http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/02/11-more-of-the-coolest-bo_n_481483.html
Cool book cases
March 2nd, 2010February 17th, 2010
One of the rough things about being a resident manager of a multi complex is that you mainly work alone and maybe you have someone to cover your “days off.” It’s a constant job where the bottom line is that you try to make the most profit for the owner and lower the expenses. However, the everyday task is to carry out the objectives of the owner and be that voice for the residents so it’s a constant balancing act. It is both rewarding and frustrating to be the problem-solver of many situations all while trying to maintain the building and its resident’s requests and leasing vacancies to new prospects.
With the invention of yelp.com, it makes it easier for people to vent out their dislikes and frustrations about businesses publicly. It really sucks when you work so hard at what you do with what you have and because of the nature of the job you end up working all day, because you’re essentially on call 24-7.
Most residents can see and understand how the resident manager can get bombarded with lots of questions even when it’s after “5pm” and others, especially people quick to write a review can only focus on their one-time personal negative experience. It’s true that you only have one time to give a first impression but its so easy for people to be so critical on others. They even use your name and call you out but just in case, they never even ask if you’re Ok, if you’ve been ill or whatever. It’s so impersonal, mean, and false because they don’t live at the property yet and haven’t really truly experienced what people are seeking to know.
I don’t even want to be on yelp or other review sites. It’s not even that I can’t accept negative reviews when someone actually writes one but it seems so unfair that a business can’t even post back a public reply.
Parking Meter Holidays in Oakland, CA and possibly nearby cities
December 14th, 2009Meter Holidays:
Only the following days are considered meter holidays:
New Year’s Day (January 1 st)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
President’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day (July 4 th)
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day (December 25 th)
What street curb colors mean in California
November 12th, 2009If you live in the State of California and drive a car or ride in one, you may want to check out this link below. Actually,YOU SHOULD LOOK at the following link because I bet that you don’t even know what all those curb colors mean. Don’t get defensive-I didn’t know either. I was unsure of the white curb. I knew I could park my truck in the yellow but just be in the know. Save yourself a ticket.
http://www.caldrive.com/parking.html
Quick outline of what the Curb Colors mean found in this link.
red where parking and stopping is always prohibited
white where you’re allowed to stop to pick someone up or drop them off without parking (the driver can’t get out of the car)
yellow where it’s OK to stop for a short while to deliver something;
green where you can park for a short time only (usually something like from 15 to 30 minutes — the time limit will be indicated somewhere); and, finally,
blue indicates a parking space reserved for cars displaying an official DMV handicapped driver placard or license plates.
Anything left unpainted or gray is considered to be available for unrestricted parking, subject to local rules and things like metering, obstructions, other parking signs, etc. Note that green (short-term) and gray (unrestricted) areas may be metered.
Coming soon, for our reference, next I’ll look up which holidays that parking meters acknowledge and which we are exempt to pay the fee that day.
Here are the pictures for an idea of Room Division using two cabinets side by side and dressing them up.
November 12th, 20091
Two cabinets side by side. Hideable Storage.
2
Standard 12 inch slate tiles are layed on top of the cabinet for a nice top finish.
3
Lined with brown velvet or velour, the dressed back becomes and elegant headboard for a bed.
4
Two pieces side by side with an upholstered back becomes one elegant functional furniture piece.
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Low Dividing Wall doubles as a bed headboard as well as storage facing the living area.
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Separating a living room from bedroom space in open space.
Open Division
September 30th, 2009It’s been a while since my last blog. It’s my first time securing my corner of the internet so I’d better keep it up before this turns to dust.
Although the whole lure towards loft living is about the open space, tall ceilings, and big windows, people generally try to make sense of how to use the space. When they notice the vaulted ceilings, they want to know if they can build another level. When they see space above the bathroom, they want to know if they can use it for storage or sleep on top. So when they see the open space, they want to know if they can divide it up.
I personally think that most people like me take to understanding in chunks so the whole open space is baffling, yet romanticized, but being or even looking like your a minimalist proves to be very hard. We are a collecting species and storage was created by humans so open space can sometimes make storage the focus and furniture placement the frustrating pleasure of loft living.
One of the best looking functional ideas I’ve seen were two cabinets purchased from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. They were white and put side by side. The cabinets were exposed towards the living area and the back was reupholstered with brown velor and stuffed with matting. It served as the headboard for a queen size bed and two nightstands. The top of the cabinet was lined with 12″ tiles. This divider was so great because its multifunction was oblivious and it did not compromise any light coming from the one window wall. As you walked into the rectangular loft from one end, you notice the kitchen and living area and tall big windows but you never see the bed. It’s just fantastic plus you get all the storage in the cabinets which are about 14 in. deep and 5 ft. wide;10 ft. together and about 4 1/2 ft. tall. The bed against the upholstered backboard looks handsome and coordinated especially finished off with two Japanese style low arm chairs side by side at the food of the bed. Since you do not need a headboard connected to the bed, an even more functional piece of furniture would be a chest storage bed, the kind they make at Oysterbed in San Francisco. You can get the sleek version that has no protruding frame and they come in custom colors and can be matched to existing furniture. By having 6 drawers + below you can eliminate having to have a separate dresser. The key to this divider is that it is high enough to block the bedroom but low enough to get all the light and space of the room.
Bike Rack from Urban Ore
July 14th, 2009
all bikes on rack
Inside bike parking is handled by getting an old balcony rail from a salvage reuse center like Urban Ore in Berkeley. This one is about $15. It doesn’t take up that much room, is without the curly designs which I didn’t want and the rust gives it charm and adds some grit to the loft.
You just mount it to the wall or floor but in this case, the bike rack temporarily is simply leaning at an angle against the wall.
I’ve had up to 7 bikes on this rack but daily it holds 4. It’s great when your cyclist homies come over and easy and fun to pull up to when coming home. Not only is it functional but it looks cool.
Using a Curtain to Separate a Low Ceiling Room
July 14th, 2009This is a really simple solution in creating separation from a home office and personal living space especially when you need to have people over and your living area is a mess.
When not in use, the curtains are simply tied in a knot and they can be pushed aside or wrapped and tucked above in the curtain rod.
An inexpensive black curtain rod purchased from IKEA (two long poles plus a short pole put together or depending on the length your curtain is to stretch), four anchored curtain rod holders and then your choice of curtains.
Shown here are standard sized curtains un-hemmed so they drag about 3 inches and touch the floor but I don’t mind. They are silk and the design can be seen on both sides.
The curtains are not opaque but they are attractive and serve the purpose of separation when needed. They also add a sense of curiosity to what’s on the other side and in that sense makes a dramatic dressing of the space.
It’s just as easy to do the same treatment to the loft upstairs because the ceiling is also low enough to install hardware. Even if you don’t require the screen, curtains naturally softens up edges and make any room or space more cozy and sophisticated fun.