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I hate Birthdays, not because I don't love the attention it brings, but because it reminds me that as some point, soon enough, the guillotine of my cursed genetic make up will turn on me... Oh, well, today was my Birthday, 40+ and it was...well, deliriously content and happy that I have survived this long, sort of speak.

I was woken up by my stepmom, who has never gotten a handle on changes in international time. She has an uncanny ability to wake me up at all cost at the wee hours of the night by calling my landline and my cell simmultaneously. Since just Maria and the girls were around, they took the day off and came to work with me. Amazing how entertained they are...an architect's office is the perfect daycare...
Then, I got texts wishing me a happy B-day from all over the globe, Uganda, El Salvador, Los Angeles, Italy, Sacramento, Tehachapi, Sherman Oaks, Pomona, etc. etc.

Then, after actually sitting in my living room and enjoy a cup of coffee, a few last minute changes in the schedule, we went on to work in our latest proposal which if there is a God, we should get a shot to getting the job. We have assembled the best team of architects, interior designers, engineers and consultants from every kind, the top of the gene pool at this side of the Mississipi to do the project. If there is a God... who rewards hard, sheer effort, we should get a stab to getting the job.

Thanks everyone who work so hard with me, to make this happen, Susana, Peter, Chuck, Nate, Debra, etc. . My special appreciation goes to Cliff who has given up his weekends to prepare the package, who debated with me countless times, as to which team was a good fit for the project, the client and ourselves. I am so glad Cliff, that you walked through that door several months ago and joined our team. WELCOME HOME... YOU FOUND A PLACE YOU BELONG.

Julius Shulman will be honored by a significant exhibit at the Palm Springs Museum, curated by Michael Stern, and our office will be helping in the restoration of a concrete model of the "Elrod House" designed by John Lautner and I understand will be a centerpiece of the exhibit. Schulman photographed the house in South Ridge on several ocassions. Receiving a thank you note from him, reinforces the fact, that a great genious is always polite, humble and with impecable manners.

On January 16th. our office took Julius Schullman to lunch at Le Vallerise, thanks to Luisa Castrodale, who informed us that he was in town and if we had the opportunity to meet him again. Needless to say we had a great time. He was charming, self-effacing and just amazing to see his genius at work. I guess the secret of longevity in this business and life has to do with the fact, that we pick our battles, do our best and enjoy everyone we meet. As I look at our office and my team-mates, we had a great break from the battle field. We looked great, we had friends along and just enjoyed a great meal (w/alot of calories) but at the end, it was an infusion of adrenaline (for those thrill seekers junkies) or steroids (for the want to be athletes) and for us Palm Springs folks, it was a Frank Sinatra moment, "Regrets, we had a few... but then again, too few to mention...we travel all and each every highway, we did what we had to do and saw it through without exemption, we planned each charged course, each capital step along the highway, but much more than this we did it...our way"..."and there were times, we bit more than we could chew... we faced it all and stood tall... We loved, we laughed and cried and had our share of losing and now how everything subsides, we find it all so amusing... As usual we did our way"