts by contrasting and dividing the light and darkness, the Heavens and Earth. This is similar to a Figure-Ground drawing an Architect uses when deciding in the most simple two-dimensional layout, how they would like to set up the foundation for the site they're working on.

Although, using this method to fashion out a universe... That takes a G-d.

On the second day, He forms the Skies, dividing the “upper waters” from the “lower waters.” This already seems backwards. Shouldn't it be the other way around? That the Earth should be the pillars that support the heavens?

It would seem that way to the human mind. However, Masechet Chagigah explains that the Earth is actually situated on the foundations of Heaven. Which happens to be made from the waters that were split. The Hebrew word for heaven is "Shomayim". The word is a contraction of Shom and Mayim. Mayim is water and Shom usually means 'From' or 'There'.

On the third day, He does the landscaping of the Earth after moving the waters back (which had been covering the Earth like they would a Millennium later). He then plants the trees and flowers. An herbivorous food source available for everyone.

On the fourth day, He creates the solar system and stars to work as a natural light source AND a timepiece. Why would he suddenly decide on putting this in? The Gen. Rabbah answers that the light had been there since day one until day three, but today He finally got new light fixtures that were Obtuse Spheroids that would work on Earth. Until now the light that was used served during the day and the night. There needed to be a clear definition between the two periods.

Definition and Transition are essential aspects to be thought about for the convenience of human beings. Yes, G-d thought about you.

On the fifth day, fish, birds, mammals, insects, and reptiles are created. A carnivorous food source for animals and...

Adam: The Blueprint For All Mankind

G‑d ceases work on the seventh day, and sanctifies it as a day of rest. Thus completing the calendar week and all his work.

As was mentioned in the beginning, G-d opened the Torah, looked at what was available- the guidelines, materials and the functions of the world (that it needed)- and began to use His head to solve or figure out the forms for the world. From foundation to lighting to landscape and food sources, G-d then imprints in the head of Humans the necessary ways to utilize these things.

The Zohar says, "G-d looked into the Torah and created the world. Man looks into Torah and sustains the world."
    

During the break...

So over the last 3 weeks, not that anyone noticed the absence... I have been ultra busy doing three times as much work as is required. Due to the holidays, it's been rather difficult to keep up with all the work. At the same time, its been hard to also keep up with the blog.
Right now sitting at my working station -  which is actually just a dining room table - I'm wondering how I'm going to keep up with all of the work that I missed and now have the pleasure of doing for Thursday...
Technical drawings are not as easy as I thought they would be due to the amount of time that goes into making sure they are perfect.
Models built with wooden cubes take forever to make since the glue takes just as long as a turtle race in syrup, to dry.
At least I can sleep for the few minutes that I'm writing this. It's a relaxing activity that I don't mind.

Seriously! I hear so many complaints about people not wanting to write essays.

Seriously! That's got to be a joke!

Its not a thesis paper. Its a short essay on the effects of marijuana on hamsters.
They enjoy it and love you more. End of story.

I have to build, glue, write, erase, break, rebuild, color and clean all in under 8 hours!

Before you start to think I'm an angry old man, just take into consideration that I don't have time for friends anymore. There's the bus ride back and forth to the city... and that's all the time I have to socialize!
Never mind that the people on the bus keep shushing me.
But then I have all the sleep to catch up on.

Speaking of which, I believe my nap time is over.

Thanks for understanding, dear reader.

Never break the Rule of Three... Without having three yet.

This is day 2 and 3 and 4 all bunched together. See? THREE!

The 2nd day wasn't too terrible. I learned a few names, made no friends, and had to introduce myself to everyone...

"Hi, my name is Yehuda Mann--"
CAN YOU REPEAT THAT??!!
"Uhum... Ye-Hoo-DUH Mann! But you can change my name to anything. It could be Huda, Juda, Mann, Guy..."
BUT WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE CALLED??
"It doesn't matter to me."

[Dies of laughter]

Yep, I'm quite the charmer. The critics name-- they're not professors or instructors, just critics-- Greta Weil (While). Nicest person in the studio. And the only one to remind me how confusing the first day can be without a syllabus.

Don't get it? That's ok. I didn't get a syllabus either. And I had to make up all the work.

The first day of Physics was pretty cool. The teacher is Jewish and a Rabbi from Brooklyn. So... Yeah he has an interesting teaching style.

He WANTS us to talk in class!

Although we're all to shy and awkward to do that.

Day 3:
Back to drawing classes! And... my face is on the wall. Speaking of exposing ourselves...

Day 4:
Back to Studio!
They like my project. Why not complicate this and turn an 8x8x2 model into a full 8x8x8 cube?!!
That's what I have to do now.

First Day of Classes

Now we get ourselves into the goodness of it all!

Class started at 8:30am sharp. Professor Meuschke comes in, and the first thing he says is, "I plan on keeping you here until the end of class, but I did not sleep at all last night... If I start to doze off, you can leave sooner."
Already he seems like a really nice guy and funny. He went around the room asking things about ourselves so we would become comfortable with him. Although, there should have been some icebreakers for the students... it was too quiet and every person was just staring at their cellphone.

At one point he asked, "Who of you can draw well?"
I and one other raised their hand, and luckily he picked the other guy.
"Can you draw this girl?" pointing to a girl to his left.
"Uhh... I guess."
"Ok. Draw her now. Now, who else in class can draw?"

Looking around and no one raising their hands, he starts mocking us with, "Oh, I don't want to raise my hand, I don't want to draw the other students."

It was great.

Occasionally he would ask what the time was, and would always be surprised to find out that the time was moving slower and slower with each time he asked.

10 o'clock finally comes and he gives us a break and... everyone whips out their phone in awkwardness. I went to search for a bathroom or a water fountain (since I'd left my bottle at the bus stop in Monsey), I couldn't find either so I went back to the classroom only to pass by the professor who smiled politely as I tried to keep a socially-acceptable amount of eye contact.
I'm not sure if winking was appropriate.

After the break he began to ask each of us about why we chose architecture or what our favorite architect/architecture was. I used the former question to shamelessly discuss my Sukkah project. Prof Meuschke was fine with it since it wasted time. He also found it interestingly coincidental that I and Jewish professor for another class both mentioned the number 24.
(See: http://architalmud.blogspot.com/2013/09/emunah-vpachad-faith-fear.html)
Other students had mentioned many interesting architectural structures. And the Time Warner building next door tended to be one of the bigger topics.
Toward the end of class, Prof Meuschke told us we'd be going to Central Park to start drawing. And so we did.


Out on the fields, there was a man playing a guitar and singing, many beautiful women tanning were out, and there we were sketching buildings and trees.
First was a line drawing, and then we needed to do the shapes themselves. It was a wonderful way to spend a class. I finished my work quickly--since I only brought a pen and therefore was limited in shading area--so I took a look around to see others works.
It's amazing how stellar all of these people are at drawing!
It feels good to be around other artists. Especially those that also want to succeed in the Architecture program.

After all was said and done, Prof Meuschke gave us two assignments due for next week:

1) Just using Line drawings, draw the back of an appliance.
2) Self portraits. With charcoal or pencil.

These would then be pinned up to the wall and critiqued.

Shana Tova, dear reader.

I'll post picture later.

~ArchiTalmud