A new year

What a year. Six months ago I joined the ranks of the new world order. The world of consulting instead of commitment, the world of pajama commuting instead of pressed slacks and crisp shirts, the virtual office Vs. Dilbert's cubicle, the birth of perpetual connectivity. These days one doesn't go home after work… work is always with us on the cell, the laptop, and what home isn't wired to the Internet these days? This is the new world order, one that many say enslaves us to our work.

We long for the days gone by when we went home at 6:00 PM to plant our behinds in front of the TV or took off for the weekend, or went on a two week vacation. The fact is that this period of relative leisure that for the most part we, our parents and grandparents enjoyed, existed in a relatively short span in the history of civilization. Our recent generations are a spoiled lot. Before that golden age of relative leisure, the artisan, the craftsman, the laborer and most professionals for that matter lived in a state not unlike our current condition. Of course there were no computers, cell phones or internet; but the iron smith, the taylor and the baker all plied their trade in their home… rarely was there ever a distinction between work and home. One could say they were enslaved to their work, but in fact their life was inseparable from their work, to the point that more often than not they were born into their trade, inherited their their tools and even the name of their trade from their father and passed it down to their offspring.

Thus the new world order is really the old world order, with a twist, because it will not be in a Neo-Luddite kind of way, rather, we will take the best of the old world by embracing craftsmanship and living our chosen trade, and we will take the best of the new world and embrace the best that technology has to offer.

When the economic downturn began I knew losing my job was a possibility. One year ago that became a probability. Six months ago it was fait accompli, and I was prepared. I made a commitment that I would work on my venture until the end of the year, if I survived I would push forward. It is now the end of the year and I report to you that not only did I survive, I thrived. There were three things that made possible this success. First and foremost, as the saying goes, "behind every successful man stands a wise woman", Angela has supported me, guided me, and raised my level of confidence. Second, I was armed with the tools of hard work and dedication inherited from my mom and dad. Mom would have been proud. Third, I had the support of all my friends and family.

This coming year will be better, I know so. There will be challenges but they will be surmounted. The biggest challenge will be to put into practice what I've been preaching, that is, to change the practice of architecture as we know it. That last bit is not a short-term endeavor, nor is it something I can do on my own. I will rely on all of you in big and in small ways, directly and indirectly, to help me mold, refine, polish, and finally achieve those goals.

Happy New Year!