On 6/14/2010 10:34 PM, Ruth Barton wrote:

Ruth,

We hate them here, wherever here is, that is why we keep deporting them 
to Vermont!

And by the way, I don't live in the stupid environment, I visit it for 
the money. The environment that I live in is very very smart.

At that particular work environment the penthouse owners were incredibly 
insensitive and self-absorbed. I wish it were a joke.

Whenever I go to look at a new site to look at possible work I tend to 
ask questions about the people and the neighbors. The architect, 
property owner or engineer seems always, and I feel appropriately, 
focused on 'we need to fix this here' and they rarely want to say 
anything about, or even think about, the eccentricities of the occupants 
of the building, or the expectations of the neighbors. I like to know 
things like how many lawyers or architects live in the building. If 
there are too many lawyers in the building then you can expect the 
project will end up in a frivolous law suit, for which you need to 
include a high enough price in the bid to accommodate the years of 
hassle. Less experienced bidders don't know -- I have not yet found a 
specification section that deals with Everyone in This Building is a 
Raving Lunatic -- and thus the unknowing bidder tends to be the low 
bidder... so from my perspective, Why bother? If there are too many 
architects (practicing, teaching and/or amateur -- and invariably never 
having any experience in restoration/maintenance work at all) then you 
have to be assured that someone will come out of nowhere that won't like 
whatever it is that you did. They will wait until you reasonably think 
that you are nearly finished with an otherwise satisfying project. When 
we are asked to work on a wall over a neighbor's roof I ask if they get 
along with the neighbors, or not. Quite often the response is, "That is 
your problem." I have had that problem more than I need to care about so 
my response when told it is our problem tends to be, "No thanks. See you 
later." Now, if all of the bidders are given a fair and reasonable 
portrait that upon entering into a contract for this project you are 
entering the Twilight Zone, a level playing field for the mentally 
unstable, then I would not mind so much. IMHO the most valuable talent 
of an architect is their ability to discern and manage, to work with, 
play with psychotic clients. Show me what you need fixed and I will fix 
it, and please tell that guy standing over there to leave me alone. If 
he/she comes near me I will bite them. I may bite you too, watch out! I 
suspect though that it is for these reasons of the complications of 
human issues that there is a rise in the industry of Owner's 
Representatives.

][<en

> Why the HELL do you people live in this stupid environment? Why not come up
> here in live in our stupid environment?  Caused...
>
> At 5:19 AM -0400 6/14/10, Gabriel Orgrease wrote:
>
> On the morning of 9/11 we got a fax in our office from a penthouse terrace
> owner chiding our workers for sitting on their lawn chairs at lunch... thus
> reducing the lifespan of the chairs.
>
> ][<en
>
>
>    

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