House in Progress Diary

I'm glad I'm not the only one that does that! I wonder if there are self-help groups...

I totally understand where youre coming from--I've missed entire movie scenes because I was staring at some architectural element in the background. I even caught myself doing this while watching a cartoon last week.

It sure helps to make boring movies more interesting, though.

I'll be at that intervention too. We can talk about the exposed beams and the best way to repair an old hardwood floor.

This is so funny! Just last week my sister-in-law and I were in a teen cloting store (think surf inspired, tiny clothing for the 12 to 19 year old age range) where I mentioned I felt particularly old, after all we both left our teen years about 7 or 8 years ago. Not only did I feel old because the music was loud and the clothes too small but I actually didn't look at any of the clothing (I used to be a clothes fanatic)! I did, however, manage to mention my admiration for the painted wood floors and the old timey black and white hex tiling! I even went so far as to say: "I really love the hex tiling with the black grout."
oh no! What has happened?!

sign me up too- but I am not sure I am ready to be cured...

Me, too.
It hit while watching old episodes of "Green Acres", of all things.

I find myself glued to CBS's new show NUMB3RS for just a glimps of the bungalow they live in. :)

This has been a problem of mine for a while. I was big fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and I couldn't wait until she went home to her fantastic Craftsman home. It is also good way to make an otherwise mundane show interesting...at least for a little while. At some point they do need a good plot or all of the interesting architecture in the world won't keep the boob tube on.

It also reminds me of how I don't just see buildings sometimes, I see dead buildings...
Actually, what I see is whether or not the building has been tuckpointed, what kind of roof it has and if they planted a pine tres too close to the house- I never used to think this way- wha' happend?

"I see dead buildings... >sniffle"

What's happening?
You're starting to think like an architect, so far as I can tell. My GF's sister is marrying an architect and they love to poke fun at the wierd stuff they have to live with~ pulling off the highway to look at a barn, walking through alleys rather than streets to see where the action is (architecturally and service-wise), drinking at the overpriced bar because they were SO successful in nailing that ratty loft/Matrix chic blend. Comments Like "yeah, that top is flattering and all but it just reads too... Corbusier to me."

As an added bonus, I get to know how I will die: In a horrible traffic accident caused by my rubbernecking either a) a woman, b) a car, or c)a building. Sadly, the last is probably the most likely.
So this is not onbly an illness, but potentially a fatal one.

I grew up hearing running commentaries on all the houses we passed by on almost any car trips. We knew it was not nice to talk about people, but houses seemed to be fair game. I almost think i need to put a disclaimer about the horrible remuddled bathroom in our otherwise lovely craftsman home when I turn over the keys to the next owner. Our real estate agent does not think it necessary to note that the original hexagonal tiles are still there under two layers of ugly vinyl tile. I hope the new people don't have too many "What were they thinking moments?" When we went to visit many historical sites in D.C. we were checking out the architectural details and asking about what was original, rather than tuning into the details of our founder's lives! My theory is that old and original never goes out of style. However cool the newest thing is, it will be passe in 10-20 years. Love your site!

Yes we do this we do this all the time in stores!! Lots of stores and shops in France are in ancient buildings. Especially the ones in the center of town. We like to study the way they treated the floors, the beams and the old stone walls. I always drag out my digital camera and shoot pictures just as the saleslady is walking up. "no thanks just looking ...at your pickled wood treatment...very stunning with that industrial staircase!"

This sort of fascination is by no means limited to those of us who spent our weekends and evenings renno-ing old houses.

Before we bought our place or had our kid, in 2000, I quit my job and went back to college to earn the degree that would let me have the job I have now. While I was a student, with a little rental house, no ‘real’ job, no kids, and a measly 12 credits a term to contend with, I got heavily into wheel-thrown pottery. I’d spend several (at least) hours a day spinning pots and doing research into the composition of clay bodies and glazes, firing the kilns, mixing up both clays and glazes, and generally geeking on the varying combinations of heat, water, silicates, and trace minerals. I still have stuff in a local gallery and have a work space in a local pottery. I suspect that the only reason they let me stay is that I do their webpage, but… during my heavy pottery phase, I remember going to see Hidden Dragon Crouching Dragon (I love M. Cho’s monologue about this film), with the whole family. I was neither able to eat my popcorn or enjoy the flying fight scenes because I was obsessed with the pots! There were magnificent antique Chinese pots everywhere. About the third time I leaned over to whisper about the great Celadon or the turned coil, I realized that I needed to let go and just watch the movie.

You mean, you actually get to buy clothes? Those aren't in the budget for me until at least 2006. I'm jealous.

Oh heck no! Nope, clothes aren't in the budget. It's getting dire too. But it's nice to leaf through the catalogs before I go to sleep at night...

OMG! I do this too! I am obsessed with the kitchen in "Something's Gotta Give." Nevermind Diane Keaton's performance. The whole time I was thinking "I must rent or buy the DVD when it comes out, freeze frame on the wide shots of the kitchen and tell the men I hire to work on my house...THIS IS THE KITCHEN I WANT!" Even the cabinet pulls were making me drool...oh, and the furniture? Maybe we hire movie set makers to work on our houses....

I'm also glad to see that I'm not the only person that does this! I love pouring through catalogs and I even have a scrapbook (even before scrapbooking became such a popular thing) of all the things I like - I especially like wood furniture and hardwood floors!