My designs

Last week I made an appointment on campus to update my retirement account. I had been trying to do this for the past year, but kept hitting a wall (and forgetting about it). Since they were switching over to new management, I took this chance to get it done. And I did. But while I was sitting outside the office area waiting for my turn, I looked at the reception area. I remembered having a project there. Was it the desk, the weird shaped desk with the laminate top? I hoped not but could vaguely remember some plans for that. I kept looking and trying to remember. Then I looked behind the desk and saw them. Two sets of custom made lockers. Beautiful ones. And I REMEMBERED those. I designed them and the OU carpenters built them (I think--I'm a little fuzzy on that since we had subs sometimes). I almost started crying, which seems a bit extreme.

After my first appointment I needed to walk to HR to get them to release the money since I don't work there and haven't for about 4 years. I stood in that lobby and looked around. I remembered that remodel too--that it was more of a joint collaboration with the other design department, one of those awkward projects.

Saturday I decided it was time to start walking back through. I barely even got to do that when I worked on the projects. And I really couldn't mentally or emotionally after I quit. Since it was the weekend, I couldn't see many of the areas. The offices were closed. But I could see a few of the central classrooms that I was able to upgrade, albeit on a tight budget--from a seemingly never ending list of crappy neglected classrooms on campus.

 I found some hallways, hallways that had needed new tile to replace the eroding asbestos tile.

 I found one of my first huge projects, in Adams Hall.

And in the stadium found a reminder of one of those bizarre projects I had ALL the time--the "this giant project was just completed but we cut this part out to fit the project budget and now need to remodel it" project.

I know, it just makes one want to be a designer. I chose not to bother opening the door to take a picture of the stairs. Probably locked anyway.

All of these remind me of the enormity of the job I had, the constant deluge of projects, having to learn on the job on my own all the time (while this is good in general, at this pace it became a bit lethal), the customers, and, what is sitting on my heart right now, some sadness of never feeling my best was enough. That's all I can say about that. Tomorrow I will try to take a few more, in some office areas and maybe even the cafeteria. They did a huge remodel there and actually kept some food lines I remodeled. That helped me. I think I cried when I heard that too.