Thomas Keller, one of my most admired chefs. I like his comment about the Louvre. Very inmspiring: ---------------------------------- Keller says that when he started to plan the renovation, he was inspired by the Louvre in Paris. "When I.M. Pei added the pyramids on top, it re-energized the entire property," he says. "But it didn't change the actual museum." ------------------------------- dcarch

Toad, thanks for posting the interview. We were just discussing it in the YOMT thread. I did listen to it - I am not a big Terry Gross fan, but was in awe at how she handled this very difficult and delicate situation. She had great respect and empathy for Didion, and Didion was candid in her response. I was not planning on reading the book till my bookgroup chose it. I was hoping it would not be too painful - and found that it wasn't, for me. It was painful only in seeing another human in the throes of grief, which I remember all too well. She takes a rather clinical, intellectual approach to her writing, that made her feel distant to me, but what she writes is very powerful. Anyone who has gone through this (and it really doesn't stop at a year - but the periods of pain just get further apart) will recognize this, and realize that what she is going through is universal, not abnormal. Those who have just lost someone might not be ready for the power of the book. And those who never lost anyone close might come to realize that there is more to grief than meets the eye. Cindy

Well I'm done with the first part. I don't want to say too much in case someone from the firm reads this forum. But I could have definitely gone casual -- I was immediately shown to a conference room and given the test. The only employee I saw was a guy wearing a t shirt and cargo shorts who met me at the door and handed me the test and collected it at the end. And the test was surprisingly hard given the level of position I applied for so who knows if there will even be an interview. Oh well -- even if it nothing comes of it, it was definitely an interesting way to dip my toes in the job market.

So having just read your other thread, we are in a similar situation, though we've already finished our work. Lots of houses undergoing similar work in our neighborhood, and re-sale prices of those homes have more than justified our decision to expand (plus the bank appraisal for our post-reno refi came in much above what we had put into it). We hired an architect first, and ended up working with a contractor who he recommended (after reviewing a few bids). The benefit to that is that they work together well, so there was no confusion about the architect's intents, and they could resolve any questions without even having to get us involved. We loved our architect because in addition to designing a great layout for us, he hewed to the budget. I have seen many others have issues where the architect design for them (meaning the architect), or for 'what people are doing'. Inevitably those come in way above what should be (based on our experience) a reasonable budget. So I would suggest 1) someone whose temperment you like 2) someone who has designed similar work and 3) someone who listens to you and incorporates your wants in a creative manner while bringing up other things you may not have thought about.