kevinnowak.com

Guess who's 30 today?

Happy 30th Birthday Kelly!

I didn't want you guys to hurt yourselves by making you guess for too long.  It's Kelly...she turns 30 today. 

If you were at the rehearsal dinner for our wedding you saw most of these photos, if not, enjoy.  I'll probably be sleeping on the couch for posting these...but hey, she only turns 30 once, right?

Here she is growing up over the years with all the yearly school photos...they get better as they go. 

         

         

         

         

         

    

and just for fun, a few of my favorites of us together from our wedding.

         

I'm sure to have a recap of all the Birthday Weekend festivities sometime next week!

 

New Building at Dana Farber.

Back in January of '07 I posted a photo of a new building going up at Dana Farber called the Yawkey Center.  It was really only a hole in the ground at that point, but now, 12 months later the steel is quickly rising and the building is taking shape.  This new building will house some research labs but the majority of it will be for treatment of cancer patients, young and old.  This is the one that is even going to have the PMC garden/plaza down at street level as you enter the front door.  So, all you folks who donate money to Dana Farber through the PMC, this is one of the places where it goes.  In a few short years this building will be a 24 hour beehive of activity with people getting better each and every day.  

The reason I bring this up today is because there was a great story [and video] in the Boston Globe showing how the iron workers take time each day to write the names of young patients directly onto the steel beams and colums of the new building as they are set in place, effectively making those kids a permenant part of this important building. This same thing was going on 12 years ago when the Smith Lab building was going up and it was so cool to watch.  Take a minute to check out the article and the video here.

This is a short video that was made back in 1996-1997 about the iron workers and the kids at Dana Farber.

And how cool is that Sponge Bob Square Pants crane hook?

Feeding the Ducks!

I always try to make sure the ends of a loaf of sandwich bread don't go to waste...

 
Feeding the Ducks from Kevin Nowak on Vimeo.

Can you say feeding frenzy?

Will you be my Valentine?...

For shits and giggles I sent the above out as a text message on Saturday to nearly every person in my phone book. Perhaps you got it?  The responses I got back from everyone were very funny, so I've decided to share most of them here.  No names will be posted of course...

"Will you be my Valentine?"

- I thougth you'd never ask

- sure...

- already spoken for! maybe next year ;)

- You read my mind.

- Sure.  Happy Valentine's Day!

- Do you have to ask?

- Kelly might be jealous but OK!

- Ur catching!

- Happy v day!  Doing anything special with kelly?

- No.

- sure, if you'll be my sugardaddy

- of course!

- Will u wear those jeans that your ass looks so cute in?

- Sure

- Cute

- Only if you grow breasts!

- Of course!  Hope you have fun today!!

- You got it.  Enjoy the day Kev!

Hi Mom.

  A big Happy Birthday to my mom who turns 60 today!!!

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A few photo from her suprise brunch yesterday!

     

            

         

         

         

  

And lastly, a few photos from way-back-when that Bob-dog circulated at the brunch!

         

         

          

        

ToC.

Be sure to catch some of the Tour of California, which begins in my birthplace, Sacramento, CA, today  on Versus.  The 8 stage race will begin in Sacramento and make it all the way down towards LA and even San Diego by next weekend.  With defending champ Levi Leipheimer and a little known guy name Lance Armstrong on the squad, Team Astana is set to have a good showing!  Don't be suprised if you see Lance try and win the prologue this afternoon.

Oh yeah...Happy Valentine's Day too!  It's going to be Lobster Fest tonight at the Nowak Household...can't wait.

Rain Drops.

I can't remember if I've posted this photo here before or not, so I'm going to post it [again] anyway. 

    

I took this photo one moring last year on my way to work looking up through the sunroof.  [Don't worry...I was stopped at a red light].  This is all the dew that had gathered on the roof overnight and once the sun came up it looked awesome.  Just used my little point and shoot and was able to capture this gem.  I think i may have to make this my computer desktop wallpaper. 

    

Case of the Missing Shopping Cart.

On Sunday Kel and I made our weekly grocery run, this week to Stop and Shop.  We've been trying to go every Sunday and stock up for the week.  Stuff for lunches, dinners, the whole 9 yards.  It beats going down to the store near our house on a weeknight when trying to find a space in the parking lot nearly turns into a version of demolition derby.

So on Sunday we had made our way through the produce section getting ingrediants for a fruit salad, some bananas and a few other things when we decided to split up.  I was going to take a spot in the deli line while Kel was off to get some carrots.  Kel took the shopping cart with her.

The deli line was 10 or 12 deep, so I took a number and waited patiently.  After about 8 minutes in line my cell phone rang, it was Kel. 

I flipped it open and said "Still at the deli, where you at?". 

Kel responded with "Do you have our cart?" 

"No, I left it with you, didn't I ? [knowing full well that she had it]" 

Just as I said those word an announcement came over the store intercom asking everyone to check their shopping carts to make sure it was in fact theirs.  If you had the wrong cart please come to the customer service desk. 

Kel said "Umm yeah...that announcement is for me!"

At this point Kel was laughing hysterically...someone had stolen her cart while she had turned the other direction to bag up the carrots!  She asked a couple of the  produce clerks who were standing nearby if they had seen it and it was they who decided to put out the all points bulletin.  Kel made her way over to the deli, since I was still in line, to fill me in on what went down and could not stop laughing. 

Having spent considerable time in the grocery business myself, I know this type of thing happens all the time in a grocery store.  We didn't have a ton of stuff in the cart, and Kel's bag was on her shoulder, so having to start over really wouldn't have been a big deal, but Kel did walk up to the customer service counter to see if anyone had come clean and admitted to the heist.  Sure enough, on her way up to the front one of the clerks was wheeling her cart back to the produce dept with a huge smile on his face. 

Standing next to the clerk was the woman who had taken Kel's cart...she said she was sorry for the mix up and then asked Kel if she had her cart.  "Ahhh no".  Why would Kel take her cart just because she had taken Kel's?  Made no sense. 

So Kel made her way back to the deli again, this time with only the cart holding her up cause she was laughing so hard!  We got our deli meats and finished our shopping...I kept the cart with me at all times though.

CASE CLOSED.

I'm Green.

I'm sure you have all heard the term "LEED" at some point during the past 5 or 10 years.  It stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and it mostly relates to how buildings get classified by a group call the US Green Building Council.  It basically tells you how "green" a building is.  Well the folks who are in charge of the LEED ratings wanted to make sure that the folks out doing the architecture, design, engineering and construction of these buildings actually knew what they were doing, so they came up with a test.  Pass that test and you become a LEED Accredited Professional.  This designation has become a real hot topic over the past few years and for those of us in the architecture world and it's really a must have.  Not because it's a valuable tool to have, but I think more because clients are constantly asking for it, and not really knowing what it's all about.  It really is a  buzz word that the general public kinda knows about, but doesn't know enough about.  The whole idea of the exam really got under my skin.  There aren't any other codes in the architecture world that require someone to essentially memorize them and then sit for an exam. None.  So why is there a test for the LEED code?  It doesn't make much sense to me, but I can tell you the test is a huge money maker for the USGBC...$400 to take it!  Maybe that has something to do with it? 

So...I bit the bullet and took the exam last week. Ended up passing by the skin of my teeth.  Now I too am a LEED AP.  Yipeeee.

Mystery Postcard.

I got this postcard yesterday in the mail and I'm not sure who it's from.  It was supposed to be for my birthday but it didn't arrive until nearly a week late.  I've got a few lead suspects [either of Kel's brothers: Thomas or Patrick] but I'm not 100% sure.  Any tips you can give me would be appreciated in the investigation.  I can't make out the stamp from the post office as it got smudged somewhere along the line. 

    

         

The postcard is from a little restaurant we've frequented in the past two years on the Saturday afternoon of PMC day #1.  It's nothing special, but the food is decent and they can always accommodate our large crowd.  I know for a fact that the card is not from "The Whole Staff" as it says!

I hope that whomever sent it had a girl write it out because if that's a guys handwriting I'm a little worried, if ya know what I mean!