An Artist's Life

Mike Brady Lied to Me Too!!

My friend, colleague, Architect and former boss Alec Doutre sent me a funny blog post by Architect Jody Brown about an Architect who received career advise from Mike Brady - as in Mike Brady of "The Brady Bunch."

Mike Brady lied to him!

Just imagine if Mike Brady lied to us as well........

1. Unlike Mike Brady, I don't live in a modernist house that I designed, but we do have a nice condo with a terrific view!

2. I didn't marry Florence Henderson, but I got Janice - I win!

3. We didn't have 6 kids- just 5. Three boys and two girls. We sold the third girl off for medical experiments! (just kidding)




4. We don't have an Alice.....Wait a minute - I'm Alice!




5. I don't drive a fancy Architect car.....but I have a cool bike!



6. And an even cooler cargo bike!



7. We didn't go to a cool amusement park in Hawaii, but we ran Manhattan! Oh yeah - we didn't take the kids!  Didn't Mike Brady lose that design contract?



8. As for plaid shirts.....I think Paisley ROCKS!



9. Top Hats are even better!!

10. My oldest daughter Nicola has way more talent than I and would likely make a great artist and Architect. Then there is my younger daughter Julia - Julia is our Marcia. She wants to rule the world! Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!




Yeah, so maybe Mike Brady did get it right after all.  Architecture is a tough career choice, but it is rewarding, and it did me OK. I guess I too am suited for Architecture.





Now if I only talked to Larry Hagman ...............

"One Year Car-Less"

It has now officially been one year, that I have lived without a car! I now know, from personal experience, it can be done! It is surprisingly easy and at this point I have no intention of going back! Yes there are inconveniences, like slogging groceries in a backpack in the dead of winter.....actually, now that I think about it, that's the only one! The benefits however, are amazing. Here are my top 10:

1. When I did drive, I did not have a car loan on my last vehicle, so I got off lucky with around $5K in car expenses a year. With car loan payments, that could easily hit $10K/year. That's money in the bank.

2. I now have the coolest bike in the world with my Brompton! Check out their webpage - www.brompton.com - These guys have created a serious cult following!

3. I no longer have to be a taxi to my kids - I guess that isn't totally fair as an empty nester, but if they were still living at home I wouldn't be their personal chauffeur!

4. I walk or bike to work every day which means I get to listen to audio books and learn all kinds of new and interesting things.

5. I walk or bike to work every day so I get the added benefit of being in the best shape that I have been in years - and I get to eat ANYTHING!

6. My blood pressure, which used to be in the mildly hyper tensive range is now, at last check, 109/60 - Freaky low!

7. Did I mention that I am in the best shape I have been in years? I am running the New York City Marathon in November 2013 - I couldn't have done that a year ago when I commuted by car!

8. Walking is like a moving meditation - I no longer suffer road rage; I have a clearer mind; I have a quieter mind; I am way more relaxed; and I sleep unbelievably well.

9. I have a much better appreciation for my city - when you drive you don't see beyond the road and the traffic around you. When you walk or bike, you truly experience your environment and the people. Contrary to popular belief, Ottawa is NOT the city that Fun forgot!

10. I am no longer bothered by the weather. When you walk everywhere, you get used to it. Bring it on! Rain, sleet, snow - I am ready for you!

Now that I am moving into year two of my life without a car, I look forward to diving into exploring further the notion of sustainable living and design. I think it would be really cool as a designer to really push the status quo of what has become the conventional Canadian suburban lifestyle by exploring a much more urban based sustainable living model.

"It's Only a Beard Dude!"

As I bomb around the city on my Brompton, I have noticed that there is a new fashion trend on the rise. I keep seeing these dudes, sporting these huge beards! There is nothing particularly new about the beard, but these are definitely different - They are bigger and bushier.

Facial hair has alway been a symbol of manliness (no pun intended). I am certainly no expert on beards, in fact I couldn’t grow one until I hit my forties, but my guess is that the beard was an evolutionary thing, to make men appear bigger, stronger and more intimidating to their enemies and competitors. Why do you think hockey players sport the playoff beard - it’s not for good luck, but is intended to intimidate the crap out of the opposing team.

Men wear beards for many reasons. They are often worn for religious beliefs. Followers of Islam, Orthodox Judaism, Sikhs, Hindu and Rastafarianism believe strongly that maintaining their beards is a function of their faith. Beards were worn by kings, emperors and world leaders as a symbol of power and aristocracy - Emperor Meiji of Japan, Czar Nicholas of Russia, Henry the 8th, and President Lincoln to name a few. Beards came and went over the ages as fashions changed.

Beats, poets, philosophers, athletes, artists musicians, rebels, hippies, hipsters and grunges all sported beards. Some notable beardo’s include Charles Darwin, Carl Marx, Earnest Hemingway, Brahms, Che Guevara, Castro, Henry David Thoreau, Jesus, Brad Pitt, Alan Ginsburg, Chuck Norris, Walt Whitman, Kimbo Slice, Kenny Rogers, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill (ZZ Top), Santa Claus, Leonardo Da Vinci, Rasputin, Rembrandt, Gerry Garcia, John Lennon, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Macho-Man Randy Savage, Luciano Pavarotti, Sigmund Freud, Gandalf, Lanny McDonald, Joaquin Phoenix, Colonel Saunders, Curt Cobain and of course you can’t forget Clint!

As I read various webpages about beards, I have come across some interesting anecdotal tidbits of historical facts, truths and hyperbole. Did you know Alexander the Great banned beards in his armies because he was of the opinion that enemy soldiers would grab them in battle? I read that online - it must be true!

So as I said above, there is definitely something going on. I keep seeing these big awesome beards all over the place. Skaters in the parks, hipsters in the coffee shops, bikers (as in cyclists), and musicians, all sporting these big, bushy, kick-ass Viking beards. Call em hip, call em cool, call em funky, whatever. All I can say is this dude, is suffering from kind of beard envy!

I may just have to grow me one of those “Attitude Beards!” Haha! Now that would be a sight as I play my banjo!