terra non firma

happy national volunteer week

so I've already posted about jane jacob's death on curbed LA and our company blog, RadarWaves, so why not make it three for three? I'm also a little tired of writing because posting about the Google vs. Miro fight on radar waves took a lot out of me. and I have an article I need to write in the next day or two on advertising networks that I'm pretty sure is going to piss off a lot of people. esp the ones who work for an ad network. but as some of my fellow ex-jupiter analysts know (and witnessed), that won't be the first time. so my skin is a little tougher after the ass-rape I received from a former client back in the Jup days and I'm prepared to go to battle.

did I mention that this is national volunteer week? what does that mean to you? Probably nothing, but I do want to give a little love to a volunteer org I've been with for a few months now. last year, I volunteered with Paws LA, a great organization dedicated to helping the terminally ill keep their companion animals. but after our dog's owner, Joel, passed away last easter, I lost my drive. it was a hard death to witness, and I wasn't eager to repeat it with a new dog and a new owner. so a friend of mine brought me to everybody wins LA, another great volunteer organization, that pairs professionals with elementary school kids in LA for lunchtime reading sessions. so once a week I head over to west hollywood elementary to read "charlotte's web" with my student. sadly, I think I'm far more excited about the book than she is. maybe our next one will be a judy blume. and no, not wifey or forever, although those were seminal texts for me when I was about her age.

as anyone who reads this blog regularly knows, I'm a little bit obsessed with LA - its architecture, its development, its environment. its been my adopted home now for almost 3 years (the fastest three of my life). but its not enough to simply read and write about the city - its a vibrant place that often reminds me of a small town. I know that probably seems weird to say, but compared to life in ny, its almost provincial. which is why its become increasingly important to me that I live in the community, that I belong to it, and give back to it. I'm going to get off my soapbox now and stop there, before I become a self-righteous a-hole. but suffice it to say that its very easy to become insulated within certain social circles. volunteering in LA has helped me get out of that to some extent. and of course, jane jacobs would approve. (see how I brought it all back like that? genius).

and for those of you still interested in architecture, my monthly docenting duties at the schindler house are this weekend - sun april 30th 11-2:30. tours are free with admission. and frankly, I give good tour.

posted by marissa @ 6:00 PM