A Day in the Life of Colbert

Hello all, Colbert here. I’ve mentioned before how difficult it is to be a Colbert, so I thought I’d show you a typical day to give you a sense of how truly terrible my life is. Feel free to send sympathetic thoughts...and bacon.

Sometime in the Morning (I’m a dog, I can’t tell time):

All I want to do is stay curled up on my nice warm bed, but these slave drivers force me to go outside in the cold. At least they reward me for my troubles with a biscuit. It’s a little sub-standard, but I take what I can get.

After all that, they don’t even stay to play with me or anything. They leave me to go to “the gym,” whatever that means. I don’t know why they needed to wake me up only to leave me again. That’s just rude.

Just as I start to get comfortable and fall back asleep, they come back to disturb me! At least this time Mommy gives me my breakfast, which is lacking in flavor and variety. My distinguished palate is far superior than theirs and for some unknown reason, they think this rubbish that they feed me is adequate.

While Mommy and Daddy are Gone:

Sometimes Daddy forgets to shut the bedroom door before he leaves for work. Those are the best days because then I can sleep on the people bed. Normally they don’t allow me on the bed, but I like to go up there when they’re not paying attention. Usually, I spend a lot of my time herding those annoying cats as they run around like crazy. I feel it is my responsibility to referee their activities, since it can get a little out of hand. You would think that Mommy and Daddy would reward me for this good behavior, but noooo.

Forever Later:

Finally, after what may or may not be days later, my Mommy and Daddy return home to release me from this prison. They do grant me a little pleasure by taking me for a brief walk; however, even this is minimal and short lived. They hold me back on a leash, preventing me from running free. I am a prime athletic specimen, yet they refuse to let me perform to my full potential. I am a herding dog, after all.

After returning home from our walk, they feed me more of that terrible food for dinner as they selfishly prepare a delicious-smelling meal for themselves. If I’m lucky, they’ll accidentally drop some food on the floor, which I deftly swoop up before they realize their mistake. The key is to position yourself beneath their feet as they cook.

Sometimes Daddy gives me a treat after dinner, so it’s important to stay close by. The rest of my night is spent alternating between chasing cats, playing with Dragon, and napping. Eventually it’s time to get ready for bed, so I can do it all over again the next day.

Now you that know what it’s like to be a Colbert, I hope you can appreciate my struggles. I’m not one to complain, though; I just suffer in silence.

Design Love

Dapto Anglican Church Auditorium by Silvester Fuller, via Dezeen

Rest Hole in the University of Seoul by UTAA, via Arch Daily

Wine Bottle for Leo Hillinger by Zaha Hadid, via Dezeen

Greenhouse Botanical Garden by idA, via Arch Daily

2722 Building by Daniel Martin Cornejo, via Arch Daily

Your House by Olafur Eliasson,
via Apartment Therapy

Heydar Aliyev Center by Zaha Hadid Architects, via Arch Daily

Star Struck!

Let me get straight to the point: I met HGTV’s Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri from Cousins Undercover, Cousins On Call, and Kitchen Cousins! They even talked to me for awhile after taking a few photos with me, and I somehow managed to keep my composure and form complete sentences in their presence! I also met Genevieve Gorder from Dear Genevieve, but I don’t have a photo to prove it.

Photo from Sharp Communications

Photo from Sharp Communications

Now for the backstory:

A couple weeks ago, I joined some friends from work for the launch party of Dekton (a new product by Cosentino) at the Center for Architecture in NYC. I had to go somewhere before the party so I was going to meet my coworkers at the CFA, but ended up arriving before them. While I was waiting for them inside, Anthony came up next to me to grab a drink. Since I had no idea the HGTV stars would be there and because I’m an embarrassment when I get star struck, I immediately froze, saying nothing and just smiling like a crazy person. After finding my coworker’s sister, who works for the PR firm that was putting on the event, I told her how excited I was to see the HGTV stars, as I’m a little too obsessed with HGTV, so she pulled Anthony aside to have him take a photo with me. He then grabbed his cousin John and suddenly I found myself having my photo taken with both cousins and having a conversation with the two of them about design! They then introduced me to Genevieve, and my night was complete! All of this happened before my friends even arrived at the party.

Before I knew HGTV people would be at the event, I was actually excited about the product launch and the corresponding exhibit. It was not only highlighting Dekton and its features, but also showcasing an exhibit by six local emerging architects who each created a model or design piece either using Dekton materials or interpreting concepts of the product in some manner. Below are my favorites.

Model by SOFTlab

Detail of model by SOFTlab

Model by MANIFOLD

Model by EASTON+COMBS

Model by Architecture in Formation

I’m so glad I was able to attend this event, and I’m feeling very fortunate to have met and talked with Anthony and John!

Design Love

Vanke Brand Center by Vector Architects, via Arch Daily

The Polymorphic by The Polymorphic Youth!

Jackson Family Retreat by Fougeron Architecture, via Contemporist

Via 31 by Somdoon Architects Ltd, via Arch Daily

Dear Ginza by amano design office, via Arch Daily

Princeton

Last Sunday, I tagged along with Vincent when he drove down to Princeton to work at the Seton Hall men's soccer game against Princeton university. Neither of us had been there before, but we had been told it's a cute town that we would enjoy visiting. That was an understatement!

The day could not have been better. The weather was beautiful, that perfect combination of fall approaching while summer still lingers. As soon as we turned onto campus, I felt like I was at Duke, with the forest trees protecting the street from the outside world only to reveal a little oasis of collegiate gothic buildings. I remember hearing somewhere that Duke blatantly copied the architecture of Princeton, but it was odd to see it in person.

The sports fields and facilities were immaculate and I was instantly jealous of their use of contemporary architecture for the sports buildings. I feel that too often college architecture plays it safe, so it was refreshing to see these newer buildings taking advantage of contemporary styles, materials, and forms. I also appreciated that not all of the facilities were exactly the same. It was clear all of the buildings were part of a larger complex, but each had a unique function expressed through its form, solid/void relationships, and materials.

After the soccer game ended and Vincent had finished his work (unfortunately Seton Hall lost), we headed over to Palmer Square, a cute block of shopping, restaurants, cafes, etc. We quickly learned, however, that we had come during Jazz Fest so the entire area was packed with people and vendors. By some miracle we found parking and set out to find a decent restaurant nearby.  We ate outside on the patio of the Yankee Doodle Tap Room, listening to the wonderful jazz music being performed on the lawn next door and watching all of the people stroll by.

As Jazz Fest came to an end and vendors packed up their tents and trucks, we wandered around window shopping and taking in the local history. Once the daylight started to fade, we decided it was time to return home to a cranky pup and needy kittens. All in all, it was a remarkably pleasant day!