tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68449242024-03-13T15:40:11.146-04:00Urban OasisA Web log about architecture, urbanism, preservation, and history.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.comBlogger99125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1216230002275052562012-08-26T22:27:00.002-04:002012-08-26T22:27:20.474-04:00Assistant Professor of History<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
LaDale Winling is an assistant professor of history at Virginia Tech. His website, urbanoasis.org, can be reached <a href="http://www.urbanoasis.org/">here</a>.</div>
Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1147302850058469682006-05-10T19:12:00.002-04:002011-04-16T14:09:12.382-04:00Feed Me!RSS feeds, etc., seem to be working over on the new blog, <a href="http://www.urbanoasis.org/blog/1">http://www.urbanoasis.org/blog/1</a>. Check it out and let me know.<br /><br />Big ups to Scott T. (do the kids still say "big ups"?) for advising me on the most niggling of details.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1147222432110823132006-05-09T20:48:00.000-04:002006-05-09T20:53:52.113-04:00Help WantedI'm doing a planning thesis on the changing conditions of student housing in Ann Arbor ~1920 to ~2000 and I'm looking for some houses/apartments to document. If you live somewhere on the OWS or the student neighborhood south of Central Campus and think your house is interesting, let me know. My objective is to examine how these structures differed in their spatial arrangements and their uses when occupied by owners vs. students/renters, and when that change occured. It would take about an hour to take some basic measurements of your house and rooms and poke around in your closets and basement, taking pictures all the while. Sound interesting? Let me know lwinlingATumichDOTedu.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1147222093380587662006-05-09T20:47:00.000-04:002006-05-09T20:48:13.400-04:00One more timeFor those of you with RSS feeds, the new domain is http://www.urbanoasis.org/blog.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1146767918393983172006-05-04T14:36:00.000-04:002006-05-04T14:38:38.410-04:00Move OverThe move is just about complete. I've set up shop at my own domain, <a href="http://www.urbanoasis.org/blog">urbanoasis.org</a>. There are still some kinks to be worked out, like how the devil do I get rid of those "link" things at the top right corner of the page? Anyway, not the change in your blogrolls and your xml feeds.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1146590295746207132006-05-02T13:13:00.000-04:002006-05-02T13:18:15.760-04:00Calling All Tech NerdsI'm starting the process of moving from blogger to my own blog, but I realize I don't know what I'm doing. Anybody want to barter some MySQLphpWTF help for something I have? Candidates for barter include Bell's Beer, photography, research skills, and rowing coaching. Just some plain old advice would be good, too.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145896164015443722006-04-24T12:29:00.000-04:002006-05-03T20:38:12.990-04:00Adventures in Large Format Photography<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/134244109/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/44/134244109_e37396c9a9_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/134244109/">LF Shant Front Elevation 1</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>I finally got around to taking my first two 4x5 photos to Foto1 for developing. Fortunately, I learned that Ivory Photo right near the Madison House still has a functioning darkroom, so it will remain a walkable hobby.<br /><br />Here is one of my two attempts. It's not too shabby, but has four fairly significant problems. The first is clearly the framing. With my lens I would have had to get out into the middle of William St. to get it all, so I went for a practice shot. The second is that the top of the building is not in focus. I tilted the lens too much in trying to get both the brick wall and the cornice in focus, so the plane of focus is very oblique (it looks like from the garbage can through the brick wall to top of the doorway arch). The third is that it is not level -- the cornice should be parallel to the top of the frame. The fourth is that I was not dead-center. The top of the gate arch should be in line with the top of the doorway arch. Live and learn.<br><br /><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/134244110/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/46/134244110_cc63aad775_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/134244110/">LF Shant Front Elevation 2</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div><br />This one, actually my first, is even worse. First off, I double exposed it. It's even less level than the other one, and off center, of course, too. Anyway, it was my first attempt and now I'm going after some more attempts. <br /><br />Bottom line, view photography is difficult, which is why so many archival images and proto snapshots I've come across in research are partially out of focus or show some vignetting. However, its results are awesome, as the lower 2/3 of the top image indicates. More to come.<br /><br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145734190460473722006-04-22T15:17:00.000-04:002006-04-22T15:32:21.293-04:00David Kohrman, GeniusI recently got in touch with a friend from WMU, Dave Kohrman, now at Ball State. Having turned to public history towards the end of my undergrad career, I had a couple courses with Dave, and a turn on the Phi Alpha Theta board. Another time I'll tell about our brief detour to Gary, IN.<br /><br />Narrator of the most hilarious end-of-semester true story ever told, Dave is an urban explorer not unlike the dude from the <a href="http://www.detroitblog.com">Detroit Blog</a>, but better in my mind. I'm thinking about looking at Muncie Indiana for part of my dissertation (of _Middletown_ fame), so I got an update on Dave and, though his famed Chuck Norris movie reviews have been in short supply lately, I got to see <a href="http://kohrman.blogspot.com/2006/04/jungle.html">some more of his photography</a>. He instantly made the blogroll, and I encourage you to <a href="http://kohrman.blogspot.com/">check it out</a>.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145673436855185472006-04-21T22:37:00.000-04:002006-04-21T22:37:16.916-04:00Eight Months Later<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64514569@N00/130231619/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/49/130231619_edbcbc6f44_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/64514569@N00/130231619/">New Orleans homes Hurricane Katrina</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/64514569@N00/">boyneworleans</a>. </span></div>I'm having a difficult time understanding what is going on in New Orleans. If anyone went down there for Spring Break or has been there recently, please pipe up. What is the scale of cleanup and rehabilitation? Also, if there are any good maps about (re)investment or rehab, please link. The odd snippets I see in the New York Times or on blogs don't really give a sense of how this city is coming back or not.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145584501465434612006-04-20T21:50:00.000-04:002006-04-20T21:55:01.483-04:00Subletter NeededMay 1 - August 28. $300/mo for own 10' x 10' bedroom in the Madison House, near the corner of Main and Madison, Ann Arbor MI. Washer/dryer and off-street parking on premises. 4 blocks from U-M campus; one block from Leopold Bros.; one block from Washtenaw Dairy. Great roommates, great house, great location. lwinlingATumichDOTedu.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145327053774117062006-04-17T22:11:00.000-04:002006-04-17T22:27:08.836-04:00Long Shot<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/rome/piano/0009.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/rome/piano/0009.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />I just sent in a cover letter and resume to the Art Institute of Chicago. It doesn't make a lick of sense, seeing as how I'm a year away from candidacy, but I was trawling around the Web to see what sort of stuff opens up in Chicago (I also hit USAJOBS.com from time to time) and boom, I see they're looking for <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/jobs/salaried.html">an associate curator of architecture</a>. Hmm...twentieth century architecture? I study twentieth century architecture. Interest in contemporary design issues? I'm interested in contemporary design issues. Ability to raise funds and preserve and acquire pieces for the collection? I can preserve, acquire, and raise funds with the best of them! New <a href="http://www.artic.edu/aic/aboutus/newbuilding/index.html">Renzo Piano building</a> housing their modern design collection? I can dig it.<br /><br />There's not a chance in hell I'd get this job (but maybe an interview), I've got a ton of commitments here, still, and I'm way behind on several other semester's end projects, but it was too good an opportunity not to spend the last two hours <a href="http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lwinling/AIC Cover Letter.pdf">revising my CV and writing a cover letter.</a> Let me know what you think.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145201802945858602006-04-16T11:16:00.000-04:002006-04-17T11:28:51.200-04:00A Crime Against Architecture<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://historicmonroe.org/north-of-river/Pix/buick-1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px;" src="http://historicmonroe.org/north-of-river/Pix/buick7-l.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Century_of_Progress">Century of Progress Exposition</a> in Chicago intended to celebrate the first one hundred years of urban development and achievement of the Windy City, opening in 1933. As part of the celebration, the fair contracted with several architects to develop demonstration homes exhibiting modern design -- somewhere between Art Deco and the International Style. After the immensely successful fair (which, by the way, was part of the reason baseball now has the All-Star game), a real estate developer moved several of the homes to the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/indu/History/Century_of_Progress_homes.htm">Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore</a>, where there are a number of programs for leasing. One of the homes, apparently, made its way to Monroe, Michigan, where local "preservationists" turned what what once an innovative, creative design employing new technologies and materials into a <a href="http://www.historicmonroe.org/north-of-river/cent-hollywood.htm">faux-neoclassical atrocity.</a>Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145195221788320302006-04-16T09:42:00.000-04:002006-04-16T11:09:12.800-04:00I love Mark MaynardMM.com may just make my blogroll, yet. In a stroke of genius reminiscent of his brilliant <a href="http://markmaynard.com/index.php/2005/12/18/zombie_claus_redux">Zombie Claus</a>, Mark has proposed an <a href="http://markmaynard.com/index.php/2006/04/15/the_shadow_art_fair">Ypsi Shadow Art Fair</a> preceding the Ann Arbor Art Fairs for non-overhyped artists hawking things other than art on a stick. Murph needs to get on this (cause everything he does rocks).Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1145136712985891312006-04-15T17:13:00.000-04:002006-04-15T17:31:58.316-04:00Wish I Were Here<a href="http://www.greatlakesmythsociety.com">Great Lakes Myth Society at the Elbow Room.</a> Show starts at 10:30. I'm at the grad instead, writing a paper on housing markets and policy in Austin Texas over the last 30 years. Then I'll be at the Art and Architecture Building doing the same later.<br /><br />Woo.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1144727671944349032006-04-10T23:46:00.000-04:002006-04-10T23:56:29.833-04:00A History of Ann ArborJonathan Marwil's light history of Tree Town contains this titillating excerpt:<br /><br /><blockquote>In the autumn of 1928 the university announced plans to build a dormitory for women. This was not to be another Martha Cook or Helen Newberry--unique facilities constructed for specific purposes--but the first of many in a reversal of the long-standing (Tappan) policy of having students be responsible for their lodging. The news was met with anger and alarm, for it endangered the investments of hundreds landlords, the livelihoods of hundreds of domestics, the value of property (and thus tax returns) around the campus, and the trade of merchants along Main Street...<br /><br />Faculty dismissals and student misbehavior had irked citizens, even outraged their notions of propriety, but the dormitory plan, said Bertha Muehling, a prominent businesswoman, jeopardized "the business interests of Ann Arbor."</blockquote><br /><br />I have noted before that college presidents testified before Congress in the 1940s that they needed help building dormitories because cities' private markets were unable to handle the swell of new collegians. They could only justifiably ask because the private market, <span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">which had the responsibility to house students</span></span>, was not up to the task.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1144573653837584332006-04-09T05:02:00.000-04:002006-04-09T05:07:33.916-04:00Wal-Mart to Subsidize CompetitionSo sayeth an article this week in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/business/04cnd-walmart.html?_r=1&hp&ex=1144209600&en=5a2e7bcad2cb7fb7&ei=5094&partner=homepage&oref=slogin">The New York Times</a>. That's bizarre.<br /><br />Clearly the public relations work of the anti-Wal-Mart faction (of which I number myself) is having some impact when Wal-Mart is giving money and advertising away to competitors. However, I have no illusions that this changes their business model or that Wal-Mart now wants to compete in a healthy economic ecosystem.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1144573247722008202006-04-09T05:00:00.000-04:002006-04-09T05:00:47.823-04:00Preservation 101<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/125573046/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/1/125573046_9c7623c565_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/125573046/">shant</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>This is a historical photo of The Shant, the meeting house of Delta Kappa Epsilon on William St. One of the projects for the preservation course will be to do a measured drawings project for the building (potentially for entry into a HABS student competition). This was designed by William LeBaron Jenney, one of the pioneers of the skyscraper. It was one of two he did while teaching architecture courses in Ann Arbor. The other was a University museum, since demolished.<br /><br />Register now while there's still space.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1142214685837011042006-03-12T20:51:00.000-05:002006-03-12T20:51:25.843-05:00She's All That<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/111674389/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/53/111674389_d616f25c80_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/111674389/">Mystery Campus</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div><a href="http://katebosher.blogspot.com">Marriage</a> brings a number of changes and compromises to this blogger's formerly autonomous life. Going to bed early. Eating square meals. Minding a budget. Perhaps the biggest change will not come for another 14 months, but come it surely will: a move to Chicago, IL. My wife accepted a tenure-track offer from a university in the Chicagoland area starting in September, and my husbandly duties compel me to follow as soon as the completion of exams and coursework allow. Leave it to my lovely wife to fulfill my fantasies of living and working in a major metropolitan area in the Great Lakes region.<br /><br />I can't wait to get my hands on some wall maps like <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/1897-HISTORIC-HUGE-STREET-WALL-MAP-CHICAGO_W0QQitemZ7396300570QQcategoryZ63610QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting">this.</a><br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1142051535103887022006-03-10T23:32:00.000-05:002006-03-11T11:49:44.666-05:00Bells and Whistles<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/108214720/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/46/108214720_3b68be2644_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/108214720/">Lobby of the Auditorium Building</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>You'll note the flickr image and link on the right. I figured my photos were underutilized, and with the most recent additions from the Chicago trip, my meager collection is shaping up. If only I could figure out how to make it cycle through my photos.<br /><br />I'm taking a course on architectural theory that I find incredibly difficult. It's for the MArchs and not for PhD students, but I am required by my program to take a design theory course. The major semester project is a pair of posters in which students must visually represent and contrast two books on ecology. It's rather challenging and particularly so because I am totally incompetent with Adobe Photoshop. Basically everything the architecture students slapped on the page (or seemed to slap on the page) looked totally scrumptious and seemed fit for publication. God, I need to develop some visual skills. <br /><br />In that vein, I've bought a large format view camera (Toyo G 4x5) and am slowly assembling the appropriate accessories and hope to be busting out some decent photos soon. Last summer, working at HABS, I got to go out with James Rosenthal on some shoots of Greenbelt, MD. (I worked with <a href="http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/vc006444.jpg">Jack Boucher</a>, too, but didn't do any shoots with him). Having read some of John Stilgoe's early work on landscape, I had been primed for view photography (as well as landscape painting). This summer a chief project will be relearning basic optics -- the excruciating interdisciplinary education of Dale Winling continues.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1141598042766737602006-03-05T17:26:00.000-05:002006-03-05T17:35:44.190-05:00Good GodThe Bush administration's and right wing's War on Knowledge and Education has become much broader than its early and ridiculous War on Science. It has now expanded to include a War on Higher Education. Via the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/01/national/01educ.html">New York Times</a> comes news of this diversion of funds to "entrepreneurial" diploma mills:<br /><br /><blockquote>It took just a few paragraphs in a budget bill for Congress to open a new frontier in education: Colleges will no longer be required to deliver at least half their courses on a campus instead of online to qualify for federal student aid.<br /><br />That change is expected to be of enormous value to the commercial education industry. Although both for-profit colleges and traditional ones have expanded their Internet and online offerings in recent years, only a few dozen universities are fully Internet-based, and most of them are for-profit ones. </blockquote><br /><br />For those of you following at home, that is the same budget bill that cut student loan aid for college. Check out the full story and see how campaign donations from online "colleges" laid the groundwork for this change.Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1141583758446008582006-03-05T13:35:00.000-05:002006-03-05T13:35:58.486-05:00Good Night, Chicago<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/108203581/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/49/108203581_bfa0310d2f_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/108203581/">Chicago</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>Back from a trip to the Windy City. Sadly, my wife and I saw no plays while there. Our time was booked up with friends, food, taking pictures of buildings, and professional matters. Chicago is really a great city, with the one drag being the infuriating trip on the el that took us more than an hour to go about 6 stops due to some crazy-ass work on the track. I have no idea why the delays weren't posted, but there it was. Being late for an appointment, we got out and took a cab up to Evanston from Belmont, an area on the near north side newly settled by <a href="http://pastthecollegegrounds.blogspot.com">hipsters</a> and creative class types.<br /><br />Evanston was a nice change from Ann Arbor, as well. They're actually building things there and retail rent hasn't chased office supply stores, hardware stores, or grocery stores from the city yet.<br /><br />I talked to a guy at Aramantha Books who was from Ann Arbor and used to work at David's Books. He knew the owner of my favorite bookstore, West Side Books. The recent addition of another used bookstore brought Evanston's total to 5. My wife and I thanked him by buying several volumes, including James Ackerman's <i>Palladio</i> and John Ruskin's <i>The Seven Lamps of Architecture</i>.<br /><br />More to come if and when this blogger ever catches up on school.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1140400696469593362006-02-19T20:58:00.000-05:002006-02-19T21:05:10.603-05:00(Cold) SNAP!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/101901225/"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/28/101901225_afb9df6ddf_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /><br>Thermal Block</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>The mild January may have lulled you into complacency when you saw your gas bill was almost $100 lower than the one for December. Monsieur Winter, however, returned from vacation in February, and, finding you lolling around the apartment in a t-shirt and jeans, saucily slapped you back to reality with a frosty glove to the face, leaving you with a deep, malingering chill to remind you, once more, why a Michigan degree was a bad idea.<br /><br />You've turned the heat down 5 degrees lower than you kept it last winter. You're already wearing a turtleneck and a sweatshirt to try to keep warm. If the girl next door comes over to borrow a cup of sugar and sees you've put a hoodie on over that, your chances are as good as gone. <br /><br />What to do when overnight temperatures drop to the single digits? Put up a thermal block. From our friends, the architects, I have stolen a simple, clever, non-pretentious idea that will soothe the stinging slap from that punkass season. Basically, it involves hanging a sheet over the doorway(s) of a central room. In my case, the front door doesn't seal tight and cold air whistles in despite a storm door and weather stripping. The solution was to hang a curtain across the doorway from the entry area to the living room. Having blocked the cold air from immediately mixing with the warm living room air, the room stays warmer and the furnace isn't blasting away. The cold air coming indoors lingers at the door instead of wafting up the stairs to the second floor or rolling into the living room. Everyone's happy and toasty -- especially the cat with her mat by the heat register. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/101900442/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/22/101900442_2b83435727_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /><br />Give this option a serious thought if you're bundled up but still cold during the cold snap.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1140399774681289682006-02-19T20:27:00.000-05:002006-04-22T16:01:05.136-04:00About This Blog<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/132122524/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/53/132122524_8953122026_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/132122524/">Kleinschmidt Insurance Building</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>I am a graduate student in architectural history and urban planning at the University of Michigan. This blog is one of the many media I use to shoot my mouth off about planning, preservation, student housing, architecture, and the like.<br /><br />It has seen numerous improvements and refinements since its inception in May of 2004. It will probably see more soon. Feel free to check out my growing Flickr collection of images.<br /><br />Please check out the blogroll, my recent reads, and the archives of this site. Feel free to email me at l9winlinATyahooDOTcom if you have any questions, complaints, or comments. I will respond if the fancy strikes me.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1139856679435429152006-02-13T13:51:00.000-05:002006-02-15T09:48:24.800-05:00Married!<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/97143016/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/25/97143016_7540317d90_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/97143016/">Husband and Wife</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>My lovely wife and I were married on February 5th at the Pittsfield Union Grange hall. A great place for a wedding, it has my high recommendation. $325 gets you a big dance/ceremony floor and a kitchen/dining floor with all the linens and table service you need.<br /><br />In other news, I'm now a poster on <a href="http://www.arborupdate.com">Arbor Update</a> and should also be working on an Urban Planning thesis on student housing this summer.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6844924.post-1138201290799883702006-01-25T10:01:00.000-05:002006-01-25T21:49:45.716-05:00City Council Drinking Game<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/63346945/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://static.flickr.com/24/63346945_934a249cb3_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a> <br /> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/30211583@N00/63346945/">Ann Arbor City Hall</a> <br /> Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/30211583@N00/">urbanoasis</a>. </span></div>Urban Oasis comes out of hibernation to mix politics and pleasure in Ann Arbor. Inspired by <a href="http://www.annarborisoverrated.com/2006/01/24/young-people/">AAiO and Councilmember Lowenstein</a>, we bring you the Ann Arbor City Council Drinking Game. [Note: Game best played with brew or spirits from Leopold Bros.]<br /><br />When a Public Comment speaker addresses the issue of Palestine, drink.<br /><br />When a commenter on Palestine significantly or angrily exceeds his/her comment time, drink.<br /><br />When a councilmember praises the hard work and good intentions of another councilmember, drink.<br /><br />When a councilmember asks for information from City Administrator Roger Fraser or an opinion on legal matters from City Attorney Stephen Postma, 2 drinks.<br /><br />When a councilmember refers fondly to a former councilmember who had a lasting impact on the council, finish your drink.<br /><br />When the council takes a recess or goes into executive session, finish your drink.<br /><br />When the mayor makes a symbolic vote against a measure that doesn't affect the outcome of the vote, drink.<br /><br />When a councilmember mentions the idea of neighborhoods to try to defend, explain, or strengthen his/her position on an issue, drink. Examples: "standing up for neighborhoods," "the neighborhoods want," "impact on neighborhoods."<br /><br />In the ongoing efforts to involve college students and other young residents in the local political process, this Drinking Game is a significant accomplishment. Please add your own thoughts in the comments and in a week or two I'll put together a final set of rules.<br clear="all" />Dale Winlinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05562187478929449229noreply@blogger.com8