All this talk of decay and decadence brings me back to this project, which is to humanize a living space that's proportioned, except for the average sized kitchen, along palatial lines, while leaving the open concept open. It's interesting that with all this marketing of the raw, this former industrial space is pretty polished. The concrete is clean and smooth (not really anything like Palimpsest's favorite Brutalism), the metals (trusses, stairs, catwalks, ducts, window frames) are smooth and painted an appealing white with a green cast, and are in great shape and don't need to be redone. These may be industrial relics, but very civilizedly so. The decadent part is the size of the space, especially for one person who is barely beyond being a "girl". Most urbanites would be comfy (well...cramped but content) in something the size of the mezzanine. Without the upper bits, it's basically a two bedroom, two bathroom, open concept apartment with a dining area, living area and kitchen. On steroids. Big time. :) The owner is confused by our discussion, as I've relayed some of the more interesting bits, but it's helped us focus on how to make the living room functional for more than cocktail parties. She doesn't want to divide the space, which would suck all the grandeur out of it, and she doesn't want conversation groups. Palimpsest's digital living gave me an idea which I thought was silly, but might be a go, for a central tower for media, rather than putting it against a wall. This must have been done before--it doesn't feel particularly original--but I think it would work. We talked about making it out of wood and hiding all the blackness of the equipment, but it would be awfully big and block the view. More honest and practical would be to have a central service column with all the cables and juice, and put lots of screens on swing arms, as well as media players and the like. Perhaps have smaller screens facing into the catwalks. It would sort of be an inside out control console crossed with the monolith from 2001. Or it could, I suppose, be made of of brass steam fittings and go all steampunk. :) Becky, I totally forgot about that place!! Thanks for linking it. I think its the Navajos who don't tear down old structures but let the earth reclaim them naturally. Seeing it done on a castle scale is offputting, however, to put it mildly. I used to know someone who had owned and lived in a castle--the real ancient fortress kind--for many years. It really sounds dreadfully uncomfortable, and one imagines that they do best as amusements for tourists.

Given that 95% of the population of Thailand is Buddhist, it's no surprise that there are an estimated 40,000 temples in Thailand. Thai temple complexes usually include a temple or wat, feature a tall bell-shaped stupa which is a place for relics and the ashes of monks, ordination and sermon halls, a space for shrines and Buddha images and a residence for the monks. The public is welcome at most temples. When visiting the temples, please show respect by observing the following guidelines: Take your shoes off before entering the temple. Make sure shoulders are covered and wear long pants (or long skirts for women). Remove hats and sunglasses, don't chew gum or smoke and speak quietly. After entering the temple, sit on the floor with your feet under you and try not to put yourself in a position where you are higher than any Buddha statues or Buddhist monks. It's ok to take photographs unless there are signs forbidding it, but don't use a flash. With their ornate appearance, the temples are easily recognizable: These are peaceful places, and even if not Buddhist, one may feel the urge to reflect or meditate while visiting. Beautiful arrangements of fresh flowers adorn the interior of the temples and they are spectacular: The interior of the temples are dominated by Buddha statues. Buddha statues are made out of many different materials from gold plate to stone to wood to clay. One famous statue, the Golden Buddha, was thought to be made of plaster until it was being moved to a new location in 1954. Ropes supporting the statue snapped causing the statue to fall to the floor and resulting in some of the plaster chipping off allowing the gold surface underneath to be seen. After carefully removing the plaster it was discovered that the statue was solid gold. It is believed that it was covered over with plaster in the 1700's to prevent theft, although at 5.5 tons stealing it would be a daunting task! The interior of the temples include beautifully embellished shutters and ceilings. And, detailed murals cover the walls:

Perhaps all this points out is there is a reason ACTORS get paid big bucks for commercials and infomercials. You Tube is an amateur show!!! It is designed to give non professionals a platform. YOU CHOSE it if you are bothering to watch these people!!! Speaking "off the cuff";as most You Tubers are, will almost always get one using a lot of pauses and ums as well as off topic straying. I was taught in speech 101 in high school and college words are money. When broadcast or in-front of an audience short, simple, clear is required if you want to come across educated, intelligent and competent. Again not so sure that is the goal of most You Tubers. As far as the use of language and new words emerging..well that has always been the unique thing about English. It isn't a dead language. It is still growing and evolving. Even Websters began updating and each year there are more and more words included. Blatant grammar mistakes do grate on my ears like the old school finger nails on a chalk board example but for me the bottom line is COMMUNICATION. Did the point of the speaker get across and was it understood. Innovation with word usage bothers me not. And I think it is a battle lost YEARS AGO.

Thank you all so much...so many kind words and advice. I haven't been back because our daughter flew down to help me decide what to do with all his things. I couldn't deal with it. I feel so lost without him and still feel shocked that he is gone, I don't know how to proceed. We married when I was 22 and he was 38. My family was not thrilled because of the age difference. It took a while for them to accept him, but they did and loved him. I went from my mothers house to his and never lived alone. How strange that sounds today when women have made a life for themselves before getting married. My being Irish-Catholic marrying an older man who was also Jewish did not sit well with my family initially. Religion was never important to either of us and never presented a problem. We raised our children without any religious beliefs and let them decide for themselves when they were 18.. The loneliness and sadness is overwhelming. I haven't returned phone calls, nor met with friends. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to answer questions about what happened. I don't want to rehash the three months of what happened to him. I don't want to relive it. My daughter said I should but understood what I was saying. I know keeping busy, being around people is important. On top of the grief, the Shingles I got in January hasn't quit. Constant pain on my scalp, my hair coming out in clumps. Then about 2 weeks ago, my vision has deteriorated. I'm trying to get an appointment with my eye doctor but the earliest he ca see me is August! I stopped driving because everything is cloudy. I have read about Shingles on your scalp can be dangerous for your eyes. I was told by my doctor, in January to watch for changes to my eyesight. , My advice to everyone, get the Shingles vaccine. This has been a horror. My original post had to do with jewelry. I haven't thought about it since my post and I apologize. It has certainly been put on the back burner. Just trying to get my bank accounts changed, Its amazing how many places require death certificates and how long changing everything takes. My husband thought he had everything in order in case he passed, and he did, but the paperwork and documents are endless. I haven't done everything and got the important banking things done...I hope. I could go on and on but I won't. I wish I were still in NY where we lived. We moved to Florida 10 yrs ago and I think it was a mistake. I lost all my friends (as did he) it has taken me so long to feel connected and I wish I were back 'home.' I feel alone now. My husband was involved in various things and I regret I didn't volunteer more and meet people. I'm not sure what I am going to do. I will wait a year to sort out my life. My eyesight has to be taken care of immediately. I can barely see what I'm typing. I apologize for any mistakes. This year has been so depressing from the beginning. I was diagnosed with Shingles on my head January 4th. I thought it was mosquitos bites that got infected (its Florida and I garden and mosquitos are numerous). Never gave Shingles a thought. I wasn't allowed in the hospital to be with my husband because I could infect newborns and those who never had Chickenpox. On top of that, Covid restricted visitation at the hospital. What a year! Again, thank you all for so many kind words. I just couldn't return because I didn't know where to begin. Thank you, thank you, so much. Your kind words and advice have helped me more than you know. Jane